Many thanks nophead. Sometimes I wonder if we're overthinking it?

We found an EU document that was guidance for Shengen border control and printed off the relevant section in Spanish and highlighted it.

Hi nophead, do you have a link to the document below please so I can keep a copy also? Thanks

This is the relevant section from the annex of Eu document 7131.

2.1.2. In the case of third-country nationals who are family members of EU, EEA and CH
citizens, they have the right of residence in a Member State for a period of up to
three months if they are in possession of a valid passport and are accompanying or
joining the EU, EEA or CH citizen, without any limitation to 90 days in a 180-day
period.

To be noted that, third-country nationals who are family members of EU, EEA and
CH citizens are entitled to accompany or join the EU, EEA or CH citizen for
consecutive periods of up to three months per Schengen States without any
conditions or formalities (except the need to have a visa for third-country nationals
from a country subject to a visa requirement).

When the family member travels on his/her own, the normal regime concerning the
length of the short stay will (re)start to apply, as the conditions for benefiting from
the facilitations concerning the free movement of the EU, EEA and CH citizens and
their families are not met anymore.

The previous stays performed in the area without internal border controls
accompanying or joining the EU, EEA or CH citizen should not be taken into
account for the sake of the calculation of the compliance with the 90/180-day rule
which is applicable to the short stay only.

It seems pretty clear but I have no idea how they are supposed to administer it. How do they record that some of my time spent in the EU counts in the 180 rule and some doesn't?

That is the weirdest surf & turf I have herd of. As Flor del Drago was our favorite restaurant it looks like that is another night once a week we will be eating in

We asked the Spanish embassy how the travelling with an EU spouse to circumvent the 90 in 180 rule works. I.e. do they not stamp my passport and will I need an ETIAS visa waver when then come in. That was more than 3 months ago and we never got a satisfactory reply. They just repeated that after Brexit UK nationals are subject to 90 in 180.

We have also asked the British embassy in Spain but they have not even acknowledged our email.

We found an EU document that was guidance for Shengen border control and printed off the relevant section in Spanish and highlighted it.

We travelled to Tenerife and went through the EU passport section together and presented the document to the border guard. He read it like he had never see it before and his colleague in the next both was also interested. Then he shrugged his shoulders and stamped my passport.

We read in a forum that they should still stamp my passport but if they do I don't see how it works. I should be able to spend more than 180 days in Tenerife with my wife and then travel for up to 90 in 180 on my own in the EU. When I am on my own how do I show I was with my Irish wife for the time in Tenerife indicated by the stamps?

Does anybody know how this is supposed to work at the airport? All we can do now is try asking the Irish embassy. Surely this should be well known at airports because although it is only recently relevant to Brits with EU spouses it will have been like this for years for other third country nationals with EU spouses.