31 January 2023 – El Puerto de Santa Maria

The only disturbance to a quiet night was an owl hooting gently in the trees over the wall next to us. Not as cold as recently and we got up to the sun streaming gently through the thin crowns of the tall trees surrounding us; it didn't take long before the temperature started to rise too.

After breakfast a walk with Jamie to check out the laundry and other facilities, get the wifi password – site wifi turned out to be rubbish and now we've used up the data allowance on one of our phone sims – then onto the beautiful sandy beach for a run around. A stroll to the end of the beach where we counted 20-30 motorhomes parked up “wildcamping” on a car park, obviously tolerated as there also appeared to be an attendant directing a newcomer; shades of guardian parking in Morocco! Apart from rubbish bins we couldn't see any other facilities though.

Back to the van for a cold drink then a load of washing put on, €8 for wash and tumbler dry in big machines which is quite reasonable. Then relax in the sun until lunchtime, after which Terry sorted out a low tyre pressure warning – a very slow puncture or maybe the Tyrepal sender is leaking, whatever but it's not causing any issues, just top it up every couple of weeks.

Once the washing was finished that was more or less that for the rest of the day, Bren getting on with her new jumper and Terry paying the bill for the conservatory roof which was finished this morning. That's going to be a biggish job when we get home as the ceiling will need to be painted before the clean-up and put everything back.

We think that this site, Las Dunas, is perhaps our favourite in Spain. It's not the cheapest as ACSI is not available for the larger pitches which (a) we need and (b) was all they had left. We feel we've now got what we come out to Spain for, relaxation in warm sunshine!

 

 

Monday 30 January 2023 – Algeciras to El Puerto de Santa Maria

Quite a heavy thunderstorm during the night with torrential rain and by getting up time it was still cloudy with occasional showers, one of which we sat out whilst waiting to pop across to Mercadona after breakfast. Then with goodies packed away we headed out en route to a favourite spot near Cadiz. We'd tried to email to make a reservation but no reply so we just pushed on and trusted to luck.

As expected from the forecast it wasn't long before we cleared the rain and once again enjoyed lovely blue sunny skies on an almost empty autovia heading north. At Jerez de la Frontera, the centre of Spain's sherry trade would you believe, TomTom directed us onto quiet roads until we entered the sprawling area known as El Puerto de Santa Maria. Through modern industrial and commercial areas, we didn't actually touch the old town before turning off to the coast and Camping Playa Las Dunas de San Anton, a place we've been coming to since we started “snowbirding” 10 years ago, although for well-known reasons, not for four years.

The place has hardly changed, except that it was pretty full. All the usual areas were taken and we were directed to what we call the woods, a large wooded area towards the back of the site where we've hardly ever seen anyone pitched before. Nevertheless we were directed to a nice quiet pitch, not quite full sun but with enough room to position ourselves to get the best we can. In all honesty, once settled we were more than happy as despite many of the pitches being occupied, there was no crowding as would be the case in the “normal” area. The only downside is the long walk to actually get off the site for the beach, walk into town etc. This'll do us so we've booked for a week.

Once settled in we enjoyed a late lunch and took Jamie for an orientation tour – which didn't take long as everything is to hand. The electricity supply post was too much of a stretch for our longest cable, just 3 feet too much, but we've got two leads so no problem. Then chairs out and relax for the rest of the day, some cloud coming over for short periods but staying relatively warm well into the evening – it's 6.30pm as I write and the doors and roof vents are still open.

Sunday 29 January 2023 – Castellar de la Frontera to Algeciras

As the title suggests a change of plans. Up late as it's warmer in bed (so we use less gas!) Sunday means Full English |Breakfast although it was practically lunchtime by the time we'd eaten. Then the gas bottle ran out; fortunately there was still some left in the other bottle but obtaining gas is now a priority as the forecast is still for lower than normal temperatures.

So after breakfast we decided to pack things up, service the van and go get some gas. Then as it's extremely unlikely we'd be able to get back on here we'd return to Algeciras, fill up with cheap fuel and overnight with the Morocco-bound lot that stay on the retail park car-parks before resuming our perambulations.

We're now settled next to the big Mercadona supermarket where we'll top up a few groceries in the morning and it's started to rain. A check of the forecast shows some local showers here for the next 18 hours but that doesn't bother us much as the temperature appears to be holding up too. We've emailed the campsite near Cadiz to see if we can make a reservation for 7 nights, maybe longer, and intend to drive up there tomorrow, it's no more than two hours away.

The good news is the gas control seems to be working correctly so hopefully it's sorted itself out. But if we have any more problems help should be on hand from the local Truma agent.

Saturday 28 January 2023 – Castellar de la Frontera

No rush today as we've decided to stay here for the weekend. With Spain being even more crowded getting onto a site of almost any kind at the weekend is getting frustrating so as we've got everything we need, the weather is good and we've got a nice pitch why bother?

So after breakfast the days chores amounted to emptying the grey waste and refilling the water tank – the repair we made before leaving home is still holding fine, keep fingers crossed! We're not supposed to put chairs or camping things out and nobody else is either so we'll stick to a collapsible stool and Jamie on his mat to get our dose of vitamin D. The aire is full and we've noted a few vans parked in the side street who nobody seems to be too concerned about. There is a big space right next to us but it has a yellow no parking line and strangely everyone is taking notice of it – suits us 'cos that's where our sunshine is coming from!

The rest of the day we spent with hobbies, walking the dog and generally enjoying the peace and quiet. Just a quiet niggle in the back of our minds is that by now we must be getting low on gas; both gauges are in the red but all that signifies is that they are less than half full. Stupid useless gauges. However our gas control problem isn't getting any worse so hopefully we'll be okay. We have done a check and found a Truma service agent just a few hundred yards from where we thought we might settle down for a week next week.

We've brought a few videos with us and have started watching a US police series “The Rookie”, all about a 40yr old guy starting a new life as a cop after familiar life losses. It's very good and we wish we'd brought more as it's now up to series 5 on US TV.

 

Friday 27 January 2023 – Algeciras to Castellar de la Frontera

Although we hadn't planned to we were up early to say bye-bye to our friends. The solo guy had left early, we believe to top off his gas bottles as we'd chatted about what he'd need last night.

Another lovely day, expected to be a little warmer than yesterday, we decided to have a nice quiet time and relocate a short distance to one of our favourite aires where we could attend to our servicing needs. So after breakfast, a quick visit to Carrefour to stock up on fresh stuff then a 15 minute drive up into the hills to Castellar de la Frontera – the last time we were here we'd been refused entry due to the introduction of Covid restrictions; you can read all about that trip in another of our blogs. Bren commented that she hadn't yet seen any storks, which nest in almost any available high place, trees, telephone poles, electricity pylons, but the words were no sooner out than we saw dozens of them, all apparently sitting incubating the next generation.

Although quite a few vans were parked up, it was still early in the day so some were leaving and we got ourselves a nice spot in full sun for the solar panels and next to the park for Jamie. For now we've just emptied a slightly whiffy loo and will see to the rest when (if?) we leave tomorrow, also gas and fuel tanks to be topped up.

After lunch it was down time all round, this blog being just about the only energy being expended, apart from keeping Jamie happy with occasional walkies. We're unsure for now what we're going to do next; the weather forecast is generally unchanged for the next week so not very warm but at least it should be dry so maybe a sunny sheltered campsite for a few days or so.

But there is definitely a minor problem with the heating and after consulting those in the know on the MHF forum it's down to a control board problem – a pain because apart from being difficult to get hold of they're also not the easiest component to change. But we still do have hot water and heating so we'll leave it for now and maybe do a bit of research on somewhere we may be able to find technical assistance.

For those interested our new conservatory roof appears to have been completed, short of the electrician coming back to connect things up next week. We've been getting updates and photos – it hasn't gone quite as smoothly as we'd hoped so we've had a little niggle constantly in the back of our minds – but hopefully we've now got what we wanted.

 

Thursday 26 January 2023 – Fuengirola to Algeciras

Up earlyish and opened the blinds to reveal a line of motorhomes waiting to dump their cassettes and waste water down a manhole – I do hope it was actually a sewer but didn't try it myself!

Yesterday we'd been in touch with some old Funster friends who were in the area on their way to Morocco and it transpired that they'd be in Algeciras later today for an overnight stop before their ferry tomorrow. As Algeciras was only an hour away we told them we'd come find them so after a nice, but very busy, run down the A7 we caught up with them in Lidls car-park. They still had a few things to do so we relocated to our usual parking spot and they later joined us.

But coincidentally, whilst waiting we met another Funster couple who had travelled to Morocco with us some 5 years ago, also on their way again, and invited them over for a cuppa and a catch-up.

Later we all, three couples plus yet another solo Funster, walked down to the City Wok restaurant for an evening meal together. City Wok is one of those all-you-can-eat places with a big range of foods available which you just help yourselves to, generally based on Chinese-style but they'll also cook a steak or fish portion to your liking as well. For €15 per head plus drinks it's excellent value. Much good food and interesting chat was enjoyed before returning to our respective vans after good-byes all round. They'll be leaving early for the ferry in the morning so we might not see them.

So a late night cup of hot chocolate, spiced with Baileys of course, and a very late bed-time.

A most enjoyable day, spoiled a little bit when we discovered the gas heating was playing silly but it still works so we'll have a go at it tomorrow.

Wednesday 25 January 2023 – Almunecar to Fuengirola (Nr)

Dog got us up early yet again to go out but as we're moving on again we didn't want to be late. Clear skies and no wind but still cold so breakfast, service the van, pay El Jeffe and away. Dropped down into Almunecar and thought what a really attractive place, typical Spanish seaside town kept absolutely pristine and obviously popular as it was quite busy.

Stayed on the coastal N340 through more seaside towns and villages and a pleasant drive along the sea-shore between. Following yesterdays rain Bertie was now extremely dirty so thought we'd give him a wash and found a “lavado”, a place specialising in washing anything, cars, clothes, you name it and invested €8 getting him nice and clean again – not perfect but much much better than before.

A little further along we pulled off onto a parking area fronting the sea for lunch and some research into our next stop. Not so many options now, especially as we're getting close to the high-density holiday areas around Malaga, just really therefore try a few and see. Not entirely unexpected everywhere was full, even the somewhat questionable areas that wild-campers use were chokka, and we were starting to get a little concerned.

After another “complet” we decided to just get back onto the coast road and see what we could find. If all else failed Algeciras was only 45 mins on the A7 and we knew we'd find somewhere there. But as luck would have it Terry suddenly recalled a place we stopped at a couple of times several years ago with oodles of space and, rounding a bend, there it was. Maybe 200 vans there already but room for 200 more so we found ourselves a spot and shut down, both feeling quite exhausted as the roads had been extremely busy all afternoon.

From our following of the MotorhomeFun forum we'd noticed that some old friends who we keep on “just missing” were in the area suffering a couple of problems with their van so we reached out. Late on they called us and we found they'd passed us by but plans seemed to match up for tomorrow so we've made tentative arrangements to link up, maybe go out for a drink/meal which would be nice. Travelling on your own is fine but occasionally you crave a bit of familiar company.

Washing up after tea we noticed the water was cold despite being switched on earlier also the heating wasn't up to scratch. We changed the gas bottles and fiddled about a bit and everything then seemed to work. Hope we're not going to have difficulties with the gas boiler as they're a nightmare to get fixed if they go wrong.

 

Tuesday 24 January 2023 – Palomares to Almunecar

Earlyish start today as we're moving on and awoke to a cloudy grey and cold morning, but still dry... So breakfast, finish packing away, then round to the service point to attend to water etc. Then it started to rain! First port of call this morning is a supermercado so having settled the bill we headed down the road and quickly found a Mercadona at Vera. Then with cupboards restocked we continued our wanderings along the coast.

The weather forecast suggested it would be better once we were past Almeria so for a change used the nearby A7 autovia to cover some miles quickly and thus give us more time later to find a nice overnight spot. We've found it best to be parked up before 4.00pm as sites etc. start to fill up by then. As promised we cleared the clouds and once again were travelling in lovely bright sunshine.

Approaching and past Almeria we were in plastic greenhouse country, every square foot of space covered with acres of polythene structures dedicated to growing, well, actually no idea but we suspect soft fruits, tomatoes, peppers, salads etc for the world market. After the city we dropped back to the coast and found a rather nice but almost deserted beach car park at Adra where we joined another Brit motorhome and stopped for lunch and to exercise Jamie on a rather grotty, to be honest, beach. Lots of tourist apartments around though and beach furniture suggested it was popular and probably cleaner in the right season.

Still very windy, however, but our weather app suggested we'd get some protection a little further along the coast past Motril so appetites sated, we rejoined the A7 for another 45 minutes then back onto the coast road approaching Almunecar, down a very steep and winding road, carefully watching a motorcyclist behind us who seemed to want a tow!

Paused at the bottom to check our apps and Campercontact showed us a new place about 3km away which looked promising so thought we'd at least have a look. It is situated just behind the town and is actually a bit of a pig to get to, we missed turns three times before approaching over a very steep hill, through some back streets and up another steep hill. But it was worth it as we found a very nice level spot with friendly staff, some excellent views over the town, bay and mountains beyond and shelter from the thankfully lighter winds. And they'd got a few spaces left so we chose a nice one and settled in. Although just a camperstop, which has only been open for 3 months, it has all we need for a night or two although we're only planning on staying tonight.

It's good to see all these new camperstops opening up – three years ago finding one such as this was a bit hit and miss but now entrepreneurs are realising there is a demand for basic services at less than campsite prices. Yes, there are still plenty of wildcamping spots where overnight parking is tolerated in low season – let's face it local police don't want dozens of motorhomes wandering around and as long as there are no complaints generally leave them alone, although we are told that they still patrol these areas. Hopefully this situation will continue but from our experiences elsewhere this won't be forever.

Monday 23 January 2023 – Palomares

Brens turn to get up for the dog this morning! A little cloudy but cold – when Terry got up at 5.00 he put the heating on!

Nothing planned for today so a lazy breakfast. Following the video last night Terry got the TV working together with the Firestick although as expected it wouldn't connect to the BBC Iplayer through the campsite wifi. Worked okay on the phone hotspot but we'll have to watch that as it's working out at 1GB per hour streaming the Iplayer.

We watched the first episode of the new documentary about the aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, “Warship. Tour of Duty” and it was quite good. We needed, therefore, to change our internet plan to one with lots more data which Plusnet were happy to do with only a small increase in cost. I'm going to need to look seriously about internet on the move as a “3” datasim is starting to look expensive.

After lunch we took Jamie for a walk up into the town, just really to get some exercise and see what there was to see. Which was not a lot; Palomares is a small typically modern Spanish town, well a big village really, with some commercial development surrounding it. Appeared to be lots of tourist apartments too though don't know if they were for sale or general renting.

Back for a sit in the sun for an hour before it got too cold again then cuppa and biccies – we've run out of cake! As we're moving on tomorrow, basically for a change of scenery, we'll get packed away before tea and maybe watch another vid.

Oh yes, as planned builders turned up this morning to replace the conservatory roof at home. Our good neighbour and friend Ed is keeping an eye on that for us – thanks mate!

Sunday 22 January 2023 – Palomares

A Sunday lie-in for a change, but not too late as there was Full English Sunday Breakfast to look forward to. Yet again a bright sunny day but the north westerly wind is coming straight off the Spanish plateau and is cold. Out of the wind it's lovely but although we tried sitting out for a while after lunch it wasn't for very long.

For a change a video after tea; we've brought a few we haven't watched yet plus a couple of series so not a lot but nice for a change. Works well on the new laptop rather than setting up the van TV.

Saturday 21 January 2023 – Palomares

“Yip, yip, Dad I need to go out”, but not too early, got us up again!

Allegedly good weather is forecast for today so we're going to have a housekeeping session. First off get a load of washing in to the super-sized machine then Bren had a good tidy and sweep out whilst Terry carted gallons of water back and forth – every drop of water we use is carried, twice! Transferred the washing to the tumble dryer but found out later someone had messed with it so it hadn't dried. Not to worry, get the whirlygig out as it's warm sunshine with a nice drying breeze.

Until after lunch when fairly quickly the clouds came over and we espied rain showers heading our way so everything into the van until it eventually stopped. We did put the awning out as shelter but it didn't last all that long so we tried again, however it was now not drying so Bren got another token and took her turn in the queue – everybody doing the washing today!

Meanwhile the catch on an overhead locker went ping and sprayed parts everywhere but despite finding them all we couldn't put it back together. Fortunately this has happened before and replacements came in pairs – yes a rummage through the spares box and we're back in business.

And then the “3” simcard expired, can't believe we've used 24GB already and topping it up is very expensive. For the moment the campsite wifi is perfectly adequate and we've got “hotspot” backup on a phone, but when we're next on a retail park we'll have a look for another alternative. Watching too many Utubes probably, you get too used to unlimited data on a home network.

Looking ahead, the weather forecast remains cool, though dry and sunny, for the next week pretty well all along the Spanish coast – but it's going to be a LOT colder at home.............

Friday 20 January 2023 – Palomares

Awoken by Jamie being sick, but it wasn't much or very early either so it was soon cleared up and we got on with another beautiful, but again coolish day – at least the wind has dropped.

We'd nothing much planned for today so just general relaxing and messing about. After lunch we took Jamie down to the beach, about a 10 minute walk, to find coarse grey sand and lots of motorhomes “wildcamping” around the edges. Looked okay for an overnight but no facilities of course although we did see a beach water-fountain and a couple of toilet cabins – probably closed but we didn't check them out.

Wander back to Bertie for afternoon cuppa and cake – we've finished the Christmas cake and are on to the last of the mince pies but still got a couple of boxes of biscuits. Not so good for somebody's diet intentions................

We've had a look around the site and it is quite pleasant, most pitches having a hedge surround and the occasional tree for shade. Occupants are mixed, many nationalities and about half/half caravans and motorhomes. Most of the caravans are long-term residents, having spoken to a few, but looking at the turnover we've noticed motorhomes don't stay very long unless they're carrying additional transport. There really isn't very much to do locally so a few days is probably enough, as it will be for us no doubt.

Thursday 19 January 2023 – San Fulgencio to Palomares

Earlyish start to a bright but still cold day – it looks like it'll be a few days yet before the temperatures rise properly. There seems to be a large high-pressure area over the Azores which is pulling in cold air from the Arctic over most of Europe and until that moves we can expect little change.

Moving on today so after breakfast moved round to the service point – and a Norwegian van who had overnighted outside the park jumped into our vacated pitch! Paid our dues, including a surcharge for electricity which we don't normally use but it sort of got missed when we checked in and was only €3.74 – but we can buy lots of gas for that much!

Never mind, a brief call into Lidl for some basics, baguette, milk etc, then continued south towards Cartagena although we hadn't yet actually picked out a destination. Jumped onto the free AP7 in an attempt to avoid the city but it became peage so pulled off and got slightly lost until by following the sun joined up on the N332 again. Once clear the scenery started changing from heavily built up areas to the more mountainous area of the Costa Calida. In fact despite it being a hilly and twisty road it was very quiet so a pleasant change from miles of motorway.

Approaching the very modern-looking town of Marrazon we spotted dozens of motorhomes parked up on an unfinished housing area so worked our way round and joined them for our lunch stop. We've seen quite a lot of these unfinished projects, caused when the Spanish government clamped down on unapproved building projects and the developers went bust. All the infrastructure is there, roads, pavements, streetlights, electricity etc, just no houses!

Entirely unofficial, it would probably have made an okay overnight stop, assuming the police turned a blind eye – which at this time of year they do as long as behaviour is acceptable (no dumping of toilet cassettes or rubbish etc) and there are no complaints. But it was a bit early for us and anyway we fancied somewhere a bit more permanent for a long weekend stop so carried on, pausing at Aguilas to refill the fuel tank.

We'd had a look at a site at Marrazon but it was full so picked out another at Palomares with backups at Vera, where we've stayed before. This time fortune favoured us and there was a bit of choice for a pitch so after a bit of messing around settled on a quiet spot that looked like it would get sunshine for most of the day. This site also has a naturist section but we thought it a bit cold for that so stayed with the “textiles” although the site manager did say he was expecting it to get warmer tomorrow.

So a quick chat with some English neighbours, a brief explore then cuppa and cake.

Wednesday 18 January 2023 – San Fulgencio

Was decidedly cool at getting up time – so we didn't! But this couldn't last long as a patient four-footed face was watching us, silently asking if it was time to go wee-wee yet, so that had to be sorted. Indeed despite the bright sunshine it was not at all warm outside due to the strong wind which had returned.

Breakfast and a lazy morning, doing “inside” things, the highlight being news that Ken Bruce, our favourite BBC Radio 2 DJ was leaving and joining Greatest Hits Radio. Found their app on t'internet and put it up on the van radio to check it out. Somewhat livelier than Boom, which has become our “go to” radio station of late, it's made it onto our list to enjoy, playing music from “our” era. Okay there are adverts as well but no more than we're used to so it may well become our default.

A late lunch then a walk along to Iceland, although it's now called Overseas, a supermarket that sells UK stuff from Iceland and Waitrose to top up things like teabags – we thought we'd packed enough but are really getting through them.

It never got warm enough to sit outside, despite the wind eventually dropping, so time was spent perusing where we're heading for tomorrow. As it will be for at least the weekend it'll be a choice between a campsite, of which there are a goodly number to choose from, if they're not already full of course, or a commercial aire. These are privately run motorhome parking sites offering basic services at more sensible prices – the site we're on is actually one of the first to open in this area but since our last trip to Spain quite a few more have sprung up. It's just a matter of finding one in a nice location, preferably with a beach for Jamie to run about – of course they're the most popular too!

Writing this drivel in the late afternoon so will shortly pack away the bits we unloaded yesterday and get some tea. We'll do a full service, water, loo etc when we leave in the morning.

Tuesday 17 January 2023 – Denia to San Fulgencio

A breezy night with a bright start and not too cold. No services here, of course, so away after breakfast with a short stop at the local Mercadonna supermarket to see if we could get some things that Carrefour didn't have; success. The parking also happened to be the alternate motorhome parking for Denia as well, looked okay but as it is right in the centre with blocks of flats around it may be a bit noisy overnight.

As we've no desire to visit Benidorm thought we'd jump onto the AP7 autopista which is toll-free for a while until Alicante where we came off to see what we could see. Traffic was pretty light so we passed through the city on it's seaward side and stuck to the coastal road. After a short distance we espied a group of motorhomes parked up on the edge of a beach – this wasn't on any of our apps but looked okay for a lunch stop and maybe a walk on the beach. However the wind was now at gale force with sand blowing about so it was a very short walk!

Obviously not a place to overnight we continued south after lunch, thinking of finding somewhere with a bit of shelter as this wind was forecast for the next 48 hours We came across La Marina and San Fulgencio, both places we've stopped at in the past and the latter being a favourite of our friends Derek and June who coincidentally had had to return home this very morning due to a bereavement.

Well surprise surprise, they did indeed have room for us for a couple of nights so despite it being quite early for us we took advantage; at least it's quite sheltered from this wind. In fact it was warm enough to sit in the sun for an hour or so too!

For some reason we were both a little weary so indulged in late afternoon naps before a late tea and earlyish night. The wind has dropped for now but is still forecast for tomorrow.

Monday 16 January 2023 – Valencia to Denia

Earlyish start today as we're moving on. A bit grey with a high overcast and still quite cool – but on reading of 2ins of snow at home..........

After breakfast the usual final packing away, refill water tanks, empty loo etc etc then pay our dues (got a free day, nice!) and on our way. First order of the day is to refill the larder and we recalled a big supermarket a few miles south on the coastal road so around half an hour later pulled into a big Carrefour at Cullera. We noticed that although the Carrefour fuel station was closed another across the road was selling diesel at €1.57 litre – absolute shame we were almost full already!

Hour and a half later and €90 lighter we'd restocked with goodies and decided to stick to the coastal road heading south and see what we fancied. Paralleling the AP7 it appears this is no longer a toll road so if you want to get somewhere quickly that option is there, but we were in no rush. Lunch-time and we started looking for somewhere suitable to stop, making one aborted effort when we realised we'd tried that place before with no luck, but after passing through lots of small towns we spotted somewhere that had shown up in our Campercontact app as a good stopover so quickly turned around (convenient roundabout!) and pulled in.

This was a large parking area, right on a lovely sandy beach behind a restaurant, which was open at the time, and at 1.45pm was already pretty full so we found a spot and settled down to lunch. But Bren was not feeling too good, we think she may have caught a dose of that flu-like bug, so decided we'd stay here overnight and repositioned ourselves to get more level and facing into the fresh breeze.

The restaurant appeared to close after lunch and the parking quickly filled up but everyone had allowed space between each other so it was not crowded; we later counted 30 vans of all shapes, sizes and nationalities. Our app, and the beach information board, said overnight parking was not allowed but then comments went on to confirm the local police tolerated one night stops before moving you on. At this time of year we don't think it'll be a problem but in the holiday season we expect it will be restricted, mainly due to the superb beach we're parked alongside.

Although it was sunny the breeze persuaded us to remain indoors so Bren crashed out until teatime, Jamie curled up on a seat and Terry read a book! Well we are on holiday!

It's now 9.30pm and we still hear vans driving into the area then departing – we all love an optimist but these folk are really pushing their luck. We've found that if you aren't parked up by about 3.30pm your choices are drastically limited, although that said there does appear to be a lot more camperstop sites opening, reasonably priced with proper facilities so we'll be looking at more of those.

 

Sunday 15 January 2023 – Valencia

Being Sunday with nothing much planned we had a bit of a lie-in followed by our Full English Breakfast – once Jamie had had his walk of course. He's actually pretty good about this, hardly ever has he disturbed us with a need to go out, we just ensure he's taken out just before we go to bed and then whoever is up first takes him out. We have had the odd occasion when he's been sick but that's always been a bit too late and we've then got a clean-up job – but it's all part of owning a dog!

So after breakfast a few of the regular chores, water etc. but it was not quite as bright today and the breeze stiffened gradually so that we spent less time outside. Of course we've got plenty of things to do so generally a lazy day.

We're moving on tomorrow so late afternoon packed most of the paraphernalia away in readiness for a reasonable start in the morning. We've been looking at likely stops but our first priority is a decent supermarket as we're getting to the end of most of the groceries we brought with us. After that we'll just go as and wherever we fancy – the weather forecast is pretty consistent and we've noticed that quite a few new motorhome stops have been created so hopefully we'll find somewhere we like, probably not a campsite though as we don't need it's facilities now for a while.

We've both been feeling a little jaded over the last couple of days and are now looking forward to a change of scenery.

Saturday 14 January 2023 – Valencia

More blue skies when we arose, a little later than usual, but again it took a little while for the temperature to rise. Not a lot planned for today so once the few chores were out of the way the chairs were once again positioned in the sun and we took our ease, interrupted occasionally by Jamie who still couldn't work out where his garden to run around in had gone.

As sort of expected Spain came out once again for the weekend and apart from the areas where work is still ongoing on new roadways the touring area is pretty full. The main car-park is full also but we still cannot work out where everybody is – after lunch we went for a stroll around but most everything was still shut down; puzzling.

Never mind, nothing to do with us so yet more lounging in the sun (sorry all you at home in the UK, we get the weather reports but....) and chatting with the neighbours. Jamie shouts at all the passing dogs but seems to have made his peace with the big German Shepherd across the way.

A gorgeous sunset tonight – I'll have a go at including it - 

 

There you go – hundreds of geese - edit, they were flamingos - had just taken off from the adjoining lagoon as well.

 

Friday 13 January 2023 – Valencia

Yet another bright but cool morning with a little bit of high cloud delaying the warm up although it did not really reach the temperatures of the last few days.

Our friends departed after breakfast as their intentions were to cross to Maroc next week but we're just going to wait and see.

Chats with the neighbours then Bren got a few essentials from the shop and it was lunchtime. Later a degree of confusion arose when new arrivals found us parked on the pitch that Reception had told them was free – it seems that the extensions to stay had been allocated to our friends pitch. Quickly sorted out by the site manager and everyone was happy.

Later we both admitted to feeling a bit “down”, maybe due to the departure of our friends, but problems with Jamie's paperwork and Terry's ongoing queasiness also played its part. In fact we did actually consider returning home but the weather reports and forecasts left us resolving to give it at least a few more days and perhaps a change of scenery next week would help.

Thursday 12 January 2023 – Valencia

Another fine bright morning, again quite cool until the sun got well up, with not much on the agenda. Thought we'd take the opportunity for a little more washing, mainly the bedding, and by the end of the day it was all dry so just went straight back on the bed! One of the main reasons we like to occasionally use campsites.

Colin was much improved today and ready to move on tomorrow. However Terry was still suffering some discomfort and we decided to at least delay any crossing to Morocco until things had properly settled down. So to our friends chagrin we decided to stay put over the weekend then if all still okay mosey on south. It's a nice site, the weather forecast is okay and we don't need anything that we can't get in the little site shop.

So once all the chores were done it was a return to our recliner chairs and soak up some more rays, followed by tea and cake when it got cooler later.

 

Wednesday 11 January 2023 – Valencia

Indulged in a bit of a lie-in this morning for no other reason than we could! Another beautiful morning with a cool start but warming up later again.

Nothing much to do so hobbies material came out for an hour or so then after lunch took Jamie down to the beach for a run around. There is no direct footpath to the nearest seashore, we have to follow a rough path made by others through an area of woodland, across a minor road that doesn't appear to go anywhere then across a dried out wetland, finally following a fence around the local (very posh) golf course.

The result is a totally deserted beach, not very wide but at least two miles in either direction and perfect for Jamie. Not really sure about the bathing as it seems to shelve quite steeply pretty quickly although being the Mediterranean it's not tidal, but it doesn't look very warm so we'll perhaps give that a miss. Jamie seemed to be quite happy plodging about in the shallows chasing his ball.

The only people we could see was a couple heading away from us in one direction and a runner coming towards us from the other – we didn't take a lot of notice as we were playing with Jamie until as he passed we realised he was sporting an all-over tan! Yep, absolutely starkers and totally unconcerned! You meet all sorts of strange folks; we just shrugged our shoulders and went back to playing with Jamie.

Back to the van for tea and cake, Colin a little better but still in no fit state to drive so we'll just have to wait and see. Meanwhile Terry has been suffering some stomach discomfort and in view of the problems 15 months ago we're a little nervous – it was for this very possibility that Morocco has always been treated as a maybe despite all the preparations we've made. Of course it may be due to that delicious pepperoni pizza on Sunday still working it's way through...............

Tuesday 10 January 2023 – Valencia

A clear blue sky to start the day, warming up after breakfast with a cooler breeze away from shelter. Finally got started on the Blog and hopefully we'll catch up in a day or two. Jamie is not too happy at being confined to the van and is constantly asking for attention and walkies – we thought about walking him down to the beach but that is as far as we got, thinking about it.

A word here about why we booked for 5 nights but our friends only three. Originally the plan was a steady drive in company down to Algeciras with a view to crossing over to Morocco. However, as mentioned in an earlier episode, it seems that some complications have arisen as regards paperwork for Jamie and as far as we can make out the test we've had done for rabies protection is not in accordance with Spanish requirements. People who are just about to cross appear to have got themselves sorted but their test is from an EU approved laboratory whereas ours isn't. The difficulty is that no-one can point to any specific regulation and, frankly, what has been organised so far doesn't sound quite kosher – I'll say it, I believe someone is being ripped off as they are apparently being asked for an Animal Health Certificate, which only lasts for 24 hours – and of course has to be paid for. Why are the Spanish asking for this when an animal is leaving the country? Morocco certainly doesn't seem to need it! Those folk have been assured that there would be no problem on their return but we just don't buy it.

The net result is that we are very uncertain now about actually going to Morocco – it would be unthinkable for us to have problems in returning with Jamie to Spain. So for the moment we've put the crossing on hold to wait and see what happens and have decided to take our time heading south so our friends are carrying on without us. Apologies if this sounds like a rant but it has caused us some upset.

However, Colin is now in no fit state to drive so we've extended their reservation a couple of days to see if he gets better and hopefully we'll have further information.

Monday 9 January 2023 – Valencia

Now that we're in warmer climes the night time temperatures are much more comfortable and we had a restful night. Bren was up early to go buy a baguette – in the past they've sold out early – so then a leisurely start to the day. Bit of housekeeping and servicing the van before the chairs came out and we relaxed in the sunshine.

The campsite appeared to be busy yesterday but not so much today. This was probably due to many Spanish indulging in their habitual weekends away but we haven't actually seen much movement of touring units; maybe they used the chalets? Whatever, apart from the shop everything appeared to have closed down as we discovered on a walk around but not a problem for us, just looking for some peace and quiet. A team were busy relaying the central driveway, at first not seeming to be making any progress until suddenly they'd completed two long lengths of kerbs, ready for block paving to go down.

Late afternoon we indulged again in a cuppa, cake and a chat but Colin is definitely going downhill health-wise so we ensured there was sufficient medication to hand and a few days rest should hopefully sort him out. We later learned from another couple that there was a bug going around which seemed to tie in with his symptoms, mainly a 48 hour heavy cold/flu.

A gorgeous sunset as the temperature dropped and we packed up for the night.

Sunday 8 January 2023 Carinenia to Valencia

Some quite heavy rain during the night, contrary to the forecast, and everywhere was soaking wet when we surfaced after a little lie-in – well it's not too far to travel today. Being Sunday we enjoyed our now traditional “full English breakfast” before stowing the very wet screens in the rear box and getting underway a little later than usual. 

A gas bottle had run out yesterday evening so we'd checked and found a suitable garage to refill about 30km down the road. As it happened Colin needed Ad-Blu for the emissions control system on their van so that would also be convenient. Except that the garage had run out! We both refilled with gas anyway, topped off the fuel tank then carried on, watching for another suitable place to get Ad-Blu – the garage man had told us about 50km but we turned off the autovia into a small town where Colin was able to buy what he needed in containers, rather than from a pump.

So back onto the A73 southbound and the weather cleared to be bright and sunny, if still a little cool and breezy. Took our lunch break on a service area before the last leg to our destination for a few days. Valencia is a very modern city and we drove through on wide boulevards with some interesting “modern” architecture. No doubt it also has it's older more traditional centre but our route avoided that – maybe we'll come back sometime and investigate but for now it was on to Devesa Gardens campsite, around 20km south on the coast road in the Albufera Natural Park.

We've stayed at this campsite several times before so were well-acquainted (we even get Christmas cards!) and quickly recognised as returnees. Offered several places where we could pitch together we made our choice and got ourselves settled in, booking for 5 nights for us and 3 for Colin & Tina – the reasons for that will become apparent later in the blog although not how we had planned it.

At last we'd found what we'd come for, 21 degrees and bright sunshine so jumpers off, chairs out and a nice cuppa! Then doors and windows open, dig the screens out to dry and a quick walk around to see what was what. When we were here last, three years ago, the site had just been taken over by a chain of campsites and improvements had been started. Since that time there has been quite a lot of development with newly-laid roadways (still being finished off) trees trimmed and in places removed to create more space, with metal frames designed to take sun shading in summer erected over all the roomy pitches. More chalets and holiday bungalows have been installed and the resort facilities revamped and extended – in fact we noticed the place was much busier than ever we remembered although there were still plenty of touring pitches available.

Noticing the restaurant was open we booked a table for the evening and later enjoyed a tasty meal before retiring at a reasonable hour, quite contented.

Saturday 7 January 2023 – Oleron St Marie to Carinenia

As expected a cold night but we were warm enough and an early start in a beautiful bright and clear morning. Breakfast, add a little air to the front tyres and suspension (we'd noticed from our TyrePal gadget that the fronts were a little under-inflated so took the opportunity to correct it) then away to the long climb up towards the Somport Tunnel.

Being Saturday it was very quiet and a lovely drive up into the Pyrenees with patches of frost and light snow adding highlights to the scenery. At this point I should perhaps apologise for the lack of photographs – to be perfectly honest we've travelled most of this route before and felt no need to take more photos which would eventually get lost in our “archives” anyway.

If we had felt like it, the signs revealed that the Col de Somport, the road across the top, was open but as it was of no real interest this time we chose instead just to take the road tunnel, a free 5 mile or so access to Spain through the mountains. Not sure at which end the border was supposed to be but spotting road signs in Spanish sort of gave us a clue! The road became “autovia” here, a motorway style fast and well-surfaced carriageway as it started down the mountain.

The weather forecast had told us that, though remaining bright, it would be significantly cooler to the south of the Pyrenees and this turned out to be due to some quite thick mist and fog patches, not really enough to slow us down but it did remove some of the views. We made very good time but had previously worked out that Valencia was maybe just a little too far for one day so had selected a Spanish Aire from our books around halfway, where we arrived for a late lunch.

Carinenia is a small modern town mostly known for it's role as a wine distribution centre with several bodegas around the town. After lunch we took Jamie for a walk but there was really not a lot to see; the aire was newly built next to a modern sports centre and a railway museum although everything appeared to be closed. A sign informed us the railway museum opened on Sunday morning but we'd planned to be away before then.

When we arrived there was no-one else in the 7-van area but by teatime it was full and indeed on Jamie's last walk for the night we noticed a handful of units parked in the sports centre car-park.

Friday 6 January 2023 – Roullet St Estephe to Oleron St Marie

Early start again and much refreshed so breakfast, service the van and on our way back to the N10 towards Bordeaux. With an excellent weather forecast we decided to transit the Pyrenees via the Somport Tunnel which, apart from avoiding the chaos at the coastal border crossing, put us on a more direct routing for our proposed first full stop in Spain, at Valencia.

The Bordeaux ring road was very busy but no hold-ups and we soon departed onto the A63 autoroute which for the next 50km or so was free. At the last exit before the peage TomTom turned us off towards Mont de Marson. We've travelled this route before and our memory was of not so good roads but apart from a lack of the more usual long straight stretches we're accustomed to in France it was an excellent run with hardly any traffic, passing through pretty small villages.

However we were really in need of some shopping and of course there was a complete lack of the supermarkets we favoured so as our normal lunchtime stop was well past instead we pulled off onto a lay-by for our break. Around an hour after resuming we spotted a sign for an Intermarche at a roundabout and followed it. Unfortunately Colin and Tina had dropped back a little and didn't see us turn but a quick phone call got them turned round and a position report brought them back to us. Isn't the What Three Words app useful?

Groceries restocked we also took the opportunity of refuelling with reasonably priced diesel but we were now around an hour adrift of our plans with quite a lot of small cross-country roads still to follow and few alternatives for our planned overnight stop. But it was a pleasant day, the sun was shining and the scenery including the approaching Pyrenees mountains was enjoyable. Faithfull TomTom navigated us to the Aire in Oleron St Marie with only a tiny misjudgement at the end but having been here before we easily corrected it. A narrow gateway led us into a 7-place motorhome parking area with 2 units already in place so we manoeuvred ourselves in, followed shortly by three others so we were just in time. This justified our decision to always be parked up by 4.00pm; in this case the next available place was an hour away with no guarantee there would be space there.

Being up in the foothills meant that despite the warm sunshine of the afternoon, it quickly turned cool so after our usual cuppa, cake and chat we retired early.

Thursday 5 January 2023 – Chateaudun to Roullet St Estephe

An early start again after a much-needed good nights sleep. As is common at this time of year in N. France the water was turned off at the service point but we're okay for now so on the road by our target time.

Another dull and showery day, necessitating the use of headlights and wipers most of the time, we called at a supermarket service station at Chateau Renault to refuel after noticing the gauge reading somewhat lower than expected. As it happened the price, €1.84 litre, was the lowest we saw anywhere in France, it generally being at least 5c more- every little helps! Although there was an autoroute, we didn't bother with it as the only benefit was to avoid the towns and villages; okay we wouldn't have to worry so much about speed limits but we're in no rush. The big city of Tours, however, was worth avoiding but fortunately there is a free section around the conurbation which nevertheless still offered nice views of the city.

A little further down the road we pulled in at a Carrefour supermarket we've stopped at before for a bit of shopping and lunch. However the shop was closed for lunch (a first for us!) so after our own repas we trundled on.

The rest of the day was sunshine and showers as we tracked the N10 south. Colin had picked out an Aire about 45m short of Bordeaux which would be around our expected stopping time so TomTom was programmed and found it easily just off the main road. To be honest, despite being well-rested when we started both drivers had had enough and even the suggestion of eating “out” at the attractive-looking restaurant at the Aire entrance didn't appeal. So the usual cuppa and a snack followed by a nap.

All along we've been keeping up-to-date with the various threads on the MotorhomeFun forum, especially for Morocco 2023. Indeed we've made our own contributions in order to help other Funsters but a new problem reared it's ugly head when someone “discovered” that an Animal Health Certificate was required to go to Morocco, not a Moroccan requirement but Spanish! This made no sense to us until we noticed it had originated on Facebook, that well-known font of all knowledge, but nevertheless Terry spent an hour trying to research the facts and avoid “opinions” to no real avail. There were hints of certain requirements which seemed to indicate this affected animals returning to Spain so we decided to wait for further developments. This has put a bit of a dampener on our plans but being too tired to make any decisions we called it a very early night.

 

Wednesday 4 January 2023 - Wissant to Chateaudun

A wet and windy night, awoke to find our insulating screens detached although the sides, being trapped in the doors, were still there. The main screen was behind the van; we don't know if someone decided they would like a set of screens so chose ours, but we've never had the wind rip them off before......

Never mind, got ourselves organised and for a change were more or less ready to depart at 10.00. We've decided that to avoid getting too tired we'll try and be on the road by 10.00, drive for a couple of hours or so then break for lunch. A further couple of hours drive then be parked up by 4.00pm would mean it was still daylight whilst looking for an overnight stop and the drivers (and Jamie!) wouldn't get too tired – we are getting on a bit you know!

Although we normally eschew the tolled autoroutes, as the weather was poor it was probably worthwhile using one this morning. It was only toll as far as Abbeville so not too expensive and allowed us to keep up a good average speed. The roads through Northern France are good and quite scenic but we've travelled them before.

So another steady run using the cruise control until taking our lunch break just before Rouen, knowing there would be little opportunity for a while once we'd negotiated the city. Signs also told us of extensive roadworks ahead so we paused sooner rather than later.

Once on our way again we found the roadworks not to be a problem; heavy traffic was forced to take the diversions but we were okay (well technically we are over 3.5t but nobody was asking). Rouen can be difficult but we've found if you don't deviate from the through road and watch for the correct exit it's fine. But we know some have been caught out by low underpasses.......... Managed to become separated from Colin and Tina due to traffic lights for a while but we knew where we were heading so just taking it easy for a while allowed them to catch up.

Once clear there were no more autoroutes for us although the roads were good and fast. A couple of years ago France introduced a blanket 80kph speed limit on 2-lane roads but then modified it to allow 90kph under certain conditions – which weren't all that clear! Then they allowed each Departement to decide their own limits which, coupled with a certain lassitude in putting up signs, is quite confusing. TomTom, despite being an excellent guide, is definitely undecided about what these limits should be so a degree of concentration was required to avoid problems. Of course, at the same time, France banned the use of vehicle mounted speed camera warnings so it's important to keep your eyes open! Finally the French authorities don't have any qualms about hiding speed cameras behind trees, bushes, bridges etc!

But we think we managed to stay legal (won't find out, of course, until we get home) and proceeded through another dull and showery afternoon towards our selected overnight stop at Chateaudun, a place we've visited many times in the past. If you arrive early enough it's a pleasant enough town but a steep climb up several hundred steps to the imposing castle from the Aire, which still had a few parking places left.

Cuppa and a chat to plan the next leg then a quiet evening and early night as Terry still feeling the effects of his cold.

Tuesday 3 January 2023 – Navenby to Wissant (France)

 

Happy New Year!

After a pleasant few days with Mum we planned and managed to leave early to try for an earlier crossing so avoiding travelling in France in the dark. Terry had contracted a minor chest infection which developed into quite a heavy cold but medication left him okay with driving so a nice steady run on busy roads with no hold-ups. We managed to despatch a suicidal pigeon with a wing mirror, no damage to us but the bird would have had a headache, otherwise making good time and arrived at our rendezvous with plenty of time to spare.

A quick bite of lunch then refill the fuel tank, expecting fuel to be more expensive in France (it was but not by much) then on to the Eurotunnel. Since our last trip the regulations about travelling into the EU with dogs have changed. We've simplified this by getting Jamie an EU (Irish) Pet Passport but we still needed to check in at the Pet Reception area for the documents to be approved.

No problem and we were able to catch the very next train, about an hour earlier than booked, which meant that once across it was still daylight and made our first drive on the wrong side of the road for three years that much easier. We much prefer to use the tunnel crossing; Bren doesn't like ships and we can stay with Jamie during the crossing, plus it's only half an hour platform to platform.

The Aire de Camping Cars at Wissant is only 15 minutes and is quite popular but for a change was less than half full so we found parking and settled down for the evening, enjoying a catch-up with our friends.

The weather has been cold, dull and showery all day and the forecast is much the same for the next few days so we planned to take the most direct route south. We're really looking forward to some proper warm sunshine again!