Winter 2018 - First Post

11th to 18th January 2018
Edinburgh to Simat de la Valldigna, Spain
1612 miles from Edinburgh

Fed up with the 'winter blues' in Scotland and decided to head off in the van down to Spain until around Easter time (as the van needs to be back in UK for MOT in early April). Fairly quick drive down to stop in the hills behind Valencia at Simat de la Valldigna at a free aire (not that many in Spain) on the edge of the village next to orange groves, surrounded by wooded hills, blue sky above and unbelievably 24C mid-afternoon when I parked up at the last free space. Routed down via Dover/Calais/Rouen/Orléans/Limoges/Biarritz/Pamplona and Zaragoza with five overnight stops on the way. Happily avoided motorway tolls all the way; but, if going through Bayonne/Biarritz around the northern end of the Pyrenees it would be worth paying a few euros to avoid about 90 minutes of very slow urban driving, rarely getting out of 50kph limits and avoiding countless dozens of roundabouts. 

Amazing partially ruined monastery in Simat de la Villdigna, free entrance, and good, signed walks in the local hills and an impressive ruined hilltop castle nearby. Three days spent here, limited by the parking restriction at the aire (72 hours) other wise would happily have stayed a couple of more days.

Monastario de Santa Maria de Simat, Simat de la Villdigna

Looking down across orange groves to Simat de la Villdigna from the ruined  Castillo de Benifairó

Looking down on the Monastery, aire with the van is centre bottom

19th to 25th January 2018
Altea, Spain
1666miles from Edinburgh

The weather forecast looked good for the next week (hard to believe that this time last year everything was covered in snow and ice for a couple of weeks; fortunately, that only happens about once every thirty years!). So headed down to Altea, between Calpe and Benidorm for a week at a campsite. Wow it really should be called the Costa Geriatirca, every campsite along the coast is full of pensioners from northern europe in camper vans, mobile homes and caravans. More like August than January! Hard to find a place to stay on the coast. Any way managed to find a tight spot for a week. Looks like some folk have been here since October, one lot even have new artificial grass on their plot!
Low key and low rise resort, with some hills and cycle trails nearby. Even managed a couple of afternoons on the beach - felt like a hot Scottish summer's day! Unfortunately, the temperature is forecast to fall into the teens from the end of the week. Have stopped cooking can get a huge, tasty, three course meal with drinks for ten euro at the restaurant on the promenade just outside the campsite. The spare ribs were excellent on Tuesday.

Faro de Albir, Sierra de Helada, Altea
Path, crowded with Spanish families on Sunday, goes about 4km from the southern end of Altea

Back towards Altea from near the lighthouse

Across the bay from the lighthouse towards Calpe and its famous rock

Some scary cliffs from near the high point, Alto de Gobernador (438m) of the Sierra de Helada, reached by a steep path from Altea.

It's good to see that there is more to the Costa de Valencia than just S** S** and S******! Spain is really working at it's 'green tourism' with well marked footpaths, cycleways and restored accessible monuments. There is even a Roman villa and museum just around the corner from here in the centre of town!

May head up towards Valencia on Friday.