Rod's Europe by Van : Winter 2018 - Second Post

26th January to 31st January 2018
San Jose, Almeria Province, Spain
1966 miles from Edinburgh

Great drive from Alicante to near Almeria via Murcia through mountains and forests and wastes! Fantastic untolled dual carriageway roads in this part of Spain, called Autovias (the tolled roads are generally referred to as Altopistas). But very chilly when the road reached around 1400m near the Sierra Nevada, which were snow covered somewhere between 1500m and 2000m. Was thinking of staying in the hills; but, will wait for warmer weather!

San Jose is an old fashioned low rise resort in a corner of the Cabo de Gata National Park. With a convenient parking area for vans in the centre of town. No facilities; but, supermarket, panadarias and some small bars and restaurants were nearby. The park incorporates a barren and dry mixture of volcanic rocks, weathered volcanoes and calderas together with marine sediments in a semi-desert environment (supposed to only rain for a week a year) - with a very foreign looking flora of cacti and other succulents. Quite a few plants were in flower some places. Locally bauxite and gold mining was important in the past.

Weather certainly cooler than a couple of weeks back and a couple of cloudy days and a little rain. Went of some where most days including a couple of good walks along the coast. The picture on the blog header is from an earlier visit, in 2014, and is from the coastal walk south of Las Negras about 15km up the coast from San Jose.

Coastal Path north of San Jose
Unexpected heard of sheep accompanied by a shepherd came over the next hill

San Miguel - South of San Jose
Deserted promenade in strong cold winds apart from a few die-hard Spaniards at a bar

Cabo de Gata - Walking south of San Jose
Not many beaches in Spain look like this now!

Cabo de Gata - Alien plants bordering the footpath

Cabo de Gata - Restored Windmill
No sign of Don Quixote on his mule

1st February 2018
Antequera, Malaga Province, Spain
2229 miles from Edinburgh

Along the coast including the recently fully completed section of the A7 between Almeria and Motril and then near Malaga headed up through the hills to drop down again on to a vast arable plain to stop at the ancient town of Antequera, where the local council have kindly provided a free parking area and service facilities for motorhomes or autocarvanas in Spanish. It's a pity that there are such limited facilities, including campsites, for touring in Spain. The place is heaving with the grey haired mob this time of the year, escaping the grim weather of northern Europe and everywhere is full!

A gem of a town, and not on the main tourist trek - although there did seem to be a lot of Spanish people taking a winter break - dating from the Arab occupation with traces of Arabic (alcabaza and remains of a mosque), Roman (baths and tombs), Visigoth and later Christian occupation (parts of the Alcabaza re-built and a Renaissance Collegiate Church). In the older part of the town the houses are brilliant white with about thirty churches scattered among them often built with very decorative brickwork. In the main street some beautiful wrought iron balconies - so typical of Spain.

Antequera - Sixteenth century Collegiate Church next to the Alcabaza

Antequera - View over the town from the Alcabaza

2nd to 4th February 2018
Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz Province, Spain

Seemed to drive through thousands of hectares of olive groves from horizon to horizon in a wide open landscape with distant views of mountains locally rising above the general level of around 400m. More great dual carriageways and very little traffic. Away from the coast and the bigger towns driving in Spain is actually enjoyable with amazing views most of the time.

I had intended staying at a parking area in the docks in Seville; but, its a huge city with ring roads all over the place and more being built! Just looked too busy for me, pity as I have never been there before when I hit most of the main 'tourist cities' about twenty-five years ago by bike and train! So decided to head on a few more miles to the more gentile and probably more typically Andalusian town of Jerez, famous for its bordegas and their sherries. The only place to stay is in a caravan dealers yard; but the owners are very welcoming and of course provided the obligatory tipple upon checking-in.

Wonderful network of dedicated cycle paths throughout the town either adjacent to roads, down central reservations or share the footpaths. The cars even stop at uncontrolled crossing to give cyclists presidence. Certainly an improvement on the 800mm wide strip on the roads in Edinburgh that cyclists use at their peril!

Spent some time visiting the Alcazar (some arabic walls remain which were built form lime-mud-rubble compacted between wooden formwork, arabic baths, a mosque (later converted to a christian church) and the seventeenth century palace built within the alcaba) the adjacent cathedral. A few tourists around but mainly Spanish and a complete lack of tourist tack that the Royal Mile in Edinburgh has degenerated into.