Conil de la Frontera, Cadiz Province, Spain
2436 miles
A long 35 nights stay at a spotless campsite about three miles south of the coastal town of Conil de la Frontera on the Costa de la Luz, the Atlantic coast of Spain north of Gibraltar. I had intended moving to Portugal. However, the weather there was generally cooler and wetter due to the infamous and recurrent 'Beast from the East' in central Europe and the UK driving all the Atlantic storms south into Portugal, northern Spain and France. I thought I was going to pay 15 euro a night and was delighted to be charged only ten a night when I went to pay on leaving. Included unmetered electric hook-up which was great and it was often chilly and damp and the electric fan heater was often on all day.
Low lying near the coast with Pine Forest and sandy soils (reminiscent of the New Forest in the UK, except the pine trees are very different) and low, brown, red and orange cliffs (similar to the Algarve). Numerous coastal lagoons, especially between Conil and Cape Trafalgar (of the battle fame) absolutely teeming with bird life and wild flowers. The area is an important migration route for birds between Europe and North Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar.
Some long term UK winter residents from three to six months in caravans and mobile homes and shorter stay itinerants. Got to know a few quite well and ended up playing endless boules games, when dry enough, weekend meals together and so forth. There were a great couple from Northern Ireland nearby into cycling and horses - so had some sociable bike runs, car trips and visits to the International Show jumping near Verger de la Frontera with them.
At times damn wet, grey and rainy; but I don't think the daytime temperatures feel below 13C. So overall better than home, even though stuck in van for two or three totally wet days.
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| Playa del Aceite - Closest beach to the campsite |
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| Conil de la Frontera - still very Spanish |
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| Stone Pine Forest - between the campsite and the coast |
San Jose, Almeria Province, Spain
2793 miles
Left Conil de la Frontera and headed around the coast via Gibraltar and Malaga to the east of Almeria to stop off at San Jose, again. Mainly because I like the place and it's free to park up in the centre of town. Weather was very windy. The picture at the top of the page, of the coast towards Las Negras, was taken about four years ago when I first stayed at San Jose in better weather!
19th March - 24th March 2018
El Campello, Alicante Province, Spain
2975 miles
After a few days in San Jose travelled along the coast to the campsite at El Campello a few miles north of Alicante to meet up with Pat and Bart, friends from Lancashire. They were staying in an apartment near the marina for six weeks. It was great to meet up again and enjoy Pat's home cooking. As I get ready to head back to the UK the weather in Spain has taken a turn for the better over the last week, although at times there were very strong winds.
| Pat and Bart - Promenade in El Campello |
25th March 2018
Teruel, Spain
3184 miles
Left after a late Sunday lunch with Pat and Bart, the clocks changing caused some confusion about the local time, headed towards home. Initially around Valencia and up into the hills to spend the night at a parking area for motorhomes in pleasant new suburbs to the south of the town next to the Guardia Civil (so presumably a safe place to park up). Walking into the old town near the castle and aqueduct realised that it was Palm Sunday as the local parish faithful struggled along the streets with various statues Mary Magdalene and Christ on the Cross readying for Semana Santa. In the old part of the town numerous gateways and churches constructed from decorative brick, unfortunately too wet and dark to take decent photographs. A cold night parked at just over 1000m!
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| Postcards (thanks to Google) of some of the impressive brick buildings in Teruel |
26th March 2018
Olite, Spain
3388 miles
A circuitous route circling way to the south west of Zaragoza avoiding the Autovia and passing through old towns and tumbling down villages to park up just outside the impressive Royal Palace and adjacent Monastery (now serving a Parador). Many brave Spanish tourists, presumably because of the Easter holiday, coping with the cold and winds; but, at least, most of the day was sunny and dry!
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| Palacio Real, Olite |
Villeneuve-de-Marson, France
3583 miles
Long cloudy trek around the northern Pyrenees and then through Hendaye, Bayonne and the coast sprawl on the coast, about two hours of very slow and often congested urban driving, I really must take the plunge and pay the motorway toll next time! Need to get trouser pockets altered and made shallower.
28th March 2018
Queyssac, France
3694 miles
Through the Landes and into the Dordogne to stop off overnight at a gorgeous wee aire in an extremely small village, just outside Bergerac, that I used for a few days last August as per the snap below.
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| Queyssac - Restaurant just across from the Aire |
Marcilly-la-Villette, France
3938 miles
Relatively fast run up to the A20 near Limoges then up towards the Loire at Orleans, stopping, about 20 km south, at a pleasant village aire with park and woodland that l used last year. Actually managed a walk in some sunshine.
30th March 2018
Cleres, France
4113 miles
After clouds, sun and rain through Orleans, Chartres and around the east side of Rouen found that the aire that I intended to overnight at in Buchy was full of the fairground people for the street fair in the town. Actually not a bad thing, as I found another, more pleasant aire to park up in the small village of Cleres, some twelve kilometres away.
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| Cleres - Village centre and timber framed market hall |
31st March 2018
Montreuil, France
4197 miles
Short drive up to the aire in the walled town of Montreuil, BEF's HQ for most of WW1. The aire has been expanded with some individual, flat parking spaces since I last stopped off here a few years ago; but, they seem to be continuously re-building the town square. Can't recall when there weren't works there over the past five years!
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| Montreuil-sur-Mer - Part of the defensive walls |
1st April to 4t April 2018
Tankerton, Kent and Edinburgh
Trip total 47019 miles
A few days with my sister in Kent before heading back to Edinburgh. After a 0530 start the first three hundred miles not too bad for traffic and weather, then north of Alnwick: heavy rain; flooded roads; started to snow before Berwick; by Eyemouth close to a blizzard sweeping in off the North Sea; bloody cold in Tranent. Welcome back to Scotland! Fortunately the car started first time when I swapped it for the van at the farm in Tranent- so arrived home safely.
