Summer 2018 - First Post France

A late start with the van this summer, as I spent most of May doing a 4500 mile road trip around the north-western USA. Finally, got away from Edinburgh on the 12th June spent a few nights with my sister in Tankerton, Kent and then crossed over to Calais at lunchtime on the 14th June. Initially the intention is to head towards Brittany for a few weeks.
A few images from the States:

14th June 2018 - Montreuil

Becoming a regular stop off travelling to and from Calais. Finally, they have completed the repaving of the main square, it has a history like York Place in Edinburgh, endless roadworks over the past four years that I have stopped! Quick circuit of the ramparts in the evening.

15th June 2018 - Cleres

Travelled on to about thirty miles east of Rouen, to stop off at a pleasant aire at Cleres that I discovered last Autumn. Arrived about lunchtime, wanted to follow a signed walking trail about 13km long in the afternoon. As I always seem to manage to get lost I went to the TO and asked for a map. No problem, except I didn't have any change (35c) to pay for it. The nice lady told me not to bother about paying and sent me on my way with the map. Can't imagine anyone being so helpful in the UK.

16th June 2018 - le Sap

Passed easily through Rouen and parked up at the aire, adjacent to a small lake, in the slightly dilapidated town of le Sap. The sign that described it as 'un petite citie de charactere de France', seemed somewhat optimistic. Although, the cider museum and specimen apple orchard held some interest on the other side of the town.

Museum and Church - le Sap

17th June 2018 - St Leonard-des-Bois

A few kilometres further west into a hilly area with deep wooded valleys called la Suisee Normande, hardly the Alps but some pleasant stone villages as the geology changes from the limestone plateaux of the Paris Basin into the older igneous and metamorphic rocks of Brittany. Roadside aire, very quiet after 9pm, next to a very swollen river on the edge of the village. Evening stroll over the hills behind the village on a warm summers evening.

St Leonard-des-Bois - Evening stroll
 Screes on the far slope were formed during the last glaciation

18th June 2018 - Val d'Ize

Further west into Brittany through Mayenne and onto a small village aire at Val d'Ize. A cloudy and damp morning became a blistering hot afternoon when i followed a 16km trail through country lanes, green lanes and footpaths. An english guy, retired copper from Croydon, called in the next morning. He had lived there for five years and just got French citizenship.

Val d'Ize - I don't recall school deinners being like this!

19th June 2108 - Lizio

Initially headed for the town of Josselin on the Nantes-Brest canal with its impressive chateau and old town centre. The parking area was huge, but very busy packed with mainly French vans. Very hot in the town so I headed off to a nearby village aire, next to another pond, at Lizio. One of those unexpected gems - with historic small church and stone houses in the centre. Only one other van turned up.

Josselin - Chateau and Nantes-Brest Canal

Lizio - Village Street

20th to 23rd June 2018 - Plage de Kaolin, l'Amour Plage

Looks like some warm sunny weather for the next few days so headed to the coast to a free parking area a few kilometres west of l'Orient for a few days. Only issue was that the nearest boulangerie was 8km away, but green cycle track all the way. Followed a couple of trails as well as not doing much on the beach.

Kerroc'h and Ile de Groix on the horizon

24th to 25th June 2018 - Audierne

Avoiding the more popular spots on the south coast of Brittany drove across to the resort and harbour of Audierne to stop at a river side aire on the edge of the town for a couple of nights. Interesting riverside walk to the nearby village of Point la Croix at the head of the estuary. Met up with an interesting guy from Devon, enyed moules frites together one evening, among other things had been chairman of Devon CC for thirteen years.

Audierne - Harbour and town

Pointe de Croix - from along the riverside walk

26th to 28th June 2018 - Pointe de Van

Now at the western end of Finisterre, on the southernmost peninsula, parking up in the free parking area for motorhomes at the Pointe de Van. Oddly you have to pay 6.50 euro a night at the adjacent Pointe de Raz. Good cliff top walks, lots of windmills and a nearby sandy beach to pass the time even a pleasant wee cafe for at the car park to people watch from.

Pointe de Van - Coastal walk to the north

29th June 2018 - Gelden-Cap-Sizum

Spent the night at the large aire in the nearby village aire at Gelden-Cap-Sisun stopping at the services in Plogoff on the way.

A restored windmill

30th June to 1st July 2018 - Plonevez-Porsay

After a very hot day on the beach and walking along the cliffs towards Douarnenez, based on at a great little parking spot, adjacent to the river and beach on the coast at Trefeuntec Plage, went to the nearby aire at Plonevez-Porsay to use the facilities late in the evening and spent a very lazy Sunday there - lively and busy market in the village in the morning.

Trefeuntec - More cliff top walking

Ponevez-Porsay - pinnacled church tower typical of this part of Brittany

Trefeuntec - Smashing parking in a landscaped area adjacent to the beach

2nd July 2018 - la Fret

Drove around to the Crozon Peninsula on the south side of the Rade de Brest, after an afternoon wandering around a very misty Cap de la Chevre headed to the aire at la Fret, adjacent to the nuclear submarine base at Isle de Longue, for the night and an evening's stroll. Surprised to be faced by a guy with a huge submachine gun getting out of the back of a transit van; but only a casual 'bon soir' required. presumably part of the 'security'.

La Fret - Harbour

3rd July 2018 - Locmaria Plouzanc

Around to the main Finisterre peninsula to a small landscaped aire at the village of Locmaria-Plouzac. A short cycle ride down to the beach at Tregana and a potter around the fields and hedgerows along a blazoned trail in the evening.

Locmaria Plouzanc - Another church with decorated tower

4th July 2018 - Bourg Blanc

Had intended to park up at the aire in the small harbour town of le Conquet, but complicated daytime parking rules fro motorhomes made this difficult so headed inland to the large landscaped aire at Bourg Blanc on the edge of the village adjacent to large lakes that were formed following the hydraulic mining of placer deposits of tin in the 1970's.

Bourg Blanc - Restored Tin Workings adjacent to the Aire

5th to 8th July 2018 - Pointe de Corsen

A few nights parked up at the coastal aire and campsite at Ruscumunoc, cliffs and sandy coves with the nearby Pointe de Corsen being the westernmost point in continental France - a bit like Lands End, except the car park is free! Two very misty cloudy days followed by sunny ones.

Pointe de Corsen - north

Winter 2018 - Third Post - Spain and Home

4th February - 11th March 2018
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.

Playa del Aceite - Closest beach to the campsite

Conil de la Frontera - still very Spanish

Stone Pine Forest - between the campsite and the coast

12th March - 18th March 2018
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!

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!

Palacio Real, Olite

27th March 2018
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.

Queyssac - Restaurant just across from the Aire

29th March 2018
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.

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!

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.

Winter 2018 - Second Post - Spain

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.

Jerez de la Frontera - Cathedral, orange trees and flying buttresses

Jerez de la Frontera - Plaza Arenal
Well wrapped up locals enjoying a drink

Jerez de la Frontera - Garden in the Alcazar

Jerez de la Frontera - Seventeenth Century Palace within the Alcazar

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.