Category: Places

Bornos was a surprise as we had certainly never heard of it. We came upon it by accident really, as the aire we had intended to stay on at Arcos de Frontera was not as expected. I went back onto Search for Sites, and found a parking place near a lake, not far away. We had an exciting tour around and through Bornos trying to find the place, and eventually found our way to the small promenade instead. It was deserted apart from some workmen on a small building site, so we decided to stay there for the night. The lake, which is actually a reservoir, was lovely and I had a walk into the little town, which was unexpectedly pretty. It is in the Sierra de Cadiz, on the Pueblo Blanco route and has the usual white buildings as well as the Palacio de Los Ribera, which has attractive gardens.

We had a really peaceful night and recharged our batteries ready for gobbling up some more miles northwards. We got out of Bornos a little more easily than we got in by not using the SatNav!!

Having been off grid for a few days, I wanted to have a couple of days on a campsite so that I could do some washing and get all our equipment charged up. The best plan seemed to be a site at Cabopino with a bus stop nearby for catching the bus into Marbella. We arrived early afternoon and bagged the last pitch. It was obviously a popular place, although it was not really our preferred type of campsite. That notwithstanding, we settled onto our pitch and I headed off to the laundry. I met an English couple who advised me how to get to the little marina and the seafront which was handy, as we would not have found it.

It was a bit of a tricky walk to the marina, which was a poor effort after Almerimar. We did find a nice bar which had the rugby on, and there were lots of Ex-Pats there enjoying the match over a glass of beer/wine/gin……We joined them and rested our legs ready for the uphill walk back to the site. It was too much of a walk for Clyde really, so next day, I left him at home and went for a nice walk along the boardwalk through the nature reserve along the sand dunes. It was a much nicer experience than the marina. The dunes are protected and the wildlife is evidence of the success. It makes a very pleasant place to spend time as there are picnic areas as well as the beach which is accessible via boardwalk extensions.

Having got the washing dry and ironed, it was time to move on again. We were very reluctant to move away from the sun but the campsite was too shady, so we agreed that a day or two at the marina at La Linea, near Gibraltar would be rather lovely. We arrived there in glorious sunshine and I had planned to walk into Gib for a spot of shopping next day. Sadly, the bad weather arrived in the early evening, planes were cancelled and we had ships foghorns sounding all evening. Next morning we awoke to a damp, foggy day and decided to call it quits. It was time to start heading north on the long trek home.

Almerimar marina is a very popular spot and it is necessary to arrive at the marina late morning to jump into spots vacated by people who are moving on. It can be quite a cut throat process at times! On this occasion, we found a spot by the lighthouse and got talking to someone who had a better place overlooking the boats. They were moving on next day and came to let us know when they were about to move off. We were ready for me to run with our chairs and bag it immediately. You can’t believe you would ever behave in such a strange way! It was well worth the effort as we sat with our door slid back and surveyed our lovely view.

The marina is really the jewel in the crown at Almerimar. The seafront stretches in both directions and has lovely sandy beaches which must be ideal for families. There are plenty of small shops, bars and restaurants around the marina to provide interest too.

The sun and lovely view were so alluring that we stayed longer than originally planned. However, we had heard from the hospital with an appointment for Clyde’s replacement knee operation which spurred us into action. We had thought it might be nice to visit Marbella for a change, so we found another grateful recipient of our fab pitch, and moved on once more.

The light is a bit eerie this morning!

We are on the marina at Almerimar for a couple of days. We stayed here two years ago and decided we would like to revisit. There was a crowd of campers lined up along the marina edge, like paparazzi, marvelling at this amazing sky.

It was now the middle of January and we were still lazing in the sun! It was time to move again but not too far, so we decided on Puerto de Mazarron. Just along the coast is a small village called Bolnuevo and we rather fancied staying there and catching a bus into Puerto de Mazarron. We had a choice of an ACSI site or a free camping spot on a large car park at the end of the village. We plumped for the campsite and were glad we had when the weather took a dramatic turn a few days later.

Bolnuevo does not have a lot to offer but does have a small SPAR shop that stocks absolutely everything, and quite a few bars and restaurants. The promenade is nicely paved and runs along behind the high street and a row of old fishermans cottages.

The sandy beach is very wide and would be a lovely place to bring children.

At the end of the bay there is a rocky area that leads to more coves and the naturist beaches.

There are plenty of nice walks around this area. In the opposite direction you can walk across the beach towards Puerto de Mazarron. It would be quite a long walk, but definitely doable.

I was not expecting to come across the Erosions at the end of the prom. It was a huge surprise as we had not researched the village at all. They are at the base of some mountains and at the back of the free motorhome parking area. These are natural limestone sculptures also called Gredas De Bolnuevo, known as the “Enchanted Landscape”.

The other notable place to visit is the Torre de Los Caballos. This is one of a series of towers that were built along the coast to provide protection from the Barbary pirates in the 16th century. The tower in Bolnuevo is now attached to the chapel. There is a tale about the intervention of the Virgin of the Immaculate Conception on the occasion of an invasion on 17 Nov 1585. The village was saved from the invasion due to the intervention. This event is commemorated every 17 November with a pilgrimage to Mazarron bearing the image of the Virgin. There is a statue of the Virgin on the top of the tower.

Having said there is not much here, it is surprising how much this little village has to offer.

The evening sunset on the Saturday was a harbinger of the terrible weather to come when storm Gloria hit the eastern side of Spain. We were treated to three days of heavy rain, strong winds and a drop in temperatures. There were floods and storm damage all along the coast. In Alicante and Valencia provinces the snow fell and caused chaos.

Oh, I nearly forgot to mention Puerto De Mazarron! We took the bus on our third day in Bolnuevo. The best part is the marina with it’s bustling bars and variety of fishing boats and private small yachts. We were sidetracked from our exploration by getting chatting to a nice couple who were enjoying a peaceful drink. We soon put paid to that and joined them for a coffee and a natter. Before we knew it we needed to get going to catch our bus back. We intended to return but with the change in the weather, we had to abandon the idea. Oh well, there is always next year.

We arrived at Alicante in the early evening and were collected by Royal Parking who took us to pick up the van. All well so far. We then drove the 6 km to the aire at Santa Pola, where we had paid for the night in advance, and advised the patron of our late arrival. He was so not expecting us! He said we should have arrived by 11am and he had given our pitch to someone else. What a great end to a long day travelling – not! However, I managed to remind him of our previous arrangement and the fact I had paid in advance, and he found us a spot and some electric. He then thought we were staying for a few days, even though I had advised him it was for one night only. Something got lost in our Spanglish conversation I think. The next day we parted on good terms, so all was well.

I have come to realise that it is possible to be lulled into thinking that people speak our language more fluently than is the case. Like me speaking German or French, it is possible to hold a basic conversation, but anything more complex can become confused. It gives me hope, as I always feel bad that I have misunderstood people speaking to me in their own language. Having said that, I am definitely incapable of understanding Dutch or the Scandinavian languages.

As a precaution against having nowhere to stay, before we left Spain for Christmas, I had booked a few days on a campsite in Pinoso. We arrived at El Tranquillo after lunch and were welcomed by the British owners. The site has lovely views of the countryside around and we also had some nice sunny weather. As it is in the mountains, it was a tad chilly at night, but certainly lived up to it’s name. We saw the New Year in here, and a lively evening was spent in the little restaurant on site.

The next stop was to be at Marjal, Guardemar and I had also booked the site there, knowing that they were likely to get full around 3 Kings time. We arrived there to find they had tried to phone me earlier to advise there had been a mix up and they did not have a pitch available. They had therefore, booked us into their other site at Crevillent, twenty minutes drive away. We had driven past there on our way to Guardemar! We were very disappointed but decided to make the most of it and duly presented ourselves at Marjal, Costa Blanca. It is a much larger site and not our usual haunt at all. Again, the weather was lovely and the facilities were splendid, so we made the most of it and relaxed in the sun. Whilst there, we had a day out to El Huerto del Cura in Elche.

El Huerto del Cura – National Artistic Garden

We were surprised to find that this garden is in the centre of Elche. We have been to Elche before and visited many of the gardens, but had missed this one. We parked down the road after a circuit of the area produced no car park. At the entrance to the garden there is a series of history boards in Spanish and English. It was an interesting start to our visit.

In Elche “Huerto” means a small or medium plot of land on which palm trees are grown. Each huerto is named after the owner or someone connected with it. This garden is named after local chaplain Jose Castano Sanchez, owner until 1918. The garden has had many famous visitors over the years and throughout the garden, some of the palms are dedicated to them and have labels with names and dates on them.

The most famous tree here is the Imperial Palm which has eight arms. It owes its name to Empress Elisabeth of Austria, who visited the garden in 1894. The palm would usually have children growing from it’s base, but this specimen has them growing from 2m above the ground making a huge vegetable candelabra and is unique.

The garden is not large but has a large number of different palms and succulents as well as a small lake with a variety of waterbirds

We were fortunate to have a sunny day for our visit as it would be quite gloomy on a dull day. It was also very quiet when we visited and we were able to admire the trees and succulents without struggling around crowds. It was a peaceful place to eat our sandwiches and we were joined by a white peacock, who was happy to share our crisps!

Mar Menor

We did not visit the Mar Menor last year so I had a look on Search for Sites and found a new campsite right by the beach. It had rave reviews and was cheap, so we were sold. We left the enormous site at Crevillent and drove to Los Alcazares. The campsite is beside an old airfield which is now used by the Spanish version of the Red Arrows. It had it’s noisy times but was mostly very peaceful. The site is not complete yet but the first shower block is open and the restaurant provides a lunchtime delivery service. There is a rather scruffy beach and a boardwalk through a natural area to the promenade that goes all the way along to Los Alcazares. We spent a week here as the sun was shining brightly and it had good facilities and friendly staff. There was a good mix of nationalities which is always appealing.

The Mar Menor is actually a coastal saltwater lagoon separated from the Mediterranean Sea by La Manga (the sleeve), a sandbar 22 km long. It has ecolological importance and is preserved as a natural park.

This was a lovely spot to spend a few days with walks for me and relaxing sun for Clyde. However, once again, we decided to move on and headed to Puerto de Mazarron.

In mid November we started our journey through France to Spain. At this time of year, the French campsites are mostly closed, so we set a course via the most likely looking aires. Although the weather was generally a bit chilly, we did not encounter too much rain. We stopped at two small villages on the first two nights after leaving Dieppe; Fresnaye and L’Hommaize. The aire at Fresnaye was on the edge of a natural park and there was plenty of wildlife about. We had a lovely walk through the forest to enjoy the autumn colours.

Darkness comes early at this time of year and with it any warmth disappears. We were soon tucked up in the van with the heating on.

Our next stop was Cahors on the banks of the river Lot. We were fortunate to find one of the three riverside parking spaces free and from there we had a pleasant stroll across the bridge into the town.

It was another slightly damp, chilly day, so our exploration of the town was brief. It would definitely be worth a visit at a better time of year.

Our next stopover was the medieval town of Foix. We called in at Tourist Information for a map and followed the medieval route up to the chateau, which was closed! At least we stretched our legs a bit. Our plan was then to travel through the Pyrenees to Vilanova il Geltru, but the weather was terrible so we changed our route and went via the port of St Cyprien.

The journey to St Cyprien was mostly undertaken in the rain, but was still very scenic along the D117. By the time we got to St Cyprien and parked on the aire, it was sunny and 10 degrees. A great improvement. It would also make our journey to Vilanova a lot shorter. St Cyprien is a lovely little port and marina with a promenade overlooking the Cote Vermeille.

Although the aire was very full, it was quiet and we rested well, ready to arrive in Spain next day.

A three hour drive through beautiful scenery took us to Vilanova Park campsite.

Barcelona

Now in Spain, we had to lose the French and get the Spanish head back on. Not so easy as there were quite a few Brits to chat to. Our reason for revisiting Vilanova was to get the bus to Barcelona and visit the Sagrada Familia. We had visited more than ten years ago and now wanted to see it without the interior scaffolding. We were not disappointed. It is stunning! The light pours in through the coloured windows and colours the pillars and floors. The scale of the building and the way it is constructed to provide huge open spaces is just amazing. Here are a few pictures to give an idea. We really were bowled over by its splendour.

Exterior

Interior

The pictures really do say it all. We were shell shocked after that assault on our senses and walked slowly back to catch our bus, stopping only to eat our lunch on a handy bench.

Oliva

We were intending to spend most of December in Albir as we had last year. Our best route took us via Peniscola for a few nights, where we stopped, as the weather was very stormy, then on to Oliva. The trip there was quite unexciting but the campsite was near a nice beach and it was a reasonable walk into the town. Not quite so exotic here but we followed the old town route and looked at the buildings.

Albir/Altea

After a few days we were ready to head for our old favourite, Cap Blanch at Albir. We were lucky to get a pitch as it is very popular, especially in December. This is our place for relaxing and chilling out. We were joined by some people we met last year, which was very nice. It is starting to feel like a second home! Although we have been before, we managed to do some different things such as the trip to the Jalon Valley, wine growing region for some wine tasting and a great market. I had some nice brisk walks along the front and early morning excursions up the path to the lighthouse. We also had some really stormy weather with the waves washing over the sea wall and across the road. It was most unusual.

After a three week stay, we moved to a camper park near Royal Parking ready for our flight home for Christmas. It was a bit of a shock to the system, but necessary to be nearer to Alicante. I paid for the night and for another night on 28th December, when we would return to Alicante from home. Seems simple but………..

Look at Pages for recent previous posts

I am writing this in Jan 2020, as the blog was having issues whilst we were in France. I will have to content myself with a quick tour and a few photos.

After Freiburg we drove into France and stopped at Besancon. Sadly the weather was unpleasant so we did no more than a short stroll around the town. The highlight is the Citadelle but, that was up a lot of steps and too much for Clyde’s knee. As we stood at the bottom of the narrow flight of steps, a massive line of students came rushing down and we were almost swept away!

This town would be worth another visit as it clearly has a lot of history. Victor Hugo was born here in 1802 and Louis Pasteur studied and taught here for 3 years 1839 to 1842. There is more to enjoy in the surrounding area that we missed on this visit.

We did have a look in the Cathedral but it was disappointingly dull.

Our goal at this point was Monaco, and we pressed on southwards. Needing a stopover, we found a nice aire overlooking a lake at Nantua. The town is very small and many of the shops have closed, which seems a shame as it is in such a lovely location. Handily, there is a LIDL just up the road from the aire so we stocked up.

After one night we moved on and came upon another lovely lakeside aire. This one was at Treffort, south of Grenoble. It was a much bigger lake with a watersports centre. There were a lot of French families there enjoying the last weekend of the season. After 2 nights there, we could have stayed on without any facilities for free. However, we were on a mission to get to the south coast so we left the lovely lake and moved to Digne les Bains.

We drove through the spa town of Digne les Bains which is very attractive, and worth a return visit, and found the aire on the outskirts. It was a handy stopover for a night but a bit of a walk from the centre. We had a nice evening stroll along the river to stretch our legs.

After much research, we had realised that Monaco does not have campsites or aires. We looked at the map and decided to head for Cannes instead. We could always drive to Monaco another time. I had a sudden rush of efficiency and actually checked the ACSI guide for campsites that were still open. Most of them are closed at the end of September. The one we ended up on, Camping les Cigales, was a bit pricey as they only had a small number of ACSI pitches which were all full when we arrived. We bit the bullet and decided to stay on a luxury pitch in the sun for 2 nights and get some planning done. It was a pleasant walk to the beach, with a footpath along the river, if nothing else.

Our next stop was St Aygulf near Freyjus, after a lovely drive along the DN7.

After arriving at a campsite that was supposed to be open, but was not, we found a real gem. This was a holiday park but the touring pitches were separate and each had their own bathroom. We even had a proper patio and all for £15 a night! We quickly shared this news with our friends who were planning to join us for a couple of days somewhere. They arrived the next day and parked next to us. It was lovely to have a catch up and we enjoyed a walk through the nature reserve to the sea front where we had ice cream. Dinner was a combined effort that evening, we had bought frozen fish and chips in the local supermarket. It turned out that the packet, marked Fish and Chips, actually contained two pieces of fish and no chips. As we had bought a packet each, we had 8 pieces of fish and no chips for the four of us!! Oh how we laughed!

Fayance

After Sue and John left us, we had another day to enjoy and decided to visit the hilltop village of Fayance. It was a lovely drive through scenic countryside along a steep winding road, yellow on the map. The village was not too busy but had enough visitors to give it a buzz. We enjoyed a delicious citronade, from an artizan shop, outside in the sunshine before climbing up the steep steps to the viewpoint. The views all around were gorgeous and worth the climb.

Port Grimaud and St Tropez

Next stop on our list was Port Grimaud. We chose this as there was a campsite with a bus stop outside giving easy access to St Tropez and St Maxime. It was a pretty drive along the coast from St Aygulf to Port Grimaud. The campsite was only open for another week so we booked in for 6 nights and chose a pitch in the pine grove, near the shop and restaurant. It gave me a lovely view of anything happening!

St Tropez

St Tropez was smaller than I expected but very attractive in a slightly old fashioned way. It is described in the tourist guide as a seamen’s village. We walked around the harbour and up into the backstreets before enjoying our sandwiches perched on a bollard near the yachts. It was very busy with visitors and we were entertained by a yacht backing into a berth right in front of our bollard. There was lots of gesticulating from the crew as they manoeuvred the vessel into a very small space. At the end of the harbour is the Tour du Portalet, one of the town’s earlier fortifications. Passing through the Revelen Door you get an entirely different view of the town and the sea. Up through the narrow streets into the old town, there is a tree lined square that was pasture land for animals until the end of the 18th century. Nowadays it hosts a market on tuesdays and saturdays, and petanque is played daily.

Port Grimaud

We walked to Port Grimaud from the campsite. It was quite a pleasant surprise as it is truly charming. We were more enchanted with Port Grimaud than with St Tropez. It is like a wee Venice, with canals and boats and lined with pretty little houses. As we passed an open fronted cafe, we were hailed by a couple we had met on the campsite and stopped to enjoy a welcome beer with them. They recommended scaling the tower and enjoying the view, but the tower was too narrow and spirally for me and too many steps for Clyde after walking there. We were happy wandering round the waterside looking at the boats before walking back to the campsite.

We caught the bus into St Maxime which has a lovely waterfront and old town. It was a nice place to relax by the water in the sun and stroll along the promenade.

Our stay on the campsite was now coming to and end. The campsite was closing for the Winter. We went for a lovely meal at the restaurant, a few yards away from the van, chatted to a member of staff from Scotland and got the low down on what campsite staff do when the site closes. The Scottish gent was off to Greece for a few weeks, recharging his batteries ready for the season to start in 2020.

We were now on a homeward trajectory. Not many campsites open on our route but we were more than happy with the aires. We drove through the Camargue and stopped overnight at Palavas Les Flots, near Montpelier. Next stop was at an eco site at Royat in the hills behind Clermont Ferrand, really tranquil and unspoilt but with fabulous showers and toilets in a log cabin. We needed another place to aim for and as we had not been to Bourges, we thought it would be a good place to break our journey.

Bourges

We arrived in Bourges after lunch and found the aire in our book. Unfortunately, there are building works taking over the aire. There were a few spaces to park and a couple of other campervans there, so we parked up and walked into the centre to the Tourist Information office. We were advised that the aire has been moved to the other side of Bourges, about 1.5 km away. After much thought we decided to stay put overnight and visit the cathedral in the morning before moving on Northwards. We picked up a walking tour map and did some of it before returning to the van. Once the builders left for the day, it was remarkably peaceful. There were a handful of motorhomes keeping us company. It rained heavily overnight and we got up to a grey and miserable day.

Not to be denied the purpose of our visit, we donned our waterproofs and walked into the centre to follow the rest of the walking tour and visit the cathedral which is renowned for it’s beauty. Entrance was free and we were suitably impressed by the fabulous stained glass and flying buttresses that are a feature of this large building.

We spent two hours in central Bourges and got absolutely soaked. We were wet through our clothes and were grateful to get back to our cosy van and dry off! However, we had really appreciated the beauty of St Etienne Cathedral and the charming Medieval centre.

Next day we drove to La Ferte St Aubin, and stopped on the free aire for the night. We stretched our legs with a walk into the village and back along the river. We have been there before and visited the chateau so we knew we would have a peaceful night. I looked at the map to see where we might go tomorrow and realised we were only 3 hours drive from Giverney, home of Monet. As he is one of my heroes, it was a foregone conclusion that we would visit. Motorhomes are allowed to stay overnight in a specially designated area of the car park, which is extremely reasonable and not often to be found back home.

We arrived at Giverney in the early afternoon and in the rain. We decided to wait until the morning for our visit to the gardens in the hope we might get a drier day. We had made the right decision as we were treated to a glorious sunny Autumn day. The gardens speak for themselves, as you can see how Monet’s paintings reflect his love of nature and his garden. The views over the countryside, the flower borders and the water are all evocative of his art.

I was so excited to be here and as we entered the gardens, I shed tears. It was such an emotional experience for me to be here where one of my most influential artists had lived, loved and worked.,

For me, this was the absolute highlight of this Autumn trip. I would love to visit in the Spring to see those gardens dressed in delicate Spring colours.

We were now on our way to Dieppe for our journey back across the Channel to home. Next trip starting mid November.

Whilst staying at Kessingland, we made sure we had seen plenty of coast. The Suffolk coast is truly lovely with lots of history and wild unspoilt beaches. I think it is overlooked by many as it is not dramatic and it is a bit off the beaten track.

Dunwich

The village of Dunwich was swallowed up by the sea in the early part of the 12th century. Until then, it was one of the largest ports in England with a population of 4000. Since Roman times, the sea has taken 2km of coastline and reduced it to a population of 100. 12 churches were submerged and legend has it that you can sometimes hear the church bells ringing (nonsense, of course!) There is a very interesting museum explaining the history of the area and showing artifacts from Roman times. We also visited the current church which was built in the grounds of the old Leper Hospital.

Walberswick

Walberswick was also a busy port in Medieval times, known for its boat building industry. It still has a harbour along the river up to Blythburgh. There is a pretty village green and protected sand dunes leading to the beach. This whole area is a AONB with salt water marshes and reed beds supporting numerous species of birds, and otters.

Snape Maltings

Snape Maltings is known for its music events championed by Benjamin Britten. The Maltings house a theatre, shops and galleries. They are surrounded by a huge expanse of reed beds and access to a beautiful unspoilt coastal walk. I was also impressed by the sculptures, one by Henry Moore.

Thorpeness

Thorpeness was our next stopping point. It is known for its lakes which were dug out by hand in 1911 to create a Peter Pan type of place. The spoil was used to make islands which were planted with trees and shrubs. It now looks completely natural and you can hire boats to go exploring. I can remember doing just that, as a teenager, with friends.

Whilst we awaited further action on our sinking floor, we abandoned the family again and set off to Essex and Suffolk. As it was a while ago now, I have selected a few pictures and will keep the commentary brief.

I grew up in Suffolk, in the small village of Risby, near Bury St Edmunds. We had occasional trips to the coast and visiting relatives in neighbouring Essex, so the countryside was still familiar to me. I have not stayed in the region for a huge number of years so it was a lovely treat for me to visit a few old haunts, and some new places.

First stopping point was Colchester. This is the oldest garrison town in UK, dating back to Roman times. We stayed on a small farm campsite and got the bus into Colchester. We did not pay the £20 required to enter the castle but, the walk through the grounds to the river below was very pleasant. I walked to the old Priory whilst Clyde reposed amongst the tourists in the castle grounds.

On the way to Colchester we spent a few hours in Coggeshall, as there is a lovely old National Trust house to visit. Paycocke’s House is on the High Street and has a delightful old English garden. The little town is very quaint and I was delighted to find some books I had been looking out for, in the local charity shop.

Whilst in the area, we had a day out on Mersea Island. It was a most attractive area accessed across a causeway and overlooking the Blackwater and Colne estuaries. We stopped on the sea front and had coffee at a small cafe after a lovely walk through a nature reserve across the shingle. There are lots of houseboats here and fishing boats plying their trade.

After a lovely relaxing few days in Essex, we moved up coast to Suffolk and our first port of call was Aldeburgh.

Aldeburgh is a very popular town on the coast but we were able to park the van on the seafront for a very reasonable charge. We walked along the front and enjoyed the very fresh air! Wrapped up against the chill of a June day, we paid a king’s ransom for some fresh mackerel pate at one of the seafront fish stalls. It was worth it as it was delicious.

Aldeburgh was the home of Benjamin Britten and is the centre of the International Aldeburgh Festival of Arts. There are plenty of lovely old buildings and shops to amble around.

After Aldeburgh, we found our way to Kessingland where we had booked a proper campsite. It was a good move as the weather changed, the sun shone, and the site was lovely. We spent a day local and walked down to the beach for a cuppa overlooking the sea, then had a day out at Southwold. The bus there went from outside the campsite, so not worth taking the van. We had a lovely day there; it is so typically English, with beach huts, a pier and a town centre with little shops and a lighthouse.

What a fabulous few days and there were more to come……..

Our plan to prepare for a May trip to Scandinavia was now in question due to the increasing delapidation of the van floor. We had to take the van to SMC on 21 Mar for them to look at the floor and send photos to Globecar for advice. A fix was agreed and we returned on 1 Apr for the work to be carried out. Unfortunately, when they started work they discovered a considerable amount of water under the floor and had to refer back to Globecar. Sadly, we took the van away and decided to do a bit of travelling in England whist we awaited news.

Firstly we had a good family catch up. A lovely day was spent at our very own Stokes Bay with Suzanne and children.

After a wonderful day, we had tea at “The Cocked Hat” in Gosport. The children got their pyjamas on and cleaned their teeth in the ‘van, then set off home. Sylvie’s favourite memory of the day was cleaning her teeth in the ‘van! Aren’t children wonderful?!

Next day, we set sail for Hereford. We had stayed at a campsite in Moorhampton when I was still working, and we decided it would be a good spot for a bit more exploration. We plotted a scenic route and took the day to get there. It was an interesting experience getting ourselves through Hereford, but we made it after a couple of detours, and were rewarded with a beautiful sunny evening overlooking some lovely Herefordshire countryside.

On monday we caught the bus to Llandrindod Wells. It was a very pretty, if expensive, journey through Herefordshire and then into Wales. Llandrindod Wells is an old Victorian Spa town which became popular when the railway arrived in 1864, enabling well to do Victorians to visit the fledgeling spa. The town prospered and became a rival to many of the more fashionable spas and resorts across the border in England.

The town is no longer as attractive but, it still has some fine Victorian buildings, two interesting museums and the rather lovely Rock Park. We walked through the Rock Park with its arboretum and drinking basin, and enjoyed the sense of times past. I didn’t take any pictures as it was a bit dull and I couldn’t seem to get any good views.

We only had a quick visit to Hereford itself on this trip as we have been there before. It is an attractive town centre with black and white buildings and a lovely cathedral that boasts the Magna Carta and a chained library. Well worth a visit.

Whilst at Moorhampton we took a day to drive around the Brecon Beacons and enjoy the scenery. We also stopped off for lunch at Hay on Wye which is famous for its many bookshops and the book festival. It is a charming little town with lots of independent arty and crafty shops as well as tea rooms and bookshops.

Following a few weeks in the bosom of our extensive family, in Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire and Hampshire, we needed another change of scene. We had taken the opportunity of getting medical appointments whilst in Gosport and Clyde was booked in for an assessment on his knee, which is now very painful. That is an ongoing process which will ultimately result in another operation.

We didn’t want to go too far from Gosport, so we decided on a trip to Dorset and booked ourselves into a campsite at Moreton, which is a small village quite near to Dorchester. Moreton was the home of TE Lawrence, otherwise known as Lawrence of Arabia. Lt Col TE Lawrence was a British Army officer renowned for his liaison role during the Arab revolt against Ottoman Turkish rule of 1916-18. He lived at Clouds Hill, until his death in an accident in 1935. Clouds Hill is now a National Trust property nearby. His grave is in the cemetery in Moreton.

Moreton village was a 2 mile walk from the campsite and has a lovely tea room, a botanic garden and a picturesque river. The church is known for its amazing engraved windows, the work of Sir Laurence Whistler. We were very impressed by the windows and felt it had been worth the 4 mile round trip at Clyde’s slow and painful pace.

We also went into Dorchester for a look around the town. We were able to catch the train from just by the campsite, which made a nice change. The town is most closely associated with Thomas Hardy and indeed, is the “Casterbridge” featured in his novels. It is another attractive small town with some lovely old buildings and the river Frome running by.

We had a few relaxing days at Moreton and I managed a couple of very long walks with my Nordic poles. We had to go back to Portsmouth for Clyde to have an MRI scan so had a break in our travels and went to visit some old friends and got the van serviced.

We returned to the UK on 15 Mar as the problem with the floor in the van needed attention. We now have a considerable dip in our floor with a spongy area. This is almost certainly due to damp. As the van is under warranty, we had to cut short our travels in order to make yet another visit to SMC at Newark!

We gave ourselves a week to get through France as the weather was not especially wonderful.

After our lovely relaxing stay on the campsite near San Sebastian, we wanted to stock up on wine before we crossed the border into France. I had a look online and identified a Lidl that seemed to be more or less en route. Well, it was but, it involved squeezing the van down some narrow streets lined with cars to discover that it was a very small store and it was closed for lunch! Rather a disappointing waste of time that delayed our journey to Bordeaux.

We had a long and damp journey to Bordeaux and the icing on the cake was the terrible holdups on the ring road around the city. After making an anxious call to the campsite to explain in my best French, that we were were still on our way, we arrived in the gathering gloom at 1800. The reception was still open thank goodness, and we joined the two other campervans on site. I had booked us in for 2 nights so we could get the bus into Bordeaux on the Saturday. Unfortunately it was such a miserable day, we did not venture off the site and wished we had moved on sooner.

Sunday was still damp and gloomy but we headed off towards Poitiers. I had identified a Camping Car Park at a place called St Cyr just north of Poitiers. It was a bit hard to find but when we did, it was in a lovely location near a lake and nature reserve. I had to register for a Pass Etap card in order to access the camping car park. I was a bit stressed by this time but, it was quite simple in the end and I now have an account and a card which is really easy to use. This is a new organisation for camping cars and the sites are apparently, all at beautiful locations. It was 9 euros for the night with electric, which we were very happy with. The weather had let up a bit and I had a very pleasant evening stroll by the lake. I was entertained by an otter which I viewed from a hide and it lifted my spirits.

The next day we moved on northwards and after a 4 hour drive through the countryside, and some lovely typically French villages, we ended up on a peaceful aire at Courville Sur Eure. It was a bright sunny day, a bit windy, but very pleasant. The aire is alongside a municipal campsite that opens in May. The river runs alongside the park behind the aire and there is a small village with a square and some shops. It was closed of course, as it was monday, so no vin for Clyde!

On the Tuesday we went for it and headed for Dieppe. We had a few deviations due to roadworks and therefore we spent much of the day travelling. We finally arrived in Dieppe and found a nice spot on the seafront aire. By now it was very windy and the waves were really impressive. We had decided to spend a day in Dieppe before catching the early ferry on 15th Mar. It was a bit of a dismal day on the Wednesday but, we did a bit of shopping and enjoyed walking along the beach with the locals marvelling at the rough seas. The evening was spent in the van with the wind howling around and rain lashing down. It was not so exciting next day when the ferry ran an hour and a half late and took an hour longer to make it across the Channel! It was so rough we could not stand up and the shop was closed. So boring!!

And so ended our Winter tour for 2018/19. Little did we know what trouble we were due to encounter trying to get the van fixed!! More of that later.

We went to Bilbao in order to visit the Guggenheim Museum and on the day we visited we were lucky to have beautiful sunny weather.  It is important to have the brightness as it is the reflections that really make the most of this extraordinary building.  It was completed in 1997 and still looks fresh and new.  The internal structure is as important as the external for impact value.  We were underwhelmed by the exhibitions inside but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  Sitting outside with a cooling beer in the 21° sun was a fitting end to our visit.

Outside the museum is a wonderful bridge which adds another colour to the reflections and the whole thing is then reflected in a modern building across the street. A large spider sculpture alongside the river is a contrast to the smooth curves of the museum and there is a bunch of large coloured lollipops to give another dimension.

When the museum was inaugurated a statue of a puppy was part of the decoration and was intended as a temporary feature.  However, the Bilbainos clamoured for it to be kept and it is now a permanent fixture. The statue is covered with growing flowers and manages to have tremendous expression. We were very impressed with the design and the well maintained flowers.

The other building that we appreciated was the 1930s Mercado de la Ribera.  The curved stairways and stained glass were amazing, and it has obviously had a facelift as it was clean and bright and modern.  There were a large number of fish, meat and veg stalls selling their wares in the morning.  On the ground floor there were three restaurants that were still open when the market was closed.

The old town here is a good place to wander around with plenty going on.  There were some lovely old buildings such as the cathedral and the theatre but we just appreciated them from the outside and saved ourselves for the main event.

The camperstop we stayed on for 2 nights is located on a hill overlooking the city.  The view from the van was quite the most stunning we have had with the city lights spread out in a panorama below.  It was even more exciting when the wild winds started blowing on our second night and rocked the van from side to side!

San Sebastian

After Bilbao, we were looking forward to a town with a difference and we were not disappointed.  San Sebastian is an elegant seaside resort with a lovely old town, beautiful squares and buildings, and a charming promenade that follows the curve of the bay.  There is a long and deep sandy beach leading to the rolling waves, which was in use by swimmers and surfers when we were there but must be a magnet for families in the warmer weather.  On the promenade there is a formal garden with a grand old carousel dating from 1900.  It is beautifully decorated with copies of old Masters which is quite unusual.

PICS

This is a place to drift around, shop in the elegant shops, and sip coffee or wine in the squares.  A very lovely end to our time in Spain. 

Once again we had been lucky with the weather, as it had been wet and blowy the day before our visit and was very wild and stormy overnight and into the next day following our visit.  Thus we headed on into France and the long trek up to Dieppe.

After Salamanca, we really needed to get ourselves up to the north coast.  We stopped overnight at Leon on a handy free aire and then moved on up to the coast.  The journey took us through some gorgeous scenery as it is a mountainous region.

We had read that Cudillero, on the coast west of Oviedo, is like a Greek fishing village.  This appealed to us and so we had decided to detour slightly from the obvious route to Bilbao and give it a look. 

I had not checked whether the campsites were actually open and so was horrified to discover, at the locked gates, that I had made a bit of a mistake!  A quick look on Search for Sites led us to the harbour where you can park overnight.  In fact, we were happier with that option as we had a ringside view of the little harbour and the village.  It was a most picturesque spot and was divine when the sun set and the lights came on.

The next stop was inland again into the Picos Mountains.  We stopped for the night at a small town called Cangas de Onis.  It has a pretty river running through, and a Roman bridge over the rocks.  All very unexpected for Spain.

Onwards into the mountains, we stopped on a campsite so I could do some washing.  The setting was glorious with mountain views and a babbling stream.  Whilst the washing dried, we followed the advice of the lady in the tourist information at Cangas, and drove to Las Arenas.  The drive along the AS114 was fabulous with mountains and gorges.  After a lunch stop we went up a narrow road to the funicular railway at Poncebos.  It wasn’t open but again, the views were stunning.

It would be lovely to spend more time exploring this area but we were on a bit of a timescale now so we moved on to Santillana del Mar.  Santillana is a medieval village, which made a nice change and the free overnight parking was within a ten minute walk of the village.  It is a bit touristy with lots of little shops selling gifts and souvenirs but also some nice artisan shops selling local products. We had 2 nights here before moving on to Bilbao.  The countryside all around the area is very Alpine and it was so nice to see green fields and grazing cattle.

Santillana scenes

Salamanca is another must see place if you are in this region of Spain.  The lady who owns the campsite that we stayed on advised me that it is very much like Cambridge.  It has a large University population, lots of lovely buildings and narrow streets and a young atmosphere.  We were inclined to agree.

Rather than dash about trying to visit all the historic buildings, we mostly drifted around the busy and historic streets enjoying the old architecture.

The Plaza Mayor is one of the best we have seen.  It was full of people, the buildings and arches are beautiful and it was a great place to sit with a coffee and soak up the atmosphere. 

We had also decided to visit two museums for a change, the Museo Art Nouveau y Art Deco and the Museo de La Automocion de Salamanca.

The Art Deco museum was full of lovely pieces of sculpture, pictures and furniture from the period. The glass and porcelain was gorgeous and there were a few fabulous Lalique pieces. The building itself was built by a wealthy resident and was a true reflection of the period. It was not possible to take any photos inside, which was a shame, as the glass ceiling is stunning.

Both of these were located beyond the new and old cathedrals towards the river Tormes. 

Along the way we also admired the Casa de Conches, looked in wonder at the madly ornate Edificio Historico de la Universidad and the romantic gardens.

Scattered around the city in various squares are some rather amusing and quirky statues, the work of Xu Hongfei.  No idea why, but they were certainly a talking point amongst the visitors.

There was so much to see that we spent two days in the city. On the second day (a Sunday), the bus dropped us a distance away from the centre as there was a road race taking place. This stumped us a bit to start with and we ended up walking further than intended. The automotive museum was our target and it was a close run thing to get there with enough time to see everything before it closed. Once again, we were disappointed that the museums close for a three hour break in the middle of the day. However, we are getting wise now and try to manage our visiting times accordingly.

We ended our visit with hot chocolate and fartons in the Plaza Mayor where a group of youngsters from some other country, were performing and trying to sell their DVD.  They were very entertaining but we did not buy the DVD.

You hear about Segovia and people say “oh you must visit Segovia, it is beautiful”.  So, we found a free overnight parking site close to the town, by the bullring, and went to check it out. 

We were knocked sideways when we took our first walk into the town alongside the Roman Aqueduct!  The pictures say it all:

I can’t resist a few facts! The 167 arches are made of granite from Guadarrama and are made up of unmortared, brick-like ashlars joined by means of an ingenious force equilibrium. 

Max height of bridge: 28.10 metres

Total no of pillars: 120

Total no of arches: 167

The Devil from Segovia

According to legend, sloth rather than Rome was the real mother of the Aqueduct.

A young lady who worked as a water carrier, fed up with carrying her pitcher through the steep streets of the city, made a pact with the Devil; he would keep the woman’s soul if, before the cock crowed the following dawn, he had found a means for water to reach her dwelling.

Conscious of her guilt, the young lady began praying incessantly to avoid the loss of her soul.  Meanwhile a storm broke out and the devil started working frantically.  Suddenly, the cock crowed and the devil gave a terrifying shriek: for the sake of one more stone he had yet to place, he had lost the girl’s soul.

The girl confessed her deed to the people of Segovia who, after sprinkling the arches with holy water to wipe out any traces of sulphur, happily accepted the new addition to the city.

It is said that the holes which can be seen even today are the devil’s footprints.

Today there is a sculpture of the devil taking a selfie in front of the aqueduct, in tribute to the legend.

After exploring all aspects of the wall we walked through the town streets enjoying the other buildings and finally the Plaza Mayor. We had coffee sitting in the sun then found a bench to sit and eat our sandwiches.

On our second day there, the weather was a lot brighter and we walked on up through the Jewish Quarter to the Alcazar.  It was quite a climb and we had been along the outer road first to get the better views of the city wall.  I left Clyde having a beer at a small pavement café part of the way up and pushed on to see the view from the other side.  I did not go into the Alcazar but the outside was worth a look.

Having satisfied my curiosity, I walked back down the hill and joined Clyde for a beer.  We were then joined by an English couple who live in Spain, and had a pleasant half hour chatting in the slowly setting sun.  Most convivial.

We will now be those people who say “oh you must visit Segovia, it is beautiful”.

Madrid was now within reach and we had booked a night in a hotel for Clyde’s birthday.  The hotel Casuel del Teatro is in a side street a short walk from the centre of Madrid and it is located in a building protected by its high artistic, historical and architectural value.  It was inaugurated in 1925 by the Madrid architect Antonio Rubio.  It was influenced by Neoclassicism, with oil paintings on the façade that give expression to the building.  Inside it has high ceilings, mouldings and the original iron staircase balustrade.  All the rooms are decorated to celebrate an aspect of theatre and ours was no exception. 

Breakfast was taken in the rooftop room with views of the buildings around.

Our stay in Madrid was only for two days and we made the most of being centrally located to explore the old city and to wander around in the evening soaking up the atmosphere.  Usually, we have made our way back to our van by early evening and miss the lively evening scene. 

On our first day, we went to have a look at the Palacio Real, the Cathedral, the Plaza Mayor and the Opera.  We walked 6 miles around this area and took in as many of the lovely buildings and squares as we could.  After an evening stroll around the centre, we decided to eat at the small local restaurant that is located next to the hotel.  As ever, it was frequented by locals and was extremely good value.

Lots of beautiful buildings around the centre. I can’t remember what they all were. Here is a selection.

On our second day, after a hearty continental breakfast, we walked across to the Parque del Buen Retiro.  On the way we happened upon the Congreso de Los Diputados, which houses the historical documents from the adoption of the Constitution, from 1812 to 1978.  It was free to enter so we thought we would have a quick look.  It was surprisingly interesting and so an hour was whiled away with no effort.  The next unexpected pleasure was in the Plaza de Cibeles.  The Palacio de Cibeles was designed at the start of the 19^th century as the headquarters of the National Postal Service.  It took 12 years to build and was inaugurated on 14 Mar 1919.  At the time it was known as Communications Cathedral and for 100 years it was the nerve centre of a powerful and effective communications system that covered all of Spain.  It was municipalised in 2003 and the process started to turn it into the seat of Madrid City Council and of a new cultural centre.  CentroCentro opened in 2011 and is quite an impressive building.  We had coffee, at vast expense, in the cafeteria but we were too mean to pay for the rooftop visit.

Our last few hours were spent at the Retiro Park which has lakes, glasshouse, band stand, statues and lots of gardens.  It was a great place to enjoy people watching and to relax.  There was an exhibition of modern art in the Palacio de Velazquez and in the Palacio de Cristal which we were able to visit for free.    

Having walked another few miles, we were happy to get on the train back to Aranjuez.

After Toledo we wanted to visit Madrid and had decided to stay outside the city and travel in by train.  There is a campsite at Aranjuez, which is 40 km from Madrid, and there is a handy train station in the town.  We were totally unprepared for the unexpected charm of Aranjuez itself.  The campsite backs onto the river Tajo and it is a 10 minute walk from the site, over the river and into the Jardin de Principe to the town.  There are also some very impressive public squares that seem so out of place in what is really quite a modest town.

Aranjuez was built to serve the Palace which was mostly developed by Queen Isabel II.  The palace dates from the 18^th century and is not of any particular architectural importance.  However, there are numerous rooms of great opulence that are open to the public for a fee.  You are not allowed to take photos so I can’t include any pictures. We were knocked sideways by the awful porcelain room.  It is completely covered in decorative ware from the factory that used to stand in Madrid’s Retiro Park.

The walk to the town from the campsite takes you through the Jardin del Principe, which is very attractive, even in Winter.  It also contains the museum which houses a selection of Royal barges from the past.  Entry was included in the Palace ticket and we were pleased we had gone in as they were truly splendid.  The Palace overlooks the Jardin de Isla, with its fountains, statues and peacocks.  Both gardens are open to the public for free.  The fountains were turned off when we were there as it was still winter, but the statuary is still impressive.

Aranjuez is mostly used as a stopping point en route to other places but it is a worthy destination in its own right.

Next on our list for our journey north was Toledo.  We had been recommended to stay at Camping El Greco as it is very convenient for getting a bus or walking into town.  Again, the site was quiet but there were a handful of other campers there.  We were very entertained by a lovely Welshman, Rob, who managed to freeze his washing by hanging it over a hedge to dry overnight.  Temperatures have been zero or lower at night since we left the south.  There was bread to be had at reception in the morning if you were quick.  With so few visitors, he only ordered in a handful of loaves so I felt triumphant when I managed to get my hands on one.

We spent 2 days exploring Toledo which we found very appealing.  As you approach the city, it appears before you with the cathedral dominating the scene.  The whole city has the status of a National Monument and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  It sits on a rocky mound and every available inch has been built upon with churches, synagogues, mosques and houses piled up in a spiral of cobblestoned streets. 

As with all the old cities, Toledo was originally captured by the Romans in 192 BC, taken by the Visigoths, and then the Moors arrived in 712.  Moors, Jews and Mozarabes (Christians subject to Moorish rule) lived together here in relative equality to make Toledo the most important northern outpost of the Muslim Emirates.  All these influences can be seen at every turn and it is enough to wander around the streets of the city admiring the views.

We visited the cathedral which is one of the most beautiful we have seen.  The colours, the art (some El Greco pieces) and the amazing statuary, were all incredible.

The next day we visited the Jewish Quarter.  The views from the city wall here were lovely, as were those on the main road into Toledo from the campsite.

On our list of places to visit was the church of Santo Tomé which houses the famous painting by El Greco, “The Burial of the Lord of Orgaz”.  Clyde thought it was a bit gloomy, but I enjoyed seeing such a well executed painting.  I even bought a postcard which is now upsetting Clyde nightly from its place opposite the bed!  No picture here I am afraid as it was forbidden to take any in the church.  El Greco being the adopted son of Toledo, there is also a museum, but we decided that the church and the paintings in the cathedral, had satisfied my El Greco requirements.

Another place we visited was the synagogue of Santa Maria La Blanca.  It is a feast of Moorish style pillars in white and gold.

There was so much more to see and enjoy in Toledo. Most of the old buildings have been restored and preserved and there are more museums than you can ever hope to visit. There were plenty of Chinese tourists having a jolly good attempt at it!