Spending a whole month on a campsite has been informative. We now know for certain that we prefer to be on the move regularly. The thrill of exploring new places is what drives us. Setting off from a fixed base is a bit limiting but, we have made the most of the time by exploring locally, relaxing, preparing for the next part of our itinerary after we return to UK in April, getting to know a few people etc.
There are people on the campsites all along this coast, who come to the same place every Winter. They typically spend 3-6 months, book their same pitch in advance, turn their pitch into a home from home and get involved in activities such as petanque, line dancing, quiz nights and so on. Although we could understand why they would do this, it depressed us to contemplate it. It is not for us and we will not book anywhere in advance for so long again.
Places we went :
The beach
You can walk down to the beach along a dusty footpath which crosses a small river and leads to a palm plantation. This is another part of the Nature Park that stretches all along the Southern Costa Blanca and protects the area from sand incursion.
There is a weir across the river where, we were alarmed to observe, there is a large collection of plastic bottles. However, our fears were allayed when we were advised that this is a collection point for a recycling plant a little further along the footpath.
When you reach the beach, there are wooden walkways to provide access without needing to walk on the protected dunes.
From here you can see across the main river to the marina, mentioned in a previous post. Sadly, there seems to be an awful lot of litter washing up into the inlet that does not seem to be part of the recycling scheme. It is a shame as it spoils what would otherwise be a rather lovely nature reserve. There are a variety of sea birds, cormorants, egrets and herons frequenting these waters but they are pottering about amongst the rubbish.
Inland countryside
We went exploring in the van and followed a road behind LIDL which took us through an urbanizacion (unsigned, so no idea which one!) and onto the road to Elche. We had Elche in our sights for another day so, followed our noses and drove through a number of small towns such as Dolores, San Fulgencio and Rojales. They are all set against a backdrop of mountains and have large, dry plains irrigated by a network of pipes and fen type drains. There are also extensive reed beds and palm plantations which make the scenery very different to ours at home.
Our wanderings took us down to the main coast road and we were near to the lagunes at Torrevieja. There is a nature park here “Lagunas de La Mata-Torrevieja”, with a visitors car park. We decided to stop for a wander and to enjoy the view. There is a viewing point with a few benches that certainly makes the most of the view with the mountains reflected in the lakes.
There are marked pathways for walking in the area which we explored on a subsequent visit but, the view above was the best bit.
La Mata
We met a couple at the Lagunas, who recommended La Mata as a nice little fishing village worth a visit. We do love a recommendation so, we placed it on our must visit list. On Boxing Day, we headed off to enjoy our lunch at said lovely fishing village. Sadly, we did not find it particularly charming and headed on up the coast to Santa Pola.
Santa Pola
There are a number of beaches to visit here but, we rather liked the Platja del Carabassi. This promenade overlooks the island of Tabarca which is the only inhabited island in the land of Valencia. Berber pirates used the island as a plotting centre in the Middle Ages. The area where we parked, known as the chain, is the closest point in the peninsula to the island.
We followed the coast road from here towards Alicante and discovered a popular parking place for campervans. We noted this for when we leave Marjal on 4 Jan. A bit of free camping will be very welcome.
Santa Pola again
We made another visit to Santa Pola, as we had seen a sign to a port, but taken the wrong turning and got side tracked on our previous visit! This time we got it right and ignored the sign to Playa Lisa, where we had gone before. The port was well worth finding as it also boasts a large marina, and the mixture of high end yachts and working fishing boats is different from the usual offering. We noticed some working boats coming into the port and walked round to have a look. The crew were unloading their catch and a queue of people were there waiting to purchase fresh fish directly.
There were also a cloud of gulls circling as more boats came in.
On the way back we drove along the N332 which passes through the salt lakes, complete with pink flamingoes. We stopped to take photos but the flamingoes were on the far lake on this occasion, so you will have to take my word for it that they exist!
