Jeff

Tuesday, 18 October 2022

Waiting in Spain... and the journey onwards

So we managed to have a good look around the Villaricos market the next morning and bought some veggies to keep us going for the next few days. On the way back to the van we ran into someone I used to work with which just makes you remember how small the world is! The weather wasn’t really beach weather so we decided to head out on the bikes for a bit and we rode into a town called Gurrucha for it then to totally pour down with rain so we quickly retreated back to the van, but not before we were soaked. We managed to get out onto the beach for a short time once the rain dried up but all in all it was a quiet day for us.

The next day we had planned to meet Clare, who I worked with for lunch and drinks (well the rain came down again so there wasn’t too much else to do). After far too many gins, a quick swim in the pool and so much needed catching up we retired to bed. We were hoping to pick up the toilet cassette we had order but the tracking had not moved since Friday so we were losing hope and the next morning we decided to go on a short way, into the national park, and come back once it had been delivered. This meant that the next few days were going to be a bit more low key and we wanted to stay about an hour or so away from Vera.

So on the Tuesday we headed out to Parque Natural del Cabo de Gata which is a marine natural park and had great beaches for swimming and snorkelling. We first headed to playa de los Muertos which is dead beach and I don’t think we have ever seen water as clear as this (and this is a theme throughout the natural park). The beach is a short walk from the car park and was lovely and quiet but due to the wind it was a little wavey. We did manage to snorkel a couple of times though and chilled on the beach until it was time to find somewhere to sleep. Now wild camping is not allowed in the natural park at all and you can be fined (depending on how the guards who find you are feeling, some will let you off with a warning, some wont) so we had to be more thoughtful on where we planned to sleep. We did a little bit of searching and found a little place on top of the cliff near the beach and overlooking the next town, Agua Amarga. This was a great place to watch the sun set and relax and another campervan came and parked nearby who were also trying to avoid being caught and we both agreed not to dob the other in if the guards came!

The following morning we decided to spend the day at Agua Amarga and after going for a morning run then struggling to find some parking for the day we managed to get to the beach for a bit. What we have learnt is we are still not on Spanish time, we get up too early and we are usually on the beach a good couple of hours before the Spanish make it down. After a couple of hours relaxing, swimming and snorkelling we decided to have an ice cream and headed onto the next town Rodaquilar where we planned to spend the night in the hills again. The place we were spending the night was an old gold mine.

The next morning we got up nice and early and continued into the gold mine and explored some of the tunnels which were totally dark and fairly creepy but had some great views over the area. Once back at Jeff we drove down to La Isleta del Moro to again spend the day by the beach and snorkel. This little town is great as there are two beaches on the different sides of the outcrop and if its windy on one side (which is was Thursday) the other side is usually fine. We managed to have a good swim and snokel and watch some divers have what must have been a try dive from the look of their abilities. After a couple of hours we thought we should do the usual boring stuff like some shopping before we run out of food and headed into the middle of nowhere for our stop for the night but we weren’t the only ones there, there was another british van to keep us company.

On Friday we got up and headed back to the beach playa de las selinas where we managed to snorkel again. Over the last few days we have manged to see lots including fish we have never seen before and birds swimming underwater. It has been great and really worth going to the different beaches but there is only so much beach relaxing we can do so you can imagine how pleased we were when we received the email saying the parcel is ready for pick up! We had to go back to the area we stopped at the previous night as Rich had accidently left my flip flops there (they dropped out when he was getting out and he didn’t see them!) and then we headed to pick up the toilet from near Vera and then headed back through the park towards Granada where we planned to spend the next couple of days.

On Saturday we headed towards Granada with a stop in Guadix, where there are thousands of houses build into the terrain, to have a look around and climbed to the top of the hill to have a good look before continuing on to a paid camper stop in Granda where we jumped on the bikes and explored the city. We soon found it was not a city to explore on bikes so we managed to find some parking for them and explored on foot. We explored lots of the city including the high view points which over looked the Alhambra palaces which we had booked for tomorrow, we walked in the park near the Alhambra, found a nice tea shop in the centre, walked through the old town and ended up watching a couple of weddings start at different churches throughout the town. We had dinner at a nice veggie restaurant and as it had been a hot busy day we treated ourselves to a very nice vegan dessert and cocktails before the ride back to the camperstop.

The next morning was a dreaded Sunday again and we did let Spain lull us into a false sense of security. Rich wanted breakfast and so after moving the van closer to the city (and the top of a hill which Granada is full of) we went off in search of something healthy to find everything we wanted closed so after a quick stop in Starbucks we entered the Alhambra and proceeded to spend a lot of time walking around taking photos, getting lost and running into the couple who had spent the night in the camper van next to us last night. We visited several of the palaces and the Generalife which was a set of gardens. It was a beautiful place with calm gardens and stunning Islamic palaces which was first started in the 1200’s. After the walk back up the hill to the van and drove onto Hoya de la Mora which is in the Sierra Nevada national park and is at 2,500 meters. We parked up and had dinner up here and the aim was to get used to the altitude before climbing the mountain tomorrow but oh my god the wind wanted us to know we were high! We did try and get to sleep but after about an hour we knew it would be fruitless so we went down the mountain a little to get some shelter and finally got some sleep but were still rocked by the wind for a lot of the night.

The next morning we got up fairly early and drove back up to Hoya de la Mora and got the bikes out for the ride up Pico de la Veleta which is 3,396 meters high and can be cycled from the car park we were in. The ride is only 12km with a gradient of around 7.5% and while this was going to be challenging enough the winds were still really strong and we often battled with 30-40 km head winds. It was tough going but we did it slow and steady and we made it up in under 2 hours. Once there though it was cold and had a temperature in the single figures and a feels like -2. We had a little food, took some photos and then quickly started the journey back down. While the downward portion was less work the wind still made it difficult and we had to take care as the wind could push you off track (and it was strong enough to slow us down when we were coming into the head wind). It took us less than 40 mins to get back to the van and we quickly made some very hot tea and food to warm us back up. We just aren’t used to cold weather anymore! We didn’t want to stay in the mountains for another night and so headed down and in the direction of Malaga. Back at sea level (or nearer sea level) and the temperature rose to 30 degrees which helped finally warm us up!

Now we are going to spend a couple of days in Malaga and do some exploring nearby.

The sea in Cabo de Gato

Sunset at one of our overnight locations in the national park, we never got caught!

Sunset by the goldmine over night location

Rich testing the way in the tunnels at the gold mine, I only went once he survived the tunnel

It was long and dark and led to other tunnels

one of the houses in Guadix

A view of the Alhambra from the view points in Granada

Proper tea

Dancing on the street

shopping in the old town

Vegan dinner and beers - its easy to make Rich happy

Cocktails

who says vegan food is boring

Gardens in Generalife and Alhambra

one of the palaces at Alhambra

Some of the intricate mouldings in the Alhambra

a ceiling in the Alhambra palaces

Another palace

the view from the mountain (Pico de la Veleta) top while I waited for Rich to get to the top

Another view

The mandatory selfie at the top before the ride down

Saturday, 8 October 2022

A busy time in Spain part 2

The next morning we got up and decided to go for a short run through the fruit groves (Rich is trying to keep us fit, I on the other hand would have preferred a cup of tea in bed) and then we headed off to Valencia. We parked about 5 miles outside of the city and got on the bikes and cycled towards the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias which is a science and cultural complex. The buildings are futuristic and there is lots to see. We parked up the bikes and walked around to explore the pools, the buildings and to walk through the garden. We then continued our cycle towards the city centre where we parked the bikes up and started out tour of the city. We walked to the central market which was amazing with such great foods and produce. We wanted to buy everything and did wonder why we don’t have these markets more in the UK. After the market we did a short walking tour around looking at some lovely old buildings and we decided that this was probably the prettiest city we had been to so far. Then as usual for us we found a vegan café had lots of tapas as a late lunch and then headed back to the bikes before cycling back to the van and headed down south. We arrived at a little town and as it had been over 30 degrees all day we decided a quick swim in the sea was needed to cool down before settling in for the evening at the beach.

The next day we didn’t have anything planned and you know how these days can either be terrible or great well I’m not sure I would say ours was great but it was interesting and fun (at times). We decided over our morning cup of tea to go to the nearby national park and climb a mountain (not my choice as I’m sure you would guess) but on our way there I was doing some research and found out that some national parks need booking to keep the number of people managed. I found the park we were going to had a cave, called Cova Tallada, that required booking so I booked it. I believed the cave was probably on the mountain so it made sense to book it. Well I was wrong (see I can admit it) and it turns out it’s a sea cave that you can either walk to via the coast or kayak to. Well we had the paddleboard so we quickly (and much to my happiness) changed plans and set out to the beach. When we got there the weather wasn’t looking great and we even heard a rumble of thunder but we thought what the hell we are here now so off we set. We got to the cave in record time of 20 mins and there was already a tour group in there. We walked around the cave and thought well this was okay but not really worth booking and then we found the rear caves which seemed to go on and on. We explored the caves for a good 30 to 40 minutes using our phone torches as it was pitch black and there were holes for you to put your foot down, over hangs to hit your head on (yes even little me!) and bits to slip on. After exploring and finding our way back to the entrance we decided to have a snorkel (where the tour had been snorkelling) and saw lots of fish. After this we headed back on the paddleboard to the beach which while we were paddling against the tide was nice as the weather had cleared and it was turning into a lovely sunny day. Once back we had a snorkel in the local bay which was also really nice and clear.

After this we decided to continue with the crazy national parks and headed south to Calp where there is the Parc Natural del Penyal d’Ifach which has a large limestone outcrop which you can climb. This was again my idea and I did regret this several times during the climb. It states it should take about 2 hours for the round trip and as it was only 3.30pm we knew we had lots of time. The climb starts off nicely with a simple track up to a tunnel which you need to walk through which was nice, although it was very dark in places and you had to watch your footing. Once through there then all health and safety was gone (there was a sign saying risk of falling and boy was this true). The climb continued up and got progressively rockier and involved clambering across rocks with only a chain to hold on to and a sheer drop next to you. Those of you who know me well can imagine how much I enjoyed this! My fear of heights came into full force but onwards we went (after the occasional sit down to calm myself before/in the middle of difficult bits) and we made it to the top. After a couple of photos we started the climb back down and did take a little detour to the Mirador of Carabiners which is an extra 0.5km but also had great views. Once we were back on solid ground and in Jeff we knew we had to finish the day with a bang and well we weren’t that far from Benidorm so off we went. We parked up and walked in to the town which was bustling and interesting. From our walk around we quickly identified all the brits from a mile off and I saw more mobility scooters there than anywhere else in the country. We decided to have dinner and some drinks (and who could resist at 3 euro pints!) before heading back to our parking as we were exhausted.

After not the best nights sleep due to the noise in Benidorm we got up and decided what to do. As the weather was not looking great (and it turned out it rained on and off all of the day) we decided to head to the campsite we had booked to stay on. This is a rarity for us and its only the second one since we got Jeff (the first being in Wales) and it was really interesting to see all the various motorhomes. There were some huge ones and very modern ones and we even got chatting to some other brits. Once we parked up we decided to get on with the chores we had been ignoring including our washing, cleaning the van and organising some of the cupboards which had got messy or where things weren’t in the right place. As we have had Jeff for a month now we know what we need and what we don’t so it gave us a chance to properly reorganise the van to make the best use out of the space. We also encounter an issue, the location of our spare toilet cassette had caused one to develop a hole and this wasn’t fixable on the road so we need a new one. We tried the local camping shop without success but we managed to find one online that could be delivered and with some help we have managed to get it ordered and it will be delivered next week. After an afternoon of cleaning we decided it was time for a swim in the pool which I think the rest of the motorhomes found weird considering it wasn’t that warm and the pool was not heated but we brits are hardy and it was a lovely way to finish a busy day.

The next day we finished up the chores and headed out continuing our route down south and stopped in a local town to try and get a rack for my bike. Having tried to find one online and in other stores we were not hopefully but actually the bike store were great and not only had one but fitted it for us, we then found bags for it at Aldi which was lucky. Once that was done we continued on south and found a beach, called Playa las Palmeras, to spend the day at. The beach had strong waves so Rich had a go at surfing on the paddleboard which is definitely harder than it looks but he did well. We decided to spend the night at a beach just up the road where there were some other campers. They seem to have an issue with campers on some beaches, especially those campers over 5.5m (which we are) so we had to check where we could spend the night

This brings us to today and this morning we went for another run before heading slightly further south to Villaricos beach where we spent most of the day and planned to sleep. Again it was a little bit too rough to snorkel but we did have a swim and relaxed in the sun. The town has a market on tomorrow so we thought we would cycle in to have a look around and then decide what to do for the afternoon.

one of the buildings at the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias

more of the buildings at the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias

a representation of a heart in the gardens at the Ciudad de las Artes Y la Ciencias

I do love a good city sign

the central market and the food on offer

some of the beautiful buildings we found on our walking tour

The entrance of the cave

Rich looking out to see, a little disappointed in the cave (before we found the rear caves)

Penyal d’Ifach, it doesn't look that big but it felt it

The tunnel you have to go through

The views from the top

Here Im kind of happy to have made it to the top alive but I know I have to go back down the same route

The view from Mirador of Carabiners

This is the sheer drop we faced constantly

Benidorm on a Wednesday night

Rich having a surf

Friday, 7 October 2022

A busy time in Spain part 1

Sorry the next updates have been delayed its been a busy week or so and I will try and add the week in a couple of updates

After a night in the forest near Sitges we headed on to the next town Tarragona where we booked a local camper stop which was someone's front garden but at least it was a protected area for Jeff (as this was another town with some bad reviews) and I know we have to relax about it but I think the stories I have read make me unsure of this area and I didn't want to take any unnecessary risks. We then got on our bikes for what we hoped would be a lovely ride to the aqueduct and into town. But we were wrong… the route given by our app took us down some tracks that required a level of mountain biking skill that was way above our level (even though it was supposed to be an easy route). The terrain was so rocky and there were continual hills both up and down and we ended up walking most of it. Once we got to the aqueduct we finally found somewhere to park the bikes up and walked across it and took in the views over the town. We then decided (stupidly) to follow the app and cycle into the town, again it decided to take up a huge hill (after making us get the bikes over a gate and up some stairs). Once we had pushed the bikes up the hill we only had one more gravel path until we hit a real road, which we were soo glad to see. We then cycled into town and walked around to see the sights including the Mediterranean balcony, roman amphitheatre and other Roman relics for a bit before heading into the mobile phone shop as we had an issue with the SIM card we had bought in Barcelona and wanted to see if they could help. Well it was the slowest shop in the world and despite there only being three customers in front of us it took an hour and a half to be served, only to find out we had the details to fix it ourselves in my purse (Rich was not happy!). We decided to then go and get some food to console ourselves after the long day and prepare ourselves for the long ride (uphill) back to the camper stop.

The next day we headed to a nearby national park called Parc Nartual Del Delta de L’Ebre and headed straight for the beach as its been a few days since we were in the sea. However the weather had other plans, it was really windy and while it was great for the kite surfers who were practicing on the beach we didn’t really fancy having a swim in the surf. So we headed to the other side of the national park which hopefully be less windy and got on our bikes for a 30k bike ride around the park to see the different lakes including the lake which was populated by the flamingos. It was a nice flat ride but the wind still made it difficult in places.

The next day we headed to the beach, on this side of the park and as there were two sides to the beach, one side had a calm inlet. We got the paddleboard out to try and paddle the length of the inlet but it turns out it’s a really long way (in the region of 10 miles) and we got about halfway before deciding to head back and get on the bikes to see what was at the end. Well once Rich had got the bikes out and set then up we started the route to be quickly told by the ranger (who came out of nowhere) you cant ride on that section, even though we had seen people riding on it all morning so we had to turn around (as did the people who were further ahead of us. We did need to do some boring chores like laundry so we headed into town to get everything sorted in the late afternoon before heading back to the park for the last evening. The nights in the park are spectacular with the sun sets and the birds chirping away.

The next day we headed to Peniscola which was a little further down the coast and headed to the beach for a couple of hours in the morning, before exploring the town, which is a fortified town and has a castle on the hill. While walking around the town we did manage to find a little restaurant on the sea front which did vegan paella so we decided to have some lunch and decide what to do next. We then walked back to the van and drove inland to Morella which is another fortified town in the hills. The plan was to spend the night at a Aire opposite the town tonight and cycle into the town to have a look around tomorrow.

The next morning was Monday and we cycled over to Morella but we seem to not quite be on Spanish time yet as we were over there at 9 which is before everything opens. We didn’t want to wait the two hours for the castle to open so after a cycle around the old streets and past the aqueduct Rich found a route on that damn app again which took us down some side streets, while they were paved they were fine, until we came across a loose dog who wouldn’t leave us alone and then an angry Spanish old man so we turned around and headed back to the van and decided to move on. We headed back further down south, with some stops for some shopping to a little town called Artana which was about an hour from Valencia which was going to be our stop the following day. Once we had settled in we went for a walk around the Aire which was surrounded by fruit growing and I had to explain to Rich that while the fruit looked green now they were actually oranges which were not ripe yet and very sour to taste (but were orange on the inside).

The following day we plan to drive to Valencia and explore the city before continuing our journey down south but I will write the rest of the update for in the next couple of days.