From Oranges to Lemons....

Delicious Ori mandarins of the Valencia region - so sweet and juicy

Why is it that some days are destined to go wrong? Easter Sunday and the clocks go forward in Spain as well as the UK so the 7 o'clock alarm seemed mighty early! We had spent four days at the Daimus camperstop so it was time to move on, this time heading into the hills and a remote site, about 50 miles inland. Once we were on the road we decided we didn't like the route the Satnav had chosen so we deviated and ended up taking a couple of wrong turns early on in the journey, although on a more positive note we did fill up with diesel at 72p litre. Eventually we were on the route we wanted to be and arrived at our destination - the middle of nowhere - no site to be seen, despite having entered the co-ordinates accurately! After a couple of miles stuck on the wrong road we found a place to turn back and then set about finding our campsite, eventually with a bit of detective work we bumped along a country track to be greeted by our host only to be told we had a wasted journey - he was closed due to a problem with his licence and the Spanish red tape. He invited us to stay there for a couple of hours, to have lunch and use his internet to search for somewhere else to stay, so we had lunch in the van then moved on to another site we had found near Murcia - with only 30 pitches and it being Easter we kept our fingers firmly crossed that there would be a free pitch for us. 

As luck would have it after our rather unlucky day there was only one space left! We set up camp, the heady fragrance of the surrounding orange and lemon groves on the air. And they do say every cloud has a silver lining and this little campsite set in the quiet outskirts of the small town of Alquería was a little gem - 200yds from a tarmac riverside cycle path. 

Turning left on the path the city of Murcia was a half hour cycle ride away and being the week after Easter there was a week of festivities in the town. We cycled in on both Monday and Tuesday - on Monday  the city centre had a tranquil air with a few mainly Spanish tourists milling around, but on Tuesday the city was full of people almost all of whom were dressed in traditional Folklore costume - the men in white shirts and short trousers with colourful waistcoats and scarves and the women wore white blouses with beautiful embroidered skirts, shawls and flowers in their hair. 

We were amazed that so many people took the trouble to dress up in costume, as we walked around the families gathered together the smell of their barbecues tantalising our tastebuds! 

On the edge of town the young people had a music festival but they weren't so much fun to watch with all the courting couples, the boys relieving themselves or throwing up into the river!!

The weather was perfect for the festivities with cloudless blue skies and the temperature rising to 27°c and all this while storm Katie hit the UK!

Murcia 'Town Hall'

The sweet smell of Orange blossom.......

After two nights 'wild camping' in Navajas we decided to move onto the campsite on the other side of town ( Campsite Altomira) securing a pitch nearby to our friend Paul. As soon as we had settled in and made a few sarnies the three of us headed off on our bikes along the Via Verde in the same direction as the day before, but this time we kept our eyes peeled for the direction signs along the way so as not to get lost again.

The trail climbed steadily uphill for miles, taking us through a quiet villages, stopping for coffee and avoiding a light rain shower on the way. Eventually we found a peaceful picnic area where we had our lunch then we turned back towards home getting a bit of speed on as it was mostly downhill.

At a picnic stop on our route we bumped into Steve - a solo motorhomer staying at the campsite, he has been overwintering in Spain and is on his way back to Cornwall, so we all headed back to the site togetehr, chatting as we went exchanging notes on Via Verde's as well as interesting places to visit. In fact the whole evening turned into a motorhome brainstorming event of things to buy when we get home - from window locks to various cleaning materials and even a solar panel.
Paul cooked us a delicious chilli (very well cooked by a self-confessed man who can't cook!) later Steve joined us and we exchanged yet more gadgets and gizmo information, we left with a whole list  of things to buy when we get home.

I
Wednesday morning arrived and we headed south, Paul headed north on his way to catch a ferry to Sardinia at Barcelona and Steve stayed at Navajas for the Easter holiday before he continues his journey home. Having said our goodbyes we headed for Camperstop Dunes at Daimus - a large camperstop with basic facilities near to Gandia (not far north of Alicante on the Costa Azahar)

We were lucky to arrive when we did as the 50 spaces on site were soon filled and we realised that it is better to book ahead for the Easter holiday in the future! We checked in for a few days to cover the Easter holiday, too nervous of moving away for fear of other sites being equally as full!

Initially we were not impressed with the area, apart from the beautiful wide sandy beach the surround was just a faceless concrete jungle of hundreds of apartment blocks, but over the next few days we explored the area and found ourselves another Via Verde - only 6km long but smooth and wide it took us through the orange groves, the trees heavy with oranges and blossom, the heady scent of the fragrant orange blossom filling the air.

Good Friday and we cycled a few miles to the resort town of Gandia and found the Spanish on holiday! It was like Brighton on a hot summer day - the beach, the shops, the cafes and bars just heaving with friends and families enjoying the sunny Easter holiday, great for 'people watching' as we slowly cruised along the seafront cycle lane, stopping to eat our sandwiches on a promenade bench. 

I think I even spied a few brave souls in the sea, the air temperature was lovely but the sea in March is still pretty chilly!

For the first time since we left home almost three weeks ago we have been able to sit outside for long periods in the daytime enjoying the more or less uninterrupted sunshine - it makes the 1300 mile journey to get here a lot more worthwhile!

Birthday blog!

Saturday 19th March, my birthday, and once again the weather wasn't great with rain showers and cool temperatures but we managed to find a window in the weather to go for a pedal, we cycled half way to Castellon along a cycle route but the city ahead looked very industrial so we decided to turn back towards home, we headed along the seafront  cycle lane stopping for a ham and cheese bocadillo (roll) in a restaurant along the way. It was all rather awkward as the restaurant looked from the outside like a bar/restaurant but when we sat down the menu was for 'proper' food instead of light lunches, the tables were set with cloth tablecloths and napkins etc. We had to ask for the bocadillos and the staff were very obliging although trying to persuade us to have chips or a salad with our rolls, which were very delicious, but quite enough on their own.

After our lunch we cycled back towards the site but were distracted by some loud music coming from the town square. When we went to investigate we found a live rock band playing to a small audience and they were amazing! The guitarist did the best Jimi Hendrix guitar solo since the real man himself! They were incredibly professional and very lively. - a real tonic on a dull afternoon! We planned to just watch for a while but ended up staying until they stopped playing and their audience reluctantly dispersed.

Back at the van I spent some time writing and uploading my blog having treated myself to some Wifi - glad to be back in business after two weeks of diabolically useless Internet! Don't ever take our internet in the UK for granted - it's excellent!

For my birthday dinner we met our Dutch friends Paul and Gea in the site restaurant where we had a great meal with entertainment from a singer with a keyboard playing music for Old Fogeys, not quite our scene but we still had some fun and he did play some music we could enjoy! It was a jolly evening and the waitress brought me my panacotta with a single candle in it - not quite a cake but a kind gesture! 

The next morning we were on the road again but this time we turned inland into the hills in search of the Via Verde Ojos Negros at Navajas. Keith had located a place for us to stay in a quiet area on the outskirts of the village just a stones throw from a local beauty spot.

Once we had settled in and had some lunch we set out on foot to find the Via verde and also to go and have a look at the beautiful waterfall and surrounding area, it was such a lovely afternoon with spectacular scenery we ended up walking miles along the paths through the hills, stopping for a while to admire the view of Segorbe in the distance and feel the warm sun on our faces for a change.

After a quiet night in our little parking space (except for the dustcart emptying a nearby wheelie bin at 4.45am - the Spanish always have their bins emptied at night!) we set out on our bikes on the Via Verde, after about 5 miles we arrived in a small town and having stopped for coffee (maybe that was the distraction) we managed to lose the trail and cycle for another few miles up hill and down dale in the wrong direction, nevertheless we enjoyed the ride into the quiet hills - finding a remote campsite (it was interesting but not for us - just too remote and much too hilly for cycling trips out)
Later in the day we were joined by our friend Paul (another Paul - not the one from Holland, this Paul we met in Italy last year) and we had a lovely evening catching up - Paul is a full time Motorhomer and loves his van gadgets so we have a lot in common and a lot of travel information to share.
As we spend more time away we are meeting more and more people that we can meet up with - a whole new circle of friends spread across Europe.
There is so much to talk about to help us with planning the rest of our journey

Along the Costa Azaha......

Port Salou

We didn't realise how lucky we were to have a lovely sunny day in Barcelona because we next had to endure a few days of unsettled weather. Leaving Vilanova we travelled further down the coast to Cambrils, just south of Tarragona. We had visited Cambrils a couple of years ago and enjoyed the long cycle route along the sea front, but this time the weather was against us and we had to spend a long day cooped up in the van whilst it poured with rain. Still, we had plenty of DVD's to watch revisiting the early episodes of Gavin & Stacey - so funny!

When the rain eventually stopped we were able to get out on our bikes and cycle along the coast to Port Salou, stopping for coffee along the way of course! As you can see the skies had cleared but there was still a chilly wind blowing - not shorts weather yet!

From Cambrils we headed another 40miles down the coast to Peniscola, a large but attractive resort town with rather a lot of high-rise hotels, the old town and fortress dominating the view along the promenade. We stayed in Campsite El Eden, a large site packed with many long-term tourers from Holland, Germany and even as far as Sweden with just a few people from the UK, it seems Spain is becoming ever more popular as a winter destination as many other areas of Europe or Morocco become less popular for Motorhomers.

Peniscola Fort

Whilst we were at Peniscola we got back out on our bikes and cycled along the quiet coastal roads encountering a rather inviting restaurant where instead of stopping for coffee we had the Menu del Dia- a three course meal for 10 euros each. Needless to say, it was hard work cycling back to the campsite - specially as we had to cycle into a rather strong head wind.

A few days at Peniscola and we were on the move again to Benacassim and Bonterra Park - a massive campsite but exceptionally well located just a couple of hundred yards from the lovely promenade, opposite a Mercadona supermarket, just down the road from Lidl but best of all it backs on to a Via Verde trail.
The Promenade on Benacassim seafront is famous for its many lovely old villas and the high society bourgeois people who stayed there in the 1920's onward until the Spanish Civil war got in the way.
We attempted to cycle along the promenade but cycling has now been banned and the Police car was cruising along so we had to dismount a bit sharpish!!

The Via Verde goes from Benacassim to Orepesa - a place where we met a lovely Dutch couple on one of our previous trips. I'd sent an email the night before and was surprised to find that they had arrived earlier in the week so we pedaled along the trail to Campsite Didota to meet them for coffee in their caravan. And as it was my birthday the next day we invited them to join us for a meal in the evening.

Which brings me to the present time, but before I go I must tell you about a wonderful machine that was on our last campsite - this machine emptied, cleaned and added the necessary chemicals in a few minutes - all for just a Euro! Cleaning the toilet cassette is everyone's least favourite job  -every campsite should have one - it was Amazing!!!

Heading down the coast of Spain. Any sun yet?.....

So our journey continues down the East coast of Spain from the Costa Brava to the Costa Dorado. We arrived on a campsite on the outskirts of the town of Vilanova i la Geltrù, a massive campsite almost empty, with just a few mainly English campervans. The facilities were first class with restaurant, on site supermarket and heated shower/toilet block. But what brought us to this site was the easy access to the bus service to Barcelona - about an hours journey away.

So Friday morning we set off on the bus to Barcelona, a comfortable coach for just £4 each. Luckily the weather was just perfect for a day trip, beautiful blue skies and sunshine, just a cold wind meant you needed a jacket. We arrived at the centre of town and then had to decide where to go, Barcelona is a massive city with much to see! 

A stop for coffee sitting on a bustling street side cafe was enjoyable until we got the bill - 15 euros (£12) for 2 coffee and croissant! Talk about inflated city prices!

We decided to head for the Sagrada Familial - the church which was designed by and became the lifetime work of the architect Gaudi and is said to be the most unusual church in the world. Sadly Gaudi never saw his work on this extravagant church completed - he was run over by a tram in 1926.

Work on the church started in 1883 but it is still a work in progress with towers still being built and restoration work in progress on the older parts of the building, many of the towers instead of being topped by religious icons have a basket of colourful fruit, huge snails and lizards clamber down the sides of the spires.

From the church we continued wandering round the city admiring all the unusual buildings, characterised by Gaudi's love of towers, quirky chimneys and unconventional designs.

La Pedrera, another iconic Gaudi design, was built as an apartment block but now houses the Gaudi museum and has no straight walls within it!

The route back to the bus stop took us past a multitude of designer shops from Tiffany to Bvlgari, on the corner of the street we saw the military police showing their force hanging around with machine guns slung across their fronts, a stark reminder of the heightened security necessary in many cities across the world, particularly after the Paris shootings last November. 

 And so we headed back to the campsite on the bus having merely touched the city of Barcelona but saving many more of its sights for another visit one day.

We're on the road again! Our journey in search of sunshine....

Bourges cathedral catching the last rays of the evening sun

It's Wednesday afternoon and we're camped up on a Camperstop in Platja D'Aro a Spanish seaside resort on the Costa Brava, outside its cloudy and only 9°c, maybe not quite what we were expecting! But, this morning the sun came out for a while and it was definitely warmer so there's hope for us yet!

We left home on Saturday with an incredibly easy journey through the tunnel and then we made our way south travelling mainly toll-free staying on camperstops along the way.

We certainly felt like we had swapped the cold, wet weather of the UK for the even colder, windy, snowy weather of France! 

We pushed the heating system in the motorhome to its limits and sadly found it lacking when we had to snuggle up in blankets in the evening to keep warm.

On Monday night we stopped over at Millau, near to the massive Viaduct and during  the night we turned off the heating, when we woke up in the morning it was 2°c in the van, our breath turning to steam in the air - we stayed snuggled up warm in our bed until the room temperature was a bit more acceptable! 

Still we are reasonably hardy souls so we were still able to enjoy the quieter route down through France passing through the typically French sleepy villages and towns. I always admire the effort the French (and Spanish) put into their roundabouts often having a theme relevant to their particular town or area, I wish we would do the same on our roundabouts in the UK it would make our journeys so much more interesting!

This journey has been different for us having invested during the winter in a gas system in our motorhome (called Gaslow) where we can fill up with gas for cooking, heating and hot water at any petrol station which sells LPG. What this means for us is we don't have to worry about running out of gas and not being able to exchange our UK cylinders. We can now stay quite happily in places which have little or no facilities for motorhomes, which is particularly useful at this time of year when most of the campsites are closed. 

Platja D'Aro promenade

We had planned to stop for a while in the south of France but as the weather was so chilly we decided to push on into Spain and here we are! We found this Camperstop more by luck than judgement and would you believe it is right on a Via Verde! So tomorrow the bikes are off the back of the van and we will head out with our packed lunch to do what we love the best - cycling on the Via Verde ( disused railway route) 

Sadly things didn't turn out as expected when our leisure battery ran down later that evening and we had to make hasty plans to move on in order to recharge the battery - luckily the main battery for starting the engine is unaffected by us using power inside the motorhome so we had now worries the next morning (Thursday) but we had no power to watch TV or run the heating ( we kept warm by using the gas cooker oven!)  It was disappointing that we couldn't cycle the Via verde but we made a mental note to return one day to cross it off our list!

After another of our 'planning meetings' we decided to head to a campsite just south of Barcelona.

I didn't take any photos of roundabouts in France but here are two Spanish roundabouts

Next stop - Barcelona!