Escape to Sunshine... or maybe not??

What is it about sunshine that lifts your mood, makes you feel better and generally happier? The weather on the Spanish costas in January is not particularly warm but since we arrived in Spain the sun has been shining every day and we have been able to spend much of our days out and about on our bikes or walking. It's also warm enough to sit out and enjoy the suns warmth in a Tshirt and shorts, but move into the shade and you definitely need to dress in warmer clothes!

Sunrise over Castellon beach

After a 24 hour stopover in Cambrils we moved down the coast to one of our favourite haunts - Castellon, about 50 miles north of Valencia on the Costa Azahar. Here we like to camp on a wide area 100yds back from the beach along with quite a few other Motorhomes. The first time we stayed here last year was on the 'Aire' but although you have facilities right on hand (water, water and waste disposal - known in the Motorhoming world as grey and black waste) all the motorhomes are parked quite close together and it feels a bit claustrophobic!
Further down the road there is more space on the parking areas behind the beach and when we need to service our van we can drive the few minutes up the road to the Aire. It is regularly patrolled by the local police but as long as there is no 'camping behaviour' the motorhomes are left alone.

Keith cooking the bacon for our butties!

Camping behaviour constitutes using levelling blocks, using an awning or putting out tables and chairs, but we can put our chairs on the grass nearby without a problem, in fact today we cooked bacon butties on our camp stove for lunch, yummy!
We love this area because we can easily bike along the cycle path to Benacasim and then along the disused railway path through the hills to Orepesa, a round trip of just over 20 miles. It's lovely cycling along the trail by the coast in warm sunshine and blue skies, stopping for a picnic on our favourite bench looking out to sea.

So it was here that we stayed for ten days whilst the south of England was blasted by icy winds and there was a sprinkling of snow. Smug in the thought that we had escaped it - until we saw the headline of a local paper - Costa Blanca News " Big Freeze on the way!!" Well! I'll let you know about that in my next instalment!

Time to stop and stare for a while...and maybe make the most of the warmer weather before the snow arrives!!

New Year - New adventure

Happy New Year to you all, I hope that 2017 brings you much happiness. We decided to start our new year with another trip to Spain to find some winter sunshine and warmer climes. So five days after Christmas Day in the dark of early morning we set out to take the Eurotunnel and head down south, the plan being to romp through France using the fastest route possible, sometimes using the toll motorways which we usually try to avoid. We were not prepared for the incredible cold of northern and central France travelling in freezing fog and subzero temperatures for much of the way. Our first stopover was an Aire about level with Paris, during the night the temperature plummeted to -6°c and our heating the van was pushed to its limits - we were still cold! I think if we did a lot of cold winter motorhoming we would have to consider modifying our heating system or buy a mini-generator.

It took us two and a half days to travel the 750 miles from Calais to the Spanish border and as soon as we crossed over it seemed warmer and the sun was higher in the sky. Using our trusty app Park4night we located a camperstop near the town of Figueres where we could fill up with water and have electric hookup. The facilities were basic but just what we needed after almost three days on the road! We celebrated the New Year snuggled in our cosy bed listening to the nearby church bells and fireworks.
New Years' day and our journey continues down the east coast of Spain, skirting Barcelona and finally landing at Cambrils where we found a secluded area to park for a while.

Sunset at Cambrils

Our day on the road ended with a walk along the promenade of Cambrils to disperse the cobwebs and get the blood flowing after so many hours on the road. It was lovely to catch the last few rays of the evening sunshine and breathe the briney air, it made the thousand mile journey worthwhile.