Castle – turnrightoutofportsmouth

Heading south in Spain, from the mountains to the coast

The 2nd part of our Spanish travels taking us up to where we headed into Portugal.

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Continuing our journey south from Banos de Fortuna we took the A92 motorway across the mountains towards Granada as we didn’t want to go along the Almeria (plastic) coast. My first mistake was thinking, and telling Calv, that we weren’t going very far – I thought it was about 60 miles, rather than the 160 miles that it actually was…Yes, I was in trouble! (The next step from La Peza to Loja was actually 60 miles).

However it was all worth it as La Peza was delightful. From the dedicated motorhome park-up we could see the castle on the other side of the town, and an Ermita on the other hill. Behind us we could see a mirador up a road that was definitely cyclable.

Walking to the castle in the morning entailed a steep downhill into town followed by, you’ve guessed it, a steep uphill to the castle. Along the way we saw old men sitting together on benches chewing the cud and being greeted by everyone who passed by 🙂 After visiting the castle we headed over to the other hill to visit the Ermita before going back to the van via a quick drink in Fernando’s bar, discovering a fully intact outdoor lavaderia along the way 🙂

After a spot of lunch we jumped on our bikes to cycle up the mountain to the mirador and a little further along a cycle route heading into the mountains. Coming back down the hill was quite hairy (for me anyway – I really don’t like the downhills!!)

We didn’t stay a 2nd night, but only because on our way in we had passed an area to stop beside a reservoir. This was only a few miles away on the road back up to the motorway; so we spent our 2nd night here.

Next up was a stop that I’d found in Loja. Well, the motorhome area itself was fine, being in a newer & slightly nicer part of town, but on walking towards the towers that we could see in the old town and wandering around a little we realised that it wasn’t the nicest and we were very happy to move on in the morning.

Our next destination was La Cala de Mijas. However, along the way we toyed with the idea of stopping in the car park at El Torcal (near Antequera) and doing a walk. Calv looked at the map and decided that he was going to go up THAT road. I was a little dubious, but just agreed and of course when we got to THAT road it was only suitable for a tractor and we would never even consider using it. So instead we went up the next mountain road, which wasn’t much better and joined the ‘main’ road via a very steep junction (luckily when we got there there was nothing coming!!) Unfortunately though we didn’t like the look of the El Torcal car park for staying in and as the weather wasn’t wonderful we moved on. We went via Antequera to get on the motorway on the last bit into La Cala.

We stayed 4 nights here, meeting new people, having nights out and also 1 get together in our van, which resulted in us not being able to move on the next day as originally planned…

Our next stop was just a few miles along the coast at Cabopino where we have stayed several times. This was definitely our last time though and we only stayed 6 nights rather than the 11 that we had originally intended. We did get some washing done though and met up with some friends who were staying nearby. We walked back to La Cala along the boardwalk one day – it’s a really pleasant walk now that the boardwalk fully connects both areas.

This area really isn’t cycle friendly but we did go out on our bikes a couple of times to do bits of shopping. On our first outing I had forgotten about the really steep culvert on our route; bad enough on the way but coming back the very steep upwards after the long drawn out downwards almost defeated me. I had to go back and have another go (with Calv’s encouragement of course….) He reckons that it’s a 1in3.

Next stop was Gibraltar where we stumbled upon a perfect park-up in a marina, with the imposing rock as our backdrop. We managed a run along the promenade in the morning and then a 10 minute walk takes you to the border crossing, where we showed not just our passports, but our parking ticket and proof that we were going home at some point! We had a pleasant wander around seeing many things that we hadn’t seen on our first visit – the Trafalgar cemetery where we found the grave of 1 of the sailors killed at the battle, the courthouse, the cathedral and the gates to the town.

Sitting down for a lunch of fish and chips, with several eateries to choose from I was stunned to realise that I recognised someone who was sat a few tables away from us – it was Justin who I went to school with and his wife Debs who had just arrived for a long weekend. What are the chances of not only being there at the same time but actually choosing the same place to eat at the same time 🙂

We then spent a couple of hours in the Lord Nelson pub tucked into the corner of the Casemates Square where we met another couple who were over for the weekend. We did our best to persuade them to get a motorhome!

Apart from a violent bout of food poisoning that night our visit to Gibraltar couldn’t have been much better!

Next up we discovered another perfect little camper stop nestled between Tarifa and Cadiz, on the Trafalgar coast, a haven for surf enthusiasts from around the world. Los Canos de Meca exuded surfer vibes, the beach was absolutely beautiful, the water warm and the food on offer simple yet satisfying. We reluctantly bid farewell after 3 nights to move on to our last stop in Spain before heading into Portugal.

Our final Spanish stop was in fact Seville, our overnight stop greeting us with views of the city itself. A short bus ride took us to the bus station at the Plaza de Armes from where we walked for about 10 mins to get to the centre. Despite encountering tourist crowds, meaning that we weren’t able to visit the cathedral or the alcazabar, and dining dilemmas (nothing suitable seemed to be open), the majesty of the Plaza de Espana and an impromptu flamenco performance made the visit worthwhile. I loved the Plaza de Espana having missed visiting when I first visited Seville as it was flooded and closed.

This section of our travels, each stop offered a different experience, from scenic vistas to unexpected reunions.

New adventures awaited in Portugal as we prepared to travel up the N2 route through the centre.

Stay tuned for this next chapter of our travels 🙂

Escaping for some Winter Sun

The first few weeks of our 2024 winter roadtrip taking in France, Portugal and Spain 🙂

We left the UK at the beginning of February hoping to find some cheerier weather for a few months.

However, the start of our journey through France was wet all the way. I mean it literally hardly stopped raining! Usually we take our time travelling through France (anything up to a week) but this time we were heading into Spain at the earliest opportunity (into Northern Spain), and had just 4 overnight stops (Dieppe on the evening we arrived, Marboue, Vivonne and Morcenx-le-Nouvelle). We managed a short walk out at 2 of the stops but otherwise ‘rain stopped play’!

As we crossed into Spain however, the clouds parted, revealing blue skies. We had no rain then for about 10 days. Bliss 🙂

Our first stops in Spain were the charming towns of Olite and Teruel, each offering a glimpse into the country’s rich history and culture. From medieval castles to quaint cobblestone streets and medieval architecture to red sandstone gorges just waiting to be explored.

We had visited Olite before en-route through Spain, but we didn’t stay and we couldn’t visit the Royal Palace as it was closed on that occasion. We did this time though and it was well worth it 🙂 Olite is a lovely old town with lots of narrow streets to explore.

Teruel was getting ready for an annual festival celebrating the doomed lovers that the city is famed for. This means that we were treated to drum practice for the whole evening! The town itself was adorned with flags and there were people everywhere, meaning that the cafes and restaurants were full to bursting. We did walk down to the town (which then entailed a steep uphill slog back to the van) and have a wander around. We had already walked around the red gorges that border the main road into the city.

Of course, this meant leaving the path and finding our own way down to other pathways and then having to try to find a suitable way back up 🙂 Again an uphill walk back to the van…

Teruel and Olite

We were now ready for some sun and relaxation so we headed to Alannia Costa Blanca for an 11-night retreat – we’ve been here before so knew what to expect.

On the way though we spotted a castle on a hill in the distance. We decided to go to investigate… As we got nearer it was clear that it was situated in a tiny little village and the way up was via a series of switchbacks. Imagine my surprise when Calv commenced driving up said switchbacks! This entailed some manoeuvring to get round each corner (and me with my head in my hands at times). We didn’t quite make it to the top but managed to park up safely and walk up to explore. Only there wasn’t a lot to explore as the castle was very much a ruin and the town had take over the majority of it. Good adventure though! (We had to reverse back down to the first switchback…)

Switchbacks up to Castillo de Moya

Once settled in Alannia we made it our mission to fully relax 🙂 We took advantage of the facilities on site; playing pool, using the bar, table tennis, tennis, sitting by the pool, playing their impossible pitch & putt course and using the site as a running track (managing several 5k runs).

However we did also get out on our bikes most days, mainly to go shopping in Catral, but also cycling along the country lanes behind the site. We found Abanilla and a very strange park, but not what we were looking for (as someone had told us about it), the site of the Abanilla concentration camp from the Spanish Civil War. However, we did some more research and were successful on another outing. There is nothing left of the camp but there is a sign up, and it was a somber reminder of the country’s tumultuous past, and we took a moment to reflect on its significance.

Site of the Abanilla Concentration Camp (Spanish Civil War)

This was just the start of our Spanish sejour and our next stop was another site that we have visited several times at Los Banos de Fortuna. The draw here are the spa pools and the quirky little town. There are also ruins of a roman bath, but these are currently hidden behind a large wall (we did go through a gap and have another look around though – ssh…)

We were the only British van on site but we had an evening out at Tina’s bar, where we chatted with Tina and Nicky and ate some fresh broad beans brought in by a Spanish regular, Mundo, the goat herder 🙂

We also tried to cycle across the desert to a nearby town, but had to abort as the winds were so high, with some really, really strong gusts. They didn’t bother Calv of course, but I was hating every second, so we turned around and explored the 3 abandoned houses that offered a little shelter on the way back 🙂

Abandoned house of Los Banos and the ruins of the Roman Baths

On leaving Los Banos we made our way down to the coast, but we stayed up in the mountains heading via Granada. We loved doing this and I will tell you about it in my next post 🙂

Until then, you keep safe and we’ll keep travelling 🙂

A Scenic Journey South through France by Motorhome, Avoiding Tolls

Our roadtrip through France this time is purely with the aim of getting to Italy. However that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the journey 😊 Not for us a whistlestop tour of toll road plazas and the parting with copious sums of cash along the way.

No, we prefer to take our time (within reason) and experience all the beautiful countryside and charming little towns that France has to offer.

In this post, we will take you on a journey through the southern regions of France, specifically focusing on a motorhome adventure that avoids toll roads. Along the way, we will share the free (or at least cheap) overnight stops that we used along the way, including Guarbecque, Muizon, Chaumont, Sennecy-le-Grand, and Bourgneuf on our way towards the Mont Cenis Pass into Italy. Full disclosure – until we got to Bourgneuf and met @Happy2Dream (Gary) we thought we were going through the Frejus tunnel…

We came through the tunnel from Folkestone to Calais simply because I had Tesco Clubcard Vouchers to use and it only cost us £8. It’s not the best route for us – we would usually come on the ferry from Newhaven to Dieppe (although Portsmouth to Caen is far more convenient!)

We didn’t want to drive too far on the French side, and it was just as well that we’d already researched where we were going to stop, as you’re straight onto the motorway when you disembark the train!

1^st Stop – Guarbecque: A little village in Northern France as we embarke on your journey south, the small village of Guarbecque mad for an ideal first stop. The area alongside the canal offers a free overnight stop for motorhome travelers.

However, the area was taken over by a temporary bar and stage which nearly put paid to our plans, until a car parked by the little climbing park left and we were able to tuck ourselves out of the way for the night, watching the massive barges as they passed by creating giant swells

2^nd stop – Muizon (2 nights here): This wasn’t quite so straightforward… We headed to our 1^st choice of stopover, only to find it completely taken over by gypsies. They had even blocked the entrance with a van, and were busy routing pipes to any water source they could find. We quickly re-routed to a city stop that Calv had found – cue panic (mine) over the 1 way system (until I got my head round it) and then an inability to get into the Aire. Helped by a local we got in to find it full and not really suitable for our size of van.

So we had to stop for a few minutes, in which time we found a spot a few miles out of town which led us to head to Muizon, which, it turned out, was a charming little village and provided an excellent base for exploring Reims.

We were quite happy to leave the van at the Aire and hop on a train (station about ½ mile away, taking under 10 minutes & 14 Euros to get to Reims).

We’d never visited Reims before, but knew it was famous for its breathtaking Gothic cathedral and Champagne houses. We visited the cathedral, catching a mass confirmation in progress – we then visited a bar and I felt the need to partake of a glass of the bubbly stuff (which was very nice indeed thank you very much!)

Then it started to rain…. Actually that’s a bit of an understatement – we had a massive thunderstorm!! It was absolutely spectacular, but sort of brought the day to an end – and there wasn’t a train back to Muizon until 4.25pm (it was a Saturday)

3^rd stop –Chaumont: Continuing southward, we stopped at Chaumont, a charming town situated along the canal. Here, we found a peaceful spot by the water to park up for the night. We had to pay for this one (shock/horror!!) A whole 8.44Euros… We took a leisurely walk along the canal (it’s also a cycle path and runs for miles), watching the locals fishing and listening to the frogs (we didn’t manage to see any though)

I ran the other way alongside the canal in the morning managing a respectable 2.8miles. I know I should have completed a 5k, but I just didn’t have it in me ☹

4^th stop – Sennecy-le-Grand: On leaving Chaumont we drove for about half hour before reaching Langres, which had been our 2^nd choice for a stopover. On seeing the walled town as we passed by we decided it was lunchtime, so we stopped and had a wander 😊 So glad we did – it was an absolute delight!

Once we arrived in Sennecy we felt like royalty parked up next to the Castle! We already knew this area, having stayed a couple of miles away at Chateau d’Eperviere a couple of times.

It was a lovely stopover but very near the road. It would have been nice to visit the SAS museum, but sadly it wasn’t open. We did go for a short walk in the evening taking in some of the lovely buildings (as well as the castle, the church and the trees with holes in their trunks).

5^th stop – Bourgneuf: We decided to take the ‘wiggly’ route (maybe we should rename the blog ‘The Wiggly Way’??) towards the Alps. Calv definitely enjoyed this more than the more straightforward routes, and it was a lovely route, taking us through the Tunnel de Chat and passing by the Lac de Bourget on exit (we stopped for lunch here 😊) Pedestrians and cyclists have their own 1500m long tunnel!

Bourneuf itself is a tiny village in Savoie on our way to the Frejus tunnel (or so we thought) Here, we had a lovely stop-over in the shadow of the Alps.

This is where we met Gary of @Happy2Dream and we ended up going to the local bar with him, chatting with the locals (a couple of young lads keen to learn a little more English and help me with my French). One of those evenings that will be forever remembered fondly.

When hearing that we were going through the tunnel Gary’s response was ‘Why??’. His van wasn’t much smaller than ours and he advised that the Mont Cenis Pass was perfectly doable for us, and we decided to travel over it together (he later told us he wasn’t intending to go that way at all, and was absolutely shattered the next evening!!) (The drive over the pass will have it’s own separate post)

In conclusion, driving south through France, while avoiding toll roads, allowed us to experience the country’s diverse landscapes, quaint villages, and rich cultural heritage at our own pace.

Along the way we visited War Cemeteries and learned about the 1^st tanks to be used in the war.

All in all, a long, but enjoyable, first week on our latest roadtrip which cost us 8.44 Euros and our fuel!

Santander to the Costa del Sol in a motorhome – how to enjoy this journey :)

Parked up at Area de Autocarvannas in La Guardia de Jaen

Last time we took the ferry to Spain in January 2017 we went into Bilbao and had to then spend 5 nights at our 1st site in Zaurutz whilst waiting to get my tablet back (I’d left it in our cabin…) This wasn’t a major issue though as we were taking our time to reach the coast, via Pamplona.

This time however (January 2022) we docked in Santander (after a nightmare journey – read about it here), and the intention was to travel in the most direct manner south. Together with our travelling companions, Steve and Denise, we decided on the next night’s stop each evening. Actually, let’s be honest here, Steve and I found each evening’s park up between us!

We decided on 3 overnight stops before reaching the coast – it can, of course, be achieved quicker, but we wanted to enjoy the journey and see some new sites on our way.

So the 1st leg was Santander to Aranda de Duero just south of Burgos, roughly 150 miles in total. We stopped in an approved area with services, by the river and had a wander into the lovely little old town across the river. I also met a lady who had the misfortune to have had the same horrendous crossing as I experienced – only this poor lady hadn’t benefitted from the comfort of a cabin 😦

The following day we made it a further 125 miles south to the beautiful town of Aranjuez just south of Madrid. We had been somewhat concerned about negotiating our way around or through Madrid, but it was Sunday and we decided to head straight through (on the motorway of course!) You just need to keep your wits about you and make sure you follow the signs for Cordoba/Granada. I think I was more stressed than Calv trying to ensure I got the navigation right!

This time our stop off was by the side of a river, and just before a campsite (Camping Internationale). We parked up and headed straight across the bridge to the Palace Gardens to follow the river into town. Sadly the Royal Palace was closed, but plenty of bars were open, and we took full advantage. This is a lovely place and we would happily return for another visit.

We had a slightly longer journey the next day (about 175 miles) heading to an Area de Autocaravannas that I’d found in La Guardia de Jaen– it looked wonderful but some of the reviews suggested that we might struggle to reach it in our van. We decided to give it a go anyway as we were coming from the north. Absolutely no issues were experienced and this spot is an absolute gem 🙂 We stayed 2 nights in the end. The only problem was that it took us 3 attempts to find the little supermarket open, and the only bar open at all while we were there was a very local one – Calv poked his head through the door and said it looked like someone’s front room filled with men (exclusively) smoking and drinking.

We saw a red squirrel in the trees in the valley by the area, and Calv and I walked up to viewing point high above us – a very steep climb; one of those that was as bad coming down as going up! We also walked around the town and up to the castle (sadly closed), around the back of the castle to the church (similarly closed) where there were additions tacked on where families were living, down to the garage to get drinking water – there was another bar here that was actually open – entailing another steep climb back up to the van.

The guy in the van beside us also stayed a few days and he used to go off cycling for miles while his wife sat in the sun relaxing 🙂

Click on the link above for advice on how to arrive at this area (i.e. we would recommend that you don’t try and come through the town itself, you need to approach from the north, which might entail going past and then coming back on yourselves). This is probably the best free stopover we have ever stopped on (although Algodanales in the hills north of Ronda comes a very close second 🙂 )

A 2 night stopover at La Guardia de Jaen

After La Guardia de Jaen we headed for the coast and 1 last free night (in Cala de Mijas) before arriving at Camping Cabopino for a few weeks. We had to go via Granada having found a Caravan Dealership where we could buy ACSI cards (we had ordered ours before christmas but they hadn’t arrived before we left home).

This final stint we did in 1 hit (apart from the stop to buy ACSI). We know the free area in La Cala (de Mijas) well from previous stays, but on arrival we were shocked at how many motorhomes were there! It’s normally very well policed, but they were spilling over outside the accepted area – there must have been 3 times as many vans as would normally be allowed 😦 We decided to stay for 1 night however (it’s very handy for a night out)). We were now able to head out to do a proper shop – we tried the Aldi (not too keen tbh), and then headed back out to Lidl in the morning for the bits we couldn’t get in Aldi!

A meal in El Gusto (because Biddy Mulligan’s shut the kitchen at 5pm – their loss, we discovered El Gusto next door and will return!) was most welcome and very, very good.

We did see last week that the car park has now been cleared of the excess motorhomes and there is just the corner now available (as per usual – there’s still about 30-40 vans in there though)

Bringing the shopping home in La Cala de Mijas

We’re now settled at Cabopino for a few weeks and in my next post I’ll tell you about trips to Marbella Old Town and La Cala de Mijas (on the bus!)

Travelling during the Coronavirus Outbreak – Our experience so far

By ‘so far’ I actually mean join us from the beginning of our trip! We left the UK yesterday on a pretty empty ferry out of Newhaven, bound for Dieppe. To all intents and purposes it would appear we left in the nick of time, as much of Europe is now beginning to close their borders.

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Now before I go any further I do feel the need to defend ourselves for going ahead with our trip. It’s not a decision we made lightly, but we don’t regret it for a second. Even though we are fully aware that we are unlikely to be able to visit all the places that we were hoping to (mainly Croatia, but this entails a trip through Italy so fairly unlikely – although we do have 5 months, so you never know…), we are currently heading down towards the South of France – where would you rather be stuck? Continue reading “Travelling during the Coronavirus Outbreak – Our experience so far”

Another Spanish Hidden Gem – Albaraccin. The Most Beautiful Village in Spain?

We enjoyed a wonderful stopover in Albarracin and would highly recommend a visit to those touring Spain. Possible if you’re heading north either towards France (via Somport Tunnel) or to either of the ferry ports.

Sometimes, when you have no idea where to go next, the ACSI book supplies a corker!

When unsure where exactly to head we decide on a general direction and roughly how far we want to travel – then we simply get the ACSI book out and see what’s available! (This doesn’t always work of course. At which point we get out the ‘Motorhome Stopover’ book and/or defer to the internet).

On this occasion though we knew that we were heading for the Somport Tunnel as our way out of Spain (as we were towing the little car we were avoiding Northern Spain), so we were to head in the direction of Zaragoza – further away from Valencia than you would think!

We were originally considering the town of Teruel but on checking the ACSI map saw a site a little further on at a place called Albaraccin. A quick check online confirmed that this could be a nice place so the satnav was set accordingly. The A23 (non-toll) took us most of the way before we headed off onto the 234 just after Teruel, and finally onto the road running into Albaraccin. This is where we really started to get a feel for where we were heading as the scenery was stunning as we headed through gorges and past ruins high up on the hills.

(This YouTube video from ‘Spain Speaks‘ gives a fair idea of what we experienced – but remember we are sat up higher in the motorhome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=MtIlBbAtbD0 )

Camping Ciudad de Albaraccin is located on the outskirts in the ‘new’ part of town. By going this way you also understand that there is more to this region than just the beautiful old town (cave paintings/bouldering/walking/dinosaurs…)

Once parked up (with amazing views of the old fortification walls forming a spine on the mountain) we set off to explore immediately (we were only staying overnight).

Our pitch at Ciudad de Albarracin

The old town beckoned. With little time we took the little car and headed back out to park in the big car park we’d seen as we took our first left towards the campsite. Even this was pretty with a little stream running alongside.

Wandering through the lower part of town we found a couple more carparks (possible for motorhomes perhaps to park – not sure about overnighting though) before starting on the long climb up to the main old town. One thing we didn’t manage to find though, on a warm Tuesday afternoon near the beginning of March, was a cafe!

No matter, what we did find more than made up for the lack of a beverage 🙂

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After finding the Torre Blanca (sadly closed for visits) and the stunning scenery surrounding it we made our way towards the castle, the el Salvador cathedral and, eventually after a wander around the narrow, steep, winding cobbled streets – at times together, at times separated by my desire to explore a little set of steps or a covered alley, we found the Plaza Mayor (from where the main picture was taken). On my circuitous route to this spot I also found the base of the wall snaking it’s way up the mountain. Although there were 3 lads clambering up towards the wall itself it was definitely way beyond my capabilities!

Entering the Plaza Mayor is shown in the following video which will, hopefully, also give you an idea of what to expect from Albaraccin. Continue reading “Another Spanish Hidden Gem – Albaraccin. The Most Beautiful Village in Spain?”

Valencia, Pucol and Sagunto

We decided on a final visit to the coast before heading for home, choosing a site near Valencia (Camping Valencia) in a small town called Pucol.

Even though first impressions of our chosen site were, shall we say, less than favourable, we managed to move to the nicer part of the site on the 2nd day and ended up extending our stay to a whole week 🙂

We did spend a fair bit of time simply relaxing here, but we also visited the nearby town of Pucol on our bikes – there are many opportunities for cycling, with a really good cycle/running path into town. We also cycled the other way along many green lanes/farm tracks – of which there are many 🙂

Days out were 1 day driving to Valencia, failing miserably to find a parking space so parking on the outskirts and riding back in! More on that later 🙂

We also drove in the opposite direction to visit the ancient town of Sagunto, which is well worth a visit.

So let’s start with our visit to Valencia. Having parked on the outskirts (I’m sorry I can’t tell you where exactly (it might have been Benimaclet), but it was adjacent to the cycle path and we parked for nothing). I do know that we headed past the university and into the city before finding our destination of The Turia Gardens. We had heard that this was a wonderful way to cycle the city situated as it is through it’s heart where the Turia River flowed until it was diverted to prevent further flooding.

With numerous exits and entrances to this 8km long area we joined a little way before the futuristic Museum of Arts and Sciences, an amazing building bordered by numerous wasterways and fountains. A beautiful, tranquil area to relax.

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We simply cycled along the paths of the gardens, eventually stopping for some lunch near the old city – I think it was the Bar Baja la Puente Calatrava (no. 7 on this list of Turia Garden eateries from JuliaEats). I do know that we enjoyed our lunch and that there was plenty of parking available for our bikes 🙂 I also know that whilst we were sat there there was a long series of VERY loud bangs, which startled us but seemingly nobody else! We later discovered that this is a daily occurrence in the weeks leading up to The Fallas Festival – The Mascleta; read all about it here.

We left the gardens at the Puente de Flores, bordered as it is on both sides with beautiful floral displays 🙂

We came out by the old gateway to the city (that we saw on our last visit), had a little cycle around the fountains before returning to the gardens and heading towards the car. Which we eventually found – even though we took a completely different route!!

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Our other day out was to Sagunto, a small town with a big history. There was a market on the day we visited so we couldn’t drive directly into the old town; after a detour of about 2 miles (well it felt like it anyway) we found ourselves about 100m up the road and on the other side of the old town – these were very narrow streets! Even in the little car it felt tiny. We had to be really careful as many of the streets turned out to be dead-ends and it was pretty awkward reversing back down the steep hills whilst navigating the amazing Spanish parking!! We finally spotted a space by the side of the road. Leaving the car we headed up one of the steep roads towards the hill holding the massive castle.

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I say massive – this castle is visible from miles away (including from the campsite), and during our visit we discovered it actually ranges across the top of the hill for about 1/2 mile.

We followed stone steps and pathways up, up and then down, down the hill. Which was a little disconcerting! We passed a small white chapel on the way before coming across the Roman Ampitheatre, free to visit and definitely worth a visit.

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Around the hilloutside the ampitheatre was the old cemetry (Judio Cemeterio) consisting of graves dug into the hill itself. We walked passed many more as we made our way up the steep hill towards the castle itself. Also free to visit we maybe managed to see half of what there was to see! There are extensive ruins to be seen, although it is a work in process of renovation. I would suggest taking a picnic and spending the day exploring 🙂

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I need to point out that the beach at Pucol was lovely, but unfortunately we didn’t really have the weather to take advantage of it 😦

All in all we had a lovely time here and there were a couple more excursions that we could have taken, but we just wanted to relax by then!

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Here’s hoping I manage to finish off posting about our last trip before we head off on our next one (in a couple of month’s time!!)

We stayed: Camping Valencia, Pucol

Previous Post: Banos de Fortuna

Next Post: Albarracin

Algodonales – a paragliders dream

On leaving the coast behind in El Puerto de Santa Maria and heading back into the mountains, we were going to head to a site in Olvera, but at the last minute I spotted a free motorhome service area shortly before Olvera in a little town called Algodonales, about 20 miles north of Ronda. Not only free but with electricity included – seemed too good to be true? It wasn’t! We ended up staying 4 nights 🙂

Once parked up we became aware of lots of music that seemed to emanate from the town itself, which was about a 10 minute walk away. We also spotted a number of walkers heading that way; so we decided that we should head into town ourselves. It’s quite a steep climb past chickens, building yards, lemon & orange groves and numerous streams.

The noise escalated as we neared the main square, where we found a finishing tunnel and an announcer with a microphone welcoming runners (and walkers) back on finishing the Viboras Trail (a run/hike up into the mountains and back – see below).

The route of the Algodonales Víboras Trail (which translates literally as “Cotton Snakes Trail) is a homage by us to one of the most testing routes in Andalusia. At 16 km in length and 916 meters of accumulated ascent, this route is a level three, and is a speciality trip that can only be accessed by club members. https://xcmag.com/travel-guide/guide-to-algodonales-spain/

We sat at a bar (very busy but we still managed to sit after a few minutes) and enjoyed a drink while watching these amazing people returning from their latest challenge 🙂

On the way back to the van we could see a white town in the distance. We thought we might cycle there in the morning, but then we looked on Google maps and saw how far it actually was! Back at the motorhome area the paragliders, that we’d spotted jumping off the mountain when we first arrived, Continue reading “Algodonales – a paragliders dream”

Delights on our Doorstep – Days out from Cabopino

Staying at Cabopino Camping? Here are some ideas for days out and what to find in the surrounding area.

This is my last post from our time at Cabopino and I’m aiming to mop up all the places that didn’t merit individual posts. So this post is just a bit of a mash up 🙂

I have dealt with the following days out already (click to go directly to the relevant post):-

Malaga

Banos de la Hedionda

Embalse de la Concepcion

Ronda

Camino del Rey (also our 1st visit was covered back in 2017)

Gibraltar (from our visit in 2017)

Many people also visit Antequera and El Torcal from here, but we actually stayed near there instead so this will be recorded in a later post.

But this wasn’t all we did (of course not – we were at Cabopino for over 6 weeks this time!) There follows a short summary of all other days out during our time there.

Benalmadena

I visited Benalmadena years ago with my boys (staying in the Flatotel which was perfect for us at the time). Whilst we were there that time we visited the theme park, Tivoli World (I was never going to get away with not going was I with 2 young boys in tow!)

This time though we were determined to go up the mountain in the cable car. We tried twice…. The 1st time we got to Benalmadena before realising that the weather wasn’t as warm there as back at Cabopino, and would, of course, be cooler still at the top of the mountain – plus neither of us had bought any sort of warm top with us. So we had to abort. The trip wasn’t a complete wash-out though – we sat and had a drink in a cafe and found a cheap perfume shop where Calv managed to buy me a birthday present 🙂

A month later we finally found the time to return to head up the cable car. This time it was much warmer but we went fully ready for all eventualities – except for the fact that the day before we arrived it had closed for a month (as, apparently, it does every year…) We are completely useless and really must be better prepared. Continue reading “Delights on our Doorstep – Days out from Cabopino”

Cycle ride to Portchester Castle

This is the 1st time we have actually cycled to Portchester Castle (despite the fact that we only live a couple of miles away…)

And what a beautiful day we chose to do it! We headed off down the hill and took the road towards the water. We first visited Wicor Marine from where you can access the Salt Café, sitting directly on the shores of Fareham Creek and well worth a visit for a cuppa and a slice of cake (or perhaps even a glass of wine 🙂 ).

(There is actually a lovely walk around Fareham Creek that can be started from the café (or the castle itself), that takes you around the golf course at Cams Hall (covering much of the Fareham park run route). Click here for details.

Having stopped by Calv’s sister’s for a cuppa and some oil for Calv’s bike chain we took the path along the shoreline as far as Hospital Lane where we emerged into the heart of old Portchester. The path was good (although there is a bit with steep drops on either side, 1 down to the shingle beach, the other a grassy ditch, so if you’re not very confident on your bike you would probably get off and walk here!) The views are just lovely, particularly on a beautiful sunny day (which we are experiencing so many of at the moment 🙂 )

View from our ride along the shore of Fareham Creek towards Portchester Castle

At the end of the path you can continue straight to the castle along the shore – although a short section is on the beach so it’s not really suitable for cycling. Therefore when you get to the end of the fence separating the shore from the lane down to Turret House, turn left to go up Hospital Lane, where you will found a couple of lovely old houses. The view of Castle Street when you get to the top is lovely 🙂 (I didn’t take a picture as on a sunny Sunday afternoon the cars have sort of taken over!)

From here it’s just a short hop to the castle (about 20 seconds on bikes, maybe 2 mins if you’re on foot. Continue reading “Cycle ride to Portchester Castle”