Thursday 30 January 2020 – Asilah

Along with all but our solo traveller we decided to stay here at Asilah for another night – the weather is forecast to be warm and sunny and Jamie has been cooped up for too long. So a lazy start, Terry going to Maroc Telecom before breakfast to sort out our internet connection, before tidying and servicing the van.

There is a huge sandy beach, just over the road from the campsite back gate, and Jamie knew it was there. So when we put his lead on and collected his water bottle and throwball, he couldn't wait to drag us out. He was soon chasing up and down the beach after the ball whilst we enjoyed a gentle walk in the glorious warm sunshine, now in shorts and summer shirts at last!

Eventually we managed to capture Jamie and drag him back to the campsite where he collapsed on his favourite seat whilst we cooled down with drinks then lunch. Later we took him out again, this time for a walk along the promenade to the town and a mooch around the medina, which we haven't been back to since our first visit to Morocco 7 years ago. As it was mid-afternoon none of the shops were open, but we weren't buying anyway and only had to fend off a couple of street vendors, so it was nice to explore the brightly painted passages and alleyways.

Returning to the campsite we passed new huge building works where they are extending the harbour, with new breakwaters and a new harbour entrance. It will take a few years to complete but shows how Morocco is pushing forward. Incidentally everywhere was kept clean and tidy, a big improvement to our first visit.

A shower then relaxation until teatime. We've nothing planned but will probably do some research this evening to decide where we're going to go tomorrow – unless we stay here another night!

Wednesday 29 January 2020 – Los Palmones to Asilah (Morocco)

Los Palmones to Asilah - 61 miles

A very early start as we needed to be leaving at 8.30 and it was still dark when Terry took Jamie out for his constitutional. But we managed and all five crews were ready on time so we headed out in our little convoy for the 10 minute drive to the ferry port where we were directed to join the check-in queue and visit the office to get our boarding cards. Check-in opened promptly at 9.00 – Balearic is probably the better of the five different ferry operators – and we made our way onto the dock through the police post, delayed only by the drivers of a few motorhomes from a certain Gallic country who thought that walking over to check-in wasn't necessary for them.......

But after a short wait we were loaded onto the ship, settled Jamie then went up to the accomodation deck to find the police post to organise immigration. Wasn't really hard to find as everybody else was doing the same and there was a substantial queue but the police officer was efficient and, just after we sailed, we met up with the group again for coffee and a chat.

The crossing was very smooth in fine weather and before we realised it we had arrived at Tanger-Med, the modern large seaport on the north Moroccan coast, about 25 miles east of Tangier itself. Disembarked quickly we drove round to the Customs area where we were required to temporarily import the motorhome; we'd been told the procedure had been changed again but this time it was fairly clear. A customs man came to each van, took passports and vehicle registration whilst the crew stayed put, eventually returning to “clear” us and hand over a small printed ticket which was the official import document. We noticed some vehicles, mainly Moroccan cars, were pulled out of the line to a search area but today they appeared not to be bothering motorhomes so after a total time since unloading from the ship of 40 minutes we were at the line of Bureaux de Change getting dirhams. This was probably the fastest we've done this, but in fairness the ship was almost empty and there were fewer than 40 motorhomes and cars.

So with a plan to stop off at the service station the convoy moved off onto the nearby motorway for the transfer to Asilah where we planned to overnight, as we've done on every previous visit. However this time we'd decided to use the campsite rather than the guardian parking as we felt last year we were ripped off, the campsite with full facilities including electricity only being Dh20 more than the GP. Fortunately there was enough room to park all five vans together so we can thus report that “the objective was achieved” and three more new crews had been introduced to Morocco.

All safely gathered in!

As expected the local restaurant owner came round to invite us to eat in his establishment but he had no takers and we all settled down for a quiet evening. We did mount an expedition to the local Maroc Telecom office to get internet etc but there was a long queue and as we knew it would take hours to clear we left it. Some of the group returned later but we left it overnight, not planning to be in any rush tomorrow. 

*     *     *

Incidentally, we're sorry the route map is pretty simple but until/if we can work something else out Autoroute doesn't have much detail for Morocco.

Tuesday 28 January 2020- Castellar to Los Palmones

Today we're moving the short distance down to Los Palmones, near Algeciras, to meet up with a small group of Funsters we're taking across to Morocco. After breakfast we made sure all the tanks were sorted as we're definitely off grid tonight and maybe tomorrow too, then headed firstly to Los Barrios and a Repsol fuel station to top off the gas bottles. That done we headed to Los Palmones and realised that we were going to need some fuel as we didn't have enough to get to the first fuel station in Morocco. Sorted that then took the opportunity to give Bertie a good wash down before driving across to the meeting point and finding three crews already there; the last arrived just after us. A general round of greetings, chat etc before we walked over to the ticket agency to sort out a ferry crossing for tomorrow.

Carlos Guitterez, the owner of Viages Normande who are the “goto” people for motorhomers (they literally do hundreds of ferry tickets every week), was supposed to have retired a couple of years ago but still manages to get in the way of his daughters who run the place now. We knew what we wanted, he knew what we wanted but we spent a few minutes going round in circles in Spanish, French and a little English, but then walked out 10 minutes later with tickets for the 10.00 am Balearic ferry at the price Terry had arranged for MotorhomeFun members months ago! €180 was supposed to be a discounted rate and he made great emphasis that we should tell anybody else who asked that the price was €200, but we know he almost always charges €180 anyway so we just humoured him. He is a great guy though and we did each get a gift bag with a bottle of cider and packet of chocolate biscuits.

Returned to the vans and invited the group to a meal later at the City Wok before everybody headed off in different directions for various things, mostly shopping at one or other of the large supermarkets around the retail park. Then relax until we met up with most of the group again for a stroll down to the restaurant. City Wok is a self-service, all-you-can-eat place for a very reasonable fixed price (plus drinks of course) with a large variety of tempting dishes that is sure to please virtually anybody. And the sweets counter is to die for.....................!

Fully sated we wandered back to the vans, ready for an early start in the morning.

Monday 27 January 2020 – Almerimar to Castellar de la Frontera

Almerimar to Castellar - 191 miles

Awoken by the sun streaming through the gaps in the blinds – we're in a very sunny spot - then wondered why there were so many guys standing around, until the bread van turned up. An enterprising baker, taking an opportunity! No facilities here of course so after breakfast just a quick tidy up and on our way.

Todays task is to just drive, our objective being to get as close as we can to Algeciras ready to meet up with other Funsters tomorrow, so with TomTom set we joined the A7, which we then remained on for almost the whole of the day. Everybody back to work so the road was very busy but at least it was quite scenic, the first half being through the coastal mountains around the back of the large conurbations then onto the coast and the “holiday strip” - miles and miles of hotels and apartments intermixed with shopping centres, golf courses and thousands of advertising hoardings. A lot of property companies pushing themselves and we wondered if Brexit was causing much of a stir?

Around Benalmadina we paused at a service area for lunch, programming our destination into TomTom. We were heading for an aire we've used several times before, far enough away from the popular area to be reasonably sure of a place but only a 20 minute drive tomorrow. In due course the satnav turned us onto a winding and narrow back road which cut off a corner directly to Castellar de la Frontera. The aire was pretty full, more so than we've seen before although there did look to be a group travelling together, but we found a spot in the same place we've always parked and got the kettle on – it's been quite a tiring drive but in brilliant warm sunshine.

Shortly after the lady from the van we were next to came round, having noticed our MotorhomeFun sticker, to introduce herself as another Funster. Not part of our group but having been with some of our older friends for a few days we got some updates.

The rest of the day we spent relaxing and getting ready for tomorrow.

Sunday 26 January 2020 – San Fulgencio to Almerimar

San Fulgencio to Almerimar - 208 miles

Trying for an early start, and being unsuccessful, we awoke to a beautiful morning with the temperature climbing to a pleasant level. Even though we were moving on today we still had to have our Sunday Breakfast so it was much later than intended when we'd finally finished clearing up, repacked the van and seen to the tanks etc. Settle up with the nice lady then some sad goodbyes until we reconnect on our return to Spain. We called in to the local fuel station whose price was very good, the equivalent of £1 per litre, and replenished the tank.

Our only objective today was to get as many miles under the wheels as was reasonable so we set TomTom for Almeria, our objective, and let him take us onto the A7 autovia, which involved a short backtrack. The AP7 would have been a little more direct but from here it is a full toll road and, for Spain, quite expensive. We don't do expensive so were very happy with our route, which took us around the main conurbations and up into the mountains, resplendent in the achingly blue sky with the odd topping of white snow still hanging around.

We paused for lunch at a service station near Nijar, in one of the Parque Naturelle areas, and also started checking for a suitable overnight stop. Having made good time we noticed what looked to be a couple of nice motorhome stopovers at Almerimar, which is around 35km further on from Almeria and reachable within our normal time frame, so the satnav was adjusted to head there.

Not a place we've visited before, Almeria appears to be a popular bustling (even in winter) holiday resort and we entered with some trepidation about our ability to get a spot. Sure enough, despite it being one of the larger “aires”, it was full to bursting point and we had no chance, so whilst Terry extricated us from the town Bren scanned for nearby alternatives, finding a name we had heard before not too far away. With Nelly (the notebook computer) now in charge, she navigated us to..... a building site! Looked as though that one is closed then, but we did pass an area where there appeared to be a number of motorhomes settled so returned there to find a quiet beach-side carpark with no prohibition signs (we'd seen a lot in the town) and although quite full there was more than enough room for us to slot in amongst the mainly German vans, including yet more of the huge gin palaces!

Checking our information further we discovered this was a very recent (like 2 weeks) addition to the Park4Nite computer app so not as yet well known. As of now, being well away from population centres it would seem the authorities are perhaps turning a blind eye, especially when all the official places are full, but we can't help feeling this won't be here if we come back in a couple of months time, especially if it is abused which regretably happens with a very small minority.

But nobody has bothered us up to now, it's all clean and tidy so we ought to be okay for at least tonight, which is all we need. We have put up our sign, quoting the Spanish Law that allows us to “park” without hindrance. Just have to be careful we don't display any ”camping” behaviour which would get us moved on.

San Fulgencio – 3 nights

This site, more properly called a camperpark, is mostly used by long-term motorhomers and there is little turnover – we were lucky to get a pitch for a couple of days. As such it has it's own little community, which the site owner has generally sorted into nationalities although there is some “bleedover”. So there is a big contingent of Germans, a goodly number of Scandinavians, a few Netherlanders and a handful of Brits, all getting on together very well and being equally friendly to us short term stopovers.

Having just a couple of days we didn't venture far but instead enjoyed the company of our friends. There are a number of retail establishments around such as Iceland, who stock mostly UK brands, plus Lidl, Aldi and Mercadonna, all of which got a visit during our stay. There is also the ubiquitous Chinese supermarket; these are generally a huge glorified cash and carry stocking Chinese versions of just about anything you can think of (but not food) and you find them all over Spain in the popular tourist areas. Frankly the stock is tat but you can pick up the odd useful item, although don't buy a watch..........!

On Saturday there is quite a big local market which occupies the streets around the camperpark offering the usual fare. We did notice however that it was relatively poorly attended, the dull threatening weather perhaps having something to do with it. It never did actually rain and indeed we did manage to sit out in the sun for a couple of hours, but the breeze was cool enough to encourage us to take to the shelter of a nice warm motorhome.

Whilst we enjoyed our stay, the lack of local places of interest wouldn't have encouraged us to remain for a longer term – many of the “residents” of course had alternative transport so were in a better position to take days out. There is a regular bus service but it didn't appear to be too reliable, the drivers occasionally “missing out” the local stops. However it suits many so we won't criticise something that is very well suited to motorhomers generally.

But time marches on and we've offered to take a small group of Funsters across to Morocco next week so regretfully we have to leave our friends and move on.

El Pinet – 5 nights then on to San Fulgencio

Well the owner did indeed knock on our door at 10.00 – if you want a pitch you'd better move now! So we quickly finished off our Sunday bacon and eggs, had a quick look round and settled on a nice spot. The pitches are, unusually, very spacious and designed for vans up to 10 metres in length – which is probably why it is so popular with the huge gin palaces, complete with space in the “boot” for a car. Yes really! There were at least 20 of the things, almost a rally! Also each pitch had an articial grass “lawn” mat laid over the shale which saved getting mud etc. in the van and provided a pleasant separator to the next pitch. Not fixed down though, which was a bit of a problem later......

Because, as you've no doubt seen, the weather did take a nasty downturn. Inland there was a couple of feet of snow in the hills and on the motorway. Around the coast just to the north of Alicante there were reports of campsite flooding, property destruction and general mayhem. We certainly had a couple of real humdinger thunderstorms with torrential rain and hail but must have been relatively well sheltered as the only sign afterwards was a few puddles around the site and a number of the green “carpets” blown around.

But it wasn't continuous and there were enough clear, dry breaks to get out, walk the dog etc. We even managed a couple of longer walks, down to the beach which did show some signs of damage and also into the town of La Marina itself. Once the storms had blown themselves out we also managed some time sitting out in the warm sunshine, watching the supervan owners getting their wash brushes out and shining up their pride and joy. Bertie wasn't lucky enough to get so much as a damp rag!

We spoke to our friends a couple of times and, after a false start or two, arranged a meet up in a cafe in La Marina itself; they caught a bus for the 4 kilometre distance but we only had a 15 minute walk. Coffee, a light meal and a couple of hours catching up left us wanting more but how to fit it in? Having decided to move on we arranged to call in to see them after doing some shopping at the Iceland store (yes, the same as UK) next door to their campsite. As luck would have it whilst having coffee a space suddenly appeared when someone moved off unexpectedly – in no time at all we were in the office and claimed the empty pitch. Result! Although it's forced us to amend our onward plans a little but no matter.

So we're now parked up on a very similar site to El Pinet after the princely journey of 4 miles! Okay, it's not the best pitch, being next to the service point, but it'll suit our purposes for a few days. Bren has arranged a hair appointment at British Hairways for tomorrow, Friday 24^th.

It seems that, due to potential property sale and purchase, our friends have decided not to go to Morocco this year in case of a sudden need to return home – no problem from Spain but Morocco is another story. So we've published our plan to cross to Tanger-Med on Wednesday next week in case anybody wishes to join us – two takers so far. Meanwhile we'll just relax here for a few days.

Saturday 18 January 2020 – Nr. Valencia to El Pinet

Nr. Valencia to El Pino - 129 miles

An earlyish start to a somewhat dull and cloudy day although not cold. We're moving on today so after breakfast did a full service on the van, cleared up after a somewhat subdued Jamie was sick (he knows we're travelling again and we think he doesn't like being cooped up in his cage all day), paid the lady and away. Our plan is to head south to the Alicante area to try and keep clear of the weather system that is moving in, but first a big shop to restock the fridge and cupboards. We soon found a big Carrefour we've used before and spent an hour filling up a trolley.

Then out onto the main road but we soon noticed the AP7, running more or less alongside us, was no longer tolled so at the next opportunity joined it to get some fast and easy miles under the wheels. We've heard that the company that was operating the toll motorway has gone bust and the government decided it was cheaper to just remove the tolls rather than subsidise them. As an added benefit, of course, it has taken quite a lot of traffic off the main roads through towns and villages. Seems this has happened to a few Spanish motorways, although as we generally avoid them it won't make a lot of difference to us.

Around Denia we paused at a service area for some lunch and to exercise Jamie before putting our destination into TomTom, who nearly threw a wobbler when he couldn't calculate a non-toll route. Ah just ignore it, we'll sort it out later! The non-toll section ran out at Alicante, after passing one or two well known resorts, such as the high rises of Benidorm, but we were turning off anyway, past the huge airport and onto the coast road.

We actually really enjoyed this part of the run as it passed through the coastal mountains making it far more interesting than British motorways! Up to now, once we had cleared our shopping stop, it had been bright but it became very hazy with high cloud starting to mask out the sunshine.

We were heading for San Fulgencio where we hoped to be able to get into a camper park we used some years ago but have never been able to since, and where we'd hoped to meet up with our friends. So we really weren't surprised to find it full, the two alternatives both also chokka with several vans parked up outside, ostensibly waiting for a vacancy but probably intending to “wild camp” overnight. Best of luck with that; last year the police were roaming around, moving folk on. But when doing our research we'd spotted another on one of the apps we use, about 10 mins north and which had excellent reviews so decided to give it a try although we did have some alternatives in mind.

When we arrived there was a “Full” sign up at the gate but, nothing ventured nothing gained so Terry walked in and asked. They were indeed full but the friendly French owner offered a temporary place overnight – it was actually his own parking space but he moved his cars – and could offer us a proper pitch tomorrow. The app did comment on how friendly and helpful the owners were so of course we accepted!

So now we're safely esconced at what looks to be an excellent camperstop with all the facilities we need and at a very reasonable price – no wonder it's popular! But we're learning that changing sites at the weekend is not a good idea as the Spanish love to come out for the weekend, but then disappear on Sunday night!

However we've been rechecking the weather forecast and it's pretty clear that our efforts to avoid the rain are coming to nothing, with heavy showers expected here over the next 2/3 days. Ah well, not to worry as we can survive a few days of wet.

Devesa Gardens, nr Valencia - 5 nights

When we came here last year it appeared that it had just been taken over by another company as various improvements were being made. These seem to have been completed and what was a very nice site is now very attractive; the pitches have all been cleared of overhanging trees and relaid with gravel to level them off, with new electricity and water points for each. The facilities are first-class and kept scrupulously clean with heated showers and plenty of hot water.

And it's not the most expensive campsite either – with the ACSI card we're paying only €18 per night, fully inclusive of electricity and all facilities (well those that are open!)

It always did have the air of a holiday resort, rather than just a campsite, with chalets for hire, a swimming pool and games complex, restaurant and small supermarket, but these appear to have been refreshed and another whole area turned over to holiday homes.

It's surprising, therefore that it is so quiet! Although there has been a small turnover in visitors, the camping area has never been more than half full and there are no “long-term residents” either. Okay none of the chalets are occupied, presumably because it is out of season, and just maybe the distance from Valencia, about 20 mins by bus, has a bearing. Also the beach isn't very easy to get to but once there it's beautiful with miles of soft golden sand, almost totally deserted.

But that just means it's nice and quiet for us (despite the now 3 dogs, cat and two young children next door) and we've been able to enjoy late mornings and plenty of sitting out in the sun time. We've had Jamie to the beach a couple of times but generally, apart from the usual domestic chores, we've done, well, not a lot!

However now (Friday) the weather is showing signs of turning being quite breezy today and high cloud quietly moving over. The forecast over the next few days is not good with torrential rain and thunderstorms predicted, so we've decided to move on tomorrow further south to the Alicante area where the forecast is for it not to be so severe. We had intended heading that way anyway as we're planning to meet up with our friends when they fly back in this weekend but were going to give it a couple of days longer.

So with the laundry brought up to date and most of our kit put away we'll try for an earlyish start tomorrow so we can find a big supermarket to restock the fridge and also pick up a few other non-food items we need before trying to find somewhere reasonably sheltered for the next few days.

Watch this space!

Monday 13 January 2020 – Peniscola to nr Valencia

Peniscola to Devesa Gardens - 106 miles

The failing smoke alarm batteries warning beeps woke the dog who got all upset and wanted out so Terry crawled out of bed, threw on a coat and jeans and exited into a frosty and misty dawn; well it was only 8.00 am and not yet light! But at least the walk woke him up and as we were moving on today the early start was handy.

Breakfast, tidy and service the van then pay the lady for our stay, getting away for 10.30 which is good for us although actually we were in no rush. Not yet having decided where to go, for the moment just south with a bit of shopping thrown in, we stuck to the N340, having seen that the adjacent A7 and AP7 were very busy – everybody back to work after New Year.

A nice gentle run enjoying the scenery and sunshine we encountered a Lidl so paused to top up the groceries. We also could have done with a pharmacy but, like policemen, there's never one around when you want one; not to worry, Brens cold seems to have cleared up but again she's left with that persistent cough which we know will take ages to clear up.

Around lunchtime we pulled off the main road and headed for the sea with a view to finding a beach for Jamie to have a run around and us to have some lunch. Following signs we ended up at a nudist beach, but it was deserted and anyway still a bit too cold for that sort of thing! Jamie got his run around and we had a leisurely lunch before deciding we'd give Devesa Gardens, just south of Valencia, a try for a few days stopover having enjoyed the place on a couple of previous trips.

TomTom took us straight through the centre of this busy modern city with no problems and eventually to the site, between the Mediterranean Sea and a large inland lake, called Albufeira, which is a huge nature reserve. Although busier than last year there was still plenty of room so we chose a nice sunny pitch and booked in for 5 nights, maybe longer if we wished. No Germans here although plenty of Dutch – oops sorry, they prefer to be called Nederlanders now. A few Brits too including a motorhome we'd seen at Peniscola on the next pitch over and a young family with a chihuaha dog and a cat, which sent Jamie into apoplexy once again until we tapped his nose to shut him up.

It doesn't take us long to set up these days and we were soon enjoying a cuppa and the late afternoon sun, more of which is promised in the forecast – far better than the storms, gales and rain at home!

Peniscola – 4 nights

Well much to our surprise it rained overnight and showers continued through most of Friday, but as we weren't planning to do much anyway apart from a bit of cleaning and maybe some laundry it didn't bother us too much. Staying in just meant getting the hobbies out.

It's a very nice campsite with all facilities including electric in the price and is quite full, just the odd space which fills up at the end of the day. It's a short walk to a beautiful sandy beach, which has “No Dogs” signs but they don't seem to be universally obeyed. The modern town centre is along a smart promenade which leads to the old town and the castle of Papa Luna, an historic Pope. There's a modern fishing port too.

The campsite population is predominantly German, though there are a few of most other western European nations – but hardly any French, probably because it's too expensive for them! Maybe half a dozen Brits and we've met and spoken to a few during our time here. AS ever, quite a few dogs, whom Jamie has been “warning off”, but with a large open area just outside the gates dog walking is not an inconvenience.......

Saturday was much better, in fact from thereon we didn't see a cloud in the sky, so Bren got in early to get a couple of loads of washing done while Terry got the tanks etc. sorted. Later we took Jamie for a long walk into the town which, as expected, was pretty well deserted with only the odd restaurant open. We had wanted to visit the pharmacy to top up the medications Bren has been getting through but that was closed as well – however the cash dispenser worked! We've visited the old town before so didn't venture that way this time but instead returned to the van and deployed the deck chairs for an hour or so.

Sunday was a little warmer once the sun was up so we had a little lie-in followed of course by our usual Full English, which turned out to be more brunch rather than breakfast, but who cares! With all the washing dry and put away it was back to the deckchairs to do what we came here to do – get some rays! However in reality it wasn't really all that warm, maybe 12 deg, and out of the sun a warm top was needed.

I'm writing this on Sunday evening and we've decided to move on tomorrow, mainly because the weather forecast indicates it'll be a few degrees warmer further south – we'd only booked four nights anyway but it would have been no problem to stay longer if we'd so wished.

Thursday 9 January 2020 - El Catllar to Peniscola

El Catllar to Peniscola - 98 miles

Again not as cold overnight and the morning was bright and sunny. A fairly standard start as we are wanting to be on our way but are actually in no rush now we have reached our objective i.e. the Mediterranean coast. Breakfast then service the van – which we always do if there are facilities available as we generally don't know where we're going to be next – incurring the wrath of a local who seemed to object when we emptied the toilet into the (correct) receptacle whilst he was filling water bottles (incorrectly) at the adjacent tap. Mind it did whiff a bit and he did start calling us names, some of which sounded a bit rude! Just ignored him, which seemed to make him worse! Tough.

Never mind, we finished and got back onto the road, initially going the wrong way but quickly sorting that out, with our aims this morning to do some shopping, refill the gas bottles and maybe refuel at the same time. In Tarragona the latter two were easily accomplished at one Repsol station but we had a few attempts at finding supermarkets before we pulled onto a Mercadonna, one of the better places we've found in Spain. There was actually an Aldi next to it too.

A trolley full later we decided to have an early lunch before heading south along the coast. With no real destination in mind we settled on Benicarlo and enjoyed a nice hours run on the empty A7/N340 main road, which more or less runs alongside the AP7. The AutoPista is supposed to be a toll road but we've learned that the tolls are being removed on many AP's in Spain and judging by the amount of traffic on it, this section may well now be toll-free. Whatever, we're in no rush and soon turned off at the junction for Peniscola, headed for an apparently new ACSI campsite, advertised to be in Benicarlo.

It isn't – in Benicarlo that is – and although we did in fact call in to have a look it definitely wasn't to our taste even if (and probably why) it was in the cheapest ACSI bracket. So instead we made our way to the more expensive site, which we've used several times, at El Eden in Peniscola itself. Made to feel very welcome again, we found a suitable pitch on this almost full campsite and settled in. The majority of our neighbours were German, which in itself is a good indicator of the quality – Germans only go for the best in everything – although we did park on the next pitch to a Brit caravan.

We've booked for four nights here with a view to settling down after all the travel and catch up with the laundry etc. Bren's cold is getting better but we'd like to visit a pharmacy to top up on the medications she's been getting through. At least it feels a lot warmer here and the forecast still seems settled. The only fly in the oitment is that there seems to be some serious demolition work going on closeby with a pneumatic hammer going right up until dusk – hope that's going to stop.

8 January 2020 – El Catllar

We'd more or less decided last night to stay put today so had a bit of a lie-in. Not as cold overnight and the sun quickly warmed everything up, although a bit too low in the sky to have much effect on the solar panels.

A lazy morning, just pottering about until just before lunch we took Jamie for a walk into the village, which really isn't very big with just a supermarket, post office, a couple of bars and an agricultural cooperative, which seemed to be the focus of interest as there were a lot of people around it although we couldn't see why. There is also, of course, a church halfway up the hill which is crowned by the renovated ruins of a 13^th century castle, closed up for the season but we could see most of it from outside. Then back to Bertie for lunch to find another Brit parked up next to us.

Castel de Catllar

After lunch Bren dosed herself up with Lemsips and got her head down whilst Terry took Jamie for a walk along the adjacent nature reserve where the locals had made a wide circuit which was being used to get their exercise – we saw several elderly folk taking advantage. Then a little planning and a bit of messing about before tea.

At last it's been quite warm all day but, as usual, as the sun went down so did the temperature although the forecast is for “warmer” tonight – we'll see! Meanwhile tomorrow we'll head down onto the coast and see where we end up after a bit of shopping and hopefully get the gas refilled. The first bottle gave out yesterday morning, unsurprisingly given that the heating has been on a lot.

Tuesday 7 January – Foix to El Catllar

Foix to El Catllar - 187 miles

Not quite as cold during the night and we were up early as we had a long driving day ahead of us. Breakfast and we were again able to do a full service before heading back to the main road. Today we planned to transit Andorra, a new country for us, and the map showed some serious mountain driving. Fortunately the weather forecast was excellent, indeed significantly warmer than normal so we looked forward to some good scenery.

It wasn't long before we started climbing quickly into the snow-capped mountains and soon reached the snow line at about 5000 ft. The roads were clear and dry, with no apparent recent snowfall, so no problems there although we are prepared with winter tyres. Higher and higher, we eventually came to the border with Andorra where we were held up a few minutes at the police checkpoint, although they didn't bother us.

Andorra is a strange blend of France and Spain; we couldn't work out which was predominant as names were sometimes French, sometimes Spanish. We did notice the fuel was ridiculously cheap, around 94p a litre, which made us regret filling up yesterday at £1.33! All the towns were quite modern, usually consisting of a main street with small offshoots although there were also a few quite large, such as Andorra la Vella itself. There was a lot of skiing industry evident too but as there wasn't a great deal of snow it was quiet in that respect.

Andorra is a low tax country and not actually part of the EU so when we crossed back into Spain we were briefly searched and asked if we had bought any tobacco or alcohol – which we hadn't so were on our way quite quickly. About 20km further on we pulled off the road into a layby of sorts for lunch – Jamie was more than ready for a break after over 3 hours; mind you so were we!

Up to now the weather had been absolutely superb but as we got further south we encountered mist and low cloud with the accompanying low temperatures, a bit of a disappointment after the last few days. We were heading for the coast at Tarragona, having by-passed Lleida on excellent main roads, then as we crested a mountain pass near Tarrega the mist suddenly cleared and we were back to sunshine, the valleys below still hidden by low cloud banks.

Having already checked for an overnight stop we had programmed a nice-looking aire at El Catllar, about 10km from Tarragona, and TomTom took us there without fuss. A very pleasant spot on the edge of a small town in the late afternoon sun, we were satisfied with our choice so parked up and put the kettle on. Although mileage has not been huge, in fact it was only 29 miles across Andorra, it has still been a lot of driving and we're ready for a break. We'll see how we feel in the morning but are considering stopping for a couple of nights. Bren in particular is suffering from a persistent cold so a break would be a help.

Monday 6 January 2020 – Gourdon to Foix

Gourdon to Foix - 158 miles

Awoke to a heavy frost and outside minus something, but the heating quickly warmed things up and it wasn't long before the sun came over the hill and melted the frost to make a gorgeous bright blue sky, which persisted all day. Breakfast then discovered a problem with the charge for fuel on Saturday, but a quick call to a very helpful Barclays hopefully has sorted it out – we know what has happened but not sure why and will check again in a couple of days.

With the water tap now unfrozen we did a full service before getting on the road again; this is a lovely little spot and if it hadn't been so cold we felt we could have stayed a day or two, but the sun is calling us............... A really lovely run, though, through a nice part of France we haven't explored before and is on our “places to go back to” list. A fast and reasonably quiet road, we skirted Montaubin and then stopped just before Toulouse for a bit of shopping, lunch and to refuel. We haven't seen any evidence of shortages but needed more to reach Spain and it was only a few pence more per litre than at home.

Toulouse was hectically busy, not helped by the laptop navigator going on strike, but fortunately we carry good maps as backup and had no problems, eventually getting clear and espying the Pyrenes Mountains ahead of us. But it soon became clear that we wouldn't get that far in daylight so, having a reasonable choice of places to stop, we chose a free aire in the largish town of Foix which had reasonable reviews. A bit awkward to find, we eventually arrived at a non-descript motorhome parking area tucked away about 700m from the town centre, with a couple of “permanent” resident, well we suppose you could call an old ambulance and a converted box lorry, “motorhomes”. Not very impressed, especially after the lovely spots we've had up to now, we decided we'd stay but be a bit more “security conscious” as it was a bit late to move on to an alternative. However it is free and there is water and waste disposal. We were joined later by another “proper” van!

Although not as cold as this time yesterday, it's not really warm enough for a look around the town. Andorra is around 100km away so we'll try for an earlier start in the morning.

Sunday 5 January 2020 – Thielly to Gourdon

Thielly to Gourdon - 218 miles

Another cold night but a nice bright partly cloudy start, which gradually improved throughout the morning until it became wall-to-wall blue sky, although the temperature didn't get much above 6/7 degrees. Full English Sunday breakfast of course then empty the waste tanks and get back onto the road towards Vierzon. Then Jamie started creating for some reason so a short stop whilst he got walked again until he settled once more.

Shortly before Vierzon we joined the A20 non-toll autoroute, and stayed with it then for most of the day. We don't normally “do” motorways but it was going in our direction and, although in no rush, we had no real wish or need to stop off anywhere so we thought may as well get some distance in on our way to the sunshine! So with the cruise control set we enjoyed a steady run through quite attractive countryside, at one point crossing the Dordogne, stopping for a leisurely lunch at a very nice aire de repos where we managed to refill the water tank – 5 trips with the watering can....!

Just after Brieve the motorway became a toll road, which we definitely don't do, so dropped onto the D920, which is the old N20, for a slower but much more “scenic” (read twisty and hilly) route through what was now the Lot region of France. We were heading for Cahors but it soon became clear that that was as far as we would be going today, so Bren got the books and maps out and from a limited choice spotted a nice looking place about 10km off our route.

Gourdon is an attractive small hill top town and the aire de camping car was nicely set just off the town centre in a little valley. With nobody else on it we settled in and found free electric and water – the latter was turned off but Terry found the stop-cock............! The electric switched itself off after an hour but could be turned back on again – fair enough so that it wasn't abused.

Next morning - a bit frosty!

With the sun going down the temperature dropped again so screens up and blinds closed for a quiet evening. We took advantage of the electric/water for a shower in the van after tea before log, blog and books. The onward route is pretty much planned out now; tomorrow head for Toulouse then south across the Pyrenees to Andorra, a country we've never visited, and then on into northern Spain. The weather forecast is good, if cold, so we are looking forward to a different experience.

Come back tomorrow for an update!

Saturday 4 January 2020 – Pont de L'Arche to Theillay

Pont de L'Arche to Theillay - 163 miles

The sky did indeed turn clear resulting in a cold night with a frost still hanging around as we surfaced, at a reasonable hour for a change. The heating however soon made it comfortable for breakfast before tidying up, emptying the waste tanks and rubbish bin then heading on out into a totally different day to yesterday. A bright and clear morning with only light traffic made quite a difference!

Initially sticking to our usual route we passed Evreux, Dreux then Chartres but then headed for Orleans, rather than Tours, as we had planned a more easterly journey for a change, which also avoided the long, slow and boring N10. Instead we took the N20, now called the D2020. To be honest it wasn't a lot different, just more of the same scenery but plenty of towns we haven't seen before.

Approaching Orleans we spotted an Aldi so called in for some shopping and a latish lunch. Then a few miles further on we refuelled at a LeClerc to ensure we didn't get caught out if there was a fuel shortage, although we saw no sign of any problems.

The next major town on our route was Vierzon, quite a way on a dead straight road. Although there was a choice of stopping points after Vierzon we decided to check out a quiet looking spot, just off the main road, at Theillay which is some miles short. Really just a bit of gravelled over spare land with a home made service point (again no water) next to the Fire Station and cemetery – so no noise from the neighbours! Initially we were on our own but were joined by another motorhome just after dark. Perfectly adequate for an overnight stop so we called it a day and put the kettle on before settling down for the night, which looks like it might be another cool one despite several weather forecasters proclaiming it to be “unseasonably warm” whatever that means!

Sorry there's no photos up to now, nothing really special to see. Even the roundabout art has been very poor this year, but at least there is a map to show where we are.

Friday 3 January 2020 – Wissant to Pont de L'Arche

Wissant to Pont de L'Arche - 143 miles

With the expected rain falling during the night we awoke late to a miserable morning which didn't improve until late afternoon, resulting in a tiring drive. With no facilities we were on our way after breakfast, somewhat later than we wanted but hey-ho we're “on holiday” so it doesn't matter! Sticking to our tried and tested route we made steady progress south on quiet roads down past Boulogne to Abbeville then the autoroute to Rouen, pausing at a rest area (Aire de Behan) for lunch. We noticed the water was on here so took the opportunity of topping up the freshwater tank – at this time of year most water supplies are off to prevent freezing so we always take every opportunity.

Following recommendations we'd planned to head for an aire de campingcar at Nonancourt, so had it programmed into the satnav which showed us another way through Rouen, although we did end up in the same place as before but with apparently heavier traffic. Unfortunately our late start meant that we would probably arrive after dark, not something we were keen on especially not having been there before, so as we were passing very close to another favourite, at Pont de L'Arche, we thought we'd have a quick look. Not unexpectedly there was plenty of room so we called it a day and picked a reasonably level spot and put the kettle on!

Joined later by several other vans of varying nationalities we relaxed and caught up with “the paperwork” before tea and hopefully another quiet night. Jamie has been as good as gold but does seem to want more walkies, something we're quite happy to indulge him with.

Checking in with the MotorhomeFun forum we learned of another planned fuel strike in France, starting next Monday for 3 days. It's possible that this may cause us a problem but we'll refuel every day for now and not let it get below half – hopefully that will mean we'll have enough to get to Spain, where it's far cheaper anyway. But if not we'll just find somewhere nice to stop and wait it out – we're in no rush!

Starting Out

Well Christmas, although quiet in itself, saw us trying to get things finished off and sorted before we left – we thought it was all done but later events have shown that it hasn't all gone right so we'll be doing some updating along the way.

So with the van loaded to the gunnels we eventually got away on Monday before New Year to travel down to Terry's Mum in Lincolnshire. An uneventful, if busy, trip saw us parking up on her driveway by teatime and we spent a few pleasant days enjoying company, exchanging gifts (really Mum, 3XL?) and sorting out (or not!) a few electrical problems caused by a lightning strike that badly damaged a close neighbours bungalow. Although we didn't intentionally stay up to see the New Year in, we hadn't gone to bed as we were fully expecting any local fireworks to set Jamie off. We'd dosed him with a sedative tablet that the vet provided but thankfully there were only a few loud bangs and once he finished shouting at them it was all peace and quiet.

So with the Chunnel booked we left late morning yesterday for the long haul down to Folkestone, again on very busy roads but with only a couple of minor holdups. As it appeared fuel is cheaper in the UK we topped off at a Tesco next door to the tunnel terminal before checking in and being put on a train a full hour earlier than booked, with just enough time to empty a rather full toilet cassette!

Not sure if it was correct but they announced a 25m crossing time, which felt about right, rather than the 35m we've been used to – faster trains maybe? Whatever we arrived in France in the dark but, due to the closure of our normal overnight stop at Citie Europ, we had to drive around 10km to another favourite, at Wissant. There was some pretty poor parking by several German registered vans as well as several Belgians and Germans in the bus bays – that would have been fun if the buses had returned, but they must still be on holiday as we didn't hear any altercations! We managed to find a spot big enough for us (with the luggage rack on the back we're a little longer than standard) so settled down with a nice meal and a welcome sound night sleep.