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Last Lap

With the relative costs of fuel in mind we debated whether to refill the tank in France or wait until the UK. In the end we decided on a cut-off figure and went to Auchan to check - right on the borderline! So to save time in the UK we refilled anyway and as it turned out it was a tad cheaper than the UK but not a lot. Of course we had to pop into the hypermarket for "last minute" things but we were only killing time before wandering round to Citie Europe and settling in for the rest of the day. More vans joined us later until there were about 15 overnighting.

A very early start Friday morning, we didn't bother with breakfast, instead hoping for an earlier train. A good move because once we'd got Jamie's passport checked, we went straight through check-in and direct to the train for an hour early departure - excellent! Once across we stopped at the Stop 24 service area and treated ourselves to a full English so that we wouldn't have to bother about stopping for lunch.

As it happened we had an excellent run home, pausing for a comfort stop and a snack at Grantham, in nice sunshine, it only clouding over for the last hour or so. Cuppa then unload, we'll give Bertie a quick clean and wash tomorrow, ready for next weekend when we're going to Mum's for her 90th Birthday.

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Although it's been a pleasant enough trip we haven't enjoyed it as much as we usually do, probably due to having to cut it short, a couple of disappointments and the cold weather, which of course is not unusual being in Spain/Portugal a lot earlier than previous trips. We were both glad to be home.

As usual there are a couple of minor maintenance jobs to sort out before our next big venture. At the moment the plan is Italy late March/early April but there are other factors to be considered, so as they say "watch this space".

Heading for Home

A cold misty morn turned into another lovely day as we headed north (eventually, got a little lost again!) over the hills into Spain, with a degree of nerves as the fuel gauge was reading very low – we hadn't wanted to refuel in Portugal as it was much cheaper in Spain. It wasn't too far to the first fuel station, but it had no fuel! TomTom told us there was another in about 15km so we had little choice but to drive very carefully and fortunately we made it, although we calculated we had less than 3 litres left – a bit too close that.

A more or less direct route had us heading for Palencia so we took the opportunity of refilling with gas on the way also stopping off in a layby for lunch in a small village. This part of Spain is very flat and not very interesting but at least the roads, for the most part, were good and we made excellent time. We had stopped at the aire in Palencia on our very first “snowbirding” trip and found it had been increased in capacity although there were actually only a handful of vans using it.

Being quite close to the centre, another time we would have had a walk in to explore but we were on a fairly tight schedule so after another very cold and frosty start we set course for Burgos. Now able to make use of the autovias we made good time, passing Vittoria and lunching at a service area. We had hoped that we might make San Sebastion by tonight (Saturday) and it all looked good, although some 50km before San Sebastion we encountered quite a lot of lying snow, gradually getting worse although the roads were clear – witness snow ploughs sitting on standby at every major junction!

We've mentioned before that most of mainland Spain is on a high plateau but San Sebastion is, of course, at sea level so we found ourselves falling off the edge as it were. Obviously due to the descent into warmer (relatively!) air the snow disappeared and after asking TomTom to take us to the parking area we had used on the way out we found ourselves following a very full and fast flowing river down a narrow and winding valley road. We're sure it would have been quicker to use the motorway..........

But anyway we got there and settled down for a quiet evening, well pleased we were on schedule. Unfortunately there was some kind of party going on in the town and the riverside path we were next to was obviously a main walking route to/from a local housing area and it was well after midnight before we got any peace!

Sunday dawned grey and drizzly although not quite as cold as the last couple of nights. After our traditional Sunday breakfast we went looking for fuel before crossing into France, where it was currently more expensive than at home. That done we headed for the motorway, deciding that for this section it was worth using the toll roads, both in Spain (cheap) and in France (not so cheap) as far as Bordeaux. After lunch and past Bordeaux the weather dried up into a bright afternoon and it soon became clear that another of our outbound stops, at Montguyon, was an obvious choice for a stopover. Nobody else using it so a peaceful night, again very cold.

Although we had no need to rush, our objective now was to get as far north as reasonably quickly as we could so our day was spent following our usual route through France with Chateaudun as our target for tonight. Nothing remarkable although after their enforced “day off” all the trucks were back on the road and we passed several long lines, taking care whenever the satnav announced a speed camera as technically we were limited to their speed. We don't think we were caught...........

Navigated through Tours surprisingly easily, having usually encountered delays here, and arrived at Chateaudun where there was plenty of room. We did look carefully at the adjacent river Loir (no “e”) as it was running very high and fast and had broken its banks outside the village, but there didn't appear to be any danger for now. After a cuppa Terry changed a battery in one of the tyre pressure sensors which had started giving spurious warnings – they had to be spurious because there is no way the pressure should be quickly increasing whilst the temperature was decreasing! We had paused for a visual check but all seemed okay. This became an irritant for the rest of the way home so it looks like a replacement sensor will be necessary.

Tuesday was our critical day as we needed to be at Le Crotoy by tonight so we could get Jamie into the vet for his passport stamp tomorrow and there be sufficient time before we could re-enter the UK. So after yet another cold frosty start we were back on our normal route, heading for Rouen, lunchtime and Pont de L'Arche coinciding again. Once clear of Rouen and onto the non-toll motorway it started to snow quite heavily in gusty wind making driving somewhat tiring, but we persevered and by Abbeville, where we turned off, it had stopped and the sky was clearing.

We'd actually made better time than we had hoped and, as the vet was only a few minutes from Le Crotoy, we thought we'd go there first. Happily we were welcomed in straight away (to the sound, apparently, of “lots and lots of baby dogs” being born in the next surgery – we wondered what the squeaking was!) and 10 minutes later we were headed back to Le Crotoy.

Although one of our favourite stops, the motorhome parking is fairly exposed and the wind was still fairly strong, and cold, off the sea. There were only a handful of vans parked up and we debated if we could find a more sheltered place within easy distance. In the end we decided to stay, parking alongside a couple of others hoping for at least a little shelter. Then another Dutch couple decided to leave and very kindly offered us their ticket, which had until lunchtime tomorrow on it. Another free night – we haven't paid for a pitch since our first night in Portugal.

It was a cold and drafty evening with the heating turned up and extra ties on the insulating screens but eventually the wind died down and next morning was bright and sunny – but still very cold!

We were in no rush now but not having been able to refill the water tank for a few days (always a problem at this time of year) we went looking and managed to find a working service point up the road at Le Touquet. We also refilled the gas bottles, one having run out as we were using the heating quite extensively.

With our train booked for early on Friday we now had some time to kill so not needing anything else we headed for another favourite stopover, at Wissant, for tonight. We'll head on up to Calais tomorrow, possibly refuelling on the way, and overnight at Citie Europe, close to the Eurotunnel.

Portugal

We've decided Las Dunas campsite at El Puerto de Santa Maria is probably our favourite place in Spain; it's got everything we need, a nice town within easy walking distance and a huge sandy beach for Jamie. We'd stay here longer but time is starting to press so we must move on but which way? The weather forecast showed most of Spain threatened with snow and very cold temperatures whereas Portugal looked dry and a bit warmer.

So we departed Las Dunas on Tuesday (6^th Feb) and headed north towards Seville – no matter which way we would have to go via Seville. Almost there we could see clouds thickening to the north and east whereas west was clear so a quick decision was made to head to Portugal and we were soon driving around a very busy Seville ring road and heading for Huelva and the border.

Pausing to get a “toll road ticket”, for use should we stray onto a toll road, we immediately headed for the coast and quickly realised that so had a lot of other motorhomes! First aire was full so we headed to the big one at Villa Real de San Antonio for a quick look see, really preferring to move further west but knowing everything within range was also very popular. That too was pretty full but looked to have a few spaces so we pulled in and got one of the last – glad we did too because after us was a steady stream of hopefuls who were turned away.

Wednesday our decision was to either head further west and go north along the coast or just go from here. With limited time we chose to leave the Algarve for now and instead go up through the Alentejo region, an attractive wooded and hilly country which bordered Spain. So we set off into another beautiful, if cool, sunny day and basically just drove, enjoying the journey with no destination in mind. Portugal away from the coast is definitely worth exploring. However we were practical enough to make sure our route had a selection of stopovers and once we'd had enough we dropped into a traditional village just off the main road. We found a dedicated parking area with basic facilities and almost empty so picked a spot and settled for the night, expecting it to be a cold one.

Which it was, the downside of course of clear skies at this time of year. We were okay although we had to watch gas consumption because we were into the second bottle. On arrival we had spoken to a Scottish couple who had just come from Salamanca on their way to the Algarve and they had suffered poor weather with freezing conditions. So it was a fairly easy decision to stay in Portugal as long as we practically could and so we planned our day accordingly, always bearing in mind our time constraints and the fact we'd have to cross Spain somewhere!

But despite Portugal being the poor neighbour, it does have a good network of roads and we had no difficulty keeping in the right direction. Generally we kept to the main roads, which are of a good standard, although occasionally there were stretches of quite ordinary road and occasionally we encountered quite a lot of lorry traffic. At one point we also managed to slip onto a toll motorway – now Portugal would much rather you used these roads so they often do not bother to signpost alternative routes and unless you're paying full attention it's quite easy. However once committed we decided to carry on, it not being expensive and we had the advantage of speed and perhaps a small fuel saving too. It's just the principal of the thing!

Perusal of our “aires” book showed a selection of places, ending in an attractive looking stopover at Braganca, right in the top right hand corner of Portugal – you can't go any further without crossing into Spain. Although it looked to be a long drive, it was definitely achievable within our normal day so we set the TomTom and were led to a lovely little parking area just below the castle with good views over the town and surrounding area. Plus we had it to ourselves although there was plenty of room.

Certainly it had been a long day, the longest drive we've done since leaving the UK, but now we're slightly ahead of our planned schedule so tomorrow (Friday) we can cross into Spain and hopefully keep clear of any poor weather still hanging around.

Looking for Some Sun

Area Malaga Beach turned out to be quite popular and with a high turnover too. Yes, there were quite a few who were obviously staying for a while, but every morning many vans departed and then shortly after lunch the place filled up again with a new set of motorhomes. The weather was generally fine until Sunday when rain showers started rolling in from the east and quite suddenly a strong wind got up, increasing over quite a short time to gale force, enough to cause us to add some tiedowns to the front insulating screens. The sea state also picked up quite quickly too until there some serious breakers hitting the beach – no danger to us as we were a few rows back and anyway the site was reasonably elevated. Looked impressive though.

But we were now getting itchy feet again and as we were getting a bit low on gas decided on a change of scenery so Monday saw us on the road to Malaga. The gas station we were headed for wasn't there but Bren spotted another close by and we filled up before getting lost (again) trying to find our way back to the main road. TomTom to the rescue and we were on the A7 – Autovia de la Mediterrane – following the coast and watching the still heavy seas breaking on the beaches, rocks, harbours etc. etc. This made us think of perhaps heading inland so after a quick lunch stop we chose an aire we had used before at Castellar de la Frontera.

Castellar is really just a dormitory town, about 10km inland from Algeciras, all painted white as in the Pueblas Blancas - “white villages” which abound in this area. However this particular large village is quite modern but with few facilities, although it does have a sizeable aire with water and waste disposal for free.Really can't think what advantage to the village it is but happy nevertheless to take advantage. We did buy a couple of baguettes though.

Our intention was to stay a couple of days and wait for the weather to settle down, it being quite sheltered here. So we stayed put for 3 nights doing very little, just watching the comings and goings while checking the progress of some old friends who we learned were approaching the area. After 3 nights they were not yet nearby so needing some shopping we headed down to Palomes Centre Commerciale near Algeciras, our usual jumping off spot for Morocco.

Once done we thought we'd try the campsite just outside La Linea and close to Gibraltar for a couple of days. Unfortunately they do not accept dogs so a rethink found us back at Palomes for an overnight stop, simply because we couldn't be bothered to go anywhere else! There has been a number of changes but the place is still full of motorhomes overnighting so we joined them.

The weather was now starting to recover so we went back to Castellar to await our friends. However once there we learned they were still some way away and wouldn't be arriving until after we needed to be heading home. So after one very cold and frosty night we continued along the coast in now glorious sunshine with superb views of the Straights of Gibraltar and Morocco.

Discussing our plans for heading home we thought a few days on a good site before making serious progress would be nice and as the weather seemed to be holding we elected to try our old favourite, Las Dunas, at El Puerto de Santa Maria just north of Cadiz. TomTom took us round the back of Cadiz but then straight through the middle of El Puerto, not really the best approach but we managed without causing too much mayhem!

The receptionist could accommodate us so we booked for 3 nights and were allocated a spacious pitch with plenty of sunshine, albeit right in a corner. We later met a Brit couple who must have arrived just after us and had been given, basically, a bit of grass by the side of the road. Personally I would have rejected it and I think that's what they were going to do.

But the real positive was that the sun was out, there was little breeze and we could get the chairs out for a couple of hours rays at last! Then later the closeby sandy beach was just made for Jamie to run about on, wearing himself out!

Change of Plan

We had been looking forward to seeing June and Derek again and this obviously was a bit of a disappointment. They did however give us an explanation so we wished them the very best and had a re-think.

The weather forecast was okay, we weren't in need of anything and it was a nice site so we decided to stay put for a few days. The local Spaniards went home after their weekend break so the site was even quieter – just chillout and relax..........

And so it was for the next few days. We took the opportunity of catching up on the washing etc. but staying for long in one place is anathema to us so Thursday we checked out and headed west again. First call was at the Al Campo hypermarket (Spanish Auchan) to do a re-stock of goodies; we didn't need a lot but didn't really have much idea of where we were going to be over the weekend.

As it happened we had an eye on an aire at Rincon de la Victoria which had been mentioned on the MotorhomeFun forum as having been re-opened after a licencing problem, so we set TomTom and went for a look. Getting close we realised that we had tried to get in here last year with Derek and June but it was full – and it was again! Not to worry, we had other ideas although the (English) proprietress suggested another just outside Malaga. Not in our aires book, we found it on Campercontact, another excellent reference source and went for a look.

First glance, it was crowded but a closer look revealed an almost new facility with proper marked bays and all the facilities we needed but at a much more reasonable price so we decided to give it a try. Check-in was a bit of a farce, but it turned out they were using a computerised check-in system for the first time and it was not yet perfect. Not to worry, they gave us one of the last remaining pitches, a couple of rows back from the beachfront, and we settled in. A queue of vans had built up behind us while we were checking in and we're pretty sure they didn't all get in – glad we didn't stop for lunch along the way.

Area Malaga Beach is just on the western edge of Rincon de la Victoria, close enough for a short stroll into the town, which we did the following day. Malaga is only a couple of miles along the coast but we've been there so won't bother this time. Okay, this is just a glorified carpark but we've got enough room to put the chairs out and get some sunshine. The beach is dog-friendly for a change and Jamie got a taste of it almost immediately. This'll do us for a few days.

We haven't bothered much with photos this trip but there are a few – I'll get them off the camera/phone and upload a couple later.

Valencia Southbound

Wednesday saw us up a bit earlier than usual as we were moving on. After our usual routine we headed back up to Valencia to pick up the A7 autovia for the run down to Alicante as we saw no point in flogging down the, admittedly pretty, coast road around Javea, Benidorm and the like, having no intention of stopping off there.

Needing to restock the larder we were watching for supermarkets and at Alcoy we followed signs to a Carrefour where we spent an hour filling a trolley with essentials plus, of course, lots of “nice to try” things. We are supposed to be on holiday you know! Lunch in the carpark then onwards. We picked out a commercial aire we had used before, just south of Alicante near La Marina, which was a nice distance. Unfortunately we now discovered that, indeed, it was very busy on the Spanish costas and both sites there were full.

No worries, several more options and we shortly identified quite a large campsite we'd stayed at 3 years ago. Deciding to investigate they did have pitches for the next few days, but we'd have to keep changing. As it was getting late we elected to take a one-nighter and move on tomorrow and settled in the only spot left next to the services, which wasn't actually any bother. A cuppa then take Jamie to the “beach” before tea and relax.

Moving on the next day (18^th) we had no particular destination in mind so followed the coast road into Cartagena, ending up in the port area. With no real thoughts about stopping here we sort of got a little lost so Bren fired up Nellie (the netbook) to help us navigate our way out. We weren't far out so carried on the coast road which now became a bit mountainous but with great scenery so, finding a bit of a pull off, we stopped for lunch. More researching found us a couple of commercial aires a bit off the beaten track about an hour along the road so we thought we'd suss them out. We already knew they'd be basic and the first looked okay with plenty of room. The next was somewhat closer to a village and the coast and was basically just a gravelled area looked after by a very friendly old guy who apparently sits there all day, doing a bit of tidying up where necessary. No electric but water and waste disposal so we found a pitch with full sun all day and settled in for a couple of days.

Friday saw a somewhat dull day but not cold so we took Jamie for a walk into the village and the beach. Not a lot there, just a couple of cafe/bars and a somewhat scruffy beach so wandered back to the site where we were subsequently joined by a couple of Brit vans with whom we had a good natter.

But with the time approaching when we were to meet our friends somewhat further down the coast we needed to get some kilometres on the clock, so after breakfast and servicing the van Saturday saw us joining the non-toll A7 motorway in bright sunshine again. From here on the A7 provides a fast route along the coast as far as Algeciras, giving us a good choice of places to meet up. A diversion into Almeria to find a supermarket became a disaster when we got completely lost, obviously having missed the signs. We did eventually work our way to a Carrefour but, as is quite common in these climes, all the parking was beneath metal sun shelters, far too low for us, and being Saturday any other parking was out of the question. So we found our way back to the motorway and a few miles further on found another Carrefour we could get into and which also had a fuel station.

Lunch, refuel and more motorway miles until we approached Motril where our friends were aiming to meet the coast. Although we would have again preferred an aire, there were none within easy distance so Bren found a couple of ACSI campsites and, having already passed the first, headed for the second. Missing a well-disguised entrance, we tried again and found Don Cactus at Carchena, quite a large site with chalets and a lot of “permanent” units but with lots of space towards the back. Found a sunny spot with, for a change, all services on each pitch, and our plan was to stay a couple of nights and arrange a place to meet up with Derek and June. Settled in okay but later in the evening suddenly all the lights went out in the van! Nothing obvious although Terry suspected a fuse but it was close to bedtime and we had a couple of working lights plus torches so decided to investigate in the morning.

Sunday morning, our usual Full English Breakfast, then found all the lights were working again – hmmm! A bit of checking found nothing amiss so we'll just have to see if it happens again. So after clearing up we took Jamie onto the beach for a good run about. He seems to be losing his fear of the sea, every time taking his ball and dropping it in the water.........

Back to the van for a cuppa and check emails etc. and there was a message from June & Derek. They were having to return to the UK and wouldn't now be joining us...................