We've not blogged for a couple of days because, frankly, we've not done much. We're on an aire type site with all the facilities we need as well as three supermarkets within spitting distance. There's also a China Market - basically a big general purpose store that sells just about everything except food and big ticket stuff. But most of all there's lots of lovely hot sunshine.
Over the last few days we've visited with the "framily" and been out for meals a couple of times - last night to an Argentinian restaurant with an "all-you-can-eat" offer. So we took them up on it......! They loved the two kids, kept bringing them little presents, and the food was excellent and reasonably priced.
Like all places there are regular street markets around the area; we've visited two which, as expected, were just the same traders in a different place. Mostly clothing and accessories, there were also good fruit and veg stalls along with the usual cheap tat. Bought a pair of sandals however which so far are very comfortable - if they last as long as the pair they are replacing they will be good value.
But we're now looking at moving on. On the way south we had pencilled in a visit to Granada but decided not to stop. However it is on our way west to Portugal so we'll probably have a couple of days there doing touristy stuff. Keep watching and we'll let you know.
Saturday, 22 February 2014
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Wednesday 19 Feb 2014
The sun has got his hat on, hip hip hip hooray!
Having done precisely nothing for a few days (so no blog) we were reminded last night that we were to leave this morning. So we had a relatively early start then travelled precisely one and a half miles to a camping park where we had all the facilities we need, right next to three supermarkets, the satellite TV works and we're that much closer to our friends villa. And it's 33% cheaper! If we'd known about it, we'd have come here first. Camper Park San Fulgencio, if anyone wants to use it.
www.camperparksanfulgencio.com
Once settled in, we walked up to the villa and spent the rest of the day with the framily.
We'll probably stay here until at least Saturday.
Having done precisely nothing for a few days (so no blog) we were reminded last night that we were to leave this morning. So we had a relatively early start then travelled precisely one and a half miles to a camping park where we had all the facilities we need, right next to three supermarkets, the satellite TV works and we're that much closer to our friends villa. And it's 33% cheaper! If we'd known about it, we'd have come here first. Camper Park San Fulgencio, if anyone wants to use it.
www.camperparksanfulgencio.com
Once settled in, we walked up to the villa and spent the rest of the day with the framily.
We'll probably stay here until at least Saturday.
Tuesday 18 Feb 2014
A dull grey day, the sun only threatened to appear but never did properly. You get days like this of course, but it IS February. Even in Spain.
So we stayed "at home", did a bit of tidying and cleaning, finished off the washing then chilled out for the rest of the day.
Boring!
So we stayed "at home", did a bit of tidying and cleaning, finished off the washing then chilled out for the rest of the day.
Boring!
Monday, 17 February 2014
Monday 17 Feb 2014
Today was a very late start, our first day for a while where we had nothing planned. We had very generously been given use of the washing machine at the villa yesterday but still had a couple of loads to deal with, so after a short walk to get bread and washing machine tokens, the first load was set up and we got the inside of the van cleaned up too.
Then the phone rang - "we're just outside, can we visit for a coffee?"
Now whilst this is an excellent site with full facilities including sports, swimming pool, health spa etc. they are not about to let everybody in, and visitors have to pay a charge of €8 each! Stuff that, there is an on-site cafe/restaurant available to the general public - "we'll meet you there in 10 mins!
Another pleasant couple of hours later, we returned to finish off the washing. However it's been quite a cool grey day today and it never got the chance to properly dry, so we're again sharing our space with a cab full of laundry. Still with the heating on, a necessity unfortunately tonight, it should be dry by morning.
We'll try and get some photos taken tomorrow to liven this somewhat boring narrative up a bit!
Then the phone rang - "we're just outside, can we visit for a coffee?"
Now whilst this is an excellent site with full facilities including sports, swimming pool, health spa etc. they are not about to let everybody in, and visitors have to pay a charge of €8 each! Stuff that, there is an on-site cafe/restaurant available to the general public - "we'll meet you there in 10 mins!
Another pleasant couple of hours later, we returned to finish off the washing. However it's been quite a cool grey day today and it never got the chance to properly dry, so we're again sharing our space with a cab full of laundry. Still with the heating on, a necessity unfortunately tonight, it should be dry by morning.
We'll try and get some photos taken tomorrow to liven this somewhat boring narrative up a bit!
Saturday 15 Feb 2014
A bright start for our trip along the coast towards Alicante and our plan to meet up with the "framily", staying at a villa at La Marina. There is an ACSI site close-by which we have targeted but we know that it is very busy there.
We travelled the coast road last year and it is very attractive, although somewhat slow. Having an objective changed our plans somewhat so we decided to stick to the motorway, including the toll as they are very reasonable and probably worth it for the mileage/time saved.
The road was very quiet, probably because it was Saturday and the service area we stopped at for lunch was deserted, although fully functional. The scenery started out as coastal mountains and scrub but became quite agricultural with miles of plastic greenhouses prevalent. Tomatoes? Soft fruit? Whatever, there was an awful lot of it.
Round Cartagena and we were beginning to keep a watch on the fuel gauge. Of course the warning light came on just as we were passing the last garage before the campsite. Then when we arrived, it was of course full. However they could offer us a pitch tomorrow for 3 nights so we booked it. They also told us their sister site about 15km away, which had been our second choice, had room so we reset the satnav and headed there, via of course the fuel station.
Ouch! We'd forgotten how much a tankful of fuel costs in Europe!
This next site was huge but even they admitted to being almost full, however they could help us for one night so we checked in and were directed to a nice pitch, fully serviced (electric, water, waste) and close enough to the "facilities". Couldn't log on to the wifi though.
We travelled the coast road last year and it is very attractive, although somewhat slow. Having an objective changed our plans somewhat so we decided to stick to the motorway, including the toll as they are very reasonable and probably worth it for the mileage/time saved.
The road was very quiet, probably because it was Saturday and the service area we stopped at for lunch was deserted, although fully functional. The scenery started out as coastal mountains and scrub but became quite agricultural with miles of plastic greenhouses prevalent. Tomatoes? Soft fruit? Whatever, there was an awful lot of it.
Round Cartagena and we were beginning to keep a watch on the fuel gauge. Of course the warning light came on just as we were passing the last garage before the campsite. Then when we arrived, it was of course full. However they could offer us a pitch tomorrow for 3 nights so we booked it. They also told us their sister site about 15km away, which had been our second choice, had room so we reset the satnav and headed there, via of course the fuel station.
Ouch! We'd forgotten how much a tankful of fuel costs in Europe!
This next site was huge but even they admitted to being almost full, however they could help us for one night so we checked in and were directed to a nice pitch, fully serviced (electric, water, waste) and close enough to the "facilities". Couldn't log on to the wifi though.
Sunday, 16 February 2014
Friday 14 Feb 2014
Awoke to a warm sunny morning and after breakfast we went into Mercadona to restock the larder. Then it was time to say goodbye to June and Derek, who were heading to Gibraltar while we set off towards Alicante with a plan to meet up with the “framily”.
First call was to refill with LPG, so with two stations programmed into the satnav we set off for Fuengirola, using the A-7 auto-via rather than the N340 coast road we’d followed last year. Apart from missing a turn and ending up in some rather narrow backstreets, we found the Repsol station easily enough and, joy, the pump worked! Back onto the A-7, and occasionally the N340, we skirted Malaga then dropped down to the coast to find a lunchtime stop, which turned out to be a parking area that looked like it was being used as a wild-camping site. And a very nice spot too.
Assessing our progress, and already having decided Alicante was too far in one day, we picked out two possible overnight stops, at Mottril where we had stayed on the way down, and Castel de Banos, a site we had used last year. We chose the latter as it was further on but still well within our reach.
The weather was beautiful all day and it was interesting comparing the scenery and surroundings to what we had become used to over the last month. Eventually we crept the last few kilometres into the village and checked in – and they remembered us! (Well their computer did……) The Camping and Caravanning Club were having one of their winter rallies again so we found a nice sunny spot and settled in. We even managed to get British radio and TV on the satellite – but not a lot.
As I write, the wind has got up and is rocking us about a little, but it is still quite warm and the sky is crystal clear. At home, however, they’re having severe storms with gales and flooding. We know where we’d rather be!
First call was to refill with LPG, so with two stations programmed into the satnav we set off for Fuengirola, using the A-7 auto-via rather than the N340 coast road we’d followed last year. Apart from missing a turn and ending up in some rather narrow backstreets, we found the Repsol station easily enough and, joy, the pump worked! Back onto the A-7, and occasionally the N340, we skirted Malaga then dropped down to the coast to find a lunchtime stop, which turned out to be a parking area that looked like it was being used as a wild-camping site. And a very nice spot too.
Assessing our progress, and already having decided Alicante was too far in one day, we picked out two possible overnight stops, at Mottril where we had stayed on the way down, and Castel de Banos, a site we had used last year. We chose the latter as it was further on but still well within our reach.
The weather was beautiful all day and it was interesting comparing the scenery and surroundings to what we had become used to over the last month. Eventually we crept the last few kilometres into the village and checked in – and they remembered us! (Well their computer did……) The Camping and Caravanning Club were having one of their winter rallies again so we found a nice sunny spot and settled in. We even managed to get British radio and TV on the satellite – but not a lot.
As I write, the wind has got up and is rocking us about a little, but it is still quite warm and the sky is crystal clear. At home, however, they’re having severe storms with gales and flooding. We know where we’d rather be!
Thursday 13 Feb 2014
Well today is the day we leave Africa and return to Europe. An earlyish start as it’s about a 45min drive to the port plus we need to refuel and want to be there shortly after the first ferry has left; we’re aiming to catch the 1300 sailing.
With careful calculating (i.e. luck) we managed to spend almost the last of our dirhams on the last toll, leaving us with the grand sum of Dh6.20 – about 50p! Hope they take euros on the boat.
With only sketchy advice of what to do/expect we arrived at Tangier-Med with some trepidation at around 10.30. The first encounter was with the touts, but we already knew that we did not need them so did our best to ignore them. Spotting the Acciona office, we wandered across and were politely told to go away and come back at 1300; no reasons or explanation although we were given notices to put in the windscreen. Keeping a careful eye on what was happening, we idled away a couple of hours – no sign of a ferry though.
But at 1300 we went back to the office and were given boarding cards. Progress at last! Directed to the police posts, we were dealt with quickly and efficiently and directed to customs who cleared us out with a friendly smile and “bon voyage”. So that was 15mins killed. Round the corner we encountered a mobile X-ray machine and were instructed to vacate our vehicles while it examined three at a time. Then directed back to almost where we had come from, but this time on the quayside. But still no ferry.
About 2.45 a ferry - not the fast catamaran – arrived and unloaded, taking it seemed forever but around 3.30 we loaded. Taking bets as to when we might actually depart it was 4.28 (I won!) when we started the hour and a half crossing. Fortunately it was very smooth but it was 7.30 local, and dark, by the time we were clear of the port.
So Plan B. We urgently needed gas so, once the formalities were completed, it's direct to the nearest LPG station, only a few miles. But despite all our efforts we could not get it to fill (problem with the pump we think) so return to the Mercadona car-park at Algeciras, from where this trip started, to overnight and shop in the morning.
Our Morocco adventure was over.
Would we do it again? You betcha. It has probably been the best holiday we have ever had, helped enormously by doing it as part of a group – thank you MotorhomeFun.co.uk. We found the country fascinating, the people warm and friendly and not the least bit threatening, and of course the warm weather was what we really went for. The rest of our trip is going to be a bit of an anti-climax.
With careful calculating (i.e. luck) we managed to spend almost the last of our dirhams on the last toll, leaving us with the grand sum of Dh6.20 – about 50p! Hope they take euros on the boat.
With only sketchy advice of what to do/expect we arrived at Tangier-Med with some trepidation at around 10.30. The first encounter was with the touts, but we already knew that we did not need them so did our best to ignore them. Spotting the Acciona office, we wandered across and were politely told to go away and come back at 1300; no reasons or explanation although we were given notices to put in the windscreen. Keeping a careful eye on what was happening, we idled away a couple of hours – no sign of a ferry though.
But at 1300 we went back to the office and were given boarding cards. Progress at last! Directed to the police posts, we were dealt with quickly and efficiently and directed to customs who cleared us out with a friendly smile and “bon voyage”. So that was 15mins killed. Round the corner we encountered a mobile X-ray machine and were instructed to vacate our vehicles while it examined three at a time. Then directed back to almost where we had come from, but this time on the quayside. But still no ferry.
About 2.45 a ferry - not the fast catamaran – arrived and unloaded, taking it seemed forever but around 3.30 we loaded. Taking bets as to when we might actually depart it was 4.28 (I won!) when we started the hour and a half crossing. Fortunately it was very smooth but it was 7.30 local, and dark, by the time we were clear of the port.
So Plan B. We urgently needed gas so, once the formalities were completed, it's direct to the nearest LPG station, only a few miles. But despite all our efforts we could not get it to fill (problem with the pump we think) so return to the Mercadona car-park at Algeciras, from where this trip started, to overnight and shop in the morning.
Our Morocco adventure was over.
Would we do it again? You betcha. It has probably been the best holiday we have ever had, helped enormously by doing it as part of a group – thank you MotorhomeFun.co.uk. We found the country fascinating, the people warm and friendly and not the least bit threatening, and of course the warm weather was what we really went for. The rest of our trip is going to be a bit of an anti-climax.
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