Riogordo

Thursday 1 November

We woke this morning to a lovely day. Beautiful blue skies and small fluffy white clouds. It felt much warmer and more like what we were hoping for. The poor weather we have had over the last 5 days or so was beginning to get us down a bit and we were wondering if this was our lot for the winter. We had been warned that Riogordo is a place of extremities, it can be boiling hot one day and freezing cold the next. It all depends on the wind direction and if there is snow on the Serra Nevada. If there is snow and the it’s blowing this way then it will be cold.

Anyway, today it was lovely and warm and we decided to go for a walk. Standing on the balcony and looking to the east you can see the local petrol station. This is the same garage we exchanged the gas bottle from the portable fire two days ago. Carole and Richard told us about the bar there and that they do breakfast’s (not that we wanted to eat) so we thought its a good a place as any to walk to. The going ‘as they say’  was soft we felt like we were walking on sponges as we walked down hill through the olive groves. 

When we arrived at the petrol station sat outside on what it basically the forecourt of the station under a patio umbrella drinking a couple of beers. Not the most salubrious of venues but it didn’t seem to matter. We sat in the sun happily chatting about what to do next winter. 

We were rather surprised to find that it is quite acceptable to sit within spitting distance of petrol pump and smoke but apparently it is. A man nearer the pumps than us was quite happily puffing away on his cigar with indifference. If he’s not bothered why should we be. Refreshed, we made our way back to the house along (more or less) the same route.

After lunch the temperature continued to rise so we got the sun loungers out of the shed and spent the whole afternoon sun bathing. At 2pm we had a lovely chat with Josie on the phone, it was great to hear her voice. We really can’t wait to see her again with Paul and Bill when they come over for Christmas. Although the thermometer read 33c + the winter sun isn’t that powerful so it was very comfortable to sit and read and generally be lazy without getting burnt. Amazingly, even though the outside of the house had been so hot the temperature inside of the house had only risen by a couple of degrees during the day. Still two degrees is two degrees and it was sufficient not to need the heating on.

In the evening we watched another dvd.

Riogordo from the house

Back garden

Wednesday 31 October

We really needed to get on the internet today so we walked the kilometer or so to the village and the bar we had been shown by Carole and Richard. It was a fairly nice morning and the sun was coming out in between the clouds. The mountains surrounding the house were still shrouded in cloud.

We sat in the bar and desperately tried to hook on to the WiFi but to no avail. We sort advice from an American man who was sitting nearby who sent (we later found out) in completely the wrong direction and we left very disappointed.

Later in the afternoon we decided to have another go only this time we drove down. The owner of the Bar put us right on the correct settings and we had another go. Still no good as it turns out the phone line was down. So we left disappointed again.

Tuesday 30 October

Kevin cleaned the van yesterday so today, of course, it rained long and hard and persistently all day. The temperature has plummeted to 16 degrees in the house necessitating the need for 2 bars on the gas fire. This has put paid to further work on Campy but enabled us to catch up on writing up the blog and relax a little after yesterday’s exertions. With the heating on the house is cosy. Plenty to do - ironing, housework and planning. Lots of lists. 

Captain’s supplemental 

We have now arrived in Riogordo which is the end of our month long traveling adventure abroad which started on 1 October. It seems an awfully long time ago but we have done so much and seen so much in that relatively short time. It’s been a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding adventure. 

So here we are now in the third part of our first year of retirement (first Cornwall second Drive the Med coast). Something completely different from the first and second parts. We have got used to our life in Campy and she has been very comfortable and reliable and we love living in her very much. Yes, she has been the smallest outfit on the site everywhere we have been, but we really like our simple and basic way of life. Everything is easy and uncomplicated for us. We have not even used all of Campy’s facilities to the full. For example, after the first couple of weeks we stopped using the sink, the water holding tank and therefore the waste tank. Preferring the bucket and chuck-it method. The instillation of the solar panel has made a huge difference. We have not had to use it for more than 9 days without plugging into electricity, but feel fairly sure that with careful control it is possible to be self sustaining, i.e. turning the fridge down to 2 which is sufficient to keep things frozen. 

Hindsight is a wonderful thing and if we were placing an order now for the van we would have the most powerful engine and possibly 4 motion as at times the van can be underpowered, particularly on long inclines. Also in England as we use the CLs predominantly and intend to free camp next year in Scotland 4 motion could be useful. 

She is a brilliant campervan with a well designed layout, ideal for 2 and very well engineered. 

Here are a few facts. 

In total we have driven 2031 miles to get to Malaga.
We have used 58.58 gallons of Diesel costing £324.50 and we have averaged 34.68 mpg. Considering the mountain ranges we have crossed and that Campy is loaded to within 200kg of it’s maximum weight that is pretty good going. 

We have spent £191 on campsites, £250 on food & drink and £221 on incidentals (ticket entries, parking and entertainment etc ). Total £986. Under budget and unexpectedly so. Now we are in Riogordo our costs should be less as we don’t have camping costs or need to use so much fuel. 

Highlights of the trip.

Strangely, the first day and taking the early ferry was inspirational. It was like the dawning not only of a new day but a new life. 

Driving on the right, not so difficult. It took a lot of concentration to begin with but after a few days it became second nature. It is fair to say that there are very few roads in England that at some stage haven’t been dug up and show the many scars of umpteen visits from various agencies who each in turn take their pick at the newly laid tarmac. As opposed to here on the continent, they seem to get their act together, have a little chat together and get all the workings done in one go. What are we doing wrong? The roads on the continent are very well maintained and virtually free of traffic. Masterpieces of road construction through very difficult terrain. We have to take our hat off to the pioneering engineers who worked out how to construct them. On the other hand in the town centres roads can be frustratingly complex, narrow and nerve-wracking to drive through (especially in a van). Our saving grace, and on some occasions our near downfall, has been the Tom Tom. How on earth we managed before their invention we don’t know. It must have been a nightmare. If there is one piece of kit you should not do without and should spend as much as you can afford on is a top of the range Sat Nav. 

Driving through France. We were astounded by the agricultural plains in northern France and that we could drive virtually all day, mile after mile, past huge fields and small villages and not see a living soul. This was very unexpected and again thanks to the Tom Tom which kept us off motorways and Toll roads. We saw parts of the country we would never normally have ventured into. 

The Alps. What a magnificent day that was. Beautiful weather, fantastic scenery and challenging driving. A journey everybody should do at sometime in their lives. A memory that we will treasure forever.

St Tropez. We loved St Tropez. The fantastic walk along the beach from the campsite to the town. What luck to be there when the classic boats were in the harbour. Sitting on the pier under the lighthouse in the warm sun watching th boats enter and leave the harbour. All the friends we made in the campsite. Late evening chats, every evening was warm enough to be sitting outside with candle light until bedtime. 

Crossing into Spain along the coast road through high, twisting roads, sides sheer enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. 

Dali country. What a great day visiting the museum and Dali’s home town. 

Calpe. It was so lovely and hot here (33 degrees). The walk along the beach after our haircuts to the Chinese meal and stumbling back to the campsite afterwards. Again, we met some lovely people on this site. We can fully understand why Brits spend winters here. 

Mojocar. We loved this picturesque, white village perched on the side of a mountain with it’s narrow cobblestone streets, small shops and bars. Spectacular views across to the Sierra Nevada. 

Ronda is somewhere that Kev has wanted to visit since seeing the picture, painted by Bomberg, at Pallant House Gallery. We had a fantastic day here, again a town with great architecture and stunning views. A delicious Tapas lunch too.

Monday 29 October

A cool day with some sunny intervals today. Ideal weather for doing the outside of Campy. Kev washed and dried her and then we walked into the village with the laptop hoping to post the blog using the WiFi at the local watering hole. We also carried down the rubbish. Everyone takes their rubbish and recycling to huge bins around the village. Unfortunately we were not aware that the bar closes on Mondays. Instead we bought a few provisions including paella rice and a fresh loaf of bread. The walk back to the house is about 1km and is steep in places, especially as you near the house. 

Every property has a dog and we have discovered that they all talk to each other on a regular basis. Some houses have 3 or 4 dogs who talk to each other and to the other dogs. It only takes a couple of people to walk from their home into the village to set the whole valley talking! This conversation sometimes goes on all day and deep into the night. Maybe when they get used to us things will start to quieten down. 

In the afternoon it was back to work on Campy. She was given 3 coats of polish. Wheel arches were scrubbed and polished as were the alloy wheels and the tyres dressed. Stainless steel kick bar was polished, the engine bay cleaned, the inside vacuumed and all the cupboards washed out with Milton. The fronts of the cupboards and drawers cleaned and polished. We had already removed the cushions which make up the bed and vacuumed 3 months worth of dust them. The cab area was cleaned and polished. We think it is fair to say that Campy is now back to almost showroom condition. Considering the miles we have covered in such a relatively short time there is very little sign of wear, save a stone chip on the front which we think it came with, a chip on the driver’s side sill, a chip on the rear panel below the light and a minor scratch on the side door where a piece of metal dropped onto it. Kev will touch up all of these. 

The rattle. Regular readers will remember that Campy has an annoying rattle. After extensive searching it seems that she not only has a rattle but a creak. We discovered the cause of the creak whilst Kevin was turning over in bed and was the side of the rear seat rubbing against a piece of metal. A small amount of grease applied in just the right spot - resolved. The rattle is a little more difficult to resolve and emanates from the housing built into the bench seat that holds the two head restraints. We have tried removing the head restraints but the rattle persists. We think it may have to wait for it to be resolved during the yearly habitation check on our return to England and Bilbo. 

This evening we looked at the Spanish news channel and although we couldn’t make out much of the news we certainly understood the time. The clocks went back on Sat night and we were completely oblivious. 

Sunday 28 October

True to form given the first opportunity to sort out Campy we were up and at it. It was rather strange not to have slept in Campy last night but the beds here at the house are very comfortable and very warm which is more than can be said for the house itself, being typically Spanish and built with no insulation. It reminded Kevin of his childhood getting up to a cold bedroom except there is no ice on the window. 

First job was to completely empty Campy of all the equipment, belongings and everything else. We spent the whole day cleaning and checking equipment and storing it away under our beds where it will remain for the next 4 months. We have decided that as we only use Campy now as a car we would lighten it as much as possible to save on fuel costs. We have even taken out the gas bottles and table. Only keeping in the van the things that are essential under Spanish law for us to carry in the vehicle at all times. 

We also set the washing machine to work but unfortunately we haven’t seen the sun since Ronda, so it’s all taking an age to dry. Everyone reassures us that the weather will improve.

Word of warning to all our visitors from the UK we are 500m from sea level in mountains and when the sun is not out it is cold here. As we speak it is only 18 degrees inside and 15 outside. Bring your slippers, winter coat and stout pair of shoes for walking to the village. 

After dinner we put the heater on and settled down to watch a DVD. Our first since leaving the UK. There are dozens of DVDs and we randomly picked one that we hadn’t seen before called ‘The Way’. It’s about the Camino Santiago de Compostela. A great film and very topical for us as been talking with Kay about this in St Tropez - she has walked it twice. 

Saturday 27 October

‘Casa perro con pan’. The explanation for the name (house of dog with bread) was explained by the owners, Carole and Richard, yesterday. When the estate agent took on the property it was very run down and a man used to tie up his dogs at the house and come by to feed them with scraps including bread. Since it had no other name the agent called it Casa perro con pan to identify it. The present owners stuck with that name having got used to it. They have owned it for around 8 years and plan to live here when they get Carole’s NHS pension in 3 years time when she is 55. Sounds familiar? They have completely renovated and extended the property. It boasts 3 double bedrooms, one with en suite. A bathroom, open plan kitchen, dining and living area. Lots of outdoor patio area and a shed with all sorts in it. The water supply and electricity are mains and the gas is calor cylinders.

We arrived at 10.00 and spent most of the day with Carole and Richard. They have shown us in very careful detail how everything works and who to contact with any problems. At lunchtime they gave us a guided tour of the village and we had lunch with them and friends in their ‘local’. This is where we will be using WiFi to make contact via internet with everyone at home. In the late afternoon Carole and Richard left to get their fight home to Bristol from Malaga. 

It’s a good job that we like cats because Carole is a true animal lover and has 4 friendly strays under her wing. The shed is full of cat food and we will try to keep them in good shape whilst we are here. One of the females has a rather big tummy..... we wonder what could be in there?

The house is on a plot of land containing mainly olive groves. The owners receive 10 litres of olive oil each year in return for having their trees looked after and harvested and some wood for the log burning stove. There are also fig, almond and pomegranate trees on their land. The orange trees will be ready in December so we will be sure to have plenty of walks in the area then. We are to expect Jose with his goat herd to walk through the land occasionally. It is very green in this area and he walks his goats twice a day to forage. 

We are very happy with the house and have spent today (Sunday) making it our own. We have also sorted out our stuff from Campy to make sure its all clean and in good shape. Tomorrow we will give Campy a spring clean inside and out. 

We have a couple of bookings for visitors so far, Sam from Steyning will be over at the end of Nov. Jo and Paul will be here on 17 Dec and Bill is planning to be here for a month over Xmas and New year. Caroline and Peter hope to be here in Feb. The house can sleep 8 people as there is a sofa bed in the living room. There is even a cot and high chair but we definitely won’t be using them!

Riogordo is one of many “white villages” in Andalucia, very pretty with tiny streets. There are several small shops (house shops - in people’s front rooms. You can see their living rooms at the back of the shop) also small supermarkets, pharmacy, banks etc. Yesterday we went to the local museum where we learnt how olive oil is made and to an exhibition of art by local artists. 

Tonight our meal will be entirely cooked in the oven as we don’t have an oven in Campy and we are longing for a tray of roasted vegetables. 

If the weather isn’t too good we have lots to entertain us. As well as Petra’s tapestry and Kev’s painting we can play with the entertainment here. Lots of jigsaws (even an Archers jigsaw, what luck!), books, games, DVDs and Spanish TV if we feel like having a treat. 

There is lots to see and do in the area. A couple of large cities to visit, Seville and Granada. Other places recommended in the visitor info are a flamingo lake, a Wolf park, other local towns and villages. Endless walking opportunities, wildlife to see and fantastic star gazing.

The best news of all? It stopped raining today after 4 days of rain. 

Friday 26 October

We were ready to leave Antequerra by 9am and without disturbing our neighbours we gently drove off the Aire. The last few days have been quite challenging for us not only from the appalling weather but from the poor facilities made available for motor-caravanners like us. The Spanish have a lot to learn from the French and apparently the Germans when it comes to providing facilities. We appreciate that we are traveling out of season, but the sites (Aires) that are provided are done so to encourage people to stay, visit the town or village and spend some money there. All of the Aires we have stayed on in Spain have been pretty shabby or even if the facilities are good we have felt too nervous to stay or leave the van unattended. Today we decided that we needed a good night’s sleep and in an attempt to get out of the rain we drove to the coast and Malaga. Our chosen destination was nothing more than a caravan storage depot on the outskirts of the City, not far from the motorway and airport. On the way did a large supermarket shop in readiness for moving into the house. 

The drive was fantastic through a mountainous area and the motorway wound it’s way through a deep gorge bursting it’s way out onto the Costa del Sol and the Malaga metropolis skyline. The sight of the sky scraper buildings on the coast was mildly interesting but not today for us, so we let it be for another time. Instead we drove straight to our depot and were met by a very nice chap who showed us to our spot nestling between all of the parked and stored caravans and motorhomes. Yet again we were on our own but buy now the sun had come out. We were in a gated complex with a 24 hour guard, electricity and toilets and we felt safe, secure and dry. We spent the afternoon relaxing and reading. After dinner we played cribbage but were a bit rusty on the rules. Dad we needed you!

Thursday 25 October

We are losing track of the amount of rainy days we have had but one thing is for sure we won’t be staying another day paying €20 per night on our own on a waterlogged campsite. We are sure on a bright, sunny, hot day the campsite would be idyllic but on a horrible rain soaked day like today it’s time to move on. We packed everything away and set off to a free Aire about 50km away in Archidona. We arrived at lunchtime to a deserted split level car park. It was still pouring with rain, but soon after it cleared up. This enabled us to hang out our wet clothing and give the van a wash. During this time we were alone apart from a couple youths in cars on the upper level of the car park. Our suspicions were raised by this and also by the sight of vehicle made donuts on the gravel of the car park. At around 4pm our fears were realised when the 2 cars reappeared followed by a third with a group of youths in it who deliberately stared at us and made us feel quite uncomfortable. Clearly we were on their play ground. We decided as there was another Aire not far away that we would move. Had we had more company on the site we would have been happy to stay, but on our own why take the risk?

We drove to Antequera, a fairly large town and into the Aire which was easy to find. The facilities consisted of a long strip of parking spaces painted green and was close to a main road. Towards the end of the site we saw a very large motor home which was towing a Ford Ka on a trailer. It had British number plates. We thought this was great as it was the first British people we had encountered since we left Calpe and there was a nice gap next to them. Reversing the van up we were rather surprised to receive a rather indignant and may we say rude, toot on their large horn. We parked the van some 20 feet away from their van and Kevin went to introduce himself to our neighbours for the night. It turned out that the van contained an elderly couple and a tiny Yorkshire terrier. The male occupant seemed fairly reasonable but the female was not happy about us parking where we had It was she who had tooted the horn, all because she thought  if we parked too close we would make the dog bark. Kevin explained that in a place like this safety in numbers is paramount and we were staying put.

Walking back to the van it was immediately apparent that this was not going to be an quiet spot to camp for either of us for the night and so it proved as matters got much worse as the night went on. The first  issue was the noise of the traffic, constant and heavy. Next was the gym which was about 25’ from the van. They had all the windows open and we could hear the clanging of weights being lifted (and dropped) along with their PA system. As soon as we arrived on the site we spotted 2 men standing under a canopy to the right of the gym sheltering from the still pouring rain (also adding to the noise as it pelted the roof of the van). At first we thought the men were waiting for their children to come out of the gym as it was now clearly the kids turn to use the gym. But at about 8pm they were joined by 2 more men carrying bottles of beer and the foursome with animated voices decided to put the world to rights. We found this a little intimidating and really wanted them to go. At about 9pm they did. 

At 9.15 we put the roof down on the van and as things were now quiet, we thought we could at least try and get some sleep and that’s when the disco-aerobics started. Basically it was club music played at high volume and on 2 occasions the PA system was turned up to full throttle which must have made everybody’s window rattle within a hundred yards. It all ended at 10pm and quiet was restored. 

We did not enjoy our stay, not only from the noise levels but from the rude welcome we had received from a fellow Brit shame on them and we hope their dog added to their misery and gave them a sleepless night.

Wednesday 24 October

We decided today was a good day to catch up on the blog so we walked down the steep cobblestone streets into Grazalema village centre. Our first visit of the day was to the local artisan weaving centre. It was very interesting - we walked through a dusty museum full of ancient machinery. In the workshop we saw a man stitching hems onto blankets. In the office-come showroom we were met by a Señora who showed us some of the products that they make including ponchos, scarves, hats, blankets and throws. All made from local pure wool. We really liked all the designs and would loved to have taken away a nice double blanket, basic colour of cream with a brown crisscross pattern woven into it. But at €139 it was difficult to justify. Especially as we have 2 wonderful apache Indian Pendleton blankets with us already. We walked back up the village and spent a very productive late morning and lunchtime in the local bar drinking beer, eating tapas and getting up to date with the blog. 

We returned to Campy with some food supplies just before the rain started. It didn’t stop raining for the rest of the day and all night. The campsite was becoming waterlogged and it was difficult to dry out. 

Calpe - Grazalema

Wednesday 24 October

We spent the day in Grazalema sitting in a bar taking advantage of the free WiFi and drinking beer. We also visited the local artisan textile and leather makers including a small factory that made beautiful woollen blankets.


Tuesday 23 October

We have still not got used to how dark it is in the mornings, we generally wake up at 7 - 7.30 and it doesn’t get light until around 8.15. This morning was particularly dark as the sun rose behind a large mountain to our East. We set off at 09.30 and drove the 1km to a power wash in Olivera. For €1.50 we had the lance with hot soapy water which lasts for a good 10mins. It was very rewarding to give Campy’s wheels and wheel arches a good blast off. We then set off to our target for the day of Ronda.

The drive was about an hour and over beautiful mountainous terrain. We arrived at 10.50.
Ronda was bigger than we had anticipated and much busier. The streets are narrow and street parking is the norm. After going round in circles a few times we found a fantastic car park that was gated and had 24 hour security cover (and toilets). We left Campy safe in the knowledge that she would be there when we came back.

Ronda is famous for many things - one of them is that it was the birthplace of modern bullfighting and also the new 18th century Ronda bridge that spans the deep El Tajo gorge that splits the town in two. It spans a 100m chasm below and has unparalleled views over the Serrania de Ronda mountains. 

We walked through the park which opens up to magnificent vistas coming out at the bullring, Plaza de Toros. From here we walked to the bridge, took several photos of the bridge and views as did copious amounts of tourists and a very loud party of Spanish school kids. It is very difficult to get the classic photo of the bridge without climbing a zig-zag and (as the sign says, dangerous) path down deep into the valley. 

We wandered down the narrow cobbled streets looking at shops, houses, museums and many churches. Ronda is one of the many white villages in this area, precariously built on the sides of mountains and very picturesque. In this old quarter we found a small Tapas bar and sat outside on the terrace which overlooked the village and surrounding mountains. We sat in the shade enjoying a large platter of salad, a plate of marinaded and sizzling hot meats with a basket of bread. All swilled down with 2 bottles of cold beer and a couple of expressos. A very filling lunch and not bad for €20.

After lunch we meandered along the main shopping streets and went into some very interesting shops selling everything - hats, knives, gloves; everything a tourist could wish for. We came away with a new bottle opener. Result! Everywhere then stopped for the siesta and we thought this would be a good time to leave and find somewhere to stay tonight. 

We drove to Grazalema, another of the white villages. The drive involved a 16km stretch of single lane, winding road, with hundreds of blind bends through craggy mountains. We took our time and enjoyed the drive. This village is small but very picturesque. It’s over 800m high up with a Plaza in the centre lined with bars and restaurants. The cottage industry here is producing woolen blankets, rugs, ponchos and scarves from the sheep who graze the lush mountain pastures (hint - it’s a wet climate) but thankfully not today. 

We spent the night on a campsite at the top of the village with wonderful views.

Monday 22 October

It was with great relief that we woke at 7am and found our wheels still on the van, we had prepared Campy ready to go the previous evening so within half an hour we were on the road and it was still dark. In discussions the previous evening we decided that we had had enough of the Costa’s and the coastal route. We agreed that we were wanted to make our way inland to do some sightseeing near to what would be our winter home base. Our destination for today was an Aire at Olvera 10km north of Ronda. 

The route we had decided to take took us through the Sierra Nevada, a huge mountain range. We climbed continuously for a couple of hours. until we were in the clouds and the tops of the mountains were covered in snow. The landscape was ever changing, one minute multicoloured rock, the next weatherworn sandstone. Sometimes barren of vegetation, sometimes quite lush. Throughout the journey there was very little traffic on the road and on several occasions there was nothing in front and nothing behind. By the time we reached Guadix Campy needed refueling and we went into a Repsol garage along with some truckers. A very nice lady came out and served us to our fuel. (We cannot remember when we were last served fuel). Finally, much to our relief, we started our descent. A relief as the fuel consumption had taken a hit. We skirted past Granada. It was about this point it dawned on us that the Spanish don’t do anything by halves. we have already mentioned the polytunnels. It was now the turn of the wind turbines, solar panel farms and olive trees. All of which were done on a massive scale. Particularly the olive trees which covered the undulating trees in perfect symmetry for mile after mile after mile. 

It would appear once the Spanish have hit on a good idea they push it to the limit - it makes good economic sense but does nothing for the view. 

We were approaching Loja on the motorway when Kevin came off the motorway as he had spotted a caravan sales area. We had been looking for a supplier of Camping Gaz for a few days but it is not available from garages. A very kind man there said that although he did not sell it his colleague would take us to the place where w could get some. 10 mins later we had a full bottle of Gaz exchanged for the empty at a cost of €14. (£11.20 - in the UK the same bottle would cost £25)

By lunchtime we had arrived at our destination, Olvera and made our way to the Aire, which we decided not fit for purpose. We then booked ourselves into the local campsite for €16 .

It was very hot on the site but we had a spectacular view. Probably the best view we have ever had from a campsite. Great showers etc. The only drawback was lots of flies. 

Sunday 21 October

Thankfully the weather had changed when we got up and the campsite looked a much brighter place. Inspired and feeling refreshed, we decided that we would take a walk up to the village of Mojocar. The walk up to the village is of course steep and we had no idea what to expect when we got there. As we neared the village the streets got narrower to the point where it would be impossible for a vehicle to enter and the climb continued until eventually we reached a point where we didn’t know which way to go. A very nice local English lady showed us the way and we all puffed and panted our way up the hill.

We eventually found ourselves in the centre of the village which had a contemporary feel about it even thought he outskirts were clearly old. The white painted walls and the morning light made it feel fresh and cool and a delight to be in.  

After  a short conversation with 2 English couples we started looking around the back streets of the village. We discovered a labyrinth of back streets and stairways leading to delightful flower-strewn passages to houses and shops. We saw a delightful Pharmacy which was bedecked in a trailing and flowering tree. Thought of Josie. We also poked our heads into a courtyard restaurant which had the most stunning views across the valley below.

Mojocar is one of those places that you could easily find yourself living in. A pure delight to walk round and a feast for the eye to see. By now it was approaching lunchtime and we made our way back to the campsite and headed off towards our next destination. 

5 km down the road along the coast Kev suddenly realised that he had left his Crocs under the van when we left the campsite. A very short debate followed and we were then on our way back. Sure enough when we arrived back at the site there they were with a nice tyre mark over each one but nevertheless unscathed after their ordeal. 

Setting off for a second time along a now familiar route, we left the coast behind us and were taken up into a very steep and windy road. We steadily climbed very quickly up the Sierra Alhamilla to what seemed an enormous height and the drops at the side of the road were very sheer. It took a lot of concentration to drive and a lot of gear changing. 

The destination for the day was La Isleta which is situated in the Sierra do Cabo de Gata, part of Europe's on desert. As we came down from the mountains we were advised that there was a huge white hotel that had been built without planning permission. We saw the hotel and couldn’t believe the size of it (see photo). This area is designated a National Park so how they got this far in the build is unknown. Traveling this route we have come across several oddities which took us by surprise, for example, imagine driving through the Welsh mountains, all craggy and slate like and then turning a corner and seeing lush green grass golf course  snaking it’s way up a valley with a terra cotta urbanisation slapped onto the landscape. It seems so out of place and totally inappropriate for the natural beauty of the area. What’s more these places appear to be unused. 

We came into a huge valley which was completely covered in polythene greenhouses; the scale was simply enormous. Try to imagine a valley at least 15 miles across stretching as far as the eye can see, glistening and reflecting white. We drove across the valley to get to La Islata, a small town with a beach and we recognized it from the photo in the Camperstop book as being a possible free place to stop the night. Unfortunately we were the only camper there and so not safe to stop the night . e decided to move onto to Cabo de Gata. This area is know for the filming of Spaghetti Westerns and it is easy to see why. The landscape is arid scrubland. We passed through one town and caught the eye of every person hanging around at the side of the road. We would not stop in this town. Finally we arrived at Cabo de Gata and almost immediately fell upon our fellow wild campers who were all parked up facing the Med with the wind blowing hard and the sea quite rough. 

We were grateful to find somewhere to stay the night and we had fellow campers with us. some were only there for the day and a sit got dark they headed off but 7 of us remained. It was not a comfortable night as we both felt a bit nervous as this was our first wild camp and seeing the locals on the way in had unnerved us slightly. It is too easy to become paranoid when free camping. Anyway once the curtains were shut we were in bed by 9pm as usual but had a restless night’s sleep. We could hear the waves breaking on the shore but no other untoward noise at all. 

Saturday 20 October

What a day......We were awake at 8.10am but quite frankly all the worse for a poor nights sleep. Not sure if it was the copious amount of wine or the anticipation of the journey ahead. We didn’t rush as we weren't going far about 150 km to a place called La Marina.

The weather was foul, pouring with rain, but undeterred we paid our dues to the campsite and set off having said our goodbyes to Trevor at 10am. We set off in the direction of Calpe and stopped at a Garage to see if we could get a replacement bottle of Campingaz. We couldn’t. The climb out of Calpe is steep and the volume of water coming down the hill was impressive. We drove slowly and made our way to the safety of the open road.

The road continued to climb and became increasingly twisty, we were following a yellow VW van like ours and at one right hand blind bend we heard a bang and the van in front came to a sudden stop. Luckily, Kevin was keeping a safe distance and also managed to stop but, in the mirror the vehicle behind struggle to control his car. In the nick of time he managed to pull up short of our bumper. Looking forward it was clear that there had been quite a bang involving 3 cars, one a BMW which was in the ditch and the other two cars, an old red Fiesta and another small white hatchback had hit head on. All the people in the cars were ok but looked very shocked and you could see they were confused. The owners of the white car were an elderly couple and he had a cut to his head. The lady bless her was just wondering around in a daze.

In no time at all people were out of their cars and a man took control. The casualties were taken to one side and before we knew it a group of men were at the car blocking the carriageway and pushed it away to allow free flow of the traffic. We were amazed by this as we would never think of moving the wreckage of such a serious accident until the police had been to do their investigations and taken photos etc. We stayed in the van as we thought we would only confuse matters to have two brits wondering around and besides it was all under control. We were waved through and carried on with our journey, a little shocked but grateful we were not two cars up the flow of traffic.

La Marina arrived soon enough and we started to look for a place to camp for free. There were some isolated vans on a beach but didn’t feel comfortable so we moved on. We then drove into the hills between Murcia and Cartagena, we were on new dual carriageways and the driving was nice and relaxing as we ate up the km.

In front of us appeared a new range of mountains called the Sierra De Almenara these are quite impressive and reminded us of Wales and the slate hills. They are very jagged and course and made up of slabs of rock. How the Spanish smashed a road through these hills is beyond us, you could see the old road which snaked the route before as it criss crossed the new road. The men who built the road are remembered with one of their tarmac steam rollers put on a pedestal. 

Dropping down from the De Los Filabres mountains to the plains at the bottom towards the coastal area of Punta Del Rio it was clear that there had been serious flooding. Although the region was now dry the remains of the devastation was absolutely clear to see. all of the fields were washed away. and now cracked from where they had dried out. Sides of roads had been eroded and we could see that houses hadn’t escaped. Everything was covered with the same colour silt that the river had deposited on it’s retreat. As we ventured down matters got worse and we crossed the Rio Almanzora by the coast where a bridge had been totally washed away and we drove down and up the bed of the river. It was at this same point that the concrete turnpike began which finally washes out to sea. Incredibly the force of the water had ripped huge pieces of concrete from where they were placed undermining the ground behind them. We carried on only to pass over the river again and looking up the turnpike we could see deposited silt rippling like giant sand dunes. These were interspersed with uprooted trees and all manner of debris. 

It was quite shocking to see and showed us the enormous power of the waters coming from the mountain and we could not help but think of the Tsunami devastation. We went through Puerto Rey, a very unattractive modern metropolis of apartment blocks and villas all painted in very bright colours interspersed with blocks of monotone terracotta. This town had not escaped the ravages or the flood and we crossed the path of the flow which had swept away everything in its path, racing through peoples’ homes. Piled up at the side of the road were peoples’ possessions waiting to be removed. 

We tried a number of places for campsites all to no avail, by now we had done over 300km and been driving for 5.30hrs excluding lunch so we were getting tired. The Camperstop book gave us a site in a small town called Mojacar. For some reason the coordinates in the book are always wrong and put up some 50km to the east of our supposed destination so we put into the GPS the centre of the town and thought we work it out when we arrive. Unfortunately, we forgot we had done this and as we approached the town it was clear that things were not going well for us. The road got steeper and narrower until we arrived smack in the town centre looking at dead ends all around and cars parked everywhere. In the end we had to turn the van around by reversing it up a very narrow street and retrace our way out. It was at this point we decided we had had enough and on the way out Kev saw some camper vans on a campsite. Within 2min we were on the site, tired but relieved to be off the road and tucking into a welcome bottle of Lidl’s best lager.

Friday 19 October

Today saw a change in the weather, It started at dusk last night with a huge dark cloud coming from the direction of the rock. It had a funny colour a sort of red, dark, menacing and foreboding. As it happened it didn’t rain in the night but the cloud had deposited a lovely red dust over all the vans including poor Campy.

The weather hadn’t got any better by morning and it now looked like the heavens were about to open but unfortunately, it never did. It did try all day and we did try to visit the old part of Calpe but we were beaten back by a sudden bout of large spots of rain. Kevin decided as it was already raining it couldn’t hurt to wash the van. He even cleaned the wheel arches, a job he had been putting off for a week. She did look very smart by the time he had finished and strangely this sort of thing is contagious as several others were seen with their cleaning gear giving their pride and joy’s the once over.

in the morning we met Trevor and he invited us to take a look at his motorhome. He has a huge Frankia with a garage at the back big enough to put his Triumph motorbike in. As you can imagine the motorhome has all the luxuries you can imagine and we thought it was great.

At 5.30pm Trevor came over to see us and we were just settling in to the white wine outside Campy when it started to rain. We all picked up our chairs and made our way over to his super motorhome. Trevor unrolled the awning and we were made for the night. This sort of thing has happened to us on a number of occasions now and we love it. Fresh bread, oil and vinegar dips, nuts, crisps and well, anything we can get hold of really and we talk the night away. The white gave way to the rose and in turn it gave way to a full blooded tinto reserve.

We were all chatting away when an enormous camper arrived, the owner was a Brit and was towing the biggest motorbike I have ever seen, Think, the rear of a Honda Goldwing, the middle and front end of a huge skidoo and three wheels, two at the front and one at the back. This was a mega machine and the owner was justly proud of it. Apparently it cost £24,000.....we helped him to unhitch the trailer, as the ground is a very fine gravel the weight of the trailer made the jockey wheel sink into it and as we turned the monster the tyre popped off. The owner was a really nice man who had driven all the way from Malaga that morning and once settled he came over and gave us a can of Fosters each. Totally unnecessary but a kind gesture.

We stumbled into bed at 10.30pm very merry but rewarded by the good company and interesting evening.

Thursday 18 October

What a corking day we had today! When we woke up we were a little concerned as it was a cloudy morning and the sun was barely breaking through. We had debated whether to move on and discussed it during the night but decided that as we like it here in Calp and if you stay on the site for 4 nights or more there is a reduced tariff so we thought we may as well take advantage. If we stay four days, the 4th day would only cost €4. The problem is the weather is about to change - Kevin had cleaned the van and that usually means rain.

We wandered down into Calp still hunting for the elusive beach mats, some flip flops and a beard trimmer for Kev. Both of us were in desperate need of a haircut and have been looking for a hairdresser for the last couple of days. Today we managed to find one - Pierre Phillipe, stylist. A mediterranean tanned, dark haired gentleman with the same mannerisms as you would find in most hairdressers around the world. He was a very nice chap indeed and we asked if he could fit us in and to our surprise he could, within and hour we were both duly cut and styled and very pleased with the results. €42 for us both we left very happy with our new haircuts. Strangely looking blonder than when we went in.

We walked down to the beach and headed towards the harbour it was now around lunchtime. We stopped to sit on the sea side wall and admire the views out of the blue a lady offered to take our photo together, at the same time the party of 4 that she was with started chatting to us about local restaurants. They advised us of a very good Chinese restaurant near the harbour. Hungry we set off in search. We walked along the seafront and turned left under a bridge and sure enough there it was. 

We had been warned about the waitress but were slightly taken aback by her officious demeanor. Clearly either this person was not happy to be at work or enjoyed shocking people. We decided to sit outside which was undercover, each table had 4 chairs but stacked in pairs. To be helpful we decided to separate the chairs at our table only to be told ‘NO TWO’ so we stacked them again and sat down immediately understanding why. Either the table was too high for the chairs or the chairs were too low for the table. 

Sorted, we were given menus as you would expect but we had been advised by the people on the seafront to go for the menu of the day. This includes a three course meal and a bottle of wine and after-luncheon liqueurs. However, we were quite hot from the walk and asked the waitress for 2 bottles of San Miguel as a thirst quencher. She then took our food order and we opted for the white wine. 

Our officious friend disappeared with our order and immediately returned with the chicken noodle soup plonking it on the table (spilling some in Petra’s saucer) and the wine. No sign of the San Miguel but as the wine was very good and really cold we didn’t worry. Kev had beef, bamboo shoots and mushroom. Petra had chicken with almonds, both with fried rice. We both had ice cream for desert. The food was excellent.

It was extremely hot today, in excess of 30 degrees. Whilst waiting for our deserts a German couple arrived and sat not far from us. After a few minutes they complained about it being too cold and moved to a table inside the restaurant!

Anyway, when we had finished we asked for the bill and it arrived with a choice of 3 spirits. Cognac, Peach Schnapps and a mystery bottle of Chinese stuff. Petra opted for the safe Schnapps and Kevin braved the Chinese stuff. Two amazing events then ensued. Firstly the waitress left us with the bottles to help ourselves (we liked her now) and secondly was the cost of the meal. An extraordinary €12 all in. 

It is our view that you could become a serious alcoholic in Calp. The alcohol flows thick and fast and costs next to nothing. There are huge amount of Brits that live and winter in Calp and it must be very easy to be swept along with the cheap lifestyle.

After lunch we stumbled back to Campy and slept off the wine and Chinese stuff. 

Following dinner we were joined by Trevor for a few drinks. He is a Scot traveling and following the Moto GP. He is joined occasionally by his wife when she gets time off work. A lovely evening exchanging our life experiences.