Week 15

5 December 2016
We woke in Javea to the sound of a pile driver from the building site close by. Just what you don't need when your trying to have a lie in. Once ready we drove up to the Marina at the other end of town to have a butchers and very nice it was too. After a couple of hours looking round we jumped in the van and headed in the general direction of Calpe.

We stopped at a small town with a beautiful sea front named Moriaira and parked up on a large car park with plenty of other Motorhome's on the edge of town. Val made us some lunch and then we set off in the van looking for the promenade. No sooner had we exited the car park we spotted the sea. We drove down to the prom, turned around and headed straight back to the car park. 

We headed out again on the hoof the few hundred yards back down to the sea front. The temperature on an electronic sign said 17° but it didn't feel quite that hot. There was one chap walking on the beach however, with nothing on but a sarong and croc's. It was a very picturesque sea front and we took loads of snaps before having a look round the Marina and the quaint shops and bars around the town centre. It was getting on for 4pm by the time we got back to the van so we decided to stay the night and have another walk into town later on. 

After dinner we headed out into town. There were still some shops open and quite a few bars with a enough punters to make it worth their while. We had a walk down to the Marina and then through the back streets to the van. We just got in before the heavens opened and it remained constant throughout the night. Nice and cozy in the van though with Val trying to sort us out some secure parking and me reading a good book about hitch hiking round Ireland with a fridge. Sounds good to a couple of happy campers. 

6 December 2016

Throughout the night we had a howling gale and heavy rain which woke me a few times but once I'd paid a visit I was back to sleep in a jiffy. 

We slept late and took our time getting ready to set off. I was just switching the gas off when the police arrived to move us on. It was the first time it's happened but probably not the last. The officer who spoke to me was very nice. He asked is I wanted to be told in Spanish or English. It's probably a regular occurrence if your wild camping. 

We headed for Calpe once more and finally got there. The aire that our Irish navigator Jerry directed us to was an aire no longer. We made our way to the sea front and parked up so that we could have a look round. The aires that were available were fully booked and there were lots of Motorhome's parked up in the streets. Calpe wasn't really to our taste so after a good looked round we moved on. 

Our next stop was Altea. We parked up and had a look round the Marina which was very commercialised. We were struggling to find a spot and Jerry got us lost a couple of times. We had read about an aire on our Dutch app, Campercontact. The place we were looking for was called Daniella's and after getting lost another couple of times we finally worked out how to get there as it was down a dirt track, under a bridge about 50 meters from the shore. Very rustic, but it suited us down to the ground. All the facilities which were a little bohemian and you could only plug into the electricity for two hours and after dark. 

With the help of the iboost we got a good strong wifi signal so after dinner, a shower and charging up all our devices we had time for a quick episode of Suits. Happy Days. 

7 December 2016

Wall to wall sunshine greeted us this morning as we woke up just as the weather forecast had predicted. It also predicted that it was set fair for the next few days. That pretty good when you think that Hillary Clinton should be president elect and Britain should have voted to keep being be run by Brussels bureaucrats. 

After a hearty breakfast of cornflakes we headed out on the bikes along the strangest of cycle tracks that actually ran between some of the cafes dining tables on Altea's promenade. The Spain guidebook has a paragraph detailing how one of the waiters went arse over tit with a tray of food flying everywhere after stepping out into the path of a cyclist on said cycle path without looking. 

We went as far as we could along the prom to the next town which was called L'Alfàs del Pi. We locked up the bikes and went exploring on foot. There were lots of bars and swak shops a bit like Morecambe promenade in the summer. We had a walk into the town centre and even found a large car park with one English Motorhome, one German, one Spanish and about a dozen Dutch vans on it. We noted down the coordinates for future reference and took a couple of photographs. 

As we headed back to the bikes we couldn't resist a pint and a tapas for €1.50. It was just after midday but the bar looked like it was in full swing and had been for some time. Judging by the sobriety of our fellow drinkers some had been in there quite a while and they weren't all British. We had a pleasant hour in their company before remounting the bikes and heading back to the van trying not to imperil any poor waiters on route. 

After lunch with the sun still shining brightly we got the recliners out and did a bit of sunbathing and reading at the same time. I finally finished my Tony Hawks book and am now looking forward to another of his offering which is about his adventures with a piano in the Pyrenees. I can't wait. 

Val cooked us a steak dinner and had to contend with our fluctuating electricity supply. Daniela who runs the site allows us to plug in for a couple of hours from 7:00 till 9:00 but the power tonight kept going on and off. We don't need the power as we can switch on to gas for cooking and rely on our solar for light but when Daniela's power goes so does her wifi. What about our evening episodes of Suits. 

The sun shines on the righteous, we must have been rewarded for helping an old lady last night. She was trying to get down a slope with her walking frame on wheels. Val held the front to stop her doing a wheelie whilst I linked her arm and we got her onto level ground in one piece. Steak, Suits and a drop of vino. Contented campers. 

Daniela Aire N38° 36.378' W0° 2.456' €10 per night. 

8 December 2016

Day 100 since we left Wyre Close and we woke 50 metres from the sea in Altea just a cock stride from Benidorm. I didn't realise we were so close until we started driving this morning. We wanted to check out a site called Almafra which is on the outskirts of Benidorm and when we put the coordinates in the TomTom, our sat navigator Sean the Irishman informed us it was only about 5km away. No wonder the price of a pint has been getting lower. 

Of course we couldn't set of until the van was cleaned and hovered just in case we have burgers when it's in storage. How could we sleep at night unless we had prepared for the eventually? 

We found Almafra after first of all getting lost up some narrow winding lane. Some backing up was needed before getting on the correct course. Val had fed Shaun the wrong coordinates so he couldn't be to blame under the circumstances. When we arrived we parked up and went into reception to enquire about availability in January. "Abla Englies" I said to the receptionist, her response being "a little". Then in perfect English she told me they were booked up till April. We had a butcher though for future reference. 

Our next stop was a little town called Villajoyosa. We stopped and had a very late lunch before getting out and exploring the town. We walked up onto the cliff and took a few photographs and then had a walk down onto the beach. It was a quaint little town with a couple of campsites and a nice quiet feel to it. 

Next we headed for Alicante. It was too late to try and find a camping store we intended to visit. So we tried to find our storage spot ready for tomorrow. Google maps wasn't much help as they don't give you the coordinates. We drove round and round, in and out of the airport and pulled in for the third time in a small village called El Altet. We had passed without any warning the opening to our secure parking location. Now it was a case of trying to get back to the same spot made difficult as it was on a dual carriageway only accessible from one side. We managed to get back there and pulled in to take down the coordinates which should make life easy in the morning. 

Our final stop was at a wild camping spot at a large flat car park right on the beach just north east of Santa Pola. As I'm updating the blog Val has the window wide open trying to cool down. We have just got everything ready for the morrow and kept up with the United match with a mixture of internet radio and the Sky Sports app. Mhyki's first goal for the club and another for Zlatan to put the game to bed. I hope it's light in the morning before we leave this place as is a stunning spot and i would love to take a photograph as it was dark as we arrived. An early night for the not so sleepy campers toady for an early dart. 

Camino del Carabasi - Wild Camping Spot - 38°13′32" N - 00°30′38" W

9 - 30 December 2016

Our time was spent between London, Sheffield and Morecambe before flying back to Alicante. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Week 14

28 November 2016
After a thunderstorm that lasted all night we got out of bed with the alarm to get ready for our second lesson in Español. We are finding it difficult because of the speed of the speech. There are some apps online that you can slow the words down to give you the chance to hear the words more clearly. Remembering how the letters of the alphabet are pronounced is the key but it's easier said than done. Still it's enjoyable to try and learn. Reading things is easier because there is no time limit on translation.

The rain finally stopped just before noon and that gave us the chance to get some jobs done like taking the rubbish and fetching the water. We also did a bit of planning as to where we might go on Friday when we leave here. It could be Segorbe or Valencia or it could be both. There are aires in both places that look ok and if the one in Segorbe is ok we'll have a night there before moving to Valencia.

In the afternoon we put the walking boots on and had a good hour on the hoof exploring some new ground. Val always seems to know how to get us back to base no matter how aimlessly we wander. After she guided us back to familiar ground and we got back to the site it was time for another Pétanque challenge. I got spanked again 2-1.

We managed to get one of the outside carpets up and on the line ready to be washed and dried before being put away before Friday. The outside table got put away before darkness really set in.

The plan was for a quiet night and then we noticed Ding Dong has turned up because we heard the ding dong going on. As I'm bringing the blog up to date just before bed they are in the chatting stage. Hopefully I'll be asleep before the bang bang starts. Last night it was thunder and lightning and I'm betting our Russian friend hopes its a similar thing tonight. Night night happy campers.

29 November 2016

We woke up on Giggsy's birthday after an undisturbed sleep. It was either all quiet on the Russian front or we slept through the moans and groans. We were greeted with a cloudy start to the day and the rain soon appeared. 

We had a lazy morning, every time we started to get ready to go out it seemed to start raining again. I went out at one stage and uncovered the bikes only to find Val's back tyre as flat as a pancake. Where are our Dutch friends Lex and Shiska when we need them.

One the plus side It gave me time to get stuck into my book. Every time I start reading at night my eyes are closing after about two pages. It took two chapters before I needed a snooze. 

Val woke me as it was as dry as it was going to get and we walked down to the promenade and had a bit of a stroll, which worked up a slight thirst so we called at the only bar we could find that was open. It was a cornucopia of oddments which made us want to take a few photographs whilst enjoying a cerveza. Time started to get the better of us and we obviously wanted to get a good seat before Pointless started so that Val could clearly hear Alexander Armstrong's questions, so it was back to the van with a matter of urgency. 

After a lovely peri peri chicken made by her who must be obeyed we settled in for a quiet evening and our regulation episodes of Suits. Our neighbours across the way had erected a large well lit Christmas Tree inside their awning and an even brighter reindeer outside. They'll be singing Carol's next. 

30 November 2016

We woke to a cloudy but dry morning with a forecast of 0% precipitation, yeah. The first job was to fix Val's puncture. When I turned the bike over and had a look at her tyre I found three "catch" (that's what the Spanish call them). They are little round things with spikes coming out of them and come off a certain kind of tree and love attaching themselves to bike tyre. Three catch, three punctures, three patches with glue, job done. 

We are getting ready to move on so both outside carpets got cleaned and put away. The sides of the tent got taken off and put away so we got well ahead of the game. Not much left to do tomorrow except for taking the tent down which only takes about ten minutes and then Friday morning the ramps and the silver screens and we'll be on our way. 

In the afternoon we had a ride along the promenade into town and beyond along the Ruta de Las Villas. The route is divided into two zones, one named Hell and the other, the Celestial Court. Apparently, Hell was so called because of the livelier, more unruly characters who lived there. A lot of the villas now are in need of refurbishments but some are still in use. There are information boards out side them telling their architectural style and history. 

On the way back we did a bit of shopping at Mercadona and then called at the Chinese shop. I bought a new seat for my bike and stocked up on patches and glue to stick on Val's inner tubes, €8.90. We could have bought a reindeer to compete with the neighbours but where would it have ended. It could have meant daily visits to buy illuminated trees and Santa's and all sorts of other festive decorations. Maybe next year. 

Darkness was creeping in so Val had to get the best seat in the van ready for Richard Osman and Alexander Armstrong and the chance to get that all important pointless answer. Whooo, sweaty palms. 

I did a bit of catching up with the blog and debating with myself where to watch the match later on. Rely on the wifi in the van or go down to the clubhouse to see if the games on there. Life keeps throwing these monumental decisions at us, especially as the 9:00pm kick off had to be taken into account.

It all went pear shaped. I got the game on wifi and managed to see United's first goal which came in the second minute then the picture froze never to move again. I went down to the bar only to find the Copa del Ray was being extensively covered on the Spanish sports channels so no joy there. Radio Five Live block their signal abroad but I got the audio on Talksport and enjoyed the match and the draw for the semi finals. Almost midnight. Night night happy campers. 

1 December 2016

Our last full day in Benicasim meant some cleaning, washing and packing away. I'm glad we made a start yesterday. The first job though was to watch the match highlights on YouTube. 

Once we were showered Val put a couple of washes on whilst I took the tent down and we both washed it down. We were just about to jump on the bikes when we realised Val had another puncture. I'm going to call her the puncture Queen. At least she only had one and it was is the front wheel which made things easier. Soon fixed and we cycled into town to the Thursday market to buy the strangest looking tomatoes I've ever seen. The guy on the stall called them Negro and they are a greeny black colour. 

We got back just in time for the Thurday lunch of Paella and la grande cervera for €5, champion. The only snag was we could only have the one beer as we had lots to do. Getting everything dry was the hard bit. We had to re-erect the tent and put it in the middle of the road so it was in a clean sunny spot. Some of our washing is spending the night in one of the heated shower blocks and should be bone dry in the morning. 

Before Pointless there was just time for a game of Pétanque, we were 12-12 in the best of three final with Val pipping yours truly at the post. Calamity. 

A quiet night was the order of the day with the alarm set for 8:00am but it had to include what might be our last two episodes of Suits for a while. Happy campers. 

2 December 2016

Even with the alarm going off at 8:00 am we still didn't get away till 11:00. There seemed to be so little left to do but whatever it as took us almost all morning. Saying bye bye to everyone always takes a while because you have to have a chat. Paco, Jamie and their sister Poona made a fuss as we were leaving which was nice and we'll have to go back if only for some of Poona's Spanish lesson. Volveremos.

We headed to Sagunto hoping to have a look round the old part of the town but parking was a nightmare and the roads were narrow and awkward. After a few circuits we gave up. We did get a couple of photo's of the ancient Roman City of Saguntum which is high up above the town. Val used her expertise at taking snaps through techniques. 

We put the coordinates in the sat Nav for Valencia Camper Park which is just outside Bètera, a small village 17 km from Valencia. It is ideal for getting he tram into the city which apparently takes about 20 minutes. Once we had parked up we went out exploring. We found the metro quite easily as it's only about 400 metres from the site. 

Once back at the site we enjoyed our complementary glass of sangria at the bar come restaurant which was very nice. The cerveza was €3 a pop but as we'd stocked up with a 12 pack at €0.23 a can we had the next drink in the van, tight buggers but it tasted good. 

I caught up with Question Time on YouTube and then we had a bit of Pointless and the News before the evening followed it usual course. A good wifi signal meant we could watch some Suits. We are going to have withdrawal symptoms when it comes to an end. Night night happy campers. 

Valencia Camper Park: 39°34′49.48″N 00°26′41.47″W - €15 with 4 amp electric. €12 without electric. 

3 December 2016

We woke with the alarm. Showered and breakfasted as soon as possible and then off to the Metro with half of the other people on the aire. Valencia Camper Park is 19 km out of town. Why it got its name needs some thinking about. 

It was cloudy when we got off the train and then it brightened for a couple of hours and then cloudy again with a bit of rain before we got the train home. I thought for a while it was like summer at home. 

No matter what the weather it couldn't take away from Valencia. The architecture was breathtaking. Whichever way you turned there was something to see. The photographs we took don't do the place justice and we must have taken a bucketload. The old town which is what we tried to cover was compact and the map we got from our campsite made it easy to see the sights. By about 5:00 pm we hade done everything we wanted except seeing the city with the Christmas lights on. 

We adjourned to a bar, as one does to watch the second half of Barca vs Real Madrid. Fortunately the rain abated to coincide with the end of the game, unfortunately the Christmas lights didn't come on. We were lucky to meet a young Spanish siniorita with enough English to direct us back to the Metro. We missed our stop but the terminus was only one stop further so we stayed on the train and were soon home. 

We got back leg weary but happy with our day. We tried to watch Strictly which kept going off. After dinner the wifi improved so we managed another episode of Suits before calling it a day for an early night. Tired campers. 

4 December 2016

Rain greeted us as we woke up this morning. We had done our sight seeing in Valencia so it didn't matter a jot. We took our time with breakfast and having a shower and got on our way late morning. Our destination wasn't certain but we put Calpe in the sat Nav with the intention of stopping a couple of times on route. 

Our first stop was Denia. I was just having a bite to eat when a Salford lad chapped the door. He was a character and said the last twenty days he had seen nothing but rain. He was heading to Javea (pronounced Havea) just like us. The aire we were both heading for had reported that it was closed. Some reports said it had reopened. No way to know until we got there. Him and his wife headed off and we went for a look round Denia. We had parked up near the Marina which was massive with some very impressive vessels moored. You can even catch a ferry to the Balearics. We were there a couple of hours and then moved on. 

Our next stop and what turned out to be our last stop was in Javea. The aire which was called Scallops after the restaurant it is next to was fenced off, but we could see a number of Motorhome's parked up close by so we parked up in good order with the other campers looking for billet for the night. Our new acquaintance from Salford was one of the other vans. 

We headed out almost straight away and did a bit of exploring. Javea has a nice promenade with plenty of bars and restaurants. We couldn't help but notice the United match was being screened in one of them. That seemed to seal our fate for the evening. We watched the match enjoying a couple of pints of the black stuff with Val preferring Amstel. I knew the teams fate when I spotted the referee. It was the same guy who Jose had been in trouble for before and sure enough, in the closing stages he gave a penalty against United when even I could see from 2000 miles away it was clear simulation. Me thinks Jose will be in hot water again. 

We headed home to lick our wounds and after a bite to eat I brought the blog up to date catching up with the last couple of days. No episodes of Suits tonight as we only have 3 or 4G wifi. Never mind I'm sure we'll find something else to occupy us. Night night happy campers.