A Bigger Little Adventure, (in a bigger van)

lorger said:
Great pics place looks lovely, nice hill for some hill sessions for you and Colin
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It all ruddy hills around here Gerry. We have managed to find a two mile run before it starts going up. Cannot moan though as I knew this before we came here and is perversely why we did come here.
 
Hi guys, i'm enjoying this little blog of your travels.
I'm not sure if you remember us, your Dora was one of the first motorhomes we looked when we were ready to buy.
Anyway, we're hoping to start our adventure soon, i was just wondering what you have in place for taking your dog to Europe?
We have a pet passport already sorted but is there such a thing as long term pet travel insurance available, a google search didn't show anything.
 
Bill and Shell said:
Hi guys, i'm enjoying this little blog of your travels.
I'm not sure if you remember us, your Dora was one of the first motorhomes we looked when we were ready to buy.
Anyway, we're hoping to start our adventure soon, i was just wondering what you have in place for taking your dog to Europe?
We have a pet passport already sorted but is there such a thing as long term pet travel insurance available, a google search didn't show anything.
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Hi Bill and Shell. Yes I do remember you. I take it you have found a van to suite you now?

With regards to insurance we haven't got anything in place as generally vet bills are much cheaper in
Europe than in The UK. When we did an Internet search last year we couldn't find any European medical insurance for dogs either. Then we started researching treatments and medication and realised it was much cheaper out here. A recent thread on here confirms that, where a young healthy dog belonging to a Funster had to have a knee or hip op, it cost him about £5,000, a Funster living in Spain said her dog had had a similar op and it had cost about €500.

When we were out here in the Spring we bought any medication she might need from Spain,e.g Scabore Collar for sandfly (saving of about £12), we buy her wormers from any pet shop or sometimes pharmacy that we find when we need them, always cheaper than the UK. Her vaccinations for parvo etc will be due while we are in Europe so we will just find and English Speaking vet to get the job done, not had any problems finding a vet that understands us as yet for the return tape worm pill.

With regards to food, rather than carrying goodness knows how much dog food with us, we put Izzy on a natural diet - fresh meat and veg, bulked out with some porridge oats or rice. A couple of times a week she has a tin of sardines in oil or if there is a fish market nearby I will get fresh fish for us and a bit extra for her. We find this easy to do because of her size and her portions are quite small, I seem to remember you had quite a big dog so if might be a bit more like feeding a 3rd person expense wise.

Hope this helps and good luck with your adventure.
Sandra
 
Thats really helpfull, thank you.
We did find a motorhome eventually, we decided on a tag axle euramobil in the end, just felt that we needed the extra room a load capacity due to our plans for full timing for a year or so.
Seems like you guys are having a wonderful time, its been a really interesting, and useful, read.
Randomly I found myself in Altea a few years back while touring by motorcycle, I also fell in love with the place.
Best wishes for the rest of your adventure, i'll be keeping an eye on your blog (y)
 
Bill and Shell said:
Thats really helpfull, thank you.
We did find a motorhome eventually, we decided on a tag axle euramobil in the end, just felt that we needed the extra room a load capacity due to our plans for full timing for a year or so.
Seems like you guys are having a wonderful time, its been a really interesting, and useful, read.
Randomly I found myself in Altea a few years back while touring by motorcycle, I also fell in love with the place.
Best wishes for the rest of your adventure, i'll be keeping an eye on your blog (y)
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Yep, I can understand your reasoning on the bigger van. The Euromobils are good vans I wish you well with it. Hopefully you will have done what hardly any beginners do and get it right first time, layout and size wise.

It's a brilliant life choice and we have no regrets. No idea how long we will feel like that but we are happier now than we have ever been.

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This ones for you Armytwowheels ,just in case you you move down this way.

Tara's camping park n37 30' 56" w1 23'56" punted de calnegre Murcia,airs €6 no electric services visit site even take washing away.,beach across the road and that's it,middle of plastic,but surrounded by mountains,very very quiet about 8 camper vans here,nearly all German, not in airs book
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After spending a really nice chilled out month in Altea, enjoying cycle rides, paddling around the coast in the boats and some nice walks we have decided to move on today. Partly due to wanting to see our friends in Murcia and partly due to tensions on the little campsite.

The Dutch fell out with the Belgians; the Belgians fell out with the Dutch; the Romanian owner also fell out with the Dutch; the Dutch kept blowing the fuses and taking all the hot water; the Dutch let their dog poop on the beach........you can see the common denominator here? Tensions were mounting so we decided to upsticks and move. When we told the owner we were going she said "but you are the only normal ones here".

Here is just a few photos of our stay in Altea.

What started as a nice warm sunny ride to Guaderlest....
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Ended but being blinking freezing by the time we got to the top. Thank goodness the cafe had blankets.
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We then enjoyed the adrenalin rush that was the ride back to Altea, even if we had numb hands and feet!!



We had many kayak trips along the coast between Albir and Calpe but this was the best one. We packed a picnic, had the dog with us so we could stay out as long as we wanted, found a little cove that was only accessible by water and had the beach to ourselves for our picnic.
A millpond sea.
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She only jumped in the once!
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Time to get home before the sun goes down, a great 6 mile round trip in clear waters. You could see the sea bed nearly all the way.
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are you planning to return to Morocco this winter?
If you do we may bump into you again.
keep us informed of your movements just in case I need Colin to fix my fridge again!

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Final Altea pictures from a walk though the town on Thursday night to see the lights and have a meal out.

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So far the trip has gone well, apart from a little hic up with one of our battries, which was quickly resolved. We have been off EHU for over a month now (other than a few hours plugged into the site owners house to boost the remaining batteries). We are pleased with our set up but Colin thinks it could be better and is now thinking of changing the Solar controller for a MPPT one. Also we have been scratching our heads to try and figure out where we can fit in another solar panel but there really isn't much room up there.

I must say it is good to be back on the road again - next stop Los Alcázares in Murcia.
 
Hey! What site where you in in Altea please

Eddie
 
makems said:
are you planning to return to Morocco this winter?
If you do we may bump into you again.
keep us informed of your movements just in case I need Colin to fix my fridge again!
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Dithering like a dithering thing about Morocco. It is definitely on the list of places we are dithering about for January onwards and of course it would be lovely to see Gwen again!
 
Armytwowheels said:
It was a tiny set up on the Calpe side of the town, a disused tennis court next to the owners house, just room for 4 or 5 vans, all very unofficial.
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and cheap:xgrin:

Have a good Christmas..Wish we could be down that way:crying:

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Armytwowheels said:
I feel your frustration Eddie, I really do. Is there no way around keeping the van?
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Pointless really if I'm going to be on a dialysis machine 3 days a week..until 2017 when I may be able to have a transplant...Everything crossed!:)
 
Watcher Sandra, I trust you are looking after my buddy Colin, secluded beach my A__se. Thank you for the thoughts and keep the Blog going as often as possible because there are many on here who read and enjoy it but do not write it in a reply, so you are keeping a lot of (jealous) funsters happy with your blog.

Here's a piccie of Jackie and I in a similar sea 4 years ago......
 
Popeye said:
Watcher Sandra, I trust you are looking after my buddy Colin, secluded beach my A__se. Thank you for the thoughts and keep the Blog going as often as possible because there are many on here who read and enjoy it but do not write it in a reply, so you are keeping a lot of (jealous) funsters happy with your blog.

Here's a piccie of Jackie and I in a similar sea 4 years ago......
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oh no there isnt
guess who went to panto yesterday?
 
Judgemental said:
Pointless really if I'm going to be on a dialysis machine 3 days a week..until 2017 when I may be able to have a transplant...Everything crossed!:)
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Sorry my dear, I had made the wrong assumption that is was your diabetes causing you to not drive.

Well that really is crap, especially after just getting the van and helping so many others buy from Germany too.

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Armytwowheels said:
Sorry my dear, I had made the wrong assumption that is was your diabetes causing you to not drive.

Well that really is crap, especially after just getting the van and helping so many others buy from Germany too.
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No not wrong its where diabetes leads....Cheer up its nearly Christmas:)

I have a lot to be getting on with, wife has new job on south coast starting Easter, so we have to sell here and move. If all goes well will be back motorh0ming before I reach retirement age...
 
All set up and settled in for Christmas at this place, http://www.campingcarareanarejos.com/

A nice new shiny camperstop with in an easy walk of the beach, the cleanest loos and showers I have ever seen and extremely neat and tidy. All for €7.90 a night, including hot showers, fresh water, and usual waste facilities. Leccy is €3 extra if you want it. There are a few shaded pitches but the majority are not, with any planting and trees being very young so not much shade in the height of summer, but this time of year it's great, nothing to shade the Solars. There is a Dia supermarket just 500 metres away. Not much noise from the airport at this time of year either.

Enjoying a G&T in the late afternoon sun.
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The beach - odd colour of sand but the water is clear and warmer than the main sea as this is a huge shallow lagoon.
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Looks lovely, quite jealous!

But I thought you were going skiing???
 
Nice pics Sandra I think the sand only looks a weird colour because of Colin's legs.:xgrin:
 

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