Beech's Euro Tour Part Deux

[Helen Ariel]

After a tough, hot and dusty bike ride we had a brilliant evening at the grand opening of the campsite bar and restaurant yesterday.

New owners have recently taken it over and they have been busy decorating and preparing all week since we arrived. They put on free beer and snacks for everyone and we went over with our neighbour Karen, who's partner is now away for the next month working and the couple from Brighton who were joined by friends of theirs who've lived in Órgiva for years.

Today we decided to have a little away stay from the campsite and needed to stock up at a decent supermarket so headed to Motril for supplies and then onto a seaview parkup. Nice and quiet was the brief given to Paul for checking P4N and considering it's Saturday he delivered!

We're right on the beach front and there are 5 other vans here and hardly a soul on the beach. Right by a water tap too. The police did stop by and tell us no levellers so we repositioned the van and with the aid of a handy rock are level anyway.

The beach is my favourite kind with lovely small, colourful pebbles that are comfortable yet don't get stuck into every crevice of the body or the dogs coat like sand does. The Med is calm and clear today and Beech had a lovely swim. I think I will tomorrow. It's been ages!

 

[Helen Ariel]

Well I never did get my swim as unfortunately i wasn't very well on Sunday and Monday after eating some prawns that we bought in Cadiz Market and then put in the freezer. Paul had seemed to be fine, we thought his iron constitution had seen off the bugs but he has now come down with it. We're back at the campsite so it's a good place to recuperate but o top off the misery we've now both had texts from Vodafone giving us a 2 week warning that we've been using our phones abroad for too long and will be charged after that so we're going to be about 5 weeks short. Not the end of the world we'll just get a Spanish sim for our final month.

A few pics of Beech still enjoying herself.

I wouldn't mind living here:

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Sorry to hear you were poorly due to the Cadiz prawns. Motorhome freezers are not the best freezers in the world for freezing stuff from room temp. Best just use them for already frozen food.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Sorry to hear you were poorly due to the Cadiz prawns. Motorhome freezers are not the best freezers in the world for freezing stuff from room temp. Best just use them for already frozen food.

Thanks will certainly bare this in mind in future!

 

[Helen Ariel]

We’re both feeling loads better after a couple of rest days through the week. Paul & Beech went to the market on Thursday to top up our supplies, and to get some nice cake from the superb cafe/bakery in town.
We then drove down to the Lecrin Valley on Friday morning to go for a hike from Melegis down to the Embalse de Béznar and back up through the Barranco de Chite.

There were some great sculptures on the walk through Melegis, from cast metal dragons to embellished concrete furniture!

The walk was lovely winding through the most densely populated citrus groves with so many oranges & lemons hanging from the trees, plus there’s loads of almond blossom out just now.
We got the route from Wikiloc which is one of our most used apps when we travel. The only criticism we have of it is that it seems to constantly under-estimate the distance and altitude gain, whether we’re hiking or riding. This walk was supposed to be about 7 miles but was closer to 8 and a half. Very much Beech‘s upper limit now, but luckily there were loads of streams for her to play in.

We passed the natural hot baths near Melegis on the route but they’re a bit uncared for unfortunately, and had fallen into a state of disrepair.

We also saw some lovely rural cortijos too. An oasis of green in this arid landscape. A lack of rainfall over the last year has meant the reservoirs are all very low.

Came across an old olive oil factory en route.

We then drove back to one of our spots overlooking the dam for a dinner of home-made chicken pie in preparation for a bike ride the next day.

Again we found ourselves passing through grove after grove of citrus trees heavily laden with fruit.

And again Wikiloc under-estimated the altitude gain on the route!

No easy climbs here, but very satisfying to get to the top!

Great views when you get up high too!

Then it was a drive to get gas from Padul for 85c a litre, quick stop at the supermarket, then back to Orgiva for bangers & mash.
Lovely lazy Sunday planned as we’re being driven up to an amazing Indian restaurant in Bubion for lunch. Hope you all have a good one too!

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[Podney]

Great pics,thanks for sharing

 

[Helen Ariel]

We've been to work today! 9.30am sharp we headed off with our campsite neighbour, Karen, to help her with some clearing out at the little house they have bought in Lanjarón which is a lovely little, traditional Spanish mountain town.

It's quite a project they've taken on and I spent my time smashing out the tiles and bricks all round the old bath whilst Paul and Karen did tip runs with countless bags of rubble that Karen has made over several visits.

It took 3 of us to drag the cast iron bath out and down the stairs.

We were rewarded with drinks and tapas in the sun for our troubles though to be honest it was just lovely to see inside one of these traditional town houses and very satisfying to achieve something useful.

 

[Langtoftlad]

And again Wikiloc under-estimated the altitude gain on the route!

My own limited experience of Wikiloc is that its accuracy depends on what battery optimisation is employed.
If a user recording the route has their phone on high optimisation then data points are fewer, and so less ultimate accuracy.

 

[Kilroy]

My own limited experience of Wikiloc is that its accuracy depends on what battery optimisation is employed.
If a user recording the route has their phone on high optimisation then data points are fewer, and so less ultimate accuracy.

are you guys using the free or paid version of Wikilok?

 

[Langtoftlad]

Me? Free version.
Didn't even know there was a premium paid for version.

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[Helen Ariel]

are you guys using the free or paid version of Wikilok?

Paid. It's only a tenner. Well worth it for hours and hours of entertainment. Much cheaper than hiring a guide or buying individual maps.

 

[Usandthedog]

Looks great, me and mine, and our dog, plan on touring france, spain, in April this year (first trip abroad) a bit nervous but made of soft steel sometimes, hope you have a lovely time.
Thankyou for sharing your journey.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Looks great, me and mine, and our dog, plan on touring france, spain, in April this year (first trip abroad) a bit nervous but made of soft steel sometimes, hope you have a lovely time.
Thankyou for sharing your journey.

Enjoy. April will be a lovely time of year to start. It's only nerve wracking at the start when it's all new. It soon becomes a way of life and a very varied and interesting one.

 

[Kilroy]

Paid. It's only a tenner. Well worth it for hours and hours of entertainment. Much cheaper than hiring a guide or buying individual maps.

Yup, you definitely seem to get good value from it!
I'm wondering of it uses a lot of battery or data when in use?
I have used it locally here, some of the users contributions about local routes, degree fo difficulty/danger were not entirely accurate. Fair enough I guess, but worth being a little careful if planning a potentially hazardous route.
I take it your experience is very positive all round?
Thanks for the thread: for the second winter you have brightened up the days with your photos & narrative.

 

[weemalkie]

Looks like a superb trip. Enjoy.

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[Helen Ariel]

Yup, you definitely seem to get good value from it!
I'm wondering of it uses a lot of battery or data when in use?
I have used it locally here, some of the users contributions about local routes, degree fo difficulty/danger were not entirely accurate. Fair enough I guess, but worth being a little careful if planning a potentially hazardous route.
I take it your experience is very positive all round?
Thanks for the thread: for the second winter you have brightened up the days with your photos & narrative.

Aww thanks. We send the route to a garmin if we are biking so that the route can easily be followed whilst cycling. If you use Wikiloc on the phone to record/follow the route it uses a lot of battery so we only use it on our phone when doing a hike to check the route as and when needed. Some of the routes have been rather overgrown or neglected so it's best to target ones that have been recorded recently rather than a route done many years ago and or ones that have recent reviews and comments from other users. We just wing it usually but have only had a handful of dodgy routes. One included a lot of barbed wire and gates to climb over to get home as we were too far committed at that point to turn back. Today's bike route was rather overgrown and had a lot loose rocks and some rock falls on the path so was much harder than expected.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Cracking sunset tonight

 

[Kilroy]

Aww thanks. We send the route to a garmin if we are biking so that the route can easily be followed whilst cycling. If you use Wikiloc on the phone to record/follow the route it uses a lot of battery so we only use it on our phone when doing a hike to check the route as and when needed. Some of the routes have been rather overgrown or neglected so it's best to target ones that have been recorded recently rather than a route done many years ago and or ones that have recent reviews and comments from other users. We just wing it usually but have only had a handful of dodgy routes. One included a lot of barbed wire and gates to climb over to get home as we were too far committed at that point to turn back. Today's bike route was rather overgrown and had a lot loose rocks and some rock falls on the path so was much harder than expected.

View attachment 586422

Cracking sunset tonight

 

[Kilroy]

Thanks for the feedback.
I must look into exporting to garmin......otherwise just using as required as you describe is how I've managed the battery/data question...glad I hadn't missed some obvious better option!! Great sunset indeed

 

[Helen Ariel]

Today we had an excellent excursion into the mountains to visit Trevelez, the highest village in Spain, Elevation: 1,476 m and famous for it's cured ham because the air is so dry and low in oxygen it's perfect for the curing process.

Beech was sad not to be allowed in to peruse the whole legs of jamon.

We did a lovely little hike that started high in the village, then dropped down through it before going steeply up the hillside with great views over the village. We then followed the path of an ancient water channel known as an acequias. This made Beech very happy and all thoughts of ham were gone.

We had to backtrack on one section of the walk as 4 large horned cows were being herded down the hill towards us but the farmer was very grateful.

We enjoyed a late lunch in the sunshine and did a bit of tourist posing then the long twisty drive back to the campsite.

Though it was after 5 when we got back it was a lovely balmy 20 degrees in the valley bottom and tomorrow looks set to be 25 degrees in Granada where we are heading for a little overnighter

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[Lenny HB]

Poor Beech you could have at least bought her a ham.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Poor Beech you could have at least bought her a ham.

It's too good for her she's a labrador she doesn't even chew her food it's just inhaled without touching the sides!

 

[Lenny HB]

It's too good for her she's a labrador she doesn't even chew her food it's just inhaled without touching the sides!

Daughter's Springer we look after a lot is the same.

 

[Helen Ariel]

So we shelled out the big bucks again for an overnight in Granada. Close your ears Lenny as it's now 33 euros for 24 hours parking next to Spain's best attraction The Alhambra! We had a stunning day. It was fresh in the morning but got up to 24 late afternoon and stayed mild until well after dark which doesn't always happen here in the mountains. Here is my Alhambra photo bomb and I'll do one of the rest of the day spent seeking out the best free tapas to balance out the expense later.

The ceilings here are insane!

 

[Lenny HB]

Won't convince me I didn't rate Alhambra.

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[Helen Ariel]

Won't convince me I didn't rate Alhambra.

Best thing I've ever seen in my life!

 

[Lenny HB]

Best thing I've ever seen in my life!

You have led a sheltered life.

 

[Helen Ariel]

You have led a sheltered life.

Lol ok the best tourist attraction I've ever seen in my life. Obviously Paul is the best 'thing' I've ever seen

 

[Langtoftlad]

So we shelled out the big bucks again for an overnight in Granada. Close your ears Lenny as it's now 33 euros for 24 hours parking next to Spain's best attraction The Alhambra!

The value sometimes outweighs the cost.
I doubt you could have found cheaper accommodation, closer, cheaper.
It's a once in a lifetime visit.

Like Lenny HB I didn't really rate L'Alhambra, but perhaps I didn't understand what I was seeing, nor the culture but I'm so glad I ticked the box - and that was a 2hr coach trip from Mijas...

 

[Mikey RV]

Lol ok the best tourist attraction I've ever seen in my life. Obviously Paul is the best 'thing' I've ever seen

No back tracking now.


looks a great place to visit and nice pics.

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