Beech's Euro Tour Part Deux

[Helen Ariel]

Sad to see this story. We left Sagres the day before this guy set off. We even saw him and his trailer at the campsite.

Jean-Jacques Savin: French adventurer dies crossing Atlantic Ocean

Jean-Jacques Savin, who was 75, had previously made the voyage in a large barrel.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[Jays2]

It makes me very envious with your great weather, blue sunny skys and travels in Spain and Portugal, I really appreciate all the effort it takes to keep posts going for both of you.
It seemed a great time time to go at our lowest light levels in the uk November to January.
with and average of 2 hours extra daylight per day you have clocked up an extra 180 hours.
Are you not running out of your 90 day allowance?

 

[Helen Ariel]

It makes me very envious with your great weather, blue sunny skys and travels in Spain and Portugal, I really appreciate all the effort it takes to keep posts going for both of you.
It seemed a great time time to go at our lowest light levels in the uk November to January.
with and average of 2 hours extra daylight per day you have clocked up an extra 180 hours.
Are you not running out of your 90 day allowance?

Luckily for me Paul's got some Irish blood in him.

 

[Jays2]

Did think that something was different, saying that a trip in Europe for November to end of January, to me sounded like a great plan with the extra daylight.
Glad you can stay and look forward to your posts without concern.

 

[Billylou]

Luckily for me Paul's got some Irish blood in him.

Interesting to read about this. My wife holds an Irish passport and we have done sufficient research to determine we will be good to over stay the 90 days albeit not in the same country. What we don’t know is how the exiting country’s passport control is set up to understand/be aware of the process. Have you tested the process yet and if so how did it go? If not how are you going to deal with any passport control confusion?
Really enjoying your thread, thank you.

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[Helen Ariel]

We've had 2 half days out in Málaga this weekend. Yesterday we went into town with our immediate neighbours from the aire who pulled up shortly after us and are new to Málaga also. Lovely couple, Andrew a Brit and Yan is Chinese.

We got the metro into the centre which only costs 83 cents a trip if you load the card with 6 trips. 10 minutes later we arrived and made our way to the market. Being a Saturday it was absolutely buzzing and we didn't know where to look 1st there were so many amazing stalls and little counters serving up every kind of fish and seafood imaginable. We ended up at one of these and had some of the most perfectly cooked tuna skewers and amazingly fresh, sweet prawns washed down with what the locals were drinking, big tumblers of dark, spicy vermouth with massive chunks of ice and orange slices. Mmm.. my new favourite drink.

We then had a look at the cathedral and on to a traditional tapas restaurant though apart from the croquettes the other things we had weren't that exciting.

Icecreams to finish off the day and we headed back to Beech.

Yesterday Paul and I headed back to the city to fulfill a sushi craving and spend a bit more time exploring.

We had made a date to have some early evening drinks with Andrew and Yan and when we went round to their lovely Hymer A class we were treated to mountains of homemade pork dumplings that Yan had been making that day. Completely from scratch including the dough! Dim sum is my favourite Chinese food so I ate far too many.

We gave them a few tips of nice places to visit as they are making their way over to Portugal soon although I think they may join us in Nerja 1st which is where we're headed next.

There is actually some wet stuff falling from the sky which we've not seen for about a month now so it'll be a chilled one today.

 

[jongood]

We're going to spend quite a bit of time around Málaga i think. The market was absolutely buzzing today. I didn't know where to look! Ended up eating seafood standing at the counter I've no idea what it even was. Plus a couple of Vermouths!

If you're into cars there's a really nice museum in Malaga, they regularly drive the exhibit s around d the hall for maintenance, on our visit it was a rather nice DB5. They also had 2 Cords and at least one Duesenberg.

 

[Helen Ariel]

We decided we needed some campsite time after 4 weeks on the road so have just spent 3 nights on a campsite in Nerja, Camping Cortio San Miguel. The sign said full when we arrived which is a 1st for us but they let us park by reception and said there would be a space the next day.

We got a nice quiet, private pitch on the edge of the site and then walked along the beach into the town. It was surprisingly busy and rather touristy for our taste but there are some amazing views with the stunning mountain backdrop it has. It was also extremely windy and the sea had pretty big surf coming in which felt strange for the Mediterranean.

The following day we took the bikes out for an explore and to check out the access to a Villa that's just behind the campsite as we have 4 friends coming down to visit at the start of March and we've booked this Villa for a few days. All fine apart from one overhanging Avocado tree which will hopefully be pruned before then as all the others had recently been done.

There are avocados all over this area including the campsite which had loads hanging in the trees and also for sale for 2 euros a kg. Apart from that though we weren't too keen on the campsite. It felt rather claustrophobic and lifeless and Beech had to be tied up all the time or on the lead.

Though we've probably not seen it at it's best as it's been really windy and quite a bit of cloud at times so everyone is shut up in their vans. Also it's quite expensive at 25 euros though did include electric so we made the most and charged everything up and watched quite a bit of tv. The one advantage though to the touristy area was I did manage to purchase bacon so we had our 1st fry up in ages.

Today we ran away from the touristic med Coast and headed for the hills as the forecast is looking great for the weekend and beyond.

We're now parked up with a beautiful lake and mountain view by a huge dam all that for 0 euros a night!

Brilliant hike up to the Ermita del Cristo del Zapato which translates as the shrine of the Holy shoe.

We were rewarded for our efforts at the shrine by finding the Holy grail of Spanish delights. Free tapas with each drink!

I did some good foraging today too!

 

[DBK]

I've been a bit slow keeping up with this thread, for which apologies. . We stayed at Nerja in 2018 but at a different campsite. I wrote up the trip and the bit beginning in Nerja starts at post #108 in this thread. There are some interesting places inland from that region, particularly El Torcal de Antequera which starts at post #110. This is somewhere we must return to some day.

Two Go Back to Spain

We are surrounded by house sparrows at the moment and the males are constantly displaying and calling to attract mates. At three thirty AM? :LOL:

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[Helen Ariel]

I've been a bit slow keeping up with this thread, for which apologies. . We stayed at Nerja in 2018 but at a different campsite. I wrote up the trip and the bit beginning in Nerja starts at post #108 in this thread. There are some interesting places inland from that region, particularly El Torcal de Antequera which starts at post #110. This is somewhere we must return to some day.

Two Go Back to Spain

We are surrounded by house sparrows at the moment and the males are constantly displaying and calling to attract mates. At three thirty AM? :LOL:

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Great thanks I'll check that out as we will be back to Nerja in March.

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[2657]

We decided we needed some campsite time after 4 weeks on the road so have just spent 3 nights on a campsite in Nerja, Camping Cortio San Miguel. The sign said full when we arrived which is a 1st for us but they let us park by reception and said there would be a space the next day.

We got a nice quiet, private pitch on the edge of the site and then walked along the beach into the town. It was surprisingly busy and rather touristy for our taste but there are some amazing views with the stunning mountain backdrop it has. It was also extremely windy and the sea had pretty big surf coming in which felt strange for the

If you are venturing further East I can recommend the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, particularly the area around Los Escullos, Las Negras, Albaricoques and Agua Amarga.
Stunning scenery and walks plus free tapas

 

[2657]

Tablet went weird on the last post.
We have stopped at Camping Los Escullos many times in the past, wouldn't recommend the location of Camping Cabo de Gata, there are now at least three camperstops in the area and free parking in San Jose.
Ignore all the plastic greenhouses en route, none in the Natural Park

 

[Helen Ariel]

If you are venturing further East I can recommend the Cabo de Gata Natural Park, particularly the area around Los Escullos, Las Negras, Albaricoques and Agua Amarga.
Stunning scenery and walks plus free tapas

Thanks yes we are planning on stopping at the unofficial aire right on the edge of cabo de gata on our way home in March. The coast looks stunning there and hoping to do some snorkeling.

 

[Helen Ariel]

We've just spent the last 2 days in Órgiva. Got a decent (grassy!) pitch on Camping Órgiva and did a 7 mile hike on Friday starting and finishing along the river which made Beech very happy.

We passed some interesting small holdings on the way including one with lots of amazing carvings and got the feeling there is quite an alternative community living here. The town looks to have some nice bars and restaurants though we only stopped for a couple of small beers so far.

There is a stunning snow capped mountain back drop here and little white villages dotted high above on the hillside.

Yesterday we had quite an adventure and our biggest physical feat of the trip so far. We cycled for 10 miles uphill, mostly on the road until the last couple of miles, gaining 3400ft until we were not far below the snow line. I was quite wobbly by the time we reached the top as I've never done a single climb of this distance before. It took 3 and 3 quarter hours and the views were stunning. We could even see the Mediterranean from up there!

Then we had an epic blast back down via an off road route that was narrow and natural to start then descended on extremely steep concrete switch backs that connected the villages on the hillside.

We were shattered after that so had a lazy day in the sun today and did our washing. We also got chatting to 2 separate British couples and all ended up having drinks and a bbq this evening. One of them is a fellow Brightonian and the other couple have bought a ruined house nearby and are going to start working on it.

We're considering taking a months contract out and using this as a base as the price is reduced by 50% for 30 days and there's lots we want to do in the area. The weather forecast is looking brilliant for the next week at least 23 degrees some days and it's so dry here our washing took 30 minutes to dry today. 25% humidity in the van!

 

[DBK]

Órgiva is on the edge of the Alpujarra region I think. This area has attracted a lot of "hippies" from other parts of Europe. The book "Driving Over Lemons" by Chris Stewart describes how he moved there. He was the first drummer with Genesis but in a potentially bad career move he left before they became successful. I can recommend the book and also some of his others such as "The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society".

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[Lenny HB]

Órgiva is on the edge of the Alpujarra region I think. This area has attracted a lot of "hippies" from other parts of Europe. The book "Driving Over Lemons" by Chris Stewart describes how he moved there. He was the first drummer with Genesis but in a potentially bad career move he left before they became successful. I can recommend the book and also some of his others such as "The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society".

Got those books somewhere, a good read.

 

[namwaldog]

Amazon.co.uk : driving over lemons by chris stewart

www.amazon.co.uk

 

[Helen Ariel]

We drove up high today and found some snow for Beech. She loves to bite and roll around in it! Now back at the campsite cooking a lovely big piece of pork belly for dinner.

 

[scousebird]

Got those books somewhere, a good read.

I've read them all and really enjoyed them.

 

[peterc10]

Well Cadiz was lovely! Beautiful sunny weather, fresh in the shade but absolutely toasty when ensconced in a sheltered, sun trap of a bar.

We forked out for the primo parking very close to the old town and a nice quiet spot right next to the water facing due west. 28 euros for 24 hours no services stung a bit but it meant we could pack lot's in to our short visit and we'll be wilding for awhile afterwards to make up for it.

We headed out late morning yesterday with Beech to look around and after a bracing walk around the shady outer promenade to the North we headed into the centre of Old Town. There is a miriad of narrow streets that all look very similar here and the old, tall buildings mean it's quite hard to get your bearings once you’re in.

View attachment 573547

There are also some absolutely amazing, humongous trees here. The scale just doesn't come across in the photos.

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We eventually ended up at the oldest covered market in Europe which has many tempting places to eat both inside and lining the outside. We jumped at the chance of a table in the sun and luckily the food was really good here. We had several small plates and there were all delicious.

View attachment 573550

After lunch we checked out the market with a view to coming back in the morning to buy some lovely fresh produce and fish and then headed over to the beaches and walked out to the old Fort.

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There is a colony of ginger cats living in little houses on the sheltered side of the sea wall here!

We were all quite tired after this so we went back to the van for a bit of a siesta and watched the sunset, then revitalised Paul and I headed out for a few drinks leaving Beech to sleep off the days excitement.

View attachment 573559

We found a really nice craft beer place and had a few then fancied a pizza so we looked up a place with good Google scores and we weren't disappointed. Proper wood fired pizza, thin and crispy with a lovely bubbly crust. Crazy good value at 5 euros! There was a Brit couple at the table next to us and we ended up chatting with them the whole way through our meal and then realised the staff were giving us dirty looks and there was a que of people waiting for a table so we all went to a nearby bar to carry on our discussions.

They lived in Morocco for 9 years so we were quite interested to hear about that and before we knew it it was midnight! Oops, we made a hasty slightly wobbly exit, swapping numbers and rushed back to let Beech out for pees.

Hmmm... slightly hungover we dragged ourselves to the market and set about trying to chose what fish we wanted to buy from the hundreds of amazing different species on display. Not recommended.. we faffed and ummed over what to get then opted for some beautiful looking tuna belly and a big chunk of sword fish. I'm searing the tuna tonight and serving with a zesty Asian style dressing and the sword fish will make a goan style curry tomorrow.

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After our shopping i was quite keen to get out of the city and have some r and r time so we headed half an hour South to El Palmar where some friends recommended us a spot.

It's a beautiful long, fine white sand beach and also gets surf sometimes so a perfect contrast to the city stuff. Being the last Saturday of the holidays and an absolute scorcher of a day the place is busy but not unpleasantly so and we have a nice grassy camp spot just set back from the beach. It's mostly Spanish here but we have a fellow Brit neighbour. So a bit of sunbathing and the hangover has abaited and we had a lovely walk along the beach. Beech is in doggy heaven and we might get a surf tomorrow. Life is good!

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There are even hippy dogs with dreadlocks here!
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Where did you stop in El Palmar please

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[Helen Ariel]

Where did you stop in El Palmar please

Seafront right by the beach. There's a few different places to park along there.

 

[Helen Ariel]

That was THE best lump of pork belly I've ever bought. Skin was lovely and dry and it was a really thick and fatty piece of pork so the crackling came up super crispy and the pork was really succulent. Made 2 dinners and lunches.

Had a lovely morning river walk with Beech and then did a brilliant bike ride up the hill by the campsite that overlooks the whole valley then a rocky technical singletrack descent with 48 switchbacks followed by a bit of sunbathing and our neighbours cooked us a rotisserie chicken on their charcoal weber. A perfect day.

 

[autocaravaner]

Great to see and read that you are still enjoying Andalusia! Love your posts and adventures! Safe travels

 

[autocaravaner]

By the way, if you want to go higher up in the mountains and have a proper alpine landscape, check "Hoya de la Mora". You need to be prepared for snow but I'm sure Beech will have fun. Try to avoid weekends as it can be very busy. You can park nearby for free or fairly cheap (5 euros).

Check out this website (in Spanish but I'm sure you can translate it with Google)

Sierra Nevada en autocaravana

Sierra Nevada en autocaravana: dónde aparcar y pernoctar, dónde comer y qué hacer con niños. Blog de viajes en autocaravana.

viajandoconmanuela.com

The small towns of Pampaneira, Campaneira and Bubion are incredible, you will feel like you went back in time. The road is okeish (mountain road with curves and some buses going up and down).

Pura vida!

 

[Helen Ariel]

By the way, if you want to go higher up in the mountains and have a proper alpine landscape, check "Hoya de la Mora". You need to be prepared for snow but I'm sure Beech will have fun. Try to avoid weekends as it can be very busy. You can park nearby for free or fairly cheap (5 euros).

Check out this website (in Spanish but I'm sure you can translate it with Google)

Sierra Nevada en autocaravana

Sierra Nevada en autocaravana: dónde aparcar y pernoctar, dónde comer y qué hacer con niños. Blog de viajes en autocaravana.

viajandoconmanuela.com

The small towns of Pampaneira, Campaneira and Bubion are incredible, you will feel like you went back in time. The road is okeish (mountain road with curves and some buses going up and down).

Pura vida!

Thanks for the tip. We stayed overnight at Hoya de la Mora last March when Paul took this photo on his phone;

We are basing ourselves in La Alpujarra for the next month and will do loads more exploring around the area. Paul has been here several times before on MTB holidays, mainly staying in Bubion, and we drove up into the National Park a couple of days ago for a hike above the villages. Pics weren’t great as it was very hazy, but yesterday’s bike ride was much more clear. Tough climb again but worth it for the epic views & fantastic descent.

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[Helen Ariel]

Here’s a pic from the top of the climb on yesterday’s ride, looking north over Orgiva to the high Sierras. If you zoom in we rode on the ribbon of singletrack that runs from the derelict farm house to the left of the pic. There was some significant exposure on this section; one slip would have had serious consequences… Lots of adrenalin though!

 

[Helen Ariel]

Glad we decided to pay on here for the month as we have some great neighbours with a lovely old hymer. They have bought an old wreck of a place near here for 10k and are going to do it up. So are staying on the site whilst they do. They cooked us a roast chicken on their rotisserie weber bbq the other night.

The weather has been cracking. 24 degrees today and tomorrow. Almost too hot. Lazy day in the sun today and now a few drinks with free tapas. Love this tradition!

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

The Hymer is 38 yr s old. And looks to be in good condition for its age.I bet it's nice inside and a bit solid.
We had a "hot" day here today as well,10.5 Deg C

 

[Helen Ariel]

The Hymer is 38 yr s old. And looks to be in good condition for its age.I bet it's nice inside and a bit solid.
We had a "hot" day here today as well,10.5 Deg C

Yeah we had a look round inside. It's properly solid. Don't make em like that anymore! He did say it's a bit of a lump to drive though!

 

[Mikey RV]

That Hymer is so nice.

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