14th May 2013 – 17th May

The view from Mojacar old town.

The beach at Playa Mojacar

The waterfront at Playa Mojacar

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Our pitch at Cueva Negra

4^th May 2013 – 17^th May

The incident with the Northern Ireland couple made me think about similar incidents we’ve come across on this and other trips. Most people doing the low season ACSI tour tend to be elderly retired, they are also subjected to long days in the sun and also not surprisingly drink a lot! This combination plays havoc with the hippocampus or the memory bank of the brain. These factors may have affected the guy on Ribamar who told me that he would recommend the camp restaurant as he and his wife had tried it the night before. Days later when I told him we had also tried it he replied “oh really, whats it like”. The elderly guy at Bonterra Park who sat down at our table one night because he was tired also revealed that he’d been all around Spain this winter but couldn’t tell us which places he’d been to. He even declared that he couldn’t tell us where he was now!

Fortunately for us we’ve cut down on our alcohol intake and due to the changeable weather we’ve also cut down on our hours in the sun. This blog also acts as a memory aid to record where we’ve been to so hopefully we’re protected from the ACSI affliction..

After leaving Mazarron we stayed at a non ACSI site  west of Mojacar. The site Cueva Negra charged 21 euros a night and was well worth it. We were the only campers on the site. The nearby beach wasn’t much good but we discovered a cliff top walk that took us to the outskirts of Mojacar. The old town of Mojacar is about 5 miles away, inland on a hill top, and we biked it there on Wednesday.

 Playa Mojacar consists of a long promenade with the customary bars and restaurants, a cycle path extends along most of it. The beginning of the prom is about half a mile from the campsite and  is a 20 minute steep walk. We walked it each of the nights we stayed in order to watch a couple of footy games in the bar. The return trip along this dark road meant that we had to wear our high visibility jackets along with torches. We must have looked like a couple of Community policeman and when returning to the site the security guys came running out of their lodge almost standing to attention.

We liked Mojacar and would consider returning in the future although it would be nice if there was a site closer to the town.

On Thursday (16^th) we left Mojacar and headed south.

When she sings her famous song we will be able to reply to Dionne Warwick and tell her we know where San Jose is because we arrived here today. Well its not quite the same town as the one in the song but it’s the closest we’ll ever get to it.

Camping Los Escullos is about 5 miles from San Jose and is quite remote. It’s 700 metres away from a secluded cove with a couple of bars and restaurants. However the site has most amenities essential for a short stay. Before arriving we stocked up with enough supplies for about a weeks stay. Unfortunately on arrival the winds really got up quite strongly and today (Friday) they continue to be quite gusty. The area is natural protected parkland and is the driest part of Europe being classed as a ‘warm’ desert. The landscape is spectacular and is Spain's largest volcanic rock formation with sharp peaks and crags in red/ochre-hues. It falls steeply to the mediterranean creating jagged 100-metre high cliffs, which are riven by gullies leading to hidden coves with white sandy beaches, some of the most beautiful in Andalucia. Offshore are numerous tiny rocky islands and, underwater extensive coral reefs.