Tuesday 29th April

The Perfect Pitch?  We set off early around 9pm. Destination our old favourite Camping Javea. We arrived in good time taking only around 2 hours to make the 130 mile trip. We plan to stay here for about a month so when we chose our pitch we took a compass and a measure to make sure we could put our ‘new’ awning up and position the van ideally for the morning sun.. We’ve been here twice before, theres lots of bars and things to do so its likely we could have a nice relaxing month here. After we’d set up I had my first swim of the holiday. Later we went to a bar for an orange juice and watched Munich v Real Madrid

Monday 28th April

View from Kiko Park



We left Aranjuez around 10am we made a slight diversion to Lidl due to the fact that they had litre bottles of San Miguel for a euro. A strange decision as we aren’t intending to drink for a while….well that’s the intention. Off to the Ocana road where the sat nav sent us back to Aranjuez. Still every cloud and all that as we passed a huge Leclerc Hypermarket on the southern edge of Aranjuez. Diesel was 10 cents a litre cheaper so we topped up.  We arrived at the Kiko Park rural campsite around 2pm. This was a few miles outside the town of Villagorda half way towards Valencia. It was an isolated site in the mountains next to some reservoirs / lakes. A  good location if it wasn’t for its isolation, lack of walking information and the Super speed railway line that was about 600 metres outside the gates. Not much noise from this as it goes past in micro seconds. For a Monday there were lots of families on the site, this made me think that it must be another local fiesta but when it got to around 5pm all the families went home. However they must have all had showers before they left as there was only luke warm water left when we went for ours. In some respects a good site…large pitches, small swimming pool etc. The reception office looked like it had been a church in the past. However because of its isolation only good enough for an evening stopover.



Looking down on Kiko Park with converted church to Reception/ Offic

Sunday 27th April



Waiting for the train to Madrid.

Sunday 27^th April

We left the campsite early and walked the 35 minutes to the train station where we caught the 9.21 to Madrid (cost 8 euros each return). Madrid turned out to be a magnificent city, we were lucky it was the day of the Madrid marathon and lots of roads were closed to traffic. There was a carnival feel to the place. We took in as much as we could of the main architectural buildings but it was also the parks and gardens that we found to be the main attraction. Everywhere we went we were entertained by a variety of high quality street performers. We saw violinists, a young lady playing the harp but the we were drawn to a group of Opera singers accompanied by some excellent musicians we stood and listened for some time before heading to an Irish bar to see Liverpool go down to Chelsea 2 – 0.

Whilst we were in there we got chatting to two young lads who told us about their up and coming rock band ‘Of Moths and Stars’. We chatted for the duration of the match and then headed home to Aranjuez. Apart from the result a great day and fantastic weather to see Madrid for the first time.



Marathon day in Madrid.

Museo del Prado.

Real Jardin Gardens.

Plaza de Indepenencia.

The Cathedral

Palacio Real

Palacio Real and gardens

Palaco Real



Operatic Street Entertainers,



Saturday 26th April

Palace at Aranjuez

River at Aranjuez

Saturday 26^th April.

Again rather cool day but brightening up later. We rode down the Madrid road on our bikes to the nearest Lidl on the way back we thought we were being smart and decided to take an off road track back to town. A lovely riverside trail that got narrower and narrower until we were walking in a field of grass that took us to the rivers edge but no bridge to cross. Back again to the main road…all in all a 10 mile diversion …but still a pleasant way of seeing the countryside. We then caught the end of a dog show and looked again at the Palace in Aranjuez. Tomorrow we plan to leave early for the train ride to Madrid.

Arenjuez Palace and river surrounding it.

The Palace

Side of Palace and river.

Friday 25^th April

A cold morning! We put the heating on and got the van ready for the next 85 miles to the town of Aranjuez about 27 miles south of Madrid. About 10 miles into our journey we went through a tunnel that took us through the mountains. When we came out the other side the sun came out and the temperature shot up. In the distance we could start to see the Madrid outskirts. Aranjuez turned out to be a bit of an oasis, a very green area with a few rivers and lots of forests. I suppose the area would look even greener in the summer period when the surrounding plains become parched with the heat. The most notable feature of this town are the gardens and palaces on the edge of town. The actual town itself seemed a bit characterless with no defining heart or centre. We had planned to go by train to Toledo tomorrow but the tourist office told us there are no direct trains and only one bus a day at 8am

Sergovia acueduct. Built by the Romans 2000 years ago.

Segovia Cathedral built around the 17th century, taking around 120 years to complete.

Just part of Segovia's Cathedral from the inside.

A church and gardens in Segovia.

The Alcazar, Segovia. Apparently Disneyland in California modelled its castle on this.

The city walls looking down on the river.

Thursday 24^th April

A showery morning so we decided to push further south but not quite as far as Madrid. I’d  read some where that Segovia was a pretty little city so we headed there. We were restricted to one campsite a non ACSI site 2 miles outside the city. It took us about half an hour to walk into the city and what a pleasant surprise. After a series of hail showers the sun came out and we took in the Cathedral and the 2000 year old Roman aqueduct, built with stone blocks and no mortar or cement. What a fabulous afternoon and because it wasn’t a fiesta we got some supplies from a supermarket and managed to find a bar selling draught San Miguel Selecta.

Camping ‘El Acueducto’ is again a good site in a quiet location, the cost for our stay was 24 euros a night. There was a motorhome parking area about a mile closer to the city on the left.

Burgos Cathedral.

The main Plaza at Burgos.

Wednesday 23^rd April.

We left Camping La Viorna knowing that this is yet another site that we will return to. We were made to feel welcome by the manager, the food and drink was basic but good value and all of the amenities were excellent …a top site in a great location.

We were now heading for Burgos and although the first 30 miles consisted of tight bends and winding mountain passes the views were outstanding and further emphasised the beauty of the Picos Mountain range. We made Burgos in good time pitched the motorhome on the acsi site and headed off for the cultural centre of the city.  Quite nice but a little disappointing …not one of my favourite cities so far in Spain. As our search for the cities attractive points continued we became increasingly aware of the need to find a supermarket …and yes you’ve guessed it as usual our search was foiled by yet another Fiesta day! Having just had easter many parts of Spain also insist on having another day off work. We also believe that they have a couple next week as well. Anyway back to the site for the menu of the day a few beers, the semi final between Real and Munich and then to bed. The site was flat with basic facilities, good security and easy access to pitches.

Tuesday 22nd April.

Looking down to Potes from campsite.

Potes.

Camping La Viorna

Tuesday 22^nd April.

Still tired from our Cares Gorge walk we decided to make the short walk into the nearby town of Potes.  Most of the town consisted of fairly old buildings and bridges that spanned a fast flowing clear river. Overlooking the river were numerous attractive bars and restaurants. We stopped to take some pictures, had  a beer and then returned to the site.  The evening meal in the campsite bar was again good value and we were joined by the three English guys. We all watched the Chelsea v Athletico Madrid semi final, a dour affair that made me want to demand the 90 minutes of my life back. Still the company was entertaining again and the English were impressed with Barbs knowledge of football.

Monday 21st April

Monday 21^st April.

The place we really wanted to visit was the Picos mountains, on previous visits to this area it had stood out in the distance so here was a chance to get up close. It really is a beautiful area. We drove through the mountains via winding roads to a little town called Poncebos this marks the start of a famous 20km walk through the Carres Gorge to a town called Cain. It took us 3 hours to get to Cain where we had a meal and a rest before returning the same route back to Poncebos. The return was slightly more downhill and took 2 hours 40mins. Along the route there were wild goats, swifts, swallows and at the Cain end we also spotted an eagle flying between the cliffs.

We finally returned to Poncebos around 6pm. We decided to head to Potes for camping La Viorna. It was a 31mile drive along narrow winding roads made more difficult by the rain. We eventually pitched, showered and went straight to the bar…probably the cheapest campsite bar in Spain. A good sized Veal, chips and salad cost 7 euros but the beer was ridiculous at 1.20 euros a glass. We initially got chatting to an English guy on his way back from a winter in Portugal and then two guys from Yorkshire came in and we chatted and laughed our way through several beers. That night was the best I’d slept for months.

Around the mid point.

Although most of it is submerged into the rocks, this fast flowing canal follows much of the route.

Thursday 17 - 20th

Thursday 17^th – Sunday 20^th.

We spent 4 nights at Camping Cudillera the weather was mixed. We spent an afternoon sat at the bar at the far end of the beach it was hot and sunny with people swimming in the sea, other days were spent walking into Cudillera itself and exploring the café bars and the harbour area. It was the Easter period so the town was quite busy and this lent itself to some valuable ‘people watching’.

Finally on Sunday we decided to move. The site wifi had not been working and we wanted to keep in touch with events back home…most notably Liverpool’s title hopes.

We therefore took an hours drive east to Ribadesella, here we found a great terraced site a 30min walk outside the town with lovely views of the Picos Mountains. We pitched on the higher and therefore drier section and got the internet on. The best we could do was access to Sky Live Commentary, not radio but something similar to David Colemans 1960’s Grandstand Teleprinter….typed reports of the action every two minutes!

Later in the afternoon we walked down to the beach area, we hadn’t expected to find such an attractive waterfront with a wide promenade that took you all the way to a river and eventually the town. An exceptional resort. That evening with no food in the fridge we walked into town and ate at a bar.

Wednesday 16^th.

The boat docked in Gijon right on time at 8pm and after a slight delay in exiting the ferry, caused by a Spanish truck driver reversing into an English campervan, we hit the motorway and made it to Camping Cudillera at around 9pm

Tuesday 15th April

Parking at Poole Harbour.

Tuesday 15^th April.

We drove the final section to Poole and arrived about 4 hours before the boat sailed. We found a good sized car park overlooking Poole harbour and had lunch. When we finally sailed the boat left on time and we were impressed with LD Lines. The crossing was smooth, the cabin was clean and spacious, staff on board were friendly and helpful and when we used the restaurant the food was good  and not too expensive.

2014 Tour of Spain and France

2014 Tour of Spain and France.

Monday 14^th April 2014

We left home at around 2pm and made an overnight stop at the Fromebridge Mill Pub just north of Bristol. A lot of English motorhomers seem to be asking for an Aires system similar to the French where motorhomers can park up in designated areas in villages for free. They probably haven’t explored the numerous pubs throughout Britain where landlords allow you to park for free in pub car parks. The Fromebridge Mill is an excellent example of this, there was no pressure to go into the pub and spend money although there is an unwritten expectancy for motorhomers to buy a meal or at least a few pints in return for free overnight parking. The car park was massive and well lit, there were grassed sections with park benches and a good menu. We treated ourselves to the two meals for a tenner and although these weren’t exactly a la carte they were excellent value. Definitely a place to return to.

Barbara and Alfie in St Catherines Bay

Me and the boys down in St Catherine's bay.

Barbara, Alfie and Gip (St Catherine's woods)

Looking for 'treats' on St Brelade's beach.

Sunday afternoon walking by Gorey.

Alfie in Whippet pose on Gorey beach.

Gip ....never camera shy!

A well earned rest on a 4 hour walk along the northern coast by Bonne Nuit.

Gip reluctant to pull Barbara up the hill.

Portelet bay. We've been visiting this spot since the 1970's but in those days we didn't have enough time to pose for a photie....the pub is just slightly to the right!!!

Overlooking Quasnie and St Brelade's.