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| Lake Negratin |
May 2019.
8th May. Our friends Paul and Jan are accompanying us on our summer tour for a few weeks as although they have travelled extensively in the U.K. they have never ventured abroad in their motorhome so we are excited at the opportunity to show them many of the places we love in France and Spain. We met up with them near the Eurotunnel yesterday and after managing to get an earlier crossing we had made it to the lovely Aire at Le Crotoy for our first night. As we awoke to rain this morning there was little point in hanging around so we set off after breakfast to head to La Fleche Zoo for our next overnight stop. We arrived at the Aire just as there was a brief respite in the bad weather so we decided to stretch our legs with a nice walk before the rain returned.
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| Chassiron lighthouse |
9th May. Our Motorhomes were buffeted all night with strong winds and rain but this morning the skies had cleared and we woke up to the sounds of elephants, seals and monkeys which was quite novel. We set off for Il d'Oloron where we planned on spending a couple of nights. We headed for the Aire at the top of the island which used to be a campsite and after all the travelling we were relieved to arrive so we could get out for a walk. Jan and Paul are keen walkers so we headed to the lighthouse at Chassiron managing a very healthy 18kms and getting back just as another shower arrived.
12th May. After another lovely day on Il d'Oloron exploring on foot we spent a very noisy night last night at the Ornithological site at Arcachon, kept awake by partygoers and a boy racer on a moped that clearly had nothing better to do at 3am!! We were relieved to arrive at La Teste de Buch this morning to find a lovely quiet Aire and the bonus of blue skies with no more rain clouds in sight. We had picked this Aire for its location to the Dune de Pilat as we were keen to show Paul and Jan this amazing dune which is the tallest in Europe.
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| La Teste de Buch Aire |
As soon as we were settled the bikes came out and we followed an excellent cycle path that ran alongside the Aire and all the way to the dune. The weather was glorious after all the rain and wind of the last few days. As we'd forgotten to bring bike locks Glynn minded the bikes while we climbed to the top of the dune so that Paul and Jan could enjoy the spectacular views across to Arcachon bay. After walking over 40 kms in the last 3 days my poor old calf muscles protested greatly at being made to climb the dune as my leg muscles are cycle fit not walking fit!! I'd really struggled to get out of bed the last 2 mornings as my calves were locked tight and I'd belatedly decided I ought to be doing more stretching!!
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| Cycling to the Dune de Pilat |
After a strenuous climb through the sand we opted for the easier route down via the steps. I was briefly tempted to lay on my side and roll down the dune and then remembered I am no longer a child and healing times are very much longer when you get older. While myself and Jan took a turn to stay with the bikes Paul went back up the dune with Glynn. On the ride back Jan was a little bit nervous of a hill we had descended on the cycle path as she is not a confident cyclist like the rest of us so Glynn got her to practice changing through the gears and she was surprised and delighted to make the short climb with ease.
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| Jan and Paul climbing the dune |
By the time we'd cycled back we had done a very pleasant 32kms so we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the sun. Our plan was to enjoy a lovely walk to the nearby lake in the morning before carrying on our journey to Spain.
15th May. After making good time on our journey south we crossed in to Spain 2 days ago and after spending one night on the camperstop at Jaca we drove to Teruel yesterday. Before settling down for the night we had enjoyed a nice stroll in to the town centre which had some lovely buildings. We also spent a relaxing half hour sat outside a lovely little Spanish bar and we could tell we were in Spain as it was only €5.90 for 2 caña and 2 glasses of wine served in lovely wine glasses ( the bonus was it came with free tapas so Paul and Jan got to experience their first tapas). The weather had improved dramatically since we had crossed the Pyrenees in to Spain and we were now enjoying temperatures of around 28° and not a rain cloud in sight.
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| Teruel |
The motorhome parking area was part of a large car park but as it was stationed opposite a police station we felt very comfortable about spending a night there however we were awoken at 5.30am this morning by a very strange noise that sounded almost like an electric skateboard whizzing up and down the pavement outside. While I tried to work out why anyone would be riding a skateboard up and down at such an early hour Glynn quietly ventured outside to see what was going on and came back with a big grin on his face. He had discovered that the grassy area we had parked next too was maintained by an automatic sprinkler system and the noise we could hear was the spray hitting the back of the motorhome as it rotated around.
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| Amazing bank door in Teruel |
Trying to be as quiet as possible we had to open the front screens so Glynn could see to drive in to a space opposite as it was obvious we would get little sleep while the sprinklers were on. It's impossible not to make a noise firing up a large motorhome at that time of the morning so Glynn just moved to a new space as quickly as possible hoping we hadn't disturbed too many people's sleep!! After grabbing a couple more hours of sleep we were up and ready to move on as our plan was to spend a couple of nights at a lovely site at Betera so that we could spend a day exploring Valencia. The site at Betera was undergoing improvements and a beautiful pool area had been added however it wasn't quite ready to be filled with water so we missed out on a swim but happily accepted the offer to enjoy a free glass of sangria at the bar! After so much travelling since we had left England it was nice to have a free afternoon to relax and enjoy the sunshine so we made the most of it. Occasionally we played a game called Tension in the evenings, girls against guys, and so far the men were beating us 4-1. Tonight we decided to play Chronology, myself and Glynn against Paul and Jan. With a win each we decided to call it quits and get an early night as we knew tomorrow would involve a lot of walking.
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| At the City of Arts and Sciences |
16th May. The tram station is just a short walk from the camperstop so we set off straight after breakfast to catch the tram in to Valencia. We had already purchased our tickets from the camperstop reception for only €3.10 each. We activated the tickets at a machine on the platform and a brief 30 minute journey later we were in Valencia and heading to explore the beach area. Afterwards we headed towards the marina and the City of Arts and Sciences area which is a beautiful part of Valencia. In spite of having visited it 2 years ago I was excited to be there again to show Paul and Jan why we loved it. In addition I was really excited at taking them to the Fallas museum which is my absolute favourite place in Valencia since I visited it on my first ever trip abroad 28 years ago.
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| City of Arts and Sciences |
After exploring the science area we made the short walk to the Fallas museum and paid €2 to enjoy the fascinating collection of winning ninots dating back to 1934. It is an amazing collection of incredible creations from the Fallas festival that have escaped being burnt on the final day of celebrations by virtue of being pardoned by public vote. They have evolved from the original use of wax, wood and cloth to the current works of art that involve the use of expanded polystyrene and papier-mâché to create the stunning displays depicting humorous scenes and caricatures.
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| Modern greenhouse |
We have never been in Spain in March to be able to visit the Fallas festival as it takes place however we have been lucky enough to visit the Festival de San Juan in Alicante, held in June every year, which involves the same displays of amazing ninots positioned on street corners throughout the city. After leaving the museum we decided it was time for a well earned break so we found a bar and ordered "bocadillos y caña". Feeling rested we then walked in to the city centre to view the architecture including the beautiful Estación Del Norte, the main train station that was built in 1852. We had walked over 21 kms exploring Valencia so it's hardly a surprise that after catching the tram back we opted for a quiet evening and an early night. Unfortunately on the walk back from the tram Jan lost her balance on the uneven ground and fell heavily on her arm as well as grazing her knee so we were hoping she hadn't done too much damage and would just have a few bruises.
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| Paul & Jan in the Fallas Museum |
17th May. Fun and games on the drive to Calpe today!! The day started off well when we woke up to gorgeous sunshine and we were looking forward to getting to Calpe and being in one place for a few weeks so we could get some serious cycling done. We set off for Calpe and as we were driving round Valencia's ring road Glynn suddenly realised he was in the wrong lane for the non toll route so quickly crossed lanes However it was too late for Paul who was following close behind us so he was stuck on the toll road. Not ideal when he didn't know where he was going so was relying on following us. I messaged Jan and arranged that they would come off at the next junction and wait for us to catch up however poor Paul turned left instead of right when he came off the toll road and ended up heading back towards Valencia. This meant we were now ahead of them so we waited in a lay-by until Paul managed to turn around and catch us up. It was like a comedy of errors but we were now back on track!
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| Valencia Beach |
Unfortunately I wasn't watching the sat nav which decided to play up and send us off the main road at Betera so that we were driving down all the back roads. We had been so busy chatting that Glynn hadn't realised the sat nav had gone wrong until we found ourselves on smaller narrower roads. What should have been a straightforward journey that we have done many times was suddenly anything but. I directed Glynn to get us back on the main road and as I looked up from checking the map I realised he was driving on the wrong side of the road!! He'd come out of a junction and momentarily crossed to the left side of the road. I shouted and he quickly realised his error and moved over just as we got to a bend with a lorry coming towards us.
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| Coastal walk at Calpe |
That was way too close for comfort!! It is very rare that Glynn ever gets confused about which side of the road to be on and we'd had a lucky escape. My poor old heart couldn't take any more so I was pleased and relieved when we finally arrived at Mediterraneo Camperstop. After settling in we went for a walk to show Paul and Jan the lovely beaches at Calpe and get some shopping in. After dinner we played Sequence. Myself and Jan beat the men in the first game so we thought we'd better let them win the second game so that they didn't sulk!! Oh and unsurprisingly the evening involved wine!! After the rather stressful drive from Betera a well earned glass of wine or two was definitely on the agenda!!
19th May. This morning we went for a ride with the Calpe U3A cycle club. Jan is not a confident cyclist so it was myself, Glynn and Paul that met them for a lovely ride to Moraira.
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| Coffee break at Moraira |
It was a nice route to break us in gently as there aren't any particularly steep climbs and it was the first decent ride on our new road bikes. It certainly felt a lot easier than the hybrids and was a very pleasant 30km ride. After lunch we decided to re-balance our hamstrings by going for a lovely long walk along the coastal path before spending the rest of the afternoon relaxing and enjoying the sunshine. With Paul and Jan being keen walkers we have been doing more walking than we've ever done and our calf muscles have finally stopped protesting so much. We've had some hilarious mornings trying to get out of bed with our calf muscles so tight we struggled to even get down the three steps from the bedroom area.
22nd May. After spending the last 2 days doing lots of walking we were back on the bikes today for another U3A ride.
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| Cycling in Calpe |
We took the main road up towards Benissa before turning off in to the Jalon Valley, past Lliber and then carried on to Senija and then across the top of Benissa and down through Pedromala coming back in to Calpe on the back roads. It was a fabulous ride and a much greater test on our fitness however I experienced the worst attack of hay fever I have suffered since I was a child. Now I have a small confession to make here: When I was a child if I wanted a day off school because I hadn't done my homework or just didn't want to go I would go over to the hayfield opposite our house and sit amongst the hay rubbing my eyes as this would result in my eyes almost closing up and a severe attack of hay fever. It was a foolproof way to get a day off as it would take a couple of days before I could see properly again.
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| Cycling through the olive groves |
As an adult I had all but grown out of hay fever (and the urge to sit in hayfields to get out of doing something) and now I only ever suffered with the occasional cold type symptoms however today I felt like that child sitting in the hayfield again. During the ride my throat started to itch really badly and my eyes were itching and streaming. I was struggling with my breathing and I wasn't sure if this was from a lack of fitness on the climbs or from the severe hay fever attack I was experiencing. Luckily I had some anti-histamine tablets in our medical box so guess where I headed the minute we got back!! After lunch we headed over to Mercadona for some shopping and discovered they had some cava at only €1.99 so we bought a brut and a demi-sec and enjoyed a fun evening playing Tension and testing the 2 cavas. The brut won our votes and the men won the Tension!!
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| View of Calpe from Pinos |
26th May. Over the last 3 days we've had some mixed weather with rain on and off but we managed to do a ride to Pinos that tested my climbing ability with a nice 10% gradient and we also managed a couple of hours on the beach relaxing during a sunny break in the weather. Today the sun was fully back in place so we did a great ride up to Benissa and I managed to knock 2 minutes off my fastest time. After lunch we did a nice easy ride through the olive groves between Calpe and the N332 carriageway so that Jan could join us. It's a nice scenic route with little traffic and although it's largely a flat ride there is a brief but very painful 16% climb that I have never made before. It's so steep that it's difficult to even walk up so I was absolutely delighted when I made it up without stopping. My lungs were burning and my legs were hurting but I did it although I could have done with an oxygen tank for a while afterwards. The road bikes definitely make a difference to our cycling ability.
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| Benidorm Old Town area |
27th May. We decided to take a break from cycling and have a day trip to Benidorm. Although we've cycled there a few times it's not a route that Jan would feel safe on as it means cycling the edge of the busy N332 carriageway for most of the route. We got off to a good start when we got on the bus at the station and it promptly broke down so we had to wait for the next bus. When we got to Benidorm we walked along the promenade and stopped to watch a choir singing on the beach. Benidorm is too busy for me on a regular basis but it's lovely to visit for a day. We headed in to the old town area which is really nice before deciding it was lunch time.
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| Amazing tapas selection |
In the old town area the Calle Santa Domingo is known as tapas alley and there are several smaller side streets that also have tapas bars. We were spoilt for choice but eventually settled on a restaurant with a very tempting display of tapas and enjoyed a lovely lunch washed down with wine and beer. We had a great day out, walking over 12kms, and after catching the bus back to Calpe we decided a quick visit to see Mick and Chris at Tres Palmeras was in order before heading home for a quiet night in.
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| Enjoying our tapas |
30th May. I have continued to suffer the worst hay fever I have experienced since I was a child. The anti-histamine tablets that I have been taking have caused extreme fatigue which is not ideal for cycling but on the plus side I have slept deeply and not woken up early for days. I even had to leave Glynn and Paul to do a ride to Benissa without me 2 days ago as I was too tired to join them. Unlike the U.K. where you can pick up cheap tablets from the supermarket you have to go the pharmacy in Spain to even get paracetamol. I was shocked that it cost me €12.80 for a pack of 20 non-drowsy anti-histamine tablets and the annoying thing was that they did little to improve the chronic symptoms I was experiencing. Luckily our friends Clive and Mary are arriving in Calpe soon so they are bringing me a supply of non-drowsy tablets that will hopefully do the trick.
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| Torre de la Horadada with Chris & John |
Today we were heading south to Cuesta Blanca so we stopped off at Torre de la Horadada to have lunch with our friends Chris and John whom we see in Goa every winter. It's a beautiful area and we enjoyed a lovely walk along the promenade in glorious sunshine before we bade them farewell to head to our next destination. We've stayed at Cuesta Blanca twice before and it's a great little camperstop with a pool that is owned by a lovely Dutch couple. Myself and Jan enjoyed the last of the afternoon sun by swimming in the pool but Glynn declined to join us as he can't contemplate water that is below about 30° so he dipped a toe and declared it way too cold for him.
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| Lake Negratin |
31st May. After a lovely day of cycling around the area yesterday we headed further south today to meet our friends Sean and Karen. We see them every year in Goa and as they also have a motorhome and were staying near Lake Negratin we had arranged to all meet up at a campsite adjacent to lake. Negratin is one of the largest freshwater reservoirs in Andalusia and sits side by side with Mount Jabalcón which was clearly visible for miles as we travelled towards it. Our first glimpse of the lake as we left the carriageway and navigated the minor road leading to the campsite was breathtaking. The water was the most stunning shade of blue and the lake looked vast with rugged cliffs on its northern banks and a stony beach area on the southern side.
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| Paella anyone? |
Karen and Sean have a beautiful Shar-Pei dog called Nancy who is blind but copes with her lack of sight really well. Once we had all settled on our pitches we wandered down to the lake so that Nancy could get some exercise and we could enjoy the amazing scenery and dip our toes in the water. It's definitely a place I would love to come back to with a kayak. After our walk we headed back and whilst I made a giant paella Karen introduced us to the delights of parma violet gin. Oh my word, it was gorgeous!! What a great evening, paella and various salad dishes washed down with gin for the girls and beer for the boys while we caught up on all our news. What a fantastic way to end the month.
Our plan for June is to head back to Calpe initially to take advantage of the incredible cycling opportunities the area offers and then we will gradually head north. With all the travelling we've only managed to cycle 220 kms but hopefully June will allow the opportunity to get a lot more cycling done before it gets too hot. Paul and Jan will be heading home mid June as Paul is entered in to a cycle race back in Wales at the beginning of July so the rides around Calpe will act as a good training ground to prepare him for those Welsh hills.
