Europe 2018

Retirement!!
Europe 2018

Legend

Driving
Hiking
Cycling
Bus
Train
Boat

Calais, France ‐ Oct 29, 2018

Left at 6.15am ready for a long drive ahead! Ferry rebooked for 11.35pm so should make it in plenty of time - Google says it is just over 12hrs drive! Couple of coffee/food stops and slow traffic in Hamburg saw us reach Calais at 10.45pm. Straight through customs and boarded in time for sailing.
Copenhagen, Denmark ‐ Oct 28, 2018

Arrived in our parking area early evening ready to explore tomorrow! Only a miles walk along the river to the city centre and then 3 miles to the Little Mermaid. Mum called and Dad has had a bad accident on his pushbike and is in hospital with a broken pelvis, smashed elbow, head trauma and slightly punctured lung! We are leaving for home tomorrow morning!!!!
Roskilde

Wrapped up warm and had a lovely beach walk before moving onto Roskilde. Raining again so a quick walk around the Viking ship building museum. Very interesting and so clever how they made and still make these boats.
Knivkærvej ‐ Oct 27, 2018

19km long bridge drive in gale force winds and rain to get from 1 Denmark island to another! Nice village of Knivkaervej but will leave to explore tomorrow as so cold!!
Kerteminde

Stopped at a very pretty coastal town called Kerteminde to refill water supplies and dump waste. Small walk around but heavens opened so headed back to the van. Showered and water refill again before moving on.
Odense

Full English Breakfast (with Danish Bacon) to set us up for the day! Wet & Windy again so heading for Odense.
Middelfart ‐ Oct 26, 2018

arrived at our spot for the night in Middelfart. Beautiful spot right along the baltic coast and a nice walk into the town. Extremely pretty and may see a few whales as a good area for whale watching!
Kolding

Stopped here at a huge shopping mall with the hope of a bank ATM so we could get some Danish Krona.
Flensburg, Germany

Heading into Denmark! Stopped here on the border as SUPPOSED to be cheap shopping! Guess we looked in the wrong places!!
Plön ‐ Oct 25, 2018

Parked up on the outskirts so a nice wooded walk into town and back through the Schloss Gardens.
Timmendorfer Strand

Weather has settled so headed back to the coast to the very pretty fishing village of Timmendorfer Strand.
Ratzeburg ‐ Oct 24, 2018

Nice evening so moved onto a small inland island called Ratzeburg. Walk around the old church area and back to the van.
Schwerin

Dry today so headed for Schwerin. Beautiful town with a huge Schloss and gardens.
Rostock ‐ Oct 23, 2018

Very wet and windy today so found a more sheltered carpark to hunker up in. Took advantage of a dry spell and walked along the beach to the town. Absolutely blowing a hooley so ended up taking shelter along the wooded path adjacent to the beach. Loads of Windsurfers out tking advantage of the conditions - brr!!!
Rostock ‐ Oct 22, 2018
Zingst

Very pretty town with a lovely long beach - very windy today so walked along the Dike instead.
Binz ‐ Oct 21, 2018

Nice beach walks and pretty town.
Dranske ‐ Oct 20, 2018

Drove to a peninsula for a long, strange walk around a deserted National park which used to be a naval marina during the GDR days. Quite eerie and very quiet, no bird song or other people! Not quite sure we were allowed to be there but we escaped with no harm !
Glowe ‐ Oct 19, 2018

Another walk around Stralsund before heading onto the island of Rugen. Many road closures and diversion frustrated us but we eventually found a perfect spot in Glowe. 100 metres from the beach and lots of walking to be done.
Stralsund ‐ Oct 18, 2018

Stopped at Badnuremburg for a look around and then continued to head north. back to the coast and the very pretty town of Stralsund. Lakes, sea, harbour area and old building of Dutch influence and gothic brick work.
Szczecin, Poland ‐ Oct 17, 2018

Decided to venture north and into Poland - again much cheaper! Parked up by the River Oder and had a nice walk along the river up into the town. Gravelled car parking areas do seem to attract the boy racer donutters at night!
Berlin, Germany ‐ Oct 16, 2018

Great parking area on the outskirts so cycles off and in we go! Good cycle paths but busy with traffic, bikes and tourists stepping out so wits needed! Visited all of the must see sites including Checkpoint Charlie, parts of the remaining wall, Jewish memorial and the Typography of Terror museum. Great shopping malls & history hotspots but wouldn't rush back.
Potsdam ‐ Oct 15, 2018

Beautiful parklands and long walks around many Schloss's, orangeries and other beautiful buildings all in one park area. Very pretty town centre and then headed for Berlin for the night!
Jüterbog ‐ Oct 14, 2018

Lazy morning with a nice walk around the lake in blazing sunshine. Afternoon drive to Juterbog and parked by another lake. Walk around the town and then sat watching a Beaver swimming around the lake from our van.
Mühlberg ‐ Oct 13, 2018

Located some Russian WW2 cemeteries and German POW sites nearby so had a bit of an explore. Very subdued memorials compared to our Commonwealth ones! The Russian POW's were seen as traitors so tried to remain anonymous - no honour at all. Found a nice campsite beside a river at Muhlberg and BONUS - they are having an Oktoberfest tonight! Quick look around the town museum and then free beer and sausages at the Fest - great night and made friends with the oompah band!
Riesa ‐ Oct 12, 2018

Nice little parking spot for the night.
Colditz

Personal guided tour around the castle - absolutely amazing! Fascinating history of escape attempts - tunnels and glider still in-situ.
Colditz ‐ Oct 11, 2018

Nice morning walk around Meissen, stopped at a few Schloss's on the way to Colditz! Parked up and walk to the Castle. Walked around the courtyards, exhibitions and Euthanasia memorial. Guided tour booked for tomorrow at 10.30am!
Meißen ‐ Oct 10, 2018

Decided to move on and found a great parking spot along the river in Meissen. Evening stroll around what looks like a beautiful town - it looked very pretty all lit up.
Dresden

Cycled along the River Elbe to Schloss Pilnitz - nice ride but so many cobbles! Ferry across and cycled back along the other side back to Dresden (18 miles in total). Longer look around Dresden - pretty town with lots of shops, squares, cafes & restaurant.
Dresden ‐ Oct 9, 2018

Found a great parking area just off the centre and had a nice evening walk around the Dresden Zwinger. A very old palatial building with beautiful gardens - seemed to be lucky to escape the WW2 bombings!
Pirna

Pretty little town
Lohmen

Drove to a Bastion built upon a sandstone cliff. Stunning views across the valley and then had the most amazing walk through the forest, scrambling down gorges and bimbling through stunning scenery.
Bad Schandau ‐ Oct 8, 2018

Back into Germany via a good walk around Basalt column mound.
Sedmihorky, Czech Republic ‐ Oct 6, 2018

Nice drive across country to a heavily forested area with great sandstone outcrops. An extremely cheap campsite will be home for a couple of nights. Nice walk through the forests.
Prague ‐ Oct 5, 2018

Exploring the other side of the river today staring at Vyasharad Fort and Cemetery ( Dvorak is buried there). Prague castle next - absolutely packed with tourist so only a brief visit around the exterior. More exploring through the old streets and back over Charles bridge. Exhausted and tired feet so tram back and early night.
Prague ‐ Oct 4, 2018

A free foot ferry took us across the river and then a tram into the centre. Great walk around starting in Wenceslas Square. Very pretty City with great architecture and many churches.
Prague ‐ Oct 3, 2018

A rainy day so drove into the Czech Republic towards Prague. Lovely countryside and cheap fuel prices!! Found a good campsite 3.5 km from the city centre on a small island.
Rgbg, Germany ‐ Oct 2, 2018

Stopped at some Kloisters along the Danube for a look around and then headed to Regensberg. A good walk around and into the evening. A pretty town dominated by a huge twin spired cathedral.
Ingolstadt ‐ Oct 1, 2018

Another walled town but with a more modern interior. Nice walk around and managed to lose ourselves trying to get back to the van! made it eventually just before the heavens opened.
Dinkelsbühl

Happy Birthday Mum!
Rothenberg ‐ Sep 30, 2018

Wow - the prettiest town yet! Huge town walls with many inner walls and arches. Beautiful alpine style buildings with flowers and so many christmas shops already!! Walked to the local sports centre and watched some junior American Football before a nice evening walk around the exterior of the town walls through the vineyards.
Miltenberg ‐ Sep 29, 2018

Decided to move on to Miltenberg along the River Neckar.
Heidelberg

Cycled up another blooming hill to another stunning castle - lots of cobbles today!! The town is in full swing of a 'Herbst' festival so beer tents, food stalls, music and craft stalls everywhere. Great atmosphere but so, so busy.
Sooneck ‐ Sep 28, 2018

Another great cycle along the Rheine to Burg Sooneck - another fairytale castle upon a hill, this time more of a ruin though. Beautiful views up and down the river. back to Bacharach and a good look around the town. Extremely pretty and definately a wine town.
Oberwesel ‐ Sep 27, 2018

Cycled about 7km to another pretty village. The architecture is completely different down this part of the Rheine compared to the Industrial north - very romantic and twee.
Bacharach

Moved further down the Rheine to Bacharach, parked in an aire and set off to explore.
Koblenz

Cycled along the Rheine to visit Schloss Stolzenfels - a real fairytale style castle perched a top a very steep hill!! There are not many bridges crossing the Rheine so many miles are cycled just to get across to the other side! Queen Victoria visited the Schloss for 2 days in 1845. Beautiful gardens and the chapel was just wow!!
Lanhausstein ‐ Sep 26, 2018

Difficulty parking in Koblenz so found a place in Landhaustein. Nice evening walk along the Rhein, in the much appreciated sunshine. Starting to see lots of pretty Schloss castles perched upon hilltops - a refreshing beer along the riverside before heading back for supper.
Ramegen

Good look around the WW2 Bridge Museum - interesting to see the war view point from the German side.
Dusseldorf ‐ Sep 25, 2018

Cycled a good 20 km along an excellent cycle path to Dusseldorf. Good mooch around, Currywirst for lunch and then back home via a small pretty town called Kaiserwirt.
Duisburg ‐ Sep 24, 2018

Staying at our friends Jane & Norbert for a couple of days. Nice to catch up and take Millie the dog for a leisurely walk across the fields to the Rheine.
Zons ‐ Sep 23, 2018

Extremely wet this morning and forecast for the day so a leisurely drive up to a Medieval village called Zons. Found a great parking spot which will do us for the day and night. Sadly the rain continued to pour which was a great shame as there was a medieval themed craft type market taking place in the village. Umbrellas at the ready and a good look around.
Cologne ‐ Sep 22, 2018

Another campsite, as no available parking in the City. Good cycle along the river into the centre. Not overly impressed with the city centre but a look around a few pretty churches. The weather has turned and is much chillier and damp.
Maastricht, Netherlands ‐ Sep 21, 2018

Very wet morning so chilled before we cycled into Maastricht ready for our pre-booked tour of Fort Sant Pieter at 12.30pm. Great informative tour by Egbert and the sun has made an appearance. next we moved onto the Grotten Nord Tunnels and had not such an informative tour by Kitty! Great quarried tunnels stretching out under Maastricht with carvings and paintings. Nice walk around the cobbled streets of the old town - lots of squares and old churches. Booked 1 more night on campsite.
Maastricht ‐ Sep 20, 2018

Left Brussels behind and moved onto a very pretty campsite overlooking a lake. Hot running showers and electricity!! Camping de Ooserdriessen.
Brussels, Belgium

Managed to park on the outskirts at the Atomium and cycled into the centre. 1st stop a giant flea market which really was full of junk! Then onto the Palais de Bruxelles and a coffee in the park - very pretty! The very modern, mirrored buildings of Parliament were next - sadly we didnt bump into Nigel Farrage!! The Royal Square is quite stunning with very old buildings bedecked in gold.
Ghent ‐ Sep 19, 2018

Parked up easily and cycled into the city centre. Very pretty with canals, trams and cyclists everywhere. Good explore around the centre and then cycled back through a lovely park with a huge lake. Sadly had to move our van as the carpark was closing for 3 nights for road works! Quick look for a new place and decided to head to Brussels!
Breskens, Netherlands ‐ Sep 18, 2018

Moved on a little bit to our parking spot for the night - more walking along golden beaches in the sunshine but extremely windy!
Cadzand-Bad

Nice drive along the coast into Holland! Another nice walk along the front and back through the town. Again very pretty but busy with more mature cyclists! We have noticed that there are excellent cycle paths everywhere and very well used.
Lissewege, Belgium

Walk around the harbour, hunting out the Royal Marine Memorial to the 1918 Battle of Zeebrugge.
Ostend ‐ Sep 17, 2018

Long walk along the promenade and into the town centre; again very pretty and very clean. Nice evening walk along the beach and a stunning sunset.
De Panne

Nice walk around a very pretty town. Beautiful sea front which is part of the Dunkirk WW1 mass evacuation. Belgian Waffles and Chocolate for breakfast!
Calais, France
Dover, United Kingdom

Ferry to Calais
Exmouth ‐ Sep 16, 2018

And we are off - Exmouth to Dover - Calais and turn Left!
Exmouth ‐ May 31, 2018

Home!!
Plymouth

5666.51 miles (not including the ferry miles) later and we are home! Absolutely fantastic 4 months away, glad to be home but sad our adventure is over. Now to start planning for the next one!!!!!

+49

Europe - Feb-June 2018
Santander, Spain ‐ May 30, 2018

Ferry at 21.15pm so a few hours to kill! We can park in the port from 9.30am and know that it will securely safe for the day. 1st stop Carrefour to stock up on cheap wine and bits to bring home and then to Mercadona - another cheap supermarket! Had a wander around Santander and a late Menu del Dia to fill us up before the ferry. Back to the van in time for the Guardia Civil searches - no immigrants have sneaked into our van - and now just waiting to board.
Isla de la Virgen del Mar ‐ May 29, 2018

More walking over the headlands and some chilling - in spitting distance of Santander now so will stay here for the night. Only one more night of our adventure :(.
Liencres

Moved onto a lovely area and beach at Liences - lots of surf dudes chilling by their vans. Attempted a walk along the driftwood strewn beach but within 10 minutes Shaun's back pack was full so we had to go back and unload! Set off again but went the other way so as not to be tempted to get more wood! Great bimble through the dunes and along the estuary side and then back again. A nice cafe offering delicious Patatas Alioli and good beer was found so it would be rude not to indulge. Exhauste [...]
d the area so moved on!
Suances ‐ May 28, 2018

Nice quiet night with no problems at all. Parked up by the quay in St Vicente and had a quick walk around the town and castle. We have visited the town previously so didn't feel the need to explore too much. Weather is brightening up so a nice coastal drive along to Suances.. Found a good parking spot and had a walk around the promenade. The main town is up a very steep hill but is quite pretty so was worth the hike. Back to the van and Shaun managed to find a Dutch TV live online stream so [...]
we could sit and Watch Exeter City 1 v 3 Coventry City in the league playoff final at Wembley. Not the best play by Exeter, evening walk and beer to drown our sorrows.
San Vicente de la Barquera ‐ May 27, 2018

Busy morning doing a few van jobs before leaving the camp site at mid day. Headed to San Vicente which was extremely busy so parked in a beach carpark on the far side. Bit too far to walk back into the town so had a nice beach walk watching the surfers. Keeps drizzling that extremely wet drizzle so not much to do except sit in the van. Staying here for the night - sign says we shouldn't but there are 3 other vans here so we will risk it.
Celorio ‐ May 26, 2018

Today was slightly damp so we just explored the local villages - lots of donkeys, calves and foals and the locals practising their Marraca dancing - very noisy!! Had a menu del dia in a local hotel - bit of a food shortage in the van as we are trying to use up bits now we are homeward bound - managed to get a TV signal for Spanish TV so settled down to Watch Liverpool 1 v 3 Real Madrid in the Champions league final.
Póo ‐ Apr 25, 2018

In our childish manner the name of this town always makes us giggle when we see the sign! Another walk along part of the Camino de Santiago - up nice and early to get a few miles in before the forecast rain at lunch time - and again greeting many Pilgrims. Beat the rain and back in the van in time for lunch - typically the forecast had since changed and was now not going to rain until the evening - deciding our 7 mile morning walk was enough for the day we just spent a nice afternoon reading - [...]
giving Shaun's sudden foot blister a chance to recover a little bit.
Llanes ‐ May 24, 2018

Grey and overcast today with lots of rain forecast for the next few days. Had a walk along part of the Camino Santiago towards Llanes - passing through pretty bays and villages. Lots of Pilgrims on their travels - wishing them a Buenos Camino as they passed by! We decided to maybe hole up on a campsite for the weekend (as we always tend to do when the weather is not due to be great and also many of the parking areas are quite sandy along this coast so with the forecast rain we would be bette [...]
r on a site hardstanding). Found a nice site at a very good price and booked in for 3 nights. Had to walk back and retrieve the van from Antolin and then set up camp on a beautiful pitch overlooking the sea.
Playa de Gulpiyuri ‐ May 23, 2018

Wow - what an oasis this place is - a beach and sea in a bowl 100 metres in land from the actual sea! Caused by blowholes and underground caves the crashing waves from the sea blast their way through causing this unique feature. Walked back to the van passing many more blowhole areas - Shaun was very excited!
Playa de San Antolin

Beach parking here and some good walking to a few hidden gems!
Ribadesella

Parked up and had a walk around the harbour - very pretty town and it's market day! Shaun fancied some more Patatas Bravas and it just happened to be lunch time.
Lastres ‐ May 22, 2018

Pretty walk around the headland to Lastres - lunch on the beach and then a rock scramble walk back to Playa La Griega
Playa la Griega

Nice area and found a parking spot which we may stay in for the night! After our morning walk we walked through the forest, following the 'Dinosaur' signs to some supposed dinosaur foot prints embedded in the beach rocks. Late afternoon relax on the beach - making the most of the sunshine as it is our last week!
Gijón ‐ May 21, 2018

Moved on to Gijon and found a perfect parking area at the far end of the town overlooking a nice park and the sea. Walked along the promenade to the opposite end of the bay and a look around the hilltop fortification. Sat in a square - 2 beers and some Patatas Bravas (roast potatoes with a spicy sauce) - to energise us for the walk back!! Beautiful afternoon so sat in the park reading and watching the world go by.
Avilés ‐ May 20, 2018

Back to the coast and the sun is shining. Bit worried as we were heading for a beach with parking and had to pass through quite an industrial area with huge working docks - we expected the beach to be quite dull due to the area it was in but wow!! We parked up and were greeted with long golden sands, turquoise seas and lots of surfers - perfect. Had a good walk around the headland, through fields and pretty villages - not a shop or cafe to be found though! Had a couple of hours relaxing on t [...]
he beach, supper and then an evening walk - lots of Driftwood and pretty pebbles. All day trippers gone so a peaceful, quiet night.
Pola de Laviana ‐ May 19, 2018

Left Riano and continued along the mountain road - after a fair few miles we saw a chap stopping the traffic and sending them on a detour - the road ahead was completely closed due to a rock fall. He asked how wide we were - 2.2metres - and said we would just about be ok to take the detour! He sent us down the tiniest of road (which had been roughly built to accommodate the detour) and had extremely tight hairpins to get across the river! It was a good mile, my hands were sweating and heart [...]
beating by the time we got around and i did feel a bit guilty by the length of time i took manoeuvring around the detour when i saw the queue of traffic waiting to come through from the other side. Eventually found a great parking space - with services - in Pola and that will be us for the night! gave the van a bit of a clean as it was covered in cow poo from our detour!!
Riaño

Beautiful mountain drive to Riano - very wiggly with hairpins! Parked up by the river and found a nice circular walk up the valley. Stunning mountain views, wild horses and cows with calves, wild flowers and a stream running down the middle - idyllic! Nice refreshing beer in the square before lunch in the van.
Potes ‐ May 18, 2018

Good walk around the town, pretty busy as is a bit of a walkers paradise. Lots of motorcyclists converge here too as lots of good riding conditions and roads around the mountains.
Fuente Dé

Nice alarm call this morning as we were woken by the cow bells as they returned back to where they came from last night. We set off nice and early as we wanted to beat the expected crowds at the Fuente De cable car. A good hours drive and we arrived at the queueless cable car - bought our ticket and were riding up within 5 minutes. An extremely steep climb in a glass box with stunning views down the valley. It was still quite snowy at the top so walking was limited but we did manage a small [...]
one around the peak. Thankfully most tourists had inappropriate footwear so didn't venture far from the cable car building - making our pathway extremely quiet. Rode back down and headed for our parking area in Potes
Cervera de Pisuerga ‐ May 17, 2018

Carried onto Cervera and found an Aire with services which will be ok for now. Found a good 4hr circular walk along part of the bear trail. Along a river to a mountain and then to a beautiful reservoir. Decided the Aire would be good enough and quiet enough (it was on the edge of an industrial estate) to stay the night. We were having supper when suddenly a huge heard of cows passed our windows with their alpine bells jangling - 4 small extremely cute calves were trying their hardest to kee [...]
p up.
Aguilar de Campoo

Cloudy and misty today so moved down the hills a little towards the lakes. Sadly the lakes had swarms of Mosquitos so we didn't hang around. Drove to Aguilar and had a good look around the castle and town.
Cueva Palomera ‐ May 16, 2018

At 4pm we met Jose our guide and 3 Spanish ladies, who were dressed more for a fashion show rather than a cave walk. We then had a 2.5hr guided walk through a cave system with fantastic stalagtites and mites. It would be good to be able to go back and do a proper caving route through. After emerging we moved down to a local town and parked up in a disused railway yard - 4eu per night with Electricity - tonight we were visited by Ratdog!
Ojo Guareña ‐ Jun 16, 2018

After a morning visit from Pigdog we left to visit some caves at Ojo Guarena. A beautiful area where buildings were built in to the caves many years ago. The church looked beutiful but again a booked guided tour was required to look inside. We did book to go on the caving trip later at 4pm. To pass the time we followed a signed path to a natural limestone arch called El Ventanon. A beautiful circular walk with pretty meadow flowers and a definite WOW moment when we saw the arch.
Frías ‐ May 15, 2018

Grey and cloudy again so headed West to a beautiful village in the mountains called Frias. An amazing castle is perched upon a rocky outcrop with pretty streets flowing down from. Had a nice walk along the River Ebre and upto the Ermita San Miguel. We were visited in the evening by what looked like a small pygmy pig but it turned out to be a dog - we named him pigdog and we think he was blind and deaf! Shaun made a friend and wanted to bring him home!
Pamplona ‐ Apr 14, 2018

Good lakeside drive along the valley. Lots of deserted villages which were abandoned years ago when the farmland was flooded to create the lakes. We stopped to look around one - lots of stone building shells and even a church - very eerie to look around. Suddenly we heard a booming radio and one of the houses, tucked away in the centre of the village, is still inhabited - we would have loved to have knocked on the door and had a look inside. Then onto Pamplona which is famous for the bull ru [...]
nning. Funny place as quite old but not very pretty or anything special.
Jaca ‐ Jun 13, 2018

Up nice and early as we are heading towards another pretty town and want to try and arrive before it gets too busy. There is an Aire in the town with limited spaces so fingers crossed. No worries and parked up before 10am!! Walked into the town and to the Citadell - were met with people dressed in medieval costume as there is a re-enactment society encamped in the Citadell recreating the battle between Spain and France. We had a look around the camp where they were all living in the medieval [...]
way and were told to return at 1pm as thats when the battle would commence. we did just that and giggled lots - it was quite slow going and they were taking it in turns to fire at each other; it was a novel and unexpected event. Jaca itself is a very pretty town with old churches and narrow streets leading to cafe strewn hidden squares.
Aínsa ‐ May 12, 2018

Wet and rainy today so a driving day! Through Andorra and back into Spain. Arrived in Ainsa and parked along the river - there is a proper Aire up in the medieval part but quite tight to get to so when we saw vans by the river we decided to join them. The lower part of town is nothing special but up the hill is beautiful - another stunning mountain village dominated by large castle.
Grau Roig, Andorra ‐ May 11, 2018

Escaped the rat race and found a lovely parking area at Grau Roig - another ski resort out of season with a huge area for parking. Still quite a bit of snow on the ground so a short walk around the lower hills. Extremely warm sunshine so a couple of hours sitting outside the van, reading with a glass of Sangria - perfect!
Pas de la Casa, France

After feeling like we had finally walked off yesterdays lunch we headed on towards Andorra. Parked up in Pas de la Casa which is another Tax Free border town. Absolutely packed with people seemingly to think they were getting great deals on Spirits and cigarettes. Purchased a few items but couldn't wait to get away from the crowds.
Lac de Matemale

Woke up to a beautiful sunny morning so went for a 5 mile circular walk around the lake. A good mixture of forest and meadow on an easy guided track - lots of pretty spring flowers starting to bloom.
Les Angles ‐ May 10, 2018

Feeling clean and refreshed we headed towards the Ski resort of Les Angles - out of season now but still snow on the hillsides. Had a walk around the village and then opted to have lunch out - 2 places open, fast food burger bar or Chez Antoine Martin Restaurant - i chose the latter and it was probably the most expensive place yet - the owner (Antoine) has won numerous awards for his prize winning cattle and then it is served up in the restaurant! We left feeling so full up, the food was delic [...]
ious but still doesn't beat the meal we had at St Martin D'Empuries. After a brief siesta to let our food digest we moved around the lake to a parking Aire where we will settle for the night. Very pretty view overlooking the lake with Les Angles and the mountains in the background.
Bains de St Thomas

Treating ourselves today with a hot spa swim up in the mountains. Spent a good hour soaking in the naturally warm waters. I am letting Shaun have a drive today as these roads are pretty narrow with hairpins and i just don't enjoy driving on them - hopefully my navigation will be on point!
Gorges de la Carança ‐ Jun 3, 2018

Beautiful drive through the mountains to the Gorges we previously visited 8 years ago - dedicated Motorhome parking for the night. Evening is getting on so we did a small walk along the gorge - it is stunning - but underfoot was getting quite damp and slippery.
The Organs of Ille-sur-Tet ‐ May 9, 2018

Decided to bite the bullet and head to the Pyrennes. Couple of routes but plumped for the French way, crossing the border at La Jonquera - absolutely horrendous with hundreds of people stopping for tax free bargains apparently. We got out of there as quick as the traffic would allow and headed for The Organs - a great rock formation in the mountains where the erosion has caused the formation of organ pipe looking rocks - in France again so quite expensive to look around and did it in 10 minute [...]
s!! We must start walking slower!
Montgó, Spain ‐ May 8, 2018

A good walk back through the town and across the headland to the next bay around. Quite an urbanization but a pretty beach, expect it is packed in the Summer months. Headed back and onto the beach to read for a few hours. Rain clouds threatened again and it turned quite chilly so retreated back to the van and did some more planning. Turned into a nice evening so walked along to St Martin again and had a beer.
Empúries A ‐ May 7, 2018

After a nice weekend in Platya D'Aro, the weather turned out better than forecast, we moved a bit further North - we are struggling a little as our Ferry is from Santander in 4 weeks time, we don't really want to spend too much time heading North in to France (too expensive), we have covered most of this coastline and the weather is not forecast to be great across the Pyrennees/West coast of Spain. We visited the Roman remains here a few years ago and remebered the area to be extremely pretty. [...]
We parked on a side street within the town and had a walk around the harbour - very pretty area. Shaun was aware of a parking area further around the bay so we decided to have a walk around and see what we found. Reached the beautiful old village of St Martin D'Empuries and decided to treat ourselves to a slightly more expensive Menu Del Dia - 16eu each! Probably the best meal we have had on our travels yet (apart from the home cooked stuff of course!). Walked back to the van and then moved to the nicer area we had located on our walk - there is a sign saying no overnight parking but this seems to be more forceful in the Summer months. I did check with another van owner and then said they had parked there for several nights no problems. Had a relax on the beach and watched the grey thunderstorm clouds roll in from Roses - they just threatened in the end!
Platja d'Aro ‐ May 4, 2018

Again the forecast was not great and with the weekend coming parking is not always easy to find so we decided to book a camp site again - need to do some laundry as well! Found a nice site at D'Aro - popular with the Dutch who pitch up for most of the winter in their caravans! Dull day so had a walk around the Marina and up to a shopping mall where there was again a Decathlon sports stores! We (mainly me) feels we have to look around every Decathlon we come across even though they all sell e [...]
xactly the same stuff - it's a good time waster when the weather is dull!
Sitges ‐ May 3, 2018

Not as sunny as forecast so moving a bit further North to try and find the sun and somewhere to stay. Found a grassy area on a dead end road alongside Sitges Golf Club - a few other vans look like they have taken up residence here so we will chance our luck. Nice walk along the beach and into a very pretty town. Busy but a nice atmosphere with the street cafe/restaurant culture. Walked over the headland to the harbour area and had a good mooch about. Lots of pretty beaches but it seems the [...]
natural thing along this coast to sunbathe naked!! We are kind of getting used to it now and it is not segregated away from those prudish British tourists like ourselves :).
L'Hospitalet de l'Infant ‐ May 1, 2018

Up and off early, to avoid the traffic, and found a nice spot at what we thought translated to 'Children's Hospital' a very odd name for a town! However after some investigation it urns out that it is relates to a Prince (Infante) who built a hospice (Hospitalet) here hundreds of years ago - the ruins of which still stand and now house some very nice restaurants and Tapas bars. Had a relaxing afternoon on the beach and then a walk along the promenade - another rain storm hit so we sat in the v [...]
an and watched the water levels all around us rise quite rapidly. Most towns are built on slight hills and we were parked by the beach so the water runs down quite rapidly.
Tortosa ‐ Apr 30, 2018

Decided to move on again and knew there was an Aire at Tortosa which would be our overnight spot. Had a walk around the town, some food and then were invited to another Bailey Motorhome which was parked by us for a few drinks! Paul and Wendy live in their van full time so were full of good hints and tips.
Morella

Up and off nice and early and a food restock at Lidl's in Tereul. Heading towards Morella with a stop at Carivieja en-route. Another pretty mountain village but an extremely quick walk around as we were still dressed for the 18 degrees we had now got used to but the temperature here had dropped to 4 degrees - chilly!! Made it to Morella and because it is another castle dominated, Medieaval town they direct every one to park in a very large carpark which skirts around the edge of the hill. A [...]
great place with lots of parking but extremely busy (as per the attraction of the mountain villages). We did eventually manage to park and then realised there was a dedicated motorhome stop about a 10 minute walk away which the guide did not tell us about - hey-ho. Dressed more appropriately for the lower temperatures we had a good look around and discussed our next moves over a coffee.
Albarracín ‐ May 29, 2018

Finally, after 4 nights, we decided we needed to move from Alicante - it would have been easy to stay for much longer but we still had other places to see! Heading inland again we eventually reached, after an extremely wet and windy drive, a really pretty, old hilltop town called Albarracin. A huge carpark with many motorhomes in but a sign saying no overnight parking - again we would wait and see what others were doing to see if we could stay or not! Sometimes they only enforce the signs and [...]
rules in the peak holiday seasons. However Albaraccin really was a tourist hotspot and it wasn't before long that a local police officer was putting polite notices on the vans reminding of the no overnighting rule. We had a walk around the town anyway and would then move on. Shaun had made a mental note of a few possibilites on the way in which was a good job as we don't appear to have a phone signal out here for Google maps. The village was stunning and very old - again a castle dominated the skyline with narrow cobbled streets running down - a real maze. Time to move on and we found an old road which was now a dead end road to nowhere - we chanced it and had no bother whatsoever.
Campello ‐ Apr 27, 2018

Another day at our aire and a nice walk along the promenade to a place between us and Benidorm called Campello. A look around some roman ruins and fish traps before our return bimble. Read on the beach for a few hours and then watched some storm clouds roll in. Just made it back in time as a thunder, lightening and hail storm hit - hail stones the size of peas!!
Benidorm ‐ Apr 26, 2018

Today we were meeting up with one of Shaun's friends who was on a stag doo in Benidorm! Got the tram for the 1 hour journey up the coast. Met Mac at midday in a bar where it was 10euros for 5 pints!! A fun few hours were had and a few hours were lost by Shaun!! Thankfully i took note of where the tram station and stops were! A few hours of sleep and some normality had returned so an evening walk along the promenade - a good fun day was had.
Alicante ‐ Apr 25, 2018

Decided upon Alicante as there were a couple of secure Aires for parking and we did miss it on the way down! We parked up and walked to the tram stop 5 minutes away - it was still raining so a mooch around shops seemed the obvious way to pass the time. Late afternoon the rain cleared and we decided to walk part of the way back to the van. High above Alicante sits a huge castle which we couldn't be bothered to walk up however on our walk back we came across a tunnel with an elevator up to the [...]
castle - it cost us 5euros which included entry to the castle! Ideal!! The sun was now shining and we were afforded fantastic views for miles around. A magnificent castle and so glad we stumbled across the lift.
Fortuna

After spending the previous day lazing on the beach the weather turned extremely wet and windy over night scuppering our plans - the forecast wasn't great for the next couple of days. Shaun found a lovely sounding campsite back in the mountains which boasts of a natural spring heated swimming/spa pool - it sounded perfect! However when we eventually got there (after a 1.5 hr mountain drive) it was pretty busy and the average age was about 80!! We had a walk to the swimming pool where a mornin [...]
g exercise class was taking place - it was like a scene from the film Cocoon!! We were both not keen so after a long discussion and me not keen to stay in the mountains we headed back towards the coast!
Águilas ‐ Apr 23, 2018

Didn't want to spend the whole day on the beach so decided upon a part headland part beach walk along to Aguilas - a good few miles away! Made note of a pretty beach side bar which would probably be most welcoming on our return journey - it was and we was passing back at a more respectable time to partake in a beer or two or three!! We did look at the menu but decided not to eat, but ended up eating more than we needed as the waiter kept bringing us out free tapas!
Calle Cala Cerrada

We kind of exhausted this coast line on our way down and Shaun is struggling to find different places to stay, the weather is not so good in land so we decided to re-visit the beautiful coves at Cala Cerrada. The forecast is sunny for the next few days so we stocked up with food essentials and are ready to wild camp for the next two nights.
Pulpí ‐ Apr 22, 2018

Thankfully we found a beach side parking area here - not a designated parking area but there are a few other vans here so we will hope to stay until someone says otherwise - it is again one of those moments when you try not to look guilty as you see a police car approaching and then relax that you can sleep here as they pass by without stopping.
Vera

A possible night spot here along side the reservoir - unfortunately Google maps didn't show that the reservoir was in a massive bowl with high sides - no stopping here! Had a quick walk, admired the view and searched some more!
Canjáyar

Leaving the mountains today as the weather is better towards the coast and I have had my fill of mountain driving for the moment! Just needed to stop at one more mountain village en-route and Canjayar fitted the bill! Very pretty town (again in Festival mode) built around the hilltop Church. Walked up to the church and soon realised that the house that was letting off the festival firecrackers ,at 5 minute intervals, was directly below the church - we did jump out of our skins a few times! De [...]
cided upon a coffee and found a busy square with a local traditional Spanish brass band playing - it is hard to describe their style but the music always reminds me of a sombre funeral march from Mexico!! A big drum and tuba seem to be the main rhythm makers with their deep tones and the high shrill of trumpets filling in.
Trevélez ‐ Apr 21, 2018

A gentler walk today after yesterdays antics :)! Headed down into the town and took the path following the river along the valley. Beautiful scenery and quite a fun walk as at times our path turned into the river - we never do it easy!! Not a circular route today so a 2 hour walk out before turning around and 2 hours back - it was still amazing to see what we didn't notice on our walk out. Annoyingly got lured into a local Tavern where we had a delicious lunch (Ham was included) and a couple [...]
of cold beers - very nice. Had an English van pull up next to us in the site so sat with them into the evening exchanging tips and nice places to travel. There was a local festival taking place in the village - lots of young men on horse back racing to catch the eye of a local girl - which eventually turned into a full night of extremely loud dance music booming up from the village until 6am the following morning!
Trevélez ‐ Apr 20, 2018

Today we decide upon the red & white guided walk above Trevelez - a 4 hour circular route up and around the mountain. All started well and then we hit the snow line which completely devoured the red & white direction markers - we were flying solo again!! We improvised and knew the general direction to go but probably did go off track quite a bit! We spotted a herd of Spanish Ibex so obviously had to position ourselves to get a better view and photographs - this involved traversing the snow (i [...]
n shorts and walking boots), scrambling up rocky crops and just basically making our own way. It was beautiful and the views just astounding. Eventually reached the summit and started the descent down the other side - still no path markers, still snow patches and now waterfall gullys and hidden gorges! It really was walking into the unknown as we could see the treeline we needed to skirt around (about 2 miles away) but didn't know if there were steep drops etc. The most direct route was across a snow field and Shaun was unsure of the stability and what could be under the snow, we could see what looked like an easier route but the rocks looked like they dropped away to a steep cliff so we toyed with the idea of going back up towards the summit and walking across the top ridge line of another 3 mountains and down another way. Eventually we decided to try the most direct route, pick our way through the snow and just see what the hidden drops threw at us. Thankfully as we reached each obstacle they were not as bad as looked from above and we were soon at our tree line - still a long way from the town though! Another 1.5 hours and we were home and enjoying a cold beer. Had a fantastic day and now feel very accomplished. The walk took over 6 hours in the end, Shaun admitted he was worried a few times and that we probably broke every single rule in the mountain walking guide book but heck we had a brilliant day.
Trevélez ‐ Apr 19, 2018

Booked into another campsite, the highest campsite in Spain apparently, as we want to have a base for 3 nights for some good days of mountain walking. Trevelez is the highest mountain village in this region of Spain - it is famous for producing dried Ham legs. Walked down into the village and couldn't believe the amount of buildings given over to the hanging and drying of the Ham - there is a museum dedicated to Ham, the air even smells of Ham!
Pampaneira

A brief stop at another pretty mountain village - legs stretched after a mooch around the local artisan shops and we were off again.
Órgiva

After 2 lovely nights at the camp site we are on the move again and heading into the Sierra Nevada's!! Interesting drive as mountain roads are pretty narrow, pretty steep and with steep drops and not much room for manoeuvre - i always get a bit anxious when driving on them. Our destination was Orgiva - Shaun directed me up a steep, narrow town road, where our overhang always scrapes on the turn up, and lots of oncoming traffic. we eventually reached the extremely busy carpark, more scraping e [...]
nsued and we just about managed to park - i am stressed!!! It is market day, hence the busy car park, and like most it doesn't seem to close up at midday ( i was hoping this would be the case so the car park would empty and i could at least turn the van around! Orgiva is a pretty mountain town but strangely has a very alternative towns folk. Hippies from across the world converge here and the smell of incense sticks and other things hangs in the air - very good for people watching! Eventually bit the bullet and couldn't put off the 'getting out of here' moment for any longer! A 56 point turn later and a just go for it attitude soon had us out on on the road again.
Granada ‐ Jun 3, 2018

9.28am bus into the centre of Granada for 3euros return!! Made our way towards the Alhambra and had to be content with walking around the free outside areas as to go inside you have to book online weeks in advance - we didn't know but were quite happy as it really was so extremely busy and we probably would have got annoyed with people :)! Nice walk up the Darro Street towards the Gypsy Caves - you are warned not to get lured in by the Gypsy children who then want money for the priviledge! We [...]
are quite good at not following like sheep and going off of the usual tourist routes, but still ending up at the same destination. We passed through some beautiful back streets and alleyways with stunning views across to the Alhambra and snowy Sierra Nevada mountains. Had some lunch and a walk around the shopping areas - decided we would catch the 4.20pm bus back which sadly meant we had 45 minutes to fill! How did we end up in a cafe terrace with a jug of Sangria in front of us!!! A great day in a beautiful city with a very peaceful campsite.
Peligros ‐ Apr 17, 2018

Heading towards Granada and decided to avoid getting stuck in the City traffic, and the lack of available parking, we would have a couple of days in a campsite on the outskirts. Found a lovely site (camping Granada) run by a very helpful husband and wife, up a hill overlooking the surrounding area. Did some laundry, had some lunch and decided upon a cycle down to a local shopping area where there was a huge Decathlon sports store. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it also meant a cycle [...]
back up the steep hill to the site and it was a hot day!! Recovered with an evening walk around the hill, through the Olive Groves, and then planning for Granada tomorrow!
Iznájar ‐ Apr 16, 2018

Up and off early (to miss the rush hour mountain road traffic) and took the opportunity to have a food re-stock at a local lidl store and diesel & gas refill in Luciene. Came across another pretty mountain town surrounded by reservoirs which did have available parking for the night - perfect! A steep walk through the town to a beautiful Church and Castle ( which were again both sadly locked) and then back to the van for lunch. Shaun found a good walk around the reservoir which started off wel [...]
l marked but soon the paths became overgrown and non-existent so it became a bit of a mystery tour - you know when you shouldn't be somewhere by the loud barking of the thankfully chained up dog! Eventually completed a loop and decided to park up alongside a reservoir where we could stay for the night. The water level was pretty low so a nice evening walk was had and a few large lumps of driftwood collected! A local police car drove by and didn't stop so we guessed we were ok to stay for the night.
Zahara de la Sierra ‐ Apr 15, 2018

Staying in land and exploring the mountains en-route to Granada. Came across this beautiful village by accident and only just managed to park due to it's smallness and our largeness. A beautiful, whitewashed mountain village perched on a hill, nestling among some amazing walking paths. We donned our hiking boots and set off on a 5 miler - up paths, across rivers and through Olive Groves to a Cuckoo's chorus and mountain cattle bells - Absolutely beautiful and doing what we like best. By the [...]
time we returned most of the local traffic had dispersed so we relocated the van to a more escapable location and decided to stay for the night. Had an evening wander around the cobbled streets and had a few beers in a small taverna nestled in the shadows of the castle - which we did intend to visit but it was closed. Sitting having a beer looking at its outer walls would suffice!
Córdoba ‐ Apr 14, 2018

Left Seville nice and early to try and miss the hectic traffic. The sun is glorious and we are heading towards Cordoba. Found our parking area easily and took the 10 minute walk into the centre. A pretty, pedestrianised walk through an old moat arriving at the Alcazabar - a popular visitor attraction so we did have to queue for 20 minutes or so. Beautifully manicured gardens awaited us inside with the typically Moorish water ways - sadly there really were far too many people for our liking! [...]
We then had a lovely mooch around the streets where we were met with small, cobbled alleyways, squares and Moorish style buildings - very pretty. Plumped for a Menu del Dia for lunch in a local taverna which was 11euros for a 3 course meal and a bottle of wine!! Exhausted the sights and sounds so headed back to the van, got our blanket and sat in the park for an hour or so reading in the evening sunshine.
Seville Cathedral ‐ Apr 13, 2018

Rained hard until 11am so a morning of reading. Coats packed (just in case) and a walk into the centre. Pretty busy so again we didn't hang around too much - saw the Cathedral, Bull Ring (there was a Bull fight taking place later that evening but we decided against it as ticket prices were pretty steep) and wanted to walk through many of Seville's beautiful parks but unfortunately they all locked up. Shaun said he fancied trying Moroccan food for lunch so we did - interesting!!
Seville ‐ Apr 12, 2018

Woke up to rain to decided to drive inland to Seville - it is so good having the flexibility to change our minds and destination dependant on what we wake up to - again plans were hampered as we arrived in Seville at 5pm and all of our parking options were closed off due to a festival taking place. More driving around in extremely busy traffic and one way systems (which our satnav omitted to show) soon saw Shaun's patience fraying. Eventually we found an area by the now derelict Expo 92 site a [...]
nd we were parking there whether we were allowed to or not - no signs said we couldn't so we would until we were told otherwise!! The rain had stopped so we chanced a walk along the river.
El Puerto de Santa María ‐ Jun 11, 2018

Decided to drive on as we still had lots of daylight time and had exhausted this area. Shaun located a great parking area which gave us access to Cadiz and prevented us from having to drive through it! The very helpful parking attendant said we must get the Catamaran to Cadiz as it was the best way to arrive, typically the weather put pay to that and the boat service had been replaced by a bus service due to the large swell; never mind, still easier than driving our van in!! A beautiful evenin [...]
g ensued and we had a marvellous time bimbling around the streets of Cadiz. Huge Mulberry trees, castles, churches, beaches and cafes.
Tarifa ‐ Apr 11, 2018

Survived the storm and after a couple of great days in Gibraltar moved down the coast to Tarifa. Very pretty, old coastal town where you can get a ferry across to Morocco. We ummed and arred about a day trip across as foot passengers but again the weather wasn't promising to be great so we will leave that for another time! Found a nice square and were lured into a bar for a light Tapas lunch.
Gibraltar, Gibraltar ‐ Apr 10, 2018

Another morning on the Rock and another fill of Rum!! Weather turning extremely stormy so a quiet afternoon in the van, watching the storm take over. Heavy rain and 40mph winds soon saw the 'Rock' completely shrouded and missing from the view - very strange to not see it there when it so dominates to landscape. We did have to move our van to the shadows of the Football stand wall to gain a bit of shelter from the wind - i prayed the wall was stable!!
Gibraltar ‐ Apr 9, 2018

on our bikes again and back across the border - I am still excited by the quirkiness of this place. The weather is due to get stormy today so we decide to do the 'Rock' first whilst the clouds were still high! Typically we chose the same day as a cruise ship (full of Canadians) landed so there were a few more people around than we would have liked but hey-ho. Not ones for hanging around we cable car'ed to the top, view photos taken, Barbary Apes played with and before we knew it we were back [...]
down and sitting in The Trafalgar bar having a full English Breakfast - delicious after having Muesli and yogurt for the past couple of months! Stomachs full we then decided to cycle through the tunnels to the lighthouse on the other side of the Island. Again photos taken and cycled (all uphill) back to the town. Tax free shopping saw our rucksacks filling up far too quickly with Lambs Navy rum - £5.65 for 1 Litre!! Shaun also had a much needed haircut! Cycled back to the van to decant the bottles, and cycled back again for more!! Supper at Lord Nelson's and home before the rain clouds set in. Had to wait to cross the border as the road was closed due to a Hercules Transport plane taxiing along the runway - nice sight to see.
La Línea de la Concepción, Spain ‐ Apr 8, 2018

We have made it to a stones throw from Gibraltar! Decided not to try and get involved in driving into Gib so parked up at the local football ground in La Linea on the Spanish side. Bikes off, passports in pocket and across the border for a little taste of England!! First stop Lord Nelson's bar so Shaun can enjoy a good pint of Bitter!
Sotogrande S A ‐ Jun 8, 2018

Found another parking area, which is a bit better than the last, and went for a walk around the harbour. This seems to be quite an exclusive area as most of the cars we have seen parked are Porsche's, BMW's and sporty Land Rovers. Had a brief walk as felt quite out of our comfort zone in our shorts and tee's amongst the Armani and Chanel! Still a few hours of daylight left so we decided to drive on a bit further - snap decisions like this seem to be the way in a motorhome - such freedom!
Estepona ‐ Apr 8, 2018

Up and off early again and heading for Esteponia. Typically, as seems to have happened on several occasions, Shaun's fantastic planning had to be rejigged en-route as road closures and diversions hampered our progress. We ended up having to park in a handy for the town but down an extremely narrow, and busy with pedestrians, road leading to an extremely muddy and potholed carpark; it would do for now! Market day so throbbing with people and our first taste of this trip of many British expats [...]
and tourists. White trousers and pastel jumpers seemed to be the uniform of the day amongst the shoppers. Escaped the crowds of the market and headed along the promenade to the old town. Extremely pretty with colourful flower pots, brimming with Geraniums, adorning most of the white washed building walls. Really decided we did not want to stay in our parking area so drove a little further down the coast to Torre Guardiaro
La Herradura ‐ Jun 3, 2018

Left Almeria nice and early so as not to get blocked in in the carpark - you learn to think about things like this when driving a 7.5 meter van - and headed down the coast to our next stop. We decided to book into a campsite again for the night as needed to do laundry and an electricity charge up on camera batteries etc. Nice but extremely windy walk along the beach and then reading by the van in the evening. Lots of wild cats on the camp who took to jumping from the trees onto the van roof a [...]
ll night long - made us jump a fair few times!
Almeria ‐ Apr 6, 2018

The weather was forecast to turn wet today so we moved to Almeria. Unfortunately our designated parking area was in a town carpark but better than nothing! We walked along the long promenade and made our way to the Alcazabar Moorish Castle - free entry to EU citizens!! WOW - what a beautiful place! Still undergoing restoration in areas but most of it is complete and finished to reflect both the Moorish and Christian occupation periods. So beautiful and peaceful inside as we walked among pre [...]
tty flower beds, listening to the trickling water as it flows through the water channels. We spent a good couple of hours in the castle before leaving it's peacefulness and being blasted with the towns busyness below. Eventually found our way up to the Jesus statue that stands prominent on a hillside overlooking the town - very disappointed as the area seems to be a local dumping ground and even the statue was daubed in graffiti around its base. Back into the town and Shaun decided upon some fish and chips for lunch (we were going to share) - i have no idea what was ordered but what was presented to us was the most scariest meal i have ever seen - sure it was fish and chips but the fish looked like pirranhas and were scowling at us! I just ate the chips!!
Calle Cala Cerrada ‐ Apr 5, 2018

Moved on again to a beautiful 'wild' camping area - a couple of beach coves flanked by sandy cliffs containing caves. Nice lazy day relaxing on the beach before an evening walk around the headland.
Mazarrón ‐ Apr 4, 2018

Today we walked mostly along the beach, for a good few Kilometers, to the nearby town of Mazarron. A pretty town with a nice port area - this sadly did offer a very nice Tapas bar where we did enjoy a simple but delicious lunch.
Bolnuevo

Moved just a stones throw down the coast to another pretty seaside town. Our parking area was next to the 'Cliffs of Erosion'. As the name suggests these are sandstone cliffs which have been eroded by the elements over hundreds of years and are left in very strange, almost spacelike, forms. Thankfully at this time of year it doesn't get too busy so the parking area was relatively quiet.
La Azohía ‐ Apr 3, 2018

Sadly our time at Alan & Cheryl's had come to an end and we were on the road again. Drove to Cartagena but wasn't too keen on our parking area (alongside a busy road and next to a petrol station) so continued to La Azohia - a rustic, prettyish, village with a lookout tower on the cliff. Had a nice walk up to the tower, through the mountainside and back along the coast. We were parked in a carpark opposite the beach and were graced with the most beautiful sunset.
Los Alcázares ‐ Mar 31, 2018

Early evening saw us heading to LA where we were to enjoy a Medieval Market and traditional Moors & Christians Parade; the parade commenced at 10.30pm and continued for a good 2hrs. It was great to watch as the Moorish filed past first accompanied by traditional Spanish walking bands, and eventually the more lively Christians with jugglers and flag tossers.
La Mata

A late morning drive to a local beach town where we enjoyed a jug of Sangria! Back to the Villa where we were once again absolutely spoilt by Cheryl & Alan preparing a fantastic steak BBQ - we may extend our stay!!
Quesada ‐ Mar 30, 2018

Today we were very much looking forward to visiting our friends, Alan & Cheryl, who had invited us to stay for a few days. We were welcomed wonderfully and then sat down for a beautifully prepared selection of Tapas. A nice afternoon catching up and then a meal at Yuko - an Asian Restaurant nearby - which was superb.
Calpe Playa De La Fossa ‐ Mar 29, 2018

Today we decided to walk up 'The Rock'!! We cycled to the base and began our ascent - firstly passing through a turnstile so they know that all walkers have returned safely!! A gentle, fenced path, led us up to the 'Tunnel' - quite steep, extremely smooth rock, and rope to pull yourself up - negotiated that safely and then through the other side - WOW!!! The path precariously hung to the side of the rock with sheer drops to the beautiful blue sea below; no fences or safety barriers to keep yo [...]
u safe! As we got higher the path became extremely scrambley with areas of smooth rock to scramble over - thankfully they did think to attach lengths of chain in these areas to help haul yourself along, and also to give me something to cling to to ensure a little bit of comfort from the sheer drop!! Finally, after 50 minutes of walking and climbing we reached the top - I am quite a tough cookie but was shaking by the time we reached the summit! The views across the bay were magnificent but all i could think of was the walk down and how hard it would be scrambling over the chained rocks with downward momentum. After a 10 minute rest we started the descent, it actually wasn't too bad but just hampered by other walkers who had hands occupied with walking poles and very young children - crazy!! 45 minutes later we found ourselves sat in a bar with two large beers - just to calm the nerves of course!!
Calpe ‐ Mar 28, 2018

Nice early start and along the coast to Calpe. Spent a little time trying to find somewhere to park up (it is a busy place with lots of English Van'ers who park up for a couple of months over the winter and this coupled with the start of the Spanish Easter holidays meant it was busier than usual). Eventually plumped for a lovely, rustic family run camp site, cost us a little more than an Aire but at least we facilities and room for a couple of nights. Calpe has an impressive rock, jutting out [...]
into the sea, and the two parts of town spread out on either side. Cycled along the seafront, had a bimble and then more chilling on the beach.
Dénia ‐ Mar 27, 2018

Very sunny day so chilled on the beach for the afternoon before an evening walk around the Castle - a very large castle overlooking the town, with an entry fee, but sadly with no information boards or guides so we were left a little disappointed. Nice walk around the old streets of Denia town and then back along the promenade which was starting to come to life with various gift stalls.
Bétera ‐ Mar 26, 2018
Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

Pretty walk through the city visiting the cathedral, central market and numerous plazas eventually winding our way down the Old Turia River bed to the Arts and Science area. Opera house, Aquarium and 3D cinema all housed in the most amazing architectural buildings. Good amble around and then back to camp some 12.5 miles later!
Túria

Easy metro ride into the heart of Valencia.
Bétera ‐ Mar 25, 2018

Nice site for 2 nights! Ideal as close to a metro line for a visit to Valencia.
Eslida

Just a beautiful mountain drive heading towards Valencia! The good thing about driving on a Sunday is that there is hardly any traffic on the roads.
Onda

Moved in land a little bit as we are seeing that the coast road ahead is full of little residential areas with not much to do or see. Onda was a bit of a worry at 1st as it just seemed to be 1 long industrial estate opening up to a bit of a grotty town. We parked up anyway, had a walk and came across a great castle with amazing little, old back streets leading down from it. Great views across the local countryside.
Orpesa ‐ Mar 24, 2018

Fantistic cycle along the Benicassim Seafront - very built up at 1st with high rise apartment blocks but eventually gives way to 1920 style villas which were very popular with the High Society back in the day. We then found an old railway cutting hugging the coastline which took us around into the next bay - not so big as Benicassim with a beautiful beach. Had a well earned beer and cycled back again - 34k in total!! Chilled for a little while and then had a nice evening walk along the beach.
Benicàssim

Found a free Aire along the coast which will be ideal for the night.
Vinaròs ‐ Mar 23, 2018

Cycled to Vinaros - again not much here except a huge shopping mall with Decathlon, Aldi and Carrefore. Walked around the marina and then cycled back home for an afternoon of sitting in the sun!
Benicarló ‐ Mar 22, 2018

Nice evening cycle in the other direction to Benicarlo - not much here so mooched around Lidl!!
Peníscola

Lovely cycle along the coast to Peniscola town - a beautiful place dominated by the castle on a hill (built by the Knights Templar) - Pope Papa Luna spent his final years here. Great castle to look around and very pretty town sloping down within its shadows. Treated ourselves to a Menu del Dia for lunch and then a lazy afternoon reading.
Camping Vizmar

Booked onto a campsite for 2 nights as lots of exploring to be done in this area!
Eucaliptus ‐ Mar 21, 2018

Nice walk along the beach to a small town called Eucaliptus (only because we are trying to delay the 6k cycle back head long into the wind)!
Poblenou del Delta

Moved further around the Delta to a great Aire in the middle of a nature reserve. Bikes off and cycled about 6k to the local beach - very strange place as there is a salt processing plant a good 4k along a very sandy road on the beach - we struggled to cycle along and there are huge articulated lorries bombing along! Very Ice Road Truckers on sand!
Riumar ‐ Mar 20, 2018

Cycled some very long and very straight roads to Riumar - had a coffee and cycled back again! The wind blew us to Riumar which meant the cycle home was horrendous; head on into gale force winds! At least it has stopped raining!
Deltebre

Absolutely blowing a gale and still raining so moved onto a flat Delta area with acre after acre of Paddy fields. Found our nice Aire along side the River.
Sant Jordi d'Alfama ‐ Mar 19, 2018

Nice drive here via Tarragona. Stunning small fort overlooking a pretty bay. Sadly walk cut short as heavens opened!
Mataró ‐ Mar 18, 2018

Beautiful walk along the seafront to the Local Capital town of Mataro. Nice long Pier and being a sunday lots of people out having a leisurely stroll.
Barcelona ‐ Mar 17, 2018
Caldes d'Estrac ‐ Mar 16, 2018

Nice cycle ride along the seafront to this pretty town with a thermal spa!!!! 1st hot bath in 6 weeks and it was great.
Camping BARCELONA

Just a short drive on and we found this gem of a camp site so booked in for 3 nights. Perfect for exploring Barcelona as they offer a frees shuttle bus straight into the heart of the city.
Sant Pol Beach Front ‐ Mar 15, 2018

Beautiful cliff walk around to next bay of Sant Pol.
Sant Feliu de Guíxols

Pretty town with the Aire just on the outskirts - very popular with Dutch motorhomers! Nice walk around the town and into the next bay.
Empúries ‐ Mar 14, 2018

Cycled along to the next town - Empuries. A strange seafront, canal town where all the houses are built on waterways with moorings.
Puig Rom ‐ Mar 13, 2018

Next we decided to cycle up what seemed like a mountain to Puig Rom where there are supposed Megolithic sites! We couldn't find them but we did have fantastic views over the bay of Roses and beyond. The cycle back down was so much easier!
Canyelles Platja

Cycled around to the next bay and had a bit of a cliff walk - very, very pretty and the sun is hot!
CITADELLE DE ROSES

Had a lovely walk along the promenade and around the marina - stopped for coffee and it is refreshing to see that Spain is so much cheaper than France - coffee is almost 2 for the price of 1! Visited the Citadell and had a good, long look around. Back to the van for lunch.
Roses ‐ Mar 12, 2018

After decideng not to stay overnight in the not so pretty Port Vendres we moved on into Spain and booked onto a camp site in Roses for 3 nights! We last came here 8 years ago so looking forward to seeing what we remember. Sadly the weather has turned to rain so we are retricted to the van this evening - exploring can begin tomorrow.
Collioure, France

What a pretty town this is and so glad we made the walk. The harbour is dominated by a huge 'Chateau Royal', an old fort which is still used by the army today to train them Marine skills. had a tour around the fort and then mooched around the narrow back streets of the town - so, so pretty.
Port-Vendres

Found our Aire and parked up - breakfast had and off for a walk around town. Not overly pretty as is a busy, large port town so decided to walk around the headland to the next bay of Collioure
Saint-Cyprien ‐ Mar 11, 2018

Mothers Day! Beautiful sunny day so decided to have a nice chilled day sunbathing. Small walk around the marina in the evening.
Canet-en-Roussillon ‐ Mar 10, 2018

Cycled 6 miles or so along to Canet and had a nice bimble around the town. Market day so lots of colours and smells to be seen. Today is mainly reserved for 6 nations rugby again so back to the van for the afternoon. England lost miserably to France so thank heavens we could ide ourselves away and watch it in the van.
Saint-Cyprien ‐ Mar 9, 2018

Really didn't fancy hanging around Perpignan so moved a short way down the coast to St Cyprien - it is coming up to the weekend and always difficult to find parking so we decided to park up here for 3 nights. Nice walk around the harbour and treated ourselves to lunch in a local restaurant.
Perpignan ‐ Mar 8, 2018

Found a supermarket, near the rugby stadium, did some shopping and will hopefully be ok to park here for the game. Bit concerned as 1st impressions of where we are isn't great, lots of males hanging around, rubbish and graffiti everywhere. Had a walk to the stadium to buy tickets, tea in McDonalds (most decent looking eatery in the area) and then back to the van to check all 4 wheels are still intact! Rugby Kick off at 8.45pm so a late night but ell worth it. Perpignan were run away winners a [...]
nd the crowd create a great atmosphere - a good experience and the van was fine when we returned. Didn't fancy sleeping here so moved to the outskirts where there is a designated area.
Salses Fortress

Saw this beautiful hilltop fort as we drove by so decided to stop for lunch (nearly all places in France close for a couple of hours whilst they have lunch) so we did the same. Fantastic fort and well worth the visit, spent a good couple of hours here and the sun even came out.
Le Barcarès

The ultimate destination today is Perpignan but we have lots of time to kill as we would like to watch Perpignan v Biarritz Rugby tonight. No Aire nearby so a local supermarket is where we are going to sneekily try and park for the match. Nice walk along the beach at Le Bacares to kill an hour of time!
Gruissan Plage ‐ Mar 7, 2018

Another night in Gruissan as there seems to be lots of exploring to do - extremely windy this morning so cycled back out to the trenches and remains to have a more in depth look - glad we did. Then cycled to the other side of the port where there is a very strange chalet town (which was completely flooded after the heavy rain 2 nights ago) thankfully all f the chalets are on stilts so unaffected. The wind was still extremely strong which made for an interesting cycle back, head on into it. Win [...]
d dropped at about 4pm so we set off for another walk around the opposite headland - more flamingo's and into what turned out to be a lovely sunny evening.
Pech Rouge ‐ Mar 6, 2018

Decide to stay here for another night so had a nice morning walking around the old town and marina whilst the laundry was being done! The sun is out so an afternoon walk around the headland is planned - absolutely stunning - flamingo's, vineyards, rocky outcrops, beaches, roman remains and world war 2 trenches (sadly it wasn't until we looked at google maps later that we saw the extent of the trenches and remains)! This small walk turned out to be 16.9 miles long but well worth it - we shall s [...]
leep well tonight.
Gruissan ‐ Mar 5, 2018

Huge parking Aire in Gruissan but sadly chucking it down so no more exploring for today!
Béziers

Decided to by-pass many of the big towns along the south coast as resigned to the fact that we wont be able to park and they are expensive! Stopped for a walk around and lunch in Beziers and then moved on!
Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer ‐ Mar 4, 2018

Another change of plan saw us head down the Camargue to Saintes Maries. Another beach side Aire but no Mosquitos this time!! A great walk around the nature reserve which is the home to many wild white horses and pink Flamingos! Raining again so a quiet evening in the Moho.
Arles

Rain again so decided to head towards Montpellier - stopped off at Arles as we discovered en-route that they have 2 amazing Roman Ampitheatres - and they did! This is the great thing about travelling and having loose plans, they can change and alter at any moment.
Cap Camarat ‐ Mar 3, 2018

Beautiful, rugged, cliff walk around to the Lighthouse, lunch, and a relaxing afternoon reading in the SUN!!! Yes we finally have found it, chairs are out, wine is poured and a bit of a tan is caught!! Nice evening walk along the beach where Shaun had to piggyback me over rivers and into quick sand, but we made it! Only downside is, which i found out too late, warmth and water = Mosquitos!
Route de Camarat

Frustrating start to the day as we have a front wheel puncture! All changed and with patience still calm and in tact we head on just a little down the coast. Nice Aire next to a beautiful beach - will do us nicely.
Saint-Tropez ‐ Mar 2, 2018

After a wet morning drive we found a nice Aire with services on the outskirts of St Tropez. Bikes off and a cycle into the town - wow!! A beautiful old town with a citadel and harbour containing some of the biggest, most expensive yachts we have ever seen! Fancied a Hot Chocolate but nearly fainted when we saw the price of them on the menu so sneeked out before the waiter served us :0)! Instead we found a local supermarket got a couple of beers and sat in the square watching the old locals pl [...]
ay Boulle - much nicer!
Sainte-Maxime ‐ Mar 1, 2018

Today we wanted to head to Digne as England U20's rugby team are playing there at the weekend but after several failed attempts to get over the mountains we accepted defeat and headed back to the coast road which seemed clear of snow. A really pretty drive with turquoise seas and crashing waves.
St Paul de Vence

Heavy snow fall overnight but what a gem of a town we have woke up in. A very pretty, walled medieval town, which given the early hour and weather should have been deserted but no there was a coachful of Chinese tourist, in their completely inappropriate footwear, just embarking on a tour with us :0)! The roads are a bit slushy so we are going to attempt to move on as don't want to get stranded up a mountain for too long!
St Paul de Vence ‐ Feb 28, 2018

Finally, after a dark and snowy drive up some very tight, steep roads we found a Moho parking area - no idea what is in the location but it is late and we can lock ourselves in and sleep - the snow is getting heavier by the minute!
Nice

Typically all of the Aires in Nice were full of French Campers who looked like they had taken up residence - annoying as they should only stay for 24 hours - so we gave up and headed in land a little.
Menton

Back into France and stopped off for a walk around the pretty border town of Menton. They don't really cater at all for Motorhomes here so onto Nice where we can hopefully park up for the night.
Diano Marina, Italy ‐ Feb 27, 2018

Finally got our bikes off today and cycled from Cervo to Diano Marina - this is the 1st holiday place i can remember coming on when i was about 4/5 - although when we got here i couldn't remember a thing about it! nice walk along the promenade, another thick Hot Chocolate and then cycled along to Borgio de Cervo. Another hill side medieval town dominated by a large church - stunning place. The evenings are getting lighter but it is still hovering around the 0 degree mark - brrrr!!
Cervo

Moved further along the coast today to Cervo
Finale Ligure ‐ Feb 26, 2018

Very pretty walled town with lots of alleyways and cobbles. Walked up a steep hill to the 'closed' castle and up again to the 'closed' fort, nice views over the town though!! Had lunch and then went for a bracing walk along the seafront. We have found out that the Italians do the best Hot Chocolate ever - you literally can stand your spoon up in it!!
Varazze ‐ Feb 25, 2018

A snowy wake up and a mountain drive up and over to the Italian Mediterranean Coast - trying to find some sun! Beautiful drive but a bit hairy at times as the higher we got the narrower the rod got, the heavier the snow got and the more it settled; saw lots of wild deer though. Finally arrived, safely, at Varazze, found our Aire, wrapped up warm and went for a lovely walk along the coast and through the town.
Acqui Terme ‐ Feb 24, 2018

Back on the road and heading for Acqui Terme - a pretty town with lots of thermal fountains. had a quick walk round and then guess what - it is Saturday and 6Nations rugby is on the TV! Good afternoon all!!
Asti

Woke up after a trouble free night :0) , pouring with rain so moved on nice and early. Hoping to stop over in Asti but their Aire turned out to be an extremely busy market and fair. managed to park up for a quick bimble around the town but not really ideal for over nighting in.
Turin ‐ Feb 23, 2018

Woke up to pretty heavy snow but the roads seemed clear so set off for Torino (Turin). Found our parking area (bit dubious as full of really old battered vans who look like they have been there forever - no tourers like us). Securely lock the van, really hide the valuables we have and set off for the city centre. Walk through the strangest of shopping centres - again Turin seems to be a place that thrived for it's Winter Olympic moment - bu declined after, walked along the river, through the [...]
strangest neo-medieval village and after much doubt of what we were doing in such a place found the main centre. Thankfully our doubts were removed as the actual centre is very old and pretty, lots of squares with fountains and grand buildings. Decided we fancied a coffee and after being presented with the oddest menu - no mention of Latte or Cappuccino (panic as we thought we'd be safe with those due to our limited language) we opted for 2 x Marrochinos - very nice hot chococoffee thingy!! More wandering around the squares and decided for food - phew we knew they would do Pizza :0)! Headed back to the van and noticed a few 'types' hanging around the vans - we thought about moving on but after a 13 mile hike around Turin, now being wet and dark we locked ourselves in and slept with 1 eye open.
Susa Valley ‐ Feb 22, 2018

After 2 days of fantastic skiing we are moving on towards our 5th country of this trip - Italy! Beautiful drive through mountains with hairpins! We left France in Sunshine and after a 13km (55 euro,we had no choice) Tunnel Frejus drive under the mountains we arrived in a very snowy Italy! We found our night park up - not the best as a bit rough and ready and lots of lorries use it but better than nothing - wrapped up and off for a walk around Susa. So many Roman ruins here but sadly all clos [...]
ed. Very pretty town but we have realised that between us our knowledge of the italian language is virtually nil!!
Aiguille Rouge, France ‐ Feb 21, 2018

Sunny blue skies today and -11 first thing - bit chilly on the chair lifts!! Warmed up nicely so took the Giant Cable Car up to Aiguille Rouge - the highest peak in the area - and skied down - absolutely beautiful but somewhat icy under ski!
Les Arcs ‐ Feb 20, 2018

Staying on the 'Camping Huttopia' site and it is just so nice to have such luxuries of a hot shower constantly running on you whilst you shower - we do shower in the van every night but because we only have a limited water supply we 'ship' shower - get wet, turn water off, lather hair and body, turn water on and rinse quickly! - Marines shower like this, RAF dont!! Caught the funicular up to Les Arcs ski area and had a great day skiing. Caught up with the Exeter Guys and had lunch and then a [...]
drink back at their 'Hucksters' lodge. Thankfully (??) we are governed by the funicular times back down to the village as i have a feeling it could have been a messy night :0)
Bourg-Saint-Maurice ‐ Feb 19, 2018

So after exhausting Albertville & Conflans (think we need to start walking slower) we had a lovely picnic lunch and then drove onto Bourg-Saint-Maurice. The plan is to stay here for 3 nights and catch up with the Exeter College group who are skiing up in Les Arcs.
Conflans

Nice and early so pretty much deserted streets. Such a pretty place with a commanding position overlooking Albertville. Nice relaxing walk around before heading down in to Albertville.
Albertville

Woke up to glorious sunshine so moved onto the 1992 Winter Olympics town of Albertville. Our Aire is up a hill just below a beautiful medieval town called Cite Medieval de Conflans.
Annecy ‐ Feb 18, 2018

Happy to be back in France as Switzerland is so much more expensive - almost double the French price for 2 Coffees! Annecy - WOW!!! The prettiest place we have visited yet - very old with medieval buildings, canals, lakes, mountains, cobbled streets and sadly, like us, lots of tourists!!
Geneva, Switzerland

Woke up early to sunshine and remembering it is Sunday, the locals like a lie-in, we decide to beat the busy Lausanne traffic and head off to Geneva. Parked on the outskirts and caught the train in. Lovely walk around the Lake and town but sadly being a Sunday not much is open so by lunch time we had seen what we wanted. Train back to van and move on!
The Olympic Museum ‐ Feb 17, 2018

Raining still so spent a good few hours in the Olympic Museum - a fantastic place with loads of memorabilia from across the years - even saw Torvill & Dean's Bolero outfits!!! Rain eased enabling a walk around Lausanne centre. Back along Lake Geneva to the Moho, the sun is trying to make an appearance as it sets and gives off lovely views across the lake to the snow capped mountains; we could not see these earlier due to the low rain clouds.
Lausanne

Sadly still chucking it down with rain so embarked upon a wet, windy, in the clouds drive to Lausanne in Switzerland. Keeping our daily budget in mind we did not want to pay 40 Euros for the Swiss Motorway driving permit so had to keep to the 'A' roads - a blessing as we passed through some very pretty Alpine style villages, shame it was still raining! Found our parking easily along the seafront in Lausanne.
Saint-Point, France ‐ Feb 16, 2018

We still had a few hours of daylight left and had exhausted Besancon so decided to drive on a bit further. Up mountains and down wiggly lanes, in the dark and snow we eventually reached Saint point du Lac - a peaceful lakeside Aire in the middle of nowhere!! Doors all securely locked - triple checked!! Sleeting at the moment but thoughts of maybe heading to Metabief tomorrow to try out some skiing - weather dependent!
Besançon

Sadly the rain did not stop and was still pouring down when we woke up. Belfort looked like a really interesting fortified town so will make a note to visit it another time! Moved onto Besancon and had an interesting time driving around tiny little cobbled streets in a 7.5m long van! Sat Nav guided us to our Aire just fine but omitted the one way system! Eventually parked up after a few tight squeezes and had a lovely walk around another beautiful town. Up to the Citadel and back around exp [...]
loring the back streets - very pretty!
Belfort ‐ Feb 15, 2018

Heavy rain today so drove much further than normal. Found our Aire really easily - Free and with Electricity!! Hairdryer and electric heating time!!! Hoping the rain will stop but it is still hammering down.
Metz ‐ Feb 14, 2018

Happy Valentines Day! A beautiful, countryside, drive to Metz. Found our Aire by the river and had a walk into town. Another beautiful cathedral and numerous churches.
Douaumont Ossuary ‐ Feb 13, 2018

Visited the largest French Cemetery and Memorial, again no words! Inside the memorial chapel are the remains of 130,000 unknown French soldiers - all from the Battle of Verdun! It is interesting how the French graves are very plain white crosses with a basic plaque attached where as the Commonwealth Headstones are carved into with the soldiers battalion badge, name, rank and number etc.
Citadelle Souterraine de Verdun

Had a trolley tour around the passages which although on a serious note it was quite funny - we were the only ones in there on a dodgem car type contraption - pitch black in tunnels with lit up mannequins - think i was just giggling through fear!!
Verdun

A bit of a driving day today covering almost 100kilometres of beautiful countryside. Quick stop in Suippe to buy Croissants and then onto Verdun Citadel where we can park overnight.
Reims ‐ Feb 12, 2018

Moved onto Reims and found our 'Aire' on the outskirts of town. Had a nice walk into town and look around their beautiful and huge cathedral. A very pretty, bustling town.
Péronne

Very cold and Icy this morning - had a walk around Peronne and spent another couple of hours looking around a WW1 museum.
Péronne ‐ Feb 11, 2018

Cannot believe how many roadside cemeteries we pass as we move from place to place - we would love to stop and pay our respects at all but it is nigh on impossible. Found a Mcdonalds so we could connect to their free Wi-fi and watch the France v Scotland rugby match!! Parking along the canal side in Peronne tonight.
Carrière Wellington

Tour of the Quarries and Tunnels - 1000's of soldiers sheltered underground here before bursting through and surprise attacking the Germans.
Arras ‐ Feb 10, 2018

Parked up in Arras for the night and managed to get 6 Nations rugby on the TV - think that'll be us for the day now!
Vimy Ridge

The Canadians offer 4 month placements to Canadian University students to come to Europe as guides at their memorial sites. Such a great idea and they do an amazing job, very proud of their memorials and achievements during WW1. Vimy Ridge is a very crater marked landscape and still has many unexploded bombs in the ground. Had a tour in one of the underground passages and many trenches.
Lens 14-18 - Great War Museum In Northern France

A very interesting museum and free entry!! Spent a good few hours here.
Lens ‐ Feb 9, 2018

Parked up in Lens for the night - lazyish day due to the snow.
Memorial Christmas Truce 1914, Belgium

Snowing quite heavily this morning so not heading too far! This site is famous for the No-mans land Christmas Day football match.
Ypres ‐ Feb 8, 2018

Still plenty of day light left so drove to Ypres. Had a walk around the town, very pretty and hard to believe it was devastated during WW1, thankfully the architects took to rebuilding the towns back to their pre-war splendour! Every night at 8pm they close the road and the last post is played at the Menin Gate - a very moving ceremony and felt extremely humbled and proud to be there. Thank you to the Last Post Association for this amazing commitment - you do us proud.
Polygon Wood Cemetery

More memorials and crosses - it is so hard to accept the numbers lost in such a short period of time.We also visited the Hill 62 museum which the Canadians liberated.
Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917

A very good museum with trenches
Tyne Cot Cemetery Visitors Centre

No words can describe the British Memorial. Thank you to the Commonwealth Graves Commission who do an absolutely amazing job keeping the cemeteries spotless.
Passendale

Woke up to snow and bitterly cold so set off for Passendale - a mind numbing day starting off our WW1 memorial visits.
Bruges ‐ Feb 7, 2018

Drove onto the city of Bruges - absolutely beautiful with cobbled streets, canals, architecture and bicycles.
Reserve Naturelle Dune Dewulf, France

Beautiful sunny morning so walked along the beach and around Dune Dewulf - lots of old German bunkers and block houses still dominate the dunes and ship wrecks on the beach. Hard to believe the atrocities that occurred here during WW1
Dunkirk ‐ Feb 6, 2018

Beautiful walk along the beach to Dunkirk - sadly the Operation Dynamo Museum was closed for refurbishment.
Leffrinckoucke Beach

Parked up along the Sea front
Grand-Fort-Philippe ‐ Feb 5, 2018

Beautiful walk along the Estuary from Gravelines to Fort Phillippe - beautiful sunshine but a bitterly cold wind.
Gravelines

A lovely star shaped fortified town which will be our stop over tonight. Parked up along the Quayside! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravelines
Calais

Nice quick ferry crossing - thankfully the weather settled!
Dover, United Kingdom ‐ Feb 4, 2018

Stop over for the night along the Promenade - sitting cosy in the moho listening to the hail stones batter the roof!
Exmouth, United Kingdom ‐ Feb 4, 2018

And we are off