December 2011
Our six weeks at Los Rosaleda campsite in Conil is coming to an end, we leave for Albufiera in Portugal this Saturday. The site hasn’t been very busy but we are told that after Christmas and New Year it is full with retirees like ourselves getting away from the winter rains and snow. The row where we are camped had only a couple of motorhomes and caravans on it when we arrived but now it is nearly full and the remaining places are reserved for people arriving in January. The charges for a spot here over winter is very reasonable, it cost us €9 per night. The electricity is extra and metered but it works out at about €1.50 per day, which covers all our cooking, lights, fridge and TV, fortunately it is warm and we haven’t had to bother about using our heating. Another good thing about Los Rosaleda is the free Wi-Fi, which is available over the total site, the download speed is very good and I am able to take advantage of BBC iPlayer to download previous programme. Also Moira downloads the ‘Daily Telegraph’ each morning on to her iPad as soon as she wakens. I have our big satellite dish set up and the reception is alright. I am able to get BBC 1 & 2 along with all the radio channels, so we have plenty to keep us fully entertained.
There is a small gym on site but for some reason, probably for Health and Safety concerns, it is only open for 2 hours on Monday to Friday mornings while the attendant is there. I have been having a short run first thing before going to the gym for a workout, each morning, so I am keeping fit. There is also a Pilates class which I go to along with Moira. I found it quite difficult at first trying to get my legs and body to stretch into various awkward positions. Either you have to be double jointed or maybe I’m just old and stiff, but it is getting easier after a month of agony.
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| The lighthouse at Cape Trafalgar |
We have been doing a lot of walking as the weather has been perfect for it. We have had a couple of rainy days but mostly it has been clear blue skies but luckily not too hot when we have been walking. One long walk was out to the lighthouse at Cape Trafalgar. This is the point where off the coast the famous sea battle took place 200 hundred years ago and Admiral Nelson died. It was a long walk all along the beach; it was about 30 km there and back and took us about 8 hours. As you head along the sand there are old stone watch towers at intervals that were used as lookout points centuries ago for invasion forces or pirates from the Barbary Coast of North Africa. Any sign of enemy action and a fire was lit in the tower which would be spotted from the other towers who then lit more signal fires and defensive plans and manoeuvres were put in place all along the coast. There was nice surf on this coast and plenty of people keeping warm in wet suits were taking to the waves with their boards. At Trafalgar just off the rocks below the lighthouse there were some really big breakers and the sea was black with Lycra clad surfers. We sat watching them as we were having our lunch at the lighthouse. We normally take a flask of coffee and sandwiches with us when we go on these long excursions, we don’t pay the exorbitant restaurant prices.
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| Body boarding at Cape Trafalgar |
There were plenty of other nice walks in the area, along country lanes and farm roads but our favourites were the ones along the magnificent beaches. I have been doing some cycling; the group that I cycled with when we were here previously haven’t arrived yet. I went out one day with a guy from Holland, Franz, but he rode a super fast racing bike and I slowed him down on my heavy semi mountain version. I wasn’t very cycling fit then but have done a number of rides on my own; I am now feeling more comfortable in the saddle though my bottom isn’t quite in shape yet. Moira has got her new electrically powered bike and has a few rides but is waiting until we get to Portugal where there is a cycle track going into town from the campsite.
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| One of the many secluded beaches |
Another visitor to the campsite who we have become friends with is a guy from Holland called Peter. He is a seasoned traveller like us, and has a blog going about all his ventures. He calls it, www.doingwalkabout.com, unfortunately it is all in Dutch, but I told him about my blog and his English is good so has been able to read it and we have compared notes. During his stay here, until the spring, he is busy writing a book about all their travel adventures. Just this week a couple arrived and their ‘van had an Isle of Man number plate. I had seen a ‘van with IOM plates last year in the site we stayed at near Denia, it was the same people and they recognised us. It’s a small world. There is an English couple near us, Dave and Tina, they have been coming here for years and Tina said she remembered me from our last stay, well it was my ‘I climbed Kilimanjaro’ t-shirt that she caught her attention.
We both were suffering from the cold a couple of weeks ago. I got it first, a sore throat and feeling tired. I must have passed it on to Moira who had it much worse and did a lot of spluttering and coughing. We are alright now and we didn’t have to bother about a doctor, we just doped up on pain killers.
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| The town of Conil de la Frontera |
As I mentioned previously when we were coming down through the middle of Spain that we were tempted by the signs indicating the Via de la Plata route of the Camino de Santiago. Since we have been in Conil we have given a lot of thought of doing the route. The plan is to start at the beginning of April after our stay in Portugal. We will come back to this campsite in Conil where we can store the motorhome during the period of our hike. We have ordered a book from Cicerone who do all the hiking guide books and it will be delivered to the campsite we are heading for in Albufiera. We will spend the next three months working out an itinerary; the route is about 1000 km from Seville to Santiago de Compostella taking us about 50 days, so needs a lot of planning. We will also have to get plenty of walking training done while in Portugal so that we are super fit for this marathon hike.
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| The harbour at Cabo Roche |
Thursday 15 December
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| Watch tower near Conil |
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| Watch tower at El Palmar |
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| Watch tower near Barbate |
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| Viewpoint from forest walk |
Today we went for a last long walk. A German couple who go to the Pilates told us about a beautiful route from Canos de Meca, the little town at Trafalgar, over the cliffs to the town of Barbate. They said they take the bus to the start of the trail and catch another at Barbate to come back to Conil. We thought about it that way but in the end decided we would walk the beach route to Trafalgar and continue from there over the cliffs to Barbate for the bus back. We left at 9:00 and the tide was out so the sand was hard packed and we made excellent time reaching the lighthouse at the Cape in three hours. From there it was a two hour hike over the cliffs. It was the best walk we have done in a long time. The trail made its way up a steep path and through a National Park forested with coastal pines and eucalyptus trees. We stopped in a spot with the sun warming us through a gap in the trees and had our usual packed lunch. On the cliff top there was another of the series of watch towers and a wonderful view point where we azure blue ocean stretched out before us and the surf broke on the golden sands far below. When we started to descend from the crest the trees thinned and we had a glorious panorama of the coast to the town of Barbate and its harbour full of luxury yachts. When we reached the town the most difficult part began and we had to find the bus station. I tried out my Spanish with ‘Donde esta la estacion de autobus’, I seemed to be understood as the directions eventually took us to the bus.
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| Clifftop view |
Friday 16 December
All that needs doing is to pack up again, ready to set of for the border tomorrow. We will take two days to get to Albufiera stopping for a night at a free aire just over the frontier. I had my last session at the gym this morning and used the whole two hours to get as much done as possible.
The weather has been first class up till now and we are hoping it will continue, but at least we are avoiding all the rain, hurricane winds and now snow those are the conditions in Scotland this winter.
