Following the Sun Diary: Tues 17 May

We moved on from Florac, only about 50 km to a lovely lake, the Lac de Naussac near the large town of Langogne. The campsite was on the lake and the RLS trail went through the town which was a short kilometre away. We did two sections of the trail from here, the first was a short easy stroll of about 6.4 km to Pradelles It was a bit cold when we left and I checked the guide book for the altitude, it was 915m at Langogne and we were a bit higher; it was a good ‘Munro’, so not surprising it was a little chilly. It was flat to start with but soon the road began to drop steeply to take us into the town centre. We picked up the GR red and white bands in the town’s square, and were quickly moving along the route. There were lots of waymarks as we made our way through the town streets but when we reached the outskirts and the first ‘dubious’ junction, there was none. The guide book had to be consulted at times like this to keep us on track. As we left the town and on to a dirt road, we came across a couple going the other way, presumably doing the RLS, as they were leading a donkey like the great man himself. I got a couple of good photos.

In the footsteps of RLS

It was a gradual climb all the way to Pradelles on a nice wide track. The early morning chill had left the air and our fleeces were now packed into the day pack. We didn’t seem to be going particularly fast but arrived at Pradelles before we expected. It was just 10:30, so we found a bench in a park before entering the village where we had a refreshing cup of coffee. From this spot we enjoyed a magnificent view of the surrounding countryside, there weren’t any big mountains visible and it all looked fairly flat, but I think this was deceptive due to our present altitude, I had no doubt that a few hidden climbs were on the route leading to here.

The village of Pradelles was reckoned to be one of the prettiest in France and had many historic sites. The Chapelle Notre-Dame as we entered the town was built in 1613 and was the site where the statue of Virgin of Pradelles was discovered in 1512. It had been brought to France by crusader Knights and was attributed many miracles, which resulted, over the years, in pilgrimages to the village. The statue made of wood and in a white dress was somewhere in the church but unfortunately renovations and restoration work were taking place, so was closed to visitors. The other church, the parish church, at the top end of the village was open for visitors and we had a pleasant half hour walking through it. This was a more modern building which had also been recently renovated. The stained glass windows, dated 1913, were very nice and had helpful plaques below telling what each one depicted. In 1999 new paintings of the ‘stations of the cross’ were commissioned, very interesting and not too modern. There was also supposed to be a replica of the ‘Virgin of Pradelles’ statue somewhere but we missed it.

Chapelle Notre-Dame, Pradelles

It the old part of the village we found the tourist office and got a map and guide to all the points of interest. It gave a route around the old fortification walls indicating historic buildings, fountains and the ‘city’ gates. It was a nice stroll but no other places were open for an excursion inside and soon the route took us to the park on the edge of the village again, this time for lunch before heading back to the campsite.

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The walk back was much quicker than the ‘out’ part; it was now a gentle downhill, except for the climb out of Langogne which was a struggle, but once on top it was easy going back to the site. Even though it was a short easy walk, we had managed to cover about 15 km, so it turned out to be a good day out.

The other section we did was managed just in one direction as we found that a bus ran from Langogne down the main N88 highway and stopped at Chaudeyrac. We left early with just a cup of tea for breakfast and made our way into Langogne for the bus, and the 15 minute ride to Chaudeyrac. From there it was a 3 km easy walk through the forest to Cheylard-l’Eveque where the RLS route markers were picked up that would guide us back to Langogne. Now we were on the ‘official’ trail we managed a good pace on a comfortable wide path. The weather was cloudy but if there were any hills the climb soon warmed us up and off came our fleeces but we soon cooled down again when the sun hid behind clouds forcing us to wrap up again. Later there were a few spots of rain and on went our waterproofs, fortunately it didn’t come to anything. The route went through a series of villages at regular intervals, Fouzillic, Fouzillac, Sagne-Rousse and Saint-Flour-de-Mercoire before reaching Langogne. We stopped at Fouzillic for the remainder of our breakfast, a cup of coffee and a cheese sandwich, and at Saint-Flour-de-Mercoire sat on a bridge over the River Langouyrou for lunch. The countryside wasn’t particularly interesting and as the guide book informs, it had been overpopulated with sheep in Stevenson’s time. This had resulted in the landscape being denuded with the resulting erosion. The area is also remote and depopulated from two wars and people moving to the towns for more lucrative employment. The farmhouses in the villages have been obviously taken over by city commuters, there wasn’t the usual piles of rubbish and obsolete machinery but the yards were tidy, and the houses freshly painted with new windows and doors fitted.

RLS and his donkey?

Coming into Langogne I looked for a shortcut on to the road up to the lake rather than drop down into the town to climb all the way up again at the other side. I couldn’t find a route and we ended up searching for waymarkers to lead us through the town centre. We must be getting fit as we zoomed up the hill and were soon on the last flat stretch to the campsite. It had been a good fairly easy walk which took 6 hours including stops; I reckoned it was about 25 km. This gives us 230 km walking for our period on and around the RLS trail.

Another follower of RLS

With that section of the RLS completed it was also the end of our attempts at ‘Following the Sun’. Winter was over and it was now time to head back to the UK, we also had a wedding to get to. There was 1000km to Calais; we had four days to cover it in time to catch the ferry. It was comfortable and I drove an easy 300 km each day. We stopped at Beaune on the first night at the ‘aire’ which was basically a carpark in the middle of town. It was busy but there was no noise and we slept well. The next day we reached Epernay which was a little village south of Reims in the Champagne country with the fields stretching for miles with vines and famous wine chateaus. There was a change in the weather today with a lot of cloud about early on resulting in a few showers as we drove along, fortunately nothing very heavy. The ‘aire’ was alright but among trees next to the canal; we parked there first but couldn’t get reception for the TV because of the trees. I moved to a carpark next to the ‘aire’ and managed to set the dish up in time for the FA Cup Final. I watched the match while Moira went for a walk. It was Man. City against Stoke City; it wasn’t a very good game, Man City winning 1-0.

On the third day of our journey north we stopped at a beautiful ‘aire’ next to a lake in the village of Arques on the outskirts of St Omer. It was only 50 km from Calais and the next morning we had a pleasant stroll round the lake before lunch as there was no hurry. We left early in the afternoon and when we reached Calais parked at the carpark on the docks together with many other motorhomes spending the night there. Our departure was at 7:30 the next morning and this gave us a quick start by getting straight on to the ferry.

The drive from Dover to Cardiff was motorway all the way. It was fairly fast except for the inevitable holdup on the M25 due to an accident. It wasn’t too bad delaying us for only about 15 minutes as was the second blockage near Reading shortly after getting on to the M4. We arrived at Margaret’s mid-afternoon and it was now into the hustle and bustle of the wedding preparations.

The Lac de Naussac, Langogne

  

Following the Sun Diary: Mon 9 May

I didn’t cycle the whole 100 km of the Sete-Rhone canal but did just over half of it, to where we spent the night at Aigues-Mortes. We had stayed here a few years ago and soon recognised it again. I also passed through other familiar places along the canal from previous stays, in particular Palavos les Flots and Caron Plage. The scenery was monotonous as the canal was built up through a series of ‘etangs’ or lakes. The vast stretches of water were only made interesting with the sight of wild Camargue horses on the occasional pieces of dry land.

White Camargue horse

Aigues-Mortes was very busy it being the Easter holidays and we were lucky to find a space in the ‘aire’ there. We only stayed the one night, as the cycling was over and it was up north for two weeks of walking on the Robert Louis Stevenson (RLS) trail. Well that was the plan but when we reached St Jean du Gard, only 80 km away and at the bottom end of the trail, we couldn’t get accommodation in all the places along the RLS. The woman in the tourist office was extremely helpful and phoned most of the ‘gite d’etape’, the hostel type places that we had made a list of. Most of the gites were full and the alternative of a hotel would be very expensive. The decision was to change our plans and do some of the stages of the trail as day walks while we stayed with the campervan in ‘aires’ or campsites.

We found a nice ‘aire’ in St Jean du Gare near the railway station where a old steam train ran trips to Anduze a short distance away and back for the many tourists also here for Easter. Our stay here lasted another two days as we trekked two parts of the trail on an out and back basis; doing it this way means that if we do eventually finish it all, we will have covered it twice. The mountains in this area of the south of Frances were the Cevennes and we had magnificent views on our walks and also the drive over high winding twisting roads to our next stopping point at Le Pont du Tarn about a kilometre outside the town of Florac, the capital of the Cevennes.

Robert Louis Stevenson Trail

We have been staying in the campsite here for ten days now. It is in a delightful spot beside the River Tarn and now all the holidays are over the site isn’t very busy and is nice and quiet. We have been out walking every day and completing the section of the RLS before Florac and the one after the town. This was a distance of 45 km from Le Pont-de-Montvert to Gare de Cassagnas, and with our out and back routine we will have covered 90 km. The route has been mainly over the high ground with many magnificent views but the last part was an easy stretch as the track followed the line of an old disused railway. This had been the Mimente Railway and ran along the side of the Mimente River.

The Tarn Gorge

As well as the RLS route we have been doing local day walks; we got details from the Tourist Office for them. The River Tarn that flows through our campsite cuts a deep gorge in the hills for 50 km from Ispagnac to Le Rozier. We had a walk one day along the river path from Sainte-Enimie to St-Chely du Tarn, it was only 10 km for the round trip, but we were to enjoy some wonderful vistas of the towering high cliffs that enclosed us. The river below us was very popular with canoeist and all the villages in the gorge had hire companies with yards full of plastic type canoes. The section we walked didn’t have any serious rapids and would be easy paddling for the canoeists. Another walk we did was to the limestone cliffs and plateau that curve the town of Florac like an amphitheatre. It was a tough climb up the cliff side track but on top the path followed a fairly flat course to the high point of 1100 metres. Coming down at the other end of the plateau gave outstanding views of a number of tall pillars of rock that projected from the side of the cliff.

Rocky pillar at Florac

Florac is an attractive town and lies at the confluence of the Rivers Tarn, Tarnon and Mimente. Many of its medieval streets are shaded by avenues of plane trees, with many old fountains, small bridges and narrow alleyways. The beauty of the area has been considerably enhanced by the glorious weather we have been enjoying. The mornings have been a little cool as we started our daily outings but once the sun was high in the sky it became very warm; this is what we have been searching for since we started ‘following the sun’ last October.

The campsite has a lot of trees, but where we have pitched there was a gap to aim our satellite dish to pick up the UK channels. We were able to see the Royal wedding; I was hoping I might pick up some ideas from the events there for my speech for Margaret’s wedding. I did get a few topics to include and these will be revealed at the end of the month in Cardiff. Now that we are able to tune into the satellite easily there doesn’t seem to be a lot on the TV worth watching.

Tomorrow we are going to move a little further north on the RLS and do another stage or two. We have booked on the ferry from Calais on 17 May and the plan is to leave this area next Friday and that gives us four days to slowly get to the channel port.

Following the Sun Diary - Sun 24 Apr.

I finished the Canal du Midi cycle trip just over a week ago and since then we have been relaxing at a lovely campsite on the Mediterranean at Marseillan Plage. The weather had been glorious, but in the last few day’s, while the British Isles have been basking in some freak tropical heat wave, here in the south of France it has been like winter. The wind has been howling and heavy showers have kept us confined to the campervan.

The second half of my ride along the canal had been very pleasant. The towpath had deteriorated from the nice tarred track that took me out of Toulouse; I now had to concentrate on keeping my front wheel in the narrow groove of the gap between the grassy sides while at the same time avoid huge projecting tree roots. The canal itself was becoming very busy with barges and hired cabin cruisers plying their way up and down the still waters of the Midi. The magnificent weather, I was enjoying, was bringing everyone out and it was also Easter school holidays.

One day I took another of the suggested excursions from my guide book. This led me down another canal, the Canal de Jonction and at the corner there was a house with the three directions indicated, straight over a footbridge to Beziers, right to Narbonne and back the way I had come for Carcassonne. Below these arrows was a South African flag painted, I looked to see if there was anybody around at the house to ask regarding their association with South Africa, but nobody was about. I took the direction for Narbonne.

a long way from South Africa

The Canal de Jonction was 5 km long to where it joined the Canal de la Robine. It was more or less straight with a lot of the route running on the tarred road close to the canal, with the help of the wind and this good surface I was able to move along very swiftly. There were seven locks before joining the next canal and the route also went through the main street of the village of Salleles d’Aude which ran beside the water. When I reached the final lock on the Canal de Jonction at Gailhousty my nice speed came to a grinding halt. The book said that the path followed the Aude River for 50 metres then I had to cross the river by a footpath on a railway bridge. I could see the large metal railway bridge but couldn’t find a way to get up to it. I was going round in circles each time coming back to the lock gates. A German in a campervan tried to help but he didn’t know any more than I did. A group of walkers that I passed twice asked if I was lost but weren’t much help either. Back at the lock I stopped and thoroughly read the instructions in the guide book and finally figured out the way to go finding a very narrow path that climbed up to the bridge. It was slow going walking over the metal plates in my cycling shoes and pushing the bike but I made it, also managing to take some pictures of the River Aude below. At the other side there was a very steep and narrow ramp to descend from the bridge to the path below, I wasn’t chancing that in my cycling shoes, so ended up going safely down in my stocking soles.

Railway bridge over the Aude River

Once I was back on track again it was a lovely ride into the city of Narbonne and on to Port la Nouvelle on the Mediterranean.  Once at the ‘aire’ the strong wind that had been assisting me in cycling, now became a nuisance as it played havoc with our satellite dish, making it impossible to enjoy any TV that night.

The next morning, the wind was still strong and to return to the Midi I would now be cycling into it. This put me off cycling back, so instead I got in the ‘van with my bike and Moira drove me back. When at the junction of the canals again I mounted my trusty cycle and hit the trail. The ride was supposed to be about 30 km, through the Malpas tunnel to Beziers where Moira would be waiting at the listed ‘aire’. She phoned when I got through the tunnel to give me the ‘bad’ news that the stopping point for the night was at Villeneuve-les-Beziers, another 7 km further on. This is not the best of news when your legs are beginning to complain.

The Malpas tunnel

The canal at Beziers is quite a tourist attraction. There is a drop of 22 m which is achieved by a series of 9 interconnected locks that transport the river craft up and down. There had been something similar between the Forth & Clyde and Union canals in Scotland but has now been replaced by the Falkirk Wheel. My extra 7 km from this point to our ‘aire’ wasn’t so bad, there was a nice tarred cycleway and the wind was at my back again, I flew along. Moira had found a nice spot on the canal bank for the night where we could see the river craft and watch the ducks swimming happily in the water

The 9 locks at Beziers

Before I left the next morning we had a walk around the canal bank to the see the various craft moored there overnight. There was a lovely old gaily painted narrow boat that had come from the UK, with ‘York’ painted on its stern while further along a hired cruiser had a South African flag flying. We spoke to the people, they were from Durban, having a week’s holiday on the canal. They said that yesterday they had come through that series of 9 locks at Beziers and it was quite an experience.

A Heron on Etang Thau

This was my final day on the canal as it ended at Marseillan Ville where it entered the lagoon, Etang Thau. Unfortunately before the end, at the town of Agde, the towpath deteriorated so badly I had to resort to the road. I found Moira waiting at Marseillan Plage the beach resort 5 km away from Marseillan Ville. This is where we have ended up camping for the past week. In the time here I have done more cycling, I had a ride into Sete to ‘officially’ complete the route described in my guide book. This part wasn’t very exciting as it took me along the busy main road from Marseillan Plage to Sete. Another day I had a much better cycle when I rode round the perimeter of Etang Thau, some of it was on roads but most on nice cycle tracks. This route also came into Sete and I discovered why it is known as the ‘Venice of the Mediterranean’ with its many canals and waterways that interconnect and divide up the city. This time returning from Sete I found a quieter route rather than the main road, it was on a gravel track through the many vineyards that run along the coast.

Sete

 

Up until the last few days the weather has been exceptional, bright blue skies and a very hot sun. I have been going out before breakfast for a run when it is still cool then if we are not walking or cycling spend the day sunbathing and reading. Moira is working on improving her tan for Margaret’s wedding which is now only a month away. The temperature has been so high that I was tempted one day to go for a swim. The campsite is adjacent to the Mediterranean and within a few minutes I was tentatively paddling into the water. It seemed very cold at first so I took a long time getting under but once I was swimming about it was quite enjoyable.

We leave tomorrow to head up north to Le Puy and arrange for the RL Stevenson Walk. I was going to cycle the 100 km of the Sete-Rhone Canal on the way but with the recent rain the track is likely to be very muddy, so I’m inclined to give it a miss and go straight to the walk. The outcome will be revealed in my next instalment.

The beautiful Canal du Midi

Quack Quack!!

Following the Sun Diary - Mon 11 Apr.

I’m starting off again with my cycling along the Canal du Midi after a four day break at a delightful campsite at Villegly near the city of Carcassonne. We had decided to have a rest here as Moira hasn’t been at all well, her coughing and hay fever hadn’t cleared and now she was suffering from a bladder infection. She visited the local doctor last Thursday and although his English was limited she managed to describe the symptoms so that he understood. The antibiotics he prescribed seem to be doing the trick and Moira is getting back to her usual cheerful self.

Snow on the Pyrenees

When we left Sitges after a week we took a route inland towards Andorra and over the Pyrenees. The huge mountains still had caps of snow even though the weather was improving and it was becoming quite warm. Once in France we spent our nights in ‘aires’ as we slowly made our way to Toulouse and the starting point for the canal route. The plan was to arrive in Toulouse on a Sunday, early, when the traffic was light so we could find the canal and a place to park easily. We did that a week ago and it was fortunate that we picked a quiet time as three canals began at the same point going off in different directions. There was no indication which was the Canal du Midi and it took a lot of ‘pidgin’ French and sign language to get help to find the right one.

It was an overcast day and chilly but luckily it wasn’t raining. As I cycled along the towpath I had to be conscious of the many joggers that were out, there were hundreds of them. I haven’t seen so many people running since we left South Africa. It was pleasant once I was clear of the city and into the countryside. From the start and even now out in the country the towpath was a tarred surface and wide enough not to cause any problems with other cyclists or the multitude of joggers. It was a very enjoyable ride and the canal looked magnificent with the plane trees along the bank reflected on the surface and ducks happily swimming about. At one point I did see a large grey heron taking off from the surface and into the sky. I seemed to be going into a bit of a wind so it wasn’t easy going and with it being basically flat I was working all the time.

Avenue of plane trees at Port Lauragais

Moira phoned me when I was 5km from the end of the first day’s stint; she had got to the aire at Port Lauragais and was now waiting on the towpath for me to appear. I had a couple of kays to go when the nice tarred surface changed to gravel but it was still good going. Moira was where she said and she directed me to the ‘van. I cycled on while she followed behind on foot. The aire was quite a bit back from the canal and I cycled along a beautiful avenue of plane trees to get there.

The next day the plan was to take one of the excursions suggested in the guide book. The one in this area was a climb up to the reservoir that was constructed to feed water into the canal system. The book gave a route starting at the Guerre lock, which was about 5 km on the other side of Castelnaudary, on minor roads and returning on a major road to Castelnaudary. I decided that I would do it the other way round heading for the reservoir on the busy D624 first.

I got away after breakfast and headed through the avenue of plane trees to the lock. I crossed over to the other bank and made my way to Castelnaudary. The track was very narrow at first but I found another route running parallel and above where I had started cycling. This was much better and wider and I was able to move at a better pace. The weather was cool and overcast as I started out but the clouds were beginning to break and clear, it looked like becoming a fine day. It was 15 km to Castelnaudary and the track took me through four evenly spaced locks. When I reached Castelnaudary the canal opened out into a large expanse of water, this was Castelnaudary Port and the canal had generated a wealthy community here. The port was also the base for Le Boat, a cruiser hire company, and one of the banks was lined with their various craft waiting for the busy summer season.

St-Ferreol reservoir

At the end of the port area the canal proper began again but this was where I cut off to find the road to St-Ferreol reservoir. I followed the signs for the town of St Papoul as one of the points on the route using the minor roads. It took me through St Papoul and on to the villages of Issel and Labecede-Lauragais then passed the airport to St-Ferreol. It was a climb most of the way, some of the hills were long and steep especially the one running beside the airfield to the highest point on the route at 500m. From this high point the road dropped in a series of hairpins down to the reservoir.

We found a car park on the side of the reservoir where we set up camp for the night. The weather was excellent now so we decided to go for a walk round the reservoir. It was a lovely path and there were some wonderful views across the water. Lots of little ducks were swimming happily around the edge and it was a very peaceful setting.

The reservoir ducks

The next day, Tuesday, I had a nice run round the reservoir before breakfast. It was about 4 km and it got me loosened up for my day’s ride. I made my way back to Castelnaudary on the main road, it was nearly all downhill and I had a lovely breeze at my back, so it wasn’t long before I was back on the canal path again. It was a straight forward ride along the towpath in lovely weather until I reached the road junction down to the village of Pezens where Moira was waiting. She had parked the camper in an aire that was in the middle of the village. It wasn’t in a very pleasant position with a lot of traffic noise from the main street that ran alongside. I had noticed a better spot on the canal bank a short distance back where we could park and we headed there. It was much nicer and we were able to sit out in the afternoon sunshine and watch the various types of river craft making their way along the canal.

On Wednesday I had a run along the canal bank before breakfast. It was a beautiful spot we had picked but I had to move and get on my bike again. It was a short trip today, only about 25 km to the campsite at Villegly which was on one of the excursion tours from the canal. I made my way along the canal through Carcassonne to pick up the minor roads to Villegly where I met Moira who was settled at the campsite. The site was lovely, it had just opened at the beginning of the month for the summer and we were the only people there. We set up the satellite dish and got all the UK channels, we were also able to get a good Wi-Fi signal for the internet. The only other thing we could ask for was for Moira’s health to improve.

We have now spent four days here and the weather has been glorious. There has been a high pressure system over France all week but yesterday it got cooler and cloudier so it looks like a change is coming; just when I’m starting to cycle again. I have been doing a lot of running and I had a cycle ride to the objective of this excursion, the village of Lastours. It was a Cathar stronghold against the Crusaders in the Middle Ages and the ruins of the four castles are prominent on the hilltops overlooking the village.

                                       Hilltop Castle at Lastours

We will be sorry to leave the area now, it is so peaceful but the cycling has to be done. It should take another week to slowly get to the finish at Sete on the Mediterranean then we will start planning for our walk on the Robert Louis Stevenson trail.

Castles overlooking Lastours

A final happy note of our stay here was my success in the Grand National. I backed the second and third horses and won a grand total of £6.

Following the Sun Diary - Wed 30 March

We spent two weeks at the Marjal campsite near the town of Guardamar del Segura. The weather wasn’t very good, nearly all of the first week it rained and when it cleared up and blue skies returned Moira wasn’t well. She had difficulty breathing and was doing a lot of coughing, she thought it was hay fever so was taking antihistamine pills, but it wasn’t getting any better.

Because of the rain and Moira’s health we didn’t leave the site much. I passed my time mainly at the gym. It was very well equipped, a cardiovascular section with bicycles, treadmills and rowing machines, a separate abdominal exercise section and a weights room. I did a lot of cycling, and running on the treadmill followed by an hour’s training with the weights each day. There was also a sauna of which I made use to warm up, as the weather was chilly outside. On the second week when the weather improved and the sun reappeared we went for a few short walks along the canal bank that ran all the way from the sea to the next town of Rojales about 10 km away. I also did a lot of running along the canal bank and have now run every day since we’ve been here, (that includes the treadmill at the gym).

One day I cycled into Torrevieja; this was, according to Moira, where we stayed a couple of years ago with Suzy for a holiday. When I got there I didn’t recognise it and later Moira informed me that we were based further south on the outskirts of the town. The main part of Torrevieja where I reached was very nice. I cycled along the front, passed the marina, to a busy pedestrian area and beach. It was busy and seemed like a very popular resort, maybe we should look at campsites here for a stay in the future.

The campsite is very popular with people with big vehicles like the American Winnebago, and converted buses. The stands are very big and there were hundreds of huge contraptions more like transportable houses than campervans. I don’t think they move around much but get here at the start of winter and that’s them until they return to the UK in spring. The trouble with the big stands and all the facilities is that the cost is high, about E27/night. Fortunately there is a cheaper section where we are with fewer extras, and it is only E15/night.

We went to a quiz night they held in the bar on Tuesdays. We did quite well, managing to answer most of the questions but not goo enough to win. There was a Country music weekend at the site the first Saturday and Sunday. It was taking place at the tennis courts and you could hear the beat blasting out all over the site. We

went to have a look before setting off for a walk. There weren’t many people there but the ones that were had themselves kitted out in cowboy boots and ten gallon hats doing line dancing. The music wasn’t bad and it was finishing each day, fortunately, at 5:30 so we didn’t get kept awake.



Ancient church on sea front Sitges

We left Marjal after an enjoyable two weeks and with the weather definitely improving began to head further north and towards France. We stopped off at Benicassim where we stayed on the way down though this time went to the other campsite, Azahar, that was at the end of the cycle path. We had more rain here but between showers I managed to get some good runs on the cycle track and along the coast. We made a move again after a couple of days and are now at another familiar place Sitges. We are at the same campsite, El Garrofer, and on more or less the same pitch as last time. We have decided to stay here a week then head for Toulouse to start my cycling of the Canal Midi.

Moira has begun to recover from her hay fever though she is still wheezing and coughing a bit. I had a few days when I also was suffering from a sore throat and missed a couple of runs. Now I am feeling much better and have rediscovered some of the delightful routes that I ran when we were here previously. At Marjal and Benicassim all we could get on TV from the satellite was the news channels and the BBC radio which was alright as we still had some programmes that we had recorded on our Freeview box to watch. Here at Sitges reception is good and we are able to watch again some of our favourite programmes live.    

Following the Sun Diary: Tues 8 March

We have moved on after five very enjoyable weeks at Cabo de Gata. The weather had been on the whole very good, we had warm days under cloudless cobalt blue skies, but over the last few days it has been like a return to winter. The wind has been cold and blowing strongly, this made it unpleasant walking in the hills and not at all conducive to cycling. When the weather was good we were out every other day for long walks taking a flask of coffee and sandwiches for our lunch. We had covered most of the regular routes listed in the leaflet from the tourist board and some of our own. When we arrived we had a couple of days of rain followed by nice warm conditions, this resulted in a profusion of beautiful blossoming wild spring flowers. As we walked through the countryside we were delighted with the yellow, blues and whites that carpeted the landscape, much like the daisies that attract so many people, in spring, to Namaqualand in South Africa.

Spring flowers of Cabo de Gata

One interesting walk we had was to the town of Los Albaricoques. This was the location for a lot of western movies; in particular the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns like ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ and ‘A Fist Full of Dollars’. When we get home we are going to get the DVD of these films to see if we recognise the scenery from them. Another fascinating area was around the town of Rodalquilar with the remains of the now defunct mining industry. Gold mining here goes back to Roman times and the many scars on the beautiful mountain landscape bare witness to this. We had a good day out at the salt pans near the Cabo de Gata point. This area was once famous for salt mining and the resulting salt pans are a favourite spot for birdlife. From a bird hide we saw large numbers of outstanding pink flamingos and  also spotted herons, coots and avocets, the later the bird with a long curved beak which it swishes around under the surface of the water searching for food in the sand and silt.

'Clint Eastwood' protecting Los Albaricoques

I have a few good cycled rides, having found myself some interesting circular routes. A couple of rides have had sections off road resulting in some frightening steep descents on rough rocky tracks from mountain passes. I generally take these down hills very easily with my hands on the brakes all the time; I’ve had enough bicycle accidents and broken bones over the years, so I don’t take any risks.

The area does seem to attract film makers, not only for westerns but adverts as well. One morning when leaving the campsite we had to make our way along the main road to pick up the path for our hill walk only to be stopped by the police who said that there would be a truck coming along shortly, very fast and dangerous. All the traffic was held up as well, as we waited to watch the proceedings. It turned out to be an advert for Mercedes trucks and this vehicle was racing along this stretch of road behind a pick-up truck with a camera on a long boom. We got started on our walk eventually but when we returned some seven hours later they were still there filming the same sequence with the truck, the technicians all look bored and fed up.

Pretty flamingo ao the saltpan

During our stay here I have had trouble with an ear infection. I was practically deaf in my left ear, hearing only continuous ringing and buzzing sounds. Moira tried warm olive oil to remove any wax which we thought at first was the problem but it didn’t help, I had to go to a doctor. We found one in San Jose a small town nearby but he wouldn’t treat me until I was properly registered and this involved filling in a form then travelling to another town, San Isidro de Nijar, 20 km away for authorisation. Once this was all done it was too late that day to go back to the doctor so I returned the next day. There was the usual long queue to wait for my turn but it all worked out satisfactorily. He quickly examined my ear and made out a prescription for drops which I then collected from the pharmacy. This was all done in Spanish and sign language, the form we took to the tourist information for the lady there to help me complete, she spoke English. All this was free of charge and the other good news is that the drops worked wonders; my hearing was soon back to normal again.

 The site is very good but we don’t have any activities like whist or quiz nights. They do have bingo on a Friday but they call out the numbers in Spanish. I don’t know the Spanish for ‘two fat ladies’ of ‘legs eleven’. On Thursday evenings at the restaurant they do a special three course meal for 6 Euro. The food is very good though the helpings are small; this suits us as we want to keep our weight under control. I’ve been going to the gym on site to keep fit but it isn’t very good, not a great selection of equipment or very well maintained. I am the only one who seems to use the facilities and its not very enjoyable working out by oneself.

Glorious bay at Cabo de Gata

We left on Monday and made our way north to the Costa Blanca to the town of Guardamar del Segura and a campsite called Marjal. A few months ago we had met some woman who told us about this site but it was very expensive, though when we got our new campsite book in January it was listed and we could get a pitch for 15 Euro with our ACSI card that comes with the book. This card allows us into many campsites throughout the continent at discount rates. Unfortunately when we got here the reduced rate didn’t get us all the facilities, like TV and Wi-Fi straight to your pitch. We have to go to a room near the restaurant for the internet and attempt to pick up the UK satellite on our dish. We played about with the dish but could only manage to pick up BBC News and the radio stations.

The site does have an excellent gym of which I am taking full advantage. This one is new with modern equipment, a heated indoor swimming pool and saunas. The gym is well attended as it is used by the local people as well as the residence of the campsite. I will be working out a lot if the bad weather continues, as is being forecast, so much for following the sun.

We will stay here for at least a week before moving further north. We want to get to France by about mid April when I will cycle the Canal Midi, and then we will hike the Robert Louis Stevenson walking route in central France.

  

Following the Sun Diary: Mon 7 Feb

Our last week at Los Gallardos was rain every day. It was too muddy along the tracks I take to the gym in Turre to cycle, so we were taking the motorhome out each day to get around. We would pack up quickly each morning after breakfast, then head off. Moira would drive, dropping me at the gym for an hour’s workout while she did some shopping. When she picked me up again we would head for the beach, and watch the waves as we had lunch. When we left last Monday the weather was beginning to improve but we were happy to get to pastures new.

San Jose

We didn’t travel very far, about 70 kilometres, to the Cabo de Gata National Park. This is situated at the south east corner of Spain where the coast turns towards Almeria and the Costa del Sol. It is a very dry region with very low rainfall, our week here has so far confirmed this, with blue skies every day. Our campsite at Los Escullos is near the coast in a quiet area, the nearest town San Jose is 8 kilometres away. When we arrived we had a walk around looking for a good spot. We spoke to an English guy, who had a big satellite dish, and asked how the TV reception was. He said that he had a multi-point LNB on his dish and if we were close enough we could hook up to one of them. I found a pitch behind him and later connected up to his dish, we now get all the BBC and ITV channels.

The area is a walker’s paradise with numerous routes along dried river beds or rambla, up beautiful mountains and on coastal paths. Our first outing was along the coast to San Jose; after a short climb to the cliff top the trail was fairly flat with the rugged rocky shore below and towering peaks on the other side. San Jose was a lovely little seaside resort with beautifully white painted houses and a packed marina where we sat to have our picnic lunch feeding little fishes with crumbs. Another day we climbed a track that cut diagonally up the side of a mountain to a huge white dome at the top, the locals call it the golf ball, and is a metrological radar station. This spot on top gave us magnificent views of the Mediterranean coast and the surrounding mountains. Those circling mountains are actually the crater of an extinct volcano, Vulcan de Majado Redonda, formed between six and seventeen million years ago. Yesterday we hiked into the crater along a rambla which was the only opening into the gigantic bowl. The area is quite fantastic and these outings are only in the vicinity of the campsite, many more pleasures are waiting when we drive out to the other walking trails listed in our guide book.

The White Radar Dome or 'Golf Ball'

The site has its own gym, nothing elaborate, plenty of barbells and dumbbells, and some exercise machines. The big plus is that it is free and I have had a few good workouts to keep my muscles in shape. So far I have been on my own pushing weights; nobody else on site appears to be interested. The other facility available is a Wi-Fi area but it isn’t very good. Our attempts on the internet amount to a very slow check of our e-mail, downloading material, such as podcasts from the BBC, takes nearly a day for a half hour programme.

Where the ‘population’ at Los Gallardos was all English, here there is a mixture of nationalities. In our section of the site we have German, Dutch and English but we have come across some French and Italians as well. The Dutch like to get together for pre-dinner drinks and can be very noisy, but once they return to their own ‘vans for their meals everything becomes quiet and peaceful again.

The Mediterranean Coast

We are thoroughly enjoying it here so will stay for at least a month. The weather is excellent and we still have lots more walking to do. Maybe as it gets warmer I will be tempted to have a swim, there is a beautiful beach at San Jose.