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.

 

Following the Sun Diary: Mon 24 Jan

I spoke too soon about finding the sun; it has been absolutely freezing over the weekend. We had to dig out our sleeping bags again to get into, as well as the duvet, it has been so cold. Even during the day it was cold forcing us to put on the fan heater, and you thought it was all fun and enjoyment here.

Yesterday we did force ourselves to get out for a walk, so we dully wrapped up warm and set off after lunch. There was a bitter wind blowing forcing us to maintain a very brisk pace to kept the blood pumping. We took the dirt roads through the fields to near the village of Turre then continued over the hills into Los Gallardos. This took us through a luxury housing estate on the outskirts of town, where these big houses are all occupied by ex-pat Brits. The area is very British with a number of local newspapers even published in English. When we got back to the campsite it was just in time, it began to rain and continued lashing down through the night.

Before this bad weather arrived we had an excellent sunny day out in the Sierra Cabrera Mountains. These mountains are behind Los Gallardos and Turre, running down to the coast at Mojacar. The pueblo of Mojacar is built on the top end of the ridge and overlooks the Mediterranean. We took the motorhome out to get to our starting point, the little village called Cortijo Grande and there was a nice sized car park where I could leave the ‘van safely. The village was basically a number of fancy houses built around a golf course situated in a valley between the hills. We could see some paths going up the hillside on the far side of the golf course but were unable to figure out how to get there. I asked some workmen, who were English; they told us that if we followed the road it went up to the town of Cabrera and there we should find some mountain paths.

Moira at Cabrera

 We headed up the road; it was about 3 kays of climbing sometimes steep, to get to Cabrera. There were some beautiful views of the mountains on the way with large house littered over the hillside, some on the tops of ridges and on rocky points like fairy castles. When we reached Cabrera there was a castle, but not the ancient variety a modern building that had a ‘for sale’ sign. It had crenulated battlements and turrets; I’m not sure who would want to buy it. From the village there was a view point from where we could see a path winding its way further up the mountain above Cabrera. We managed to pick up this footpath where we met a woman walking her dog. She spotted Moira’s badge for the ‘Camino de Santiago’, she had also done the pilgrimage so we got reminiscing about it. Before we parted she told us to follow the path we were on, and said that it wound its way up the mountain eventually coming in a circle to meet the road from the village.

Sierra Cabrera

The village of Cabrera

The route gave us wonderful views of the mountain tops and in the other direction the flat plain stretching to Los Gallardos, Turre and Garrucha. It took us an hour on a wide track before reaching the road coming up from the village. We stopped at the side of the road where we had our lunch; it was a beautiful day and pleasant sitting in the warm sunshine. I had a flask of coffee and sandwiches in the day pack; it was a welcomed break after some stiff climbing. After lunch the walk was now on a tar road all the way back to Cabrera, I got some great photographs of the mountain peaks of the Sierra Cabrera and the big houses on the tops of rocky outcrops. We thought at one point we were going the wrong way as the road continued to drop considerable, we didn’t realise the extent that we had climbed, but at last we came into Cabrera. From the village we followed the same road down to Cortijo Grande; it took another hour to get back to the ‘van. It had been a marvellous walk, so we are planning to come back again for another route before we leave the area, if the weather improves.

We have another week here before we are planning to move to pastures new. The weather forecast that we got from the web doesn’t look very promising, saying that it will continue cold for the rest of the week. We can always hope that it is wrong and there is a heat wave.

Following the Sun Diary: Sun 2 Jan –Mon 17 Jan

Nothing very exciting has been happening in the first two weeks of the New Year. The weather has certainly improved, it still gets cold at night but during the day the sun shines from a cloudless blue sky. I have been sitting outside in just shorts working on my tan; it must be warm as Moira has even taken off her cardigan.

Our month subscription for the bowls expired on Saturday; we aren’t going to extend it as we plan to leave here in a couple of weeks. The bowls were beginning to get more enjoyable, probably as we were beginning to play much better with practice.

The whist evening each week has been continuing though not many people attending. A lot had returned to the UK for Christmas and New Year but are now trickling back so the numbers are improving. We have still been going to the quiz night, which is on every Monday, two weeks ago we finished third but last week came nowhere.

My training is going well though I haven’t been doing much running recently. I usually cycle to the gym in Turre, have my work out then cycle back. I have done a couple of long rides on the bike, about 50 kilometres each time. I have a route that heads north to Antas then through Vera to the coast. I reach the coast at Garrucha and cycled down beside the Mediterranean to Mojacar; from there it is 12 kilometres inland again back to Los Gallardos.

Yesterday we walked to Turre, over the hills on a dirt road. We went to the Indian restaurant there, where we had our Christmas lunch. It was lamb Madras again, and was just as hot and tasty as the last time. The walk back which took about an hour, this helped to work off the big meal.

Moira has found a web site for motorhome exchanges throughout the World. She is concentrating on Australia and New Zealand where she found people who want to come to the UK next year. We don’t have to swop at the same time so we can go over to Australia and NZ the following year which is when we would prefer. It’s still in the early stages, but it looks promising for having another holiday in the Antipodes.

As the blog is called ‘Following the Sun’ and we have found it, I am now going to take advantage and lie in it.

I have had trouble posting my blog for over a week now; the internet hasn’t been functioning in the area. Seemingly there had been a fire in the local telephone exchange and this caused the problem, that’s what they told us anyway. It appears to be up and running again, so I am able to publish this update.

Following the Sun Diary: Frid 17 Dec – Sun 2 Jan

It has been a quiet fortnight at Los Gallardos during which we haven’t done anything particularly exciting. The sun that we have been trying to follow seems to have deserted us, being replaced with a lot of rain. For one week it rained each day at some time, at least when it rained the temperature was mild, but when the skies cleared it got cold especially during the night. In bed I’m still in my sleeping bag and Moira has had to get into her bag as well.

When the weather dried up we have been playing bowls but the green is in a very poor condition making it difficult to bowl a consistent line. As we found in South Africa it is a peculiar crowd that play bowls with their trivial restrictive rules and regulations, they are much the same here. It must be our attitude to this form of petty bureaucracy that we inevitably rock the boat and I have run foul of the club captain on a couple of occasions. We had thought about buying bowls when we get back to Scotland in the summer and play there, but are now having second thoughts. I don’t think the people will be any different there.

We have managed to have a few walks in the hills behind the campsite. It is easy walking with good paths constructed from an old railway line with cutting through the hills and viaducts over rivers. I have had a few runs in the hills when the weather has been agreeable, I am managing to run for over an hour comfortably without a stop. I have recently joined a gym in Turre, a little town about 5 kilometres away. I cycle to the gym and back over quiet dirt roads that go beside cultivated fields which are green with rows of lettuce. The gym is not very big but it is fully equipped with all the usual machines and weights; it looks fairly new with everything well maintained.

I discovered the gym in Turre when we walked to the town on Christmas Day. We had booked our Christmas lunch at the Indian restaurant there, some may thing a strange choice for the festive season but it was excellent. We both had lamb Madras curry, it was a bit hotter than we are used to, making our eyes water. The price of the meal was very satisfactory, only E24 and that included drinks.

We have been playing whist regularly each week but haven’t managed to win anything since the first time. We did pick up second prize at the quiz night that was on last Monday. We tied for first place with another team; the tie break question was – ‘how many miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End’. You would have thought that we could get that right considering we have walked most of it, but I said 1250 miles, that’s nearly 400miles too much. Maybe it feels that much when you are walking it.

This place has turned into a Little England. All the permanent mobile homes are occupied by Brits and there are lots of people who come for the six months over winter, they’ve been doing that for years. It’s like a ghetto of ex-pats who spend their time moaning about either the UK Government who have in their opinion forced them to move because of poor pensions, or complain against the Spanish who have allowed their economy to deteriorate, making their life style not so cheap and comfortable.

We have decided to stay on here until the end of January, that’s when the membership of the bowls and gym expire. Moira has been looking at other places to visit with good campsites. We will make a decision nearer the time, until then we hope the weather gets warmer so that we can spend more time outside.

I hope everyone reading this blog has had a good Christmas and wish you an enjoyable and healthy New Year.

Following the Sun Diary: Tues7 Dec – Thurs16 Dec

We have been at Los Gallardos for just over a week now, it is much better than La Manga. The weather has been changeable, though sky has been vivid blue and cloudless the temperature is unpredictable. Some days I have been sitting outside in just shorts tanning my body while on others we keep inside the ‘van with the fan heater on. Last night I was so cold I looked out my sleeping bag to snuggle up in, with the duvet on top to keep warm. Moira braved it with just the duvet but if this winter snap continues she will be in hers quick enough.

This morning we played bowls, not the continental type but the proper lawn variety. They have two greens at the campsite with a very English bowling club which has the usual funny rules of etiquette. We had to buy white trousers and shirts which Moira got cheap at the local market, as for flat shoes that don’t damage the green the club have plenty of them to lend out. Also we were able to borrow bowls from the club; they had a big selection of different sizes to choose from. The greens are not in very good condition, very patchy which results in the bowls not tracking as well as they should, it’s probably due to the lack of rain in the area. The first games we played were trips, three players each side playing three bowls each. We had good games considering we hadn’t played since April when we were in South Africa, both of us on winning teams.

There is excellent walking around the campsite with hills all around. The paths are very good, wide and not too rough. One route in particular is the track of an old railway that runs high up and along the contours of the mountain side. It meanders through cuttings carved among the hills and over viaducts that bridge dried up river beds. We have been out on various different routes over the hills and I have done a couple of cross country runs which is keeping me fit.

As usual the site organises a number of activities for the campers and the permanent residents who live in the mobile homes next to the camping area (much better laid out and organised that at La Manga). They have whist, darts, pool, quiz nights and dances each week at the restaurant. We have played whist twice and I was successful on the first occasion when I won a prize of E10. There was supposed to be a quiz last Monday but it was cancelled because lots of people have gone back to the UK to be with family for Christmas.

The TV that is available from cable to each camping pitch is worth the E25 we pay for a month. We are getting all the main UK stations to watch our favourites plus a couple of sports channels from Sky. I saw the Spurs v Chelsea match on Sunday that was very good, lots of attacking football for a change. Now, if we waken early enough in the morning we can watch the third Ashes test from Perth, though realistically probably only the last hour or two.

All the people we have met during our stay have been very friendly and encouraged us to join in at the whist and bowls. A woman Moira met is going to drive her to the supermarket tomorrow to save us packing up and taking out the campervan. Most of the people come here for five or six months, and have been doing this for a number of years. It is a very popular spot but you would think you were somewhere in England rather than Spain.