What We've been doing over the 'Christmas Holiday'

What We've been doing over the 'Christmas Holiday'

Wednesday 23rd December 2015

It seems ages since I've put my fingers to the keyboard and my brain in gear, but today I'm going to try and catch up with what we've been up to over this festive period!  I suppose really we've had quite a few 'lazy days' - it's very easy to do 'not much' when the sun is shining and the most important demands on your time are chatting with the neighbours and ensuring your glass is ready for 'wine o'clock'!

We didn't even have to buy it! This is our pressie from the campsite!

So today has well and truly been a  'relaxing' one where we've  hammered our kindle's, caught a few rays, ate to much food and socialised - well, someone has to do it!


Thursday 24th December 2015

Today was the day to collect our new bikes - we had a phone call about 11.30 to say they were ready - or at least that's what I assumed had been said.  The gentleman who sold them to us - 'Oscar' - did speak a little  English, but even when face to face, it was sometimes difficult to understand him!  Usually he alternated between one word of English and one of Spanish - all spoken at rapid fire rate, so our conversation on the phone was pretty much guess work - but I think mainly I guessed right.

His

And Hers

We briefly tried them out in the shop, and although we knew we would have to do some 'fine tuning' to make them fit 'us', generally we were very pleased with them.  So, we quickly peddled back to the campsite, and that was pretty much what John did with the rest of his day - he tinkered.  He checked all the nuts and bolts, he put new peddles on his, and probably he did a lot more that I'm completely unaware of!  But finally, and most importantly, he locked them very securely to the back of the T4rdis - and despite the fact that most people leave their bikes beside their vans - and often unlocked - this is where ours will reside when not in use!

After that we joined the annual Christmas party via 'face time' at Sarah and Paul's house (our daughter and son in law), and although we couldn't be there in person, it was lovely to see everybody - especially all the children 'gurning' at us as they whooped around the house in very high spirits.


Christmas Day

Well our day started quite quietly with our usual cup of tea in bed, but it wasn't long before the 'Whats app'  messages started to arrive showing our grandchildren in high glee as they unwrapped their presents,

Thomas

Jack

And little  Evelyn (2 months old already)

and later the adults competing for the 'best' pressie award!












All this did make me feel slightly homesick, but when Ben and Louise revealed their engagement, tears could not be held back, and later in the day, further 'face timing' needed to be done!





Anyway, Christmas dinner was next on our agenda and we planned to have it  with our new friends at the local Chinese Buffet which was quite a distance away - we could have cycled, but after what had happened to our previous bikes we decided we couldn't risk leaving the new ones outside the restaurant - so we went by Shanks' Pony instead!

We met up with everybody and pottered off - and because there was such a vast amount of food on offer, it was probably a good job we had a long walk home!


















We indulged in soup, sushi, salads, all kinds of Chinese dishes, and then there was a section where you could select raw fish, meat or vegetables and have them cooked while you waited!  Following this there was a huge selection of deserts, and then my favourite -  a chocolate fountain! (For a confirmed choc-a-holic it was heaven) - and all for the princely sum of 30 euros including wine! (about 22 quid for both of us)

I would've liked seconds but sadly there was no room!

Needless to say, we didn't have much tea - but we did indulge in a wee dram of John's Ardbeg Whiskey just before bedtime!

Boxing Day

Well, after our over indulgence yesterday a little exercise was desperately needed, and as we wanted to try out our new bikes you can probably guess how we spent our day!  Bike gear was donned, a picnic was packed and our flask was filled.  Our bikes were then released from there tether on the back of the van, and off we went!

We'd decided to follow the same route that we'd done on our other bikes before they were stolen - mostly so that we could see how our new mountain bikes would compare!   And they did much better -  as we rode along the track that meanders beside the clear sparkling Mediterranean they proved to be much more sure footed over the rough terrain, and even I had the confidence to just go for it, hang on and and hope for the best in the places where the track become a bit more 'technical'  (Sharon - John says you'd have been quite proud of me😀).

This doesn't really show the roughness of the track, but it maybe gives you the idea

After about 12 kms we came to the end of the track so then we followed a small road up and up through mile after mile of greenhouses where tomatoes are grown,  and we completed our outward journey in the little village of Puntas de Calnegre.

But we didn't really find anywhere we fancied to sit and eat our picnic there, so we retraced our tracks back to a beautiful bay we had spotted earlier....

and then we retraced our tracks even further back to the T4rdis.  In all we cycled about 36 kms - maybe not quite far enough to use up all the excess calories - but at least it was a start!


Sunday 27th December 2015

So to continue our good work of yesterday (we were kidding ourselves) we decided we would cycle again today, but this time in the opposite direction, and as it was Sunday, we thought that instead of taking a picnic we would treat ourselves to lunch out. Much like yesterday, our ride more or less followed the coast, but this time it was either on tarmac or better cycling track, which we followed until it completely ran out in a village called La Azohia.  On the way we passed an old Roman Bath House 'Banos de la Marrana', and although we didn't take a dip we did feel the need to pause and admire it while we had coffee and cake!


We also spotted numerous 'camping cars' wild camping in areas that clearly said 'Don't', but it seems to be common practice out here, so maybe eventually, when we've had a bit more 'practice' we may try and join them!

Anyway, it wasn't until we got back to Puerto de Mazarron that we decided to find somewhere to eat.  In the end we settled for a restaurant that we'd visited previously 'Viggos', but it was heaving so it was quite difficult to find a safe place to leave our bikes where they would still be in our sight. Needless to say, we were quite nervous that we may suffer another attack, and even though John had brought both big D locks to secure them, the best we could do was lock them together and  leave them as close by as possible to our table (about 5 yards).  We settled down and ordered our drinks and started to look at the menu, but then a couple of chaps in shades perched on the bench right next to our bikes.  They proceeded to get out a phone and make a call, and soon after they were joined by a third chap.  By this time we were ready to just run back and make a grab for our property, but within a few minuets they were joined by 3 girls and they all came into the restaurant to eat!  We breathed a big sigh of relief and both admitted that maybe paranoia was taking over, but it didn't spoil our appetite, we soon tucked in and enjoyed our meal of Tuna Belly🐟, chips and salad - justified by the fact that we'd cycled another 36kms!


Monday 28th December 2015

This proved to be another very lazy day.  A bit of 'house work' and washing, a bit of reading, a bit more eating and drinking, and then towards evening we decided we would move ourselves and take a little walk. We didn't really go far, just around the Bolnuevo Bay - and then back home to watch a Star Trek film which really was quite good because it showed all the well known characters as youngsters at the academy, and  it was easy to recognise them in their older roles in the early episodes of the series.


Tuesday 29th December 2015

Well, today started with a strange occurrence!  Wet stuff was falling from the sky - the first we've seen since we arrived in Spain.  It lasted all of 20 minuets and then soon cleared to leave warm sunshine for the rest of the day - a lovely day for the little jaunt we'd planned to buy a few more necessities for our bikes!

I think we have to say that we've really been very pleased with them anyway, but they needed personalising. We hadn't really spared much expense with our old ones, but obviously, all the extras like saddles, panniers, pedals bells and even my coat went with them when they were stolen.  So, we'd decided we needed quite a few 'extra bits' to make the new ones more comfy, and this included a mirror for John cos he likes to keep an eye on me without getting a crick in his neck!  With this in mind, we planned to pop over the mountain in the T4rdis to Cartegena to acquire the goods we needed, and while we were at it we did a bit of food shopping and also visited a local motorhome dealership for a little nosy round some European vans and to get a new ACSI book.  (That's a book that  is produced annually and identifies camp sites  that are affiliated to ACSI and that offer out of season discounts to people like us -  it's saving us 5 euros a night on the site we're on at the mo). While we were there we met 2 other couples who are full-timing - it's really quite surprising how many people live in their vans out here - and they gave us several more hints and tips regarding web sites and apps that will help us on our way, along with some very useful advise re the DVLA and driving larger vans.

Happily, we achieved all we set out to do and arrived back at the site about 4pm planning a quite hour in the sunshine before it set.  We did enjoy the sunshine but the time wasn't quite!  As soon as we were parked up one of our new friends invited us over for wine o'clock - and this stretched out until about 7pm.  In that time several bottles of wine were consumed along with home baked muffins, nuts and chocolate, and this was all accompanied with  much chatter, laughter, and in the end a good old sing song.  Elvis, Roy Orbison, Queen and several others, some of which were just about recognisable but others not!





Wednesday 30th December 2015.



We've had another easy day today so not much to write home about!  Another short cycle ride (20 km) along the coast, more reading, an occasional doze, a bit of blogging etc. etc.  We've been taking it easy in preparation for tomorrows celebrations and also because John keeps looking up at the mountains and he has a 'little ride' planned for either New Year's Day, or depending how much we celebrate, the day after.  I'm very sure I'll be needing my Great Granny Ring for that!

Anyway, I've got to go now because we have to practice saying 'Happy New Year' in several languages, but for our friends and family, and anybody else reading this, We would like to take this opportunity to wish you A Very  very Happy and Prosperous New Year xxx 

Click here to see our Spanish camping spots

We've had a Very Unfortunate Incident

We've had a Very Unfortunate Incident

Sunday 20th December 2015

Today started very well - our new friends, Pete and Jackie knocked on the door and invited us to accompany them, along with some others, to the Sunday market which is held about 3 miles away in Puerto de Mazarron.  Now, markets aren't usually our/(John's) cup of tea, but as it meant we could meet more new people we quickly agreed to go, and we all set off cycling together to our destination.  When we arrived we locked our bikes to a big sturdy fence and then set off to wonder around the huge market that displayed all manner of goods - some legal and some maybe not - there was a police presence and on a couple of occasions sellers could be seen scooping their goods into bundles and then re-displaying them when the coast was clear.

All sorts of cheese

And some massive hams

There was a massive array of goods on sale, both edible and otherwise, but as our fridge was already loaded to the gills we hardly indulged in any of the above, however when I saw brussel sprouts for sale I couldn't resist (my favourite veg)!  And the only other thing I brought was a big mat to put outside the van to stop the dust from trailing in.

We wandered through the market for about an hour and then decided to go for coffee at one of the stalls, but at this stage I was a bit worried about the bikes - you hear about dreadful things happening at these markets. Anyway, to reassure me our new friend Pete nipped off to check, and soon returned to say all was well. Therefore, we sat and enjoyed our coffee along with some long surgery doughnut type sweet treats which we dipped into warm melted chocolate, laughing at each other as we tried to avoid dribbling it down our clothes!

But it was very soon after this that the smiles were wiped from our faces and tears formed in our eyes.  As we walked back towards the spot where we'd left our bikes we quickly realised that ours had been stolen - all the others, some of which were locked with much flimsier devices than ours, didn't seem to have been disturbed - and the only evidence of the theft that was left behind was a chunk of our grade 2 cable lock lying on the floor.






It had been very neatly cut in two places, and we felt sure the job had been done by someone who makes a profession of it.








Obviously, we were very upset, but so were all the people we were with - and for a short while we just stood looking around - but they were well and truly gone!  And with hindsight, all I could think was that I was glad we hadn't disturbed anybody in the act - at least this way nobody got hurt!

Our precious Scott Bikes - No more!

We debated what we should do - should we go and report it to the police or just take the hit - but as we were to later learn, this type of crime is extremely common in these parts, and as we haven't got any insurance to claim on there seemed little point. (You can't have home insurance if you haven't got a house). So in the end all we did was toddle  off to have lunch with all our very supportive new friends, but it really did turn out to be  a bit of a subdued affair, and you can guess the main topic of conversation around the table, and did I mention the 3 mile walk we had to get home!


21st and 22nd December 2015

Well, we decided to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and not let the bloody thieves get the better of us!  We've spent the last couple of days shopping around trying to find replacements - but the big question for us was, should we just have bog standard 'blend in' bikes - or should we have something better and more in keeping with what we actually would like!  

With this in mind we visited the local bike shops and saw 2 very nice mountain bikes (one blue and one pink!), and we also visited Decathlon to see what they had to offer.  In the end the nice bikes worked out to be a better buy than the Decathlon ones because, with a bit of haggling, we got a lot of extras thrown in, so quite quickly a deal was done.  And to sweeten the pill a bit more, the good euro exchange rate has worked well in our favour, compared to replacing them in England!  The only thing we'll have to get used to, is that being Spanish, they're left hand drive models!  That is the front and rear brakes are on the opposite side, but with my right and left dyslexia that will make very little difference to me!

Also, as you would imagine, we've invested in extra security for them - and  I think it will be a very long time before we visit any more markets.  Hopefully we'll be able to collect our 'Christmas Presents' tomorrow or at the latest Christmas Eve, and then I don't think much dust will settle before we're off out to put them through their paces.

Our new Security - A bloody big D lock 

Finally, Merry Christmas and A Very Happy and Prosperous New Year to everybody who's reading my ramblings  xxx

Click here to see our Spanish Camping Spots

We're at Bolnuevo for Christmas

We're at Bolnuevo for Christmas

16th and 17th December 2015

These last 2 days have mostly been driving ones with a bit of shopping thrown in for good measure.  We'd received an e-mail from the couple we'd met in Morella telling us that the camp site that we were heading for over Christmas was filling up fast, and that if we wanted to join them we should maybe book a pitch. With this in mind I rang the campsite and was reassured that they had plenty of space, but as we really wanted to stay there we decided to push on South and not dally about visiting other places on the way.   So, on the 16th we drove about 300 kilometres and stopped for the night at an Aire John had identified from our trusty book - at Lorqui.

We met this chap on the way!

When we got there all looked good.  The Aire was next to a park area that had orange trees growing within it, along with pleasant paths and benches, and additionally, there were several other vans already settled.  We brewed our cuppa and then went for a wonder around the town,  but it was a bit bleak and all closed, so we were soon back in the Tardis to put our feet up - and then all was fine until about 8pm.  Then we heard a very odd sound - I asked John 'was that a bugle', then came a noise like a big base drum, and then a trumpet.  By now it was pitch dark, but with all that racket going on we couldn't resist peeping out of our windows - it seemed to be a local band practice night!  Well, they practised for the next two and a half hours, and boy did they need it!  There really was little that resembled music - it sounded more like 😹😻😼s fighting, and maybe that was why they'd been banished to the outskirts of town - to protect the locals!

We breathed a huge sigh of relief when the noise finally stopped just before half past ten, but then the 4 dogs who lived across the road took up where the band had left off - and they either howled or woofed for several more hours - John slept fairly well, but between the racket outside and him snoring I didn't stand much chance!

The next morning we were up and off quite early - heading for a supermarket for food and other shops for one or two bits we felt we needed for our longer stop - wine glasses and something to put in them being high on our list!  Shopping accomplished, we headed on towards our campsite at Bolnuevo, and when we got there they did still have some pitches available, but only 12 out of 450!  However, we only wanted one so we were fine.

Bolnuevo Erosions - Formed over many millennia 

We quickly set up camp and then went for just a little wander to see where we'd landed and if we thought we would be happy here for the next couple of weeks.  And while we were wandering we popped into the local Spar - a small supermarket that seemed to provide for the needs of the whole camp site - it had everything.  Fresh meat and vegetables, milk, bread, and then low and behold, we found the English section! They had our favourite Heinz tomato soup, gravy granules, paxo stuffing and many more things that we haven't seen since we left England - I think we might be stocking up before we leave!


Friday 18th December 2015

Well, we've decided we do like it here so we're stopping until after the new year.  We've had quite a gentle day today - we wandered over to tell our friends form Morella that we'd arrived - and ended up staying with them for quite a while.  They had visited Norway earlier this year, and following them giving us loads of valuable info and showing us their holiday pics, I think it's now very firmly on our agenda for next summer.   They also invited us out for Christmas lunch - at the local Chinese - so it will be a very different meal to usual for us!

Later, we  walked along the beach front towards Puerto de Mazarron, it really is a very beautiful area, there was the crystal clear Med on one side, and the majestic hills rising all around providing a protective basin in which the micro climate for this area exists. (hot and sunny)


















 



Saturday 19th December 2015

Today was not going to be so gentle - we decided we needed some exercise so cycling it would be.  We left the campsite and  went to have a look at Bolnuevo Erosions first.

 

Then we headed along a track that hugs the coast for about 10 kilometres, and we were soon on a rough, hilly and sandy dirt track. Now,  if someone had told me 5 years ago that I would be riding a bike over tracks like today's I would have told them to wake up and stop dreaming, I only started cycling 4 years ago, and usually, if the terrain becomes difficult I get off and walk, but today I managed most of the way - maybe because I was so distracted by the views!





















We paused for coffee on the beach, sitting in the baking sun and with the sea lapping about a metre away from our feet.  We were very hot and the cool water looked very tempting and inviting, but as we hadn't brought our cozzies it would have had to have been skinny dipping, so in the end we chickened out and decided to settle for a cold beer back at the T4rdis instead!

As we rode along we saw several vans 'wild camping' - they looked 'very well installed' with several solar panels, wind turbines and trailers full of water!  If they are staying put  for Christmas I hope Santa can find them!



I think from now on our days may be quite lazy and with not much to write about, so it might be a few days before I put fingers to keyboard and write another episode.  Having said that, there are some huge hills around here and John's planning a few more outings for us! (maybe I'll be needing my great granny ring again sooner than I thought!)

Anyway, If I don't blog again before Christmas I'd like to wish anyone who's reading this a very happy and wonderful Christmas and I hope Santa brings you your hearts desire.

Click here to see our Spanish Camping Spots

We've found an English Village here in Spain!

We've found an English Village here in Spain

Sunday 13th December 2015

This morning we moved back up into the hills - to Camping Altomira near Navaixes - but rather than the little mountain roads that we'd come to love, we were mostly on a big busy duel carriageways travelling through heavily industrialised areas almost until we reached the campsite gate.  When we arrived we debated if we'd made a good choice - should we risk it or should we look for somewhere else.  This was because as we entered through the half closed gate (the T4rdis only just fit), our first impression wasn't that good.  The reception office was closed, and the lower levels of the steeply tiered site looked a bit like a shanty town - mostly caravans covered with old dirty looking tarpaulins, thus giving a bit of run down appearance. However, the main reason we'd chosen this area was for the 'Via Verdi Ojos Negros'  a cycle track that runs both ways from the site - in one direction it goes for about 25kms and in the other 160 kms.  And in the end we rode all of the former but only a bit of the later!

We went downwards on Monday and upwards on Tuesday!

Anyway, we decided to stay and we were quickly greeted by a Spanish gentleman who explained that reception would be open in the morning and that we could choose any vacant pitch to park on.  We drove up towards the top of the site and were quite surprised to find a little 'English' village - there were several other motorhomes along with a number of caravans - some of which had been here for over a month - all grouped together for company.  We joined them and soon  got chatting with some of the residents and they provided us with interesting  info re the cycling trails.  They said when going north we should consider catching the train from Navajas and get off at Caudiell - otherwise our ride would be nearly all up hill - do you think we didn't listened?🤣


Monday 14th December 2015

Today we decided to head south along the Via Verdi trail and to follow it until it ends at Algimia de Alfara - we thought about 50 kms in total.  To start with, the trail was quite poorly signposted so we struggled to find our way through the village of Altura, which we arrived at during the first few kilometres of our ride. However, John got out his trusty Ipad with it's downloaded maps and soon had us back on track - and what a track!  We'd thought, as it is so well known, that the surface would be fairly good - WRONG - tarmac hardly existed at all and it consisted of a variety of surfaces including sand, gravel, stones and concrete, mostly in keeping with mountain bikers rather than us!

Having said that we kept going thinking that it would improve, and in a few places it did for a short distance, but luckily the scenery kept us preoccupied - we passed huge orange and olive groves, and as a backdrop to them, we could see mountainous hills in the distance.

They use tools like strimmers to shake the olives out of the trees
 and catch them in a big net!

Oranges for as far as the eye could see

We paused for coffee opposite  2 churches, there was one at the bottom of the hill - Iglesia de la Concepcion - and one at the top Ermita de san Antonio de Padua, and the latter was reached by a zig zagging pathway that reminded us of a famous similar road that we visited while we were in San Francisco - Lombard Street with it's 40 degree incline - apparently used in a James Bond movie!

 

Overall, our ride took about 5 hours and by the time we got back I was quite exhausted and not sure if I wanted to repeat the experience the next day.  I could only think that it had been so tiring because, on the way back there was mostly a steady uphill gradient, and with the rough surface peddling was quite hard.


Tuesday 15th December 2015

Well, after a reasonably good nights sleep we decided we would go cycling again today - but maybe not quite so far, and it turned out to be quite an unusual day!  We navigated a flood, we met half the Spanish Army, we saw some interesting 'up cycling' and we also met some cheese makers.

But first things first, and knowing we were going to have another full day of strenuous exercise we fortified ourselves with egg and bacon butties to ensure we'd got lots of energy right from the start (you can get real bacon here in Spain)!  Then we packed a wholesome and nutrient rich picnic (which included very nice chocolate cake), and after filling our flask with milky coffee we were off again!  And we were quite resigned to the likelihood of  the trail being much the same quality as yesterday, WRONG AGAIN, happily it was much better.

We'd set off with our jackets on (there is often a bit of a nip in the air in the mornings), but as we hadn't heeded the warning that our fellow campers had given us re catching the train, we were peddling against an uphill gradient, so we were soon stripping off down to tee shirts to keep our cool!  And to make matters worse, in a village we had to pass through, we took a wrong turn and cycled for about a kilometre up quite a steep hill before John realised! Never mind, we soon zoomed back down and were quickly back on track.

Jerica - The village of the wrong turn

Really, it's quite interesting cycling through these little Spanish villages - from a distance they look very picturesque, but once you enter their streets you're able to glimpse more of how the people live.  On the whole the streets are quite narrow, and in the commercial areas the width is often reduced further by merchandise or tables and chairs flowing out from the businesses that line them.  Quite often, there is also a fair bit of  litter strewn about in the narrow alleys, and that along with graffiti daubed walls, sometimes insinuates a sinister atmosphere. But having said that, there were also a good number of  properties that had flowers pouring from their balconies in gay abandon.

Anyway, we were soon poddling along towards our goal for today - the village of Caudiell, but on the way we were met by a flood.  This occurred just before we entered a very long tunnel, as we approached we could see water flowing out and over a stone wall on our left, and as we cycled through the 600 metre long tunnel water was pouring in from the roof.  I suppose I'm exaggerating really, because there was only a few inches of water on the ground, but the very cold drips that we couldn't avoid made us wish we'd brought our brolly!























Shall I ride or do I need my rowing boat!

We continued on our way, and this was where we saw the 'up cycling'!   Some initiative person had used old bed springs to make gates, not just one but about half a dozen around his property!







Well, by now it was getting on towards lunch time and we were nearing Caudiell - but the very nice picnic site just as you enter the village had been taken over  by hundreds of soldiers. They were sat on every available perch in the picnic area and on both sides of the track for about 200 yards, and as we didn't have enough food to share we decided not to stop!  We cycled through their midst and on for another 4kms until we came to another picnic spot that was peacefully deserted, and where I could greedily keep all  my chocolate cake just for me!

Lunch eaten, it was time to retrace our steps, and we were quite glad to see that  when we got back to Caudiell, all the soldiers had gone - but only temporarily!  We rode on a little further and who should we run into - they were marching along, some singing as they went, but walking 4 abreast so completely blocking the trail for several hundred yards.  They were also carrying heavy packs and rifles, so they looked a bit scary, but we needed to get by.  So, we dinged our bell, and to be honest, I thought Moses had arrived - the soldiers cheerfully parted splitting to both sides of the path and formed what looked like a guard of honour that we had to ride through.  As we passed they called to their mates in front to move out of the way so 'the parting of the waves' continued until we had completely passed them, and by the time we were coming to the end of the line it had become quite funny for both them and us.  I was going to take a picture but I thought maybe they wouldn't be quite so happy about that so I abstained.

Further down the trail we met our cheese makers, they were sat quietly by the side of the trail munching grass and not really taking much notice of us - but I'm sure they would find what was coming shortly a bit more disturbing...

Cheese Makers

From here we were soon back at the T4rdis (it was all downhill), and as it was only early afternoon we had plenty of time for chores - washing, bike cleaning, catching a few rays etc.

Tomorrow we will move on again, and the day after we're hopping we'll be at our final resting place for Christmas - and fingers crossed it'll have  good internet access!

Take care x

Click here to see our Spanish Camping Spots

Mostly Morella and a bit of Cola!

Mostly Morella and a bit of Cola!

Wednesday 9th December 2015

We left our campsite at Prades and headed off to Morella with a journey of approximately 170 kms to cover - much of which would be over mountain roads. Now, this is really a bit further than we would usually travel in one day, but we still have a fair way to go before Christmas so we haven’t really got to long to linger in the mountains.  At the start of our journey the sun was shining brightly, but we hadn't gone far before thick fog descended, and although it didn’t cause us any driving problems, it did obscure our views of the hills and valleys that we were passing through.  Happily it only lasted for a few miles and then the sun managed to burn it away and we were blessed with a lovely warm day for our journey.  

We covered many miles of roads of this quality!

The views were amazing - huge areas of terraced vines and olive groves, but to start with the road was quite narrow with lots of bends and twists as it wound it’s way down through mountain passes and small villages. However, in the first 20 miles we only passed about 25 cars so it didn’t cause us any problems, and eventually, as we got lower it got wider, but still retained it's fantastic vistas.

We'd earmarked the Greenwich Meridian line (which was about 120 kms into our journey) as a place of interest to stop for lunch, but when we got there it was a bit disappointing - really just a lay-by next to an old olive grove with a couple of picnic benches and a post to mark the actual spot of the Meridian line.

An Interesting fact re olive trees:  John informs me that Gerald Durrel, in his book 'My Family and Other Animals', states that olive trees are still productive at 500 years old!

So, hamburgers eaten, we carried on, and it wasn’t long before we started to see evidence of a massive new road system being built - it looks like a project that will take many years (and cost many millions). 

Now, obviously where there is a lot of construction going on there is also a lot of traffic to support it, and it was here that we started to see multiple heavy camions (lorries) bringing loads of stone to form the roads foundations.  As one passed John commented ‘that was close’ and I replied ‘it was even closer on this side’😓.

Definitely white knuckle stuff

Anyway we made it safely to the Aire that sits just below the Fortress topped town of Morella - and what a beauty this spot is.  For a start it's free, and it also has fantastic views up to the fortress and out towards the remains of a 14th century aqueduct that used to carry water to the town. 

By the time we were settled it was to late to do any exploring so we will have that pleasure to look forward to tomorrow, and as we have the company of one other van, the T4rdis isn't lonely and we feel quite safe here.

Our View form the Aire

Thursday 10th December 2015

Overnight and this morning it was very cold - well we are 1200 metres above sea level!  So I snuggled down and kicked John out of bed to make our early morning tea and to put the heating on, and I didn’t stick a toe out of bed until the thermometer gauge reached 18 degrees! Then it was action stations - egg and bacon butties were made and consumed, our picnic lunch was soon packed, and then we were off on our exploration of the town and fortress of Morella - and that kept us busy for the rest of the day.

We left the T4rdis all alone in the Aire (the other van had left about 9ish) but we knew we would be able to keep an eye on it from where we were going!  The Aire book had informed us that it would only take 7 minutes to reach the town - but you would have to be a marathon runner to get there in that time.  John and I walked quite briskly - all up hill - and it took us a good 20 minutes to reach the town gate.

To start our visit we called in at the Tourist Information Office which is just inside the ‘Nevera Gate’, and where a very kind English speaking Spanish lady provided us with a map that highlighted the route we should take to see most of the main points of interest within the town and above. 

We strolled along main street which had loads of delightful touristy shops, but mostly they weren’t selling tat - the items on display included lovely hand crafted knit wear, lots of food items such as cheese, honey, cured ham, chocolate, bakery produce, wine and the local fire water, but at this stage we didn’t stop to buy anything because we knew we had lots of walking and stair climbing to do to see all that was on offer.  

We went back to this shop to buy goodies and the very
kind lady gave us lots of samples

Behind the town we also found a lovely esplanade where many of the locals seemed to be walking, and from this high vantage point we had very distant views over the country side for as far as the eye could see - and it could see a very very long way!  

We paused for coffee here, and then retraced our steps to The Main Church - Santa Maria la Major, paid the small entrance fee, and then had our breath taken away by the sheer grandeur of the both the outside and the inside.  

You can't see the detail of the carving - but it was amazing

The High Alter - More leaf than Tetley

The Organ dated from 1719 and has 3,693
Tubes - but I didn't count the Cherubs!

Amongst the many other items of beauty in the church we stood and admired the ‘Retrochoir’. This was a large square balcony area where the sculpture work represents the Last Judgement Day. 

It's chaired by Jesus Christ, and the 12 apostles are all present and sculpted from polychrome stone, and just below Christ you can see St Michael, the Archangel judging the souls. To the left a legion of saints are marching towards Heaven, whereas to the right demons and the doomed are on their way to Hell! Apparently it dates from the 14th century but it was a bit worrying because we could see cracks, sags and infilling where restoration had already taken place - but it looked as if it could maybe do with more  - We didn’t stand underneath!

Next it was the turn of The Convent of Sant Francesc and the Castle itself, and again, we had to pay a small entrance fee - I think both the church and the castle cost us about 8 quid altogether - and it was very well worth it, it is easily the most interesting place we've visited since starting our travels - so if I go on a bit  - ‘sorry’

We entered into the Cloister of the Convent where Franciscan monks lived at the end of the 13th Century - this is one of the areas presently being restored thus allowing some of the areas around it to be  used in recent times for concerts etc.  

Following this we entered the castle which was originally built around 950, but since then,  many changes have been made according to which military unit was in charge.  It’s history can trace numerous factions which include Romans and Arabs/Muslims, and it’s more recent service goes right up to 1911.

From the castle walls we spied the bells - so these were the ones responsible for disturbing my sleep - they rang all through the night,

and the bull ring - very likely still in use as it looked fairly well kept.

We couldn't find a picnic bench so we sat on the foot plates
while we ate!

We continued on and eventually came to a cannon - guess who’s the oldest?

And then we had the final push to reach the top 

Lots and Lots of Stairs

which we had to access through this tunnel - I think the people  might  have been very small in times gone by!.

The Towers of Sant Miquel

And finally, a bit of technical data about the castle - it's been described a s a two body crag, or a three layer cake!  Geologically, it is a haging synclinal (whatever that means) - the calcareous stone and clay form a store for water thus allowing it to withstand long sieges. Furthermore, the filtered water has created numerous caves which can trace their origins back to prehistoric times!

Well after that, as usual, what goes up must come down, so after our thoroughly enjoyable exploration we made our way back to our Aire, but on the way we stopped off at one of the shops (and as it was closed o'clock) I think we were very lucky to find one open, and purchased some goodies. The owner was quite keen to sell us as much as she could so she was very generous with her free samples. She offered us honey from a vast selection of types, several sorts of cheese, some horrible ham, 2 types of wine - and also the local fire water - which was also horrible, so when John took a large sip and then coughed I thought he was going to spit it out! (but he didn't). Anyway she was so kind we had to buy something!

Sheep's cheese, Lavender Honey and very delicious Wine (we know cos we drank it)

Then it was time to make our way back to our Aire, and we were quite pleased to see we had been joined by several other vans - the one next to ours being fellow Brits. We quickly introduced ourselves and found that they were very seasoned travellers, and happily, they were able to help us with our quandary over where to stay for Christmas. They also provided us with some very good advise re our future travels, and they even invited us to come and park on their drive if we are ever find ourselves back on the Isle of White! Hopefully we'll be able to meet up with them over the festive period for another chat!


Friday 11th December 2015

Today we were quite desperate for food shopping so we left our lovely Aire via more mountain roads with lots of hairpin bends and travelled down to Benicarlo where we found a large Lidl that provided almost all we needed to restock our cupboards. I say nearly all we needed - despite a very through search we couldn't find soap or sugar, so we'll have to stay dirty and unsweetened! However, we did find a brick (carton) of wine for .59 euros - and quite palatable it was too.

Then it was on to our new home for the next few days - a campsite just outside Penis-cola - Peniscola - (that's better - I don't think spell checker quite got it right!) We had our obligatory cuppa and then a quick lunch before walking the mile and a half down to the sea front, and if I'm honest, I was very underwhelmed and a bit sulky because the area appeared quite scruffy, and once again, everything was shut. However, as we walked along the prom we came to the local Tourist Info Office and they supplied us with a map for the 'Trails of Irta' Irta is a mountain range north of Valencia that forms part of a National Park that runs from the hills right down to the coast, and within it's confines there are numerous trails for both walking and cycling. So that's us sorted for tomorrow - cycling it will be.

Peniscola Castle (We didn't visit - we were all castled out after yesterday!

Saturday 12th December 2015

Well, following a bit of a rough night - we had cats fighting and squealing under the van - we unloaded our bikes and set off for a trail that John had plotted in the Irta Park. Usually, with our hybrid Scott bikes, we stick mostly to tarmac or reasonably smooth surfaces because the tyres can't really cope with too much rough stuff, so really today was on the verge of our my capabilities! The trail followed the line of the rocky coast for quite a few miles and the views were stunning, but the ground under our tyres was rough, rocky, and did I mention the hills - two bloody great big ones! We very nearly made it up the first one, but because of the loose surface we lost traction (not to mention breath) and had to get off and push for a short distance. Then it was down the other side, and luckily this had been concreted, so although it was a bit bumpy it wasn't to bad as we nipped around the 4 hairpin bends back down to almost sea level.

But as usual, it was a there and back ride, so after being fortified by our lunch we had to go back up the hill and around the bends again which seemed a bit of a monumental task. However, I wasn't too worried because our bikes have got lots of gears, so I thought I would be ok if I used the granny one - and I was till I got nearly to the top, but then I had to resort to the great granny one to see me over the peak!

You can just about see the trail winding up to the tower in the middle of the picture

We got back to the T4rdis about 4ish having both thoroughly enjoyed our outing, but we'd already made plans to move on again tomorrow. However, in the end these were changed because the hills and cycling seem to be more our cup of tea than the deserted high rise seaside towns. Therefore, we're going to head back into the hills above Valencia and John has 'plotted' several more rides for us there - maybe my great granny gear will be doing overtime.