It’s packed, it’s ready... and so are we. Trip 2018/19

Been a hectic old year, ups and downs and one thing and another and only recently knew if our winter trip would happen although we had the ferry booked last February !

Well, all is well, van packed up and ready to go..... we leave Donegal tomorrow with 2 Jack Russells in tow and take our time en-route to Cork for an overnight for the 11am sailing on Wednesday.

Wish us luck.

Not off to a great start.
No problems yesterday, left Donegal about 11am and took our time on route down via the west coast stopping every couple of hours for a break and arrived Crosshaven around 7pm and parked up and had a quiet night.



Good run down except it lashed down rain from Limerick southwards which made driving a bit of an effort.
This morning we Arrived bright eyed and bushy tailed about 8:45am at ferry port and checked in and got in queue. Met Jamie & Amanda (StrandCamping) and had a good old natter.
11am was the scheduled time to sail but that time came and gone and still not boarded.
Text from Brittany ferries stating a delay because of technical issues and at about 2:15pm we finally boarded only to be told that the technical issue remains unsolved and they will update us as they have news.
So, we’re on board, in cabins and all is fine ..... except we’re still firmly attached to Co.Cork !!
A well, feet up and relax, dogs walked and it may be time to sample a beer or 3..

**Update**
We broke free from Cork around 4pm.... Next stop Spain.

Well, after our delayed start we got underway at 4pm yesterday and a smooth crossing ensued.
Ferry is good, not as good or with the choice of on-board facilities like the Óscar Wilde but on a par with the Stena Horizon and the Epsilon and possibly a little better..... it’s absolutely fine, pet cabins are a real bonus although the walking/exercise area is small.
Restaurant is fine, usual ferry fare and the only complaint we have is that the food was at best ‘Luke warm’ which we didn’t particularly like.... fair play to Brittany ferries as they give us a free meal on account of the delayed start.
Had a chat with other motorhomers on board and because of our late arrival in Santander we decided to stop off at the aire up by the football stadium......




OK decision except that there is a football match tonight and the place is jammed, but quite a few of us got in but others had to drive on to the other aire to the south of Santander.....
So, parked up, food on and beer in hand.... all is well.

No, not many.
I said the same to Jackie.
It will take time for the freight lads to change their established routes via France and when they see a commitment from BF to keep it going over the winter they’ll hopefully switch.

We’re north of Madrid today with only an easy drive .... this crossing service is great for speed and easy access to Portugal and the costas. Really hope they can make it work long term.

Hi Paddy, unfortunately the Spanish Land Rover is no more... Santana motor company folded about 5 years ago and you’re right, they were based in Linares.

Good trip down yesterday to Camping El-Astral in Tordesallis and had a quiet night with a meal in the on-site restaurant. Nice park but a bit ‘dusty’ but that is to be expected with the dry area it’s situated in.
Cold night, probably down to just above freezing point but a glorious early morning and we set sail early(ish), suppose about 10am and took our time going south and arrived in the town of Càceres and did a shop in the Lidl there, looked at Campercontact app and there was an Aire and a campsite, decided on the campsite and was a good call. Full ACSI site with each pitch having its own private bathroom ! water on each pitch, 16a EHU and an on-site Spa and pool and a nice restaurant and bar.,.... €17 per night, see Camping Caraces for more info. We may have another night here and spend the weekend soaking up a bit of sun.

It’s virtually all dual carriageway from Santander to the southern coast, the E80 and the E803 is quiet with little traffic but the r/h lane can be diabolical with ruts and we used the l/h lane a lot and moved over to let faster traffic past... the surface is being replaced but the existing surface is not good.

Still haven’t decided on route yet, just more south and possibly a fill up of diesel before the Portuguese border and a trip along the Algarve for 10 days or so...... all very weather dependent at this stage.... we shall see.

EDITED
Will move this to ‘Blogs’ and add an odd post from time to time..
I was going to tell the story of the “exploding cassette” but though better of it !

Read the reviews of the Aire on Campercontact Jamie, it seems it is always busy and getting a place can be an issue.... and to boot, the campsite is literally 3 minutes from the Lidl it made sense for us to check it out.
Glad we did, it’s a lovely site.

Good site at Caceres, alas time to chase the sun. Monday morning we set sail with a decision to head for the Algarve, so south on the e-803 to Mérida and then west on the A5 to town of Badajozon on the Spanish side of the border and filled up with diesel and into Portugal. Still early so a call made to keep going on down to the Algarve coast via the toll roads to an Aire near Albuferia called Parque de Palmeirabut it was full and we decided to go to Camping Albuferia. Massive site, lots of pools and restaurants but we only wanted a pitch and at €13.00 inc EHU it was OK. Tolls totaled €18.60 so not too bad and the roads are fantastic. Stayed Mon/Tues and visited the town and it’s changed quite a bit since we had a package holiday there 20 years ago.... but a nice town nonetheless.
Wednesday we travelled eastwards to an Aire close to Vilamoura called Quarteira, it’s on Campercontact #15784 for €3 inc everything. It’s OK but a bit like a yard.... weather changeable here so maybe a dash for the sun on the costas is in order !
Visited the marina area and it’s a lovely area but would be so much better with some sun. Our scooter is invaluable for getting around.
Tomorrow we go more east, possibly east of Saville and make a call then....
Enjoying it all, great to experience the new areas.

Weather wasn’t playing ball, so grab it by the scruff of the neck and make it comply !
Friday, and east we went, across the A22 to the A49 on the Spanish side on to Seville and hit the ring road and around it anti clockwise and off on the eastern side staying on the dual carriageway to the town of Osuna and the aire there for the night. It’s on Campercontact, #54849... a good enough overnight spot on a large supermarket forecourt that has spaces for 10 motorhomes with full services and is free. Good supermarket too for a stock up.
Nice non touristy town for a walk around and we had a coffee in one of the Spanish bars. Weather cool and rain overnight, we had a peaceful night rest and the morning dawned overcast but a hint of sun on the horizon.
Plan was to come more east until we hit the Mediterranean coast somewhere near Malaga and within half an hour of being on the road the sun made an appearance and has been here since. We’re on a lovely little private aire, 400m from the sea, places for 30 vans and is a really nice stop..... one of the best we’ve been on, it’s on Campercontact #40027 and the website is Camping Area MH el-Rincon, €10 per night with full services and a really nice couple running it. It’s about 15 minutes east of Malaga on the coast.
Weather has been beautiful since we arrived, it’s been 20+ and today is particularly nice and we’ve just been for a nice long walk with the dogs along the playa and back..... and SWMBO is enjoying lounging out in the sun.
I think beer o’clock may have come a bit early, so I’ll slap on a bit of factor and go toast for a few hours and keep beer to hand in case I overheat !
No plans from here, I could get used to this place for a few days.

An update on the Portugal toll system, I know we’ve a thread running on this issue but I’ll add here how we managed it. We used the website www.tollcard.pt and found it very simple to use. Just buy the card online and associate your licence plate to it.... simple as that. The toll is debited the next morning. Very simple system that works well.

Well, time for a bit of an update..... sort of loosing track of time ... it takes me a week or two to really unwind and settle in and relax.
We really settled in to a few days that stretched into a week at the small site at Rincon near Malaga and the weather was pretty good for the duration, 6 nights cost us €60 with full services and we didn’t need EHU at all as our batteries are full by midday with the solar panels, even with the Telly running at night. Met a lovely Swedish couple who fulltime and work from their van, they’re staying put here in Malaga until January 2019 and they are bloggers who write an interesting blog at https://boihusbil.se ... worth a read.
Our goal is to make our way slowly up the coast to the costa Blanca and with that goal in mind we set off in that general direction.
The A7 Mediterranean route northwards is really a smashing drive, the scenery all up that coast is breathtaking and we stopped off at Camper Park Olivares which is east of Almeria, Campercontact #63927..... sort of a western themed aire with all services at €10 per night, we arrived about 5pm and made a meal and settled in for an early night.



Weather has turned a bit cooler with sunny spells mixed with showers and cloud, we had already decided we’re going up to a friends place just outside Murcia for a few days and made a start just after 10am the next morning and arrived just outside Sucina around 3pm.
We parked up for the next couple of days at our mates place and settled in.
Weather remaining unsettled and looking at maps/apps etc we saw an Aire just at the big shopping complex at IKEA in Murcia and decided we would spend a day and overnight there as we progress up the coast and take in a bit of retail therapy!
Not a bad stop at all, parking for 50 vans with 2 service bays and all services laid on for free although it is near the A7 and therefore quite noisy. Big shopping complex with multiple retail outlets, restaurants and leisure complex... but a day is enough !



So, next morning and less than an hour sees us out on the coast once again at a free aire south of Alicante , Campercontact #63462 called Parking Carabassí, no services at all, but boy what a view.



Weather still very changeable but better yesterday/today....... so we will take the weekend here and make the call where we go from here on, we really need to get in somewhere before Christmas for visiting family and that will make our decision somewhat easier.