A Stiff Walk

We have just arrived and bump into Jan our walking group leader. He says his last organised walk of the season is in two days’ time, in the Espuna National Park. It’s the toughest walk we do, so we’re in at the deep end!

Espuna is a good hour away from the campsite, and the group arrives at the starting point around 11.30 am, having stopped for coffee on the way. We are at 2,650 feet and start the route,  heading ever upwards.

We are in the tail-end Charley group. Should have broken in my brand new boots with something less strenuous. The weather and scenery are delightful although the ascent is on narrow, steep and rough paths most of the time.

After two hours continuous climbing we are approaching the highest point, just over 4,000 feet.

The views now are far reaching with some distant, hazy, snowy peaks. The near rocks fall away quite steeply.

The trail down is longer but easier in both gradient and path surface. It’s also more forested so with less views.

After the walk we are booked in for a 3:00 pm lunch at a local restaurant. This is by no means late for Spain. The menu del dia, a set lunch menu @ 11 euros per head (£9.50), consists of these courses: salad, starter, main course, sweet, coffee, with beer, wine and water to drink with the meal. Baskets of fresh bread are provided. White table cloths. Generous portions. How can they possibly do it for that price?

An excellent walk notwithstanding the blister from my new boots. It was interesting to note a few days later the weather turned colder with some rain, which the weather forecast declared would fall as snow above 4,000 feet- the top elevation we reached on the walk.

France & Spain 2019: Start: Tuesday 5th March

We delayed our departure by one day due to forecast high winds. Caravans and gales don’t mix: Tuesday was breezy but towable.

Wrapped up in our concerns about the wind, we are oblivious to other road users’ problems. 8 miles of lorry queues leading to Calais ferry and tunnel terminals indicate that there were other issues around.

BBC news told us that French customs were working to rule. We wonder how long the queues will be after Brexit!

We left Calais and the waiting lorries, and drove on two hundred miles to our first stop, a municipal site at Chalons en Champagne. Our short stay here creates the “guess what this is” photo underneath.

Answer: it’s the caravan entrance door lock, and it’s been mangled. Evidently someone tried to force the lock during the night, but thankfully didn’t succeed. However, the front door is now unlockable from the outside so one of us needs to stay with the van at motorway services or on campsites.

We phoned Swift, the caravan manufacturer. Polite, but not really interested in providing a solution. Pioneer, on the other hand, where we bought the van, were much more proactive and are arranging for a new lock to be sent to our destination campsite in Spain. So it’s not really such a disaster.

Heading on down through France into northern Spain, we spend a few days near Barcelona. NIce site, near the beach, but you have to cross the railway line first, and then take the footpath that runs right alongside the tracks. Probably wise not to swing your arms as you walk!

Our last night halt is at Benidorm.  The approach to Benidorm runs through some stark but attractive scenery. Our campsite here was chosen for convenience rather than ambience: the abiding impression is one of tight pitches crammed with campers and equipment, all set in narrow access lanes. Something resembling a refugee camp.

On the road early next day and an easy two hours to our destination, Camping Los Madriles. No comparison with the previous site. We find a roomy pitch with a sea view.

It must be our tenth visit here, a home from home, and we’ll stay until the end of April. Now let’s relaaaaaaax.