France & Spain Feb 2022

 

Start: Saturday 12^th March

This year we have full Brexit in operation, so new regulations: 90 days max stay in the EU, take in no dairy products, meat or fresh veg and fruit – apart from bananas! We follow the rules and arrive early at Eurotunnel with an empty fridge expecting to be scrutinised. Well, we weren’t. A dismissive wave through as on previous occasions, and we’re loaded on the train early. We can’t wait to get started on our banana sandwiches for lunch and banana fritters for tea  … only another 24 kilos to go.. 

We arrive at Abbeville, one hour south of Calais, and spend an extra day stocking up with all the food we could have brought with us but didn’t. Pleasant campsite, convenient for the autoroute, and a pretty sunset from our pitch.

We noted that the tent on the right in the photo seems to be on pillars. More investigation in the morning is needed.

So here we have it: a tent on stilts, about 2 metres above the ground. Ill advised to drink in case you need to negotiate the ladder in the dark. Notice too the canvas Nissen hut in the background. There are quite a few of both structures, set up like a themed area. It reminds me of photos of some WW2 prisoner of war camps. Maybe this is the new novelty: Camping Colditz, here we come!

Monday we press on to Tours, on the Loire, for an overnight stop.  It’s mainly a residential site with room for some tourers. One of the residents, a Dutch guy, told us we were lucky to arrive today because tomorrow the whole site is closed, having been requisitioned by the local authority to house Ukrainian refugees. Several Red Cross vans taking people to prepare  those park homes already empty. We thought this a splendid idea but couldn’t say that the Dutchman seemed over pleased.

Overnight a red dust rain descended on us and most of Europe. The car and caravan needed a quick wash before setting off. The dust was Saharan sand so was worse the further south and nearer the Sahara you were. Friends already arrived in Spain took the next photo showing the orange Armageddon sky from which the red raindust fell.

Now on from Tours, in our cleaned-up car and caravan, to a location just south of Bordeaux. A laid-back site where we’ve previously stayed, in the pinewoods, with friendly chickens for company.  

Thursday: into Spain and no Covid, Brexit or any other sort of border checks.  In fact, we weren’t too sure where the border was. We were soon climbing the foothills of the Pyrenees, crossing central Spain, heading for the Mediterranean at Valencia. The mountain weather was wet, cold and sometimes  we were driving through low cloud.

However, central Spain is all high plateau so no great improvement in temperature until we descend on approaching Valencia. One more stop and we are at our destination. Less campers this year, especially the Brits who can’t overwinter because of the Brexit 90 day maximum stay rule. But it does mean there are plenty of good pitches, and here we are all set up with the awning and the mountain behind.

The campsite laid out In terracing with two rows of pitches at each level. The photo below shows a typical terrace with the pitches on the right having the sea view and those on the left backing onto the next level up. The white car is our pitch.

Our view of the sea completes the site survey, but the sun didn’t oblige on this one and unfortunately hasn’t done so since! It seems we are locked into a depression with strong north easterly winds and heavy rain. Spaniards looking for a sunny holiday right now are advised to head for England.