Spain & France Spring 2018

Start: Monday 5th March

Snow and forecast high winds delayed our departure by four days, but then the journey proved quite straightforward . With 1,500 miles to travel we drove for three consecutive days through France to reach northern Spain, and then took a few days breather at a Dutch-owned site where we’ve stayed before. Set in cork oak country, it offers pleasant walks with the backdrop of the Pyrenees foothills.

The cork oaks themselves are harvested about every seven years by stripping the cork bark. This tree shows the line of the last stripping about 2/3 of the way up the main trunk.

We gathered a few pieces of discarded bark to take back with us, remembering this time to first knock the bugs out. The last occasion we filled the car with cork pieces from whence armies of insects emerged and colonised the car.
So onwards towards our final destination, Camping Los Madriles, 10 miles from the city of Cartagena in Murcia. The campsite looked as good as ever, and we were fortunate enough to take over a prime pitch from our friends Stan and Ela who were leaving. This is the view from our caravan window.

A short walk takes us from the site to the sea and walks on good paths for several miles in either direction. This is the same scene as from the caravan window but from the coast track.

At the side of the site is a rambla, a dry river bed, that is used as a dirt road for access. The lush vegetation, supported by the occasional deluge that funnels through the rambla, contrasts with the stark hills behind. This is the driest part of Spain with about 8 inches (20 cms) of rain a year.

The rambla runs for around 5 miles and supports large numbers of birds that live in the improved habitat. It’s a really scenic walk, one of our favourites, where we can bird-watch as well as enjoy the surroundings.

In the few days since arriving we have met many campers we know from past visits. All things considered, we look forward to a pleasant couple of months here.