Saturday, 16 March 2019

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.



































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