Wet,Wet

 Until a week ago the weather was unsettled: the area received more than its annual rainfall in the preceding three weeks. One of our favourite walks is along a rambla that runs near the campsite. A rambla is a dry river bed, which this one always has been in the previous 15 years we’ve been coming here. This year is different.

There are at least 20 dwellings sparsely dotted along the 5 mile long rambla that use it as a road. The water in some places has eroded the surface to form small waterfalls. This waterfall covers the width of the rambla, about 7 or 8 metres across.

And a little further along, where our two friends are walking, it’s a full-blown river.

The residents generally drive 4X4s and we saw them tackling water depths and boulders that would strip the exhaust off most normal cars. But the scenery remains beautiful: the cliffs in the next photo reach nearly 2000 feet.

An info board tell us that the cave of the horseman, coming up next, contains evidence of human occupants 12.000 years ago, so we’re in Flintstone country. Fred’s cavemobile was hopefully a 4X4.

Towards the top of the rambla is a chapel, dated 1971, looking and feeling much older than it is. It is nicely maintained and, most times we see it, someone is cleaning or tidying in it.

The old farmhouse, or finca, below gets more dilapidated each time but was once a substantial prestigious dwelling set in lovely surroundings. Even now, it is possible to see the areas of cultivation running towards the cliffs. The Parks Department have recently installed some picnic tables so folks can enjoy the ambience – folks, that is, with 4X4 vehicles. 

Las Coleras Mines: 7th April

 On a hillside behind the campsite are some abandoned mines. We decided to take a look. A climb of about an hour to reach the first reminded us that the miners had this trek to make and then do a day’s work. We’re getting close to the first mine here:

There are several mines, some interconnected below ground, stretching right up the hillside:

These are iron ore mines, first started in 1884 by a French company, initially using mules to bring the ore out and cart it down to the coast. This archive photo gives an idea of the work:

There was a full complex of administrative buildings as well as the mines themselves, including essential water storage in this odd shaped structure:

In 1912 the owners suspended mining temporarily. They reopened in 1915  having  modernised operations with pneumatic machinery and an aerial cableway to move the ore to the coast. A few of the pylons are still standing indicating the route to the coast:

Having conveyed the ore to the coast, a new jetty was built allowing easier loading of the barges that ferried the ore to the ships waiting in the bay. Clearly they weren’t able to take the jetty into deep water for loading directly onto the ships. The archive photo next gives an idea of the system, with the jetty on the left and the barges stringing out from it. Nothing now remains of the jetty.

We didn’t venture into the mines themselves as we weren’t equipped but there are no barriers preventing access. They are a firm favourite venue for caving groups that do have the equipment - and the training.

The mines closed in 1931 when Franco came to power (I can’t see any connection ) and reopened in 1951, with final closure in 1961 due to cheaper competition. The ore was in fact high grade and had been exported to the UK and Switzerland.

A hard life for the locals, but who said dealing with us holidaymakers was easy!

Wednesday 5^th April

Considering that we have been here for over two weeks we don’t seem to have done much: it’s been forced relaxation caused by poor weather. Let’s be honest – very bad weather! This region is normally one of the driest and sunniest in Spain, with only 8 inches of rain per year. That amount has already been exceeded in the time we have been here. There are some compensations, but the pot of gold could not be traced:

Unsurprisingly, it’s greener than usual. The small reservoir outflow is much more vigorous this year. It’s about a 30 foot cascade.

Occasionally the hills at the back of the campsite display a strange phenomenon, captured by my phone camera so it’s not really clear:

Guesses? Dashing in to get the better camera, the result is now obvious:

It’s a huge flock of sheep, with the shepherd lower down just visible carrying a red backpack. Some years ago we encountered a similar shepherd while walking in the hills and he indicated that he and his dog were out with the sheep 24/7. He must have a very understanding wife (Barbara?)!

Next shot is us out in the hills, a dry day at last. This carpet of plastic is but a small proportion of the tomato greenhouses all along this coast. Perhaps this is what we will all be eating when meat is banned for eco reasons.

A short walk to the local village on another day -  a lovely little chapel by the sea. Looks like it’s been there for centuries but it was actually completed in the 1960’s.

 Finally, we put some excess couscous in the bird feeder. To our amazement, a minute late, there’s a feeding frenzy! The bird feeder is Jane’s own design using two 5 or 6 litre water bottles. Perch points are cut in the one bottle and gravel put in the bottom for stability. The base only of bottle two is cut off and wedged over the gravel in bottle one. That’s the feeding tray, which also keeps the gravel in place.

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.

Living with Lockdown: Friday 20th March

We arrived 11 days ago at our destination campsite when Spain was functioning normally in spite of the climbing number of Corona virus cases,. By Friday the 13^th that all changed: lockdown measures were announced covering the whole of Spain and starting the following day, to last for 15 Days.

We’re a week through the 15 days and this is how the measures are working in our locality:

Los Madriles Campsite

Campers due to leave within the next week or so have all checked out. Some who intended to stay have left or are in the process of packing up. All hotels and some campsites will close by 24^th March, but we have an assurance  by management that this site will remain open as long as they can. New arrivals are not being accepted. New restrictions today: all toilets and showers on the site will have to close as will the swimming pool.

At this point, to return to the UK means a drive through Spain and France to exit via Eurotunnel. Permits are required to undertake this journey starting with a form from the campsite to say you are repatriating and further forms down-loaded for travelling through France that need to be printed out. You must use only motorways but it is uncertain if motorway services, other than fuel pumps, are operating.  It is unlikely that any campsites will be available for bona fide home-goers so we would need to overnight at motorway services.

This morning we thought we would stay, along with 8 of our friends, on the basis that the journey back could be a nightmare, and we appear to be well and safely accommodated here. However with, for example, the closure of the facilities, the restrictions are getting ever tighter and are estimated to last into the summer. Our group is now thinking perhaps the sensible option is to return to the UK, maybe in convoy. We are allowed to travel for the purpose of returning home.

General Travel and Movement

Not allowed. Necessary journeys only. Beaches closed. No recreational walking, biking or car outings. You can walk your dog (our campsite bans dogs, so we can’t borrow a neighbour’s dog as an excuse for a walk!)

Essential Shopping

One shopper only is allowed out whether on foot, bike or car. Permitted shopping: food, medicines, car fuel, gas.

Enforcement

Police are very vigilant. Restrictions enforced by fines. For example, two of our friends cycled down to the local village shop and were stopped on the way back by the Guardia Civil. They were warned that only one of them was permitted to make the shopping trip and next time they would be fined. The police in Spain still have that edge of unquestionable authority, perhaps a legacy from Franco's time.

There is much common sense enforcement by the supermarkets. Mercadona only lets in a limited number at a time to maintain a minimum spacing of 1 metre between customers. Free hand gel and gloves are available. Lidl’s security man at the door insists customers entering use the gel provided and dons a pair of plastic gloves. Customers are reassured by these measures and readily comply.

The great news, certainly in this area, is that, apart from slight shortages in the first few days, the shelves are full in all departments. We have all the items reportedly stripped from UK shelves like fresh and packaged meat, fresh veg, pasta, rice and toilet rolls, as well as the rest of the supermarket range. This is remarkable considering Spain has about 8 times more Corona cases than the UK and we are in lockdown.

Summary

We still feel safe here. Despite Spain’s high Corona virus numbers, the incidence in Murcia Province is low compared to other regions. The food and essential supplies seem good and the climate is pleasant. We have a great pitch with a fine view and friend to socialise with by sitting outside on one or other of our pitches. Our European Health Cards are still valid until the end of this year.

Our two fears are firstly, the official closure of the campsite and secondly, even if the site remains open, the tight restrictions lasting for many more months. Sadly, it looks like we’ll be travelling home: details later.

The City of Almeria: March 9th

Almeria city is the capital of the province of Almeria. It is less well known than other regional capitals like Seville as it has less ‘A’ list attractions. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant city and an important port with ferry links to North Africa. We parked by the port and strolled up the attractive main boulevard that used to be a dried-up river bed.

Trees feature plentifully, most with this bottle stopper clipping treatment that would do credit to any barber.

There were a few individual typical Spanish buildings that stood out.

And even in the backstreet quarters, some inhabitants made an effort to brighten things up. This flowery balcony is an example.

Approaching the cathedral we noticed a large sun symbol on the wall. It’s not certain who authorised the carving during the building of the cathedral in the 16^th century as it is represents Sol the Roman sun god and nothing to do with Christianity. However, because Almeria is the sunniest province in Spain, it has been adopted by the Almeria Tourist Board as their logo.

 Moving to the front of the cathedral, it looks more like a castle. This was the intention as the city was plagued by pirates and the upper parts of the church were designed for, and actually held, cannon.

That’s the trouble with having visited the stunning Seville cathedral, others look like a poor relation. However, the photo of this fine chapel shows a silhouette on the right exclusive to Almeria cathedral. By his horns, it has to be the Devil himself!

To be fair, the altarpiece is magnificent, and compares favourably with the best.

Going through the cloisters on the way out, it’s charming but functional. You can imagine the scurry of men passing powder up to the cannon when the city was under threat.

In the old quarter we walked through pleasant squares and elegant buildings like the town hall.

And this courtyard, beautifully proportioned, was a location for the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Probably the best monument in Almeria is the Alcazar, the fortress on the hill overlooking Almeria. It was started by the Moors in 955 and extended in the 11^th century. There are  at 3 rings of walls and at one time contained a population of 20,000. We did not visit due to shortage of time. The photo is from the car park just before leaving the city.

Almeria, although not spectacular, had a really nice feel and merited more time than we gave it.

The blog is usually written about a week after the event. After visiting Almeria we travelled the next day, March 10^th, to our destination campsite near Mazarron. A week on, at the time of writing, we are in lockdown at that site. Spain is now just behind Italy in the surge in Corona virus cases. In the next blog I’ll attempt to describe how we are coping locally and at our campsite.

Cabo de Gata Natural Park

We travelled the 270 miles from Seville to Cabo de Gata on March 1^st. The park was created in 1987 and covers 71,000 acres of coastline and adjacent countryside. This is part of the unspoiled coastal area.

There are a few simple resorts on the coast like this one at Las Negras, but basically the whole park is totally uncommercialised. Las Negras looks almost abandoned, but then it’s out of season.

We decided to spend a day in the more remote parts of the park, and headed off along the coast until the tarmac gave way to a rough dirt road. We continued on the dirt road through small green hills, as in the photo. The small tower on the right on the horizon is a traditional windmill.

Looking inland, the green growth is exceptionally bright, with purple flowers in the foreground. This lushness strikes us as unusual because this is the driest part of Spain with around 4 inches of rain a year (10 cms): thirty miles inland is Europe’s only true desert, where the Clint Eastwood Dollar films were shot. 

On the seaward side are splendid empty beaches. Some other cars and cyclists were also using the dirt road so we had some company. No doubt at weekends anytime after Easter it could get quite busy with visitors from the city of Almeria only half an hour’s drive away.

 Miles from nowhere we noticed an odd structure- a bus stop, with bus stop sign. By the condition of the shelter, we imagine the last bus was at least 10 years ago.

The track now got smaller and rougher, and as it started to climb the mountains in the photo below, our progress was stopped by a barrier: only walkers and cyclists can continue beyond (and perhaps the bus!)

We were hoping to reach the salt flats with flamingos on the other side of the mountains by following the dirt road, but we could backtrack and go another way. Didn’t bring the zoom lens so the 50 or so flamingos in the photo are barely visible.

We were hoping to reach the salt flats with flamingos on the other side of the mountains by following the dirt road, but we could backtrack and go another way. Didn’t bring the zoom lens so the 50 or so flamingos in the photo are barely visible.

The vegetable greenhouses surrounding the park are on a larger scale than anything we’ve seen anywhere and we estimated the total area, of which the next photo shows just a part, to be at least 10 square miles of solid plastic.

 A large workforce is needed to service the crops, paid at the bottom end of the wage scale. We noticed many very dark Africans in the vicinity and then alongside the road was a shanty town which housed them. There are doubtless more that we didn’t spot. You just hope it’s a better life for them than the one they left.

One evening at the campsite there was a most beautiful sunset. The only problem from a photography point of view was to avoid the flapping giant Red Dragon Welsh flag hoisted by a neighbouring camper in honour of St. David’s day. 

This was our chill-out stop, and with the well-run modern campsite we are staying at, we have soon achieved a quick recovery from the long journey down. But the unknown issues of Corona virus are now on the horizon.