We arrived in Spain to stay full time in November 2012 and promised ourselves to have Christmas dinner on the beach on our first year here.
So it was that our bikes and trailer were duly loaded up with table and chairs, candles, cava, wine and the usual Christmas food and goodies, and we spent a fantastic 2 hours sat on the beach in glorious sunshine.
For the next 4 years we have gone away in Cervantes, our motorhome, for Christmas, sometimes North towards Valencia, sometimes South towards Malaga.
This year we thought we would have a change and head inland to a place we have already been to, but promised ourselves that we would return to for further exploration - Seville.
When we came before it was only for one day, so had only seen the cathedral and had a river cruise, so we knew we had much more to see.
We can take our time getting there and visit a few old favourites along the way, and the same on the way back.
The weather looks as if it will be kind to us in terms of sunshine, although we know the temperatures will be very low at night - time to try out the heating!!
TOTAL TOUR STATISTICS
- Distance travelled 1,359km
- Travelling time 16hr 13min
- Amount of fuel used 127.43 litres
- Cost of fuel used €143.95
- Average fuel consumption 8.92 litres/100km (31.66mpg)
- Nights away 11
- Nights in free aires 4
- Nights in paid aires 7 at a cost of €95.95
- Nights with no heating on 0
- Cost per day for heating, hot water and cooking €1.40
Sunday 17/12/2017 Home to Chinchilla de Monte Aragón
N38°55'15.4'' W001°43'19.8'' Free aire on fine gravel for 60+ vans, service point, no electric.
192km in 2hr 29min
192km in 2hr 29min
Cervantes had not moved a wheel for a while. But after an oil check, a full tank of diesel (€1.05 per litre at E. LeClerc) and a tyre pressure check we were off and running with Cervantes running like a dream.
It was an early start this morning (11am!) which soon had us on the excellent A30 Autovia all the way around Murcia city, then up through the Cieza valley, famous for its fruit tree blossom display in spring, past Hellin to junction 12 where we turned off for today's destination - the hilltop town of Chinchilla de Monte Aragón.
The sat-nav was playing silly games as we got nearer, but luckily Glynis, the ace navigator, came to the rescue and sent us down some decent width roads.
The aire here is huge - a massive car park with spaces for 100+ vehicles.
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| The surface of the aire is good - compressed crushed stone |
There are no designated spaces for motorhomes - you can just park where you want.
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| All alone on this massive aire |
There is a service point for grey and black water, and what looks like a locked electric box.
We arrived here at 2pm, so our first job was to get into the town for a good look round. It was 6° when we got here. A look at the elevation map showed we had climbed to 900 metres, hence the low temperature.
The town of Chinchilla de Monte Aragón was very quiet - we only saw a couple of people (one of whom was a 90 year old man out for a walk) due to it being Sunday afternoon, and most people were having a siesta after a large lunch.
We walked past some superb buildings including the town hall, churches, ermitas and convents illustrating the age and history of Chinchilla, eventually ending up at the castle.
All the way up the hill we passed numerous cave houses, only identified by their chimneys sticking out of the ground.
The view from the top was outstanding . Albacete was clearly visible, and beyond to the horizon must have been 80km at least.
Back at Cervantes it was time for some heating. We now run everything on propane, so are safe down to minus temperatures, as I think tonight will bring.
As I write this at 7:30pm the outside temperature is 2·8°, whereas we are toasty in the van at 22° - thank goodness for propane!
See today's full photo gallery here
We walked past some superb buildings including the town hall, churches, ermitas and convents illustrating the age and history of Chinchilla, eventually ending up at the castle.
All the way up the hill we passed numerous cave houses, only identified by their chimneys sticking out of the ground.
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| Cave house chimneys |
The view from the top was outstanding . Albacete was clearly visible, and beyond to the horizon must have been 80km at least.
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| In the words of The Who "I can see for miles and miles and miles and miles..." |
Back at Cervantes it was time for some heating. We now run everything on propane, so are safe down to minus temperatures, as I think tonight will bring.
As I write this at 7:30pm the outside temperature is 2·8°, whereas we are toasty in the van at 22° - thank goodness for propane!
See today's full photo gallery here
Monday 18/12/2017 Chinchilla de Monte Aragón to Úbeda
N38°00'24.0'' W003°22'45.8'' Free aire on block paving for 10 vans, service point, no electric.
223km in 3hr 32min
So....... we go to bed on this very cold night, only to discover - we've forgotten the pillows !!!
We cobbled together some small cushions we had on the seats, a throw we used as a cab blanket divider, and some throws we used on the seats. It was an emergency measure that worked quite well, but was not for the long term.
We are at 900 metres altitude here in inland Spain, after we had climbed steadily for 140km (see the altitude map for yesterday), so the night was due to be a cold one. As predicted the temperature dipped to minus 2·5°, so it was heating on all night on No 2 to keep us warm.
It was a very quiet night in Chinchilla de Monte Aragón, and the plan this morning was a fill up with water and an early start.
If I'd thought it through I would have realised that the water tap would be frozen this morning, so no fill-up available - we should have filled yesterday!
A quick search of the sat-nav showed a Carrefour hypermarket in Albacete (which was on our way), so that was our first stop to buy some pillows and covers.
3 pillows and much shopping later we were on the fabulous N322 heading south for today's destination in Úbeda.
The road was one of the best we have been on - great scenery, fast and with minimal traffic - ideal!
The aire in Úbeda was right next to the Guardia Civil training school, housed in an old stone-built monolith. We are as safe tonight as we ever could be!
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| The very well-built Guardia Civil training school |
We are also next to an olive processing plant which is quite noisy, but this would only be relevant at this time of year in the olive harvesting period.
Úbeda is a really nice, old, historic town with more churches than you could shake a stick at. All of them had hugely impressive facades and were steeped in history.
There were also fantastic views over the thousands of olive trees and the distant mountains - very impressive!
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| The olive centre of Spain |
The old town was full of narrow cobbled streets with many excellent house exteriors on nearly every one of them. This place really has everything - it is truly a very nice place to visit - plenty to see and do with history, architecture and culture aplenty.
The parador in Úbeda is the old town hall - a fantastic facade on a very impressive building.
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| The imposing facade of the old Town Hall - now a Parador |
We were so impressed we returned in the evening to see the street lights and the Christmas centre piece - a cone of lights, popular in Spain instead of a Christmas tree.
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| Spain's answer to the Christmas tree |
We discovered a central pedestrianised street full of shops that would rival Oxford Street in London!
This was not what we were expecting and I am so glad we came here - it has been a pleasure to be here - visit if you can.
See today's full photo gallery here
Tuesday 19/12/2017 Úbeda to Cordoba
N37°52'27.8'' W004°47'13.7'' Paid aire €11.95 on crushed stone for 20+ vans, service point, €2 for 100 litres of water, €2 for 1 hour of electric (one socket on bourne)
150km in 1hr 53min
A peaceful night at a balmy outside temperature of 4°, safe in the knowledge of being watched over by the adjacent Guardia Civil, we decided not to have the heating on all night as we did last night, instead relying on covers, duvets and blankets.
Just us here with another Spanish registered van meant there was no queuing for the service point this morning, so an early start was guaranteed.
We were soon on the A4 Autopista and had an uneventful run into the outskirts of Cordoba.
We had checked the route the sat-nav had planned, and for once we agreed that it was the best route in.
The aire in Cordoba is relatively new, next door to a public car park where we had stayed 3 years earlier, (see Monday 21/10/2013 on this blog) so we knew the location.
All went to plan and we were on the aire at 1pm. The cost is €11.95 per night. There is a service point, but water is charged at €2 for 100 litres, and electric is €2 for 1 hour, although there is only one socket on the service point.
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| Only one electric socket here |
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| An easily accessible service point |
The pitches on this aire are on a slope, and a sign says you are not allowed to park across 2 pitches (where you would need ramps 2 at the front or 2 at the back). Thus one side of the van was leaning considerably, almost too much for the fridge to work. A couple of ramps on the front and rear wheels gave us a semblance of normality.
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| Ramps definitely required here |
Take a ticket on your way in which opens the barrier for you. Before you leave, validate your ticket by paying at the automatic pay machine, then leave within 10 minutes. The machine takes notes and coins, so there is no need to use your credit card.
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| The pay machine takes notes and coins - leave within 10 minutes |
We had explored Cordoba on our last trip (we'll never forget the first time we were broken into) so had seen all the major tourist attractions. We were in the centre by 1:30pm and were on the hunt for a suitable restaurant serving Menu del Dia. We found a superb place (La Malagueña) with the friendliest of hosts who guided us through every option available. Fantastic value at €11.95 for a 3 course meal with 2 glasses of wine each and service second to none.
Cordoba was buzzing with everyone anticipating Christmas making it a great atmosphere everywhere. There are so many superb buildings to see, it's difficult to take it all in.
Back at Cervantes (intact this time) we had a chat to Jacky and Donal (and Xena the dog), our next door neighbours on the aire from Yorkshire. They had lived in their Chausson van full-time for 2 years in the UK before venturing onto the continent. They too loved Cordoba - if you haven't been - GO!
See today's full photo gallery here
Wednesday 20/12/2017 Cordoba to Seville
N37°21'40.1'' W005°59'40.4'' Paid aire, €12 on tarmac for 30+ vans. Service point, showers, toilets and washing machines and dryers. Electric €3 per day. Very secure.
155km in 2hr 6min
4° overnight, but lovely and warm inside the van.
The E5 motorway from Cordoba to Seville was in good condition so we made good progress.
Fuel was getting low, so Glyn found a Carrefour hypermarket in Écija, only 100m off the motorway at junction 455. We turned off the motorway and pulled in to find the price was €1.19 per litre, which was not cheap compared to some we had already passed. We had a drive along the main street and saw another garage with the same price - €1.19. They must have a cartel operating in Écija.
Back on the motorway, and just 500m up the road was the same garage chain selling diesel for €1.11 per litre! I thought fuel was more expensive on the motorway, but obviously I was wrong!
Just past junction 463 we spotted a tower on our right which looked to have a super-bright light on the top - a bit like a lighthouse. We realised it was a solar heating operation. The tower is surrounded by mirrors that focus the sun on the top of the tower and heat a super-saturated salt solution inside the tower. This is then used to produce steam which drive turbines which produce electricity. To say it is impressive would be an understatement.
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| Burning bright in the sky, the solar tower |
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| The solar tower surrounded by mirrors, as seen from google earth |
After a slightly manic drive through the outskirts of Seville, we crossed the River Guadalquivir, from which we could see the aire by the river.
We had pre-booked the aire for 7 days at a cost of €84. There is a full service point with use of showers and toilets (attached to the garage workshop here). Electric is €3 extra per day, which we didn't need.
The aire is on tarmac, by the river, in the same compound as a new/used car storage and dispatch business, but is properly fenced off to be separate. New and used cars are arriving and departing daily on car transporters, but they are at the far end so are not too intrusive.
As you can imagine with hundreds of new, unregistered vehicles here, security is very high, so we're as safe as we ever could be.
As we were here for 2pm we walked out to the Plaza España, over the River Guadalquivir on the Puente de las Delicias and were there in 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how fast you walk.
We had been to Seville 3 years ago but had only seen the cathedral and been on a river trip so the Plaza España was new to us. Those of you who have been will understand when I say I'm afraid words can't describe how stunning it was, especially in the late afternoon sunshine - speechless!
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| The stunning Plaza España in Seville |
The garden joined to it also contained some superb buildings, and every path through the huge park was cycle friendly (as were the surrounding streets and the bridge) - so much more to explore tomorrow.
See today's full photo gallery here
Thursday 21/12/2017 Seville
We thought we were parked in an OK spot here in Seville, but when the German van behind us left this morning we jumped at the spot - a much better view of the river.
Whilst we were putting everything flat so they didn't fall over when we moved, a Laika A class on GB plates made a move towards it. The guy could see that we had already been over and discussed which way to put our van, and was generous enough to let us have it. It turned out he was leaving the van here and staying in an airbnb in Seville for Christmas, so did not really want a view as such.
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| Car transporters arriving and departing daily at this aire |
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| New cars being delivered, stored and collected all the time |
We unloaded the bikes today and set off for the centre of Seville. The cycle paths were plentiful and well-used and respected. They were not a metre-wide strip at the side of the road open to abuse and angry traffic, but took up half of the pavement, leaving the other half for pedestrians - what a civilised way to do things.
We did a total of 10km today and never touched any car traffic at all - even the bridges across the river had cycle paths - very forward-thinking by Seville.
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| You can find a stunning building around every corner in Seville |
We had an excellent Menu del Dia in the Triana district, renowned for it's bohemian atmosphere, before cycling back to our new view and some glorious sunshine by the van.
Prior to leaving for this trip I installed a double fan in the upper fridge vent to pull out some of the hot air produced by the fridge heat exchanger, and thus make the fridge more efficient. It's early days yet, and not hot enough to measure, but I think it's made a difference so far.
See today's full photo gallery here
Friday 22/12/2017 Seville
This morning was housekeeping morning. Glyn gave the van a thorough top to bottom clean, and I filled the fresh water (10 trips) and emptied the cassette and the grey water (5 trips)
By the time all this was finished it was 12 noon and the El Gordo Christmas lottery/raffle was nearly finished - it is shown live on TV for 4 hours. We saw the €4,000,000 prize number drawn, but unfortunately it was not one of ours, so we're stuck with Cervantes for another year (only joking!)
After toast and coffee we headed into Seville for some sightseeing. First stop was the archaeological museum in the Park Maria Luisa next to the Plaza España. It was a fantastic building (aren't they all?) and had some stunning exhibits of Seville's past.
Most notable was a find in 1959 by someone digging footings for a new house in Seville who unearthed a treasure trove of Roman gold jewellery, unrivalled until then - what an unexpected find, and a testament to the diverse history of Seville.
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| The accidental find of gold on display today |
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| A report in The Illustrated London News at the time |
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| In more detail |
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| What a find! |
The exhibits in the museum reinforced this find with room after room of Stone age, Bronze age, Roman, Visigoth and any other era you can think of, which showcased the history and provenance of Seville.
Next was the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions housed in a fantastic Moorish monolith.
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| The brilliant Moorish building housing the Museum of Popular Arts and Traditions |
There was some building work taking place so unfortunately we could only access one of the four floors. Even so it was quite an impressive display of how business, arts and crafts have developed through the ages - some great exhibits.
We had never visited the Royal Alcázar (Royal Palace) opposite the magnificent cathedral, so headed that way to join the queue. It was 3:30pm and the Royal Palace closed at 5pm, so we thought it would not be enough time to see the Palace and extensive gardens, so a day soon is earmarked for this visit.
After a much needed drink at a riverside cafe we were back at Cervantes for the last hour of the sun. We spotted Jacky and Donal coming back from Seville (the couple we had met in Cordoba) so invited them (and Xena the dog) inside Cervantes for a drink and a chat.
What a nice couple who are also "living the dream", although Donal is working every day in IT support to supplement the lifestyle. Jacky does all the driving (so Donal can work) and had some great stories to tell about driving through France and Spain - it's great to get someone elses take on how it feels.
The docks on the opposite bank of the river are quiet tonight (although the 30 container long freight train that frightened the life out of us walking home last night was still running), so I guess they have finished for Christmas.
See today's full photo gallery here
Saturday 23/12/2017 Seville
The docks on the other side of the river were silent last night - no more engines and generators humming and buzzing, no more articulated trucks bringing in 30 tons of sand, no more grinding and scraping (goodness knows what that was)
All we can hear now is birdsong - we could be in the middle of a wildlife and wetlands centre.
Today dawned cold and sunny so we decided to take advantage of the sun and go cycling.
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| Our trusty bikes have carried us many miles (although Glyn is due a new one) |
We first explored the Parque Maria Luisa and saw that the Plaza España was crowded with tourists, so it proved to be a good move to go there on Wednesday. The park was busy with joggers and families, all taking advantage of the sun and the traffic-free roads and paths.
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| The excellent Parque Maria Luisa |
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| There is water everywhere - it must be so cool in summer |
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| It's also full of excellent sculptures |
Next we headed for a park area south of us - all on cycle paths shared with the pavement.
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| This is how cycle paths should be |
When we got there it was a bit more industrial and scruffy than we anticipated, so we promptly turned round and came back.
The bar we called in at on the way was heaving, mainly due to the many TVs showing the Real Madrid versus Barcelona football match.
Unfortunately Glyn got a rear puncture on her bike and had to ride it home flat - she's a game girl and managed it no problem.
On our return we found a note under our windscreen wiper from Jacky and Donal with their contact number to keep in touch - they've gone to find some sea. It's always nice to chat to such lovely people and we will certainly be in touch. If you're reading this - HELLO!
A late afternoon sit in the sun was very welcome with a great view of the river and some peace and quiet.
It struck me last night as we finally turned out all the lights after going to bed, just how many lights were still on. There's an orange light on the control panel to show the 12v electric is turned on, there's a red standby light on the TV, there's a green light on the Truma heating if the thermostat is set, there's the carbon monoxide monitor flashing a blue light every 30 seconds, and finally there's a very bright blue light to show the fridge is on and working - added together they're almost bright enough to read by!
I don't know what the answer is - wear a blindfold to bed? To be honest we're used to it, but I imagine it must drive some people to despair.
Sunday 24/12/2017 Seville
Today we were headed for the Royal Palace (the Moorish name is Royal Alcázar), just opposite the cathedral.
The queues were quite long at 11:30am, but we were at the front in 15mins and into the central courtyard. Entrance was €9.50 each to the rooms, which were grouped around the courtyard.
There were many exhibits of tiles and tapestries - very interesting, but nothing compared to what we saw when we entered the Moorish section.
We have been to Granada and seen the Alhambra, and to Cordoba and seen the Mezquita, and I can honestly say that this equalled, if not beat them for detail and impact.
Room after room of stunning colour, design and shape - it was breathtaking.
Then to the outside gardens which were equally impressive, taking up a couple of acres with a maze in the middle.
The gardeners had done a sterling job of hedge-cutting to make some fascinating shapes, and everywhere there seemed to be running water in one form or another.
We left the Alacazar to go to a rooftop bar in a hotel opposite the cathedral. The prices were high (€7 for glass of wine, €15 for a gin and tonic) but the views were excellent - well worth the money.
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| A fantastic view from the rooftop bar in Eme Catedral Hotel |
On the way back we found an excellent local cafe bar to have tapas and wine surrounded by local Sevillanos enjoying their Christmas.
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| There's always lots of life in a genuine Spanish bar |
All in all a lovely day and a great way to spend Christmas Eve.
See today's full photo gallery here
Monday 25/12/2017 Seville
As predicted, it rained for most of last night, but it didn't seem to deter the music and celebrations from over the river - it was almost 5am before the music and drumming stopped.
I managed to sleep through most of it, but poor Glyn was awake for most of the night.
Today was a day of doing nothing for us, just some van chores, then we found some vintage Downton Abbey on Spanish TV - very entertaining.
We had a short walk before cooking our Christmas dinner - pan-fried salmon, garlic mash, pureed butternut squash and buffalo mozzarella wrapped in smoked salmon. Some excellent cava given to us by our good friends John and Eileen was the perfect accompaniment and didn't last long!
The sun eventually came out later on until 5pm when the heavens really opened with torrential rain - it's a good job we were back from our post Christmas dinner walk in time to miss it. Cocooned in our Cervantes in the warm and dry, we were glad we had got back in time.
We are 2/3 of the way through the Millennium trilogy of Stieg Larsson and are looking forward to The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. We have read the books (unputdownable) and the films certainly do them justice, especially the original Swedish films dubbed into English, which we have.
Tuesday 26/12/2017 Seville to Alcaudete
N37°35'22.8'' W004°05'20.4'' Free aire on tarmac for 2 vans, service point, fresh water key available from the police station, no electric.
236km in 3hr 13min
A boat moored up opposite us last night with an auxiliary engine running all night - it was very loud, even with earplugs in.
On the plus side, we watched them attempt to unload its cargo of sand this morning. 2 hours later they had removed the hatch covers, 3 men from quality control had examined the sand, and a digger had moved a hopper to feed the 10+ waiting articulated lorries - what a performance.
They were no further on when we left - I bet they're still there now discussing the finer points of how to get sand out of a ship.
We left Seville docks a day early, one, to avoid rushing back and, two, because this aire, handy as it is for the centre of Seville (20 minutes walk) is in quite a scruffy, run-down area, is busy and noisy, and not exactly as described. That said it is quite cheap and serves a useful purpose, just don't expect too much.
We headed for Alcaudete which looked to be in a terrific position, just below the hilltop church and castle.
The situation was excellent, although the approach was a bit of an adventure up a 25% incline, and the signage could have been better. There are some extremely narrow streets in Alcaudete that you don't want to go down in a motorhome.
We eventually found the aire, just enough room for 2 vans with a grey water drain, and a key for fresh water available from the local police station. There is no electric available here.
However, we had the most fabulous view from both our side windows - one side of the church and castle, the other side of the town and distant countryside.
We walked up to the castle and discovered (at 3:50pm) that it opened at 4pm! Tickets were from the information centre, so we walked back down to it to find it closed, but a note on the door said we would find the castle open.
We walked back up again and found the tourist information girl giving a tour to a couple from Cartagena (near us at home). The girl disappeared and came back with 2 handsets with commentary in English for us and sent us off to explore.
Unfortunately all the doors to the exhibit rooms were locked, so we had to join the girl and the couple to get into the rooms as she unlocked them.
It was 2 hours later and nearly dark when we left and we were on the verge of hypothermia, but it was worth it to see the excellent rooms, exhibits and views from the battlements and the terrace on top of the tower.
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| The very solid battlements |
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| The church looking down from the battlements |
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| A bedroom in the tower |
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| The very high tower terrace with a great view |
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| What a great spot for an aire |
Our gas finally ran out tonight after 10 days of solid use - on some days we had the heating on for 12 hours. We're now on LPG until tomorrow when we can get another bottle of propane. It's not bad going for €1.40 per day for cooking, heating and hot water - oh we do love this motorhome life!
See today's full photo gallery here
Wednesday 27/12/2017 Alcaudete to Puebla de Don Fadrique
N37°57'33.8'' W002°25'53.0'' Free aire on tarmac for 2 vans (although surrounded by other parking places), service point, no electric.
237km in 3hr 9min
Having watched the TV weather forecast last night, we were prepared for the orange warning for strong winds. However, we weren't prepared for the speed and ferocity of the wind which shook the van like a rag doll - I honestly thought we were going over at one point. It kept us awake nearly all night, and only slightly eased off at 7am.
There seemed to be a lull at 8am so we made a run for it and got onto the N432, which meant we had the wind more or less behind us.
We collected a new propane bottle along the way, and made tracks for a town called Puebla de Don Fadrique, on the edge of the Sierra Cazorla National Park.
The A330 road to it was excellent (apart from the strong crosswinds) and the aire was easily found. Outside the polidepotivo (sports centre) there were 2 designated spaces for motorhomes and a service point (no electric).
However, there were 3 vans here already, none of them in the designated spaces. We took one space and normally would have been quite happy, but the fierce wind was side-on to us and buffeting us about, so we parked with the front facing the wind which reduced the movement to almost nothing.
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| Into the wind and very stable |
A walk into the nearby town found it buzzing with Christmas celebrations. We eventually found a hotel restaurant, but Menu del Dia had been suspended for the holidays, so tapas and wine made a good substitute.
It's still very windy as I write this at 7pm, but hopefully tomorrow will show some improvement.
See today's full photo gallery here
Thursday 28/12/2017 Puebla de Don Fadrique to Home
166km in 2hr 1min
It's a good job we parked into the wind yesterday because it was fearsome last night, but Cervantes survived it well.
Before leaving this morning we had a look at 4 of the ermitas dotted around the town. They were all locked up, but visible through the windows, and were quite impressive.
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| Ermita 1 |
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| Ermita 2 |
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| Ermita 3 |
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| Ermita 4 |
On our way we stumbled into a series of streets which looked like a film set from the 1800's - sheets flapping in the window frames, corrugated tin roofs and very little headroom. We never saw a single person, so maybe a film set is what they were.
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| Some very run-down houses here |
We finished off our town walk in yesterdays restaurant in the "Puerto de Andalucia" hotel. The coffee, toast and tomato were excellent and set us up for the journey back home.
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| An excellent restaurant - highly recommended |
As we approached the coast we could see the temperature steadily going up until it was a wonderful 20° at our house.
It's nice to travel and see new things, and it's also nice to get back home and settle down again - until the next time!
See today's full photo gallery here
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