Ruta del Sol Feb 2015

The cycling season is upon us again, and our home race is the Vuelta de Murcia. Before we lived here full time I used to fly out in Feb to see this 5 day race held in and around Murcia. In subsequent years the race dwindled to 3 days, then 2 days, until finally it was no more.
A couple of years ago it was resurrected in the form of a 1 day race, which we hope to see on Saturday 14th Feb.
The only significant hill it climbs is Sierra Espuna, which has two 1st category climbs within it. Local riders include Valverde and Luis Leon Sanchez, and Mark Cavendish is making an appearance also. There are many quality, international riders taking part, which is quite a coup for the organisers.
Our plan on this trip is to see the riders over the top of Sierra Espuna, then head for Andalucia where the Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) takes place from the 18th to the 22nd February. This is the first major European stage race of the season (so is always held in Andalucia - the most southerly region of Spain) and has some big names this year including 2 Tour de France winners (Chris Froome and Alberto Contador) and the green jersey winner (Mark Cavendish). Sky is bringing a quality team including the British road race champion (Peter Kennaugh), former leader of team AG2R Nicholas Roche and local boy Mikel Nieve.
We're looking forward to some fireworks up in the mountains and some early season leg-stretching by some riders keen to make an early impression.

TOTAL TOUR STATISTICS

• Distance travelled   1697km
• Travelling time   32hrs 2min
• Amount of fuel used   168.09 litres
• Cost of fuel used   €190.74
• Average fuel consumption   9.9litres/100km (28.5mpg)
• Nights away   12
• Nights in campsites   2 at a cost of €32
• Nights in paid aires   1 at a cost of €10
• Nights in free aires   6 at no cost
• Nights wildcamping   3 at no cost
• Lowest outside temperature   -1°C
• Highest outside temperature   21°C

Thursday 12/02/2015   Home to Sierra Espuna
92km in 1hr 37min

We were super organised this morning so got an early start at 11am. Van all packed, fresh water filled, fridge pre-cooled, clothes packed away, all electricals and chargers on board, and a full tank of diesel (€1.01 per litre!)
This gave us enough time to do something we have been meaning to do for ages - get Cervantes weighed!
We had a full tank of fresh water (120 litres = 120kg), 2 full bottles of Propane (22.6kg each = 45.2kg) and Cervantes is in full trip trim.
There is a fruit packing station on the other side of the lemon groves opposite our house, so we had a drive to Teresa Hermanos and asked very nicely if we could have Cervantes weighed. The man in the booth said no problem, so we duly drove on to the ramp. He took our registration number then entered it  into his console and came out with a ticket for us that said 3340kg! Great news - we still have some paypoad left! We have no bikes with us this time (another 30kg), but everything else is exactly as it would be for a trip of 2 months, so good news indeed.
This of course gives Glyn the opportunity to bring more clothes (just as long as it doesn't eat into the beer payload!) The nice man in the weigh booth refused point blank to take any money off us no matter how hard we tried. Teresa Hermanos - great company.
The drive to Sierra Espuna was uneventful (apart from the unusual rain downpour on the way) and we were soon snaking our way up many hairpin bends to the information centre. (See video here)
We had read that no overnight parking was allowed in the National Park, so we headed for the information centre to see if this was indeed the case. The ranger behind the desk was very helpful and gave us a map and permission to watch the race and stay in the National Park car park opposite the only restaurant on Sierra Espuna - just 1km up the road. (N37°51'46.1" W1°28'21.3")

At home in the car park

So here we are settled into the car park (on our own) after getting level on the ramps.
The restaurant is suprisingly open today with half a dozen cars parked outside on the road at 2pm.
We had made plans for lunch, so if it is still open tomorrow lunchtime we will definitely be in there.
We've seen a dozen wild boar already, and hopefully they will leave us alone tonight - here's hoping.
See today's full photo gallery here


Friday 13/02/2015   Sierra Espuna to Canal
11km in 34min

We didn't know whether or not we would be asked to move on last night, but no knock on the door came, so we had a totally silent night (we're in a National Park so no dogs/chickens/donkeys etc) and the last car passed on the road at 8pm. After that it was totally silent, and so pitch black you couldn't see your hand in front of your face - heaven! However it was so silent that every twig breaking or pine cone falling had us jumping out of our skin, imagining the van being surrounded by wild boar who were taking no prisoners!
It was overcast and wet yesterday, but today we woke to full sun and blue sky. If this carries on into the evening it should be an amazing star-gazing night.
After a hearty breakfast of toast, eggs and coffee we set off to explore tomorrows route.
We are in the flat bit between two sets of steep, hairpin-bend hills, so set off first one way to check out the viewing opportunities, then the same the other way. After 8km we found the perfect spot where we could look down on 5 sets of hairpin bends and watch the race unfold up the hill towards us.
We then made a choice to go the long way back to Cervantes, so struck out for La Perdiz restaurant (I was mistaken about our restaurant being the only one!) where we had a welcome beer.
We took a cross-country route back following a well-marked path up and down hills and over rivers. I took this picture at the start of the footpath to refer to if we got lost or had a choice of directions, but never used it as the path was so well marked.

In case we get lost

Back at our restaurant we found we had two Swiss vans for company parked on the road - I don't know if they are staying overnight or just having a meal - we will see tomorrow.
We have hot air blown heating in the van, so we kept the Truma Combi heater on at No2 last night due to the warnings of frost overnight, but it never got below 4°C where we were. No2 kept the temperature at a pleasant 17° to 18° all night and was non-intrusive as the thermostat clicked it on and off.
Thanks to our change of gas from Butane to Propane we have no low pressure issues, even at these overnight temperatures - a good choice in Spain - it must be an even better choice in UK?

Cold enough for snow on the top of Espuña

On our hike we saw a couple of pros (cyclists!) familiarising themselves with the hills in preparation for tomorrow.
If the weather is similar to today it should be a great day!
Well - the best laid plans....etc. A knock on the door at 4:30pm was a Park Ranger who told us we couldn't stay overnight. We explained we had asked first at the information office and had been told it was OK, but he was having none of it.
So we packed up and moved down the mountain until we were just out of the National Park, and are now on a car park with 2 other vans, just on the other side of the Segura Canal which marks the National Park boundary. (N37°51'16.9" W1°28'13.1") We're not sure if we will get moved on from here, but I think we will be OK - time will tell.
See today's full photo gallery here


Saturday 14/02/2015   Canal to Velez Rubio
90km in 1hr 19min

A very quiet uneventful night thank goodness and we were soon forming a plan of action.

A quiet night on the canal-side car park

We decided against driving back up the mountain due to the amount of traffic, the size of the traffic (we saw a 52 seat coach go up just now!) and the standard of driving - you are wholly dependant on the person coming the other way round a blind hairpin bend not driving like a lunatic. If he/she is driving like they are in the Monte Carlo rally (too fast to stop and on the wrong side of the road) there is nothing you can do - they will hit you.
We walked for 20 minutes up the mountain and discovered that the warden had done us a favour by moving us on - the hairpin bends and views down the route were much better than the ones we had seen yesterday. We picked our best viewing spot then went back to Cervantes for some breakfast. Back up the mountain for 1pm in good time for the race passing at 2:25pm, we could see the road 10km away and so had plenty of advanced warning of their arrival.

Flags at the ready for the approaching cyclists 

After seeing the race pass and taking acknowledgement for our flags, we were back at the van for 3:30pm, so in plenty of time for an easy run to Velez Rubio  and a free aire where we had stayed previously. (N37°39'08",  W-2°04'26")
We knew it was Mardi Gras weekend, and knew that the aire was on a Feria site (where all the town festivities are held) so were expecting some noisy entertainment. We were not disappointed and found the road to the aire barriered off, but a kind official moved it for us, then walked with us to the next closed road and moved that barrier and tape to allow us to get to the aire. What a great attitude she had, doing her best to help us and promote the town in it's best light. She could just as easily have said the aire was closed due to the carnival being on and we would have to go elsewhere. (See video here)
We parked up, then watched the carnival go into the town. There were some excellent costumes and some very funny themes and everyone was having a great time and a good laugh at each other - great atmosphere and brilliant to watch.

Wardrobe malfunction for this gentleman......

.......that's better!

The very loud music (as is normal with these events) moved off with them, and we wondered when they would return. To our suprise we were left in virtual silence for the rest of the night - not what we were expecting. There was some music but it wasn't intrusive, so a good result all round.
The wind was quite strong as the parade set off, but later in the night after dark, the speed ratcheted up to gale force and had us rocking and rolling in Cervantes.
See today's full photo gallery here


Sunday 15/02/2015   Velez Rubio to Velez Blanco
5km in 8min

After a very windy night, Sunday was cloudy but bright, and still very windy. We decided to go for breakfast to a nice bar we had been to previously and after that, decide what our plan would be.
The bar had WiFi (and excellent coffee and toast) which told us there was a yellow risk warning for 70kmh winds until midnight on Sunday.
In my previous job I have seen lorries and vans blown over in high winds (50mph winds are enough to close Thelwall Viaduct, Barton Bridge and Rakewood Viaduct), and having a relatvely light (3.34 tonnes) slab-sided van placed sideways to a 70kmh wind did not seem the best course of action if it was not absolutely necessary.
We have 3 days to get to the first viewing place for the Ruta del Sol, just north of Granada, so time is not an issue, but safety is. We decided to move only 5km away, but it's uphill all the way to Velez Blanco, a place we have always said we would visit.
A campsite 2km out of the town of Velez Blanco called Pinar del Rey was new this year in the ACSI scheme and certainly lived up to it's new position. Surrounded by pine trees, with breathtaking views over the surrounding plains and mountains, at €16 per night including electric hook-up (charging the toothbrush!) and use of toilets and showers, this campsite was fantastic. Only us and one more van here so ultra quiet with wonderful views.

A campsite with many, many pine trees

It's still early now so a 3km walk to the historic village of Velez Blanco is in order. The views from the village are unbelievable - I just can't estimate how far we can see - 30km, 50km, 70km, 100km? - is that Carrascoy mountain in the distance?

Hard to estimate just how far you can see from here

Velez Blanco is a great place - full of history from the Visigoths, the Moors and the Christians. Ancient cave paintings from 4,000 B.C. and a castle of epic proportions made this a must-see village. Unfortunately the castle was shut when we were there, and was closed on Monday and Tuesday, so the undoubted wonders within will have to wait until we return to this wonderful place.
Small, narrow, very steep steps (reminiscent of Caravaca de la Cruz) gave us a taste of what was to come from a thorough exploration of this village with so much charm and history - we WILL be back here to explore this village properly.

Velez Blanco - a village to return to

Back at Cervantes we took in the last of the sun - still very windy, but the internet says it will abate at midnight - I hope so - there are some very big pine trees surrounding us!
See today's full photo gallery here


Monday 16/02/2015   Velez Blanco to Beas de Granada
178km in 2hr 46min

A quick walk around the forest before we set off meant we left Velez Blanco at 10am.

Tree damage caused by last nights wind

We put 3 destinations into the sat-nav today. The first was Venta del Peral - an aire we had read about and it had some good reviews. It was part of a petrol station/restaurant/hostal complex just off the A92 near Cullar, with free grey and black water emptying, and showers and toilets you could pay for. There was a quiet area behind the hotel where a comfortable nights stop could be had. This is an ideal stopping-off point for us between home and the west coast.
Having seen Venta de Peral, we will be back to stay, but for now we pressed on to an aire in La Peza. Out of the 17 databases I have in the sat-nav, this was in only one of them, so we were suspicious of its existence before we got there. As expected the location of the aire was now a housing estate, and the village was not really suitable for anything other than a car. Our fall-back overnight stop was somewhere we had stopped previously in Beas de Granada at Camping Alto de Vinuelas
We are at 1200 metres here and rain and snow is forecast for tomorrow, although today's journey has been in full sun with magnificent distant views over the snow-covered Sierra Nevada.

As we descended to get to the campsite, the sunshine disappeared and the mist set in. The mountain views were hidden and the temperature dropped dramatically.
We have a pitch that should give us a great view, but at the moment it is just mist.

The view from our window

We got here at 3pm so decided to walk down the steep hill to the village of Beas de Granada. This was a maze of really narrow streets with many types of houses. To our astonishment there was a 52 seater coach parked in the very small town hall square - goodness knows how he got in there, and how he was going to get out.
A walk back up the steep hill to Cervantes warmed us up in the cold wind, and tea and a good book was very welcome.
See today's full photo gallery here


Tuesday 17/02/2015   Beas de Granada to Archidona
99km in 1hr 21min

Overnight temperatures of 2°C made it one of the coldest nights we have had in the van, although the blown air heating kept us warm all night. The forecast for today is for snow and high winds - brrr.
We set off with the sleet pounding the windscreen (1200 metres is plenty high enough for some really bad weather), which took an age to clear - took me right back to a 5am start for work in UK. We headed for the A92, which we knew would be kept running due to its major road status.
We were heading west and hopefully outrunning the weather. Our guess was correct and we quickly ran out of the rain and snow.
On the run up to Beas de Granada we passed many kilometres of tree plantations, all arrow straight trunks with some foliage at the very top. I guessed they were willow but I may be (and probably am!) wrong.
We passed some more out of Beas de Granada, and finally saw some being felled, stripped and loaded onto trailers for delivery to where? - paper mills? furniture manufacture? building materials? - who knows. (See video here)
We stopped off at Loja for some shopping at Lidl and Mercadona, the Nexus 7 and Maps.Me coming into their own yet again.
Our destination today was an aire in Archidona, detailed in the All the Aires book for Spain. Our sat-nav had 4 entries for Archidona from Campercontact, campingcar-infos, Autocaravanismo Activo, and Areas AC. The first 2, we later found had the correct co-ordinates, but the last 2 were a long way out, and unfortunately we had Areas AC as our guide on the sat-nav. Luckily Glyn always double checks where we are going on Maps.Me and we have the All the Aires book which gave us a detailed route to the aire. So, a disaster was averted by our trusty navigator making sure we get where we are going - thank goodness for Glyn!!
In the polideportivo (sports centre) carpark at last, we set off to explore the town. It is just gone 2pm so we fully expected everything to be shut - and so it was. We walked around the quaint, smart, well-kept town with immaculate houses and wonderful buildings until our feet ached.
There is a castle and a church on an enormous hill above us. The tourist information office was closed, but outside it had all the opening times of all the town attractions and churches, so tomorrow morning we are off up the hill.
We found what seemed to be the only open bar in the town and had an excellent "surtido de tapas" (selection of tapas snacks) with some wine, some sherry (we're in Andalucia!), some coffee and WiFi, all for the princely sum of €17 - what a bargain.

Only €8!!

We really like this town - it has so much to offer in terms of architecture, history and preserved buildings. It really is a gem - well worth a visit.
We found 2 German vans had joined us on the car park, which was reassuring. Most municipal aires in Spain tend to be on polideportvo car parks, and we have stayed on many. On some we have not seen a car all the time we were there, but here the stream of cars is endless. From 4pm until 7pm there was a non-stop delivery of children to the polidepotivo in cars and vans of all types and ages - good to see that sport is alive and well in Spain.
See today's full photo gallery here


Wednesday 18/02/2015   Archidona to Cabra
145km in 2hr 33min

Our task this morning, after coffee and toast in Archidona, was to get to the top of the adjacent hill and take a look at the church at the top. A very steep hill later and we were at the top with awesome long-range views over the surrounding mountains and plains. (See panorama video here)

Fantastic 360° views

The church was very quaint and was obviously something of a pilgrimage destination judging by the number of infirm worshippers inside.
We could just spot Cervantes from the top with the aid of the 30x zoom lens on the camera. At the bottom of the hill on our way back to the van, we were going up one of the steep hills and were approaching a crossroads, the other road also being a steep hill, when we heard a terrible crunching, grinding noise. I knew what it was immediately (from my previous job) and sure enough as we rounded the bend - there was the car with the front end smashed in, and a tree which was now almost horizontal. A guy was already on his phone at the drivers door with the elderly woman driver. She had a seatbelt on, was conscious, and I could see no blood. The guy had it all in hand and the woman was not moving until the ambulance came. I opened the passenger door and made sure the handbrake was on tight to prevent any further complications, then left the scene to the gathering throng of onlookers.

Car versus tree - no contest!

On the way back we stopped off at a church to have a peek inside. We had passed it yesterday but it was either locked, or it had a mass in progress, so today was our chance to see inside - it didn't disappoint!

Stunning!

Back at the van we emptied the grey water, then went in search of fuel. At home it is just touching the €1 for 1 litre mark, but here it seems to be hovering around the €1.20 mark. We finally found a less pricey €1.14, but still seemed far too expensive to us.
We wanted to check out an aire at Villanueva de Algaidas, so set off along the back roads to it. A nice spot that looked flat and quiet - we have marked this down for future use.
Next on to Lucena to check out the route that the cycle race finishes tomorrow. It finishes in Lucena, but first goes up a 3rd category climb just outside the town. We identified a number of good viewing places able to park Cervantes on, so we will be back tomorrow to claim one of these spots. Next on to Montilla, where the race starts from on Sunday, which is the last day of the race.
We identified some manageable parking spots near enough to walk into the town centre to see the teams sign on and warm up outside the team buses.
Finally on to the free aire at Cabra which is in the car park of the nearby auditorium. There are 2 vans already there. 4 spaces for motorhomes are clearly marked, but one of these is the grey water drain which you obviously have to drive over, so you cannot park there. Of the other 3, one has 3 car parking spaces at 90° to the pitch. If you stopped there the cars would not be able to exit. A bit more thought in the planning department is needed I think. We are temporarily parked in the grey water bay until a place on the car park becomes available, or the cars blocking the motorhome pitch move.

In the grey water disposal bay

You can't park here or the cars can't get out!

The plot thickens during the afternoon when 2 more vans arrive and park wherever they can in the hope of moving to a safer/better pitch later when all the cars have gone.
Unfortunately most of the cars stay till late - the car park is very near a hospital and both staff and visitors park here so it is pretty much full 24/7.
No-one wanted access to the grey water thank goodness, so we will stay where we are until morning.
See today's full photo gallery here


Thursday 19/02/2015   Cabra to Alhama de Granada
141km in 2hr 25min

Quite noisy last night with people seemingly coming and going constantly, so an early start saw us on the road to Lucena at 9am.
Breakfast in an old restaurant on the main road out of Lucena was huge and excellent and cost us the ridiculous sum of €5 for both of us - a steal by anyones standards. We found a place to park on the cycle route (identified yesterday) and settled down to wait.
We had plenty of time until the race appeared, so set off on the 3km trek up the hill to the church at the top. It took us a good 40 minutes to get there, and we really did feel on top of the world when we finally got to the top. The 360° panorama was awesome. (See video of panorama here)
The church itself was quite small but exquisitely decorated with a stucco plaster painted ceiling and plenty of gold leaf. The altar itself was very small, but intricately patterned and lit to show it in the best possible way.

Fantastic plaster work

Again, as in Archidona, someone was sweeping the floor - it must be a full-time job.
There was a cafe at the top next to the church which must have the best views in Spain from a cafe terrace. It was unfortunately closed, which was understandable, given the time of year.
Back at the van the flags are out and flying, and we are just waiting now for the race to come past us.
It is scorchingly hot today, even with a bit of a breeze, so a complete opposite to two days ago when it was sleeting.

Ready for the tour to pass

We are on a downhill slope so the riders were going at a great speed past us with luckily no mishaps or crashes. (See video here)
There was a very near miss however when an idiot in a 4x4 pulled out of the side road we were on and headed up the hill into the oncoming riders. The first bunch had already passed us and I suppose the idiot thought that was the race finished, so he drove through the police tape blocking the side road and set off up the hill. Luckily the first people to come round the bend and meet him were not cyclists doing 70kmh, but a couple of police motorcycles who managed to avoid him. They put him on the pavement and had a stern word with him. It could have resulted in the death of a cyclist - he should have been locked up.
Tomorrow's stage runs from Motril on the coast, to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, so we are headed now for Alhama de Granada where there is a free aire on the Recinta Ferial (public showground).
A nice, dark, quiet spot with great views, arrived at after driving here on the A4155 from the motorway through some jaw-droppingly beautiful countryside on a great driving road, with some excellent views of the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains.
There is only one other van here, and he drove off at 9pm, so we're here on our own now.

A nice corner spot in Alhama de Granada

See today's full photo gallery here


Friday 20/02/2015   Alhama de Granada to Priego de Cordoba
149km in 3hr 22min

We awoke this morning to an outside temperature of -0.7°C, so put the heating on and made a cup of tea (our propane works at any temperature).

Too cold for Spain!

It was so cold there was a layer of ice on the outside of the Heiki roof skylights! - Cervantes has never been so cold.
We were up at 7am, which was lucky because when we opened the blinds, white vans were arriving to set up for the weekly market.
When we drove out 10 minutes later we saw an area designated for motorhomes - next time we are somewhere new we will have a good look round first!!
On to the lake at Bermejales, where just afterwards there is a 1st category climb. We drove the climb and found a good spot 1km from the top on a long straight.
Flags flying and a great view of the snowy mountains, we chatted to an Australian couple here for 12 months, and an English couple who have been here for 8 years - all keen cyclists and followers of cycle tours.

Friends, Cava, Cycling and Motorhomes - excellent!

There is lots of wildlife up here and Glynis has had the binoculars out identifying the various birds - lots of variety and birds new to us.
Just across from where we are parked is a very interesting rock formation consisting of layer after layer of large crystals of calcite. For the crystals to have grown that big they must have cooled very slowly over many, many years - a very interesting rock formation.

Unusual layers of large crystal calcite - very soft and crumbly

The race passed with 2 riders in the breakaway and the bunch 20" behind and closing fast - a hill like this is no problem for a pro cyclist. (See video of race passing here)

Chasing hard

The drive to Priego de Cordoba was on the route the race will take tomorrow, so we identified a good viewing place on the way. We passed Alcala la Real which looked spectacular with a very big palace on top of a hill dominating the town. Here we nearly got wiped out by a Mercedes coming towards us - the driver was having some kind of argument and swerving all over the place.

We managed to avoid him and carried on to the aire through a series of gorges outside the village. (See video of gorges here)
The aire was down a steep slope on an area once marked out to be built on, but now used as an aire. There was only one road into the complex which said no entry apart from motorhomes on the sign, but as usual there were dog walkers, joggers and one guy with a remote controlled car who had all driven in, along with a burnt-out car in front of a disused building covered in graffiti. Despite the initial appearance it seemed quiet enough after dark.
See today's full photo gallery here


Saturday 21/02/2015   Priego de Cordoba To Dona Mencia
75km in 1hr 23min

I was woken up at 1am by loud talking and doors slamming. At this late hour and because of the state of the surroundings I thought it was local youths, and with my imagination running riot I was expecting a knock on the door and some sort of confrontation. I could hear at least 2 male and 2 female voices but wasn't sure of the exact number, but they sure were loud.
After more than an hour, at well past 2am, I heard car doors slam and waited for the engine to start and for them to drive off - nothing, now just silence.
Were they planning their next move? Had they got cold feet? I had already got an exit plan in my head so I was ready for them. Still silence, so I eventually dropped into a fitful sleep.
Up at first light at 7:30am, open the blinds, and just opposite us were 2 Spanish motorhomes - it must have been them last night! I was in two minds to go over and ask them if they had had a good night's sleep - because I certainly hadn't!

No consideration whatsoever!

What a terrible advert for the motorhoming community - a pair of couples who have no regard for anyone else, who are totally self-centred and have absolutely no idea how their actions affect anyone else.
I decided the least I could do was to wake them up, so I emptied the bin very noisily and examined the grey water drain near their van in great detail as noisily as I could. This seemed to do the trick because both vans left to annoy someone else just before 8am.
Good riddance to some very selfish, rude, self-centred idiots. (Rant over, but I hate people who have no regard for others - it's just pure ignorance)
We had some fun and games on the way out at 9:30am. There is only one entrance in and out of this area, so we had to go back up the hill and - whoa - there was a market in the process of setting up. Of course there was someone at the front of us waving us through, whether we could fit or not.
I declined until it was clear Glyn had me in her sights and the overhanging canopy could be lifted out of the way. Touch and go with millimetres to spare but we made it through unscathed eventually.

It was a miserable day weather-wise with low cloud, low temperatures and fine drizzle. When we arrived at our designated viewing spot we got our flags out which soon became wet through and limp. A couple of cars joined us to watch a very wet bunch of riders pass us looking very dejected and fed-up - if they wanted this weather they could have stayed in UK/Belgium/Holland/Germany etc. This is the Ruta del Sol - the route of the sun!

Miserable weather

Onwards to our chosen aire at Doña Mencia, next to an old railway station and next to a Vias Verdes (green route) which is a disused railway line, now used for walking and cycling. The old track has been paved or tarmacked to give a good surface and has great facilities at all the towns and villages it goes through. This particular Vias Verde is about 120km long in a circular route, so doable in one day, and goes through some excellent places to visit. Bike hire is available here, or you can obviously bring your own. This is one of many Vias Verdes in Spain - a great new use of a disused facility.
The old station is now a restaurant, so to show our appreciation we had lunch inside in front of a roaring log fire - excellent.
More motorhomes are arriving all the time at this great aire - we have 6 neighbours at the last count.

Doña Mencina aire

We went for a walk when the sun eventually came out into the lovely town of Dona Mencia, built into a hill with really, really steep streets.
To our amazement, whilst walking up one of theses streets, from a street on the left came a shepherd leading 2 dogs and upwards of 50 goats!

Goats!

They took up all the road and headed up the hill towards the grassland at the top. Cars on the road obviously took 2nd place and everything ground to a halt until they had passed - what a sight. The hill, however, was very steep and soon 2 lady goats, who were in dire need of being milked, were off the back and trudging slowly and painfully uphill. They kept stopping and looking up the hill as if to say "how much further up this hill do we have to go?" We stayed with them to protect them from the cars until they reached their turn-off and could see the other goats in the field. "At last, at last - we're nearly there!"

A nice Spanish couple next to us had a chat about cycling and who was going to win. We then watched the team buses pass in front of us on their way to the start in Montilla tomorrow - we will be there to see them.
Just a note about the aire - great place, great restaurant, great Vias Verde, but the surface of the aire is gritty sand which gets everywhere in the van no matter how long and hard you try to avoid it. Obviously not a reason not to come here, just need to be aware of it.
See today's full photo gallery here


Sunday 22/02.2015   Dona Mencia to Malaga
197km in 2hr 53min

Hoping for a quiet night and some sleep after last night but not to be!
It all started off so well, then at 11:30pm a group of youths invaded the car park next door with car radios at maximum volume playing "music", with lots of talking and shouting. When I say music I mean a pulsating bass note that repeated ad nauseum - these guys could teach the guards at Guantanamo Bay a thing or two! We were the nearest van to them, but I assume the other 6 vans here had the same problem with them. Ear plugs helped, but not totally. We finally fell asleep through exhaustion, so goodness knows what time they disappeared.
Don't let last night put you off staying at this aire - it is at the centre of everything that is happening here, and I am sure the kids event is just a one-off
We were up at 7am to an outside temperature of 0.3°C in good time to get to Montilla and get parked somewhere for the riders signing in at 10am. We managed to park 100 metres from the start village of the last stage of the Ruta del Sol, and had a grandstand view of the team buses and all the riders and bikes.

Froome's beautiful carbon bike - the latest Pinarello Dogma F8

I camped outside the Sky bus to await the riders exit to go and sign in, and got some great photos of the riders, associated helpers and mechanics. I managed to get some photos of the Grand Depart and was shocked to find that Chris Froome had pulled back 30" on Contador yesterday and was now in the leaders red jersey.

The leader is out of the bus

He needed a minder to get through this lot

On a whim, we decided to hot foot it down to Malaga to see the finish. We found a good spot 3km from the finish, and with flags flying to spur on the boys, we cheered them on past Cervantes to victory, Froome winning by 2" overall.
We just sneaked into the TV coverage with our flags, then looked for somewhere to stay for the night.

The race passes with Froome going on to victory

To the victor, the spoils

Our first choice was Alhaurin de la Torre which was nothing but a tatty scrap yard - stay away! We then moved on to Parking Malaga, (found on Archies camping, at N36°42'28.2" W4°31'26.3") which at first sight looked dreadful, but after driving through a bombed out wilderness we came to some orange sliding doors, pressed the intercom, and entered into a different world.
A very helpful chap showed us where we could park in the fully enclosed and fortified aire. There was fresh water, grey and black water disposal, a motorhome wash with a gantry to do the roof, a shop, electric, 24 hour security and smooth concrete pitches. (See video of Malaga aire here)
This is also a motorhome storage place, so we spent a good 30 minutes browsing the 150+ stored motorhomes and caravans. The price to stay is just €8 per night which includes electric - don't be put off by first impressions!
See today's full photo gallery here


Monday 23/02/2015   Malaga to San Juan de los Terreros
330km in 4hr 22min

Boy, can you tell we are on the coast again - this is the first morning since we left that we haven't had condensation on the inside of the windscreen! (the outside temperature is in double figures)

The surprising Malaga aire

It is very, very windy today, as was the drive from Montilla to Malaga yesterday - very unsettling in a slab-sided van. The initial plan today was to go to an aire at Almerimar, just outside Almeria. However, the wind is still howling, and a yellow warning is in force, so a run out on the motorway is in order to see what the conditions are like.
Luckily the strong winds are mainly behind us, so the consensus is to get as far as we can today whilst it is a following west wind, then to re-assess tomorrow. The motorway around the north of Malaga had quite a few twists and turns as well as roadworks, so unfortunately we didn't notice the reduced speed limits, and received a speeding fine a couple of weeks later. We were doing 88kph in an 80kph zone. Glyn said she told me to slow down!  I blame it on the gale force following wind...
The plan was to go to a paid aire in Vera, but the sat-nav threw a wobbler and took us onto the AP7 from Vera to Cartagena, the so-called ghost motorway due to no-one using it because of the extortionate toll prices. By the time we got off (€1.55 for 5km) we were nearer to San Juan de los Terreros - a wildcamping spot where we had stayed before. (N37°21'03.2" W1°40'44.1")

Wildcamping in San Juan de los Terreros

When we got there the car park we used before was now derelict and empty with a sign saying "no caravans". There were no motorhomes there so we drove onto the wasteland just up from the beach and behold - at least 70 motorhomes of various shapes, makes and nationalities were parked anywhere they wanted.
We shuffled round a bit to find somewhere that would get us level without the ramps, and ended up almost under a palm tree.
The wind is getting stronger if anything, and tomorrow is forecast to be even worse. Thanks to the distance covered today we are only 100km from home, so steady as she goes tomorrow should see us back at lunchtime without any mishaps.
We did a full empty and fill in Malaga (we can recommend that aire) so are ok for at least 4 nights if we have to ride out the storm here.
See today's full photo gallery here


Tuesday 24/02/2015   San Juan de los Terreros to Home
148km in 2hr 20min

After a really, really windy night - thank goodness we were parked nose-first into the wind and not side-on, we had an early start to get back home before the winds started again. (See video of San Juan de los Terreros wildcamping here)
Avoiding the notorious, overpriced motorway we took the RM332 - a great, very quiet, twisty road through some fantastic scenery. I think most people now take the free motorway around Lorca to get to the South coast of Spain, so this road is practically deserted.
We were trying some new routes home, so home by 12:15pm. In our postbox was the new Espana Discovery book, which has a new section in Andalucia this year, and would you believe it - there are 5 entries around where we were based. This will be essential reading when we next head for Andalucia.
Cervantes was soon unpacked and the washing machine was working overtime. It's always nice to travel, but it's also great to come home again. Already looking forward to the next one!
See today's full photo gallery here.