We have 3 weeks before we have visitors here, so decided to have a tour of quiet, secluded places (we think from their descriptions!) for the next 2 weeks or so.
It takes a good 2 or 3 hours to transfer everything we need into Cervantes, and usually we have to wash the motorhome first, depending on the weather since we last parked up.
We now have a routine of getting everything ready on hangers and in bags, loading up the car, then transferring it all to Cervantes, then leave the car in Cervantes's parking spot and drive back to home, where we put the bikes on the cycle carrier - then we're off !!
We're a bit goosed by then, so try not to go too far, and chill out when we get there.
We're looking for quiet, remote, friendly places on this trip - I hope it works out that way.
TOTAL TOUR STATISTICS
- Distance travelled 514km
- Travelling time 8hr 44min
- Amount of fuel used 50.76 litres
- Cost of fuel used €94.36
- Average fuel consumption 9.87l/100km (28.61mpg)
- Nights away 19
- Nights in paid aires 3 at a cost of €69
- Nights in campsites 10 at a cost of €180
- Nights in a Finca garden 4 at a cost of €51
- Nights parked with no cost 2
- Kilometres walked 71km
- Nights with none or 1 other van 9
Wednesday 11/05/2022 Home to Monje
N38°10'10.5'' W000°46'39.4'' ///grasp.storefronts.swatted
Paid aire (€15) in a finca garden including electric (5Ah). Washing machine, service point, free WiFi, shower, toilet, water. 5 van capacity on large shingle with own astroturf sitting area.
50km in 59min
We have had some horrendous weather since we put Cervantes into storage in La Ribera campsite, so were a little apprehensive about picking it up this morning.
The torrential rain and thick, red dust storms added up to one dirty motorhome.
The sun is shining brightly and hotly today, so we thought we would just clean the sides and the front and back, and leave the roof for another day, which is overcast or raining - the amount of dried dust and muck on Cervantes's roof can be washed and brushed off, but when it is hot, burning sunshine, the dilute mud runs down the side of the motorhome and sets into a hard, stubborn stain in the bright, hot sun.
It ends up looking worse than when we started, so we'll clean the roof when the sun's not out!
Our destination today was Casa Ronach, a very small 5 van aire in the garden of the finca.
The approach was on a one track road, and luckily we met no-one coming the other way. See the approach to the finca below.
The Belgian owners were very helpful, and we filled with water, plugged in the electric, got out the table and chairs, and settled down for some food and drink.
It's super hot today, so we are alternating between sun and shade.
Everything is working in the van, and as usual, Cervantes never missed a beat on the way here - nearly 90,000 km now - just getting run-in !!
We are literally 500 metres from El Hondo National Park and Bird Reserve. We have visited many times and seen some fabulous birds, but today we were just chilling in the quiet, lovely 5 van aire - there's a swimming pool if you want a swim,
and the owners are super-helpful - what a find this is - there's even a bar and a TV room!
Thursday 12/05/2022 Monje to Campell
N38°46'39.9'' W000°06'21.2'' ///clubhouses.pats.traded
€18 per night including electric, 54 spaces on crushed stone, showers, toilets, service point, pool, restaurant, some pitches are tight to get into.
140km in 2hr 15min
After a very relaxing meal last night, we contemplated sitting outside, but soon realised that the mosquitos were everywhere - it was almost at plague level.
We hurried inside to find them coating the mossie blinds on the open windows. A quick close of all the windows and skylights stopped the influx, and we were then left to find all the ones inside and destroy them.
Needless to say, we missed enough of them to get bitten during the night - one I slapped was full of blood, which required me to get out of bed and wash my hands.
Apart from that, it was a lovely, restful stay in this small, cosy aire, which was very quiet - just what we were looking for.
Our destination today was a campsite (Càmping Vall de Laguar), just outside the very small village of Campell.
It was motorway (AP-7) nearly all the way today - the last 20km was on country roads.
Glyn had previously phoned ahead to book and had been told that as a consequence of the torrential rain and horrendous weather of the recent past, the usual route to the campsite was closed due to the road being washed away.
They returned the enquiry with an e-mail which gave superb directions and photographs of how to get to the campsite, avoiding the non-existent road.
There were 2 options, one for a motorhome of less than 6 metres long, due to the narrowness of the roads and the angles of the corners that needed to be driven through, and one for any size of motorhome, but by a longer, more convoluted route.
We opted for the longer route, using the directions on the map which they sent, and the photographs of all the junctions we should use (what a fantastic service by the campsite - huge kudos to them)
We had got halfway along the instructions to find that the small road we had been directed onto was blocked by a crane doing some building work to a roadside house, so that was a no-go route!
There are only 3 roads leading to the campsite, and 2 of them are closed, so we had to opt for road number 3 - sharp bends and narrow roads!
We made it to the village of Campell up some narrow, steep, single track roads, and were confronted with a sign saying "no motorhomes"
We rang the campsite again, and they said to ignore it and drive as normal.
There was a steep hill up to a narrow road at the T junction at the top of the hill. The road was quite narrow, but it was all about the length of motorhome. We are 6 metres long, plus another metre for the bikes on the back.
The problem was, having to swing round 90° from a narrow road into another narrow road - obviously not possible for a longer motorhome where the rear wheels are well forward from the back of the motorhome - when you go round a 90° turn, the back end swings out dramatically - they're not going to get round.
The road was so narrow it was controlled by traffic lights at either end - it would be impossible to pass a vehicle anywhere along the road.
We walked the route prior to attempting it, and judged that it would be OK. And it was OK - just !
We missed the walls by centimetres, but made it to the end unscathed.
This was not a great contribution to our quiet and peaceful tour vibe, and at one point we thought about giving up and going somewhere else.
How glad we are that we persevered - the campsite was all that we thought it was going to be - quiet, secluded, great views, fantastic receptionist (Florine) and so much information on walking routes, bars, restaurants, fast food deliveries, and so on.
We spent 30 minutes walking around the campsite looking at available pitches, and finally plumped for No21, which had dappled shade and a fantastic view of the sea and the mountains.
It is so quiet here, it's everything we were looking for, and I guess that is, in part, thanks to the difficulty in getting here.
Friday 13/05/2022 Campell
There was a minimum of noise last night, so much so, we could hear the song of the nightingale in the adjacent trees.
The variety and volume of the birdsong here is enormous - there's always one bird singing at any one time - just as we like it.
There's a mist over our view of the coastline which the sun is rapidly burning off - it looks like another sunny day with amazing views.
We have spotted a first class restaurant at the top of the nearest hill - El Nou Cavall Verd, which gets excellent write-ups on various websites. We visited it this morning to make a reservation for 2pm today.
We're aware that it's Friday the 13th today, so we're being a bit careful of where we go and what we do today.
As we walked up to the restaurant, a motorhome passed us going up the hill - this road leads to Murla, where we had to turn round yesterday due to a crane blocking the road - I wonder if they've opened the road. It would be easier going that way if possible when we eventually leave here.
The views from the top of the hill were stunning,
and the very formal, high class restaurant was excellent - Glyn classed it as an early celebration meal for our birthdays next month.
The menu started with 3 starter courses to share, one of which they made up to cater for us not eating meat. All were excellent.
We started with a taster of home-made sour dough bread and home produced olive oil from their own fields, aubergine coulis, black salt and smoked, dried cod.
Next was a platter of confit of salt cod, smoked tuna heart, rocket, confit of tuna pieces and paprika strings.
Second was deep fried curly kale with spinach, confit of cod, and pil pil joux.
Third was a plate of shrimps and prawns with garlic mayonnaise.
The main course was tiny by comparison, but after 3 big plates we had shared, the hake cooked in a mushroom sauce with asparagus joux was just right.
The last course was a plate of 3 different chocolate concoctions (we shared), and a tart with apple and vanilla.
The herbero digestif came in a huge bottle, which we attempted to make a dent in - 5 out of 10 for effort!
Accompanied by a bottle of Bobal from Valencia, the meal was a triumph.
The view from our table on the outside terrace was stunning and made the occasion even more special.
We couldn't have asked for anything more - the staff were brilliant, the food was stunning and the view was amazing - this is a rare occasion for us, and we were glad we had made it a good one.
Once back at Cervantes, we chilled in the sun and made the most of the excellent weather.
Saturday 14/05/2022 Campell
After a really quiet night, surrounded by birdsong, we were up and ready to go up the hill to Fleix, (after our coffee) where there was a street market today.
There was a short cut to Fleix, straight up the side of the hill on an easily climbed path - no problem at all.
The market turned out to be one fruit and veg stall, and another selling meat and cheese.
Fortunately it was right in front of the only bar in the small village. One of the outside tables was taken with 6 men drinking copious amounts of beer and spirits (it's only 10.30am), so we took the other table for our drinks.
The fruit and veg stall seemed to act as an old age pensioner meeting place - plenty of talking and gesturing, but not much buying.
Before we left we bought €10 worth of fruit and veg as a gesture of goodwill.
On the steep, downhill walk back to Campell, we passed a couple of Casa Rurales with the most amazing views of the distant coast and the landscape leading up to it - stunning!
Glyn looked it up and found it was renting for €1,250 for a week - very reasonable for what it was and where it was.
We continued on into Campell with the hope of buying some mosquito spray (we borrowed some last night from the campsite reception)to kill all those in the van before we went to bed.
No shops had any, so we settled for a plug-in mossie repellent which should work OK now we are on mains electric.
We neglected the fact that the Spanish come out in their droves at the weekend, but thought that as this campsite was so difficult to get to, that it would be reasonably quiet - wrong!
Come Friday teatime, they were rolling in as if we were on the coast, which really changed the calm dynamic of the previous day.
Constant chatter and music all day was the result, which we can put up with - they'll all be gone by Monday.
We don't blame them - they're just having a good time relaxing at the weekend, but we thought that this place would be far too remote to be invaded.
On our way back from our evening walk yesterday, we spotted a new German van on the upper level which was half as long again as ours. We cheekily asked him which way he had come to the campsite. He said he had approached Campell, but was too long to get round the corners, so went back to Murla and came that way.
That was the info we wanted - the crane blocking the road in Murla had gone, so we can go back that way when we leave the campsite - yeah!!
Sunday 15/05/2022 Campell
Our goal today was to walk to Benimaurell to explore the town, and look for somewhere to eat, maybe for tomorrow.
The PR-CV147 is an off-road walking route identified by a white line above a yellow line, painted onto walls and junctions so you could easily follow it.
There were some steep sections on the way to Benimaurell, but most of it was flat. There were a couple of baths along the route, fed by the run-off water from the mountains.
We had a beer in a large bar and restaurant in Benimaurell, and looked at their menu for tomorrow - just right for us, so we'll be there for lunch tomorrow.
The walk back to Campell had some very steep, single track roads (no traffic!) both up and down, and some stunning scenery surrounding us.
There and back totalled 7.7km and some significant climbing,
and we were glad to get back to Cervantes for some lunch and a cold beer. The temperature is in the mid 20's with a light breeze - superb for walking.
As we entered the campsite we heard the sweet sound of silence. Peace and quiet once again reigns supreme, as the weekend hordes have all gone back home to prepare for work tomorrow. They've had a good time, and the kids have let off a lot of steam - it's nice to have somewhere to go where you can do that.
There doesn't seem to be anywhere to get rid of the grey water. We asked the receptionist, and he said to empty on the pitch into the bushes - "it's only water" he said.
Monday 16/05/2022 Campell
Woo-hoo - woken by a nightingale this morning - not many chances to say that in life (unless you're married to Mr Nightingale!)
The temperature ramped up through the morning, so a short, quiet walk was planned on the PR-CV181.
We were hoping to go to a monastery about 3km away, but the path was not suitable for our non-climbing footwear, so we did the alternative route, which was pretty steep and crumbly.
We climbed some steep roads to come out at the road closure (due to the torrential rain last month), then made our way back to Cervantes.
Never has a cold beer tasted so good - we were wet through with sweat and had trouble seeing with sweat in our eyes.
After we had got our breath back, we decided on a quiet afternoon in the shade, with a good coating of anti-mosquito repellent - I've been stung numerous times already this week.
We're back to a really quiet campsite now - very welcome.
Once again, Remosqita played a pivotal role in cooking our evening meal - onions, garlic, olive oil, stock cubes, rice, water, and a jar of Bonito tuna, and in an hour there was a meal fit for a king, with the minimum of effort (and washing up!)
Our German neighbours next door left this morning. They are avid rock climbers, so we gave them some info about a classic aire that we have previously stayed at - the owner is an excellent rock climber and finds and publishes his own new routes.
They said they will definitely visit in the future, and seemed very keen.
Tuesday 17/05/2022 Campell
We woke this morning to the call of a Golden Auriole - how lucky are we?
It was another glorious day, and we could not let the day go by without another walk on another path.
But first it was down to the only café in town for coffee and toast and tomato - the staple breakfast of everyone Spanish.
The café was packed with workers and some tourists. Some workers are mending the storm-damaged road further down, and some are renovating a house opposite the café - what an entertaining hour we spent watching them strip a roof - no health and safety here!!
On our way to look at the progress of the road closure (nobody there - they're all in the café) we spotted (Glyn spotted!) what we thought was a blue throat, but on closer examination, Glyn identified it as a Blue Rock Thrush - fantastic iridescent blue body, and a signature stripe backwards from it's beak.
It didn't seem bothered with us, and we spent a good 20 minutes watching it perform and pose for us - brilliant!
After breakfast we picked up the PR-CV181 walking path down into the valley
just past the restaurant. It was a bit steep and slippery on the dusty bits, but the views over the valley cancelled all that out. Absolutely stunning scenery with fantastic weather - the sunshine picked out all the shadows for us - unforgettable!
A cold beer in the café in 30° sunshine came as a great reward on our way back - we were certainly ready for it.
Back at Cervantes, we were welcomed by the sound of silence (thank you Simon and Garfunkel), just the song of the birds and your own thoughts - it's like being in a spa having relaxation therapy.
We love it here in the quiet - some people may crave noise and movement, but we hoped for peace, quiet and relaxation, and that's exactly what we've got here - fantastic.
Yet another meal cooked outside on our excellent Remoskita - we can't recommend this enough - chop all the vegetable ingredients, put them in, and turn it on - what could be easier and taste better?
Wednesday 18/05/2022 Campell
It's that Golden Auriole again - if only we could see it.
We have formulated a plan, not wishing to be here over another weekend, so we're off tomorrow to a small aire in Xaló that we passed on the way here.
It looked very snug, and Xaló looked like a nice place to explore, so we're off there tomorrow.
The road to Murla is now open - confirmed by a motorhomer here who drove that way on Wednesday.
The weather is changing, and they are forecasting temperatures of 40° plus inland, so I think we will be heading for the coast shortly - noisy or not!
We walked to Benimaurell at lunchtime to have a pizza in the only place that advertised itself as being open.
As you can guess, it was closed when we got there, as was the large hotel and restaurant.
We pinned all our hopes on the small bar up the back street being open - success, it was thriving.
We expected nothing more than a beer and a tapas, but once inside discovered that they were doing menu del dia - fantastic.
The poor waitress was on her own and tried bravely to serve everyone in the bar - drinkers and eaters.
We were in no rush, so were patient and went with the flow.
The €12 cost of a 3 course meal with wine was ridiculous, but we paid it anyway, and made sure that we left a good sized tip. Look at what we had for €12.
The food was delicious and could not be faulted, well done to that waitress, who actually finished the afternoon doing the cooking as well!!
It was a hot walk back slowly along the PR-CV147
to arrive back at Cervantes and find some shade to sit and cool down.
The washing done this morning is now in full sun, so it is just crisping up before we take it off and pack it away.
We will be sorry to leave Cámping Vall de Laguar, our stay has been excellent, and I think we've used every one of their numerous facilities.
Thursday 19/05/2022 Campell to Xaló
N38°44'34.2'' W000°00'56.2'' ///blues.cashless.correct
€5 per night, no electric, full service point, need to move on friday due to market on site, Mas y Mas supermarket next door.
15km in 38min
It's Thursday - tomorrow is the start of the weekend, and we know what that means, so we're off today to a small town we passed through on the way here - Xaló.
We noticed some motorhomes parked just off the main road, and some research told us that there was a motorhome aire there, and there looked to be plenty going on - so it was for there we set off.
We were told the road to Murla was now open by a German motorhomer who had come that way to the campsite on Tuesday.
So off we set, along a 6km single track road, up and down dale (only met by 2 vehicles coming the opposite way!) until we got to Murla, and would you believe it - the buggers were digging the road up and we couldn't get out.
They had an improvised exit route to get out, which made the road we had just come down look like a motorway.
With some tight turns and reversing, we managed to make it to the end - what are these people playing at? If they are going to dig up the only proper way out, do it at night or out of working hours, or is that too difficult?
Eventually, we got to Xaló, and opened the very large gate to access the aire. There are acres of room to park where you want.
Keeping us company is a huge motorhome cum hotel on wheels, and a converted Russian army truck from Wales with huge wheels.
It seems tranquil here, just a bit of road noise, but nothing serious.
We are right next door to a Mas y Mas supermarket, which is just what we wanted, so after a big shopping spree, we were off to town to see if anyone was offering a menu del dia.
We were shocked to find that just about everyone open had an offer on, so we were spoilt for choice. We closed our eyes and picked one, and very good it was too. You could eat out for a month here and not go in the same restaurant twice.
The temperature here is ramping up - it's forecast to be in the 40° range in the next couple of days, so I think we're heading for the relative coolness of the coast for the next few days - we may even go swimming!
I had a bit of trouble today firing up the laptop to download todays route, and the video of the approach to this aire in Xaló.
I had to google "my PC won't load" which told me to shut everything down, remove all peripheries (eg mouse) and change the power source.
I did all this (after 15 minutes of doing everything I could think of to get it started, and trying manfully not to hit it) and lo and behold, the correct screen came up and I was able to continue. What would we do (I do!) without google?
Just a word of warning - this big open space is used for a market on Saturdays, so all the motorhomes have to be moved to the side nearest the road on Friday evening (opposite to where we are parked). It also means that you can't leave until the market has packed up and left on Saturday night.
We got chatting to the driver of the army truck - it turns out that the truck is Russian, so as you can guess, the spares are a bit difficult to access. The turning circle is huge, and the 2.8 litre V8 engine drinks petrol. Luckily, the guy is a mechanic, and makes most of the parts to keep it running.
Friday 20/05/2022 Xaló to Dénia
N38°50'49.1'' E000°06'32.6'' ///muddy.assemble.fighters
€15 per night, no electric, plenty of spaces available, no services, purely parking. Very near to everything going on at the port. Town and castle are 5 minutes walk away.
27km in 47min
It was another trip to Mas y Mas supermarket first thing, then we set off for Dénia - if we had stayed until tomorrow, we would have had to move to the outside to let the market traders put up their stalls in the middle of the car park.
It was an uneventful trip, through some lovely countryside, and we were soon in the port car park of Dénia.
We seem to be the only motorhome here for some reason. There are no facilities, but the car park is secure and is only €15 for 24 hours.
We parked up and set off along the coast road to Dénia centre - we have never seen so many restaurants in one place before - there are 600 metres of side by side restaurants - how can you choose one?
It was the same one street back from the sea - unbelievable.
We were so overwhelmed with the choice, we just sat at the one nearest to us.
Further exploration took us to a bar serving Miró vermouth and a tapa for €2. It had to be done, so we entered and had a great 20 minutes of people watching - all sorts in there.
We were fortified to try the castle, and the climb up to it. We paid the princely sum of €2 each (old fogey rates) to go anywhere we wanted in the castle. The views from the top were stupendous - you could see for miles right along the coast.
The passenger ferry to one of the Balearic Islands was poised to go at 5pm, so that found us at 4:45pm next to it, watching the frantic hauling in of ropes, with a boatful of people on the top deck watching intently.
The bow thrusters kicked in and white water ensued from the ferry
-it then sailed majestically away with it's cargo of sun-seekers (they should have stayed here - it's boiling).
-it then sailed majestically away with it's cargo of sun-seekers (they should have stayed here - it's boiling).
There are so many restaurants here, I struggle to comprehend how everyone makes a living - the competition is unbelievable.
We strolled home through the ferry port, then along the sea (lots of people in the sea today) and back to Cervantes.
On our previous walk we had stumbled across a 100 metre long arcade full of small businesses doing every kind of street food you could imagine - what a find, we really didn't expect that.
Our plan is to go there tonight and try as many different ones as we can - they all look fantastic.
Saturday 21/05/2022 Dénia to Molinell
N38°53'10.4'' W000°02'22.7'' ///play.octane.reprised
Camping Rio Mar on crushed stone for €18 per night including electric. Full services, shop, restaurant, showers, toilets, 20 metres from the beach, access to pitches is rather tight.
17km in 29min
As expected, last night was one long party, seemingly outside our door. It went on all night to the small hours - it must be something genetic in the makeup of Spanish youths - if they came to UK in November they'd be in bed by 10pm!
It was no big deal to us as we were expecting it, and had catered accordingly (earphones in, and music/podcasts at the appropriate volume)
All was back to normal again in the morning, and we paid for our parking (€15) and were on our way to Rio Mar camping, which is practically on the beach.
It was an oldish campsite, and thus was very tight for manoeuvring, but we made it no problem.
We are literally 20 metres from the sand on the beach, which called for us to walk along the seaside, occasionally getting our feet wet (after a coffee in the campsite bar).
After a kilometre or so, we went inland and followed a small road running parallel with the sea, back to the campsite.
There is a restaurant on the campsite, and a restaurant next door to the campsite, so we have a couple of options to choose from.
However, today we had a "Buddah bowl" made by Glyn (yeah!) consisting of olive oil soaked bread, onions, avocado, smoked salmon (hot) and tomato - fantastic!
It's really quite quiet here, and as usual, the sun is shining down on us, and the temperature is ramping up.
Sunday 22/05/2022 Molinell
After a good walk on the beach last night, and an excellent one-pan meal in Remoskita, the night passed quietly with no excess noise - very impressed.
Up early, it was another walk on the beach - this time the other way (towards Dénia). Yesterday we went the other way (away from Dénia) and felt that the river flowing into the sea was not very clear, and was affecting the colour and quality of the sea.
Coffee and cake in the morning was excellent (both from the van) after our walk, as we watched what looked like a mass exodus from our part of the campsite - obviously they have to be in work tomorrow.
Today was a chilling day, so it was van cleaning (Glynis) and me hovering about trying to look useful.
After another amazing Buddhah bowl, we were reading outside when the TV in the caravan next to us came on at full volume.
We stuck it for 10 minutes, but it was obvious that it was not going to get any quieter.
I considered going and asking them if they could turn it down a touch, but they didn't seem very approachable - they'd previously walked straight past us outside our van - no recognition of us at all.
Our only option was to get the very nice receptionist to have a word, which he did, and the volume came down to an acceptable level.
They still didn't acknowledge us as they passed later, so no change there.
The campsite here is quite old, with a sandy floor (gets everywhere) and pitches that were quite difficult to get onto - no room to manoeuvre.
Remoskita came to the rescue for tea - what a superb piece of kit.
Monday 23/05/2022 Molinell
Another fabulously quiet night - very peaceful.
We took a walk along the road parallel to the sea from the campsite, but every bar or restaurant we passed was closed, so no eating out today. The only thing open was a very small, poorly stocked shop, but he did have some fresh bread, which we duly bought.
We walked home along the seashore and came to the river which flowed into the sea - brown and dirty as usual.
To our surprise, a Landrover towing a trailer with a generator in the back was parked alongside the river. 2 men with chest-high waders were in the river where it came out into the sea.
One man had a large paddle, connected by a very long (and hopefully waterproof) electric wire to the generator, the other carrying a very large bucket.
The generator was running, and the man with the mesh panel on the end of a long pole, was waving it about in the water, I presume to stun any fish that were in the river, and put them in the large bucket.
We watched them for a good 15 minutes, during which they caught nothing! We had no idea why he was doing this - it didn't seem very practical or effective - i would have thought a net placed from one bank to the other would have been a better way to catch any fish - and what was he going to do with them if he caught them?
We didn't fancy any of the choices at the campsite restaurant, so we broke open the Belota lomo we had bought in Xaló, with the bread we bought this morning, some olive oil and a glass of red wine - a meal fit for a king - excellent.
It's super hot here, even in the shade - there's some sort of heatwave going on at the moment, so we're in the shade most of the time.
We have decided to move on tomorrow to a small, finca-based aire for just 3 vans out in the wilds near Benimarfull.
The enormous coach just down the road from us that we squeezed past on the way in, roared into life. He attracted a proper crowd to watch him go, but it transpired that he was only going across the road into a gap that 99% of people would have said was too short, that had just been vacated by one that also looked too small to fit in.
After an eternity of backwards and forwards shuffling, he eventually somehow got it into the smallest of gaps for his size.
Tuesday 24/05/2022 Molinell to Benimarfull
N38°46'25.8'' W000°23'55.9'' ///chaotic.mingle.diverse
Aire for 3 vans on gravel for €10 per night. Electric is metered. No services, so no emptying or filling. Free WiFi
Very quiet in the middle of the countryside, lovely hosts.
69km in 1hr 19min
Ironically, the two gents next door started their car for real this morning (they started it every day for a minute - goodness knows what for - the energy needed from the battery to start the car will not be replaced in a minute!), and it just caught before the battery died, so they drove smokily into the sunrise.
We too are going today, to a small finca that takes just 3 vans. They have metered electric, but no waste facilities or access to water, so we took care of that before we left Rio Mar camping.
The gent on the reception desk was superb - nothing was too much trouble, and he was a true asset to this somewhat dated campsite.
After we had used the desagüe (grey water drain) and the quimico (black water drain), we slowly extracted ourselves through the narrow lanes between pitches, and got onto a tarmac road.
A quick diversion to Lidl in Oliva had us stocked with food and drink, and it was onwards and upwards to our 3 motorhome finca.
The welcome we got from Barbara was lovely, including the huge dog (Bart) who was a big softie, and soon settled down.
Cervantes was reversed down a crushed stone slope to park next to the tables and chairs on a raised platform,
also near the electric point (paid for now due to the ridiculous price of energy at the moment).
We have a tremendous view from Cervantes - fields of fruit trees and distant mountains, and it's very quiet! - just as we like it - we're the only ones here.
What a feast we had, courtesy of the wizard in the kitchen (Glynis). Rocket, avocado, tomato, onion, olives, bonito del norte (tuna from the north), wholemeal bread and olive oil - what's not to like?
followed by raspberries, apricots and cherries, (and cava!) Fruit and veg is king!!
As predicted, the rain came at 4pm with a vengeance - it's a good job we look at the weather in advance, or we really would have been caught out.
6pm and it's still heavy rain, and it's forecast to stop at 2am tomorrow morning. Lots of thunder, but no lightning - at least the fruit trees are getting a good drink!
Before the rain, as we were eating outside, we caught, out of the corner of our eye, a flash of black and white landing in a shrub just in front of us. Glyn identified it immediately as a Pied Flycatcher because it kept jumping from its low perch to the ground to pick up various insects - what a girl!! It hung around for a couple of minutes to make sure we had seen it, then off it flew to who knows where - another tick in the bird book!
Tonight's film was "In the heat of the night" starring Rod Steiger and Sidney Poitier - excellent.
Wednesday 25/05/2022 Benimarfull
After a very quiet night which was quite cold to us (it was 11° outside), we woke to bright, hot sunshine.
The bird Glyn identified yesterday as a Pied Flycatcher had another visit, and due to it's size and colouring, was re-classed as a Stonechat - definitely! We hadn't seen Stonechats collect food from the ground before.
Barbara gave us a key for the gate, so we can come and go as we like. Our plan today was a walk and a visit to Benimarfull - the town up the road from us here.
The walking was excellent - a perfect temperature in the sun, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable. Glyn planned a circular route taking us up to the top of the range of hills we could see from Cervantes.
The views from the top of the hills were spectacular, and the bonus was that we only saw one car in the whole of our walk - brilliant.
Benimarfull is a very quiet town with not much going on. There are 2 bars in the town, one shut and the other looking too much like a dive, we gave it a miss.
Instead we called into the bakers and got some excellent homemade bread and homemade pizza which we took back and ate outside Cervantes, watching the dark clouds roll in - we were back just in time.
Bart, the resident dog here soon sniffed out that we had some food, so was soon sitting next to us (he is so big, our heads were on the same level as his!) waiting for some pizza. We eventually gave him some crusts which lasted 0.1 seconds - he's a big dog! and a big softie.
Glyn is already planning the route for tomorrow's walk - somewhere near the reservoir we saw on the distance today.
There is no grey or black water disposal here, and no showers or toilets, so we need to be frugal with our water usage. We knew this before we came, so filled and emptied as necessary before we came here.
Thursday 26/05/2022 Benimarfull
Another surprisingly cold night (we didn't feel it thanks to our duvet) at 8°, but we are 416 metres above sea level here.
The sun did a good job of warming everything up at sunrise, so we are planning our last walk today.
Yesterday we spotted a reservoir further up the valley, so Glyn mapped out a circular to and around it.
Our plan was thwarted when we got to the river feeding the reservoir - the recent floods had demolished the road over the river - no through road!
We had planned to go to the village of Alcocer de Planes on the other side of the river, but that was now a no-go.
We passed a grass field airstrip on our way here, and as we passed on the way back, a small light airplane was just taking off - he just made it before the runway ran out!
Walking back through Benimarfull, we tried once again to get a drink at the swimming pool cafe, but once again were told it was closed, in spite of people in there eating and drinking - what is their problem? do they have enough money already?
Walking home along the quiet roads, we returned to find Bart the dog outside Cervantes. He is 10 years old and has been partially blind from birth, but boy, has he got good ears - he can hear a crisp packet at 100 metres.
We tried to book a campsite near to the town of Barx Camping La Falaguera which looked suitably remote and quiet. Unfortunately they were closed for 2 weeks, so an alternative was needed, as we are leaving here tomorrow.
We looked elsewhere around the Sierra de Mariola National Park on the Camper Contact app on my phone, and came across one just on the edge of the park in Alfafara, so we're off there tomorrow to rendezvous with Ricardo, the owner.
There is a wedding venue just up the road from us here, so we had an evening walk to see it - very spectacular with a huge private drive leading to a massive building - it must hold hundreds of people.
It's not easy to get to, but I imagine the inside is something special.
Friday 27/05/2022 Benimarfull to Alfafara
N38°47'00.8'' W000°33'09.9'' ///hotspot.mammal.readier
€18 plus €5 electric per day. Space for 16 motorhomes on grass, shower and toilet, full service point, very friendly owner, great walking area.
20km in 30min
It was time to say goodbye to Barbara, our host, and Bart our guard dog - sleeping in front of our motorhome door to protect us.
We have had a wonderfully quiet, peaceful time here, and have gone on some lovely walks - what a relaxing place - highly recommended.
We were back on the road at 10am for the short journey to Camperpark Alfafara, and our superb host Ricardo.
We phoned him yesterday to book a place on the campsite here, and were outside the door at 11am.
It was a straightforward drive to here on some interesting roads, and at an elevated height - we're currently parked at 550 metres above sea level.
Ricardo couldn't do enough for us - he had a translation app on his phone from Spanish to English. We understood what he said in Spanish, but he persevered with the app, and gave us a good laugh with his Spanish pronunciation of English words.
We are the only ones here at the moment - it's fantastic, and there is acres of room to park (on grass), where we are confident of getting off the grass. It's 35° here, so I don't think we'll get stuck in the mud.
He has a shower and toilet for males, and one for females, grey and black water disposal fresh water, electricity and a raised pool.
He also took orders for bread and cakes for tomorrow morning.
Just before we went into the town of Alfafara, he gave us some fantastic info about the surrounding area, with maps and info about the walking from the campsite - what a nice man!
Once in town we had found where to eat and drink. We settled on a nice quiet restaurant on the slopes of the adjacent cliffs. We just had a drink, as no food was on offer today, but tomorrow is OK, so we'll be here then.
The excellent maps that Ricardo had given us showed a multitude of routes - it would have taken us a week to walk all of them.
Barbara, in our last stop, had mentioned the "Cova de les Finestres", caves outside Alfafara, so we plan tomorrow to go to the caves (2 of the walking routes that Ricardo had given us), and be back in time to go to the restaurant we previously found, to have a meal.
Meanwhile, we are the only ones here, which feels really special - we have a view to die for, and everything we need to hand - how lucky are we?
Our host, Ricardo, came to our van in the afternoon and presented us with 4 free-range eggs from hens at the end of the motorhome parking area.
He invited us to a paella meal tomorrow night - we told him we didn't eat meat - no problem, he said. It was €7 each, and he said it would be fideua, which is like paella but made with pasta and fish. He didn't mention wine, but we'll take a bottle or two anyway. I hope we're in a fit state after our walk to the cave - I'm sure we'll be fine.
Saturday 28/05/2022 Alfafara
It was a bit chilly last night, which was expected, considering the height we're at.
Ricardo was round first thing with a baton of fresh bread, and 2 cakes for breakfast, which we had ordered from him last night. They were a bargain at €2.80, and went straight into our rucksack to have on our walk.
It was another blisteringly hot day today, so we set off early with said food and 2 bottles of water, heading for the caves.
We walked some excellent trails, all on route thanks to Ricardos maps, and eventually got to the steep hill down to the caves.
The zig-zag, stony path to the bottom of the hill got steeper and steeper, with precipitous drops on one side, until we had second thoughts about reaching the bottom (Barbara had said to enter the caves you had to be on your hands and knees) if all we were to see was the cave entrance, so we climbed back up the track, and carried on to the town of Alfafara.
We had a welcome beer, and watched the military might of Spain on the bar TV as Spain celebrated it's Armed Forces day with planes, troops and armoured vehicles, parachutes and marching regiments, all watched by the royal family.
Back at Cervantes we had the fresh eggs of yesterday on our breakfast bread - fantastic.
We sought out the shade for the rest of the afternoon, and caught up with some reading, ready for tonight's meal with Ricardo and his wife.
7:30pm, and Ricardo came to fetch us to his house where a table was laid outside the front door.
Inside was an enormous paella pan on a huge, free-standing gas burner. It was full of seafood and fideua, and looked fantastic.
His lovely wife, Isabel, was the masterchef, whilst Ricardo was the entertainer, which they both excelled at.
The fideua was put in the centre of the table, and everybody had a spoon to help themselves - no plates - you ate a spoonful at a time, in the true Spanish way.
Accompanied by bread, salad, wine and good company, it was an excellent evening.
We practiced our Spanish, and laughed with Ricardo at his pronunciation of English using his translation app on his phone. He had the last laugh though at our Spanish pronunciation! We all laughed so much, it was great fun.
Eventually to bed to watch the Champions League football final on Spanish TV, which Liverpool sadly lost, but it was a good game.
The days are scorching here, and the nights get a bit chilly when the sun goes down, but a blanket is all that's needed.
Sunday 29/05/2022 Alfafara
We have a neighbour here!! A couple with caravan and 2 children arrived last night to share this excellent place.
This is our last day here, so we took advantage of the excellent walking around here (thank you for the excellent walking maps Ricardo), and climbed up the hillside on the other side of the valley from us.
It was a little bit scrambly to go up, but once at the top the views were spectacular.
We climbed to the fountain pouring water out of the hillside,
then walked further up to some caves that looked just right for a bear to be in.
None seen, thank goodness, so we made our way down to the town of Alfafara, where a brass band was playing to celebrate the confirmation of some young girls in the local church.
We bypassed the local bar to head back to Cervantes to give our feet a rest, and have a cold drink.
The sun is beating down again, and any outdoor exercise after 2pm would be disastrous in terms of heat and dehydration, so we timed that just right.
We're so glad we came here - the blog is called the Quiet Places Tour, and that's exactly what we've got here - to sit in silence and listen to the birdsong is a rarity in Spain, but we've found a couple of places on this tour that we've had exactly that - fantastic!! Not to everyone's taste I know, but it is ideal for us.
The caravan went this afternoon, leaving us on our own again for another blissfully quiet night on our own here. We were so lucky to find this site - superb walking country and a brilliant aire - well done Ricardo and Isabel.
Monday 30/05/2022 Alfafara to Home
Ricardo has gone to Barcelona, so it was Isabel who surprised us this morning with 6 of the freshest eggs we could get - what a gesture - they really are nice people.
We emptied grey, black and fresh water here, then drove Cervantes straight back to the storage in La Ribera campsite, moved everything needed from Cervantes to the car, then drove home.
We've got a bit of a heatwave going on here, and it's baking hot outside, so we're just chilling today.
We were looking for quiet, secluded places on this trip, and we certainly found some corkers. We can thoroughly recommend the places we stayed, especially Barbara in Benimarfull, and Ricardo and Isabel in Alfafara. They really went the extra mile to make sure everything was just right - which it was!
We will certainly return in the future, and stay for a bit longer.
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