After our 3 months of enforced imprisonment by Covid, it came as a blessing when we were finally released, so decided to celebrate by going on tour in our neglected motorhome - Cervantes.
We had him in storage in a different province (Murcia) to where we live (Alicante), so we were unable to visit and keep an eye on him.After our last outing in February/March resulted in a starter battery replacement (quite expensive at €200 with substandard workmanship), we were anxious to see if all was well and charged up.
Despite being filthy with dust and sand, we were relieved when it started on the very first turn of the key.
All was well after a good wash, and we were left with the residual problems bequeathed to us by the “Fiat Professional” garage in Valencia where our new battery was fitted. The display by the habitation door no longer showed the state of charge of the newly replaced starter battery. This was no big deal, but the real problem was that the fridge would no longer run on 12V. We’ve had to run it on gas ever since, which is fine, apart from all the gas it uses, and the problems that filling the motorhome with diesel it causes.
Obviously gas, naked flames and ignition sparks are not good bedfellows with fuel stations, so prior to visiting a fuel station we had to park, turn off the gas at the bottle, wait for the 2 or 3 attempts of the burner to light, and wait for the red flashing warning light on the fridge to appear.
Then, and only then, was it safe to enter the fuel station.
After first calling in to our local garage to have our wheels rotated (rears to front and fronts to rear) we called in at Autocaravanas Navarro in Murcia where we bought Cervantes from new.
Always super-helpful and a mine of information, as expected, our brilliant friend the mechanic had the battery problem solved in 2 minutes - the “mechanics” in Valencia had failed to replace a fuse on the positive take-off post on the new battery - all is now working perfectly.
Pepi, the owner, has now ordered us a new offside Polyplastic window to replace the current one which is de-laminating all along the top seam, and leaking like a sieve - she did it with no fuss, no bother, priced up and ordered and a delivery date settled - it’s brilliant to work with professionals who know what they are doing, and care enough to show it.
TOTAL TOUR STATISTICS
- Distance Travelled 1300km
- Travelling time 22hr 46min
- Amount of fuel used 114.06 litres
- Cost of fuel used €130.46
- Average fuel consumption 8.7 l/100km (32.46mpg)
- Nights away 25
- Nights in free aires 7
- Nights in paid aires 4 at a cost of €35
- Nights in campsites 13 at a cost of €247.54
- Nights in free overnight parking 1
- Times we heard Bee Eaters 5
- Times we saw Bee Eaters 1
You can see YouTube videos of the approaches to all the aires and campsites we have stayed in here, and an interactive map of all the places we have ever stayed here.
Tuesday 14/07/2020 Home to Murcia (Ikea)
N38°01’45.3’’ W001°08’53.8’’ Free aire on block paving with 40+ spaces. Free fill and empty, no electric, surrounded by shops.
66km in 1hr 5min
It was an early start this morning to be at the garage at 9am to have the wheels rotated. The fronts take all the wear of driving and steering, whilst the rears just chug along behind.
The fronts were getting worn, and the rears were still fine, so after this trip I think 4 new ones will be in order.
Then on to Murcia to Autocaravanas Navarro to ask Pepi if she could order a new window for us, and ask the mechanic if he could have a look at our fridge problem - nothing is too much trouble for them, and they had us sorted within an hour!
So it was on to the aire on Ikea car park, and an afternoon of retail therapy in the many clothes shops (Glyn) and Ikea (me).
We just missed a massive thunderstorm at mid-day (having a coffee) with ear-splitting thunder and spectacular lightning.
Cervantes is driving like a dream - never missing a beat, filling us with confidence that we can drive as far as we want, as long as we want, if needed.
Wednesday 15/07/2020 Murcia to Almansa
N38°52’05.6’’ W001°06’20.6’’ Free 2 space aire on tarmac, each with a water drain, at the railway station. No water, electric or chemical waste disposal. Town centre is 5 minutes walk away, great castle.
136km in 1hr 54min
A quiet(ish) night with only 7 motorhomes on this enormous aire, and it was up and about early for some more shopping and an excellent cup of coffee.
Everything in the van is performing excellently - long may it continue!
We were off by 11am up the Cieza valley, then towards Albacete to our aire today in Almansa.
The aire has only 2 spaces, each with a grey-water drain. There is no water, no electric and no chemical toilet drain.
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| 2 spaces, no service point |
It’s a scorcher today, and our walk to town ended with us in the shade having a 3 course menu del dia (€10!) with wine, only slightly spoiled by a table of 4 men next to us, one of whom was talking really, really, really loud. Whether it was an affliction (I think not because he was speaking normally sometimes), or perhaps he was just playing the big man, I don’t know, but I do know he got very irritating after 30 minutes non-stop.
It didn’t spoil our day, but we would have been better without him.
Thursday 16/07/2020 Almansa to Ayora (El Nogal)
N39°03’26.4’’ W001°01’57.1’’ Private finca, €10 per night on scorched scrubland (massive area), service point if needed. Unmade road access. Fantastic views, ultra quiet, use of swimming pool. Electric if needed.
25km in 34min
There are only 2 spaces here, so we expected some company at some stage of the evening last night. Another motorhome did drive very slowly past us, but were obviously not impressed with us, and proceeded to carry on and park 100 metres away on some wasteground - everyone to their own.
There was only one freight train overnight (quite loud!), and a couple of buses arriving at the adjacent bus station, so only like being next to a main road.
It was up early this morning, with a cup of tea outside watching the many learner drivers practicing their hill-starts on the adjacent slope - great fun, and most of them were very good.
We had a couple of places to go today in mind, and set off for the first one - Ayora town centre aire, which was a lane parallel to the busy N330 road, with space for 5 vans, and a full service point.
The road was very busy, so we phoned the next place we had in mind - El Nogal, a remote Dutch-owned finca high in the hills above Ayora.
The very helpful owner gave us good directions, and told us she was not at home, but we were welcome to use the swimming pool and leave the €10 in the letter box when we left! - now there’s trust for you.
The access roads were unmade, but OK if you took it slowly.
The parking field was huge, and we were the only ones here, so the fridge facing north was no problem.
After a cooling dip in the pool, and some excellent (as usual) food rustled up by Glyn, it was time for bed in glorious silence (now that’s quite rare)
Friday 17/07/2020 Ayora (El Nogal)
It’s so remote here - no street lights, no dogs barking (well, only one), no traffic, no neighbours - it was paradise.
Added to which, the night sky is unbelievable - who would have thought there were so many stars up there!
After a lie-in (because we could) it was strong coffee, then a walk to the town of Ayora, and back home through some up and down terrain.
On our walk, we heard a Golden Auriole, with it’s distinctive call of WEEAAH WEEOO, but could we see it - could we heck. To compensate, Glyn later saw one fly past the van, so we know they’re here.
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| How could we miss this? |
Another dip in the pool had our temperatures back to normal, and we could crack on with replacing the wheel-trims we had previously taken off to have the wheels rotated - what a difference they make to the appearance of the van.
We really love the solitude of this area - so much nature and open countryside, we will be sorry to leave and get back into the hustle and bustle of Spanish town life.
It looks like there is a thunderstorm brewing near Cofrentes in the distance - I wonder if it’s coming our way?
We are amazed at the fantastic flying swift show every night - absolutely fantastic.
Saturday 18/07/2020 Ayora (El Nogal) to Torrebaja
N40°05’35.5’’ W001°15’22.1’’ Free aire for 6 vans on gravel/grass, grey and black water drain 100m away, no fresh water, no electric. Near a bar/cafe, next to a botanical garden.
155km in 2hr 42min
We are sad to leave El Nogal this morning - we hope to be back here one day - it is fabulous.
After emptying and filling at the aire in Ayora, we were on the road north. What a fantastic driving road this is (the N330) through Jalance and Cofrentes, past the nuclear power station, then on through Requena and Utiel.
With superb scenery and a good, fast, smooth(ish) road, it’s a pleasure to drive it.
Our aire today was just outside the town of Torrebaja, and according to Campercontact comments, it was a bit difficult to find!
I think that must be the understatement of the year - it’s almost impossible to find, and it’s even harder to drive to it!!
The sat-nav tried its best, but every turn-off from the main road was far too narrow to go down.
After 10 minutes of searching every road, we found one that was driveable, until the next narrow one appeared. There were no signs anywhere, and when we did eventually find a decent way through (after first walking the route!!), the aire was nowhere to be found.
We eventually located the service point amid used condoms and dog sh*t, so didn’t want to stay there.
We were all for moving on because we couldn’t find the aire (the “aire in 100 metre” signs were pointing in the wrong direction!), when with a quick glance to my left, I saw the back of a Burstner motorhome.
Walking up the lane to it (the signs were covered with black plastic bin bags - they obviously didn’t want anything to do with motorhomes here) we came across 5 vans and 4 huge trees, next to a tennis court and behind a botanical garden, leading to a bar/cafe.
It was a bit tight to get in round the trees, but we made it in the end, and it’s frankly quite a nice spot, quiet, and next to a rushing stream.
I appreciate that Covid 19 shut down many businesses and facilities, but when they come back to life and are up and running again (as this aire is), it would be nice to have some signs telling you how to get there, and how to find it!!
Sunday 19/07/2019 Torrebaja to Teruel
N40°19’58.0’’ W001°05’08.4’’ Free aire on tarmac with 30 big spaces, full service point, tree shade, no electric. Al Campo supermarket 2 mins away. Very safe and secure parking.
38km in 54min
The aire became very full last night , with van after van cramming into the most unlikely spaces - I wondered how anyone was going to get out again.
It was a really quiet night (which we didn’t expect with all the chattering newcomers here), so that was a bonus.
After a coffee and a tidy up, we were on our way to the hilltop village of Cella to stay at the aire there.
We had read about a new aire opening in Teruel, so decided to call in on the way to Cella and have a look at it.
We were very pleasantly surprised at the thought that had gone into its building.
A 2m high fence all around, lockable double gates, a properly designed service point, 30 parking bays big enough for motorhomes, and enough trees to have shade if you want it, sun if you didn’t. It obviously had had some input from someone who owned and used a motorhome.
The aire looked so good and modern, we decided to stay for the night and carry on to Cella tomorrow.
It was many years since we had walked around Teruel centre, so off we trekked on the 25 minute walk to the heart of the city.
The cafe bars were doing a roaring business, so we had to join in and slake our thirst with an ice-cold beer (well - it is 33°c)
We wandered the back streets and the main squares, taking in the tremendous history of Teruel - there really are some fantastic old buildings here.
After walking all that way, we decided to make a day of it and have a menu del dia in one of the many squares.
Our choice turned out to be spot-on with 3 excellent courses and a bottle of excellent white wine cost us the princely sum of €14 each - fantastic value.
We battled our way uphill, back to Cervantes in the 35° heat, and were glad to collapse in a heap in the corner and re-hydrate.
As the evening wore on, the wind got stronger and stronger, nearly tearing a badly opened awning on an adjacent van over the top of the roof.
Luckily we were nose-first into the wind, so it was just like going down the motorway at 100kph.
When the wind did finally abate, the rain started, but did not last long.
The aire is next to a lorry park, so there is some noise from their engines, but it’s nothing to worry about.
Monday 20/07/2020 Teruel to Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales.
N40°30’02.1’’ W001°35’38.1’’ €:22 per night including electric, highest campsite in Spain at 1727m, in a pine forest. Showers, toilets, bar, restaurant. Excellent walking.
75km in 1hr 21min
We stocked-up at the Al Campo supermarket this morning, and pushed the trolley back to Cervantes to unload it - it’s that near!
Our destination was the aire at the “hilltop village” of Cella (according to one comment in Campercontact)
Although it was at 1010m of altitude, it wasn’t exactly on top of a hill, neither was it ready to receive motorhomes.
The service point was there, but the parking area was a work in progress, yet to be finished. I’ve no doubt it will be very nice once it’s done.
We made some coffee in the van, then moved on to Camping Las Corralizas, just outside the village of Bronchales, purported to be the highest campsite in Spain at 1727m.
The approach on the A1511 was superb, 30 minutes of driving through wild landscape on a very good road, just passing through a couple of very small, isolated villages - really in the middle of nowhere.
The sat-nav was trying to send us up some ridiculously narrow streets, so I asked at the tourist office what was the best approach to the campsite.
A nice, helpful young lady had us going straight through the town, then up a very steep, hairpin-bend road to the campsite.
We are currently under the pine trees in the shade of the 30°+ sun, enjoying a cold beer - bliss!
Tuesday 21/07/2020 Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales
We found it hard to sleep last night - there was no noise, the stars were amazing, and we felt totally safe, but still no sleep - who knows?
It was nearly 10am when we got up - 3 hours past our normal rising time, and we felt OK for it.
Our plan today was to walk around this huge site in the woods, then walk into Bronchales to explore the town.
The site seemed to go on for ever into the forest - some of the campers were a good 10 minutes walk away from the reception/bar/restaurant area.
On our walk we spotted a signed path to the town centre, so were soon heading downhill for 2.7km into the town centre of Bronchales.
There was a huge bottled water plant just outside the town, where I presume everyone who lives here works at.
There were a few bars/cafes in town, so we explored the streets, and settled on one we had passed on the way in yesterday.
They advertised homemade and wood-fire cooked pizzas, so we ordered 2 and a bottle of red.
The waitress informed us that 2 pizzas were 1 too many for the 2 of us - they were very big, divided into 8 slices, so plenty for 2 people. We took her advice and ordered one quatro quesos (4 cheeses)
It took an hour to come because they were firing up the wood-fired pizza oven, and getting it to temperature, then it only took 5 minutes to cook.
Boy, was it good - I can honestly say that it was the best pizza I have ever had - superb. (and the cold red wine in an ice bucket was also excellent!)
The walk back up the hill was a bit of a trudge, but we got there in the end, and are now sat outside Cervantes drinking copious amounts of iced water, and planning what we will do tomorrow.
How exciting to be free to do what we want, when we want, for as long as we want - we do realise how lucky we are!
Wednesday 22/07/2020 Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales
The thunder and lightning show, accompanied by machine-gun rain on the roof wakened us at 2.30am
My first thought was (as usual) how are we going to get out of our parking spot. We’re facing uphill so much so that we have the ramps under the rear wheels, and we’re basically parked on dust and pine needles.
I envisaged a sea of mud when we looked out later, but surprisingly the ground had absorbed most of the rain, and it was quite firm.
Every time I put my foot out of the door, it seemed to start again automatically, so I got wet 3 times in a row.
I did however discover the motorhome service point in this vast campsite, so I’ll try and get some water, in between the showers.
The rain stopped eventually at 3pm, and we were itching to get out of the van.
The temperature went down to a low of 13.2° overnight, and reached a high of 35.7° today, so quite a range!
We had mapped out a walk to Sierra Alta - the highest point in the Sierra de Albarracín mountain range we were in.
The peak plateaued at 1856m with an absolutely stunning 360° panoramic view - breathtaking.
Cervantes is parked at 1727m, quite a height as evidenced by the kettle taking twice as long to boil on the gas hob.
We returned from the top via a path through the woods leading to the mushroom trail - not yet in season, but a great walk none the less, in a total of 6.7km in 11744 steps.
Thursday 23/07/2020 Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales
Another quiet night - it really is very nice here - a great place to stay.
We provisionally planned another walk today, but events overtook us, and we spent most of the day on housekeeping and maintenance.
The water we took in at El Nogal had a strange taste, so we emptied and replaced it, emptied the quimico, gave the van a good clean inside and out, and re-arranged some of our storage boxes - all very boring I know, but these things have to be done.
People are coming and going here all the time, and the cafe/bar seems to be doing good business.
There is good, free WiFi here, so we can keep an eye on developments around Spain regarding phases of lockdown - as in most countries, some areas are going backwards.
This obviously has a knock-on effect on where we go next, and how we get there - strange times indeed!
Friday 24/07/2020 Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales
What a bizarre night last night!
We were in our drop-down bed at midnight, both reading our kindles with the above-bed light on, when a grey moth came flapping over our heads.
Glyn thought it was a spider, so exited pretty quickly (as did I). We both got up and hunted for the moth - all lights on, including the phone flashlight.
Could we find it? - could we heck - it could be anywhere.
After 15 minutes of looking everywhere, we were back in bed with all the lights off, reading again, thinking that the dark would make it stay in one place until first light tomorrow.
We could hear the thing flapping about and banging into things, so put the light on again, and waited for it to appear.
10 minutes later it flapped over our heads, and this time I managed to catch it and dispose of it.
Safe at last we thought, so off to bed yet again - peace at last.
I couldn’t believe it when another bloody grey moth came flapping round our heads!
I knew it wasn’t the first one, because unfortunately that one had gone to the great moth graveyard in the sky.
Where were these things coming from?
Luckily I managed to clobber this one as well, but now the thought was - how many more are there?
Cervantes has been in storage for more than 3 months - have we got an engine bay full of chrysalises? How are they getting in? Are they all going to pupate and flood the van like a swarm of locusts?
As you can imagine, not very conducive to going to sleep, so it was a bit of a restless night - waiting for the other shoe to drop!
We fell asleep eventually and slept soundly.
We’ve decided to stay another couple of nights here, and have booked a campsite near Teruel in the Sierra de Albarracín - should be cool enough in the coming heatwave.
A 4km walk today through some stunning scenery - huge rock formations and massive rockfalls. Great to walk through, and we never saw another walker all day.
It’s still very sunny here at 1727m, although it can change to overcast and cloudy in the blink of an eye.
Saturday 25/07/2020 Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales
AAaaarrrrrrrgh !!!!!!! I can’t believe that last night there was another moth in!
Are they coming in during the day? - I thought they were all asleep then.
Are they hatching out in the van somewhere?
Why here and now, and not where we’ve been previously on this trip?
Thank goodness Glyn is taking all this in her stride, and accepting it for what it is (what is it?)
Yesterday the hordes of Spaniards descended on the campsite from lunchtime onwards, thus the noise level went up a bit, but nothing to be worried about.
It’s another lovely sunny day here today - blue sky, green trees, no wind - perfect.
Bronchales is situated in the middle of nowhere - we drove over 30 minutes through empty countryside to get here. The population of Bronchales, I would imagine, work at the water factory just outside the village, where they source, process and bottle “Bronchales Water”
We had a walk down to the village, and were surprised to see a street market in full swing, and very busy.
We had a drink in a lovely tree-shaded courtyard of the Hotel Suiza - very nice.
We took the complete mushroom trail back to the campsite, making our walk 6.3km in 11138 steps - enough for today I think - now time for a read and a relax in the sun.
Sunday 26/07/2020 Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales
Hurrah - no moths last night!!, although we did remove one from the van at 4pm.
It was on the step inside the van at the habitation door entrance - I assume that’s where they’ve been getting in all the time, so from now on the door is shut all the time we’re here - fingers crossed it works!!
All the music stopped at midnight again, so that was good, and all the children seem to be elsewhere this morning, so it’s a nice quiet time to catch up with some reading.
We’ve just had the shocking news that the UK has imposed a 14 day quarantine on anyone flying from Spain, effective immediately - no warning!!
We are due to fly back to UK in 7 weeks, so this is terrible news, and our pregnant daughter with child and husband are due out to us in Spain in 8 weeks - disaster.
We’re so missing seeing our grandson - I think we’ll just go and take the consequences - if the quarantine checking is anything like the “track and trace” fiasco on the Isle of Wight, it’ll be another disaster.
Monday 27/07/2020 Camping Las Corralizas, Bronchales to Camping Algarbe, Terriente.
N40°18’28.8’’ W001°31’22.3’’ €15.86 per night, including electric, on grass, mostly sloping in pine forest, no pitches so park anywhere. Water, toilets, showers, service point, bar/cafe/restaurant just outside. Excellent walking.
125km in 2hr 15min
We’ve been here in Bronchales for 7 nights, so thought it was time to move on.
We had Whatsapped and phoned Camping Algarbe and they said “no problem - anytime”
So we paid our bill (€152.16) which was very reasonable for the time of year and the facilities, and worked out at €22 per night, which included electric.
Our first port of call was the aire in Teruel we had previously stayed at, to use the service point, then a fill with diesel, and on to park in Al Campo car park and give them €120 in exchange for beer, wine, bread, fruit, veg, etc.
Then it was on our way to the ultra-remote campsite of Camping Algarbe, 4km from the quaint village of Terriente.
The campsite is huge, and arriving at 3pm, we just caught the owner on his way out to book us in and explain the workings of the site - a nice man.
We chose where we wanted to park - there are no pitches and no markings - just go where you want.
We got level with ramps at the back for a change, plugged in the electric and broke out the cold beers in this 39° heat - wonderful.
There is no bar/cafe/restaurant here, so the noise level should be much less than Bronchales - we shall see!!
Tuesday 28/07/2020 Camping Algarbe, Terriente.
It was very quiet last night - just as we like it.
Awake to welcome another sunny 30°+ day, we decided to explore the surrounding area, so put on the appropriate footwear, opened MapsMe on the tablet, and set off into the unknown.
There was a proper path to follow, which turned out to be the PR-TE3 footpath. It passed the Merendero restaurant which had a spring-fed swimming pool - very cool.
Unfortunately the restaurant (with the bar in it!) was closed, so we continued our walk along the wetlands in the valley - very picturesque, and a great walk.
Unfortunately we only have MapsMe on one phone and the battery ran out so we weren’t sure how to make our way back.
We stumbled across a bridge over a stream to a recreational area with covered car parking, a stone barbeque building and a very old, large building containing a bar and restaurant - what a find!
Next to the building were steps leading up to the campsite we were in !!! Unbelievable - we knew nothing about this.
Having discovered this, we felt it would be extremely rude not to give them some business, so after an early coffee there, we dived straight into a very cold beer at a very reasonable price. Totally unexpected !!
Wednesday 29/07/2020 Camping Algarbe, Terriente.
Another very quiet night last night - perfect!
The climate here is superb. We’re at an altitude of 1410m, and even in 35°+ temperatures of the day, when you’re in the shade, the humidity varies from 10 - 30%, so you’re not hot and sticky.
The temperature at night dropped to a minimum of 15°, so it’s ideal for sleeping - maybe need a cover on at 3am.
There are many comings and goings from here, but nothing to spoil the atmosphere, which is superb.
We had a flypast last night from either an F16 or a Typhoon - it was really too high to see, but you could definitely hear it !!
We are equidistant here from Albacete, Madrid and Zaragoza - it could have come from any of those military bases - hope to see it again tonight.
We explored another walk today, following the SL-RE9 long distance path (walking, cycling or horseriding) for 3km, then back to the cafe/restaurant for a cold beer, after walking 6km (8709 steps)
We were there at lunchtime, and noticed there was a menu del dia menu outside, so we have booked for tomorrow.
As predicted, the fighter jets came over again - very impressive.
We got some supplies from the frozen produce van that comes round the campsite once a week, and some bread from the daily bread woman.
We really like it here, it has everything we like, and the climate is just right - I think we’ll move here ☺
Thursday 30/07/2020 Camping Algarbe, Terriente.
More fighter jets overhead this morning, although too high to see.
We have a Facetime call booked with our grandson tonight, so looking forward to that immensely.
On our walk today we turned left out of the campsite, up the hill. The signpost said Terriente was 4km away. We’d done 2km by the time we got to the top of the hill, where there was a choice of 2 routes - both a further 2km. One on the single track road, and one on the SL-RE9 long distance footpath, both going to Terriente.
This will be our route tomorrow, but today we headed back to the campsite, and our reservation at the restaurant just outside.
The 3 course menu del dia with a bottle of wine was €16 each, and the food was excellent - we didn’t really know what to expect - there is no competition within 10km of here, so they were really in charge of what they served and charged.
Happy to say that it was real value for money, and we would recommend this to anyone.
Back at Cervantes it was blowing a gale (warm wind though) knocking over the chairs and table, so the awning was rolled in pretty quick.
It’s still very quiet here - what a place.
Friday 31/07/2020 Camping Algarbe, Terriente.
Gale-force winds and an unexpected rain shower had us running inside last night, but 15 minutes later we were out in the hot sun again.
We were headed for the nearest village to us today - Terriente.
We took the road outside the campsite to the top of the hill, then turned onto the PR-TE3 long distance footpath which led us into Terriente.
The central church dominated everything around it - unfortunately locked up, but still very impressive from the outside.
There was just one bar in the village (very cold beer) and a bread shop (closed). It also had a Casa Rural and a restaurant (both closed) There were many empty buildings in need of restoration, and also some that had been fully restored to a very high standard.
We followed the PR-TE3 all the way back to the campsite, and found we had walked 9.78km in 3hrs 5min.
Today is a big exodus day when the Spanish traditionally set off on their holidays, clogging the motorways, and generally causing mayhem.
I don’t know if the current Covid conditions will diminish this exodus, and if this campsite will be a destination - later on today we will see.
Saturday 01/08/2020 Camping Algarbe, Terriente.
Well, if we thought yesterday was busy with arrivals, today is x10.
From being a tranquil, quiet campsite, it’s transformed itself into a party animal.
Tents, caravans, tables everywhere, with music and chatter everywhere - great if you like that sort of thing - a need to get away if you don’t.
We walked on the only road around here we haven’t been on today, to join up with the TE-V-9113 road which led us down to the Merendero - still not open for business, although the swimming pool was well used.
It’s getting less like a campsite and more like a holiday camp here, so I think we’ll be moving on tomorrow.
Social distancing is non-existent here, and masks are a rare sight - are people’s memories really that short?
The Griffon vultures are out in force here - we saw 25+ up in the sky, just cruising around on the thermals - watch out you sheep! (every time we go out for a walk we seem to see the same flock of 100+ sheep, marshalled by 6 goats with bells round their necks, and a man with 2 dogs)
Sunday 02/08/2020 Camping Algarbe, Terriente to Albarracín
N40°24’28.5’’ W001°25’36.0’’ Free overnight parking on tarmac outside the sports centre, by Dinopolis (dinosaur museum). No services, quiet at night.
23km in 43min
Overnight this has turned from one of the nicest campsites we have stayed in, to the campsite from hell.
Our quiet neighbours left early yesterday (sensible people), to be replaced by 8, 25 - 30 year old males who abandoned their caravan (never unhitched it !!) and put up numerous tents.
They then put up a table and chairs RIGHT NEXT to our van, nearly touching, and proceeded to talk very loudly, non-stop, until 2am.What a set of selfish b******s. Did they care that they kept us awake all night - not a bit of it - I don’t think they cared about anything, ever.
We managed a couple of hours sleep, then got out of there as soon as we could.
Be warned!!!!
We made for an overnight parking place, 2km away from Albarracín, up on a hill with great views of a red sandstone valley carved out by water.
When we got here at 10.30am, there were 4 other motorhomes here that had overnighted, and which soon moved on..
As I write this at 12.30pm there are 3 cars and a travel van here, but I’m sure there will be more as the day progresses.
Well - after a very quiet afternoon with only cars visiting for 5 minutes at a time, it got to 6 o’clock and still no-one here.
We decided to move to the free overnight parking outside the sports centre and Dinopolis, where we were later joined by 2 other vans.
We took a walk into Albarracín centre, and marvelled at the authentic medieval houses and streets - this is a must-see town - it is steeped in history and has the most fabulous buildings - highly recommended.
Monday 03/08/2020 Albarracín to Monteagudo del Castillo
N40°27’30.2’’ W000°49’00.2’’ Free aire next to outdoor sports pitch, parking on road. Full service point, no electric. Village 2 min walk away, bar, hotel and restaurant.
84km in 1hr 52min
It was silent last night in the sports centre car park, and reading the max/min outside temperatures for yesterday, saw that the max was 42° and the min was 11° - that is some range !! (and the humidity was very low)
We have decided to move today to Monteagudo del Castillo - a small village to the east of Teruel.
As we were going to pass through Teruel, we thought a trip to Al Campo was in order to replenish supplies.
Monteagudo was full of narrow streets, but thoughtfully had placed some motorhome signs on the roadside to guide us to the aire.
The service point is just outside the 5 a side football pitch/basketball court, and the aire is the parking on the road alongside.
There is a large sign as you drive in that lists many places in the village where you would be welcome to park.
This is the first time we have seen anything like this, and thought it was an excellent show of support for motorhomes.
However, on photographing the sign, trying to find the places in the village proved a bit problematic.
We found 2 or 3 of them, and guessed the rest.
We decided to stay where we are at the sports ground and walk the short distance to the village.
We spotted a hotel and restaurant near the A-226 road, and also passed the only bar in the village - doing a roaring trade on Sunday.
We have climbed hugely to be here, and are now at 1516m, so the temperature is not too hot, and the nights are good for sleeping - no sticking to the sheets !!
Tuesday 04/08/2020 Monteagudo del Castillo to Refugio Alto Mijares
N40°07’36.0’’ W000°40’34.1’’ €7.50 per night aire on grass/sand including electric (6 points), no service point, composting toilet, water, but not drinkable, really remote, fantastic views and walking, interesting approach!!
70km in 1hr 42min
Last night was really quiet (apart from the farmer baling hay in the next field at midnight! - when you’re farming, you farm when you can, because tomorrow it could be torrential rain, which will spoil the hay) and Glyn even slept through the bongling sheep squeezing past our van, Cervantes.
We emptied some rubbish in the village bins this morning, and again tried the church door - still locked.
Our destination today was one of two choices.
We first headed for Camping Los Alamos in a town called La Virgen de la Vega. We were about to turn into the street it was on, when we noticed that what we thought were parked cars, were actually cars queuing to get into the campsite !
So - cancel the indicator and drive on.
Our second choice was a paid aire called Refugio Alto Mijares. The first 2km section of the TE-V-2001 road was a truly atrocious surface - impossible to get out of second gear.
The road eventually improved until we had a very sharp left turn onto a single track path (it was signed motorhomes this way, or I wouldn’t have taken it)
The unmade single track went on for 500m - thank goodness there was nothing coming the other way - it should be interesting when we leave here, driving the reverse route.
Our van is 6m long, so take a look at the video below and see if yours will get round these corners.
The aire was on 3 grass levels and was very eco, with a composting toilet and an outdoor shower.
It’s very quiet here, and the views are stunning - huge cliffs and forests.
We walked to the valley floor to see the rushing river, and were blown away by the views. It was only 1.6km in length, but there was no flat - either steep down or steep up. There are plenty more walking paths from here, so we hope to do more tomorrow.
Wednesday 05/08/2020 Refugio Alto Mijares
Such a quiet night - we couldn’t believe it.
Just the hens having a half-hearted crow at first light, then back to sleep until 9.30am !!! - unheard of.
There are just 2 guys in a small van and tent (going rock climbing) on the first tier, we’re on the second tier (alone), and a small family in a car and tent on the third tier - very, very quiet.
We had a word with the owner prior to our walk, who told us at weekends he had to turn people away because he was full - no room. Most of his visitors are rock climbers, climbing the routes the German owner has previously mapped and published.
Our walk took us right to the source of the water in the river we saw yesterday - a great waterfall of water from high on a cliff face.
It’s actually the excess water not needed to turn the turbines to produce electricity for the power lines, but makes for a great spectacle.
Our walk was 5km in 1hr 50min, all of it going either steeply uphill or downhill, and had some fantastic views of the rock faces, and of Cervantes in the aire.
It’s nicely hot here, but not roasting. The flies however are a nuisance, only solved by insect repellent (we have some 50% deet), or by going inside.
We walked the exit road (the one we drove down to get here) and were surprised to find that there were many passing places for tomorrow's exit - I was so focused on the drive here, I didn’t notice.
Just a small word of warning - the flies here are numerous, persistent and biters. The choices are insect repellent, a strong wind or to go inside with the mosquito screens in place.
Thursday 06/08/2020 Refugio Alto Mijares to Sueras
N39°57’13.1’’ W000°20’06.8’’ Free aire on concrete with 6 spaces, service point, electric, cafe/bar on site. 2 minutes walk to a nice, original town.
117km in 2hr 7min
We were a bit apprehensive about driving up the single track, steep track for 500m for fear of meeting something coming down, and having to reverse.
All was well in the end, and we got to the bins at the top of the climb with no problem.
Our first stop was the aire at Area Venta del Aire, where the terrible TE-V-2001 road meets the N234, where we could empty the black and grey water (no facilities to do this at Refugio Alto Mijares, then on to Sebores, where the aire is next to the railway station.
It turned out that the aire was just roadside parking (and it was not wide enough for motorhomes) and there were notices saying you could not “sleep” there - so no overnight stay.
We carried on to the small town of Sueras, where the aire seemed to be municipal, but was on the car park of a small bar/restaurant. It was called Bar/Restaurante L’Alberg, which translates as “youth hostel”, so maybe all this is council owned and run.
The town is a 2 minute walk away, full of narrow streets and old, restored houses.
There were some new properties up on the hill, but the majority were very old properties, some restored, some not.
The bar/restaurant closed its doors at 2pm - I wonder if it will open later - no, it never opened for the rest of the day.
Another walk up the river had us back at Cervantes and cooking an evening meal outside. The one pot rice, tuna, garlic, peppers and onions in stock was excellent, and the portable gas ring was spot on.
The evening was very quiet, and we stayed outside until it was fully dark to watch the stars and planets appear - excellent.
Friday 07/08/2020 Sueras to Bellús
N38°56’27.9’’ W000°28’48.9’’ €2 aire includes electric and a full service point We’re the only ones here. Municipal swimming pool and bar are very busy.
172km in 2hr 21min
The cafe/bar opened at 7 o’clock in the morning with some excellent rap music (!!!), so we had to get up.
A walk to a local bar for coffee and toast led us to the chemist for some Beconase Glyn had ordered, then back to Cervantes to pack up and go.
The music had stopped and the bar looked to be very busy and full of people. There are no advertised hours here, so it’s difficult to say when it’s open and when it’s shut.
We had an itinerary when we set off on this trip, but the re-imposed lockdown of certain areas due to new Covid 19 cases meant we couldn’t go to the Pyrenees as planned, so had to re-think our plans nearly every day.
We made the decision to go home early as we had flights booked to the UK which kept changing due to Boris changing his mind every 5 minutes.
Currently there is a 14 day quarantine in UK from Spain, but as we know, that could change tomorrow with no warning.
Strange times indeed - is this the new normal?
The quarantine not only affects us going to the UK, it also massively affects our daughter, son-in-law and grandson coming out to see us (who also have flights booked)
There was some music here at the swimming pool bar, but that seems to have been ramped down somewhat as the heat increases - it’s now 37° in the shade !
Saturday 08/08/2020 Bellús to Home
175km in 2hr 27min
It was a noisy night at the swimming pool, but Mercadona earplugs came to the rescue, and all was quiet (in my head)
Surprisingly it rained in the early hours - we were a bit confused until we worked out what it was.
An easy motorway run home had us unpacking at 12 noon, giving us plenty of time to unpack Cervantes and re-start the house.
Conclusions
We didn’t go to the places we wanted to go due to Covid 19 virus outbreaks, and we came back early to re-arrange flights due to the effects of Coronavirus
So I guess Coronavirus wins in the short term, but it won’t win in the overall race.
What we did do was brilliant - well worth going, and nice to be back in Cervantes and mobile again.
Here’s to the next time !!
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