Holiday to Spain Sept 2014

[snowy55]

This was the first big trip in our Cali that we purchased in June this year and this is what we did:-

Set off early Saturday morning from Leicester and went down to Polzeath on the north Cornish coast for the day.

Night 1 at the Rising Sun, Altarnun just off the A30 between Launceston and Bodmin http://www.therisingsuninn.co.uk/. Had a good meal and then a nice easy run to the ferry at Plymouth Sunday morning. Camping £10. 285miles



Night 2, nice calm crossing on the Brittany Ferries Pont Aven to Santander.

Night 3, off the ferry and took the motorway towards Bilbao and then onto the toll road to Zaragoza. We stopped for a cuppa half way at a picnic area and stayed at the city campsite http://campingzaragoza.com/ €22 for the night. Tolls €1.20 to get through a load of tunnels and then €32 for about 200 miles of empty motorway going through some stunning scenery, sounds a lot of money but well worth it to cover the 253 miles.

Tuna steak from the supermarket across the road at Zaragoza.

 

[snowy55]

Due to restrictions on the download size this has got to be done in sections.


Nights 4 and 5. We stayed at http://www.campingalbarracin.com/ to see their fiesta which was very interesting and noisy! We had a look at the pre historic wall paintings which are in a nearby national park. Camping €31 for 2 nights. 111 miles.

 

[snowy55]

Night 6. We travelled south to the coast and stayed at http://www.campingsonline.com/collvert/?idlengua=3 €18.50 for the night but very hot at 32c in the day and 26c in the night. Had paella for lunch next to the paddy fields where the special arroz rice is grown. 132miles.

Wedding photos being taken next to the lagoon.






Nights 7 and 8. Headed north along the coast to http://www.caladoques.com/ just outside L'Hospitalet de l'Infant, a beach side campsite. We camped on the first terrace for a better view, not sure about the Spanish bloke next door who had a mesh sack of snails hanging from a tree. €26.50 per night but a fantastic location. 200 miles on the toll road past miles and miles of orange trees and a nuclear power station, toll €23.40.

 

[snowy55]

Nights 9 and 10. Drove to Tarrogona and had a look at the Roman aquaduct then drove inland to Fresnada and stayed at http://www.campinglafresneda.com/princ_in.htm. A stunning small campsite in the countryside a couple of miles outside the village where the only sound at night were owls hooting. €46 for 2 nights. 125 miles.



Pulled off the road to make a cuppa and this was at the end of the track.


Night 11. Had a look around Daroca. A lovely walled town with cobbled streets and big arched gateways to drive in and out of the town. On the way to http://www.lagoresort.com/?idiomas=1 along the back roads. Massive thunder and lightning storm in the evening. €19 for the night and we had covered 216 miles.



The road disappears into the horizon without a vehicle in sight.

 

[snowy55]

Night 12 and 13. It was quite misty in the morning after the previous evenings rain but it had cleared by the time we arrived at the Carinena wine region. We got a bit lost and ended up amongst the vines which surprisingly had a lot of apple and pear trees mixed with them. We had seen a big warehouse with a huge pile of apples tipped in front and lorries bringing more apples. We visited http://www.ignaciomarin.com/ and bought some wine.





Fill your own bottles/containers with wine. Price is in euros for a litre!


We then drove on the toll road to Logrono and stayed at http://www.campinglaplaya.com/ which is next to the river Ebro a short walk over a foot bridge to the centre of the old town. It was their grape harvest fiesta so the place was very busy with a lot of Charanga bands and street performers each night. €24.20 per night, 211 miles and €16.70 toll.

Logrono Cathedral

 

[snowy55]

Night 14 After 2 fantastic days in Logrono we took the toll road north to Laredo between Bilbao and Santander. We stayed at http://www.campingplayaregaton.com/ another stunning beach/river side campsite. €16 for the night, 120 miles and €15.70 toll road and €1.20 for the tunnels.





Massive sand dune at Laredo

 

[snowy55]

Night 15 and 16. We have passed through Santander many times but have never stayed there, so this year we stayed for 2 nights. This allowed us to see the start of the Moto Piston Rally. We stayed at http://www.cabomayor.com/ a brisk downhill walk to the town but we always got a taxi back, about €8. Camping was €20 per night. 34 miles.

Light house next to the campsite.




The rally is for pre 1980 motorcycles.

 

[snowy55]

Night 17. Last night on the ferry back to Portsmouth, very smooth crossing.

Fantastic holiday, covered just under 1900 miles. The Cali performed faultlessly and is a pleasure to drive and sleep in. Average fuel consumption for the first 4500 miles of ownership is 36.6 mpg.
A lot of the campsites included electric hook up but we never used them . The leisure batteries after one night stops showed 80% and 12.4v and after a two night stops when it was very hot and the fridge was running a lot showed 60% and 12.1 v
Dislikes- turning the gas on and off is a pain, also the awning drips into the drivers window for miles when it is wound up wet.
Likes- chairs in the tailgate, table in the sliding door, window blinds and loads of other stuff!

 

[DMB9R]

Very interesting read. Nice to see some of the places you visited. You cannot beat a Spanish Fiesta as they are very different to anything you see in the UK. In fact you will not see anything like it in the UK. Bands followed by the moors and christians.

 

[KernowLad]

Awesome; I really like the way you've written it up too!

 

[campandfly]

Excellent write up snowy55.
The costs you posted are great for estimating travelling costs for us newbies.
We are looking to do our first Cali trip in about a fortnight can't wait.

 

[snowy55]

Awesome; I really like the way you've written it up too!

Cheers, it's stretched my limited IT skills to the limit

 

[snowy55]

Excellent write up snowy55.
The costs you posted are great for estimating travelling costs for us newbies.
We are looking to do our first Cali trip in about a fortnight can't wait.

People often ask about costs so I thought I would include the information. Where are you going?

 

[campandfly]

quote]

People often ask about costs so I thought I would include the information. Where are you going?[/quote]

Hi Snowy

Looking at a short trip Devon & Cornwall.
Its a bit of a pilot project. Will be jotting down lists of things we will need or not need for future trips. Also confirming which Cali specs we need and what we can live without.

Thanks again for posting your trip.

 

[KernowLad]

Our 5 weeks away cost us less than five weeks at home; although we did rent outhouse out for three of those weeks!

Not quite sure how we spend so much while here though...!

We need inspiration for next year; possibly Italy but undecided.

 

[snowy55]

Big 6 oh for me next year so we are looking at Morocco.
Not 100% sure yet.

 

[KernowLad]

Morocco would be great! Quite a drive though...

 

[campandfly]

Fuel costs would be interesting too. I will be looking for an APP to use.

I hope to pick some of the more experienced euro travellers brains what are the best web links or books / guides for finding overnight stops both Free and Paid.

Info about tolls. Phones & Sim Cards. WiFi Do you need cash at those tolls or CCard.

Carrying various adapters for on site power. Hoses for filling up water or emptying.

I suppose a lot of the hardware stuff will be apparent after our short West Country trip.

 

[snowy55]

Morocco would be great! Quite a drive though...

Drivings the best bit.