Another month away in Europe….

[robo]

Kernow Lad. I always read your posts. I may not comment or reply to them though.
Keep it up always worth a read.

rob

 

[KernowLad]

Sorry chaps - after a bumpy crossing and little sleep I was feeling rather grumpy!

Here's the places we stayed:

Spain

La Paz near Llanes; awesome spot!
Cudillero at an ACSI site; lush beaches nearby and an amazing old town.
Bahinas nearby; very Spanish, very friendly.
Valdovino in Galicia; great surf but a noisy site
Los Manzanos towards Santiago; well known site and smart but not our cup of tea
Ribeira nearby; ermm not great
Free camped near Finisterre; basic bit lovely beach
Free camped at Nemina; stunning beach with naff all facilities (or a shop)!
Malpica for four nights; comfy but my GPS watch got nicked!
Free camped at Pantin; lovely beach but a bit edgy
Free camped near Ferrol; stunning but no surf
Big drive to a site on the border of France with a random Basque name: Itxapse or something; awesome site but very busy!

France

Stayed at a stunning campsite in the Pyrenees for two nights, then a friends "gite" type place for another couple and finally the VERY busy, VERY Brit (and German) filled Pavillion Royale campsite near Biarritz.

Mountain Pyrenees views from a run I did; I was blown away by it (and exhausted!)

IMG]https://scontent-b-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10628380_10152210615032805_4597958658265392431_n.jpg?oh=af04786c887675ffc0a4bf73a47f7aca&oe=547180C6[/IMG]

The site itself:

Free camping on a high road in Nemina - shot from our van:

Valdovino sunset:

La Paz:

[/QUOTE]

 

[Larkrise]

Great stuff! We are booked at La Paz for first night off boat, then who knows... but will check out some of your good ones. C&S

 

[Martin]

I read your posts Matt .. also looking at the page views, so has another 1,700 people also

 

[dayslikethis]

Hi Kernow

Great photos and sounds like a great trip. I will take your tips also (including asking the cost of the ferry as its going to be part of my route home). As you know I'm in Balkans but managed to get away to Halkidiki in Greece for a week in August (High season). It was just fantastic - wild camped 5 out of 7 nights and no problem whatsoever. Plenty of space on the beach, beaches that were remote and beaches with beach bars we were spoilt for choice and I have to say it was the clearest water ever seen. Early morning dips at 0600 and late evening sunset swims will be remembered for years. It was such a trip that I have completely reviewed my planned return journey to the UK. I will now return to Halkidiki next May for about 3 weeks before driving towards Corfu and taking a ferry to Ancona or Venice, a drive around Italy before another ferry to Barcelona crossing over to Santander area to meet friends and possibly a trip up to Biarritz and again an eventual ferry to Plymouth from Santander. Wild camping in Greece is illegal but everybody seems to do it and move every few days. We tried a few campsites but to be honest they were crammed together with caravans and long term residents, some caravans even had fridge freezers outside. I've put some shots on my gallery. Most of the other touring campers were from Italy or Greece with a few from Germany and Czech Republic. I only saw 1 UK camper.

 

[snowy55]

In 2010 we did a motorcycle trip along the north coast of Spain down to the top of Portugal then back across the Picos de Europe.We also stayed at Cudillero and Valdovino here's our Valdovino sunset.



I know what you mean about packed Spanish campsites, they love to join dozens of caravans and or tents together with tarpaulins to make massive communal areas.We also find it difficult to get into their time zone, when I'm ready for bed they start frying onions and garlic to make their evening meal smells lovely :laugh2

 

[estresao]

Hi,

Unfortunately I've read this post too late to provide you with some advise, but I hope you enjoied at my Country.

Wild camping it's absolutely banned at Spain, and usually police are very strict with that, that's the reason we Spaniards are usually into campings (despite lot of us don't like them and prefer wild camping with our vans, but the campings lobby at Spain is putting us into presure to get "happy" customers). And yes, your rigth, we like to join in docen or hundred, because we a social, friendly and open culture that lke a lot to share (for sure if you approach them you will be accepted and included counting as one more , and they would offered you anything they have because our hospitality). It's funny the way each see the others, because when I visit campings at UK always commemt with my partner that Britons never join, looks like each one are inside their pitch and never cross the line and have a banter with the neightbourg :laugh2 (for sure I'm wrong, but that's my perception)

Spain have a lot to offer and each place is different to each other. Santander "county" it's amazing and you can visit incredible villages (Potes, Santillana del Mar). Wherever you head to you will discover very interesting places plenty of history, monuments, culture....

If you have chance to go.to the soth it also worthwhile (BTW.... it's not true Spaniards tend to travel to the North on holidays, we use to travel from anywhere to anywhere).

 

[Freeley]

It's really interesting to hear things from a Spanish perspective and for what it's worth your view of the British camper is probably quite accurate! I'm not the most sociable of people at the best of times (my missus would confirm that! ) and we tend to keep to ourselves when away.

 

[dayslikethis]

It's really interesting to hear things from a Spanish perspective and for what it's worth your view of the British camper is probably quite accurate! I'm not the most sociable of people at the best of times (my missus would confirm that! ) and we tend to keep to ourselves when away.

There can't possibly be two of us??

 

[Freeley]

I don't think it's just us lol. Word has spread to Spain and beyond that we're miserable gits!

 

[Californiaman]

I can confirm that we are indeed three! Funnily enough though when we visit a friend place in Spain we visit the local village every night and spend the evening in the village square with everyone else from the village - it seems completely natural there but we wouldn't do it here.

 

[estresao]

No better or worse culture, just different.

BTW, I encourage all you to use out Spanish forum: furgovw.org (furgo is a familiar name for van)

This is absolutely for free and provide a lot of information. It's not only for VW California owners but for everyone that like camp in a van.

There is a section oriented for any non Spanish speaker where onky English is allowed.

There is also a very valuable database of point of interest called FurgoPerfectos (something like perfect vans) with a lot of information about where to camp. It's mainly around Spain, but there are also POI even at USA.

Of course there are also furgoperfectos at UK, wich I'd like to extend with the information I can collect.

You can get these POI and downdload then in PDF or install them in most of the populars GPS devices. There is also an Andriod app. It's an amazing work that anyone can use for free.

 

[snowy55]

I don't know about you guys but it's being miserable that keeps me happy :laugh2

 

[dayslikethis]

Hi Kernow

Great photos and sounds like a great trip. I will take your tips also (including asking the cost of the ferry as its going to be part of my route home). As you know I'm in Balkans but managed to get away to Halkidiki in Greece for a week in August (High season). It was just fantastic - wild camped 5 out of 7 nights and no problem whatsoever. Plenty of space on the beach, beaches that were remote and beaches with beach bars we were spoilt for choice and I have to say it was the clearest water ever seen. Early morning dips at 0600 and late evening sunset swims will be remembered for years. It was such a trip that I have completely reviewed my planned return journey to the UK. I will now return to Halkidiki next May for about 3 weeks before driving towards Corfu and taking a ferry to Ancona or Venice, a drive around Italy before another ferry to Barcelona crossing over to Santander area to meet friends and possibly a trip up to Biarritz and again an eventual ferry to Plymouth from Santander. Wild camping in Greece is illegal but everybody seems to do it and move every few days. We tried a few campsites but to be honest they were crammed together with caravans and long term residents, some caravans even had fridge freezers outside. I've put some shots on my gallery. Most of the other touring campers were from Italy or Greece with a few from Germany and Czech Republic. I only saw 1 UK camper.

FORGOT TO MENTION

Whist camped on the beach in Halkidiki a German chap came up to me admiring the van and asking what I thought of it. I raved about it of course. He then told me he actually builds them and works in the factory at Hanover

 

[KernowLad]

Days - very cool!

Funnily enough a beige 4motion Cali was parked near us at Pavillion Royale near Biarritz - it was a German one though. In fact there were FIVE other Calis there, all German!

Etreseo - I'm amazed free camping is illegal in Spain. Several places we stopped at (and some we stayed) were definitely geared up for free campers - showers, loos cleaned out daily, little shops set up for campers while being nowhere near a proper campsite.

I'd say there were at least 40 free camping vans at Nemina (spread all over the place) and probably 20+ at Pantin.

 

[estresao]

Hi KernowLad,

If by wild camp we mean what you can do at Scotland (Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, you are allowed to camp on most unenclosed land), at Spain it's banned. This topic is very frequent in Spanish forums because many times police fines people even when they are legally parked (sometimes they go to the court, sometime doesn't worth and just pay, sometimes they just wake you up at 5:00AM and you have to leave or argue with them). That's a very annoying topic among Spanish campers.

It's a little complex, but I'll try to summarize:

- You cannot camp anywhere. Camp is when all the vehicle wheels are not touching the floor, you're using awnings, tables, spill liquid, exceed the vehicle perimeter with doors, windows, etc...

- If you are not camping, but sleeping inside a legally parked vehicle (I think that's called overnight in English), on a Street or parking, that's allowed. (regulated by DGT, the equivalent to the DVLA)

So far so easy, but there are some more laws:
- You cannot overnight near the coast (20 or 100 meters from the water, depending of the city).
- If you are not parked in a street, or parking but off road, other laws are in place and usually you are not allowed to camp, and in some cases you can overnight.
- When inside a city, it's supposed that you are still under DGT laws, but some city halls have local laws that don't allow to overnight. Despite that legally shouldn't happens, sometimes you get fined and you have to waste time and money in the court.

In general, police men don't disturb you when you are not committing some offense, but they are specially annoying when some camp site is near (that's out biggest enemy and sometimes camp sites owners call the police when they watch some campervan near) or when people raves too much. There are some areas where they are also very annoying, as most of the beaches.

There are some villages and cities that are campers friendly. Also could happens that the language barrier could prevent some police men to get fined a foreigner.

 

[KernowLad]

Blimey, that is complex!

I would say there were 30 vans in Nemina, 20ish at Pantin.

Our "rule" was not to put out the awning or put up our pop tent. We kept everything in the van too but the pop top roof is a bit of a giveaway!

 

[estresao]

That should work at any street/parking bebause you are not camping (even if you open the top roof, because you're not exceeding your vehicle perimeter).

Different thing is you're not camping at a parking (any allowed spot where you can park). Most anoying places are where there are a camp site near or there are any interest in not allow that. In those cases you could get fined even unfaily (which cause you the disturbance of going to the court or just pay).

Maybe these spots you said are more campervan friendly. There are some places where they really want campervans because it's supposed they will spend money in supermarkets, cafeteries, restaurants, etc....

 

[Gasgas]

A month (our house will be occupied… ) away from 28th July just booked; well partly anyway!
Plymouth to Santander ferry booked there and back - NO route or anything else planned yet!
Still excited though - even this early, a lot of cabins were booked up!

Thinking SW France and N Spain, possibly Portugal but want to avoid total holiday carnage if possible. Surf useful but not essential, any recommendations welcome! Would consider Italy too but it's a bit drive; priorities are as few Brits as possible (and Germans and Dutch… ), a bit of culture, not too rammed, near either the sea or a big river we can swim in. Will book sites before we go.

 

[KernowLad]

What exactly are you up to my stalking troll oddball who went off the rails for no apparent reason?

 

[spanner]

Only a month?

Oppsy, I had better zip it before you tell teacher

 

[callena]

Hey Kernowlad,

Lovely to see your update - so glad you had a great trip, love the photos!!

Sounds like you got more surf in than us (typically we got to the coast in the SW France at Hendaye and the surf pretty much immediately went flat. We had 2 days there (first surf without a wetsuit!) then a weeks flat spell before we got back in the water again up by Quiberon and from there we went on to La Torche (though we had a great few days surf there, unfortunately for me all rights - I'm goofy and suck at rights lol, good practice though ). Was a shame as those last couple of weeks we had earmarked for surfing up the West Coast. But we went and did more inland stuff - visited a vineyard at St Emilion, took kids to Futuroscope (free campervan camping in the carpark!!), and some other stuff whilst it was flat.

We did get into Spain, we drove over the border from Hendaye, drove to San Sebastian and then snapped the handbrake cable whilst parking on a steep hill. And thus ended our time in Spain as we got recovered, found there was nowhere open to fix it and nowhere for us to stay (fiesta day) so drove carefully back to Hendaye (they couldn't recover us over the border on fiesta days!!!!!) then jerry rigged the brake cable

Will have to check out the spots you've mentioned as really hoping to do another surf trip in the not too distant future with the van!

I must get a post up with piccies from our trip too as it was fun

 

[KernowLad]

Yep, sounds like you had a good one too!
I've found that basing a holiday too much around surf is dangerous; we just view it as a bonus although I have to say, Galicia seems to be very consistent; just pack a good wetsuit because it's cold!

We've got thumping swell here; I take it Sennen is thumping too? Double overhead madness last night; I feel like I've been run over today!

 

[callena]

Yup pretty insane here too - last night was just closing out though, not much fun at all. Heading to Hawks point this evening on the push, should be calmer over there as it only works on big swells Kids supposed to be in a surf comp on Saturday - not sure that's going to happen with 11ft swell and 30mph winds forecast!

Whilst we were hoping for surf it wasn't the main aim of the holiday luckily - thats for me and hubby at Feb half term when my folks have the kids for the week Probably fly somewhere warmer then though as my parents live 10 mins from Birmingham airport!

We had our first wetsuitless surf in the summer which was something we wanted to experience - even if it was pretty tiny that day lol. How come Galicia is so much colder?

Will definitely have to pick your brains on surf spots to check out for our next trip

 

[KernowLad]

Galicia catches the Canary current that seems to draw water from the Arctic. It keeps Portugal cool too (I surfed Ericeira in a wetsuit in August then Mimizan in shorts a month later!). I got caught out a couple of times surfing in a shortie then shivering too much! A 3/2 full suit is advised. Over to Biarritz and it was easily shorts-able; far warmer.

I bet Hawks is nice; I've had some great surfs around there when we lived near Truro.