-1Day 27 Wednesday 28 March
Off a little south today to see Tony Bates (Dorset Wildlife Trust Chairman) who’s visiting his brother who lives in one of the Andalusian white villages - I confess they all look white so I don’t know yet why they’re called that around here.
The road south from Ronda is spectacular indeed with great views over a wooded landscape. We turn off for Genalgaucin down a switchback of hairpin bends and stop for lunch at a small pull in by the side of the road. Views of Elder Flowered Orchids just next to us. Just about to set off wondering if we’ll get a phone signal - our instructions are to phone Roger at the start of the village for instructions, when a car pulls up “are you friends of Roger ?“ and we have a guide to follow all the way there. Roger’s house, a converted olive mill is on the edge of the village, set among it’s 3 acres or so of Orange, Lemon, Avocado and Olive trees with the most stunning views south westerly down the valley. A truly exceptional location and view. Tony, as usual is on DWT work as we arrive sending some emails. We’re made very welcome and set up on Roger’s terrace looking straight down the valley. Dinner tonight in the huge dining/living room with the olive crushing equipment to one side.
Day 28 Thursday 29 March
Great views across the valley in the morning and a trip planned to the local Art Gallery/Museum. It can have only a few visitors and the key is finally found to let us in. This is a village of about 500 people and it has its own very well laid out Art Gallery housing various exhibits from the exhibition they have around the town every two years. Many other sculptures are dotted around the village. It also has it’s own helicopter pad for the flying ambulance, adult education craft centre, a very well done mirador looking over the valley and a village recycling centre. We amble around the village which is very attractive and it has it’s stunning views. Up into the hills out of town and see one of the butterflies I wanted to, the Spanish Festoon, black and yellow, veined wings with red spots. As good as I hoped for.
The village really is in a stunning location.
After lunch at 3.00ish and an amble around Roger’s land which extends to the other side of town, we end up up finishing at about 8.00, amazingly 10 hours after we set out for the museum. It seems nothing like that although Tony and I were photographing all day and didn‘t notice the time as much as Heather who was pretty tired. Roger has been very hospitable and we plan to leave straight after breakfast in the morning.
Day 29 Friday 30 March
We’ve breakfasted in the van both days and have been supplied with freshly squeezed orange juice but the time has come to head southwards again towards the sea. We leave amply supplied with Oranges, Lemons and Avocados.
Drive quickly through the coastal spread around Estepona and head out of town towards Gibralter. We weren’t planning to go in but will look for a good flower book and possibly a new pair of binoculars. The Spanish town La Linea is pretty grubby and run down but has a wonderful clean sandy beach and we eventually find the campsite which is surprisingly good.
Day 30 Saturday 31 March
We awake to rain and decide to drive into Gib. Diesel is a little cheaper than Spain at 55p a litre (£1 Gib magically = £1 UK). Gibralter is a bit like Portland in the Med but with more shops. An odd place that feels English but somehow other worldly at the same time, somewhat old fashioned I suppose. Both bookshops are closed ! But we did find some Hot Cross Buns in M & S. Food at Safeways is about English prices whereas in Spain it’s considerably cheaper.
Day 31 Sunday 1 April
Heading towards the Atlantic Costa del la Luz but still going south towards Tarifa, the southernmost point on the European mainland. Africa is misty but clearly visible across the eight or so miles of water. Tarifa quite pleasant and we decide not to get the ferry to Algiers. Do the usual amble around including the stop for the obligatory café can leche and realise that it’s Palm Sunday when a parade of a couple of hundred children walk up to the church.
Of course this is where the Med meets the Atlantic and the town is considered one of the world’s best for kite surfing - I resist the temptation.
It is cold though, jumper and waterproof required and not what we expect this far south. As soon as the sun is out it’s hot but it sure is cool in the wind. Now heading north and the Atlantic beaches are fantastic big sandy stretches. First campsite had no servicios until tomorrow so we head further on towards Cape Trafalgar. Expensive, not very pleasant site with small pitches and the most amazingly labour intensive booking in system I’ve ever seen. Part of it was typing out the details of our passports, printing two copies of each, one of which we had to sign while the other copy was given to us. It made no sense at all. After what seems days we park up and walk out to the cape in brilliant sunshine. Lovely sand, a very quick tide and views.
It’s a clear night with a full moon so we are unprepared for the thunderstorm that starts at bedtime, pauses in the middle of the night and carries on in the early hours. It seemed to be right over us, drift off and then come back. Impressive
Day 32 Monday 2 April
What a grey day. Instead of our planned walk through the Natural Parque de la Barbate. Sand dunes, Stone Pines, lots of birds and sea views, we drive to Vejer de la Frontera, a white town on a hill. That’ll make a change. We park outside the centre (no squeezing through old towns now, you’ll remember) and walk in as the skies clear and the sun appears. Very attractive, untouristy place. On our return we find that two of the three roads leading from the car park are no entry and the only one we can take is, you guessed, right through the old town. This time a bit of scouting ahead was done and felt to be OK. As is the way with these things, by the time we got going our scouted route was blocked and we just drove through at the head of a convoy. We had timed it perfectly for the 2.00 home for siesta rush.
Find a site which is wooded with stone pines and resident Hoopoes where we are the only people. Site also has a local plant rarity called Three Leaved Snowflake - at least I‘m pretty sure that‘s what it is. Had a good walk along a track to distant sea views and more wonderful Stone Pines. They’re like cartoon trees, a trunk surmounted by a very regular spheroid top.
A clear night with hopes of sun and our Barbate walk tomorrow.
Day 33 Tuesday 3 April
Awake to heavy rain.
I write this log every few days rather than daily because we don’t always have electricity and I bought a laptop that eats battery power. A full charge only lasts about 80 minutes. So I must forget some of what happens as we go and then it’ll come to me days after the log has been done. Posting it to the blog is even more hit and miss but it does get done eventually. So, this has actually been written on the morning of 3 April under dripping trees as the sun comes out. A Hoopoe is calling from a tree nearby.
Mid morning it clears and we set off for our walk along the coast. We don’t know what to take with the changeable weather and settle on sun cream and waterproofs - both of which turn out to be required. The area we’re in is a 10 mile or so stretch of cliff in what turns out to be mile upon mile of Atlantic pounded, very windy golden sandy beaches. Lots of surfing, kite surfing and other things which are apparently great fun but consist of getting half drowned and battered in cold water. How’s that for fogeyish.
A clear night with hopes of sun tomorrow.
Day 34 Wedenesday 4 April
Awake to medium rain.
By the time we drove into a lovely place called Conil de la Frontera, just a bit north from our campsite, the sun was out. Like so many places we’ve seen with lots of money being spent on civic amenities. Free parking, miles of sandy beach and what seems like it may be a deliberate policy in building terms. All the new stuff is being built a mile or so back from the beach, leaving the older buildings near the front while the front itself is set out as garden, boulevard, cycle ways, paths and on the landward side of that a few cafes. It looks good as gives the illusion that the place is not spoiled or too touristy.
The land here is very sandy and quite clearly sand drift over a wide coastal strip. The dune flora is magnificent and changes over 30 or 40 yards from the first colonisers at the beach edge to established sward. The beach itself is about 50 yards or so wide and difficult to leave just to return to a campsite.
Saw a pair of Marsh Harriers just in from the dune areas and a number of Avocets on the beach.
Easter break appears to start on Maundy Thursday until Sunday and the site is filling up. Very small pitches, lots of tents and a young, rather than our age client profile. The tent behind us talked until the early hours, should we move, will they shut up soon ? Eventually Heather asked them to quieten down and they did 15 minutes or so later at around 3.30.
A clear night with hopes of sun tomorrow.
Day 35 Thursday 5 April
Awake to light rain and took a childish delight in getting ready noisily. If only I’d had a tube of superglue, I’d had been tempted to put a big blob on the closed end of the zips on their tent. Must add tube of superglue to the shopping list.
Sun out by breakfast time.
Have decided to head to Cadiz and park up at a site across the bay. The approach is across miles of salt marsh near the mouth of the Guadilquivir. Cadiz old town is on a narrow isthmus and we plan to get the boat across tomorrow. I was expecting a fare of 20 euros or so as Cadiz is very difficult and a long way by road but the 35 minute journey costs about £1.20 which is less than the 5 minute Sandbanks chain ferry.
This Atlantic side of Andalucia seems to be less favoured by non Spanish campers. The last few sites have been probably 90% Spanish with most of the rest being German with Brits about third (as usual). Most of the tourers are motor homes with very few towed caravans.
Day 36 Friday 6 April
Awake to no rain.
Ferry by fast catamaran to the old city of Cadiz. My Spanish is appalling but I do enjoy some of the translations into English that we see. Nelson had a go at Cadiz and his name has been translated in Tourist Info. to Horace Nelson and I realised that I’d not really thought before about Horatio not sounding very English.
Anyway, we arrive on Good Friday at about 10.00 to a dead town of very narrow streets, many arranged on a grid pattern. The Museum (free to EU residents) is good with some interesting Archaeological stuff from the area and artwork. Much of the statuary and artefacts leave me interested but never feeling involved or with any sort of connection with whoever used them. But coins seem different somehow. Everyone would have used them, sitting having the Roman or Carthaginian equivalent of a Café con leche or a half hour in the internet café in the streets outside.
When we come out, the city has been transformed and is now full of people. There’s a rerun on TV of one of the religious processions with a giant jewel encrusted Madonna being carried though a church with crowds of people watching. I find it very, very odd. Graven images anyone ?
Getting more into Spanish time with lunch at 3.15 outside the Cathedral.
Glad we visited but not a city I’d go back to, unlike Cordoba or Seville.
No comments:
Post a Comment