We've become a bit static recently, having pretty much set up home in a lovely camper stop area by the marina in Almerimar. A one night stopover turned into 5, which will actually end up being 6 as we've decided to stay another night and leave tomorrow! It's been a well deserved rest all round and as much as we'd love to stay here longer, we can't afford to grow roots just yet!
So to back track, just so you know what we've been up to, on 1 December, after our stay in San Fulgencia, we headed away from the coast to a camper stopover near Mazarron, called Rancho Buena Vista; the name was certainly apt as the views were pretty special. As it was only 9 euros a night including wifi, we stayed for 2 nights, enjoying the scenery and trying (but failing) to find any decent bike rides. It was a shame there were no bike paths as the area is really lovely, but unfortunately, as is often the case round here, it was predominantly arable farmland and pretty much impassable. Disappointing bike rides aside, it really is a lovely site and was well worth the slight inland detour.
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| Our spot at Rancho Buena Vista |
Next up, we decided to head even further inland in order to stay at a free place in Velez Rubio. By the time we arrived, it was well into the afternoon, so after a little wander out with Powell, it was already time to settle in for the night.
The next day, having decided it was too cold in the hills, we headed back towards the coast and ended up at a German run stopover just outside Vera, around 2km from the beach. We stayed for 2 nights (4 and 5 December) and immediately made the most of the bike path which lead straight to the beach, to see what the place had to offer. The first place we noticed was a nudist apartment complex and beach...thankfully as it's winter here, we were saved any embarrassment as the beach was empty. It also meant we were able to take Powell onto said nudist beach, without any complaints. We were out for a little more than an hour when Pete ended up with a puncture and then discovered that his inner tube was dead. Thankfully it happened right outside a pub on the promenade, so all was not lost; I asked in my best Spanish whether there was a bike shop nearby. Thankfully there was, so armed with directions, Pete went on a mission to obtain an innertube and I ordered a couple of pints of Spain's finest (San Miguel) for his return. 40 minutes later, Pete returned, having failed to find the bike shop but instead finding a China Bazaar shop which sold practically everything, including innertubes!
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| Vera Playa - thankfully without nudists!! |
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| Puncture!! |
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| Pub lunch and uninvited guests |
Watered and tyre fixed, we headed further down the coast with Powell in tow as always. Vera Playa is a lovely little place. It's developed, but at the moment, not overly so. Development seems to be moving outwards instead of upwards, so the beautiful backdrop of mountains is still visible, meaning you're still aware of where you are. Unlike places like Benidorm, where you really could be anywhere in the world due to the vast number of high rise buildings blocking the views.
The German site managers / owners seemed nice enough, but appeared to be very suspicious of the fact that I speak some German. Normally people are pleasantly surprised and quite impressed, but the guy looked quite put out by it. I suppose there's no pleasing some people. At 9 euros a night, the place was reasonably priced, but unfortunately didn't have any showers or toilets (when I asked, I was given the response that 'motorhomes have showers and toilets' as if I'd asked for the moon on a stick!). We've stayed at plenty of other places with those facilities, at the same cost, but I couldn't be bothered to explain that to him!
After 2 nights, we decided it was time to move on. Initially, we had planned to go to Almeria but decided to see what Cabo de Gata had in store instead. We arrived to a free unofficial spot right at the edge of the village and close to the beach. Finally, somewhere we didn't have to pay for, near the beach! It was only the second tolerated place that we'd been to and although initially apprehensive, we decided to stay. I clocked a couple of UK registered vans that looked fairly well established, so I went over to ask them if they had been bothered by the police or moved on at any point. Kurt and Peace, guerilla gardeners by trade, assured me that they'd been here a fortnight and not been bothered once. They also went on to tell me a little about their gardening mission to find hardy plants to grow in Morocco and help change the soil. One of the things that really makes trip like this, is the people you meet along the way and the stories they have to tell!
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| Dora at Cabo de Gata |
After a peaceful night in Cabo de Gata, despite it being a lovely spot, we decided that there wasn't too much around to keep us there for much longer and headed along the coast to Almeria. Unfortunately, when we arrived, it would appear that the land had been sold and was now a building site. Thankfully I had put in the coordinates for a backup stopover, knowing that these things happen. Well, I think fate definitely intervened and stopped us staying in Almeria as we ended up in Almerimar and 5 days later, we're still here!
We arrived on Sunday to this little port village and having discovered it was only 8 euros a night including use of showers and toilets, we were happy to stopover. After a little explore on the bikes, we decided it might be nice to stay another night and explore a little more. On Monday, we met Emma and Paul, a lovely couple from Newcastle, who are 5 months into their own indefinite European tour and are actually a similar age to us! On Tuesday, we met Mark and Jo, yet another couple in our age bracket. Strange that we've not met anyone else our age since we left the UK and we meet two couples in as many days here!
It's now Friday and we've spent a great 5 days here s far. We were recovering from hangovers yesterday after a sunset beer with Mark and Jo, followed by an impromptu night out with Emma and Paul on Wednesday, but are now back to 'normal'. We're all still a bit fuzzy about the details of the night...I have some photos but will reserve posting them until I have permission from all parties involved!!
So after almost a week, we've decided we really should be moving on. The plan so far is to leave here tomorrow and head into the mountains. There's definitely something about this place; it's really not like us to want to stay put for so long. The pub around the corner is putting on a traditional Christmas day lunch for 10 euros a head; it's certainly food for thought...
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