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Our Journey Begins!

Following the demise of my career in 2006 and subsequent difficulties this brought about, Alison and I were faced with some tough decisions; If able to find a new full time job in my forties (I had been trying for nearly a year with no luck) should we get a small flat and start all over again or should we do what we talked about doing in the future when both retired - sell what we could, clear any debts, buy a Motorhome and clear off!  After much discussion....................

Wednesday 12th December 2007: Having sold up, we headed straight for the ferry at Portsmouth, bound for Bilbao on the north coast of Spain.

We both had mixed emotions, would we miss our family and friends too much, our lovely home and or would we both still get on living in a six metre Motorhome? - only time will tell, but at least we are free and leaving the cold, grey U.K south coast behind us for sunnier climes!?......................

Friday 14th December 2007: Having arrived on the north coast of Spain we very quickly decided to head south in search of warmer climes having seen ice on the inside of the windscreen.  Our first stop was for two nights north of Madrid up in the mountains on a site with stunning views called Pico de La Miel at La Cabrera.

It was minus 8.2°c during the night on 15th December, we managed to keep warm with the help of an electric heater and our very fetching thermals. Despite the weather being cold we awoke to blue skies and brilliant sunshine.

Our First Pitch!

We missed the next planned nights stop as according to the Driver, the navigator wasn't concentrating!  Carried on south, by-passing Madrid (congrats to the navigator who did so well) stayed a night in Santa Elena, in the Jaen region of Andalucía in a beautiful pine forest.  It was a large site called Camping Despenaperros that we shared with only two other motorhomes.  We walked down into the village and had a lovely meal in the local bar, being the only tourists (walking in was reminiscent of that scene from American Werewolf in London!).

En route to El Rocio, we stopped for one night in Cordoba where we were the only visitors and were entertained by the antics of a rather strange grinning gardener. We are sure, only the first of many characters we are likely to meet on our journey.

18th December 2007: We are south west of Seville on another excellent site called La Aldea in El Rocio, Andalucía, on the edge of a beautiful National Park called Parque Dunar that we are going to explore tomorrow......

There is a Maritime Museum within the Park called Museo del Mundo Marino www.parquedunar.es which we both found very interesting.
They have integrated Maritime History/Archaeology with Marine Biology and the local environment just as I have envisaged for the Resolution Centre.

Surprisingly we had the whole museum to ourselves being the only visitors. The Museum is divided into five zones in which the visitor is taken on a journey through the different ecosystems and ethnographical features that are found along the coast of Doñana, from its shifting sand dunes to its unspoiled beaches with their annual whale appearances.
The museums main attractions are thirteen genuine cetacean skeletons and also one of only two Ecospheres on display in Europe reflecting the close relationship between the areas people and the sea.  I personally enjoyed zone four designed as a tribute to the local fishing villages of the Huelva and the Cadiz coast which rely on the sea for their livelihood. On display is traditional fishing tackle and explains their techniques like the mandraque Tuna fishing net system.

After our visit to the Museum we thought we would head for a campsite right on the beach at Matalascañas - turned up to an empty and rather run down site - still, we booked in and were directed to a sea view cliff face pitch.
Well, the road down to the pitch was actually an eroded sand track that had been mostly washed away by the recent heavy rains and was very steep!
Still I exclaimed, Nel can make that! - and bless her she did.
As we approached our allocated pitch we could see that two other "fellow campers" had also set up on this cliff hanging position over looking the Atlantic Ocean.
Sound idyllic eh? - OH NO! -  the "fellow campers" were Germans that appeared to have permanently set up camp there some years ago and when we waved hello with big can we camp here too grins on our faces, they just looked back at us with a YOO ARE NOT VELCOME HERE! look.
Added to this, the Atlantic ocean was crashing in like I have never seen before; I looked at Alison, she looked at me and I turned Nel around and started our way back up the cliff face.
A few wheel-spins and a lot of "come on Nel you can make its" as Alison clenched buttocks and sank her fingernails into the dashboard and we were back up at Reception.
Alison made our excuses (I think she said I felt unwell or something?) and we were out of there like a shot and headed further along the coast.

20th December 2007: Arrived at Campsite Giralda at Isla Christina close to the Portuguese border....

Giralda is a lovely campsite set under pine trees very close to a superb sandy beach.  Despite rainy weather we stayed for two days (it has free internet access!).

The free internet access is in a little cafe on the site and instead of having to race each morning to reserve a sun lounger as you do at hotels, here you have to race for a table to use ya laptop at!
The cafe is open from 10am -1pm and 6pm - 9pm  and there are only five little tables to sit at, so you can imagine the comedy of us all running to the cafe with laptops under arms to reserve a place. I have an advantage though as most of the Germans are older and fatter than me!

We are going to Portugal tomorrow to a site called Orbitur Quarteira in Quarteira where we plan to stay for Christmas and also meet up with Alison's Cousins Dave and Claire who are staying with friends near Faro.
 

......It is nice having longer days again, it is still daylight gone 6pm.  Just as well as it takes us a long time to do anything, the days are flying by.

We are having fun and learning much about Motorhoming and adapting to living in a tiny living space.  We have both bumped our heads and walked in to each other, spilt and dropped things, and sworn at each other more in the last five days than we have in the last five years!  Its all good fun!

We are looking forward to staying long term on a site in the warm weather to be able to make the most of our conservatory (awning).  Paul has fully utilised every square inch of the space in our loft (top box) for his dive kit and other boys toys! Our garage (outside locker) is full to bursting. I (Alison) was going to collect leaflets and serviettes and memorabilia and anything and everything that I can but unfortunately there just aint room for it. Also, we have to be careful not to be over weight (the van - not us) as can be stopped, weighed and fined on the spot if over. We are slightly over weight (because of Paul's dive kit - not my fifteen pairs of shoes and unknown amount of knickers - too scared to count them!!).  The tins of emergency soup may have to go, be chucked out of the window along with welly boots, fleeces, spare fleeces and the other fleeces that we brought, just in case!

The roads are a dream over here, un-congested, well sign posted and with some spectacular views.

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