Wed 28 Feb 11° Elche, Alicante - Calp

Snow in Lincoln and Barcelona  ! Oh well nothing we can do about the weather, hope it has cleared by the time we get there.

Driving on today, past a massive BMX  track with kids having the time of their life, good fun.

We had 3 options to stay in Benidorm, drove around, there was a street market so had to go arojndmthe a diversion but it enabled us to have a good look, up close and personal with the largest British population outside of UK....Lots of markets, pubs, bars boasting a variety of shows, so many people on mobility scooters and pedestrians that rule...walking out onto the crossing without even looking....this place is all about them....drinking, eating and making merry. Arrived at Plan A...camp full . ...wild camp nearby in car park.....full, plan B camp.....full.....plan C camp .....full. Drove around some more,  heard lots of different British accents this is certain a very bustling town.......so with no room at the Inn we came, we saw, we drove on by. Definately not in the least bit Spanish.

Lovely coast road as we drove through Altea and up into the Altea hills and on to Calp. Tiny place on the map but a bit town with it own massive rock. Claire had recommended a camp near a big grizzly bear €8......bit difficult with no coordinates ....but amazingly we found it.

Their pitches with Ehu were all taken, but we found  a nice pitch up towards the back in the sun.

New site, with good showers and toilets,  it's own bar but the new price is €12.

We went for a walk, and just on the road a little block of restaurants,  Indian, Japanese and a Texan bar and grill with the big grizzly bear outside. Great little complex. A bit further down the hill there was a German supermarket,  we bought a few bits. What a very handy set up.

Chicken,  chips,  courgettes  and cauli in pepper sauce superbly cooked and presented by the skipper, delicious.

Tues 27 Feb 10° Elche, Alicante

Soft showers today, white sky and sage green sea, how very different from yesterday,  not cold though.

Snow in Lincoln! Eeekkkk bad snow storm all over UK they are saying the beast from  the east.

Quiet day reading and reminiscing over our 14 months so far.

Salmon pasta and salad.

Mon 26 Feb 10° St Javier - Elche, Alicante

Lovely warm sunny morning, have to leave this uncommercialised area of Spain and start our heading North.

Stopped at Lidl for fresh rolls and see if they a Thermos flask, as our one has stopped holding its heat for some reason, warm cuppa soup for lunch just doesn't do it.

Continued on past Torrevieja,  very large built up town, low rise houses and apartments for miles,  by far the biggest sprawl we have seen so far. Lots of roundabouts but very good road surface.

The mountain range up ahead seems to surround us on all sides in a misty haze.

 Found our beach wildcamp for the night, good firm sand a few motorhomes here, more incoming over the afternoon and 25 motorhomes in total overnight  so very popular .

Chilli, Rice and salad for dinner.

Sun 25 Feb 5° St Javier, La Manga Mar Menor

Heard from Peter, Fiona's husband that the cremation and memorial service would be a weekday probably Tuesday or Wednesday at the end of March ! over a month .  Seems a very long time. Our ferry is booked for 29 March so will continue our travels as planned and see where we will be when we get a date to see if it is possible for him to get there.

Peter has lots of support and words and thoughts are coming in from family in NZ to be read at the service.

The bread van came at 9am but too cold this morning to go out haha.

It soon warmed up, put the washing out for another airing. Went over to Jane and Keith who gave a site to stay in San Sebastian,  their favourite place in all their travels.

After lunch, walked down to the coast, another good half hour stroll. Found the beach cafe we had lunch with Pat and Les when we visited last August and the hotel we stayed in. Strangely more people here now than last time when it was very quiet.

Drinks back at Bessie in the afternoon sun, then pork loin, roast potatoes , and veges for dinner.

Sat 24 Feb 8° St Javier, La Manga Mar Menor

Cold and showers this morning,  looked up flights from Murcia airport to Gatwick for Tony to go to the funeral, so have to wait for a date, but this is a perfect place as so close to the airport and we are in  a safe campsite for me to stay with Bessie.

Cooked up eggs, bacon, mushrooms and tomatoes for brunch before we walk to the sports bar to watch to 6 Nations.

The sun came out and it got quite hot walking to the bar, missed it the first time so took us longer than the half hour, but just missed the first 10 mins.

They had liver, bacon, onions, mash, peas and gravy.....had to have that haha Tony had a beef pie chips and peas, we share a Dutch apple pie and custard for desert.

An English couple from the camp came in  for the second game England vs Scotland, we shared a taxi back and had a beer in the camp bar. Jane and Keith live not far from Lincoln, small world.

My finger still very red but the nu skin Claire put on dried and came off, leaving a large 1cm scab, which also came off. Now just a big dark red square very strange, still not sore now. Other finger never got that bad but still looks red and both angry.....weird . 

Fri 23 Feb 12° Cabo de Palos lighthouse to St Javier, Mar Menor

Clear, crisp day, pale blue sky as we drive to other end of the Mar Menor to our campsite for a few days, it's a new site and has opening goal special for €7.

We drove past lots of green crops being harvested along a very smooth road, past orange orchards, very pretty green trees dotted with round orange balls like round xmas trees.

Called into Lidl for top ups just around the corner to camp. The camp was very popular, 200 pitches of 3 different sizes, we had a choice of 20 standard pitches all with Ehu,  wifi was €3 for up to a week.

Just by the reception was a rotisserie chicken van and a lady selling bags of oranges. Bought 1/2 a hot cooked chicken €4.

After lunch did washing €3 but a small machine and one cycle took 2 Hours!  as did the dryer....out first load out on the communal clothes line, but not much heat in the sun.

Hot clean showers , easy walk to the beach and half hour to the English sports bar for the rugby tomorrow.

Thurs 22 Feb 13° La Azohia Beach to Cabo de Palos lighthouse, La Manga Mar Menor

Good sunny day with scattered clouds as we drove on after our relaxing break to continue north east on our final legal up the coast.

Stopped for diesel €1.09 €43  39ltrs and €2 for engine coolant.

Arrived at our free stop tonight, another popular search for sites free carpark under the lighthouse at Cabo de Palos, La Manga Mar Menor. 

After lunch, climber to a vantage point for photos, down to the waterfront then back for jackets as very windy out here on the point. Walked up to the lighthouse then to the end of the point to a cafe for hot coffee and a brandy.....in La Azohia the same order was €3 here it was €6.50...but a bigger serving of both.

Wrote emails and read books.

Turkey fillets,  cauli and broccoli smash with creamy pepper sauce and fried potatoes.

Wed 21 Feb 11° La Azohia Beach

37 years ago in  Khandallah, Wellington, we were married, and here we are in southern Spain in the winter sun.

First the wonderful news that our friends Sarah and Gerry gave birth yesterday to a beautiful baby boy Joshua,  congratulations to them and new the grandparents.

Secondly we had an email from Tony's sister Prue in Wellington to say their sister in London had been rushed to hospital with a ruptured bowl  and had an operation to close it up.

We had another from our friend Andrea who had been in a car crash, nothing broken but badly shaken and bruised. Also bearing sad news her father in law very unwell too.

Decided to walk down to the fishing port for our lunch, a delicious menu del dia €10 for salad, pasta or soup, chicken or tuna, desert, coffee, liqueurs. Amazing value. We told the friendly waiter it was our anniversary and at the end of the meal he brought us a piece of cake and another liqueur each. The music playing was very relaxing tenor opera,  very appropriate with Amazing Grace, You Raise me Up among others as we thought of Fiona and when she sang at our wedding. They also sang O Holy Night which is one of Tony's favourites and he always sheds a tear. So all in all a very emotional lunch.

When we got back we went up the top of the camp to say goodbye to the young Welsh couple and Claire made us a Welsh coffee...with Bailey s, very yummy. She asked what I had done to my finger,  although it is now much better it still looked very angry. She got some germaline new skin and painted it on to make a protective film.

Swapped another book each and back to Bessie, where the news of Fiona was not good, Jenna and Alex were at the station on their way to the hospital in Lewisham, which is where I grew up.

We are very grateful that they arrived in time, the Pastor was there and Jenna rang Prue so that she could hear the prayer and speak to the Pastor. Jenna said although Fiona was unconscious and on life support, when she gave her a hug from Prue the monitor beeped, up until then it had been silent.  It beeped again when she said the family were all thinking of her.  Alex was a great support and gave Fiona a hug and said a few words to her and I am sure that Fiona would have known they were there.

Peter her husband had 4 members of his church with him so as it was after 11pm Jenna and Alex left and got a taxi home.

We heard from Prue the next morning that Fiona passed away at 6am. Very shocked and saddened at the suddenness of it, but she is now at peace and didn't suffer.

Tues 20 Feb 12° La Azohia Beach

Woke to a clear blue sky today after a noisy night from the Spar shop generator, service vans here this morning think they are having a new refrigeration system.

Ink blue sea for those that remember real ink....haha...gently rolling and lapping into shore.

Sat out for a short while but it was a cold wind, so came in and caught up on blog and did some research and planning.

My weird finger seems much better, Tony brought up 2 containers of sea water for me to bathe it in...finger on other hand has smaller but similar , red blistering, both seem to be shrinking and much less sore, so here's cheers to sea water.

Fish and chips for dinner.

Mon 19 Feb 11° La Azohia Beach

Grey sky and calm sea this morning then the grey turned blue and the sun warmed the clouds away to a clear powder blue.

We walked after lunch to the end by the fishing port, had a coffee on the way back and sat in  the warm sunshine.

When we got back we sat outside with a gin and tonic in the last of the days warm glow till the clouds came over and the breeze cooled and blew our way. Time to go inside.

Finished another book, my finger very red but not so sore.

The setting sun was white tonight over the pale sea and a thin sliver of silver moon giving a shy smile in the sky.

Sun 18 Feb 12° La Azohia Beach

Very windy last night, got blown about a bit, no rain though.

Grey sky this morning and cooler with calm flat sea. Had a domestic day, aired bedding, cleaned and tidied. Went to the Spar shop bought a loin of pork on Claire's recommendation  and some apple cake for desert...naughty but nice haha.

Appalling weather in NZ with cyclone Gita and snow in Canterbury in summer, how very strange the weather all over.

Walked along the beach and put my weird finger in the sea to see if it helped, had coffee on the way back.

Cut the pork loin  in half and froze half. Sat in sun and read books.

We had the pork with, potatoes, kumera, courgettes and cauliflower Mash with creamy pepper sauce. The pork was melt in the mouth,  moist and succulent...good recommendation from Claire, it was yummy.  Apple cake, Apple sauce and coconut yoghurt for desert.

Sat 17 Feb 17° La Azohia Beach

Day out to Bolnuevo just out of Mazzaron, left our table and chairs out to mark our spot.

Stopped at BP got water and empty grey waste, but no LPG.

Huge car park for the rocks, near the beach, this would make a good stopover too.

Drove on to Cartagena,  long and winding road, found a shell with LPG .66c €9 13 ltrs.

Around the town and into the harbour, spotted a fish restaurant.... €2 to park and we had octopus and finally.......sardines....much bigger than our sardines but very tasty, with salad and chips.

Took the back road thru pretty little villages and orchards in blossom,  inland up through the mountains, hello....hair pin bends......a meer blip compared to France and some of the roads we have been on.

Down to the coast and a haze over horizon. Just clicked over 17,000 miles into camp 3.15, temp up to 24° a great day out.

Fri 16 Feb 13° La Azohia Beach

Warm and calm sea, lovely walk along the promanade and back up to the top of the camping area. Saw Claire and Tony the young Welsh couple with Bonny their cute staffie  rescue dog. We had a good chat and she gave me 3 books to swap for 3 of mine. She said probably best to avoid Benidorm....have a look and keep going, she wasn't very impressed.

Bought fresh bread from the bread van, quite a queue, very popular.

The wind picked up so caught up on blog, it dropped away again after lunch so sat I  the sun outside.

Chilli chicken and noodles for dinner.

My  finger swollen up as if by a sting with huge blister very sore, it started off itchy then turned very angry...weird.

Thurs 15 Feb 12° La Azohia Beach

Hughie left today for Benidorm to meet some friends, his mate Ken also left but to go the other way. Germans took Hughies beach front spot next to 2 other German vans, so a little group of them and us on water front. We are parked sideways so still have a nice view..

Can see why people stay for months at a time. Young Welsh couple full timers, have been here 6 weeks, they have a small generator if need it, but have 3 leisure batteries and an inverter so don't need elec hook up. They only go home for 2 weeks a year for MOT then back again, youngest couple we have met doing it full time,  good on them, just rented their house, stopped working and did it. They have no children just a rescue dog, wanted to do it while they can.

Sat in the sun again 20° lovely warming sun not burning so can sit out all day, I would be 10 mins in NZ and be burnt beetroot haha. Finished another book.

Eggs, bacon, beans and tomatoes for dinner.

Wed 14 Feb 12° La Azohia Beach

Happy Valentines day, German man next door brought up some gorse from the beach for his wife....she said all prickly  haha, then he produced a red rose....very nice.

Tony was going to buy me a Valentines heart shape cake from the bread man, but thought better of it.....it's the thought that counts....don't need the calories haha.

Another day in the sun reading, Tony finished his rugby book on Dallaglio , had a long chat to Hughie from Solihull ex Welsh man.  He was a long hall truck driver, been all over Europe and Russia, lots of stories to tell. He was nearly 80 and stone deaf, been solo motorhome for 12 years, nice bloke. Tony gave him the book to read, he was very grateful.

Fried potatoes, Turkey fillets,  broccoli and tomato and cucumber salad.

Hughie gave us directions to Bolonovo just out of Mazzaron and lpg filling station.