Week 7 – 20th January 2024 – 26th January 2024 – San Jose to Mar Menor (129 miles)
Saturday 20th January 2024 – San Jose Day 3
Last night we had an horrendous storm, well it felt horrendous in our little space. The wind was moving the van about and the rain was just lashing down. Storm Juan is passing through the south of Spain, and it’s bad. It’s so bad that we lost the electricity a few times, not for any great length of time, however.
Our well equipped gym
Rain has stopped play
We have woken up again to a pretty miserable day. The wind has changed direction to a north eastish direction so it’s cold as well. Oh, and it’s raining again while we have breakfast. Lovely. A day locked in the van. Probably.
There is a gym here at the camp, so Hayley takes advantage of it and does an hour. Not much else happens today as the weather is not cooperating.
Tonight “H Paella“
Sunday 21st January 2024 – San Jose to Palomares(52 miles)
Today we are moving on. Our journey continues north to Palomares where we are hoping to go off-grid for a night or two. However, the place we are going has become very popular since we were last there so it may be packed. We shall see.
After breakfast we pack up, do a service and set off, after buying the smallest pack of butter from the camp shop for nearly 4 euros!
The weather is cool and grey, with no wind, or rain for a change. Our drive will be about and hour and 20. We have turned the corner and arenow heading north. After a bit of rough motorway we arrive at Palomares, which contrary to what we were led to believe, is actually ok. It’s busy but there is space. We find a place but a stones throw from the beach. Tonight we will be off grid. With a full tank of fresh water, an empty grey tank and fresh toilet we can do a maximum of three days.
The weather has cleared up. Clear blue sky and, a slight breeze, so we get the bikes down and set off for a nice cycle to the nearest town called Vilaricos.
We have been there before, very cute. We arrived just as a Sunday market was wrapping up, which is a shame.
We feel better for having done some exercise and head back to the van, we get our chairs out on the beach for a chilled beer, and read, sitting right by the sea edge in the sun. Fabulous. This is what we wanted…
Late afternoon we pack up and get properly settled in. It’s a fabulous dinner tonight and an early to bed.
We have no plans for tomorrow, we shall just see how it goes.
Monday 22nd January 2024 – Palomares Day 2
Del is up at 8 am and catches a beautiful sunrise. It’s going to be a lovely day.
The sea is flat and calm and the sky is clear blue. We hear a car horn blaring out quite loud. We think that someone might be in distress, but soon realise that it’s an enterprising baker in a small van selling bread and breakfast pastries. Hayley dashes out for a stick of bread and a croissant for breakfast.
There is a great supermarket nearby so we set off and do a massive shop. 112 euros worth. It should last a day or two. We can stay off-grid for two days sometimes 3. It’s so nice here on the beach that we have decided to stay for another day. No rush at all so we do some walking, read and just relax.
A smashing non-eventful day. The wind has built in the afternoon making it a bit chilly but pleasant all the same.
We do have a good walk in the afternoon as the wind is dying out. The beach stop is getting busy for a Monday.
It seems that everyone in the world is out on a camper van.
Tuesday 23rd January 2024 – Palomares to Crevillent (108 miles)
Today we are setting off. We are heading further north towards Alicante. We need a stop near the airport as Del is flying off to Berlin for 4 days to do some work. Hayley finds a new campsite called Camping Severin. It is owned and run by a Dutch couple. There are only 5 spots and we have been lucky to get one for one night
On route, we fill up with LPG and diesel and we give Jess a bath. She needs it! Hayley likes to keep an eye on her new tyres so we stop to check the pressure. (5.2 bar at the front and 5.3 at the back. She says).
All freshened and pumped up we set of for the two hour drive. It’s a lovely warm day, 22 degrees with some fabulous scenery on route. We arrive at the campsite and are welcomed by the owners Micheal and Naomi. We find out that they have only been open since September.
They can only offer 5 places but are working up to 15 after they have applied to the local council to expand. It’s a long-term plan and already it really is a fabulous place. It gets great reviews.
We are given a great spot and get settled in quite quickly. We have an early dinner, a fabulous fiduea made by Hayley.
Del does the cleanup while Hayley sets off for a shower. We looked at the facilities earlier and the shower is better than home! However, there’s a problem when Hayley takes her shower – ice cold water. Jess saves the day – she has a nice hot shower on board.
Del reports the cold shower. Michael is very apologetic, resets the boiler and Del is able to take advantage of the luxurious facilities.
We are packed up and ready for a 07:30am departure tomorrow. Del’s flight is at 10:10am, Hayley will drop him off and set up camp at Mar Menor.
Wednesday 24th January 2024 – Crevillent to Mar Menor via Alicante Airport (99 miles)
We are up the earliest since this trip started., 6:45am. It’s dark so getting out of the site is a bit tricky. Can’t see a thing! Today Del is off to Berlin to do a job, coming back on Sunday. Hayley will drop him off at Alicante airport and do the 1-hour drive to Mar Menor. On time Del is dropped off at the airport at 8:30am, he checks in and sits with a coffee for his 10:10 flight.
Hayley is setting off for a campsite in the Mar Menor after a couple of circuits of the airport trying to find the exit. The journey goes well but the tolls are a pain having to get up and lean out of the opposite side of Jess to pay them. There is quite a lot of laundry stacking up so once in and settled into a nice large space, she gets on with it. It’s a beautiful day here on the Mar Menor. Once the domestics are done, it’s time to settle down with a drink in the sunshine.
It’s clear blue skies and high temperatures, unseasonably high for the time of year by all accounts so Hayley gets a bit of exercise done with a 4 mile walk through the tall grass and along the shores of the Mar Menor.
Del has an uneventful flight, thankfully, up until the last 30 minutes. Berlin is experiencing the most appalling wind, so the approach and second attempt of landing is a bit on the rough side. The wind is so bad that Del has to help a lady up who gets blown over in the wind with her cases. Poor love. It is awful. He gets an Uber to the hotel, which is 30 minutes away, and is in his room by 2:45.
Some work has already started
Not much to do today. Dinner with all the crew.
It’s a large event with a vast crew. It’s so good though to see so many people from over the years gathered in one place. Such lovely people. It will help ease the time away and make it a very pleasant few days.
Thursday 25th January 2024 – Mar Menor / Berlin Day 2
It’s another beautiful day in Spain, this whole area is getting hotter than usual weather. There’s a fabulous beachside restaurant here that we visited last time we stayed, so Hayley makes a beeline for it for lunch. They do a set menu for 25 euros, more expensive than your usual Spanish set menu, but this place is something special.
The lunch is delicious, by the beach and served with a glass of cold white wine. Poor Del, wish he was here. After lunch, she walks up to the nearby military runway where some very noisy F5 jets are taking off.
Hayley does love a noisy jet (seeing the film Top Gun at the cinema as a teenager probably has a lot to do with this).
She’s hoping to see the Spanish version of the Red Arrows (Patrulla Aguila) rehearsing as this is their base. Unfortunately, after the last jet leaves a team of resurfacing trucks move in and start re-laying the runway. That’s the end of that then!
In Berlin meanwhile, it’s all pretty full on. The venue is large and is split in half. During the day it’s a conference for over 2000 people, and in the evening the room opens up to provide a full dinner and entertainment for the delegates.
It is a large room and difficult to explain the size, but if you have ever been to see a concert in an arena then you are quite close to imagining how large it is. It’s huge. Lots of lights, sound, set and large screens, and it all has to be done in a day and a half!
Friday 26th January 2024 – Mar Menor / Berlin Day 3
It’s blue skies again in Spain and Hayley is off cycling to the mud baths in San Pedro del Pinatar at the end of the Mar Menor. There are great cycling lanes much of the way and she ends up cycling to the strip that separates the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean Sea.
No one is partaking of the mud baths as it’s a bit too early in the season but the views are fabulous. The nearby towns are proud of their aviation connections – there are statues of planes everywhere and the benches are made in the style of aircraft wings.
Back at the van she puts her feet up after a total of 17 miles of cycling and sits in the sun reading.
It’s the penultimate day today before the Berlin event. Del is programming the plenary conference for the daytime and another programmer is taking care of the evening show. Between them, they have to take turns programming their own areas. The pressure is on to meet the deadline for the rehearsals and there is a lot to do, but it’s all coming together.
Week 6 – 13th January 2024 – 19th January 2024 – Balerma to San Jose (186 miles)
Saturday 13th January 2024 – Balerma Day 3
Del, proud of his now clean, shiny van.
Our last day here today. It’s a warmish start so after a bowl of bran flakes and fruit we sit outside, chatting and reading before finally setting off for a local walk, nothing too strenuous. It’s a lovely day.
We don’t plan to have dinner tonight. Instead, Hayley puts together a very typical Spanish spread of tortilla, tomato bread, Jamon Serrano, chorizo, salad and the biggest prawns ever dipped in alioli for a very late lunch while the sun is still out.
Fabulous. Needless to say, it didn’t stay on the table for very long.
It’s a quiet afternoon. As usual, it gets quite cool from about 4:30 onwards so we wrap up and just relax.
Tomorrow we are going a little more west towards Nerja. Still in Andalucia, this will be as far as we go west before turning round and heading back towards home. We still have just under 4 weeks to go to do it.
Sunday 14th January 2024 – Balerma to Nerja (70 miles)
Lemon tree behind Jess
The camp parrot!
We are moving on today and heading west to a nice little place that we visited two years ago, Camping Cortijo San Miguel which is just outside the town of Nerja, famous for its caves.
A nice drive today, short, just over an hour.
It’s a busy place but luckily we booked ahead for our two-night stay.
We are given a nice patch surrounded by lemon trees, avocado trees and bird of paradise plants. Very nice, very peaceful – perfect.
Once set up we are off to find lunch. There used to be a very nice beach restaurant here. It was a bit on the rough and ‘rustic’ side but the food was very good and very cheap with good simple service. We found that the old place has now closed down and the owner has built a rather flashy ‘block’ on the beach.
It’s an excellent location and looks trendy. Of course this means that it’s full. We are asked for our name and asked to just have a drink and wait for our table.
Fresh Paella. Made on the beach
We get one of the best tables in the place, outside, in front of the building with a full open, unobstructed view of the sea and beach. Smashing.
There’s a small accident as we are getting settled when Del manages to knock his beer over all over Hayley. She stinks like a brewery for the rest of the afternoon.
First he has it……then she gets it!
We eat half the seabed. Calamaris, sardines, fried bouqueroes and paella. Quite a feed. The place is rather hectic, probably slightly understaffed, but all good.
Pair of van visitors
The bill finally arrives with bits missing, so after letting him know what he’s missed we settle the bill and leave with an ice cream to finish off.
We have a peaceful afternoon back at the camp in the sun with a coffee. We do have a couple of visitors – a black cat and a tabby cat, who think it might be a good idea to inspect the van. There are a few cats here wandering about who are very friendly.
They all look well fed, which is thanks to the campers feeding them. They aren’t daft. They are very nice, just wandering around letting people fuss them and feed them.
It’s movie night tonight. We watch the first two episodes about the postmasters/Post Office caper. Bad that, very bad.
Monday 15th January 2024 – Nerja, Day 2
The weather this morning is not what was advertised. We were supposed to get warm sunny skies, low 20s. Instead, it’s cloudy, with a slight breeze and mid-teens. Oh well, no matter. We have a morning on Jess before going for a walk to the town of Nerja.
The wind has built up, the sea is totally different from yesterday, it’s really chopping up. Not what was expected.
Del’s ‘expensive’ new shades
The sky is dark and threatening, but soon we are in the town square of Nerja and the sun comes out. Del buys a new pair of sunglasses for 12 euros! Bargain.
We find a bar with outside seating and enjoy two small beers while discussing next year’s adventure. Where shall we go? What shall we do?
A very pleasant afternoon in the town of Nerja. The walk back feels long as we battle the strong wind, face-on, back to Jess. A nice evening at the van and a lovely dinner.
Movie night again tonight. Ricky Gervais – Armageddon. Very entertaining. We also watched the last two episodes about the Post Office scandal. Mr what’s his name etc.
Tuesday 16th January 2024 – Nerja to Cabo de Gata (112 miles)
Well, today is the day that we now start to turn back, keeping the sea on our right. We have just under 3 and a half weeks remaining before our ferry on the 9th of February towards home.
It’s a very pleasant uneventful drive, which you always want… We are retracing our steps for the first part and staying at the Cabo de Gata campsite. There’s not much to do around there but the campsite is excellent, lots of facilities with an excellent restaurant. Once we get checked in, it is indeed time for lunch, so we take advantage of the menu of the day, 13 euros each for a full three-courses, drink and a coffee.
It’s that time of the week when Jess gets a full clean inside. Doors and windows are all opened up and the whole van gets a full wipe-down and the floors are washed. We also get a pile of laundry done. The weather is a bit unpredictable today; wind and rain with bits of sunshine. It’s still warm though so it’s not all bad.
No dinner tonight after the big lunch. Early night!
Wednesday 17th January 2024 – Cabo de Gata Day 2
Another day of unpredictable weather today. Indeed just after breakfast, we get an hour of heavy rain.
Rain streaming down the windows
The Spanish won’t be complaining, they have been short on rain down here for a while. In the summer they saw temperatures of high 40s to low 50s celcius, so a few heavy showers will be welcome. We don’t mind, we stay in Jess, pottering, reading and planning trips for the future. Do it while you can!
The wind is blowing hard but the rain has finally stopped with some sunshine trying to get through. We take our chances with the lull in the weather, and get a jacket on and take a walk to the sea which is a good 2km round trip.
We get to the sea edge and it’s blowing hard, straight from the southwest, force 8 and building! It’s good though, quite invigorating. After a while we get fed up with the wind and the noise and make our way back for a cup of tea. We have another cat visitor.
This time a small black kitten, who is just terrified of any movement or sound. We managed to calm the poor thing down for a while with cat treats and some milk. Poor thing,
We get a nice sunny break later in the afternoon, but we still have the howling wind. You can get fed up with it… Del is currently reading books from the British Library Crime Classics series, so escapes to the bar to read a couple of chapters while sampling a ‘Cafe Cabo‘, which is a local version of the Canary Islands Cafe Barraquito.
A very quiet day today.
Thursday 18th January 2024 – Cabo de Gata to San Jose (12 miles)
We only have a short drive today, probably 30 minutes. We are going across the Cabo de Gata, the small sticky-out bit at the bottom right-hand side of Spain, to a place near San Jose called Camping Escullos. A short service for Jess today – grey water empty and a fresh toilet and we are off.
The countryside changes quite quickly. Soon we are away from the acres and acres of plastic sheeted greenhouses, and soon we are at the heart of a national park which is quite spectacular, with its high hills and roads carved into them going for miles. Very nice. A short but rather nice drive.
We arrive at the camp, which we have pre-paid, but although they can find our reservation, they can’t find the deposit paid. Of course, Hayley has all this info at her fingertips. No problem, we are not to worry and just pop in on our departure day and hopefully, the banking system will have sorted itself out.
We are given a small but nice pitch, really tucked in with just enough space. It’s nice and private.
The wind is still blowing hard but it’s a lovely warm sunny day. Without too much of a do, we shut the van up and set off for a walk to the beach. It’s a good mile or so of a walk but worth it when we get there. It has a lovely sandy beach, which because of its distance from anything and the coolish weather, we are the only ones there. It’s a small bay or cove so the wind is not too bad.
We have a good look around and get a good walk in, discovering a fort built right on the edge of the rocks. It’s all rather pleasant and we have to remind ourselves that it’s the middle of January as we stand under the sunny blue skies, looking out to a dark blue sea.
By the time we get back to Jess, we have done a good 3.5 mile walk and feel rather good for it. We have a small snack and a beer in the afternoon sun behind Jess.
Tonight there is a band on at the camp restaurant with fish and chips for a staggering 7 euros! We’ll give that a miss but probably go and see the band.
A relaxing afternoon takes us up to 7:30 pm when we go to check out the band. They have already started. It’s a little odd.
It’s an Irish band, a 5 piece band which without a doubt, might be the worst we have every seen (and heard). None of them can crack a smile, their singing is mumbled and it’s hard to hear who is playing and what they’re playing. The funny thing is that the audience, who are now full of cheap fish and chips and cheap wine, seem to like it.
We sit at the bar and it turns out to be not too bad a night after all. We have some locally made Pacharan, a nice drink over ice – homemade by the campsite though. Tomorrow might be interesting,
Friday 19th January 2024 – San Jose Day 2
Poor quality sleep last night. Hayley complains of a bit of a headache and our mouths feel a bit ‘furry’ from the moonshine last night. A short simple breakfast today. It’s a bit miserable here today. It’s cold, cloudy and rainy. It’s far better than our home country which is experiencing a real cold snap, but it is winter…
We stay indoors until lunchtime and have a rather splendid lunch at the local restaurant. Very pleasant. It’s not rained for a while and seems to be holding steady, so we decided to set off for a walk, similar to yesterday, just to get some exercise. Because of the threatening rain, we take caution and put a good waterproof coat on, just in case.
It’s good to be out in the fresh air. We set off and the surrounding hills are quite spectacular. But what’s this? As we progress through our walk, which isn’t very far, the skies grow dark and dramatic.
Storm clouds are gathering around us
But very dark. At the first feel of the first drop of rain, we decide to turn back. Just as well…
Within minutes the heavens open up and dump a heavy shower of heavy rain on us. The wind has also built up and we are walking right into it.
The wind is so strong and the rain so heavy it stings your face. Hayley has to put her glasses on to give her self some “eyeball protection”.
We laugh and curse all the way back to Jess, get the wet clothes off and have a cup of tea. Guess what…? It’s stopped raining… Typical. Suddenly it feels like Filey on a Tuesday afternoon…!
We will be staying in for the rest of the day and night. Tomorrow is another day.
Today we do a 6 and something hours of driving. The upside is that we are now in the warm part of Spain where the daily average temperature is 17 degrees. That’s cooler than it’s been recently – the week before we arrived it was in the low 20s but Europe is having a bit of a cold snap.
The motorways are free in Spain, apart from some shorter newer routes and even then it’s cheap. We follow the coast until we pass Alicante and Hayley finds us, what on paper, looks like an excellent campsite called “La Fabrica” or The Factory. The reviews talk of vegan cooking classes and oboe concerts, Del is a bit dubious but these quirky stops make for an interesting trip. It’s off our route by a couple of kms but we think that we will give it a go. We drive through a town called Dolores which is dead, not just quiet, but dead, nothing there. It feels very odd. We find the campsite which is equally dead and closed but looks, on the outside, how it is described on its website. It’s worth just clicking on their website to see what we mean.
We park up while Del investigates. It is definitely closed apart from one run-down camper van with an old Spanish guy sitting outside it spitting. Nice. We give up and set off. Del finds a Whatsapp number for the owner who replies to Del’s text saying that it is the right place but that they are full.
We drive off to rejoin the motorway, it’s all starting to feel like a bit of a slog now after 6 hours. We head to the Mar Menor where there are two cheap camper parks. One of them doesn’t open until 6pm and looks full, the other is full so we end up spending 40 euros for a place in the nearby campsite for the night.
Sunshine… finally
We are put into a tight space which is basically the campsite carpark with some wire running to it for electricity. We decide to change and move into the campsite for the same price but without electricity. It’s more spacious and quieter. The other pitch had a group of revellers playing music extremely loud and having a BBQ and we were downwind of it. We like the new space. Nice, but very expensive. It’s high season here. We are amazed that the two cheap camping parks are full, between them there are 215 spaces and they are all full! Most of the spaces in these parks and campsites are filled by huge German motorhomes in a completely different league to Jess, they are the size of coaches and some store a car inside them. We do some research and find a Morelo Empire Liner for £686,000! We’ll stick with Jess.
We settle in for the night. Tomorrow is another day.
Sunday 7th January 2024 Mar Menor to Cabo de Gata (136 miles)
The wind in the Mar Menor is strong. We are getting quite fed up with it, it’s cold as well, so we finally decide that after breakfast we will move on further south to find some winter sunshine. We set off, Del is driving while Hayley does her best to find us a place. We, text and email sites as we go along, all of which have “no room at the inn“. It’s a busy time of year, this is where the warm weather is and this is where everyone wants to be. Just like us!
The white bits are plastic greenhouses…
Finally Hayley does find us a place. She is really good at scouring the camping apps and maps and finding us places. We have finally broken free of the windy weather and the skies are blue. We are heading south towards the Cabo de Gata. It starts to feel like a bit of a slog but it is well worth it. We have booked and paid in advance and we are welcomed by a very nice chap who gives us a space. Finally, finally, we have found the sunshine.
There is not much around here at the Cabo de Gata. We remember it from our sailing days when we sailed from Almerimar to Barcelona and back on a couple of occasions. This area of Andalusia is considered the poor part of Spain, but it is also where most of Europe’s fruit and veg are grown.
Miles and miles of land are covered in plastic greenhouses. It is said that after the Great Wall of China, it is the second largest man-made thing that can be seen from space.
We have a great pitch and get settled in quite quickly.
The have a restaurant here on the site serving local stuff at a good price so without too much delay, we are sitting down to a cold beer, a huge salad, fried baby squid and some fries on the side. We also have a cold glass of rose to help it along all enjoyed in the wind-free sunshine. Finally.
It is still winter here so it does get cold from around 5 pm. We are well fed and watered and content to be where we are. Fabulous. Could the days of long drives be finally over?
Monday 8th January 2024 – Cabo de Gata – Day 2
It’s a nice bright, but chilly, day this morning. We slept well – it’s so quiet here. Breakfast is outside today in the cool winter sun. We have some winter tops on as it’s a chilly morning . It’s so nice though. We enjoy our breakfast. Laundry day today. It has to be done.
The bikes are at last coming off the back of the van, after 4 weeks we get them down. Hayley gives them a good wipe down, oiling and tyre pump up and we are off, no idea where, but we are off. We find our way to the beach. It’s not really a beach for spending the day on but it’s the beach. It stretches for miles to the left and to the right of us.
The sea is calm and it’s warm in the sun. We are the only people for miles too. We sit on the beach looking out to sea reminiscing about our boat trips along these waters. We sit there for a while just chatting. It’s lovely.
We set off again. We can see a town a few miles off along the coast, and following a dusty road we arrive at the small town of Cabo de Gata. It’s dead. There is no one here. We cycle through the empty dusty streets. It feels strange.
Cheers…
We make our way to the sea front and find a small bar with a couple of people sitting out to enjoy the afternoon sun. Why not we think, and sit down to a small glass of Coke and two small tapas. Lovely.
Our 7 mile cycle
Not realising the time we head back to the campsite, again another dusty, pot holed, winding road to join the main road back to the campsite, we end the day sitting outside in the afternoon sun and just like yesterday it starts to cool off around 5 pm so we pack up and get into Jess for a nice hot cup of tea. We liked it today, lots done including a good 7 mile cycle.
We like it here so much that we ask if we can stay another two nights. No problem, so here we will stay for the next few days, in the Cabo de Gata, in the province of Andalucia, Spain.
Tuesday 9th January 2024 – Cabo de Gata – Day 3
We have woken up to a cloudy, cool morning. The sun is trying to break through but not quite making it. Breakfast indoors today. Crumpets and poached eggs! Nice. We stay around Jess today, planning our next few weeks, booking what we can ahead, if we can.
It’s mid-afternoon and the sun has pushed away some of the clouds, it’s quite warm. We get the walking boots on and set off for a walk. We walk past a lot of the greenhouses that cover many miles of the Andalucian area. Some are left to rot and decay sending massive sheets of plastic to blow around the countryside, eventually making it into the sea. There is also an issue with poor conditions for migrant workers, which we all tend to ignore, so long as the tomatoes are cheap! See the wiki here, and some photos.
This area is littered with the greenhouses that supply Europe with fruit and vegetables
An hour or so later we have done 4 miles. Back to Jess. The clouds have gathered a bit more heavily now, rain is threatening. We pack everything away and pop the bikes back on the back. We are moving on tomorrow.
The rest of the day is spent on Jess. It’s so still outside, grey and cool. Dinner on board.
Movie night tonight. Groundhog Day. A 90s film about a bloke who’s a bit of a git, wakes up everyday to the same thing and becomes an alright bloke. It was ok.
Wednesday 10th January 2024 – Cabo de Gata – Day 4
There was some rain overnight, just a shower. This morning the sunshine is back. Clear blue sky and it is warming up nicely. It’s bacon butties and coffee for breakfast today. We are leaving today to make an overnight stop along the coast. Just as we are having breakfast Del gets an email cancelling our reservation. Nice. We get into a bit of a flap as the day is already planned. It’s a short-lived flap though as we decide to stay put just for one more night. It’s nice here so we don’t really mind.
Camping Cabo de Gata has everything and it has a nice easy going feel about it, clean and well maintained.
It has really warmed up now to a balmy 17 degrees so we sit outside jess reading, writing and chatting. It’s that good we finally get our shorts on and just relax for the rest of the day.
The camp restaurant does a fabulous 13 euro menu of the day, so we take advantage of that. Fantastic value for money and enjoyed in the afternoon sun.
Back at Jess we rinse and repeat the mornings activities. It’s all go! We discuss and part book a trip away for the summer.
No dinner tonight but we do play one of our EXIT games.
Tomorrow we will definitely be moving on. Maybe…
Thursday 11th January 2024 – Cabo de Gata to Balerma (50 miles)
We have liked staying here in Camping Cabo de Gata. We have stayed longer than we thought. There is not much around here, you can go out on a bike and do some walking, which is nice, it’s just that the campsite has a such a nice feeling about it which is hard to describe, it’s relaxing, care free and has everything you need including an excellent restaurant and bar. We will probably call in here again for another night or two on the way back home in a couple of weeks.
We do finally leave today. After a massive breakfast. “A clear out breakfast“. Getting stuff used up that will be soon out of date. Del knocks up a poor man’s tortilla using up some eggs and potatoes. There’s ham, cheese, jam and bread. We go a bit mad really. We do a full service on Jess and set off west along the southern coast of Spain. It’s a lovely day, 18 degrees and all’s right with the world. We are heading for a campsite called Camping Mar Azul in the town of Balerma. It’s a short 50 mile drive and on route we stop at the Spanish version of Tescos – Mercadona. A fabulous supermarket. Never thought we would say that “It’s our favourite supermarket“, but they are rather good. The fridge and cupboards in the van are jammed with stuff that should last us a good week or more.
Finally. A cheap wash for Jess
At the campsite we find that they have a van wash! Jess has not had a decent wash since the start way back in Switzerland. For 3 euros, yes 3 euros she gets the best wash ever! So, so cheap.
We get checked in and get to our pitch and settle in very quickly. The site must be occupied by at the very least 98% Germans. It’s mad… No problem with that, they work hard, they buy all the toys, they move about and enjoy using them. It’s a nice place here, we have a walk around to find out where all the essentials are, toilets, showers, stuff like that.
Cute visitor.
We walk along the front to the town of Balerma. It’s quite sad really. This area of Spain is the poorest area. There are so many construction sites that have started and have been abandoned. Blocks that are occupied but are starting to fall apart. The town is almost deserted. Eventually though we do find some life. Two seafront restaurants that are busy. We stop at one of the places for a “Tinto Verano” (Red Summer). Red wine mixed with lemonade and lots of ice. Very refreshing.
Hayley’s Fidua
We make friends with the restaurant’s local black cat while studying the menu which is excellent. We decide that we will come here for a late lunch tomorrow. Back at Jess, we half heartedly plot the rest of the trip out before showering and having a fabulous dinner on board. Hayley does do a an amazing Fidua.
Early night tonight…
Friday 12th January 2024 – Balerma Day 2
It was a good night’s sleep, we were in bed by 9 pm! Bacon and avocado butties and coffee for breakfast this morning. It’s windy today, much more than yesterday. You can get fed up with wind. Today we plan on a bike ride and a late lunch. After breakfast we sit about chatting, get the bikes off the back and off we go. We plan to go to Almerimar which is east along the coast, a 10km cycle, 20 round trip. We set off but the strong wind is dead in our face, it slows us down and the roar past our ears is getting on our wick so we forget all about it and cycle back in the other direction and take lunch a little earlier.
It’s nice afternoon out and the time goes quick. We end up at a restaurant with the best sea view, its very quite and peaceful here and our cat friend from yesterday puts in an appearance.
Late lunch beginsThe end!
For 13 euros we have a menu of the day, which is quite extensive. Salad, fried aubergine with honey, followed by paella and a local stew. More food comes; calamari with some fries, a local dessert and coffee. Del has a splash of brandy in his coffee (carajillo).
Back at Jess, Hayley does some planning for a summer trip while Del does nothing! In the end we did manage a staggering 7 mile cycle…
Another day here tomorrow, the last day before moving further along the coast to Nerja.
Week 4 – 30th December 2023– 5th January 2024 Interlaken, Switzerland to Benicarlo, Spain. (889 miles)
NOTE: You can now see where we have been with Jess on our travels since we started. Click here for a Google map that will allow you to move around in the usual way.
Saturday 30th December 2023 – Interlaken to Lucerne. (45 miles)
That’s Christmas out of the way… We have been based in Interlaken for 6 nights, one of the longest stops. It has been very good here, we’ve seen and done quite a lot and enjoyed ourselves. The campsite was excellent, very cheap and very handy for facilities and with the help of the free bus pass from the campsite, we were able to get out and explore.
Time to move on now though. We intend to bring in the new year back at Lucerne. We stayed for one night there last week. It’s a city, so very busy, but they are having a huge fireworks display on the lake on the 1st of January and we would like to see that. The campsite works on a first come first served basis and as it’s the new year with this big firework thing, we think it will fill up, so we need to get there sharpish.
Jess is packed up, serviced, and ready for the off. We need some LPG for heating etc, we have gone through a whole bottle! We are also down to our last bits of food so on the way out of Interlaken we find a garage and top up with gas and later a budget supermarket (which is still more expensive than Waitrose). We are fully stocked. The drive is about an hour and a half to Lucerne.
Look at the road, please!
It’s a pleasant drive. Hayley is at the wheel today.
There’s lots of twisting and turning and steep climbs, she pulls over to let people pass, and about 30 cars go by – bet they were cursing us. The weather is fair with some sunshine as we make our way back through almost 20km of tunnels to get to Lucerne.
Pick a space
We arrive at the campsite which is closed for lunch, but they have left a sign with the available spaces, which aren’t many now, so you are encouraged to pick your spot from the remaining and cross the pitch number from the list. Whew!
We bag a space. We are going to be here for 3 nights, leaving on the 2nd January 2024! We get settled in and have a cup of tea in the cool afternoon sunshine. Nice.
Dinner in tonight after a lovely dusk walk by the lake. It’s cold. Snow is expected on New Year’s Day. We shall see.
Sunday 31st December 2023 – Lucerne – Day 2
Well, folks, it’s the last day of 2023.
We are up late but we have a good hearty breakfast and spend some time in the van chatting and reading, all very nice. Time for a walk though. We take the bus to the centre of Lucerne and have a good walk around town.
It’s a very nice town, lots of history here and lovely buildings. We do manage to get some chocolate here in Switzerland!
Chocolate swag!
We put together a small bag of Lindt chocolate balls from a high street chocolate shop, which on reflection are a bit sickly, but it doesn’t stop us from scoffing some of them down!
Rain is threatening so we decide to walk back to the van around the lake. By the time we get back, it has started to rain properly, not heavy but just enough to get you wet. In total, we walked a good 5 miles.
Very good. We feel better for doing it.
The rain is now gently pattering on the roof of the van.
It’s cosy in Jess though, with nice lighting and the heating on while we enjoy some crumpets and a tea, and later a glass of pre-New Year Champagne. We want to spread it out a bit you see rather than drink the whole thing in one go!
Crumpets and tea. Well, why not?
Hayley does a fantastic dinner tonight of turkey, red cabbage, and spatzle, all very local, washed down with a small glass of red. To kill time until midnight we play an EXIT game. These are games that are like escape rooms but on paper. They’re good fun, sometimes they can be tricky but they’re entertaining. We’ve done many of these games and enjoyed them very much.
Well, folks 2023 is fast coming to an end. We are off to bring 2024 in with the rest of the fizz and maybe nip across the road to the water’s edge of Lake Lucerne if the rain stays off.
We would like to wish you all, family, friends, and acquaintances a very happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.
Del, H and Jess…xxx
Monday 1st January 2024 – Lucerne – Day 3
Today, the first day of the new year, we get up very late.
It was a very nice night last night. We played and completed our EXIT game with an hour to spare before midnight.
EXIT games. We have done probably 10 of these.
On the stroke of midnight, we were outside Jess with a glass of fizz in hand counting the seconds. The locals had gone crazy with the fireworks. The sky was alive with them. We did the short walk to the nearest park where the public is just allowed to let off as many fireworks as they like, and they were. It was mad, but great to watch.
Back at the van we did some phone calls and texts, watched the London fireworks and were in bed by 2:00 am.
The rest of the new year’s day we spend mainly indoors. It’s cold today. We have seen Lucerne now. We are here for the “official” fireworks later tonight.
We do manage a short walk to the Lido across the road where we just missed a group of people doing a swim in the cold lake. Mad.
We relax back in Jess waiting for the evening fireworks. It’s cold tonight as we make our way to the lake which is just a couple of hundred yards from the campsite and pick our spot for the display.
They didn’t disappoint. The display was at the town end of the lake but we still had a very good view along with the couple of hundred other people that turned up to see them. Excellent.
Tuesday 2nd January 2024 Lucerne – Leysin (142 miles)
Today we are heading south and slightly east to a place called Leysin. We are going there because there is a Tobogganing Park that Hayley wants to try out. It’s 1300m above sea level and the forecast for the area is predicting cold temperatures and snow.
In the line for a service
We get packed up and do a full service before we leave as we will be off grid today, so everything gets charged up, full tank of fresh water, fresh toilet and we are good to go.
Alpine Micky Dees
It’s a very nice drive today with some spectacular views as we climb higher. The temperature gets to 3 degrees and we start to see snow, not fresh falling snow but snow from previous falls. Del is driving today and in need of a coffee so we stop at a service area which has a McDonald’s.
20 quids worth of Micky Dees
Well, why not? 23 Swiss francs later we have a bag of food (not much for 20 quid) and are sitting in Jess having “a lunch”.
Back on the road and climbing higher. After some tight twisty narrow driving, we arrive at Leysin. It’s 4 degrees. We get a good spot and set off for a walk. There has been no fresh snow here for a while but the park is open and only 8 of the 13 runs are operating. We have a good walk and find some good snow to walk in.
On our way back to Jess it starts to rain, which is quite heavy by the time we get back. We get in the van and get the heating on, cup of tea and settle in for a quiet evening.
Tomorrow is our last day in Switzerland.
Wednesday 3rd January 2024 Leysin, Switzerland to Volte-sur-Rhone, France (245 miles)
It rained for most of the night last night. There were only small gaps in the rain, but for the most part it just rained! It was supposed to be freezing with snow. When we look out of the window this morning, it has finally stopped raining and is quite pleasant but a lot of the surrounding snow has dissolved. Fortunately, the Toboggan Run is made of lots of compacted snow and ice so it’s still there and still open but with only 6 of the 13 runs working.
We have a lazy breakfast as our session is from 12 midday. You get 1 hour 50 minutes on the slopes. After breakfast we get togged up in lots of layers and off we go. It’s just a short walk to the check-in, Hayley shows the ticket and we are both given a quick 3 minute safety lecture and handed a crash hat and our inner tube that we will sit in and then be pushed down an icy slope on!
Great fun!!! There is a ‘magic carpet’ that takes you to the top, which is just a fancy outdoor travelator. You sit yourself in the ring, cross your legs and get pushed!! It is pretty fast with a few twists and turns and banked corners cut into the snow. Sometimes you end up going backwards, spinning and so on. We got about 10 goes in our allocated time slot, which was plenty. Fabulous.
Back at Jess we pack up and set off just before 3 pm. We have a possible long drive ahead of us today. We are just east of Lake Geneva and we have to get to the south of France.
Goodbye Switzerland
The route is either over a high pass on very twisty roads and then dropping down into Chamonix which will take hours, or to go around the top of Lake Geneva and get on the French motorway system which is less time but a longer distance.
We take the second option. 5 and a half hours later, 42 euros on tolls and another 70 euros on diesel we finally arrive in the southern half of France, south of Lyon and north of Marseille. Hayley has a little app that allows us to book spaces in advance in France using “Camping Car Park”. You find the site, pay the small pitch fee and that’s it. What’s more, it worked. We arrived at the site where a French van was sitting outside, as we approached he signalled to us that it was full, but we just drove up to the barrier, swiped the card and the barrier opened. We are in. We did feel a bit sad for the French who couldn’t get in, but only a bit…
We are about a 2 hour drive from the French Mediterranean and we are aiming to be in Spain by late afternoon tomorrow.
An enjoyable but very long day, we are wiped out. Once we get settled, which is very quickly, we have a cup of tea and we are done. Night!
Thursday 4th January 2024 Volte-sur-Rhone, France to Capmany, Spain (240 miles)
Today we are up quite early, have breakfast, and are off and on our way by 10 am. It’s a bright cool morning. Another long day today of driving lies ahead. We want to get over the French/Spanish border and down to the south as quickly as we can. So we would like to get there quite early today. Looking at other campsites in Spain they are all full, mostly with Germans. They seem to be having an extended Christmas holiday, or doing what we are up to, and escaping their country for the winter.
We can either go by national, none toll roads, which will take forever and we will use up a lot, but a lot, of diesel. Or we can get there quicker use less diesel but pay a fortune on French toll motorways.
We go for the second option. We get a shop done as we are fast running out of supplies and soon we are off again and on the French motorways. They are very expensive but they are very good. Well maintained, clean and spacious.
Cork trees on the way to the campsite
After 58 euros on tolls and 5 and a half hours on the road we are in a charming Spanish campsite called Camping Albera just over the border in a small village called Capmany. We have been here before. It’s very pleasant. The sun is shining and it is 18 degrees!
As soon as we are parked up, the chairs are out, Hayley has a t-shirt on and a cold glass of white wine in hand sitting in the sun.
Within 24 hours we have gone from the Swiss Alps to the Spanish med.
Yesterday!Today
A bit of a downer on the horizon – Spain is expecting some very rough weather soon, that could last 10 days. We shall see. Dinner tonight was all homemade, all very nice, especially Hayley’s Tartiflette.
After dinner we manage a good walk out into the village of Capmany. Sitting in the van all day for almost 6 hours, we feel we need to stretch our legs a bit and get some blood flowing. It was well worth it. A very nice place indeed.
Capmany by night.
Friday 5th January 2024 Capmany to Benicarlo (230 miles)
Another long drive is planned for today, but hopefully, this will be our last one for a while. We are trying to get as far south as possible to get some sunnier, warmer weather. We have had a very pleasant stay here in Capmany, a very quiet place, but when we wake up this morning the site is almost empty, completely different from our arrival when the site was almost full. Lots of German motorhomes in transit, but are they going north or south?
It’s a grey overcast day but a nice temperature. There has been some light rain overnight. We need diesel and gas so we set off for the chaotic La Jonquera. It lives up to our description – chaotic. It is on the main motorway between France and Spain on the border, all road freight goes through here as well as tourists. It’s badly signed where everything is, the roads are in a bad condition and you have trucks, in the main, and tourists milling around. How there is not an incident we have no idea. Maybe that’s it. Maybe too much regulation and direction causes more accidents? Anyway, we give up filling at one place as we can’t get in. All kinds of height restrictions and bollards.
Finally we get to a petrol station after going around a roundabout or two while dodging Lithuania trucks, French tankers and German camper vans. Great fun…
We are on our way. The weather brightens up, it’s a lovely day as we head south on a FREE Spanish motorway. It’s busy as we pass Barcelona. The weather over the next few days is not great. Very high winds are expected, very high, we can already feel the start of it as Jess gets pushed about a bit in the wind. Hayley books us into a campsite called Camping Alegría del Mar for the night which is located south of Tarragona near a town called Vinaros.
At 3:30 pm we finally arrive having left Capmany at 11:00 am. We get a nice welcome that includes a free drink from the bar and a very nice spacious pitch. The stony beach is a two-minute walk. We can’t resist walking there as soon as we arrive to look at the Med and a rather stormy sky. It’s good to be here, we like it. We look out to sea and remember fondly the amount of times that we passed this spot when we had our boat, Stargazer.
The campsite has a nice, warm friendly feel to it, so much so, we will dine in their restaurant tonight and maybe try for another two nights here and stay for the weekend to sit out the winds. It’s Kings’ Day here tomorrow so it might be tricky. We shall see.
We decided that, yes, we would have dinner tonight at the local campsite restaurant and it was well worth it. A very nice friendly atmosphere with a mix of English, French and some Spanish. We had a lovely dinner with a salad, chiperones (fried baby squid), fiduea (paella but with short noodles) and two glasses of red. All for under 50 euros. That would have only got us a main course for one in Switzerland.
What a feed!Bingo!The prizes!
They had a few games of bingo, which we joined in and Hayley won a bottle of red, and Del won a bar of chocolate. All in all great fun and a lovely evening.
Week 3 – 23rd – 29th December 2023 Muggenbrunn, Todtnau, Germany to Interlaken, Switzerland. (133 miles)
Saturday 23rd December 2023 – Muggenbrunn, Todtnau, Germany to Lake Lucerne, Switzerland. (85 miles)
We woke up this morning to silence. No more rain on the roof. We were starting to get a bit fed up with that. Peering out of the window it’s foggy and damp but at least it’s not raining.
Muddy, nasty slush everywhere
We are moving on today to Switzerland.
Outside the snow that was here when we arrived has turned to slush so everything is muddy, when you walk out it’s muddy, everything you touch is muddy, the electric cable, the ramps that we are on to keep us level are all wet and muddy and have to be stowed away in plastic bags.
Finally, we are packed, we pay the lady and set off down the hill where the snow is getting less and less but it’s also drier. We stop to do some shopping and fill up with LPG for the heating and cooking. Christmas here in Germany is a different thing. The shops are not packed and people aren’t panicking to get their turkey order in before a certain date, no it’s just like any other day, sure people are putting different things in their basket, but it just feels like any other day. Also, Christmas Eve is the “big day/night”, and there’s no such thing as Boxing Day.
We are stocked up and ready to go. The sat navs are programmed up. We have two, a Google map and a Tom Tom map, but we also have good old-fashioned paper maps and books. You have to really. The weather has improved, the sky is clearing, it’s dry and it’s turning out to be a lovely morning.
With all our maps of different types and our two brains, we can’t find Switzerland. For some reason, we keep on seeing the same junction and roundabout. Very frustrating, funny the first time, not so funny the second, and annoying by the third. Finally, finally, we find the right road and we are on our way.
All Swiss motorways require a toll and it’s usually paid for by buying a sticker to put on your windscreen. You pay 40 something euros and the sticker lasts just over a year. We bought one when we did a shortcut through Switzerland on our last trip out so it’s still in date meaning we just glide over the border and just carry on through Switzerland.
It’s fabulous. The roads are clear and smooth, well maintained. The weather has improved dramatically with blue skies and a baking temperature of 8 degrees. As we drive along the motorway we can see, in the distance, the snow-covered Swiss Alps shining in the sun. Quite stunning.
We are heading to Luzern or Lucerne or however many different ways there are spelling this place. We are staying in a campsite called Camping Lido Luzern which is right on the famous lake. We arrive just before dusk and get a pitch for a staggering 49 euros for the night. (That’s cheap. Some are as much as 70 for the night). It’s not often you go to Lake Lucerne in Switzerland so whilst we groan about the price, we feel it’s worth paying.
A bit of a Jess clean up
Before we go anywhere, we need to clean up the mud and gunge that we accumulated in the Black Forest.
We need a walk after being locked up in the Black Forest so we set off along the pathway by the lake that leads from the campsite to the town. What a fabulous walk. The temperature is just right, the sun is setting behind a snow-covered mountain and the sky is breathtaking.
Our fabulous walk by the lake to the town
We do a good 40-minute walk to the town which is beautiful. The Christmas trees and decorations are very classy and understated. Lovely.
Needing the toilet, we find one. That’s changed – it’s no longer ‘spend a penny‘ but £1.35, and you can pay by card now!
Need the toilet? Get your card out…
Of course there is a Christmas market here, yes our third one so far, so we head for that. It’s busy, very busy.
A busy Lucerne Christmas market
We have some wurst and rosti and later a pot of spatzle, all very tasty all very expensive. It’s getting too crowded now and people are still coming in so we elect to leave and walk back but not without having a gluhwein which is probably the best one yet.
Finally, we are back at Jess. A great day in a great place, so much so that we plan to come here for New Year.
There is a huge fireworks display on the 1st of January, hopefully we will get a place here for a three-night stay.
Sunday 24th December 2023 – Lake Lucerne to Interlaken (50 miles)
A great drive to Interlaken
It’s a beautiful sunny morning this morning, cool and crisp and dry! Today we are moving on to a place that we have stayed at before in Interlaken called Camping Alpenblick, between Lake Thun and the Bernese Alps where we will spend Christmas. The weather is truly messed up, at this time of year, it’s expected that there will be snow, but we have a temperature of 6 degrees, grey skies and expect rain later. It must be a little worrying if you run a business that relies on the seasons behaving as you expect them to.
The drive is very pleasant driving through the town of Lucerne and out onto the very scenic motorways. We stop to fill up will diesel and keep the LPG topped up, just in case.
35 Swiss francs of chocolate. Well done Del!
Del gets ripped off for chocolate, in Switzerland no less. A box of Lindt chocolates (made in Switzerland) 16 Swiss francs (14 quid) that cost 6 in a UK supermarket! Nice one Del. At the garage is a car wash big enough for Jess. It’s reasonably priced so should balance out the cost of the chocolate. Jess gets a well-deserved wash, she’s filthy but comes out 8 Swiss francs later looking showroom clean.
Jess getting her first wash for this trip
It’s only a short 50-mile drive but very up hill and down dale so it will take us an hour and a half. The passing scenery is wonderful despite the lack of snow or sunshine. There is a 3 pm check-in at the campsite and we are over an hour early so we get parked up and have a cup of tea while we wait to be let in.
Once checked in our very nice hosts invite us to some mulled wine heated over an open fire. It’s delicious.
A welcome from our host
We are given a very nice pitch right next to all of the amenities including the bar and restaurant.
We plan on spending Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day here to get properly settled in.
Our home for Christmas and the next few days
As we are staying we get some lights out on the van along with some Christmas cards that we received before we left. Jess is looking festive.
We start Christmas Eve off with a Christmas special of the Royle Family and a Catherine Tate Christmas Special. ‘We are not bovver’ed‘. Dinner onboard tonight.
Monday 25th December 2023 – Interlaken – Day 2
‘Merry Christmas everyone, with our very best wishes“.
Merry Christmas all…
It’s a beautiful day here in Interlaken. Lovely blue skies and 12 degrees. Breakfast is a simple affair as we would like to go into the town of Interlaken for a walk. Everything is on a Sunday service, so the bus into town is busy, as is the town. Lots of tourists milling around enjoying the Christmas Day sunshine. There is a small wildlife park nearby that has a collection of Ibex. Of course, we can’t not go and see them. The park is just on the edge of the town, a short walk. Worth going to see them, they’re odd creatures with rather large, difficult-to-manoeuvre, horns…
We spend a good couple of hours in the town ending it with a glass of wine for Hayley and a coffee for Del in the sun watching the paragliders landing in the park opposite a hotel.
After the bus back we open a bottle of Cava and take a couple of glasses and a plate of Schwarzwald smoky ham to the closed campsite restaurant terrace where we sit in the low sun. A lovely afternoon. Very relaxed and very simple.
Our Christmas dinner will probably be no different from any other dinner on board Jess. Hayley is knocking up one of her Paellas, something she did comment is that she has probably made more Paellas at Christmas than turkey dinners. We usually seem to be in Spain at Christmas or out and about on Jess.
Jess set up for Christmas stay
Merry Christmas to all our friends and family, we hope that you all had a great day whether you are with family and friends or alone. Our very best wishes.
Tuesday 26th December 2023 – Interlaken – Day 3
A bright morning with more sunshine forecast today. We have spent a bit of time this morning discussing what to do for the next few days. There is plenty to see and do in the Interlaken area, but we want to be in Lucerne for the 31st, or thereabouts, for the New Year fireworks on the 1st. We make a rough plan of what to do over the next few days and write it down. Probably no point as we will change it as we usually do.
We decide to visit Grindelwald which is a bus ride and then a train. We rush through breakfast and the clean up and get to the bus stop with a few minutes to spare when suddenly Hayley asks if the heating on the van is off. Neither of us knows how we left it so we sulk off back to the van. The buses are every hour so it’s a bit of a wait for the next one. With that in mind, we decide to just do a local walk around the lake, it doesn’t go well with us unable to find a decent path and by this time the next bus is due so we get on and decide to go to Lauterbrunnen, just like that. So glad we wrote out a plan.
Train climb from Interlaken
In about 10 minutes we are in the train station of Interlaken East with a good 20 minutes to spare for the train to Lauterbrunnen. The train leaves dead on time and it has to do a rather steep climb. The scenery is amazing. The mountains are so high and imposing and all of them have a good covering of snow on top. No snow where we are of course, the snow is proving to be a bit elusive.
As the train climes, it changes to a cog system to help get it up the hill. Soon we are arriving into the town of Lauterbrunnen bang on time.
The town of Lauterbrunnen
The town is very quaint and Swiss. There are 72 waterfalls here to be seen on a long walk down into a valley. It’s not long before we come to the first one. It’s quite something to see. The water looks like it’s falling in slow motion as it’s so high. We walk for quite a while and see a few waterfalls, although not as many as we thought – because of the lack of snow there are fewer than there should be. It’s such a nice walk with rolling green fields and chalets in the hills. We see the train climbing the hill in the distance – the whole scene looks like a model.
One of 72 waterfalls. 71 to go!
Along the walk some enterprising houses are selling local produce, using an honesty system but using contactless payment. Another one has a proper vending machine. It’s all very new to us and different.
Check out the contactless honesty box
After a good few kilometres, we decided to turn back and head home. The trains are every 30 minutes and the bus back to the campsite every hour. While waiting for the train back to Interlaken we decide that we will return to Lauterbrunnen to catch the cable car and mountain top train to Murren which is a good kilometre higher. Apparently, there are no cars in Murren, but there is snow.
The journey back is timely, of course, and we are back in Interlaken with some time to spare enough for a small local beer in the street before catching the bus to the campsite.
We have decided to stay until Friday 29th December so pop in and pay in advance. The campsite is excellent at giving good value for money at 23 Swiss francs a night (£21), a lovely spot, all the facilities we need, laundry and excellent internet. Compared to the usual 45 to 50 francs a night, where we are is excellent and good value. Oh, and they even give you a free bus pass which allows for a discount on the trains.
Proper ‘Internet of things’ in action.
We get back to Jess for a tea and get some laundry done before dark. The laundry system here is all high-tech and controlled via an app – you reserve your machine and then you can track it online as it happens with a notification when done. It will even message you when a machine is free if it’s busy.
A few weeks later you get an invoice and your card is debited. The price per wash/dry is very reasonable. We liked that. We liked that a lot.
Hayley is knocking up a ‘German feast‘ for us tonight. We shall see.
Wednesday 27th December 2023 – Interlaken – Day 4
Hunting for snow!
Today we are in search of snow. There is no snow where we are, which is very unusual for the time of year, so we have to go to it. Hayley has done some internet research and found out that Murren has snow – it’s not snowing currently and hasn’t done for a while, but the last fall was quite large so there’s a lot of snow lying about.
To get there we must take a bus to Interlaken train station, a train to Lauterbrunnen, a cable car up to Grutschalp, and then a small hilltop train to Murren.
We set off late morning just in time for the bus and we are off. As usual, the trains are on time, but it’s busy, very busy. It’s the peak season, but despite the lack of snow falling there are lots of people heading for the higher slopes to find it and Murren is one of those destinations. The trains and the cable car are packed with people tottering about in snow boots and carrying skis along with a large contingent of non-skiers of which we are a part.
The cable car to Grutschalp has to make a steep climb. The scenery is spectacular and for just that it is worth the trip. An amazing view of the surrounding mountains and deep valleys makes us feel really small. It really is one of the best views we have seen. We have done a lot of busy cable cars in the past on various trips, but this one is full, capable of taking 100 people and freight as there are no cars in Murren. A large industrial fridge is loaded onboard as we watch concerned about all this weight.
Once at the top, we all fall out of the cable car and onto the small train on a narrow snowy track heading to Murren which is very picturesque, very beautiful, and ‘traditionally Swiss‘.
It’s not a huge town but it’s big enough to spend a couple of hours of walking, or rather slipping about on the frozen old snow. There are some lovely hotels perched right on the edge with spectacular views of the mountains. One hotel is called Hotel Drei Burge or Three Peaks Hotel in reference to the stunning view of the Eiger, Jungfrau, and Monch mountains (we won’t be staying here as it’s £400 a night, we are quite happy with our £21 a night campsite and lovely Jess). We walk to the other end of the town to watch the skiers finishing their journey from higher up only to get back on the cable car and go back up to do it all again. Exhausting.
During our walk we find a place that is hiring sledges and at the rear of the shop is a fantastic slope with plenty of people sledging and skiers coming off the slopes. (Del says he’s not interested but as soon as the lady offers us a double sledge he changes his mind and is soon dashing down the slope giggling to himself – see video). It’s brilliant. Well, why not – for 12 Swiss francs you can hire a two-seater sledge for the day. We are off…
Sledging… first time in many, many years
We are a bit apprehensive at first, as we haven’t done this kind of thing since we were kids, but after the first descent, we can’t wait to get back up and do it again. It is hard work and soon we are in need of a drink. We walk around the town looking for a place with a view and a drink. Shops and hotels are equipped and ready for customers who turn up with skies and sledges, all very civilised and easy going. After searching for a particular place that we saw when we started our walk, which we couldn’t find again, we decide to go to the Hotel Drei Burge which has a fantastic panoramic view of the mountains.
What a place, what a view. We order two mulled wines with a dash of vanilla. Very tasty.
Suitably refreshed we pay, pick up our sledge, and off we go back to the slopes for another couple of runs. Very enjoyable, great fun.
Time to get back as the last bus back to the campsite is quite early and we can’t afford to miss it. On the way to the cable car, we stumble upon the cafe/restaurant that we were looking for earlier and we are lucky to get a great table right on the edge with a phenomenal view of the mountains and the valley.
Eiger
In order left to right: Eiger, Monch & Jungfrau
An absolutely amazing place for a coffee and apple strudel.
We found snow! and we joined in…!
Hayley has a check of her email only to receive some very sad news regarding the passing away of her uncle. Very sad news and our thoughts are with family tonight. After taking in the sad news we do raise our glasses to remember him.
Thursday 28th December 2023 – Interlaken – Day 5
Today we are off on another train trip, this time to the town of Grindelwald. This is another town that has some snow, not as much as Murren yesterday as it is at a lower altitude but there is snow all the same. But first Jess needs some water and her grey water tank draining. We manoeuvre to the service point 10m away, the cold is stinging our hands while we fill up and after some time and discomfort, Hayley reverses back into our space. All good, until we try and get back onto our leveling ramps. Getting up them is okay but once Jess’s handbrake goes on the ramp slips, rather alarmingly, from under us on the icy surface. We try a few times but eventually give up to catch the bus, we will sort this out later on.
After a 30-minute train journey that has a steep climb, we arrive at Grindelwald. Again, it’s very busy with skiers as there is a rather expensive cable car that takes them much higher where there is plenty of snow. There has been no fresh snowfall here for probably two weeks and this is peak season.
We take a walk up a rather steep path to a place where there is some snow.
4 year old on the slopes!
Because of the lack of snow, there are a lot of people crammed into this small place. Great to see though, especially kids as young as 4 years old on skis and doing a good job of it too.
Back down in the town, we have a local traditional donut called a Berliner, which is just a fresh jam donut with icing sugar sprinkled on it. Nice though and very light. We have done another good walk today and again our eyes ‘hurt’ at the spectacular views of the mountains, the same as yesterday but of course from a different view.
This time we get an amazing view of a glacier frozen on the mountain. The blue ice just looks so precarious.
Huge glacier dripping down the middle.
We get the train and the bus back to camp and manage to get Jess back on her ramps as the ground has defrosted a little. Tonight we are eating at the campsite. We are going to have a Swiss fondue. They have a small, cute, wooden hut here with a wood burner in the middle, we are not sure how that goes together but it does, a wooden hut with a fire in the middle.
It’s very cute and cosy inside with the log fire on and just us and another two couples. We are given our table and the service is very good, as is the cheese and mushroom fondue that we have with two glasses of red wine.
We settle the rather large bill (well this is Switzerland) and walk the 10 metres back to the van. It’s getting colder and cloudier.
Tomorrow is our last full day here, On Saturday we are driving back to Lucerne for the new year.
Friday 29th December 2023 – Interlaken – Day 6
It’s our last day here today. We will have done 6 nights – the longest time we have spent in one place. Jess needs her weekly clean-out which doesn’t take long but has to be done. She gets a full airing, bedding changed, dusted down, wiped down everywhere inside, and a complete freshen up. There is also laundry to do today so we’ll be kept busy on-site.
It takes most, if not all, of the day to get the laundry done, but we are fully laundered as if we have started again. It’s always a good idea to do laundry if the facilities are there as you never know from one day to the next if you will get the chance.
Finally, we do get all of the jobs done on Jess, she’s all freshened up for another week. We get out for a reasonable walk of about 40 minutes by the lake. It’s a lovely late afternoon. The sun is just setting behind the mountains and the air is cool and clear. Lovely.
Once back at the campsite we go to the lounge and have a very tasty mulled wine, this could be the last in this trip who knows. We have only just discovered the lounge at the campsite. Its fabulous.
Del caught enjoying the moment
The lounge is all wood with fur-covered rocking chairs, with fantastic views over the lake and the mountains on the other side. A great place to enjoy our mulled wine and to toast our last night here at Camping Alpenblick.
A friendly robin during our walk
It has been a good stay here. The campsite is only 23 Swiss francs a day. We had a good spot right next to all of the facilities, a free bus pass to get into town and the best internet of any campsite we have been at.
