Author: CaravanRamblings

Friday is market day in Dolores. A large traditional Spanish street market is held the year round and we needed some fruit and vegetables. We had cycled the three plus miles from Sheppards Rest and our plan for the remainder of the day was a 12 mile circular ride through the local natural park with a nice long lunch in the middle.

Lunch was at casa Harrys in San Felipe Neri and whilst this might sound like a British export it certainly isn’t. The journey out to casa Harrys took considerably less time than we imagined so our initial error was arriving too early – merely to find the restaurant staff and family enjoying their lunch. Anyhow, service was friendly and accommodating to our lack of Spanish linguistic skills and poor timing. An hour later and the restaurant was full of locals imbibing on the traditional fare.

The 3 course set meal (with salad and bread also) was ticketed at 10 Euros per person. The cycle ride had created quite a thirst and this was thoroughly quenched with 4 bottles of the local beer (fortunately the return journey was all off-road). Anyhow, when the bill arrived, the total was still just a mere 20 Euros for the two of us. Needless to say we left a generous tip.

There are other reviews of casa Harrys and references to an exquisite wine cellar. Sounds fascinating and if I’d had the skills to communicate with the owner, I would have loved to have explored it.

Carrefour and chilling…

We had spotted a nice big Carrefour near Torreveija so we decided this was an opportunity for some serious shopping and we didn’t disappoint.

 

The afternoon was spent chilling at Sheppards Rest.

We cycled to Dolores for bread in the morning. This was no quick trip as we had decided to detour via the local nature reserve, Parc Natural El Fondo. This is very close to Sheppards rest and offers many km of off-road cycling.

The route back took us through San Felipe Neri which looks like a one horse town with restaurant Casa Harry in the centre. I think we might be back to Casa Harry for lunch one day.

Torreveija beckoned in the afternoon. A friend of mine has a place in Torreveija and we wanted to swing by and take a look. Again the satnav delivered us bang on without fuss.

Later in the day, we were assigned a mission by Moe’s sister to check out a restaurant in Torreveija where one of her daughters is working for the summer.

This time Moe hadn’t done her homework properly and whilst the instructions “head past the harbour and you’ll arrive at the bar” were technically accurate, the bar was 4km past the harbour AND we had parked up in the northern side of Torreveija. Eventually we abandoned, headed back to the car and drove there.

All was in order and a couple of cold beers just the job.

The same couple who had recommended the restaurant in Guardamar also had a wine recommendation at Villena.

Bodega Nuestra Senora de las Virtudes Coop. V.

We would visit the castle and town of Villena whilst there but the primary reason for the visit was some cheap wine. The proprietor was helpful with the wine selections and allowed me to taste several different wines.

Whilst we were there, a constant stream of locals with their 5 litre plastic containers appeared through the doors and the wine was dispensed via machine. A bit like a sophisticated petrol pump! The wine of choice seemed to the Arcabucero Joven at around 1Euro20 per bottle or 5 Euros for a full 5 litres.

We opted for a dozen bottles of the Arcabucero Joven Tinto and another dozen bottles of Vinalopo Reserva. This was a bit more expensive at 4 odd Euros a pop but the entire supply of 24 bottles had cost a mere 72 Euros.

The castle consisted of guided tours but the last one of the morning prior to siesta had already departed and whilst not wanting to stick around all afternoon, the chap at the ticket office arranged for us to enter the castle un-accompanied and to explore on our own terms. This was a really nice touch.

 

 

 

 

Finally, this was the last day of antibiotics for Moe and the abscess has gone. The question now is whether to have the tooth extracted in the UK. Moe says she doesn’t want a general anaesthetic because once asleep she fears the dentist will hand over to the Hygienist to give her a little extra practice!

One of the couples staying at Sheppards Rest had recommended the “Pensioners” bar at Guardamar so this was an opportunity for our second cycle ride to the town with a nice lunch. We were sceptical about the “Pensioners” bar as we are some way from being pensioners but I guess we are heading in that direction and we were assured that the place was worth visiting.

The cycle route took us along the service road that we had discovered earlier in the trip and all we had to do was find somewhere to cross the dried-up river and our lunchtime reward would be waiting for us.

As it turns out, about 20m from turning back the prior day, was a cycle path across the river. We found Guardamar and the restaurant which was actually called Café Jaen (the reference to pensioners was the hotel above which was called “Pension”. So not a pensioners bar after all. Lunch was great with the 3 course set menu costing a total of 20 Euros for the two of us and a few extra Euros for a couple of beers.

 

 

A day at Sheppards Rest, chilling, swimming and nice BBQ in the evening.

Guadalest is listed as one of the “must visit” towns in the region. A fine example of a medieval town in the mountains close to Benidorm. In fact the contrast between Guadalest and Benidorm could not be more striking as we drove past Benidorm on the way there along the AP-7.

Benidorm – not for us…

Cycled to the market in the morning and stocked up with local produce. Everything seems so inexpensive in Spain – at least in these parts. Can’t understand why all the ex-pats are returning home – they are in for one big shock.

In the afternoon we drove to Laguna de la Mata which is a salt lake between Dolores and Torreveija. The bikes were loaded on top and we cycled 20km or so around the Laguna.

An historic city some 1 hour drive from Sheppards rest.

 

 

We explored the town with is Roman ruins, amphitheatre and castle on the hill.

 

 

 

 

 

The castle is initially accessed via a “glass” lift enclosed in a see-through metal structure. Never did like heights…

Spent the day at the campsite, with a brief trip to the local supermarket to stock up on supplies. Weather was hot and the swimming pool nice and cool.