A fairly early start as we would join the regulars from the walking group for a trip out to El Palmar and a hike back along the beach.

I’m going to try and remember everyone’s names. Leslie and Stan from lower down Margarita along with their two daughters, Helen and Julie. John and Lorna, next door but one higher up on Margarita. Sue and Margaret, Katerina (from the Netherlands), Rachel and Trevor. Finally of course, Joe and Moe.

We left the campsite around 10:15 for a 1.5 mile walk to the bus station and then a short bus ride to El Palmar. We stopped for coffees at the same bar we had enjoyed beer and tapas a few days earlier. The sea is still busy with surfers.

The waitor captured the following:

Another short walk along the front at El Palmar and it was time for lunch. Special treat – I had a Tuna pasty!

Half way along the beach to Conil, we detoured and headed to the tower. Here there are a number of breeding pairs of Northern Bald Ibis, which is a member of the Threskiornithidae which includes Ibis and Spoonbills.

The Northern Bald Ibis was once widespread across the Middle East, northern Africa and central Europe but disappeared from Europe some 400 years ago. It is now considered critically endangered and one of the 10 most endangered birds in the world.

In 2004 a re-introduction project began in Cadiz province using birds bred in captivity. The first successful breeding of the released birds took place in 2008 at Tajo de Barbate and by 2011, a wild colony had established at La Barca de Vejer. It was in 2014 that two pairs started nesting in this tower. These birds are rare and in great danger of extinction so it is important to avoid disturbing them during their breeding season which is March through June.

As luck would have it, we managed to capture this fantastic picture of the birds, with one just landing.

A mile or two further and we reached the eastern outskirts of Conil, not quite as refreshed as earlier in the day.

And then we reached the Shack for a well-earned beer but still another 20 minutes walk back to camp.

All in all, just short of 10 miles, mainly on the beach so it wasn’t easy going.

Wednesday we walked into Conil, to check that the micro-brewery is still in operation. It is!!

Thursday and a trip to San Fernando and my favourite DIY store in the whole world – Leroy Merlin. Managed to purchase yet more lights for the caravan / awning!

Another glorious day with wall-to-wall sunshine and the daily high just above 20C.

Late morning we set out for the port of Conil, equipped with picnic and drone. This was our routing across the cliffs.

It’s a wonderfully clear day and perfect for some aerial coastal shots. What we hadn’t figured upon, was the curse of the seagull – just like home in East Devon.

As soon as the drone took off, seagulls appeared from all over the cliffs, making a huge racket and flying at the drone. The first flight ended prematurely without any footage but the drone returned to earth minus seagull damage!

The second flight was a little more successful and we gained some nice aerial shots of the coastline between Conil and the port of Conil.

Some of the pictures are stunning and really high definition. If you click on the picture, I’ve enabled these to load up at full resolution.

Finally we made it to the Port and refreshments at El Pastor, located within the perimiter of the working port of Conil. The place was packed and some of the fish dishes, looked, well, to put it politely, exotic.

Saturday evening and we had a BBQ back at the caravan.

Sunday and another lazy morning followed by a post lunchtime walk into Conil along the beach.

Even time for a beer on the way back at the “Shack”. Another beautiful day.

On the way back to the campsite, we noticed this rather pretty hedge. According to “plantnet” it is some kind of Jasmin, Probably “Common Jasmine”

In the evening, we booked tickets to see our favourite band – Pendragon – alas we miss most of the tour launching their new album because we are over here in Spain. All the European gigs are happening when we have guests in town. Hey ho, Manana.

Still, paid by 20 dollars and downloaded “Love over Fear, Pendragon”. Another timeless classic.

Monday was a total chill day. Some work in the morning, sun-bathing in the afternoon and guess what – our first communal meal this year at Rosaleda – Paella!

I’ll report back on it tomorrow…

We headed past El Palmar and almost as far as Barbate to cycle the new cycle route from Conil. It isn’t quite finished but it provides around 10 miles of predominantly “off road” and segregated cycleway.

We turned around short of reaching Barbate as the cycle route ended and the roads were a litte busy and narrow.

On the return, we headed into El Palmar itself and grabbed some Tapas and a beer at a bar opposite the surfing beach. Even at this time of year, there are many people surfing (wetsuits compulsory!).

As it’s valentines day, we detoured to the Mercadona in Conil and purchased some refreshments for the evening ahead.

Another nice day ahead, little wind and highs around 20C. We left Valle Niza around 10:00am and arrived at Camping La Rosaleda, Conil de la Frontera just before 2:00pm.

Ester was in reception and we were greeted like old friends. Our usual pitch had been vacated in time for our arrival and we spent the day setting up. We should be here for a few weeks so the proper awning is erected and all the toys full in place.

We still had some food left from the UK – Waitrose Thai fishcakes – which formed the basis of our dinner. Remarkably we also have a selection of English sausages and bacon. When they run out we can always plan a day trip to Morrisons on Gibraltar!

Wednesday was another fine day, spent relaxing and completing the setup. Evening was a couple of jars in the campsite restaurant, listening in to the English quiz.

Thursday, a busy day washing and chores. Yet more warmth and sunshine – this is certainly the best weather we have experienced in Spain during the Jan – Feb months.

In the evening we ate at the Campsite restaurant. The Sirloin steak kebabs are my favourite and they never fail to impress.

It’s been another whistle stop stay at Camping Valle Niza, Torre del mar, Malaga but this is our last full day and another full-on day it was.

In the morning, Paul and I cycled along the coast and back for a total of 20 miles. Weather was good again and a coffee much appreciated on the way back along the promenade at Torre del mar.

Packing up was quick and painless as we had only erected the sunshade awning.

That left a couple of hours to drink beer and play Paul at Table Tennis. A surprise win for me at 4 games to 2. I’m going to ache in the morning.

The four of us ate dinner at the campsite restuarant (Monday night).

We had to leave Palomares early as we had some technical issues with the business email server (also preventing access to the Caravan Ramblings blog) – our daughter, who was left access to the server room, happened to be away on a training course. There was no alternative but to head back to blighty and brave storm Ciara.

This wasn’t the original itinery. The plan was to travel back to Malaga late Sunday afternoon but Network rail posted a timetable cancelling ALL trains on the Sunday. This was later replaced by a alternate timetable but by now, I had already changed plans and would stay at Bristol airport in the evening and travel back early the next day.

Timings worked out really well. The take-off with storm Ciara whipping up gales in excess of 80mph was somewhat scary. I even managed to get back in time for a BBQ hosted by Paul and Andrea, as well as watch the six nations (France v Italy) in a sports bar in downtown Torre del Mar.

This is how it worked out:

Date	Time	Location
Saturday 8th Feb 2020	05:30	Depart Campsite
	06:10	Arrive Malaga airport
	07:30	Flight departs ontime to Bristol
	09:00	Flight arrives 20 mins early at Bristol
	09:15	Board bus to Temple Meads station
	09:35	Arrive Temple Meads
	09:45	Depart Temple Meads
	10:45	Arrive on-time at Exeter St Davids
	10:52	On-board train to Exmouth
	11:20	Train arrives Exmouth and Taxi is already waiting
	11:45	Arrive Budleigh Salterton
	17:16	All sorted, server fixed, paperwork dealt with
	17:24	Arrive bus-stop
	17:24	Bus departs for Exmouth
	17:44	Arrive Exmouth
	17:44	Pie and Pint at Wetherspoons
	18:26	Train departs Exmouth
	18:58	Train arrives Exeter St Davids
	19:00	Train departs Exeter St Davids
	20:16	Train arrives at Bristol Temple Meads
	20:30	Airport bus A1 departs Temple Meads
	20:40	Arrive at airport hotel
Sunday 9th Feb 2020	05:20	Depart hotel
	07:00	Flight departs Bristol
	10:10	Flight arrives Malaga
	11:10	Arrive at Camping Valle Niza
	11:30	Moe asks if I'd managed to water the plants. oops.

We departed for Palomares at the usual time of around 10:00, arriving in the afternoon around 16:00, taking some 6 hours to cover the 304 miles. Our route was predominantly along the E15 coastal route, passing Benidorm and Alicante on our way to Palomores.

During the final section, from the AP-7 to Camping Cuevas Mar, our satnav took us along the AL-8105. This road crosses a dried-up river bed and the ascent and descent at both sides of this river are steep embankments. We weren’t really sure how our outfit would handle it but in the end it was ok but I’d definitely not use this routing again. Approach Palomares from the North West, not the North East when travelling from the Alicante direction.

Another sign that this winter is very busy in Spain, we had very little choice of plots at Camping Cuevas Mar. Still we found a place to stay for a few nights before our onward travels to the Malaga area.

I like to provide a little background on the places we visit and to be honest, I’d no knowledge of Palomares or the immediate vicinity. Wikipedia tells me that the town is noted for an incident in 1966 in which a B-52 Stratofortress of the Strategic Air Command crashed after a midair collision with a KC-135 Stratotanker plane, causing radioactive contamination after its payload of four hydrogen bombs (H-bombs) was dispersed and crashed.

There were four thermonuclear weapons in the bomber. The high-explosive igniters in two of these bombs detonated on impact, spreading radioactive material, including deadly plutonium-239, over a wide area of the Spanish countryside, but safety mechanisms and electronics prevented any nuclear explosions. The third H-bomb landed via parachute into a stream, where it was relatively intact and was recovered. The fourth H-bomb landed in the Mediterranean Sea, and U.S. Navy searchers took three months to find and recover the device intact. A large amount of contaminated Spanish soil was soon removed, packed up, and shipped across the Atlantic for burial near Barnwell, South Carolina, the site of a large installation of the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Wednesday was market day in Palomares and we stocked up on fruit and vegetables and enjoyed a beer or two at the market square. This site was basic when compared to Bonterra Park but the ACSI price of Eur 18 per night was inclusive of unlimited electricity. Many of the campers are long-stay and they were certainly a friendly bunch.

Thursday we drove to Bedar.

In the foothills of the Sierra de los Filabres, the whitewashed pueblo of Bedar rests on the mountainside some 400m above sea level and with stunning views across the plains to the Mediterranean sea.

The clear mountain air, breathtaking scenery, peace and tranquility and a traditional Spanish way of life are some of the reasons visitors are attracted to this village. There is a well-signed structured walk through the pueblo and on this day, we appeared to be the only tourists in town. When we eventually found a bar and somewhere to eat, all the customers were English so in some respects we didn’t sample an entirely Spanish way of life.

A selection of pictures from our walk through Bedar.

Finally after our trip around the village, we found the only retaurant open nearby and guess what, every table occupied by Brits.

Thus we enjoyed a traditional “Spanish” lunch at Bar Restaurante El Cortijo.

Friday and it was time to move on yet again. This time to Camping Valle Niza, close to the town of Torre del Mar. This was a short trip of some 170 miles which took around 4 hours to complete.

We had needed to cut short our stay at Palomares (which was a shame) but Joe needed to deal with some technical issues. More on that later.

Our stay at Camping Bonterra Park is in its final phase now and Sunday / Monday is a mixture of jobs, six nations watching and packing up all of our stuff.

Sunday is a another hot day with temperatures over 20C and nice enough for a BBQ in the evening.

We will depart tomorrow morning for a flying visit to Palomores, en-route to Conil de la Frontera with another stopover near Malaga.

Nothing much to report on Days 18 and 19. Recovering from previous excursions and taking care of a few jobs. Services on the bikes and another refill of the Safefill gas bottle.

This time we had been recommended a different service station – Bencinas Gasolinera. This is closer to Bonterra Park and there was a chap roaming around the pumps helping out. We had no problems filling the gas bottle.

Co-ordinates are: 40°00’18.3″N 0°03’21.5″W

Saturday we decided to drive to Morella. We left behind a hot sunny day at Benicassim (high temperatures are around 21 degrees at the moment) and Joe thought shorts and a t-shirt were the order or the day. What we hadn’t bargained for was that Morella is some way in land, at an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet.

And there are still large deposits of snow all around.

Morella is known for the iconic Castillo de Morella that towers above the city atop a massive rock. The castle houses a former prison, the governor’s palace and a parade ground. Gothic architecture and medieval city walls are other highlights of both the castle and town.

This is the view of Morella as we approached on the N232.

We entered the old town through Porta de la Nevera and found a place to have a quick snack and a beer – restaurant que de que, Morealla.

As well as the Castillo, the town is renowned for it wollen rugs and meringues.

The Castillo was just 3.5 Euros to enter and fully worth this trivial sum. In all, the fitbit recorded us ascending 60 floors in the afternoon, such was the position of the Castillo on top of the mountain.

Selection of photos from the Castillo, Morella.

The main road past Morella is the N232 which heads North to Zaragoza. In the Morella area are some spectacular hill climbs and hairpin bends. It seems that in 2 years time and after an expenditure of Euros 43m, the road will be straightened by utilising a series of viaducts and tunnels.

We were somewhat exhausted after our biking around the Serra d’irta national park mountains yesterday so we only just got to the station in Benicassim before the train left for Valencia.

Only it didn’t – have we been transported back to Blighty? The 10:15 Regional Express wasn’t running and the next train (a super stopper) woudn’t be departing until 12:00.

We had already purchased our tickets for the set trains (at a total of Euros 23.60 for 2 adult returns) so we couldn’t really delay things by a day – never mind figuring our how to get a refund from Renfe, the Spanish operator.

Eventually we arrived at something near to 2pm at Valancia del Nord. I have to say it’s rather a grand building for a railway station.

Well, two hours wouldn’t allow us to see much of Valencia but we managed a tour of the Cathedral. A fairly typical grandiose building but we have seen more spectactular (eg the Cathedral at Burgos).

Nearby was the tower of Santa Catalina.

The Turia Gardens is one of the largest urban parks in Spain. It runs through the city along nine kilometres of green space boasting foot paths, leisure and sports areas, and romantic spots where you can unwind. From Cabecera Park to the City of Arts and Sciences, the Turia Gardens are the perfect place for runners, cyclists, families and nature enthusiasts. Crossed by 18 bridges full of history, the former riverbed passes by the city’s main museums and monuments on either bank.

The vast gardens are built on the former riverbed of the Turia, whose course was altered to prevent constant flooding in the city. After a devastating flood on 14 October 1957, the Turia’s course was diverted south of the city, leaving a huge tract of land that crosses the city from West to East, bordering the historical centre. Several urban planners and landscapists designed different sections of the park, recreating the former river scenery. They created a unique itinerary of palm trees and orange trees, fountains and pine woods, aromatic plants and ponds, sports facilities and rose beds.

We even had time for a swift beer on the way back to the railway station and ate at Bonterra Park restaurant in the evening. It was English quiz night though and the place was absolutely rammed.