The weather improved ever so slightly in the morning and we took one of the Gibraltar “Rock Tours”. For £25 each we had a private minibus which visited the following sites:

• Pillars of Hercules
• St Michael’s caves
• The siege tunnels
• Monkeys

Here’s a selection of pictures from the tour.

In the afternoon we walked to the furthest point of the Rock, Europa Point where the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, also known as the King Fahd bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Mosque or the Mosque of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, is located.

Inclement weather meant we were soaked again and reliant on public transport to get us back to town.

Evening dinner, another recommendation from D and T was “La Bodeguiya”, a Tapas bar located close to the central square. It’s the kind of restaurant one would pass by were it not for some local knowledge. The food was simply excellent, but we weren’t quite sure why some of the best dishes appeared not to be on the menu! Thoroughly enjoyable evening, with perhaps a splash or two of excess wine – the only thing missing being the “classy” “flag” show from the Lord Nelson.

Overnight was calmer than of late but around 07:00 the heavens opened and the vicious winds returned. Things held pretty good with the awning but as a precaution we moved much of the awning contents into the van.

Then at lunch time we received the nod (well, Whatsapp actually) that our friends, D and T had battled through the Berkshire blizzards and arrived in time for their flight to Gibraltar. Despite the offer of a tent or bungalow at Roselada,  they chose to meet us in Gibraltar and avoid the Spanish experience completely.

We headed for the 2 hour drive with the wind and rain still pounding the car. We took the coastal route passing Tarifa where we had been assured there was a nice view point at the top of the cliffs.

This is what we saw.

Lunch and onward to Gib, arriving around 3pm. Weather hasn’t improved.

Quickly through Passport Control and on to the Callaghan hotel where we were a) Lucky to navigate the narrow streets and b) Even luckier to find a parking space.

On arrival, the receptionist had a good chuckle when I asked about the Heathrow flight. No way was it going to be able to land at Gib in these conditions. He was right. D and T are currently in a bus from Jerez. Oh the irony.

Meanwhile, we are sat in the Lord Nelson pub, awaiting their arrival and pondering why this is the outstanding location on Gibraltar. The Old Speckled Hen is nice though and this is the home to Gibraltar Rugby.

 

 

 

 

We were woken around 5:00am to the sound of driving rain bouncing off the caravan and the most incredible winds. The awning is struggling to survive the onslaught and the caravan is rocking. Thunder and lightning illuminates the nighttime sky and the roads through the campsite have turned into rivers.

The awning needs re-pegging and we need to double-up on the pegs. Except now we’ve run out of pegs! Chris arrived with an extra tie-down strap which is now lashed across the roof of the awning.

The French couple next door lost the battle to save their awning as the storm ripped it into pieces. Many people are taking down theirs for the medium term, as the 10 day forecast is not showing any respite.

A trip to Decathlon to buy some extra tent securing equipment was bizarrely followed by a BBQ as the rain subsided for a spell. It’s actually quite warm, but the regulars here are saying this is the most extreme weather here in a decade.

With nothing else to do, we headed up to the bar late afternoon to play cards and games with Chris, Ali, Mike and Linda. Seems I’m a bit of a whizz at Connect four and rather lucky at card games!