Our first visitors from Blighty returned home yesterday and we have a few days before our next guests arrive and occupy one of the fine bungalows at Camping La Roselada.

Day 51 (Tuesday) was a total chill day. I need not comment on the weather. It’s wall-to-wall sunshine with temperatures in the early to mid 20s, dependent on the wind direction. The wind still carries a chill to it and temperatures fall away dramatically overnight but we are enjoying some exceptional weather this year.

Wednesday we caught the bus to El Palmar for the walk back to Conil. The Bus station is a soulless place but it is clean, modern and entirely fit for its purpose.

We ate lunch near the old tower and the surfing beach was a busy place today with many surf schools in progress

As we approach Conil, the area and beaches are simply stunning – the best in Spain? Perhaps even the most unspoilt in Europe.

And the reward for the long walk back from El Palmar, a swift beer at our favourite beach restauarant, known locally as “The Shack”.

Evening was English quiz night in the restaurant.

Thursday and we are on Day 53. Bit of a quiet day, fixing the splashback on the kitchen post a visit to Leroy Merlin. The splashback had already been replaced under warranty but it didn’t fit properly and a strong glue applied in an attempt to oversome these issues had resulted in the rear film delaminating from the perspex.

In the end, I removed all the lamination and applied a grey spray paint to the rear of the splashback, before re-assembling and filling gaps with a flexible silicone. I doubt the spray paint is a robust solution but it was best I could think of.

Friday, the eve of the arrival of our daughter Sue and boyfriend Carlos, involved much shopping (quite how many provisions a young couple need for 6 nights is mind-boggling).

In the afternoon, I did manage to slot in a nice 10 mile bike ride to cabo Roche.

The evening’s entertainment was a three course set meal at the campsite restauarant with entertainment from “Spanish Elvis”.

It was a remarkably enjoyable affair and Spanish Elvis had the place rocking. There’s a rumour he may be back for another show in which case I ought to try and capture some pictures or video.

As the latest storm piles into Blighty with yet more rain, wind, rain, snow and sleet, one lucky couple boarded an early morning Ryanair flight from Stansted to Jerez.

Such is the popularity of a weekend hosted chezcaravan Moe and Joe that a lottery system may be required for future years!

Spain respects Domingo and as usual the shops won’t be open. Neither will they be open on Friday because Friday is Andalusian day. This will mean most of Andalusia will be closed during the weekend’s festivities and the usual quiet evenings at La Roselada will be alive until the early hours of the morning with Spanish chatter.

Still, our friends D and T arrived bearing gifts of G and T, thus assuring themselves pride of place for Andalusian weekend!

D and T had secured one of the last available bungalows at Camping La Roselada, a Tier 2 model the “Comfort”. Two bedrooms, bathroom, seperate living area and kitchen and complete with A/C.

Friday’s itinery, post settling in and lunch at the van, was a visit to the local town of Conil. A couple of beers at the “Shack” on the beach was followed by beer tasting at the Conil micro-brewery.

Dinner was Tapas at the Septimo Arte Gastropub in Conil. As recommended by Ester from Camping La Roselada. Ester’s recommendations never seem to disappoint.

As it’s party day, there was a stage set up and headlining on the Friday night was El Capitan Veneno. Not really to our taste so we fought our way through the maddening crowds and headed back to camp.

Saturday, Day 48

Saturday and we have another full day ahead. As it’s festivity time in Andalusia, the bike rental shop is closed so we have to take the car to Trafalgar. Here, Lord Nelson defeated the combined Spanish and French fleets on 21st October 1805.

More information available – Visit to Trafalgar 2016.

From Trafalgar we drove the short distance to Vejer de la Frontera, one of the pretty (if not the prettiest) “white village” in the region.

A selection of pre-lunch photos from Vejer de La Frontera.

And finally, another view of the magnificent square and fountain at Vejer.

Lunch would be at the irresistible El Calife restaurant but we had a few minutes spare during which time we enjoyed a G and T on the Terrace bar.

Joe ate the Mixed Grill – note – the half portion whilst Moe enjoyed the lamb kebabs. D and T thoroughly recommend the Tagin.

Post lunch (v late lunch) we headed back to Conil for the procession. A lot of work had gone into the production of the outfits but the procession itself was a typically chaotic Spanish affair.

Finally, a night cap or two at the van and another exquisite day was brought to a conclusion.

Sunday, Day 49

There is no let-up to the pace of this weekend and after packing a picnic, we head over the cliff-tops to the Port of Conil. Here we enjoy lunch sitting by the harbour and refreshments at El Pastor, also at the port.

The round trip walk is around 9 miles and it’s not an easy walk so we take our time on the return journey. We stop and admire the myriad of brightly-coloured para-gliders.

Dinner was a BBQ back at the Van where we were joined for a couple of hours by Paul and Andrea. Pre-dinner drink at the campsite bar.

Monday, Day 50

The days are ticking away. Another early start and we drive D and T to Jerez airport. They seem to have enjoyed their stay at Camping la Roselada, are now “sold” on the concept of electric bikes having ridden ours for a trial, but are they ready for a life on the road. Probably not just yet…

Quiet time for the rest of the day and a few days to recoup before our daughter and her boyfriend arrive at Malaga on Saturday…

The weather has been a degree to two cooler over the weekend, and a little bit of rain overnight, but all-in-all, the weather has been good and the outlook is for more of the same.

Wednesday and a few more jobs. Washed the car, more shopping and in the afternoon, we cycled into Conil centre for a coffee.

Paul and Andrea arrived from Malaga and we hosted a BBQ in the evening. Food was excellent – but of course I would say that – the discovery of a wine – El Governor at 2 or 3 Euros a bottle is simple outstanding. Headed back to Mercadona and cleared the shelf.

On Thursday we drove to Vejer and spent the day watching the show jumping on the Sunshine Tour.

Vejer de la Frontera in the province of Cadiz, Andalusia, hosts a new edition of the Sunshine Tour, comprising international dressage and show jumping events. The Sunshine Tour lived up to its name with temperatures topping out at 24C.

The Montenmedio Riding Centre brings together riders from all over the world in February and March for show jumping and dressage events as part of this Sunshine Tour.

It’s free to get in, lunch was reasonable and a very warm and sunny day to watch the show jumping. This is, by the way, a huge event.

Monday and it’s day 43, time for some chores. First up is a trip to the Repsol garage in Chiclana to fill up the gas bottle with Autogas. This goes smoothly and no-one takes issue with us filling a cylinder on the forecourt. Admittedly we are at the back of the shop and no prepayment is currently required. ?Prepago? – Do I prepay?

We have some tapas for lunch at El Cailife in Vejer – always a pleasure to visit this fine “white” village and El Calife was a good choice for lunch.

Dinner was Beef and oven potatoes at the restaurant, a mere 8 Euros per person.

Tuesday was a full day out with the walking group – this time as we headed in the direction of Cadiz and the Port of conil. It’s between 9 and 10 miles round trip and we were out for much of the day. Lunch was a picnic on the rocks at the port and then a coffee at El Pastor cafe / restuarant.

Whilst we continue to enjoy warm, dry and bright weather it has become rather windy of late. Not the ideal conditions to set off on a 20+ mile bike ride but the roads were all quiet and much of the route was off road.

We headed west to the Port of Conil, capturing the graveyard of anchors and views from the lighthouse back across the sea towards Conil de la Frontera.

The anchors look as though they have been abandoned but apparently, they are all utilised during the Tuna fishing season.

Views from above the port at the location of the lighthouse.

We continued to head along the coast, through Roche and then along to Nova Sancti Petri.

The invasions to which the province has been subjected to (as a result of its strategic location between two continents) have left a legacy of military constructions that are still standing today.

This is the case of the torre del Puerco, strategically located on the boundary between Conil and Chiclana de la Frontera. These towers were built in the 16th century and fires were lit on the upper part of the towers to indicate the presence of invading pirates.

As we headed further along this rugged coastline, the beauty of this un-spoiled region of Spain never disappoints.

Finally, we picked up cycle trails which actually run all the way into Chiclana but we stopped at La Barossa for a picnic lunch and then headed back to Conil, our return route taking us along the cliffs between the port of Conil and Conil itself.

On our return, I watched a great game of rugby between France and Wales in the six nations. It could probably have gone either way but for the odd dubious decision but probably in the end, France just about deserved it. Let’s see what Ireland England brings tomorrow.

It was late for the BBQ, the new lights showing off our awning!

This was the route we took along the coast today.

The Roman exvacations at Baelo Claudia are located next to the town of Bolonia, some 60 minutes drive north along the coast.

Baelo Claudia is the name of the ancient Roman town, located 22 kilometres (14 mi) outside of Tarifa, near the village of Bolonia, in southern Spain. Lying on the shores of the Strait of Gibraltar, the town was originally a fishing village and trade link when it was settled some 2,000 years ago. Although prosperous at the time of Emperor Claudius, it went into a decline hastened by earthquakes and was abandoned by the 6th century.

Entry through the visitor centre reveals a model of the Roman town.

The study of its architectural remains shows its Roman origin at the end of the 2nd century BC, already observed since that time a great wealth that makes it an important economic center in the Mediterranean area.

It is possible that Baelo Claudia had some functions of governmental administration, but tuna fishing, salting, and the production of garum were the primary sources of wealth. The city was eventually successful enough to be granted the title of municipium by Emperor Claudius.

The life of the inhabitants reached its greatest splendor during the 1st century BC and the 2nd century AD. In the middle of the 2nd century, however, the town declined, probably as a result of a major earthquake which wiped out a large part. In addition to such natural disasters, by the 3rd century, the town was beset by hordes of pirates, both Germanic and Barbary. Although it experienced a slight renaissance later in the century, by the 6th century, the town had been abandoned.

Excavations have revealed the most comprehensive remains of a Roman town in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula, with extremely interesting monuments such as the basilica, theatre, market, and the temple of Isis. The spectacular setting in El Estrecho Natural Park allows one on a clear day to to see the coast of Morocco.

The water supply of the city was carried out by means of four aqueducts.

The industrial area can also be seen with remains of the garum manufacturing facilities, streets, aqueducts, remnants of the sewerage system, etc. In no other Roman site of the Iberian Peninsula is it possible to extract after the visit such a complete vision of Roman urbanism as in Baelo Claudia. In this lies its main interest, highlighted also by the spectacular landscape that surrounds the city.

The Romans certainly knew how to pick a stunning location for their towns.

It was a full-on day (and another day from beautiful sunny weather) as the restaurant laid on one of its communal nights – A Magical Arabic evening with Belly Dancing. We thought it a little expensive at 25 Euros per person (not including drinks) but the drinks only added a further 16 Euros and I’m sure the belly dancer required some remuneration. Ahmed, the life and soul of the restaurant operation is from Morocco, speaks about 6 different languages (fluently) and roped his wife into cooking the Moroccan food. I wasn’t keen on the desert but the rest of the meal and the entertainment was excellent.

I asked Ahmed if the Belly Dancer was also from Morocco to which he smiled and replied “of course not”!

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.