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.

Peniscola was on our list of most beautiful towns and villages to visit here in Castellon province as it renowned for its historic old town, nestled close by the Mediterranean sea.

Some friends had suggested we should take the bikes but we didn’t really go into to much detail regards the best cycle routes. As we planned out the day, we figured out they had probably cycled around the nearby National Park – Serra d’irta.

We loaded up the maps and plotted a circa 10 mile round trip through the National Park.

What we hadn’t appreciated is that this national park is in a very hilly / mountainous coastal region. This was a route designed for proper mountain bikes – not our hybrids – although in the end, the bikes performed just about ok at the extremity of their capabilities.

The route out of Finca del Moro was brutal. Now, our bikes have electric motors and without them we wouldn’t have gone beyond 500m, but in the end, the track up the mountain was just too steep. Too much power and the front wheel just skidded around. We had to walk our bikes up the track which is no mean feat because with all the add-ons, they are really heavy.

A Spanish couple were very helpful in pointing out the bike route, avoiding our chosen path which turned out was suitable for hiking only.

After the initial climb, things settled down somewhat and we enjoyed a fabulous 2.25 hour ride – covering all of 9 miles – but ascending over 1000 feet.

These were the final statistics of the ride.

Next we loaded the bikes on the car and headed to Peniscola old town.

Known as the City in the Sea, Peniscola is officially one of Spain’s most beautiful towns watched over by its Templar Castle and medieval walls which are enchantingly surrounded by the sea.

The province of Castellon has three such beautifuls towns. Other than Peniscola, there are Villafames and Morella. We have already visited Vilafames here https://www.caravanramblings.co.uk/?p=3194

The town is well known as a film location and in 2015, filming for Games of Thrones took place in Peniscola. Scenes from El Cid were also shot here.

This seashell clad house can be seen on the ascent to the castle.

The current form of the castle, sitting atop of the old town, is essentially that developed by the Knights Templar, who planned to develop a kingdom centred on Peniscola. James II of Aragon gave the castle to the Templars in 1294, together with the nearby castles of Pulpís and Xivert. The Templars began work that year, demolished the Muslim fortifications, and completely rebuilt the castle; the work being completed in 1307.

If that wasn’t a high octane day, then it was a pleasantly warm evening and time for a BBQ!

Sagunto is a town in Eastern Spain some 30 miles north of Valencia. It is best known for the remains of the ancient Iberian and Roman city of Saguntum, which played a significant part in the Second Punic War between the Carthaginians and the Romans.

The city is renowned for many of its main sights. Just remember though – check if the sights are open because in the winter months on a Monday they aren’t. And today is Monday.

The Castello of Sagunto sits on top of the hill and was constructed in two main parts. Much of the walled ramparts (which are of Roman and Moorish origin) are still preserved.

The Teatro Roman or the Roman Amphitheater at its peak could accommodate 8,000 people. Today that figure was much less since the monument was closed. We managed to sneak a couple of pictures though, through the various gates and / or vantage points.

The Gothic Esglèsia de Santa Maria (St Mary’s Church), is in the Plaça Major (Main Square) – surrounded by newer buildings it was very difficult to get a decent photo.

And finally a visit to the Sagunto History museum which was open on this fine Monday. The museum is located in the house of Mestre Pena, a building in the Jewish quarter dating from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The largest collection is from the Ibero-Roman period.

With a little time on ours hands (since most places were closed), we set off to the Port of Sagunto. We had read that this was another nice place to see but we need to re-read this information. All we found was a large industrial shipping port.

Time to head home to Bonterra Park…

The day started with domestic chores – namely the washing, and whilst we had hoped Sunday would be a quiet day in the washroom, it wasn’t.

By lunchtime it had all been sorted and we headed down to the promendade. Here too in Benicassim one can still see the damage caused by storm Gloria.

The rootballs of these palm tress are exposed after the sand was washed away.

Here one can see that the clear-up operation has begun. Tons of sand cleared from the Promenade and there’s a rebuilding effort required on much of the seawall and boardwalk.

Late afternoon and it did rain a little at the campsite but the rainbows produced were exquisite. I mention plural because there were several concentric circles of rainbow light.

In the evening we headed into Benicassim for the start of the “Running Wildfire” parade. This lasted a whole hour and a half as the procession meandered it’s way through the streets.

I can’t imagine that this would pass Health and Safety in blighty.

Finally, a 15 minute firework display at the end of the parade which was truly magnificent. London would be proud of this at New Year and yet Benicassim is a town of just 18,000 inhabitants.

I’ll let the pictures tell the remainder of the story.

And finally the firework display itself – this small video wasn’t even from the best bits!

This is the last Saturday of the Benicassim 2020 Sant Antoni and Santa Agueda festival and it was a full-on day.

We started out with our favourite bike ride to Oropesa del Mar. About 14 miles round trip and virtually all off-road on the via verde.

We rode as far as the park in Oropesa and enjoyed a picnic by the water. We discovered a selection of cacti in one section, although it appears perhaps the visiting hordes or the local youth have found their very own way to leave a mark.

Moe was anxious I took the picture quickly as the looping succulent was covered in honey bees!

We returned to the van in the middle of the afternoon in order to head into Benicassim for some evening entertainment.

First up was the “bullfighting”. First of all, no bulls got injured with daggers or spears and this is a relatively safe version – more akin to “bull teasing”. The bulls do climb and stumble on the pieces of apparatus in the ring so it didn’t appear inconceivable that they could damage a limb.

Meanwhile, the youth dodge out from behind the iron cages and tease the bull. No-one got injured by the bulls but there were some close calls. You’ll figure out how it all works from the pictures and videos below.

This bull was an absolute beast and could climb the steps really well. He was no where near as agile as the younger smaller ones though so his chances of inflicting pain were much reduced

At this time of year, as soon as sunset approaches, the temperatures drop dramatically and we head off to Gambrinus for a couple of beers and are joined later by Paul and Andrea from Penrith (ok, they haven’t just travelled from Penrith – they are staying at Bonterra Park for 1 more night (una noche mas)).

As it’s their last night in Benicassim, a table had been booked at La Guindilla restaurant in town. The restaurant is rated number 4 on Tripadvisor in Benicassim and it’s a wonderful place. The 25 Euro set tapas menu is just superb. The portions are ample and the quality of food is excellent. This set menu includes bottomless wine, beer and soft drinks and includes desert and coffee too.

All-in-all, a recipe for disaster. It didn’t help that just as we were about to leave, the heavens opened and the barman offered us a complimentary nightcap. Plus there remained half a bottle of red wine on the table. I don’t think the ladies were too impressed by the lack of restraint from Paul and I on this last night in Benicassim.