Suera - Castles and Tapas

Friday 16 March 2018 - Day 12

Today has been our best day so far.  We’re where we love - deep in the countryside in the peace and quiet.  Nido is parked up in  a free aire in the village of Suera, about an hour inland from our last stop.  I stopped off at a Repsol for diesel (food for Nido) and a Lidl (food for us), before we drove inland.  We passed through an industrial area into the town of Onda. Now, if you’ve ever bought bathroom or kitchen tiles in the UK and they come from Spain, it’ll be from Onda - ceramic factory after ceramic factory.

After Onda we only had about 7km to our destination, so I was getting a little worried that I’d picked an aire in the middle of an industrial estate.  But I shouldn’t have. We were very quickly climbing up into the hills.  Turning off the main road we reached the aire in Suera; it used to be the car park for the village municipal swimming pool.  The pool was still there - but sadly empty - although the pool bar and restaurant was still on site and doing trade to the passing locals.  There were 3 vans already parked up - two German and one Spanish. The German vans were occupied by older chaps (grey ponytails!) with off-road motorbikes to enjoy in this wild countryside.  The aire’s electric was switched off, so on to gas we went.

Lunch done, we had a quick walk to get our bearings - a typically Spanish village, winding up a hill with narrow streets.  One of the local old boys told us (in Spanish) that, if we walked up there (pointing up the mountain), we would find mucho wild asparagus!  

Back at the van, we followed the signposts for the Castle de Mauz.  We could see it way up in the distance, on the highest hilltop.  The trail took us past lovely ‘allotments’ and fincas down in the valley, before we started to climb through pine forest.  The track was very rocky but easy to follow.  The flora was abundant, in particular wild herbs; we picked three types of rosemary, some wild thyme and sage, all now drying in a cloth bag hanging from the cab roof.  We were the only ones climbing and the silence was deafening.  With the odd stop for some water and to catch our breath, we eventually made it to the base of the castle.  It is Muslim in origin and dates back to the 12th Century. Goodness knows how they transported the stone to make it, although then I guess labour (and life) was cheap.  On the way up we passed several old stone buildings, which I would imagine were staging and resting posts for those transporting building material and other goods up to the castle.

At the top, the views were breathtaking, especially down the valley, past Onda and onto the Mediterranean.  It was quite chilly up there and the castle remains were far from safe, so we treaded carefully. But the peace, quiet and atmosphere was enchanting.  We took a different route down, past the original Muslim hamlet of Suera, which supplied the castle before the modern village was built. 

Back at the van, we enjoyed a cuppa, hot showers and a glass of wine before walking up the hill into the village - we were hungry!  Now, anyone who has visited the real Spain will know the locals don’t eat much before 9pm.  So when we turned up at the village bar at 6.30pm, enquiring about Tapas, the bar owner’s incredulous look was understandable…he had to ring his wife and tell her someone wanted food this early…and she would not be happy!  To his credit he kept his cool and took our order although, when his wife turned up 15 minute later, the look of thunder on her face suggested we were in the doghouse! However, we told them (in Spanish) that we were sorry and the English eat early in the evening - after that smiles all around (or it could have been wind!).  It was a typical local bar - functional tables and a large TV in the corner, showing a quiz show hosted by a transvestite!  The tapas we delicious - calamari, patatas bravas (with the most amazing garlic sauce - the wife gave us the recipe) and ‘fried tails’ - aka pork tail scratchings - all enjoyed with some wine.  Cathy did well with her Spanish, including apologising to the lady for dragging her away from home to cook our tea!  When I asked for the bill, it was spoken, not written, but several locals piped up in English how much it was i Euros!  Sated, we walked downhill to the van. It was very chilly by the time we reached home - we might need the heating on in the morning!

View from the castle

By the beach at Castellon de la Plana

Thursday 14 March 2018 - Day 11

Nido’s parked up at a free aire in Castellon De La Plana.  The aire is next to the planetarium and just across the road from the beach.  It has about 60 pitches with free facilities. I’d read somewhere that it had recently doubled in size, so no doubt they’ll soon be charging a fee.  We arrived around 1045, having driven an hour from Peniscola.  There were quite a few spaces when we arrived but now it’s full.  There’s vans of every shape and size.  Nido is the smallest, and the largest is a massive Unicat (see picture below).  This is a serious rig, probably better suited to touring the deserts of Morocco than the Spanish Costas.  It could be enhanced by a few surface to air missile pods on the roof but, apart from that I don’t think much will get in its way!

Like many Spanish towns, Castellon is a bit industrial and commercial; there’s a large container port and fishing harbour, plus several large factories on the outskirts,  The centre is quite pleasant though , with a marina and a number of small plazas, traditional bars and restaurants, some interesting monuments and statues and some fine examples of modernist architecture.  Some of these have seen better days, but even now, they retain some of their grandeur, especially the ceramic tiles at the main entrance.  We like these sorts of town much more than the high-rise resorts, watching the locals go about their daily lives.  Castellon very much tolerates tourists rather than pamper to them.

Once parked up we walked into town to have a look around and get our bearings, buying some bread and a couple of small chopping boards from one of the many Chinese Bazaars (ie shops selling all sorts of tat!).  After lunch we walked the long beach; it was still a bit cloudy and very windy, but eventually the sun one out and we soaked up some warmth.  We sat on the warm beach for a while but the wind-whipped sand beat us in the end.  Cathy prepped our dinner then we walked back into the town, stopping off to watch some guys playing water polo on kayaks in the marina.  The shops and bars were just starting to open after the siesta and no doubt this university town is much buzzier later at night (when we’re tucked up in bed!).  The highlight of the evening (apart from Cathy’s excellent meal!) was the bats flying around the palm trees at dusk - it doesn’t take much to please us these days!

Tomorrow we’re planning to head inland for a day or two.  The coast is good and we love the sea, but we’re not huge fans of tourist resorts and large towns and cities, so we’ll be looking for a quiet village with views, perhaps with some walks and an old castle to climb up to.

I would't want to take this down the narrow lanes of Cornwall!

Relaxing into it in Peniscola

Wednesday 14 March 2018 - Day 10

At least I think it’s Wednesday!  I’m losing track; as the days go by the van seems more like home than home, and we’re getting into the routine of living in a space (bedroom, galley, bathroom, living room) smaller than the average ‘Wimpey house’ box room.  

We’re still at La Volta campsite in Peniscola.  Booking another night was no problem here; the owners are really accommodating and totally on the ball.  The facilities are immaculate and the site runs like a well-oiled machine.  I was awake early this morning so got up and made myself a pot of coffee. The sun was just rising over the mountains behind us, the sky was blue, but with a chill in the air.  Once the sun rose it soon warmed up and we sat outside for breakfast.  I like it when we spend more than one night at a stop; it means I can forget about driving for a day and, more importantly, get out for a bike ride.  Cathy also likes it because I’m out of her hair for a couple of hours, so she can get on with giving the van a good clean and sorting out and doing some washing - sounds like the perfect relationship to me!  I managed to unhitch my bike from the rack (it’s set high and I’m not!), pump up tyres, fill pockets and rucksack with stuff and pedal out of the site.  Today was a gentle ride up and down the bike lane on the beach promenade, around the fish harbour, several small roads and down to the other end of the bay (another harbour).  I passed the local fishermen’s cafe, so doubled back and enjoyed a ‘cafe con leche’ whilst watching the world go by.  On the return leg I stopped at a local fruit and veg shop.  It was my sort of place - all local, in season produce, including their own olive oil and wine (I didn’t by the latter btw!).  Rucksack full of fruit and veg and with a warm baguette tied on the outside (minus one end - I had to eat it because it was digging into the back of my cycle helmet!), I cycled back to the van for lunch.

By now the outside of the van looked like Wishy Washy’s Dhoby Shack, with clean clothes hanging everywhere.  I’d rigged up a washing line betwixt tree trunk and fence and Cathy had rigged another coming off the van.  After a warm and sunny morning, it clouded over and felt a little cooler, but we still went for a walk along the promenade and beach, bravely wearing shorts and t-shirts, whilst all the locals, in hats, scarves and puffa jackets, looked at us as if we were loco!  It was a tad chilly, but we put a brave face on it, walking back barefoot in the surf (we’re made of stern stuff I’ll have you know!).

I had some pork belly to use up, so cooked this ‘a la plancha’, having boiled some rice and prepared some veg, so this was all turned into a spicy pork fried rice.  I planned my usual trick of adding a couple of beaten eggs (something my Dad, who spent years in the Far East, taught me about making proper fried rice).  It took some effort to break the egg shell, only to discover that we’d bought six hard-boiled eggs!  I had no idea - they were eggs in an egg box, on a (non-cooled) shelf in the supermarket.  I need to make a note of the name and ensure we buy raw eggs next time!  Still, two were chopped up and added to the rice.

It’s feeling cooler tonight and the forecast is for mid-teens centigrade for the next few days (the southern end of ‘Beast from the East Part II’).  We’re moving on tomorrow, aiming to continue down the coast.  However, if our planned stop is full, or the weather’s pants, I have a Plan B to head slightly inland for a night, as there’s an aire in a village that I understand has a very nice tapas bar.  We’ve not eaten out yet, so we may treat ourselves if it’s within our ‘fun money’ budget.

We made it to the Med!

Tuesday 13 March 2018 - Day 9

We’ve reached the Med - yay!  This trip has been a long time in the dreaming and planning. It’s over 30 years since we first talked about buying a campervan. Jobs, children and life filled the gap between then and now, but we’ve finally made it to the warm sunshine.  Nido is sunning himself and resting his aching tyres and brakes at La Volta campsite in Peniscola. We’ve booked in for one night but hope we can stay for tomorrow night too, as we’re ready for a day without driving.

Last night was a bit cold and rainy (we were several hundred metres above sea level) and the church clock clanged every 15 minutes, but we slept OK.  The drive down to the coast took us through fields of (we think) almond trees in blossom, plus many olive trees.  It was quite green but also uninhabited; clearly in the past the land had been carefully and lovingly farmed, with many ruined fincas, but these days I guess there’s no money to be made from subsistence farming.  The hairpin bends and long drops kept me focussed on keeping us on the road. There was a huge amount of new road building going on, which seems strange given the complete lack of traffic on the road as we headed down to the coast.  As we reached sea level, the olive and nut trees were replaced by citrus trees, mainly oranges but also some lemons.  The temptation to scrump was strong! 

Our first stop was a Mercadona in Peniscola. I’m still surprised at how cheap groceries are in Spain, for example we bought two swordfish steaks for a total sum of €2.49; they would have been £5 each in the UK.  I pulled into the La Volta campsite and luckily here were a couple of pitches left, so long as we didn’t want electric hook up.  The campsite is very full, mainly French, Dutch, German and Swedish vans.  The pitches are cosy; it was easy to reverse Nido into ours, but I wouldn’t want to attempt it in a larger motorhome.  We quickly set up camp, saying hello to our Dutch neighbours and getting our chairs and table out for the first time this trip to enjoy a cup of tea in the warm sunshine.  This site has some excellent and immaculately clean facilities, even a sink to de-scale and wash the whole fish you bought at the market!  There’s also a pool and a bar.  Each pitch is amongst the pollarded trees and must provide some welcome shade in the heat of the summer.

Refreshed and changed into shorts and t-shirts, we walked down to the beach and turned right to follow the promenade, walking the 4km into the old town.  A few bars and restaurants were open but the majority were still closed, although many were painting and cleaning ready for the upcoming season.  We enjoyed walking around the base of the castle in the old town, including the lovely narrow streets. It must be heaving in the summer but we almost had it all to ourselves.  We walked back along the beach, enjoying our first paddle in the Med this trip.  Back at the campsite, we made use of long, hot showers, something you really get to enjoy when living in a small campervan, although our own wet room meets our needs. Dinner was enjoyed al-fresco, although we were almost alone in sitting outside; most people had moved in to eat or watch TV.  As the sun started to dip it became decidedly chillier, so after washing up and putting everything away, we sat in the van with a warming cup of tea.  Hopefully, if we can extend our stay here by another day, I’ll get out for a spin on the bike, while Cathy’s looking forward to a few hours on her own to sort out the van, get some washing done and read her book in the sunshine.

Looking to the near future, the only plan is to keep the sea on our port side and follow the coast, occasionally dipping inland when we see something interesting to visit.

Our cosy little pitch

First sight of the Mediterranean

Pensicola castle and old town

View from the castle gardens

We love walking through these narrow streets

Change of Plan - Head South

Monday 12 March 2018 - Day 8

Change of plan! The forecast for the north-west of Spain - and San Sebastian in particular - is poor for the next few days. So a Command decision was made to change course and make a fast dash to the Mediterranean coast.  

We slept well - even the village dogs had a good night’s sleep and didn’t disturb us.  The drive out was delightful, through small Basque villages and we very soon crossed over into the Andorra region of Spain - no border guards, no passports, no hiding the duty free.  Given the weather forecast, we decided to crack some mlles today, to get as far south as we could without getting too tired.  On the way we stopped at a Spanish Lidl to buy bread and wine (no religious link intended) and top up with diesel at the adjacent Repsol, the van filled up by a most helpful chap who did it all for me.  To top it all, the baguettes were half the price of France and the diesel was €1.119 per litre, compared to €1.349 in France - Happy Days!

Our route took us through Pamplona (shut your eyes, hit the horn and drive!) and on past Zaragoza.  The landscape was semi-arid desert in some areas, with the odd field of almond (or orange) and olive trees.  It was windy (and occasionally rainy) and we whooped with delight at seeing the tumbleweed zipping across the fields and roads (although on a serious note we saw lots of dust storms from the loss of top soil too).  At our lunch stop, I dialled in an aire within 2 hours of the Med coast and we arrived at the Valderrobres aire at about 1700 - a long drive.  This is a lovely little town.  The aire is down by the river and we have a view of the medieval bridge into the town. We loved walking up, down and across the tiny, cobbled streets and up to the church and castle.  Back at the van we had some bacon to use up from our local butcher on Anglesey, so enjoyed a good old fry up of bacon, mushrooms and eggs.

Tomorrow we have about a 2 hour run to the coast. We then plan to slow right down, spend a few days in selected stops and only travel a short distance each day as we start our clockwise tour of Spain and Portugal. 

PS - the Spanish Lidl ’brick’ of red wine at the princely sum of €0.89 per litre is to be recommended.  This vintage surpasses its French equivalent - I can now feel my teeth again at least!

Across the medieval bridge into the town

This bike needs some TLC....and freeing from its chains! 

View of the bridge and river from the aire