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Harvey10 - Europe-bound
  • Pip Greenwood
  • John Anslow

Harvey10 - Europe-bound

A 91-day adventure by Pip & John Read more
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  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    A tuna and salt pan walk

    February 20, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

    Had a 9 mile walk in search of local tuna delicacies; tuna is big here. There's a whole shop dedicated to tuna in many different shapes, sizes, and combinations. Even tuna with cherry. We opted for a preserved one called Mojama de Isla Cristina, Extra. We had it for tea with salad. It was tasty and very strong.
    It comes pressed and pretty solid. As coincidence would have it, we saw a chap preparing some in the sun on the street. I asked him what it was, 'atun' he said. You can see he'd pressed it between two pieces of wood.
    We then walked to the salt flats and bought variations on a theme of special salt mixtures, including squid 🐙 (for John).
    I was ready for a sit-down and a coffee in the town, and the waiter thought it very odd that we wanted 'solo patatas fritas' (only chips). John particularly likes the tea at this cafe, so I took a picture for the record to see if we can find it. Still feels a bit weird asking for 'Té Negro' pronounced 'Tay Nehgro' but it is the Spanish word for black.
    When we got back the site was quieter with various neighbours having left. Our new Dutch friends dropped by and had a chat, we'd seen them out and about on our walk. As they left, they spotted a 'swirling gathering' of processionary caterpillars just by the van. It was a circle of about 10cm diameter. I went to reception to tell them and John just about had time for a quick photo-shoot before they came out and sprayed them and carefully took them away. They can be very nasty and were well camouflaged, so it would have been very easy to stand on them with sandals.
    Even though it was 23°, luckily, we were wearing trainers today.
    Another carnival video.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Walk to restaurant

    February 21, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Did a bit of learning Spanish on app today, played with beads, then we set off along the beach and I had to 'plank' some bits and bobs of pots I found. Plank is a word I learnt from my Scottish friend Chris when we were on a cycling holiday and considering hiding some of our clothes in a hedge to reduce weight in our panniers.
    I managed to find them (and add to them) on the way back. I'll have to return to them tomorrow with a bag. Such a burden being a collector of junk! 😉 John always finds bits of sharp glass and carries them all the way up and down the beach till he finds a bin. So there's a bit of beach clearing going on.
    We had a lovely meal, including gambas (prawns) with garlic cooked in olive oil and white wine. Delicious. John also had choco 'squid' and various other fish cooked in batter. The waiter spoke English but encouraged (or was it tolerated) my attempts at Spanish.
    On our way back a little dog decided to yap around John's ankles and calves and wouldn't leave him alone. Even when the owner came along and unsuccessfully tried to stop it. With bare legs, it wasn't a good feeling for John.
    As we were leaving the beach, some men were coming on with their cockling stick tools. I bid them Buenas Noches and one of them said 'you English? Oh English are very important.' Not quite sure what he meant but he told us he was collecting cockles and muscles and I tried a few Spanish words. He likes to eat them, and they're for his family, and he likes to drink wine. He was so full of life and joy and friendliness. It was a special encounter, one of those moments that leave you feeling heartened and uplifted.
    Got to sneak in a few more carnival pics. I love they guy in yellow dancing.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    30th night at Isla Cristina

    February 22, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    So a fairly lazy day here before we move on tomorrow. Went down to the beach to collect my stash ... the pieces of pot I had 'planked' yesterday. I thought there was an 80% chance they'd still be there and John thought a 100%.
    They'd gone! 😞😠😩. We're clearly not the only ones who like these things. One piece had a J on it, and I'd walked all the way up to the restaurant and back with it. Hey ho. But there was still another piece which I'd hidden nearby, plus John had found a new piece with lettering on today.
    We said a brief goodbye to the lovely Dutch couple, Harda and Arna, who were in the middle of preparing food for six people. 'Ohh rayt' he said in his Scottish accent when we said we're off tomorrow. They showed us inside their camper, built by a boatbuilder to a very high standard with blinds built in to the cab and the awning is made of pillars with air in. I.e. a structure of inflatable pipes, which were rock hard.
    We showered and went out for a quick shop at Lidl before tucking into a meal at Casa Pedros. Only to find it had no diners, just drinkers. We didn't want a repeat of last time we tried to eat there, so we came home and ate the rest of our mojama tuna.
    John is a font of knowledge of the makes and cost and pros and cons of all the campers that come and go on site.
    We have some more names on campers to add to:
    'Privelege', 'Superior', 'Advantage', 'Palace'
    'Off to live.de', 'Just go', 'Elite', 'Emotion', 'Sovereign', 'Spanky'.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Just north of Caceres

    February 23, 2024 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    So today we left the Atlantic behind and headed on quite a long drive northwards on smaller roads, which are always more interesting. We saw industrial farming with cherry blossom, both pink and white, plus vast swathes of wise old olive trees right up to the horizon. There was some rain and even some bodies of water which were clearly flooded. Later we came through a rocky area with stone walls. For a moment I thought I was in Cumbria!
    It was lovely to see sheep, cows, and the Iberian dark grey pigs, often grazing around fields of olive trees. Also eucalyptus and Cork bark Oak trees.
    It's really hard to find any chances to pull off the roads. No laybys whatsoever, just exits to private dwellings / farms with big gates.
    We even went to Portugal for just over an hour and stopped for a cuppa on the border. They were on Greenwich meantime, so we travelled back in time then leapt forward again once we hit Spain.
    Tonight we are at a very quiet spot with two other campers at an abandoned railway station. Overlooking a lake.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Lunch at Guijuelo - Jamon Ibérico

    February 24, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Stopped at a pharmacy in Guijuelo in Extremadura for some paracetamol (€8.30 for 40 tablets!) you can't get it at supermarkets. I have a bit of tummy ache today.
    As we're on the tourist gastronomic route and Iberian pork is big in this area, we stopped for a bite (what better way to deal with an upset tummy 😲 🫢).
    It was a pork butchers combined with a bar and a cafe. We had ham on toasted baguettes with a tomato and olive oil subtle dressing. Muy Bueno. 😘 And only cost €8.60 for two of us, including drinks.
    Everything was pig related, even the pig trotter door handles and tthe toilet signs!    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Nr Caceres to Tourquemada

    February 24, 2024 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    This is a repeat visit. We were here 4 years ago on 12 Feb 2020, when Harvey was just a twinkle in John's eye.
    He remembered that there was a place here for vans, so after searching for our 2020 post on Find Penguins, we saw that it's ideal. It's quiet and just off the main route to St Jean de Luz. That said, there are 4 'UK' vans and 1 'E' van here.
    Extremadura has lovely and interesting landscapes. Some unusual rock formations, some yellow or white carpeted large olive groves, cows, sheep, plus of course, the ubiquitous Iberian pig farms and meat processing plants with transport to match.
    We even saw some spring green leaves, and pink or white blossom on trees. Mind you, there was also snow on mountain tops, as we took the scenic route so ended up on passes and got to 1,202 metres. Higher than most UK mountains.

    We were curious why a place like Bejar had so many houses and where did they all work? It's a remote area. Turns out it was a big textile producer and later garments. Started 13th Century and well known in 19th Century but declined in the 1970s and railway line closed in the 1990s.
    There were loads of derelict buildings, including farms and hostels due we think to there being a new and fast motorway running parallel to the old road we we were on, and taking away any passing trade by lorry drivers. Our route was slower but so un-busy and much more interesting.
    There was one place en route, which was nearly all hostels. Catering for the Camino de Santiago. We saw a few people doing it. Though none bearing a cross, which we actually did see on a previous trip.
    It's cold here, currently 7° but an icy wind. When we stopped for lunch,'see previous post' we even had hailstones. A big change for our bodies to cope with!    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound
    2

    Nous avons arriver - en France!

    February 25, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 12 °C

    We took the main, faster roads today. Along the E80, which we recall going on in 2020 and were again enthralled with the strange landscapes mainly near Miranda. There are also a lot of derelict buildings.
    Heres me trying to learn Spanish and suddenly the signs change to Basque, which is a very confusing language and a different style of lettering and fonts. Basque country is very industrial and feels wealthy but not quite posh. There's lots of grafitti and there's a mixture of grand newish basque style houses and high-rise flats of all shapes and sizes.
    The diesel was €1.68 so I searched for cheaper, and we got some for €1.45 just by pulling off the main road in the right place.
    We crossed the border from Spain to France and suddenly the houses were posh, prim, and proper. There's a more raunchy, rough and ready feel in Spain.
    Lots of rain late afternoon and on arrival in France. Also a cold suddenly came on for me overnight, so I now don't feel like the swim I was looking forward to at this site called La Rouletta. I loved the swimming pool here at Christmastime 2019. It was part of the rationale for coming here. That and the WiFi. We have to pay extra for that, but it's only one appliance at a time, and it's a rubbish connection anyway.
    Much rain forecast everywhere for days and days and days..    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Rain stopped play

    February 26, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    I'm a bit wan with a cold and we've had steady rain all day so we stayed in and lazed.
    Hence no photos and nothing to write.
    So now seems a good time and place to note down a list of things to remember next time:
    Waterproof trousers
    Sunhat
    Gloves
    Beach sandals
    Travel hairdryer
    Hairclippers
    Kitchen spray cleaner
    Podcasts
    Squeegee for inside windscreen
    New doormat

    And maybe for the future:
    WiFi booster
    Camping table
    Fold up bucket
    E Sims
    Electric heater
    Flyscreen    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Dry ... a walk

    February 28, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    A dry and mild day. Warm even, in the sun. I felt more like a human bean today and we both felt a bit stir crazy, so a walk to the sea was a welcome prospect. So good to be moving limbs again after the limitations of driving and then resting for 2 days in an enclosed camper.
    We had drinks and a light lunch, croques monsieur for John and flaky pastry goat cheese and spinach quiche for me. The milk I asked for to add to my black coffee was a supplement apparently and cost €1. Very odd, there wasn't much of it.
    Having been in Spain for so long it was noticeable and a delight to hear the musical speech of French people everywhere again.
    We saw a tiny circus (goat's, sheep, llama in a bell tent).
    Spring primroses are out and some toadstools here by the van.
    Four Brits in our row tonight.
    We leave tomorrow, so I'm glad that we at least had a familiar walk and saw the place again. Apart from a new playground and some concrete blocks with recent vibrant graffiti, nothing much has changed since our last visit to this campsite at Christmas 2019.
    It has served as a restful place to be for four nights, but I am disappointed not to have been well enough for a swim in one of my favourite pools.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Parentis-en-Born

    February 29, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    What a strange name for a place. Not sure of its origins, and on arrival, all we had was a brief spell down to look at the steely water of the lake before the next lot of rain set in.

    After taking a photo of our neighbours tiny electric camper. (Very nice but I'm baffled why it's called 'The family van'), we left the campsite in reasonable time this a.m. and anticipated a food shop at L'Eclerc taking an hour. 2.5 hours later, we returned to the van a little dazed and overstimulated by everything on offer and not always able to find specific things we wanted, e.g., spiced rice cakes. John did a lot of footsteps in search of low-cost patatas fritas in bags. No joy, just expensive ones. He'd got used to them being cheap as chips ( 😉 ) in Spain.
    But he did find and bought some 10 year old Armagnac, which is doing his sore throat a world of good.
    So, with so many exciting things on offer, we got a bit carried away and had quite a hefty bill at the till.
    Had a quick look in a sporty shop and rather liked the funky masks on the manikins. Sneaked a wee video of them.
    Apart from the stop-start belt of built-up miles, around Bidart and Bayonne (and later some major downpours), it was an OK drive. Very flat landscape on the whole and lots of monocrop trees. We saw the biofuel plant that they supplied. I've never seen such huge piles of tree-trunks, or the massive piles of bark chippings either.
    This is a good spot, it has electricity and the cylindrical blocks recede into the ground when you pay by machine. Self service overnight Aire in effect. All properly signposted from the town. Only cost €8.90 (£7.60) so pretty good. We even have a par-cour gym area across the road for the morning!    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Emmaus at Angoulème

    March 1, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    A look around an EMMAUS near Angoulème. It was extremely well organised into categories of articles but really mostly just 'stuff'. Very busy there though. The fabric, buttons, wool, etc part was interesting. John bought a woodworkers brace just because he liked it. And what better reason is there? So just €2 spent money-wise and an interesting hour or so spent there time-wise.
    I was a bit fascinated by the chap in his red beret.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Verteuil-sur-Charente

    March 1, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 10 °C

    As we left last night's site this morning, we heard a thud from the back of the van. John stopped, and I got up to see what had fallen over in the cupboards. Oh dear, it was actually the electric lead being torn off the van. We'd forgotten we were still connected. Whoops!
    When we stopped for a drink en route, John had a look and with a bit of black tape, he had it mended in no time. He would, he's had practice, as it's the second time it's happened. But the first on this trip.
    We had a stop to look at an Emmaus near Angoulème (see earlier post) and then came on to this rather lovely place, which has a chateaux in very good condition.
    It's a free Aire, which we thought was just ours for the night, but after a very brief dusk walk, we returned before more rain fell, and we're now one of three campers.
    Not especially warm atm (9°) but no heating required, which shows the van is well insulated. Sometimes, we opt for an early night as the duvet is warm and we're usually just reading anyway.
    We're hoping for at least a short dry spell to take a stroll around the place tomorrow. The river is very swollen.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Near the Loire. Mazé-Milon

    March 2, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    Chucking it down again this a.m. but as we left Verteuil, it settled a bit, so we parked up for a little walk and found a Bricante open. We left with a crocodile-embossed leather bag. Thankfully, John left the actual crocodile in the shop. It was tiny, a strange withered shape, and gave me the creeps.
    The shop was run by an English Londoner who'd been running it for 5 years and lived above it. He told us 35% of the town are British, plus lots of other nationalities live there. It was a really lovely place and the chateaux rooves were in amazing condition. We did hear a few people speaking English.
    I had located a campsite near to where a friend of ours lives, by the side of the Loire, she is around and available tomorrow, so we journeyed up in that direction. Again, pouring down. Spain was extreme in its lack of laybays or ways to get off a road for a break, and today, we found France to be not much better. They must all have very strong bladders!
    I rang the campsite on route to check they had space. They didn't speak English and I managed in French. They open on 1st April not 1st March as stated on Park4night! So we searched for Aires to empty the toilet and stay over. The first didn't have emptying facilities. The second did so we used the services but the parking was on too much of a slope to stay overnight. The third one (where we are now) is not an Aire but a very nice layby, which, as it turns out, is a mere 5 minutes drive from Aileens.
    It was a strange day as on top of the campsite issue, I'd forgotten that we had colds and cancelled the visit as we didn't want to pass them on. But as we're so close, Aileen suggested we drop by anyway.
    We'll see how things look in the morning.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound
    2

    Conerré near Le Mans

    March 3, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    We were too tired to go to the flea market or the huge tapestry, both in Angers, so we had a slow morning, then went to see Aileen, keeping our distance due to colds. Had a lovely time chatting and eating home-made soup and bread. She's planning on making changes to her working life and where she lives at some point. Enjoying exploring options and considering different areas of France. She moved to her house 20 years ago, and has been working here, so has a good knowledge of French modes and mores. We last visited her in March 2020 and met up with her and Sarah on our last Harvey trip to the Lakes in Aug 2023.
    After a subsequent drive through sunshine and a posh-looking toilet stop, we then had rain and a vibrant rainbow. John had a hankering for a kebab, so I searched for one online and found a choice in no time. Turns out it was within 10 mins walk from our planned overnight stop. So kerching, John was a happy bunny with a kebab (listed as a sandwich kebab).
    Hope to see the tapestry and Angers another time when we have more 'oomph'.
    Last night it was 2° and tonight 0° in the small hours here, so extra clothes on.
    We are struggling to find campsites open. I had one earmarked for tomorrow, which is meant to be open from mid January but discovered it's not open till 1 April. Have found and booked one further north online for tomorrow and hoping it is in fact open.    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Camping du Perche

    March 4, 2024 in France ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    It was -1° last night. Brrrr!

    As I said in my earlier post, we stopped at a few brocantes along the way to get to this campsite. What a peaceful site! The struggle to find any open continues, and this one wasn't on any of our usual websites such as Park4night and ACSI but I found it on pitchup, thankfully. Most sites don't open till 1 April. Easter is end of March, so you'd think they'd open for that.

    We had a bit of a scare last night / this morning as the battery wasn't charging and the power was weak/hardly there even, to raise the bed, which means we wouldn't be able drive if the bed is down. John got underneath it to give it a push up and thankfully there was just enough to raise it. Phew! After that, he had the engine idling, and it started charging again, even though it wasn't yesterday. All a bit strange. It's good to be on a site again with electricity.
    The Brocantes were very expensive. I rather fancy having one of these ladies in the garden!    Read more

  • Harvey10 - Europe-bound

    Nonancourt

    March 5, 2024 in France ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Last night, I suddenly realised that I'd got the days wrong for arriving at our next site, near Dieppe. This means we have an extra day, so we took a short drive northwards to an Aire by the town hall (Marie). We managed a brief walk around the town, which has some lovely and ancient buildings. Apparently, it was destroyed by the British in 14 hundred and something but rebuilt. Cotton was big here around the 1800s.
    The town centre is currently being reinvented big style. It looks a bit like the square in Kirkby Lonsdale when they re-jigged the whole place in order to film Jamaica Inn.
    The sun was out to start with, but we came back to the van when it got chilly and rainy. In no time it was sunny again so I went out for another walk. Only about under 4 miles today. I returned just before the rain did. We spent the rest of the time learning Spanish and reading while outside it poured down.
    We were the first to arrive, but there are about 5 vans here now.    Read more

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