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Wanda’s First Adventure
  • Misadventures Of Wanda
Oct – Nov 2021

Wanda’s First Adventure

This is our first road trip and test of Wanda in all weather conditions Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 3, 2021
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    The big house

    October 4, 2021 in England ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today at 12:00pm we closed our kennel business, said goodbye to all our customers drove the 4 miles back to our home, where we met my dad. We gave him the keys and instructions on how to run the house and look after the dogs and then we packed Wanda and left Norfolk to embark on our first adventure.
    2 years of planning and plotting co-ordinates into the sat Nav will take us into France, across the Alps, into the Pyrenees down through the central plains of Spain and along the coast into Portugal to stay at Ellies mum and dads holiday home near Faro. From there we will head to Lisbon, then along the coast and back into Spain through the mountains to Bordeaux, France and then along the western coast of France before starting our return journey back home.
    This is our test journey, the journey to see if all our modifications will work, all weathers, all conditions. Will we be able to refill our new refillable gas bottles easily? Will the newly fitted diesel heater keep us warm? Will our newly fitted WiFi system actually give us internet in hard to reach places? Have we packed enough clothes for all weathers to keep us going for 2 months? And most of all will our 18 year old son be happy living in such a small place with his parents or will he bail out when we get to Portugal and come home with his grandparents. At 8am, Tuesday 5th October we leave England on the Eurotunnel to embark on our adventure.    Read more

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    The underground city of Naours

    October 5, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    It had started to rain at about midnight, we could hear it hammering away on the roof of Wanda all night and at 4am we got up to leave Essex and it was still throwing it down. After a quick cup of tea we secured everything and done our pre flight checks and left for the channel tunnel at 4:45am. By the time we got to the M25 the roads were already starting to flood quite badly, but traffic was relatively light and flowing nicely even if it was slower than usual. The M20 was quite chaotic with big pools of standing water in the slow and fast lanes and more than once we lost visibility completely being swamped by torrents of water from the road and the sky.
    We reached Eurotunnel on time at 7:20am and boarded with no problems, then I noticed a funny little symbol flash up on our sat Nav so I tapped it and a warning came up for severe heavy rain on the other side of the tunnel. In all of my years as a lorry driver I have never seen a sat Nav warning of dangerous weather conditions.
    Exiting the train, TomTom was right. The rain was horrendous and the roads were like a skid pan with an inch of water running across the surface constantly. Fortunately we only stayed on the motorway for 20 mins before hitting the quieter roads through the villages and heading towards Amiens. 130 miles of wet roads led us to our first destination, les Grottes des Naours or the caves of Naours and just before we got there it stopped raining.
    This place is a truest amazing spectacle of caves, or tunnels made from the limestone of the Picardy plateau and was dug out to form refuges. These refuges were called "muches" (hideouts in Picard language). Those in Naours, rediscovered at the end of the last century, are the largest known: all the underground areas combined can house around 2,600 people with their livestock. The layout is remarkable: around 300 chambers, public squares, stables, wells, chimneys, and a chapel with three naves. These underground areas were used by the British forces during the First World War and were used as the headquarters of the German forces during the second world war. We spent 2 hours here exploring and just as we got back to the motorhome it started raining again but by now it was late afternoon and time to start operation tortoise, our way of saying we need to find somewhere to camp.
    Fortunately for us we found the perfect spot just 9 miles away down a quiet little back lane, in the little village of Candas right next to a beautiful old windmill.    Read more

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    Our Second free camp

    October 6, 2021 in France ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    This morning we didn’t bother hurrying to get up, we were all tired from a long day yesterday and our first stop didn’t open until 10am, so after a hearty breakfast of french sausage and rolls we left moulin fanchon, the windmill and headed into Albert to visit the 1916 Somme museum. Finding somewhere to park was a nightmare and I was just about to give up when we found a few spaces outside someone’s house. We checked with the house owner that it was ok to leave Wanda there and off we went. The sights and stories in the museum were pretty harrowing to say the least but to see what the soldiers had to deal with gave us all an appreciation for life and how lucky we are thanks to the sacrifices of others. They even had the medical equipment there and photos of how they reconstructed peoples bodies and faces after they had been blown up or hit by shrapnel, it was disgusting but fascinating at the same time. Then we saw the trench art, hundreds of old shells that had been painstakingly carved and moulded by soldiers in the trenches.
    When we left the museum we wandered the grounds for a while before visiting the local church, which in true french fashion was utterly amazing and beautiful. Then it was back to Wanda to head into the Alps.
    By the time it was evening we still had 160 miles to travel and it would be getting dark within a couple of hours so we had to start operation tortoise.
    We found a spot in some woods, right next to a lake about 10 miles off the motorway, it was a bit of a challenge getting there through the tight little villages but Wanda did it and this is home for the night.
    Tomorrow we head into the Alps.    Read more

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    Third night free camping

    October 7, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    This morning we left our camp in the woods by the reservoir at Saint-Ciergues to drive to the Alps. It took us the best part of 3 hours travelling the motorways but we eventually reached our first destination, the cascades de tufs. This is an amazing waterfall covered in grass and moss and stands about 50ft tall, we even climbed the steps next to it and saw the pools where the waterfall starts. From there we drove higher into the Alps, stopped to get some last minute food at a the intermarchè and then continued to the Barrage de Belvedère, this is where we will spend the night. The outside temperature had dropped by 5°c within an hour it is going to get cold tonight.Read more

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    Col de aravis

    October 8, 2021 in France ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    We set the alarms for 6:30am this morning. Skipped breakfast and drove 30 miles to our first destination, les Gauges des fuirs. A 50 metre boardwalk 25 meters’ above the canyon floor that was full of rushing water and waterfalls, we got there at 9:30am just as it opened and got the place to ourselves for the first 30 mins which was great for pictures. We were lucky because as we left 2 coaches of school kids turned up.
    From there we walked to Lè Chàteau de Montrottier, this was a privately owned Chateau in it’s hay day and the former owner was a huge antique collector, it was full of original artifacts from Henry 2nd to Napoleon. We even managed to get a private tour around the tower which had a weapons room and another room full of things from all over the world including, china, Japan and Africa.
    From here we drove to the bottom of the mountain pass and climbed the Col Des Aravis, on the climb we saw the the names of the riders sprayed in the road from the 2020 Tour de France. At the summit we stopped to look in the Alpine stores and see the cows, all of which wear cowbells. Then it was down the other side of Du Col and up the Mount Brisbane Mountain pass. We were well above the clouds now and could see through the clouds to the crystal clear lakes below with the alpine landscape as a back drop. From there we descended over the Barrage de Rosaland which was engulfed in cloud and then a steep climb to the summit of villard sur Don where we picked up a hitchhiker who was a professional athlete on the french alpine skiing team. The it was on to the Villard sur Don, the tightest mountain pass yet and luckily we were going down instead of up because the was an 18% gradient and full of switchbacks, but apart from a smell and the squeak from brakes Wanda did well.
    By now it was getting on in the day and we were looking for a place to park up for the night, but luckily our new hitch hiking friend told us about a free airè in his hometown of Beaufort, and that is where we spent the night.    Read more

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    Col del la Morte

    October 9, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We had a nice lay in this morning listening to the cows with there cowbells ringing away before leaving Wanda at 9am and walking up into Beaufort for some breakfast from the local patisserie. A Beaufort Cheese and Ham croissant was ordered 3 times and we all enjoyed them, but Beaufort cheese is extremely rich so you probably couldn’t eat a lot of it.
    From Beaufort we travelled south, towards the Le Grandè Mason, a huge reservoir with a damn holding the water back, then we climbed the Saint Alban des Villards stopping to to take some drone shots before descending and then climbing Saint Colombon des Villards with an average gradient of 8% peaking at 18%, but Wanda did great making the climbs and then descending down to le Viaduc du Lillè. From here we chose a camping spot, we didn’t realise it at the time but this would involve 14miles of ascending at another average gradient of 8% it it took us the best part of an hour to get there but finally we arrived 1370 metres up at le Col de La mortè, it looked like it could snow but luckily for this camp we have electric, showers and toilets......... and so far it’s all free.    Read more

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    The Walled City Of Cremieu

    October 10, 2021 in France ⋅ 🌙 9 °C

    After a short lay in this morning and a cup of tea in bed we set off from our high altitude camping spot at le Col de Morte at 9am heading for Grenoble and Fort Bastille. This is where we could have camped last night but thank god we didn’t.
    Heading off the main road up a tight road started us on a gradient of 19%, the road was an utter nightmare with 180° hairpin bends and at the very last bend the gradient got to over 20% and the bend was 190° which was just to much for Wanda and after trying the turn and wheelspinning a couple of times we admitted defeat and we had to make a precarious U turn so then it was back down the hairpin bends while we all held our breath. This was quite possibly the most scared I had been while driving.
    From the we decided to go to another nearby Fort. Fort Eynard and I had 2 sets of co- ordinates but I knew it would be up high so I opted for the walking option after the last fiasco.
    This also turned out to be a nightmare with an 870m climb on a 19% gradient our legs were burning and in the end at 1340ft we gave up and turned around without reaching the fort and that little escapade cost us 2 hours.
    From Fort Eynard we headed towards Lyon stopping at Glendieu Falls which was amazing before arriving at our final destination of the day. The Medieval Walled City of Cremieu.
    Cremieu town centre just isn’t made for motorhomes and after negotiating the tight little streets for about 20 minutes we eventually found a gravel Car Park to stop in, from there we spent 2 hours wandering the town, got some food and had some well needed beers before setting up camp in the car park and bedding down for the night.    Read more

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    A night in Larnas

    October 11, 2021 in France ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    This morning we got up early ready to explore the medieval city of Cremieu and from 6am the cars just kept on piling into the car park where we spent the night. Exiting Wanda we were greeted by a very excitable Frenchman who was telling us what was going on before lunchtime and that he had a camping car, but we didn’t really understand him except for the odd word so Ellie smiled and that worked and he drove off. We started in the town before heading to the old ramparts but almost all of the shops were closed except for the cafe’s and considering the cars that had blocked Wanda in and the traffic on the nearby road the town was dead. We climbed the steep stairway to the old ramparts and we were the only ones up there which was great for us to look around and take a few pictures.
    We left Cremieu about 10:30am heading for Lyon which was an hour away and when we got there the place was heaving with traffic, we didn’t want to chance getting stuck down some side road or having a fender bender so we decided to drive straight through Lyon and onto the next destination. Rochmare which again was an ancient medieval city with a castle and ramparts but we wanted to see the huge 200ft suspension bridge.
    It was only a 10 minutes walk from our parking spot and the bridge seems bigger in real life than in pictures and it was also really windy which made crossing it and the selfies even more fun.
    From there we were looking for our camp spot in the walled city of Saint montaine and TomTom decided to take us right through the middle of town. It got tighter and tighter and we turned left to head up a pass a motorcyclist stopped us and said we wouldn’t do it in Wanda so we had to turn around and go back out.
    We used park4night to look for an alternative tortoise spot and we found one on the edge of a field but when we reached it the track leading down looked a little to steep and if it did rain we could have been stuck there indefinitely so we skipped that. Then after all the messing around Ellie found us a camp sight a couple of miles away but when we got there it was to late to check in at 18:20hrs.
    By now we were all tired and hungry and I was convinced I could get us to the original camp spot by going an alternate route so I replanned our route and away we went again.
    30 mins later we had arrived at a little car park behind the town hall in a little village called larnas where they welcome motorhomes, we dumped our grey water and toilet and then filled our fresh water tanks before settling in for the night and watching the sunset.    Read more

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    Pont du gard

    October 12, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Leaving our camp spot in the little village of Larnas at 9am we headed into town. Today was our first washing day and we googled the nearest laundrette but luckily found one on the outskirts of town near an intermarchè and a mr brickolàge. We used google translate for the instructions and in an hour our 18kg load was washed and dried.
    Next stop was le Grotte du Saint-marcel and we had our own, private guided tour, and to our amazement we were the only ones there.
    We descended the 260 steps to reach 150 meters below the ground into what I can only describe as a chamber of beauty. Stalactites hung from the ceiling like chandeliers in a grand hall and stalagmites grew up from the floor and formed giant stalacnate columns joining together and they were lit up beautifully. Especially the flowing rock pools, all of different colours.
    From the caves we picked up the route of the grand gourges through the ardechè which I had plotted thanks to the Tour de France and we saw the riders names sprayed on the road again, the road had road works and for the most part we had it to ourselves and it really was a beautiful drive. We passed the balcon de gorges, and stopped at pont du arc before heading to our final destination, pont du gard.
    A 2000 year old Roman viaduct spanning the river and we got there just in time to watch the sunset behind it. It really was a most spectacular site with the glowing viaduct and orange and pink clouds.
    In the car park leaving we used park4night again to find our camp for the night and found a self serving motorhome airè just a mile away. We pulled up at the barriers, paid €13 on the debit card the barriers lifted and we had our parking spot with electric, water and video surveillance. Bargain.    Read more

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    First Paid nights Sleep

    October 13, 2021 in France ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Leaving our camp in pont du arc couldn’t come soon enough, at 5am the traffic started and it was like sleeping next to the M25 by 6:30am, so after 3 super strong coffees at 8:30am we hit the road.
    The initial plan was to head into Nemes to see the Roman amphitheatre but on looking at the maps and reading some reviews on park4night about motorhomes being broken into, we skipped Nimes and carried on.
    I had already plotted a route into TomTom that followed the exact route of the 2021 Tour de France and the route didn’t disappoint. Right out of Nimes we hit the hills and there were the Names of Julian Allaphillipe, Wout Van Art, and Mark Cavendish sprayed on the road. We were following in the footsteps of legends. 160km of the most beautiful roads in the south of France and next was Carcassonne.
    We had found an Airè on park for night and arrived at 2pm to park up and then go and explore the city. A beautiful river walk led us into the old town and then into the walled city of carcassonne which for our second was even more amazing as there were a lot less people and we also hadn’t had the stress of parking.
    After a brief tour of the walled city we ventured down into the new town and took some photos overlooking the old bridge with the walled city in the background which we missed last time, from there it was back along the river, reaching Wanda at 4:30pm so we could sit inside and relax with the windows and skylight open with blue skies above us and a gently breeze blowing, this was the first time in months we had felt completely relaxed in months, but that’s not to say that we haven’t enjoyed this trip, it’s just that blue skies, sunshine and heat always make it feel like your on holiday. Now we just have to wait for the sun to set to see what adventures tomorrow will bring.    Read more

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    Back in Carcassone with a water leak😩

    October 14, 2021 in France ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    Today was a non productive day of getting up late, milling around this morning before heading out in the late morning towards the new carcassonne town. We took the beautiful river walk watching the ducks and herons before arriving at the old bridge and crossing over into the city centre. First stop was the market for some french street food for €1 euro each, none of knew what it was but it was battered and it was tasty. Then we walked the city’s back streets admiring the old doorways and shutters on the windows before heading back to the city square for a jambón & fromagè panini. From there we took a slow walk back along the old back streets to Wanda set the co-ordinates and off we went to Carcassonne airport.
    Yes, today was the day Ben left us as he was missing his girlfriend and mates, and his car and he had decided to go back home. He’ll move his girlfriend into our house and live there and look after the dogs, leaving Russ’s dad free to go home, and we both cried when he had gone. Wanda seems a little empty now, without his hat and back pack taking up a seat, his 2 pairs of shoes in the middle of the floor and leads draped from one end of the motorhome to plug his computer in. On the plus side we now have no need to go home so our trip could last longer and we’ll be able to see the things we wanted to see with no time restrictions.
    Getting back to Wanda after the airport our first real problem on this trip happened. Water dripping from underneath the hot water tank and on closer inspection we realised it was the over flow pipe.
    Russ, can fix most things, or atleast have a go. He’s good at electrics and we have all the necessary tools to fix electrics, we also have a set of screwdrivers, sockets, Allen keys, and spanner’s. We have pipe cutters, plumbers tape and electrical tape and even gaffer tape and we have spares of lots of things for that just incase moment. What Russ isn’t good at is plumbing, He hates it and will freely admit both facts, stating that he always gets wet!!
    And trying to fix the leak he did get wet......very!
    We first stopped at Mr Brikolàge, the french equivalent of B&Q, picked up an end stop and some hose clips to put on the leaking overflow pipe. Russ popped underneath, it took him about 30 minutes to get the end stop on laying in the wet patch on the gravel that had formed while we shopped, with water running down his arm and into his armpit and pooling. When he came out from underneath the air was blue and the leak still wasn’t fixed.
    We returned to the campsite we had last night at it was now 5pm, parked up, put Wanda on the chocks and resorted to plan B. Take the end stop off, fold the pipe in half and screw a hose clip around it. This took around 5 minutes and immediately Russ thought he had fixed the leak. And standing there covered in wet gravel, with a wet patch running down his back from his shoulders to his knees he said try the pump.
    We turned the pump on, the pipes then forced water out of all the joints flooding the floor because the water couldn’t go out the overflow because Russ had just sealed it.
    Yes, Russ still hates plumbing.
    After doing a little research (about 2 hours), we realised the pump might be set to high so Russ turned a screw on the top of it and hey presto..... it seems to have fixed it, so far.
    To calm down we went for a walk back along the river just as the sun was setting, took some great photos of carcassonne lit up and then went back to Wanda for a well needed drink. Let’s hope tomorrow is better as we will be attempting our first foreign LPG refill.    Read more

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    First night in Spain

    October 15, 2021 in France ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    We left Carcassonne at 8:30am, filled up our water which is a 100 litres tank, emptied the toilet waste and our grey tanks and set off. It took a while to escape the city traffic during the rush hour but once we were away from the city we were moving freely doing a steady 50mph through the back lanes to Grotte le Mas D’azil. We had been there before but time and bad weather were against us, so this time the plan was to explore the caves, but to our disappointment the caves are shut on Monday and Fridays during low season.
    We made breakfast and had a cup of tea before setting off for the Tunnel de aragnouet, we drove through the Pyrenees and some of the most spectacular landscapes with mountains, rolling hills and beautiful villages. We both agreed this was probably the nicest stretch of road we had been on so far, and the alps was spectacular.
    We had to wait about 10 minutes for the light to go green at the tunnel and when it did we were through those 3km in no time and into Spain. Russ had seen this route on La Vuelta and had wanted to drive it for ages and it didn’t disappoint, huge rivers of crystal clear water with golden and white rocks, surrounded by pine trees and the back drop of the Pyrenees mountains. Vultures soaring overhead, while all the time we were descending at a steady speed of 45mph and taking it all in.
    Our first stop would be an airè we had found on park4night next to a castle, we had no idea what it would be like or if we could even get to it but pictures had shown other motorhomes at the site so that was our plan.
    It took us about 45 mins of slow driving but we soon came to the little town of Ainsa, the castle was just up the hill and although the road was narrow we got to the car park and it was great, mountain views one side and a castle the other. There were also about 30 other motorhomes in the car park and maybe 20 camper vans but it’s big enough for all of us and there’s more than enough room for everyone to have there own private area should they want it.
    The first thing we did was check out the castle, it’s mainly ruins but there’s a few things in display and exhibitions about the Pyrenees and it’s all free. The best part of this site is the town itself. It’s a traditional medieval village with all original doorways dating back to the 17th and 18th century, the streets are all original with the old cobbles and it really does look like something from a film set but it’s all real.
    We spent ages looking around, had some dinner in Wanda and then went back in the late evening to get some night photos, this so far is an amazing place.    Read more

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    Molina De Aragon

    October 16, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today has been eventful day of driving. Leaving our camp at 8am we set straight off for the HU-631 mountain pass of the Pyrenees. This was a route Russ had seen on La Vuelta and it was every bit as thrilling as we expected. Huge winding roads, and massive mountain passes with great views, kites and vultures. It was a great opportunity to get some drone shots of Wanda.
    From the Pyrenees we followed a pre-plotted route to Molina De Aragon, A couple of motorways and then into the quieter roads. Our final destination on the pre-plotted route would torrevieja but that was still some 500 miles away so we wouldn’t be reaching that today.
    About 30 miles outside Molina de Aragon we spotted about 30 griffin vultures in a field and it was just as we turned into a side road and as luck would have it there was also a lay-by. We stopped, grabbed the camera and jumped out.
    Griffin Vultures are huge with a wing span of about 8 foot, we never thought we see one in the wild let alone 30 so for us this was a real treat. We walked slowly towards the vultures down a farm track and just as Russ started to take photos next to an old pig shed we heard a meow........... we looked around and next to the pig shed was the smallest kitten we had ever seen. It fit in the palm of Ellie’s hand, it’s ears were still folded forward and it’s eyes were still shut. There were a few other cats around and Ellie tried palming the kitten off with one of them but they weren’t interested. There were also no other kittens around, or a mum. But there were lots of Vultures. So now we had a choice to make........
    Yes we went back for the kitten....... there’s no way we could leave him for the vultures which is obviously what has happened to the others, so we brought it back to Wanda, Russ cleared a beer box and we wrapped it up and put him in it. Then we started looking for vets. They were all closed except for the one 180miles away so then we decided to look for supermarkets. Luckily there was one in Molina de Aragon so we drove the 30 miles, found a supermarket and bought some cat milk. Then we emptied one of Russ’s 10ml e-liquid bottles, washed it out, filled it with cat milk and fed the cat, then Ellie burped it, and then she helped it do it’s business, and 6 hours later the cat is still alive and looking pretty good.
    Tonight we are camped right at the the foot of Castillo Molina de Aragon, we have had a walk through the old streets and the town, although a little run down, is stunning. The castle is also beautiful and huge. Tomorrow we will be back on the road, continuing the long drive to torrevieja.    Read more

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    Molina de Aragon - Orihuela

    October 17, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Today was a big driving day, 330 miles from Molina De Aragon with the first stretch following the route of La Vuelta through the winding country roads and passing the ruins de civica.
    These are amazing ruins, and not as old as one might think. Infact they were built by the priest and a band of locals during the 1960’s and it is a maze of secret tunnels and rooms, but now it is falling into disrepair and is closed off. However, for the braver adventurer and those that don’t mind breaking the law there is a way in through a barred window and that’s where I went.
    Inside is just as amazing as outside with arched doorways carved out of the rock, shelves and pillars carved into the rock and tunnels going deep underground, however there are also pits that seemed to be bottomless even though I shone the torch down so even I wasn’t brave enough to do the tunnels.
    From there it was just a day of driving, when it got to 150 miles to go Russ was seriously flagging but we pushed on and after searching on park4night we found a little campsite for €9 and headed for that in a village called orihuella.
    We reached camp at 5:30pm after leaving Molina de Aragon at 7:30am. We were both tired but our Dutch host, Hans, greeted us and he was super friendly. He told us where we could get water, and showed us the showers. A shower was seriously needed after a day on the road. Then, surrounded by orange,grapefruit and lemon trees we settled in for the night listening to the owls.    Read more

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    Fort Bravo & La Tortega

    October 18, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Last night was the best nights sleep we’ve had on the whole trip. It was quiet, except for the owls and we were locked in a small compound of our hosts yard and we felt completely safe so we could have the windows open.
    Diego, the kitten is still alive so are first job was to drive to pet world in torrevieja and get some kitten formula and a feeding bottle. At €22 we’re really hoping he survives.
    From pet world we drove to the pink salt lakes but unless you got the lakes at the right angle and sunlight they didn’t look that pink, hence the drone shot.
    From there it was another relatively long drive to Fort Bravo 130 miles away. This is where Texas Hollywood is and that is next on the list but we get there far to late at 5pm to start thinking about visiting that today.
    So we started operation tortoise, and tonight’s camp is in a dry river bed that was used for filming game of thrones and Indiana Jones and the last crusade. It’s quite spectacular and feels like we’re in the desert.    Read more

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    A night with old friends

    October 19, 2021 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 14 °C

    After spending the night in the dry river bed we got up at 7:30am, nice and early to feed Diego the kitten and sort ourselves out before taking the 5 minute drive to Texas Hollywood, an authentic film set used in the 60’s and 70’s for world famous spaghetti westerns.
    It cost 19€ each to to get in but as we were there at opening time we pretty much had the place to ourselves except for a few other motorhomers that had slept in the car park that night.
    The place really is authentic with saloons, churches and even a gallows and once the re-enactors come out it really brings the place to life. Unfortunately we only stayed for an hour because we weren’t going to be able to amuse ourselves until midday when the gunfights start. From there the original plan was to go to an abandoned film set and ghost town but it looked rubbish as we drove past, then oasis mini Hollywood but we didn’t want to pay another €19 each so we skipped that and decided to head down the coast to almeria to see what all the hype was about and maybe have a swim.
    Almeria town it turns out is a bit of a dive with somewhere of a cross between Benidorm and Great Yarmouth, with traffic lights, roundabouts and pedestrian crossings every 50 meters it was a complete nightmare to negotiate the roads so we left pretty much as soon as we got there and drive the 120 miles to competa, to see our friends who have moved there Margaret and Russell.
    We got through the winding lanes leading up to competa about 3pm and Margaret met us, showed us where to park and then we went back to there place for some drinks before later on heading out to the town square for food.
    It was nice to catch up and it was probably at that point we realised that Spain probably isn’t for us. It is beautiful in parts but it’s nothing like what you see on a place in the sun, but we have a few more miles in Spain yet so there’s still room for movement.
    Russ had way to many beers at dinner, and before dinner and then went back to Margaret and Russells for more beers after dinner and at 9pm we realised we’d had enough and had to take the long walk back to Wanda. Russ sorted out the double bed, lit the gas on the fridge and then climbed straight into the bunk and passed out.
    We were both woken up at 1am by lorries trundling past at a silly speed and rocking Wanda and that was the last bit of sleep we had tonight.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaWanda’s First AdventureMisadventures Of Wanda

    El Torcal del Antiquerra,

    October 20, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    After literally 3 hours sleep were both up at 6:30am and Russ was really hanging this morning after a heavy night on the beers. Unfortunately we’d already agreed to do a sunrise walk up the mountains of Competa with Margaret’s, Russell, so we had to be there for 7:45am.
    By the time we got there we both felt a little more with it and after another coffee with Russell, we set off through the town and along the side of the mountain. There were beautiful views and the whole town is typically Spanish, white houses all stacked on top of each other running up the hillside with a rabbit warren of tiny winding roads in between. What should have been a 30 minute walk turned into nearly 2 hours and after another coffee back at Margaret’s at 9:30am we said our goodbyes and we headed off to our next destination that Margaret had given us.
    El Torcal del Antiquerra, a huge formation of rocks set upon a mountainside thousands of feet up. It’s a stunning site and was completely mobbed with tourists and tour buses when we arrived so we decided to make lunch, shut the blinds and catch up on some sleep that we didn’t get last night.
    At 3:30 we went for a short wander around and a little hike into the mountains, it really is a most beautiful landscape so we have decided to try and push our luck and sleep in the car park at the top of the mountain for tonight. It’s officially on park4night and other people have done it and they all say it’s beautiful and starry skies at night so tonight we might get the star tracker out and get some Milky Way shots.    Read more

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