The Road to Morocco

I have been wayward in not recording 6 weeks in Conil but it passed in a blur and ended with some very nasty weather that was just passing on its way to the UK. We managed to do lots and nothing at the same time. On the quiz front we had 1 win, 2 seconds ( one after a first place tie break which we naturally lost) and 2 thirds so a reasonable  result and the top 3 teams were the same each time.
The Lucky Charm ceremony was a great success and a very jolly afternoon saw copious bottles of rioja disappear, as was Paul's 70th birthday party which became very raucous and involved northerners trying to prove that they could sing more songs than the southerners.
We hired the new camp car twice with P&M and had 2 nice days out, first visiting the white towns in the mountains and then a day to Jerez to buy (proper) brandy at Terry's.
Ken & Jackie arrived on Feb 3 followed by Malc & Christine on the 5th in the rain and wind. We managed to show them around a bit but not as much as we would have liked....and I had 2 days in bed with a bad throat/chest  that affected most of the camp.
And then we left on the 13th., but not before reversing into a wall and putting another hole in the rear bodywork.
Horrible journey to Algeciras to first refill the LPG  tanks and then visit the port to get tickets for ferry. We had booked through an agency in Conil but only had a voucher so had to find the FRS desk and get actual tickets. Good job we did it on Wednesday rather than waiting till Friday morning as the port is chaos and full of touts shouting and yelling and trying to con money.
Stayed the night at aire near Lidls with 50 other vans and ate at local venta which was awful but we had a good time.
Arrived at terminus at 10.30 along with a Dutch tour of 20 vans and at least 30 others to find a 2 hour delay for no explained reason. Eventually boarded at 14.15, having had to reverse up the ramps amongst all the freight lorries in absolute mayhem......I thought Ancona was bad going to Greece.
Having got on the boat, we spent 45 mins of the hour queuing for customs control to get our passports inspected and a CIN number issued which is required for almost everything we do in Morocco.
Once we disembarked, we then had to obtain a Temporary Vehicle Import document which is exceedingly important as we won't get the van out of the country without it. This was an even bigger performance than the rest as hundreds of vehicles had to be processed and finally a visit to the one police counter for it all to be registered. And the vehicle form is in Arabic and French so difficult to completely understand. So this took an hour before we 3 were all cleared and then a line of bureau de change to get money as you cannot get can outside the country...250€ got 2700 M dirhums....that's a lot of 100Md notes.
Campsite at Cap Spartet outside Tangier was as grim as expected.....the Gf and I paid extra for a hot shower in a  nearby chalet and wished we hadn't bothered but at least it was hot.
Tbc

Kings,boules,quiz,whist,sun& money

Mk..a week flies by

Sun 12th Jan

We hadn't parked the van or switched off the engine before Harry wanted to know who we would partner for the quiz....we only teemed up with them ( very successfully) as Paul & Marianne didn't make it last year due to the shoulder accident in Croatia. As P&M are here this year, the four of them had been winding each other up for weeks about who we would partner when the quiz started on Wednesday. We had discussed this at length, the choice being high probability of cash prizes versus loyalty to old friends .......
The weather cleared on Saturday to bright, warm sunshine. We had the chance to move onto the pitch next door (slightly larger and flatter) as Roy had cancelled due to the untimely death of Joy to cancer, but after messing about for hours the satellite dish would not lock on with a tree in the wrong place so we moved back to the original. This meant that the hardware shop across the road had closed and I couldn't get the plastic I needed to put under the groundsheets in case it rained to protect the awning extension....technical stuff...so the day was wasted and we played boules. And on Sunday, which was epiphany, and we all went into town at 6pm for the 3 Kings festival, which became a bar crawl and the parade of floats with kings hurling bucketfuls of sweets into the crowds and then hurling toys from the top of the tower in the central square for ages whilst the Gf had a panic attack about being trampled to death and had to stand between Harry & Paul who are both large for protection. Followed by a bar crawl back home but all very Spanish and jolly.
Monday, being a bank holiday, the hardware shop was closed so another day in which we didn't get unpacked and settled but we did play boules. And I ran into Jean Marie and Martina who run the site who greeted me like a long lost son and gave me a bottle of wine wrapped up in a calendar which everyone on site was given at Christmas but which they had saved for me.
On Tuesday we finally got sorted and the awning erected on nice protective groundsheets and I think we played boules. We also discovered that we had a problem with the Caxton currency card which was refused at the supermarket with a chip error. Phoned Caxton to find that it would cost £50 to have a new card sent out by courier. Decided to try an ATM.
ON Wednesday we joined a jolly crowd cycling to a local venta  for lunch ( €8 for 3 courses incl wine) and then the quiz....of course we did the decent thing and partnered P&M and of course came 2nd. And no, Harry & Joan did not come first. We were beaten by a foursome including Paul & Caroline who we won with last year before dumping them for Harry & Joan so a club is now forming of quiz partners we have dumped.
Thursday was boules and whist, interspersed with a Zumba session that Harry talked me into. Bastard. Won't be doing that again.
The boules is very competitive and the sledging could teach the English cricket team a thing or two.
On Friday I tried the currency card in every ATM in town and the supermarket again with no success. Rang Caxton again and refused to pay the £50 . They then offered to refund the € 1470 balance  back to our account but at a stupid exchange rate which would have left us £75 out of pocket, having only loaded the card 2 weeks ago.. Eventually spoke to someone sensible and they are now sending a new card out by mail rather than courier for no cost which is what I wanted from the start.
Found a great microbrewery in town for lunch with H&J...extremely nubile young waitresses as well..
Weather is great, lots of sun, chilly overnight, lots of beer and wine flowing with the rioja at €1.69, and no flooding,gales or a polar vortex in sight.

On the road again

Dec 29th - Jan 3rd
The trip to Conil

Left Martlesham mid afternoon for 20.20 euroshuttle, expecting to arrive the usual 2 hours early and get bumped onto an earlier train. Unfortunately, had not foreseen the population of Belgium and northern France who had popped over for the sales and were now returning home. Never seen the tunnel so busy. In the end our 20.20 was called at 19.40, loaded swiftly  and departed at 20.00 and unloaded in Calais at 20.40 or 21.40  it being continental time.
After the hectic few days of returning home after a very jolly Christmas chez William & Lynn and getting packed for 3 months away we had planned for an early night at the aire in Calais and an early departure on Monday morning.
Monday
Off to la Suze sur Sarthe. Weather grim with strong headwinds. North of Le Mans we crossed a bridge over the Sarthe which was half a mile wide instead of 30 yards so began to worry about the aire at la Suze which is on the river bank. Arrived la Suze at 16.00 to find the aire closed as the river was overflowing the banks as far as we could see. Most of the nearby Aires were also on the river and not worth considering but eventually tracked one down only 9 km away in the right direction at Mézeray. Not particularly pretty but plenty of space on edge of village where we purchased an excellent tarte aux pommes at the patisserie. Rained hard overnight.
Tuesday
Little traffic on road down to Poitiers and then easy drive on N10 to Bordeaux without the usual nose to tail lorry convoys.
Campsite surprisingly busy but quiet. Against expectations the satellite dish found Astra 2 which we had thought may have been retuned by now with the smaller footprint that has been threatened for 2 years so we had an excellent meal and nearly saw the new year in. The GF is getting over a cold so was in bed by 22.00 and after a few phone calls, so was I.
Bordeaux sounded quite lively at midnight and then  again at 5.20 as more fireworks were set off for some strange Gallic reason.
Wednesday
We were the only vehicle on the Bordeaux ring road at 8.30  everybody else being hungover. Long drive down the newly tolled N10 ( €15.80 but the alternative is now longer ,slower and probably more costly in fuel)  which was as empty as we will ever see it. Only problem was persistent headwind.
Spanish border at lunchtime to discover fuel now more expensive than in france. Started raining and winds stronger, a bit nervy over viaducts. Thought winds might drop when we turned inland but no such luck. Playing havoc with fuel consumption.. Arrived at aire in Palencia 17.00.  Stormy night and thinking may have to sit this out for a while.
Thursday
Morning arrived calmer, as fain turned to drizzle and low cloud on the route to Salamanca. Long climbs into constant headwind really costly in fuel terms. Passed Salamanca at lunchtime and arrived Caceres aire around 15.30 to find it deserted but it was overflowing within an hour. Rain and wind overnight.
Friday
Thought weather might improve as we dropped down to the plains of Andalucia but it got worse. Finally found blue sky round Seville  and on to Jerez where we detoured to fill up the LPG tanks but clouds came back with rain as we passed Cadiz and reached Conil. Stopped at the supermarket for essential wine supplies and found a very pleasant offer of Pata Negra Valdepenas 2005 at €3 which, as it later turned out, was much in evidence at the campsite, having been the wine of choice since it appeared on offer.
Settled in just in time for the friday night outing to the sports bar with the usual suspects and a very pleasant evening was had renewing old acquaintances and catching up on the news.
It wasn't the worst journey down, as it didn't snow, but it was probably the most unpleasant. Sun shining now though a and it is very mild when the sun goes down.

I could have been in the south of France

It seemed like a good idea after Spain and Turkey to spend the late summer in England.......go to a show, meet a few friends, do the Lakes with D&M and see England as the seasons slide into autumn.
Hadn't reckoned on the entire membership of the Caravan Club and the Camping & Caravan Club hitting the road at the same time.......
The Newark show was good, with good entertainment, and nice to be there with Ken & Jacky and see Paul & Marianne who came over for the day.....and D&M may have been persuaded to join the Morocco adventure after meeting the others.....
The lakes however are fully booked even though it is raining.
Plan  B, go to east coast and explore. .....except everywhere full as well. Now in Scarborough but only just and its raining here as well. So maybe off to the Peaks where its not raining but will be when we get there......the Gf is winning all the money at cards of which there is a lot on account of weather.......and Ken & Jacky left for Croatia on Sunday where it is not raining at all....ho humm.

arakawa riverview: Sea-to-Summit Pt II - we did it!

arakawa riverview: Sea-to-Summit Pt II - we did it!

I nearly forgot....

We wish to announce, with big smiles, the distant arrival of a small addition to the tribe courtesy of Katharine and Julian.
Congratulations to them both and look after each other.

That's that then.....

21 June-10 July

A bit late but better than never.....
Only stayed the one night near Embrun as it was cold overnight and headed for Provence. Lovely scenic drive down the valley of the Durance to a lovely campsite looking over to the hills of luberon and 5 mins from village of Oraison. Could have been perfect and worth considering buying a chalet for €16000 if it hadn't been for the powers cables passing overhead and spoiling the view. Had a very pleasant 3 days in the sunshine then another excellent drive through the countryside to St.Gabriel.  Campsite was indeed full, only 2 pitches unoccupied when we arrived but my foreplanning had paid off and I managed to get the one that allowed the satellite to get a signal so that we could follow the Tour and Wimbledon.
Excellent site, old farm house and ancient Relais on the route from Rome to Santiago de Compostheap with very pleasant owners who provided a wonderful paella night after the tour had passed.
The tour was over in a flash. Did indeed go right past the front door and a goodly crowd assembled. We all took our chairs up to claim a spot around midday and the roads were closed at 12. The caravan whizzed past at speed chucking sweets,drinks and hats with enough lack of care to have someone's eye out and the riders shot by in about 6 secs around 3.30 although Cav  did spot us and stop for a quick chat.....in fact, we may have cost him his chance of a 25th stage win today. Sorry.
Friday 5th
The journey northwards. A cracking scenic aire in the Cevennes at Florac (and a great drive); a not so scenic aire at Aigueperse and then my favourite aire on the Yonne at Gurgy which was packed.
After 3 nights in Aires, decided a campsite would be good so stopped at Guignicourt, north of Reims. Obviously the holidays have started in the UK as the site was full of GB caravans on the way down south.
Next day up to Aire at Gravelines, again v.busy.
Excellent last supper at Le Turbot despite Madame being as snotty as ever.
And now home with no nasties in the post and time to reflect on a terrific 66 days.........checking the camera revealed 1860 pics so visitors are pre warned.

Turkey was a revelation and I'm  sure we'll go back even if it's a hotel holiday in Istanbul. We've done 5575 miles and it feels like it but worth every mile and penny.