Winter Camping in Spain A massive Catch up!

Hi Guys
Well Ive received complaints that I havent blogged for a while and seen as I have been so busy I have started this now but it probably wont get brought up to date until..?! Well  at least Im trying and that has been said before!
We are back at Marjal Costa Blanca yet again. We took off at the beginning of december to inspect sites for the Caravan Club. We have 28 sites in Spain and Portugal to inspect so we thought we would get the northern ones done first before the weather turned too bad. Oh the great theory..those bloody yanks sending their artic blasts to northern Spain! Each time I venture out somewhere new or different in Spain I just fall in love all over again with this amazing fabulous country. So a week last wednesday we left Marjal where it was a very pleasant 20 degrees and sunny and we went for a 5 hour drive to Madrid Camping El Escorial. Wet and damp but not too bad. The net day we thought we would visit another site nearby called Monte Holiday. No point in taking the van..ooo what a wise decision! It was raining.." no maybe its just low cloud as it is a bit mountainous" a little further. " Im sure that there is snow mixed in with this rain. The temperature guage must be worong. It says 0 degrees!" We keep on driving. within 10 miles we are met with snow ploughs and the road is white over! OMG I couldnt see a thing. Had it not been snowing I think it would have been beautiful! Thank god for the best driving course that I did in my last job. I certainly needed all my advanced driving skills to get us down but we did it!
I love Monte Holiday even though the mountains were white and it was cold but we were given a very warm welcome. They have just installed some super deluxe pitches there and they had views to die for that I hate to say it made Scotland and the Moors etc look flat!We found one lonely British Unit up there

The views would have been great! 

Camping El Escorial

Depressing or what?! It reminded me of camping in england! On to El Astral

We were the only unit on there! There must have been 400 empty pitches and you guessed it.... a motorhomer parked right on top of us! They did the usual trick of revving engines, getting on and off bloody blocks  and banging about at 7.30 am! Did he think we were wild camping?! It is a secure campsite! I certainly felt safe unrtil mr french motorhomer came on top of me ooh l las I should be so lucky! 

On to camping Haro. Theres somethig about this site that I do like. Well I like all of them that I saw but Carlos s welcome on the bar really does help! " You are not going into the Pyranees? Are you really mad?!" Well it needs inspecting so off we went / The sat nav said something like 5 hours to do 200 miles or so....stupid sat nav. No stupid us! Off we went up mountain sides. There was a terrible gusty wind and great care had to be taken. The bends got worse and I was having to sound my horn on this single track up a mountainside. We eventually found the campsite Pena Montesena. I can only say that the welcome couldnt have been warmer-but I couldnt say that about the weather. We were the only people on site but the swimming pool, the shop,the bar and restaurant were all open! Boy did we get good service-they even lit a log fire for us so that we could eat our pizza in the restaurant

Thwe food and the wine were delicious. We then went and snuggled up in the caravan and were really grateful for the central heating. We got up in the morning and I couldnt work out what was the matter with the front window...

It was frozen solid! It had been minus 6! Look at that snow on the mountains!

The views were well worth the rough journey up there.

When people tell me that they have seen Spain as they have spent a week in Benidorm or wherever I get mad! Spain is green! Spain is amazingly beautiful. All in all I would really recomment this site but dont go in winter unless you want to visit Andora or go skiing! or there again like us and have suicidal tendancies! 

We stopped one night at the lovely Vilanova Park and then made it down to camping Javea and Kiko Park... How different can campsites get>?/

Yes it was all change again with the weather about 20 degrees again! Oh I did re visit an old favourite of mine. I still love Javea and they have spent lots of money on the new toilet blocks

The wonderful little bar.restaurant was providing menu del dia that was porkstew and potatoes for 4 euros! Well it would have been rude not to and vino 1 euro a glass! Oh Im not supposed to be checking out the vino.its the campsites! Well we visited 17 in total. Hard,hard work but great fun and really interesting. I can honestly say that there was not a bad campsite. I dont have a favourite as they are all so different/ One thing that is important to me and I can say of them all is that they were spotlessly clean. This was in half of Spain we still have the other half to do and its different again! How I love the different faces of Spain. Its like several worlds merged into one country.

So here we are back at Marjal Costa Blanca where its been quite busy. I dont know whats going on or more to the point whats not going on. Roger and I have been busy planning the New Years Eve bash again by the pool. Without putting a poster up I already have 90 tickets reserved so if you want to come....come to pitch C03! We are aslo planning a British weekend , the last weekend in January..come on lets show the Dutch that we can do markets and party too! Im not saying thatait got too much for Roger but..

its a good job this wasnt a video with sound! 

Judy and John couldnt believe how quick we got our big awning up and didnt trust us so thought it was a good ideato keep the cycling helmets on to be on the safe side! Thanks Pals but who looks the pudding?! 

Ahh well Im nearly up to date. Its a good  job that it does rain sometimes in Spain or I would never get this done!Weve been some great places and met great people. This retirement game is well untruly alright..oh just a minute I was working!  I hope you have fun too! http://www.campingelescorial.com/en/

http://camping.monteholiday.com/en/http://camping.monteholiday.com/en/

www.campingdeharo.com

en.camping.info/spain/aragon/camping-pe%c3%b1a-monta%c3%b1esa-21117

www.vilanovapark.com/?lang=EN

http://www.campingjavea.es/

http://www.marjalcostablanca.com/

Winter Camping-Camping Javea

Well as promised I went back to Scallops for my free english breakfast. It was fantastic sitting in the sunshine

Its very clever where they make their money..2 euros for a cup of tea and it certainly wasn't Yorkshire. Tea! I ask you how can anyone have a full english without a cup of tea?! I'm still not grumbling though as it was all amazing.

I do love this campsite but I couldn't help but notice that there are green bins everywhere but look...

So if they are not for rubbish what the hell are they for?! Dogs have to be walked off site so they are not for dog poo either!

So after stuffing my face it became overcast. There's only one thing for a girl to do...shop! I was boring and bought loads of food intending to cook but then the restaurant at the campsite was open...a three course meal,including wine for 8.50?! I'm not bloody cooking! Another great meal. I will have to be rolled back down the Coast tomorrow to Marjal!

Oh yes it will take me less than thirty minutes to pack up. A so called friend of mine Roger took a pic the first time that I went on my holidays after my winter stay

I'm not sure what Dave has on his head but I have a distinct feeling the Roger could have staged it?!

Well the sun is shining again ( what a bore!) There seems so much to do here. A walk along the beach front? A stroll around the little port or...another Scallops breakfast?!   Adios!

Winter Camping in Spain Camping Javea

We arrived safely at Camping Javea yesterday and managed to get a pitch. I have always liked this campsite. It has two toilet blocks one older than the other but both incredibly clean and yes with loo paper and hot hot water and soap but I fully understand why there are no places free.. theyve all been refurbished and are absolutely lovely! The pitches are of varying sizes and of course we have the smallest for quite a big caravan and we are straight opposite the toilet block! Now that is a double edhged sword...you would be suprised how many nutters wash pots at 11 o clock at night and how much noise they can make but then again I have the best wifi signal on the site all for 1 euro a day! I was able to watch British TV as though it really was TV. It was a good job really as after going out Dave had decided to try and drink some Lancastrains under the table and there was no chance of having any sort of coherent conversation with him.They were a great gang. We had been to Scallops. If you say Javea to anyone the next word that they will say is " Scallops!" Its really superb and no one knows how they do it. Last night we went up market and had the 4 course meal for 11 euros and that inculdes a whole bottle of wine each but then they give you a voucher to come back and have a free english breakfast! The food is amazing too not just cheap! Even on a sunday night at a new location the place was full. It used to have a prime location at the edge of a cove over looking the sea but the rent went up so they moved inland apparantly but their customer base seems to have stayed loyal and followed them. That says a lot about the place. The weather continues to be beautiful even if the weather forecasters say theres a 20 percent chance of rain...again its one of those places that yet again claim to have its own micro climate....I havent been to a place in Spain that doesnt claim to have their own micro climate! Any how here are some pics of Camping Javea -I think I should be on comission!

The site is situated in the middle of orange groves with the little town dotted on the hillside. Yes the campsite has its won lovely little restaurant and bar but its closed one night a week...sunday! How typical! I can vouch that the pool is to die for. I have been here in high season and virtually had it all to myself. I swam over a mile. The thing with it is that it is an extremely deep pool and therefore doesnt really warm up! At the shallow end its about 5 foot deep! Who really cares though when there is a beautiful beach about 1.5 miles away as well. Its great to get out and about though istead of being static for too long. Its too easy to settle into a routine. Oh talking of that I just love this pic that Roger sent me but I cannot uplaod it to my laptop for love nor money so I will jsut have to revert to my tablet later after I have had my breakfast that includes my favourite word...FREE! I will be rolling back down to Marjal at this rate! Its a great little place and again just over an hour oh maybe an hour and a half from Marjal but I can certainly understand why this place is full. Yes it allows dogs but under control! HEAVEN!! How difficult is it?!!! Off tp get dressed and breakfast calling adios amigos! 

Winter Camping on my holidays again!

The great thing about living like this is you can have as many holidays as you like. I quite envy a snail but not at the speed he travels!!We came back to Marjal for a social event and to check up on my mum but our friends have finally managed to reserve us a pitch at camping Javea-so why not?! Yep its great freedom. Why not? We only have the little sun canopy up and in less than half an hour we will be on our way!
I have always enjoyed my winter stays here but this year has been the worst. I was going stir crazy with the amount of dogs. Yap yap and poo everywhere. Its nice to go to other places and realise that its not me. There really are more dogs than campers!
The social side here is great but other campsites have different attributes. Madriles was the views and the pools-Javea its camping in orange groves with a lovely bar and restaurant and of course a lovely little seaside town, that is not too touristy. So here I am blogging when I should be facing my biggest challenge of the day-getting Dave out of bed! Pulling a caravan is nothing...hold on I have a better idea...hitch up and leave him there?! I will update with pics later..no not of Dave in bed but of Javea! Have a good day!
PS talking of social events-end of season competition and do 6 the march. Cheap drinks. Paella 6 euros I have tickets 6 euros-back on Wednesday! Lol