In at the Deep End - We just bought a van and went to Spain!

In at the Deep End.....We had best start at the beginning. Back in January 2011, newly retired and looking for adventure we purchased our first van. A Swift 530LP from Perthshire Caravans.We wanted something of modest size to see how we would get on with motorhoming.

Our only previous experience had been in early nineties when we ventured across Europe to Prague with our then two small boys in an ageing VW high top.We broke down in Belgium (Leuven), we broke down in Germany (Bitburg) and coughed and spluttered through southern Bohemia. Now the fact that both places we broke down are centres of excellence in the noble art of brewing is entirely coincidental. Anyway I have always been a real ale man myself rather than go for the continental lagers!

Now bearing in mind this previous patchy experience most people would take it slowly, you know, have a trial run over a weekend away to find out how the van works.But not us.We were eager to avoid another Scottish winter so flushed with the confidence of the novice made a bee line for the south.

Our first night we stopped at a nice but empty CL near at Mains Farm, Kirkoswald in Cumbria.The ground was soggy and there was no hardstanding but fortunately we made it on and off the site without too much of a problem. The friendly owner had opened a bunk house and was keen on encouraging cyclists as the site was on the C2C cycleway.We walked across the fields to the nearby River Eden.This is really a landscape that deserves further visits as it has it’s own quiet beauty away from it’s more glamourous neighbour the Lake District.

The Caravan Club site at Losehill, Castleton, Derbyshire was chosen for the second night, another CL at Dover the third and by our fourth night were enjoying the February sunshine at Montreuil in northern France.

Here we camped at the camping La Fontaine des Clercs where we had a beautiful pitch next to the river with a view of the mill and the sound of the waters rushing over the weir.

A short but steep walk into the town gives access to the beautiful walk around the walls affording lovely views of the surrounding countryside.We sat atop the massive walls as the long shadows grew across the sunlit green of the banking feeling very pleased with ourselves.We got back to the van as night fell and snuggled up in the lovely warm as the river rushed by. A good introduction into camping in France.

Heading south with indecent haste we next stopped just north of Limoges.This was a very long days driving via Rouen,Chartres,Orleans and Vierzon. In fact we arrived at our campsite at Eguzon Chantome (Camp Municipale du Lac Les Nugiras) in the dark! After negotiating a number of minor roads in the pitch black we were relieved that the warden was very helpful and made us feel welcome.We awoke in the morning to find ourselves in a very pleasant wooded area on a terrace overlooking a lake.It always is an interesting experience waking up when you don’t really know where you are. The warden was taking the opportunity of the slower winter season to cut back undergrowth around the pitches so it was a bit like camping in a woodmans clearing but charming nevertheless. 

Next day we headed via Limoges on an excellent through route to the Dordogne for a five night stay with Caroles sister who now lives  9km east of Sarlat la Caneda, the main town for this part of the Perigord Noir.

So far so good.The sites on the way down were empty and the ones open few and far between but as novices armed with our Sites Directory Handbook and Caravan Europe 1 (both from the Caravan Club) we always managed to find somewhere for the night.

After some lovely walks in the Dordogne around  Beynac and Sarlat we again set out stopping at Alet les Bains in the Pyrenees on the Camping Val d’Aleth site.This was a nice quiet site actually in the town which was quintessentially small-town-France in winter i.e.not a person in sight and the odd dog scurrying about.You could picture the tumbleweed. There was road noise from across the river which took the edge off the tranquility however we were still inexplicably being bathed in sunlight far stronger than we might experience in a Scottish summer so we were very pleased to be there.

The next day we found the true limitations of our Sat Nav ,incidentally christened Gareth after a friend with an uncannily similar ‘posh’ voice reminiscent of Lesley Philips . 

Gareth guided us high into the Pyrenees through villages far to small to accommodate even our modest size motorhome and we found ourselves reversing in narrow streets to find alternative routes. Fortunately these villages were just as quiet as Alet and we hardly encountered any other traffic. The route back to civilisation was through the Gorges de Galamus which Gareth had omitted to advise us had a height restriction of 2.5m owing to overhanging rocks.

Being 2.9m this posed us with a problem which found us driving around the far end of the mountain range via the Grau de Maury but also enjoying spectacular mountain scenery and Cathar Castles with the snow on the tops gleaming in the winter sunshine.

We arrived at St Jean Plats de Corts exhausted but relieved to have survived the tortuous journey and resolved to double check Gareths proposed routes in future.Our site for the night was the Camping de la Vallee/Les Deux Rivieres. It appeared that one of the aforementioned ‘deux rivieres’ had washed away the main access road but after following the diversions through a small residential housing area we found the site to be in good order with spectacular views of the Pyrenees from the outer edge of this circular site.Everyone took the opportunity to secure a pitch at the edge of the site so a kind of doughnut effect took place with an empty middle section. 

Next day we made it across the Spanish border down to Estartit to the Camping Les Medes where we spent some time soaking up the sun alongside the rather large German and Dutch outfits camped up for the winter.This was an excellent site with electric doors to the heated shower blocks, indoor swimming pool and lovely mountain views. The pitches were well layed out with a defining feature of many rather ‘Dali-esque’ trees which had to carefully negotiated when siting the van.Whilst we were there one of my brothers who lives nearby at Torroella de Montgri came over and drove us to his favourite restaurant where we had an authentic 3 course meal including wine for a very reasonable eleven euro a head.

The novelty of standing on a beach, in sunshine, wearing a t-shirt, in February doesn’t wear off quickly and a week or so later we set off further south to Blanes. 

Here we stayed at  Camping Blanes, literally 100 yards from the sea and walked the long promenade to town each day, enjoying the market. At night the only sound was the waves lapping the shore.Very quiet.

We considered going further south still but decided to head back north to the Dordogne.This was not anything to do with the comfort of the van rather a need for some more social contact and a creeping feeling of solitude that comes with such quiet.

We headed back to France stopping at the weird but wonderful Dali Museum at Figueres. Figueres is a challenge in a motorhome especially if your Sat Nav sends you round and round the town centre in what seem to be ever decreasing circles! We eventually found some good parking a short walk from the museum but had to ask directions from locals.We were tired but happy when we arrived at our site near Perpignan at Elne, an old religious centre for the region.We were one of only three vans on the site. 

The next day we headed north east stopping at Carcassonne with it’s now famous Medieval Cite,an old favourite first visited in 1976 as a hitch hiking student.Our night stop was at Veilmur sur Agout another pleasant though unremarkable campsite and town.Everywhere was unnervingly quiet.Not a soul on the streets, not even any traffic to speak of.It felt like we were in some kind of apocalyptic movie!

Another week in the Dordogne with good company and cheer soon recharged the batteries (ours not the vans!) and saw us heading north again for the Loire stopping at Sully Sur Loire. Our site for the night was at Camping Hortus which was a good choice being right on the river and only a short walk into the town with it’s impressive Chateaux.

Carole was up at 5.45am taking photos of the sunrise over the Loire and Chateaux accompanied by a German in his pyjamas.(well that’s what she says!)

Gareth decide it was time we went on the Peage so we quickly made it up to Paris negotiating the notorious Peripherique successfully to find ourselves back in Montreuil again by nightfall.We agreed this is a good site to arrive at or depart from being only 40 minutes from the Ferry at Calais.

We were back in England but we weren’t ready to go home so we headed for Suffolk. We found some CL’s with hardstanding and in all cases we were the only campers foolhardy enough to be camping in the still frosty weather.But with a snug van,the internet connected and the TV on it was really a home from home and it was fun to go shopping for the weekly shop in Bury St Edmunds. 

Our first getting truly stuck in the mud experience did not occur until we were in sight of home, camping at Osmotherely in Cleveland. ‘Oh no’ said the wardens it hadn’t been that wet and you won’t get stuck.We drove straight onto the pitch and promptly got hopelessly, firmly stuck! After being pulled off by the wardens 4x4 we sat like a cuckoo on a hardstanding already ‘sold’ for the year.Fortunately no-one turned up and we were able to stay the night undisturbed.

We made it back to Scotland by mid March having covered over five thousand miles in a little over the six weeks.Quite a baptism! 

We didn’t ever book ahead we just picked a site and went to it and were never refused.This takes a leap of faith especially when in a foreign country but at this time of year it appears to be a viable way to travel.Sometimes the distances travelled were further than we would have liked but there are far fewer sites open.

Since then we have spent significantly more time away in our van than at home.I jokingly say we only really go home to mow the lawns. We have recently changed our van to a Knaus Sun Ti 650MF which we love.Not having to make up a bed and having a fixed table are a positive joy when living longer term in a van.

There are many more trips to tell of over this year.We have been right up the West Coast and across the top of Scotland seeing seals and puffins on the way. 

We have cycled on the North Norfolk Coastal Path, visited Chester, Bath,Ludlow,Lancaster and Wells. 

We have been in many of Englands most delightfully rural counties ,Somerset,Devon,Dorset,Shropshire,Derbyshire and Suffolk (again)

We also enjoyed the Motorhome Show at Shepton Mallet in September and stocked up on goodies for the ‘new’ van. All we have to do now is plan this winters escape....now where is that ........