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France & Spain

  • Raff
  • Sep 13, 2016
  • 10 min read

Writing this blog post so long after returning has the effect of making me a little depressed when looking out of our window and seeing the storm clouds rolling in! Welcome to the France and Spain blog post, nonetheless!

My connection with Calella de Pallerfrugel goes back a long time. My parents bought a house in Calella when I was 6 years old and every summer we drove, flew or even took the car train down to Spain (as far as Narbonne for the train, and we drove the remaining bit!)

I can honestly think back and count these trips as my happiest childhood memories. We would spend every morning walking along the pine needled covered trails down to El Golfet beach where we kept our (bright!) yellow boat and would spend a day at sea. There are so many coves and beaches only accessible to boats along this part of the coast. We would fish from the boat, swim, read on a quiet beach and it was bliss.

We would return in the late afternoon, shower, have dinner- usually whatever fish we had caught from the boat and we would have this bar b q'd with salad, followed by an evening stroll in to Calella town for an icecream and to listen to live music.

Well, after they sold the house in 1999, I returned once with John in 2008. We towed our caravan all the way down for a couple of weeks and it was as beautiful as ever. When people think of the Costa Brava they think of high rises, packaged holidays and Benidorm style bars lining the promenade. You cannot get anything further than this in Calella and Llafranc- beautifully maintained and unspoilt by over development. You won't find high rise buildings here, just an unspoilt and rather pretty fishing village with crystal blue waters so clear you can see all the way to the bottom.

So, we decided that for 2016 we would be returning in our motorhome and this time we would be joined by our lovely friends and fellow motorhomers Robyn and Dave. We had decided and planned it many months before our August departure date but somehow we found ourselves with just a day or so to go and much preparation.

Maurice was given a thorough clean and polish. I vacuumed, polished and scrubbed the inside and stocked us up with everything we could possible need. Soon enough we were loaded on to the LD lines boat from Newhaven to Dieppe in the middle of an unusually warm spell in England.

Our first night was spent at the aire in Dieppe harbour- a rather swanky system with automated barriers operated by credit card. We explored the town on foot that evening and the following day as Robyn and Dave were booked on the following evening's crossing.

We enjoyed a rather tasty Lebanese by the harbour in Dieppe and then returned to greet Robyn and Dave as they drove off the ship.

On the journey down to Spain we stopped a night at Montbizot (first night), Uzerche, Leucate in the South of France and then made a non stop by stressful crossing in to Spain, thanks for the satnav taking us through some very narrow roads in the Pyrenees.

Leucate was as lovely as ever- what a stunning town! We dined out at an French bistro with live entertainment. It was such a warm and friendly atmosphere. And rather hot! We were experiencing temperatures in excess of 37c at times which is rather toasty when you're in a motorhome! However, we made good use of the 12v fan I purchased from Amazon before we left (I'll leave a link at the bottom)

Robyn and Dave's fridge had also decided to turn itself in to a slow cooker in the heat which was remedied in Spain by removing the vents on the side and allowing further air flow. They purchased a cool box which helped but was rather costly.

Dinner camped by the river in Uzerche. This evening, to me, was quite magical. The aire we stayed on had several picnic tables for people to use, the site was by a river, in a valley and there were lights draped in the trees and a chateau on the hill. It felt absolutely wonderful.

Dave cooked us an amazing thai chicken curry and we cracked open the rose wine and I dressed the picnic table with a cloth and candles. Uzerche is a particularly beautiful town which I had wanted to see more of. Unfortunately, when John and I visited in 2012 the aire had closed for a French holiday and we had to drive on to our alternate overnight spot. I am so glad we got to visit. We started the evening in a local bar with half a bottle of white wine and watched the sunset.

Robyn and Dave enjoying some evening refreshments!

Magnums were essential to combat the high temperatures!

We stopped off before the Millau Viaduct to visit the tourist information centre, grab some lunch (some beautiful local cone shaped pancaked filled with roast beef and other lovely goodies) before trekking up to the viewing area in the heat. Wow, it was hot by now, especially in the midday sunshine! But what an amazing view and a great experience crossing it (for us the 3rd time and first time for Robyn and Dave)

These lovely Millau village specialities. Crisp pancaked filled with rare roast beef, creamed potato with cheese and other loveliness ontop!

Watching the sun set in the South of France

After a final push we arrived on a Sunday in to Llafranc- Camping La Siesta, to be more exact. This is the same site John and I visited in 2008 and it remained mostly unchanged. We were pitched on a totally different side of the site. The access to this part was slightly awkward but once we were pitched up we weren't moving until our leaving day. Make sure you have enough fresh water and your grey tanks are empty because it would be a nightmare if you had to do it every few days. However, once you're pitched up, under the pine trees, it's beautiful.

It was so nice being back. Walking down to the harbour was like stepping back 20 years and being a child again!

The town hadn't changed, it was as pretty as ever.

So, we spent 4 or 5 days here exploring the coast, walking and paddling. John and I enjoyed a gorgeous dinner with fresh herb roasted chicken, lobster salad and French bread AND a bottle of cava. We then walked several miles, slightly drunk, in the heat. Oopsy!

Finally pitched up at Llafranc!

The stunning Spanish fishing village of Calella at Sun Set

On our walking trail from Calella to El Golfet

This rather lucky man had taken his vintage boat out, with canopy, to a secluded spot, where he read the morning paper. Life goals!

Carefree life on the Costas

Watching the sun go down, Spanish style

It was very sad to leave but I know for sure we will be back. Our time there was everything I had hoped it would be, and more.

Onwards to Sitges! Robyn and Dave were in the lead and we went via a Decathlon and Lidl. Lidl in England is cheap but Lidl in Spain even cheaper. We packed our fridges with meats, salad, cheeses etc. And our bargain 2 euro wine.

The route to Sitges was breathtaking, around Montseratt. And when we arrived in Sitges, it was very hot!

Welcome to Sitges!

This part of the trip was slightly mixed. The last time we visited was for my 30th with a group of party goers, and Sitges is wonderful for this type of activity. It's still a fairly quaint and beautiful town, but after the absolutely story book serene and tranquil week at Calella, when we walked in to Sitges, it was like hitting Blackpool on a Saturday evening. Big neon lights, karaoke bars, crowded bars, lots of people and it was very hot and humid. I think it was a shock to our senses.

The site was good- another one we had stayed at when John and I visited before. So we knew what we were expecting. The poolside bar was good (and very reasonable!) Parakeets flew from tree to tree, the WIFI was good. And there was a friendly vibe and relaxed atmosphere.

I had forgotten how long the walk was though and we freed the bikes from the back of the motorhome and the 40 minute walk in to the town centre turned in to 15 minutes at a slow pace.

Sitges Old Town

The town of Sitges is very picturesque- cobbled streets and lovely old buildings with geraniums tumbling down towards the pavements.

John and I cycled in early one morning to avoid the heat - it was already 28c by 8am! We enjoyed a simple but very nice breakfast in a cafe and by 10am the whole town was buzzing with activity. I love the energy and chatter of this town.

We also enjoyed a very nice evening on our own. We ventured in to Sitges by bus (stop directly outside our site) and found a bar on the promenade where a glass of cava could be had for €1.50. What a bargain. So.. we stopped for several glasses. I hadn't realised that it was also Sitges Bear Week 2016 and the town's population had doubled, literally, with the arrival of bears from all over the world. John and I had gone out on the main Bear evening and soon I had people winking, sitting down with us and chatting - all very friendly!

There was no way we were visiting Sitges and not going back to La Fragata, one of the best restaurants in Spain, highly rated and holding many awards for the amazing food. This is where I had my 30th birthday dinner and it was so nice to return.

The food was absolutely top quality and even though it blew our budget slightly, it was worth it. We had a great evening!

Another plus for Sitges and especially the site was its ease of access to Barcelona. 50 minutes via the bus which left directly outside our site and went every hour. We had been to Barcelona before but this was the first time we had a proper tour of it.

It was baking hot, very very warm so we opted for the open topped bus which allowed a lovely breeze and meant we could cover a lot of ground without the back breaking walking in 36c.

I have officially fallen in love with Barcelona. It is vibrant, cosmopolitan and beautiful. There is something to see at every turn, every road is full of character. We found a gorgeous tapas bar where we spent the afternoon dining on fresh Squid, mussels, rabbit, chorizo and some tasty wine. How we made it back to the bus stop is beyond me, but we made it!

We made another trip in, this time taking in the huge and fabulous indoor market which sells a multitude of fresh food. We found a traditional paella restaurant which was tasty. Another place to return to!

Barcelona in bloom

Spanish food in the huge indoor market- a must visit destination if you're ever in Barcelona

Check out that meat!

This is how the locals eat- fresh and varied!

Greetings!

Beautiful architecture - so vibrant and colourful

A city full of beauty

We even got to ride Dave's scooter which was amazing! I only went around the site but it was great fun and my first time!

After all of this excitement, we decided to leave a day early due to the heat and we had thought it a good idea to have an additional evening at Bouchemaine in the Loire, so off we set. It was strange to be on the road again after being pitched up for a week or so, and also a little sad as this was signalling the end of our road trip as we headed closer and closer to Dieppe and the UK :(

Our stops on the return were Cognac, Venerque, Bouchemaine and Honfleur - Robyn and Dave omitted Honfleur and overnighted at Dieppe.

Robyn and John in Cognac. What a stunning and interesting town! The town aire was full so we had a taxi in from a nearby aire.

We didn't sample any of the cognac but we enjoyed a rather tasty Thai meal in the town and a good walk exploring all it had to offer!

Wild flowers on the bridge

Parked up on the Loire at Bouchemaine. The aire was undergoing rather extensive building work meaning the facilities of showers, toilets, fresh water, water emptying and black tank emptying were all closed.. but it was free. However, although I did tell John we should empty the loo and grey tanks at Cognac, he disagreed so when we arrived in Bouchemaine with no way to empty our full toilet, our lovely friend Dave took our cassette, wrapped up in a black rubbish bag, several miles down the road to be emptied in a public toilet. He even washed it for us.

This is true friendship! It isn't a pleasant job but we were so appreciative. Without toilet facilities we wouldn't have been able to stay.

We cycled 7 miles along the river to Angers which was such a stunning city. We didn't see as much of it as we would have liked and will possibly return at a later date. The cycle back from Angers was long and bumpy. But we had a lovely lunch with Robyn and Dave.

The following day we would be leaving them and heading to Honfleur for our last 4 nights and they were heading back via Dieppe.

It was sad to say goodbye to them, although we did bump in to them at a service station some miles away as we were dumping our waste water!

So, on to Honfleur. An old favourite of ours. I think we've been to Honfleur about 6 times in a couple of years. It's fairly easy to get to for us and it is one of my favourite places in France to visit. It is quaint and very very pretty, upmarket and there are lots of things to keep you entertained. The aire is huge but we have always found electricity.

We spent our last days eating out, shopping, going on a 2 hour boat trip under the Pont de Normandie, chilling out and watching movies.

It was very chilled and I felt a little down about the end of the holiday. I know they can't just go on and on, but it really was a fabulous time and hopefully one day we will be able to do it again with our friends.

Maurice the motorhome relaxing after a mammoth road trip

Honfleur

We had a very smooth crossing back to Newhaven and a very short journey home (30 minutes!)

As we sailed past the Seven Sisters we were leaning on the railing on the boat and agreed that although we had an amazing time, we also felt very fortunate to be returning home a very scenic and picturesque part of the country.

Thanks for reading!


 
 
 

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