Category: On the road

Valladolid

Valladolid was our first stop. There’s a great camper stop in a car park near the city centre for €5 per night (see park4nite). 

River Piseurga Valladolid

To get to the centre you have to cross over the river Pisuerga and the town have made great walks along the river bank, bringing in sand to make a beach for bathing.

Jero tapas bar

We went out for something to eat and just happened upon a Tapas bar called Jero. There was a queue outside of people waiting to get in before it had even opened at about 8pm. So we were lucky and able to get a table.

Prawns on mushrooms

Delicious prawns on mushrooms!!

Travelling down to Spain

This year we set off on 20 December, and got down to the Ribamar campsite at Alcossebra on Christmas Eve. We crossed the channel on Eurotunnel (so easy) and took the route recommended by Susy – Rouen, Chatres, Orleans, Clemont-Ferrand .., and then follow your nose to Spain. It was a very pretty route.

We stayed the first night at an Aire in Montreuil sud Mer, about one hour from Calais where we’d stayed before. The second night at a camperstop in Bruère-Allichamps – very pleasant by a river (once you’d worked out how to get in), and the third night at a Camperstop in the car park of a restaurant Chez-Nous in Fitou. Lots of vignerons around there so of course we had to contribute to the local economy. Both of these stops were found through the CamperContact App.

Thessaloniki Camperstop

The official Camperstop in Thessaloníki proved completely unusable. It was full of trucks going in and out but also so steep the levellers kept sliding away!

But then we found this place on Park4night. Right by the sea, fantastic view, just a big space that the flats use for parking. And Valerie made friends with Makis who has his joinery workshop there plus a vegetable garden and arranged, in Greek, for us to stay here.

Makrinitsa

Makrinitsa is a village about 40 minutes further north from Anakasias. There is a folk museum there, and we were told that there is a cafe with paintings by Theofilos on the walls.

However … be advised not to go there in a camper van/ motorhome. The village is high up and located all the way up the hillside, so numerous levels. The road is narrow and very steep with continuous hairpin bends. In addition when you get there is no where to park. So unfortunately although we made it up to the village we couldn’t stop, except to do a rather anxious making 3-point turn.

Ferry Venice to Patras

We travelled on the Anek Superfast ferry which from Venice took a long time – 32 hours. But it was a pleasant trip and as Anek is a Cretean company all the food was from Crete and surprisingly delicious.

The ferry was of course late and didn’t get to Patras until 1am. We’d decided to go to a campsite 30 minutes away rather than stay by the roadside and the man at Camping Kato Alissos couldn’t have been more helpful staying up until 2am to let us in!

Phone charger

Travelled to the village of Narlai outside Ranakpur only to discover that I’d left my phone charger and adapter behind. Potential disaster! But no, this is India where the mobile phone is queen. Wandered down the road to find three tiny mobile phone stalls. Initially they didn’t have a iPhone lead, but then it turned out that the salesman just happened to be there on his motorbike bringing supplies. iPhone lead? No problem.