Delayed publication!!

This news update should have preceded 'Landed'.  This covers a week wandering along a short part of the southern coast of Spain

News No 5

When we left Avila we decided that we would give Madrid a miss this time and make haste to the coast and the sunshine. We chose not to use the toll motorways and, as we thought, there really would be no benefit to us at the speeds we travel at. Spain has an amazing road system – we travelled all the way on motorway-standard dual carriageways. They were very lightly trafficed except when passing through Madrid (yes through – including a very long tunnel right under the centre, with several turn-offs which we somehow managed to get right) where the traffic was a lot heavier, but we still didn't experience any hold-ups. Here's a couple of views seen from the road as we travelled through.

We found a convenient place to stop – along beside the lorries – leaving ourselves about 80 miles for the second day. First we stopped off in Murcia – where we visited our friends with the free wifi (McDonalds!), from where we sent our last update. They were located in a large shopping centre, which had the most superb floors we have seen in such a place. Acres of beautiful polished limestone tiles which you would be more than pleased to have in your home – Spain clearly has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to rock – about 80% of the country seems to be rocky.

We carried on to the Mercedes dealer, whose location we had sorted out before we left; as we suspected, it will pay us to have the motorhome serviced there before we return, with labour rates 1/3 of those of MB in UK and cheaper even than our local garage. As it will soon be due a big service we should make a very worthwhile saving, as well as helping the poor Spanish economy!

We found ourselves a nice Aire right beside the sea, and on our second day the owner provided all those staying with a 3-course Spanish lunch, with wine – gratis! All who come here are my friends, he said, so I like to say 'thank you'. Apparently he does this once a month; we were lucky to land there on the right day.

As you can see, it's a lot warmer than it is in the middle of Spain! The view from our window was prettty good when the darkness came on too.

On Sunday we had a good walk up in the hills around us, and on Monday (a bank holiday here) we travelled on down the coast about 30 miles taking in the views, and seeing where our lettuce, cabbage and tomatoes come from at home at this time of year.

This reminds me of the china clay workings in Cornwall, but this is a natural landscape – semi arrid, but irrigated into fertility.

We soon came to more built-up places – this is the view from our lunch stop in Aguila where treated ourselves alongside the locals enjoying their bank-holiday. It was about 20 deg albeit with a breeze from the sea – as you can see the local people were taking no risks of getting a chill in such cold weather!

And this is where we stopped for afternoon tea – albeit more early evening tea after waiting for Spanish lunch-time.

We are now tucked-up by the sea again – this time at the edge of a beach, along with about 20 other motorhomers from various countries. The French have claimed a corner for their 'exclusive use', where they have set themselves up with the essential boules pitch!