A Visit From Home - Porto

We arrived at Praia de Madelina about 80 miles south of Ancora and about 15 miles outside of Porto the first big city since San Sebastián. Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and is capital of the north, magnificently set on a rocky cliff, astride the Rio Douro.

Rio Douro, Porto

We have noticed since we've been travelling that you find two types of people on a campsite. The caravan with a large satelite dish and luxury sun lounger holiday maker type who isnt interested in speaking to anybody around them and will outright ignore you if you attempt to speak to them and then the laid back, lend you their atlas, buy you bread and chat all day types who sit on folding stools and play cards for entertainment. The campsite was full of holiday maker types unwilling to make friends so we didn't waste any time hanging around trying to chat. Aaron was due in a couple of hours so as soon as we had pitched up we set off in search of a supermarket. 

Shopping for BBQ supplies

We walked for what seemed like for ever in the blistering lunch time heat. We eventually came across a shop and set about stocking up on BBQ food. This was a special occasion, not only did we have a visitor from home, this was Jac's first BBQ of 2014, something he had been waiting in anticipation for since he packed the BBQ away last September. People had told us about the food in Portugal and how cheap it was but we were still amazed when we got to the butchers. We bought a full rack of ribs, six large fresh meat skewers, three chicken with onion and pepper and three pork with pork belly fat and pepper, six spicy sausages and four burgers for 15€. We also got 24 bottles of beer and box of king prawns for 9.99€, some delicious fresh bread rolls from the bakery and a bit of salad for good measure. We were that excited we practically ran back to the campsite to get the BBQ lit. 

Jac, doing what he does best

Aaron arrived around 5pm, we caught up over some delicious food and made our way through the 24 bottles of beer before heading down to the beach to watch the sunset, a view that rivals Cafe Mambo. 

Jac & Aaron

After watching the sun drop to the ocean we headed to a bar to watch the first game of the World Cup, Brazil v Croatia. After the football we headed back to the camper where we played blackjack and polished off two bottles of Vinho verde. By the time Aaron had won all of our small change we decided to call it a night and head to bed. 

The sunset at Madelena

The following morning we all wake like bears with sore heads. Jac makes cheese and bacon omelettes for everyone and we all start to feel more human. We head down to the bus stop and pay 1.85€ for a ticket to Trindade (Porto). 

All smiles before the bus journey from hell

No sooner than we start to feel human again we are thrown back into a world of head pains and sickness as we experience one of the most terrifying bus journeys known to man. Flying across traditional Portuguese cobbled streets, heavy breaking and emergency stops narrowly missing pedestrians, buildings and other buses on single track roads. By the end of the journey, forty minutes later Oscar is cowering under a seat, Jac is straightening out his clothes after numerous old ladies have fallen on his lap during the journey and Aaron is fighting his way off the bus for a cigarette to de-stress. We found our way to Aaron's hotel, Eurostars Des Arts, a beautiful 4* hotel right in the centre of Porto. Aaron checked in a dropped of his luggage, we spent the rest of the afternoon sightseeing. We visited St. Nicolau church, famous for its spectacular wood carved interior and Palacio De Bolsa which has a gold interior. We walked along the Rio Douro and across the Ponte Louis I. The bridge, at the time of construction, with its span of 172m was the longest of its type in the world. 

The Ponte Louis I

We found a restaurant along the river and sat down to dinner. We shared sardine pate with bread, butter and cheese, cod cakes and olives and a couple of jugs of sangria. We even had some evening entertainment as a group of around 10 boys were jumping off the bridge, from where we sat it didn't look that high but when we walked over it was a lot higher than it looked, none of us would have attempted it. After dinner we meandered along the riverside looking at the stalls and what they had for sale. A sucker for any kind of flea market, sale, stall or retail set up in general Kayleigh was straight over looking at the trinkets. We came away with a Nandos'esk rooster with six small olive forks inside. By far the coolest piece of tourist tat we've picked up so far although not sure how much use it will get when we get home. 

The Rooster, with 6 baby rooster olive picks

The following morning we met Aaron at the foot of the Ponte Louis I and went for breakfast along the river. 

Breakfast along the Rio Douro

We walked through narrow winding roads to the top of the cliff and along the top of the Ponte Louis I, we saw some breathtaking views and whilst Kayleigh stopped to take a hundred photos Jac, not a fan of heights rushed to the other side with sweaty feet.

Porto

We decided to make our way to the Serralves Art Gallery, on the way we saw the Pavilhao Rosa Mota, the Museu Romatico and the Universidade Do Porto. We got the bus back to the square and found ourselves in the middle of a protest/demonstration. There were thousands of people with large posters and waving flags, there were riot police on every corner some kind of tribal drum band. 

Porto holds a event called São Joao, this is essentially a six week festival in May and June to celebrate the dynamics and strategy alignment of both the City itself and Porto as a brand. There are music, art, food and craft events and the whole city comes together to celebrate. We think the protest/demonstration we came across must have been something to do with São Joao. After all the excitement we headed to a restaurant on the other side of the river for dinner. 

Sangria

We shared bread and baked Brie with honey and almonds for starters followed by steak, Mediterranean vegetables and new potatoes. Aaron had seafood paella which looked amazing. We shared three jugs of sangria and had strawberry cheesecake and mango mousse for dessert. We headed over to the riverbank where there was a large screen with a bar and seating showing the World Cup. 



Watching the World Cup on the Rio Douro

The following day Aaron flew home, it was so nice to catch up with him and hear about what's been going on back home. We had a lay in and spent the majority of the day eating before we start a two week detox the following day. It reaches 32 degrees, so we sit by the pool before heading back to the camper for curried BBQ prawns and a bottle of wine. After dinner we head to the beach with Oscar and find a starfish with a leg/point missing, he is now a little ornament on the shelf. 

The starfish we found at the beach

After leaving Porto we begin to make our way back into Spain, stopping at a few wild camping spots on the way...

Wild Camping Our Way To Portugal - Ancora

After leaving the campsite in Muros we went straight to the supermercado and stocked up on all the good stuff, beer, wine, cheese and meat and headed off towards Vigo and the Portuguese border. We reached our first wild camp around 2 hours later, although the distance was only 40 miles our poor old van struggles slightly up hills, by struggle we mean it's 1st and 2nd gear screaming to the top.

Wild Camp 6: Boiro
A quiet beachside spot lined with Palm trees, a large open green with five or six BBQ areas behind us that led down to the riverside. The perfect backdrop, had the weather not been so hideous it would have been the perfect opportunity for a BBQ (we all know how much Jac Luckins loves a BBQ). There were two other camper vans when we arrived about 2pm both French, given our desperate lack of bilingual ability, there wasn't much conversation, merely sign language and big smiles. The local police arrived around 9pm to collect 6€ for a 24hr ticket. It rained most of the night and strong winds kept us awake.

A miserable view of the beach

 

The following day was miserable, nevertheless we donned our wellies and waterproofs and braved it to take Oscar for a trot. Evidence of a pretty nasty storm was strewn across the beach in the form of dead seagulls, fish, some washed up fruit and lots of rubbish. Oscar took great delight in rolling around on the various dead creatures and eating rotten fruit before he found a toy monkey to rip the stuffing out of. We headed back and hung our very sensible head to toe waterproofs in our multi purpose drying/storage/laundry/wet room, which is really our bathroom although it's just about suitable for somebody the size of a borrower so we only use it as a bathroom in absolute emergencies. We set off for the next wild camping spot, approx 50 miles south.

Unimpressed by the bad weather in Boiro

 

A dead fish washed up after the storm

 



Another casualty, poor little guy



Wild Camp 7: Arcade
A waterside spot with a beautiful view of a small marina and panoramic views of the fjord like bay. Opposite a skate park and small astro football pitch and a swimming beach a short walk away on the other side of the port where we walked Oscar as soon as we arrived.

The marina at Arcade

 

The lonesome camper

Oscar quickly made friends with a Dalmatian called Kiera, he wasted no time in becoming overly friendly and was (embarrassingly) rolling her around on the sand, pinning her down and climbing all over her as if he'd never seen another dog before. Luckily her owner spoke a little English, no awkward silences here. We chatted for a while whilst the dogs chased each other along the beach and in and out of the sea.

Oscar & Kiera playing on the beach

 

The dogs were soon exhausted, when we said goodbye the lady shook our hands and in true European fashion gave us a kiss on the cheek, Jac not being very cultured forgot they kiss on both sides so went to walk away after just one smooch, leaving the poor lady hanging there, for what was only a second but looked and felt like minutes, not one to pass up the opportunity, Jac dashed straight back and sealed the deal with a second kiss on the other cheek. We continued along the beach which led to an outdoor excercise area and a couple of restaurants. We headed back to the camper and had homemade meatballs for dinner and shared a bottle of wine. 

Arcade

 
Our next wild camp spot was Tui, a short distance along the coast just past Vigo, however we decided instead to stay in Arcade for an extra night and head straight to Portugal the following morning.

The marina at night

 

We got up late after laying in and wandered into the town. We went in search of a specific sign that you should have attached to your bicycle rack, they are not compulsory in France and Spain although we had been told they were a legal requirement in Portugal so decided we should get one if we didn't want to land ourselves a hefty fine from the Portuguese police. We came across a shop that sold absolutely everything you could think of from lawn mowers to hamster wheels. The shop assistant didn't speak any English so explaining what we were looking for was difficult, she phoned her English speaking friend who kindly directed us to a shop that would sell them however, when we arrived it was shut for siesta. 

We are still trying to get to grips with the whole siesta business but fully understand why they take them, you can't beat a good cat nap in the afternoon sun! We headed back to the van for some lunch and a little siesta of our own. We woke up to a small group of kids playing on the football pitch opposite, there was enough of them for their own 5-a-side World Cup competition. We walked Oscar along the beach where we bumped into the Dalmatian again, this time Jac remembered the continental kiss on both cheeks so he didn't look like a fool twice in two days. When we got back, a couple more campers had arrived, one Dutch and one Irish. We got chatting to a very friendly Dutch lady who was travelling in the opposite direction as us, she had lots of information on Portugal and kindly gave us some maps and leaflets about what to see and do when we got there. We spent the rest of the night planning what we would do when we reached Porto over a little tapas dinner.
 

Camper van tapas

We woke the next day to more rain but excited to get on our way to Portugal. We had our breakfast and went to get on our way only to find out we had a flat battery, the other two campers had left earlier that morning so with nobody else around and no jump leads we attempted to push the van (all 4 tonnes of it) to bump start it. By this time it was hammering with rain and eventually a kind Spanish man must have felt sorry for us and offered to help, he attached some rope to his van and towed us a little way to get it started. Battery light on, we finally started our journey to Portugal, across our second border about 60 miles south. 

Crossing our second border

It rained heavily the whole way and by the time we arrived in Portugal our battery was completely flat, our indicators were distant flickers that could barely be seen and the windscreen wipers were no longer moving. We rolled into the campsite in Ancora and found a pitch, the receptionist told us when we checked in that summer would start tomorrow. He wasn't wrong!

The campsite was beautiful, directly behind our pitch was the Rio Ancora and large waterfall. We planned to stay in Ancora for two nights and ended up staying for four although this wasn't so bad as it was 10€ a night and 1€ a beer. On Monday morning the receptionist called a mechanic out to look at our battery/alternator although he could not understand what Jac was saying so asked Kayleigh to translate Jac's English for him. Once that was all cleared up and everyone had a laugh at Jac's expenses the mechanic arrived a took the alternator out of the van. The next day was a national holiday so we didn't hear anything from the garage, by now we were starting to feel slightly panicked as we had arranged to meet Kayleigh's cousin Aaron in Porto on Thursday.

1 Euro beer

Those few days were spent enjoying the first real bit of sun we had seen since we left home, we also enjoyed the Vinho Verde which had been recommended by some friends we met in Spain, we tried red (tinto), white (branco) and rose. We liked them all so much we stocked up on another 6 bottles before we left for under 2€ each. The beach was a ten minute walk from the campsite and we even went for a little swim in the Rio Ancora. Finally we received the good news that the van would be ready Wednesday evening, we packed everything ready for an early start Thursday. Nothing like leaving it until the last minute!!

A'Vouga, ACSI & a little bit of luxury - Santiago de Compostela

After 5 days wild camping we drove 85 miles from our last destination to Muros and checked into A'Vouga campsite for 3 nights.

This was the first oppouritnuty we had to use our ACSI card which we were both excited about (sad we know). It's a membership card which entitles you to preferential rates at 2739 campsites across Europe. You pay £13.50 for a years membership and in return you get two directories of fully inspected campsites, a mini atlas and a discount card. The rates are between 12-18€ per night in low season with a few at 10€ per night. The price includes a pitch, an overnight stay for 2 adults, an awning, electricity, hot showers and 1 dog (& most places we have visited had free wifi). 

ACSI Books Vol 1 & 2 & Membership Cardwww.campingcard.com

We paid 16€ per night at A'Vouga, compared with the rate for non ACSI members (28€) this made a huge saving so we are really pleased we joined and think this will probably save us a fortune in the time we are travelling. 

The Beach at Muros

Fortunately as soon as we arrived we found a really good pitch with a beautiful view out to sea. We quickly got chatting to some other Brits which was nice as we had only had ourselves for company whilst wild camping, if truth be told we were both so excited to see and speak with other people we didn't stop chatting for hours. A well travelled welsh man (we didn't catch his name) in the pitch opposite us told us there had been dolphins in the bay the day before so we spent the majority of the next 3 days staring out to sea hoping to catch a glimpse. Another couple saw a pod of about 20 dolphins on the last night but we missed that too (typicall). 

The view from our pitch, Muros 

Oscar was up to his usual tricks attention seeking amongst all the other campers. He was getting ear tickles left, right and Chelsea. As soon as we were set up we took him down to the beach for a walk, a little swim in the sea with Jac and then for a bit of sunbathing, which wasn't overly successful as Oscar insisted on digging holes and covering both of us in sand. After almost being buried alive by Oscar we decided it would be as good a time as any to go for our long awaited showers, Jac and Oscar were both a little reluctant as they thought swimming in the sea was good enough. On the campsite they had a special area for dogs to have showers after they'd been to the beach and it turned out to be the hottest shower on the site, the others where a little disappointing after looking forward to them so much but at least we were all clean. 

Once we were all showered we thought we should treat ourselves to a few drinks in the bar where we met a man called John, he is recently retired and is making his way south with his little Patterdale Terrier, Zed. He and Oscar got on great and ran around on the beach like lunatics whilst we sat on the terrace enjoying the views and getting to know more people. John and Jan, a couple from Lancashire joined us too and we spent the rest of the evening discussing and comparing travel plans whilst trying to remember all of the invaluable advice that they had to offer. When we could no longer see straight we decided it was time for bed. 

Oscar & Zed playing at the beach

The next day was overcast and there weren't many people around, using our time wisely we watched the last 2 episodes and finished the 3rd season of Game of Thrones, we have been hooked and have watched relentlessly every time we've had the chance. Although now it's left a gaping hole in our rainy days so we are hoping someone will be kind enough to bring season 4 out when they come to visit.
 

During the course of the morning a new couple had checked in and settled in the pitch next to us, we got chatting and like many others they were intrigued by our travel plans, we explained that we were intending to avoid campsites as much as possible in high season in order to both, gain varied experiences and make our trip last as long as possible by saving money, they kindly gave us a book called 'All The Aires - Spain & Portugal'. This will be a huge help to us as it details 303 inspected aires and GPS coordinates to find them. It also details campsites that are open all year round which will be helpful in the winter months.

 

All The Aires www.vicarious-shop.com
 

That afternoon we decided to walk round to the lighthouse we could see from our pitch. The walk was about 4km in total and took us a couple of hours. We wound along a high coastal path, one side lined with tall skinny trees creaking in the wind and the other a steep incline of burnt orange and brown jagged rocks that looked as though they had just been plucked from the dessert. Through an opening in the trees we spotted two men snorkelling around the rocks, we watched for a minute before carrying on up the track toward the lighthouse. When we reached it we were slightly disappointed. We were expecting to see a tall, smooth, red and white striped building with large windows around the top, instead we were greeted with a cream and green, stumpy, newly built box with a large cylinder on top. Not at all what you would expect. The ruins of the previous lighthouse looked as though it would have been exactly as we imagined. When we got close enough to the edge we could see the white frothy water smashing against the huge rocks and from where we were stood there were amazing views out into the Atlantic, other hill tops and coastlines, sadly no sign of any dolphins though. On our way back down the men who we thought were just snoorkling amoungst the rocks were on there way back up to the road and they had actually been fishing with harpoons they had one large shiny harpoon each and a huge sack full of fish, pretty impressive really. 

Muros Lighthouse (Faro)

The next, and our final day of luxury for another week, we spent planning our next few wild camping spots and the route we were going to take. We set off around lunch time to head to supermarket to stock up on supplies before heading off south west along the coast towards Vigo. 

Wild camping - La Coruna

We were inspired by the elderly Irish couple we met in San Sebastián and vowed not to spend a fortune on campsites so we have been giving wild camping a go. Since Bilbao we have travelled 450 miles and stayed at 5 different wild camping locations. We were both a little apprehensive about wild camping to start with. We had heard all kinds of horror stories and managed to talk ourselves into staying on campsites at the beginning of the trip. Now we are feeling a little more adventurous we thought we would give it a go. It's been an eye opener to say the least. Before leaving the comfort of the last campsite in Gorliz (and the luxury of wifi) we did a bit of research through blogs and forums and found some recommendations.

Wild Camp 1: Santander, Cabarceno Safari Park 

It took us ages to find the right spot as the safari park had numerous entrances and was set over hundreds of acres. Finally we came across a small, quiet car park next to a lake, what seemed to be a disused overflow car park. We parked up and set about exploring our surroundings. The first sight we came across took us both by surprise. Elephants. Then wilderbeast and impalas, all roaming around in one huge enclosure. They had the run of two mountain sides, a vast open grazing area and a large watering hole, just like Madagascar. It was amazing and we got to see it all for free. There were seven other camper vans by the time we got back so we both felt quite safe knowing we weren't the only ones there. We were up early the next morning to take one last look at the animals before heading to the next spot. 

Elephants next to wild camp 1

Wild Camp 2: Gijon 

Essentially a car park, on a cliffs edge, in a town. Fairly busy with other camper vans, maybe ten or eleven and busy with locals. We parked up and went down to the beach to do some rock pooling. Not so successful as Oscar kept sticking his snout into the water and scaring everything away. It rained for most of the day so we spent the afternoon cooped up in the camper playing Yahtzee (loser made dinner). When the rain stopped we took Oscar for a walk along the cliff which was scary as he insisted on walking so close to the edge and peering over to the waves crashing on the rocks below. Our hearts missed a couple of beats and at one point we turned around to see he had disappeared, we both panicked and ran back to find him sniffing around on a ledge he managed to get to via some steps we had missed. We met another beagle named Debon who was ten months old, he and Oscar had a good play and ran around like lunatics for about 20 minutes. Oscar was barely in his bed before he fell fast asleep. The next morning we were having breakfast in the sunshine when we were greeted by an huge Dalmatian named Pongo. He was bounding around, hopping over Oscar and rolling about in the grass with him. We didn't notice anyone else around so decided to walk through the park to see if we could find his owner. Half an hour later and a slightly panicked and confusing telephone conversation in Spanish we hoped someone was coming to collect Pongo. A while later his owner came running around the corner, he barely even noticed her before she grabbed him to put his lead on to take him home. If Oscar and Pongo had their way they would have played all day!! Our good deed done for the day we set off for our next stop. 

Wet & windy coastline at Gijon

Wild Camp 3: Burela 

A nice town 5 minutes from the motorway although we were a little confused when we reached the coordinate points in Burela. This area consisted of four parking spaces in a line with a tap across the road, it was quite strange and we weren't sure if we were supposed to stay there. We left the van and walked along a busy high street, we weren't able to find the beach so went down to the marina where there were hundreds of little fishing boats all decorated with flags. To the left of the marina there was a fair, workers were buzzing about back and forth to their caravans on the other side of the marina, stalls were setting up and there seemed to be a buzz of excitement in the air. Using Burela only as a wild camp overnight stop we hadn't really done much research so weren't sure what was going on. Keen to make an early start the next day we headed back for dinner. Around 7pm some fireworks went off and Oscar jumped out of his skin, howling back at the loud bangs. There was music echoing through the whole town, we though it must have been a circus and when more fireworks went off at 11 we though it must have finished. Little did we know, this was in fact Itaca Festival, the music was pumping until gone 6am. The walls of our camper van are paper thin so it felt like we had parked on the main stage and were right in amongst everything. We didn't bother sleeping and set off for our next destination. 

Our view of someone's back garden in Burela (not our prettiest view) 

Wild Camp 4: Cedeira

This was a lovely town with a canal running straight through the middle. Having made a swift exit from Burela we arrived relatively early so were able to make the most of the day. When we arrived there was a street market selling shoes, clothes, bags, jewellery and food. We parked the van and decided to get down to the market for a good old rummage before it closed. It was Saturday so everywhere was busy and the place was overrun with children. We sat outside a bar drinking Estrella for most the afternoon, it was only 1.40€ a glass and we got to sample some more appetisers. Bread and salami with mustard and olive oil, bread and a meatball and more of the coleslaw/potato salad concoction. Unfortunately beer, snacks and sunshine all go rather well together and once again we were back at the camper and asleep by 6. We woke up early to the same devastation as before and tidied the van before setting off for our last wild camping spot.  

A quiet spot to wild camp in Cedeira 

Cedeira 

Wild Camp 5: Bentazos 

Similar to a kind of country park in England, there were around 30 spots separated by trees, a large area surrounded by bushes with huge brick BBQ's and a playground on the edge of the beach. This place was busy with locals enjoying the sunshine, some turning up with cars full of food for big family feasts. There was a group of 6 camper vans all parked in a huge circle enjoying lunch together in the middle with a few other camper vans dotted around. We spent all day lazing about in the sun watching people come and go. All of the other campers had left by 10pm so it was just us and one other. Neither of us slept very well as we were parked near an electricity pylon and the sound of electricity crackling through it was slightly annoying. 

The ONLY picture from Bentazos 

Unsure if the loud crackling pylon was to blame or if it was the sheer excitement of having a hot shower on a campsite after 5 days of wild camping we were awake and up at 5am en route to our next stop, Louro, Galicia. 

Enjoying a few days on a campsite with this view........

A Visit From Home - Bilbao

Our first visitors have arrived, we met Christine and Sophie at Bilbao airport on Sunday. Bilbao is a huge industrial hub with factories, warehouses and huge smoking chimneys everywhere you look (although they are trying to change this and make it a more appealing destination) we struggled to find many campsites so chose to stay 15 miles away in a town called Gorliz. To get here we traveling up and down and around the mountains witnessing some beautiful views and some terrifying heights. Travelling around sharp bends in a heavy camper van with nothing between us and the edge was less than enjoyable, it's all part of the experience though.

We took Oscar to the airport with us, he was waiting patiently in the arrival lounge and was the first to spot Sophie. He was so excited to see her, his tail was wagging so fast and he was jumping all over her planting wet slobbery kisses all over her face. She was just as excited to see him. From that point until we dropped them back to the airport three days later they were inseparable. 

Sophie making loom band accessories for Oscar 

Sophie & Oscar enjoying hot chocolate and Yahtzee

We spent the majority of our time wandering around the shops in the town and playing on the beach where Sophie, Jac and Oscar went for a swim. Sophie found some Loom Bands in one of the shops and made everyone a bracelet, she also made Oscar a cute collar and insisted he wore a bracelet too, he wasn't overly impressed though she made sure he wore it the whole time. The time they spent with us flew by and by the time we'd caught up on all the goings on at home and we'd had our cupboards stocked (good old mum) they were on their way home again. 

Oscar didn't know what to do with himself after Sophie had gone and was sniffing after her with his nose stuck right out the window as we left the airport. 

Across the Border - San Sebastián

Our first border crossing, slightly disappointing with no formalities what so ever, in fact you could blink and miss the 'Welcome To Spain' sign. However, we made it across the first border in our slightly unpredictable and at times temperamental camper van so we have that to be grateful for.

Crossing the border 

We drove 53 miles from Biaritz on the west coast of France to San Sebastián on the north coast of Spain. It looked a lot like Portsmouth at first, big university buildings and high rise office blocks, we weren't really taken by it. We drove around in circles whilst the sat nav continually told us to make a u-turn and directed us to the same piece of grass over and over again before we spotted a cluster of shiny white roofs with large satelite dishes and top boxes, an Aires. Only the second we've stayed on but we decided when we left France we would ease ourselves into wild camping gently. We found a spot a paid our €3.20 for the night and attempted to get settled (as settled as you can in a car park). Staying on an Aires is without a doubt a much more sociable experience than staying on any campsite, within 5 minutes of arriving we were approached by a long haired, wirey bearded slightly bedraggled looking man, he introduced himself as Mike and told us in detail about his long standing love affair with San Sebastián, although we'd only just arrived we couldn't see the fascination and were already planning where to go next. Mike asked where we were from and when he said he knew Fareham we were a little taken aback, he then went on to tell us that he was from Southsea, small world!! 

Next we got chatting to an elderly Irish couple who were making their way back to Calais to sail home after 4 months travelling the coast of Spain.  Obviously much more experienced than us they explained how they had only paid to stay on two or three campsites in the entire time they had been away, this came as a bit of a shock to us seeing as we had been spending 15-20€ per night since we arrived in France. It was then that we made the decision to wild camp as much as we possibly can all the time the weather is good and we are able to find safe spots to stay at. 

Finally we met another couple, around the same age as us, Claire and Scott. From Ireland but living in Australia. Much like us they are traveling Europe in an old camper, they planned thier route based on festivals they are going to in Portugal, Serbia, Croatia and Germany. We swapped numbers and hope to meet up again in a few weeks in Portugal. 

Still not enthrawled by San Sebastián we went for a walk to kill some time, as soon as we passed the university buildings and office blocks we found ourselves in a street lined with busy shops, cafés, bars and beautiful appartments. There were children absolutely everywhere, it's no wonder the Spanish are so good at football, no sooner than they can walk they're kicking a ball about using shop signs and cafe chairs for goalposts. We walked along the a gorgeous beach, prestine gold sand and aqua blue sea, under a bridge where an old man was playing the saxophone and through well kept gardens to the top if the cliff where you could see right around the bay. Thinking that we wanted to see more we decided to stay an extra night, the next day we walked through the busy streets down towards the beach again, there was a huge crowd of people gathered in the street and traffic police had closed the road, following the loud music towards the fuss we found a jive group dancing in pairs and encouraging passers by to join in. We were beginning to see Mike's fascination with the place.

The beach at San Sebastián

Pretty apartment blocks, San Sebastián 

We stopped at a couple of bars on the way back for a few beers and were delighted to learn than the Spanish are big on dishing out free appetisers. We were given some chicken wings and bread and a strange although delicious little concoction. A cross between coleslaw and potato salad which had olives, egg and prawns in it. This explanation really doesn't do it much justice but it was very tasty. We went back down to the beach with an ice cream and watched some surfers for a while before heading back to another bar for a couple more drinks. We went back to the camper and had dinner and some sangria before falling asleep about 7pm. 

Supermarket Sangria (2€) 

The next morning we woke to a scene that resembled The Hangover. Both bleary eyed, trying to piece together exactly what happened and how our camper van looked like a bomb had hit it we cleared up and set off for Bilbao. 

Il de Re, Biaritz & Au Revoir

After an unexpected week in the quiet village of Coulon, or the 'GreenVenice', with it's winding waterways, intricate bridges (and the unexpected camper agg) the sight of crowded pavements and busy bars was a welcome one when we reached La Rochelle. We checked into a municipal campsite in Port Neuf for two nights, the campsite was fairly expensive for 2* and definitely wasn't as well preened and pruned as others we've visited. We expected the cost to be a little steep as La Rochelle is on many peoples bucket lists.

We sat outside a small bar in the blistering heat people watching for a while and Oscar took a liking to a German man and continued to pester him for attention until he left. The French authorities are renowned for their no nonsense attitude, they proved this by plucking a car straight from its space on the side of the road, onto the back of a tow truck by hauling it through the air. Highly impressive when you've not seen it before but I can imagine the shame of the owner who was probably wishing they'd just have spent a couple of euros on a ticket. We took a walk down to the aquarium before heading to a couple more bars where we sampled some of the beers, ciders and unfortunately for Kayleigh one of the real ales. 

When we got back to the campsite after a stroll along the beach, (Oscar covered head to toe in sand, so much so it was coming out of his eyes)  some people camping in the pitch next to us were having an argument, all of a sudden a man came flying out of his tent and landed on his back, there was another man towering over him screaming something very angry sounding in French, with another man holding him back, if only we knew what he was shouting, needless to say, that man didn't stay in his tent that night. It was all very dramatic, never a dull moment!! All in all La Rochelle was spent enjoying the the beautiful sunshine and wandering around the historic harbour walls (and witnessing various domestics). 

The next morning were up early to get ourself to a beautiful little island just off the coast of La Rochelle called Il De Re. We didn't wake to very nice weather, it was overcast and there was no sun to be seen.  As we got closer to the 3km bridge that joins Il De Re to the mainland the sun shone down on the golden sandy beaches and crystal clear blue sea, a perfect postcard picture. Someone told us that Il De Re gets the same amount if daylight as the south of France (and by the looks of things the same beautiful weather) so we couldn't wait to get to the campsite and get set up. Another minucipal campsite, well kept with huge pitches and a new shower block we checked in for three nights. We made the most of the facilities and did a couple of loads of washing before taking a walk down to the harbour and stumbled across little lanes crammed with cute boutiques and patisseries selling every colour macaroon imaginable. 

Amazing Macaroons 

Lining every part of the marina were restaurants with the most amazing looking seafood platters on offer. It's amazing how much money having a dog actually saves you, being a beagle there's no way on this earth we would ever dare to take him to a restaurant full of people with all that food to steal from the tables, we'd be kicked out before we'd even looked at the menu. 

Il De Re Marina 

The next day we took the bikes and went for a ride down to the marina where we found  a large indoor market. There were stalls piled high with fresh fruit and veg, breads, pastries and cream cakes, cooked meats and prepared dishes like feta and olives or spicy chicken pasta and more cheese than you'd know what to do with! Both being huge lover of food we'd already spent a fortune in our heads but decided on feta, olives and fruit before leaving. There were lots of people out with their dogs, or riding their bikes with their dogs sat in a little basket on the front, all on thier best behaviour but Oscar couldn't be trusted we had to tie him to a lamppost outside, he sat there sulking the whole time, although still sniffing every persons bag who walked out the door to check if there was anything in there he fancied.

We enjoyed 3 days of glorious weather before the most spectacular thunderstorm on the last night, Oscar hid behind a cushion on the sofa whilst we watched for lightening bolts, huge bright white bolts over the sea. 

Enjoying the sunshine

Oscar didn't enjoy the thunder storm 

The next day we set off for Biaritz about 181 miles away en route we stopped at Intermarche for some essentials (a new beard trimmer for Jac) and stocked up on food and water. The following day felt like tropical downpours all day (no exaggeration) we were at a campsite just outside Biaritz in a place called Tarnos, we sat in the camper all day watching Game of Thrones (5 episodes, absolutely addicted) and eating white chocolate. When the rain eventually stopped we walked Oscar along the beach for a couple of hours and then headed back to the camper to do a bit of route planning. 

Next stop Spain, we only left home 5 weeks ago, suppose we'd better think about actually going further than France.