We thought about travelling inland to Granada and specifically to see Alhambra which I believe is quite spectacular. It’s a palace and fortress.
It was the 21st December and we really wanted to find a good park up on the beach to spend Christmas. We’re not fans of Christmas and don’t actually celebrate it, but it was more about having everything we need and not having to move when things are likely to be closed or limited.
We thought that if we went to Alhambra it would end up being a rush to find our perfect spot! So we decided to give it a miss and go in search of a beach instead.
We headed to Almería, a place we had been to before but we hadn’t seen all of it as it was just a long weekend staying with a friend. This time we ended up at a park up that was on the beach but somehow it didn’t feel quite right.
It wasn’t unpleasant but there wasn’t much either way and the park up was quite crowded and people were taking up 4 or even 5 spaces in some cases! It just didn’t sit quite right! We decided to stay for the night and to re assess in the morning.
We did manage to get a good sunset.
In the morning we started to head to Mojacar which is still in Almeria. It seemed that all the beach park ups were limited and didn’t allow vans of over 5 metres! Luckily I was chatting to someone on instagram who had a similar motorhome to ours and he sent us a really good park up!
It was a bit further along near Vera Beach and it really was just perfect. It was a long and spacious sandy beach and we were literally on the beach . The only request was that you parked at the back where there were trees and kept the front line clear for locals who wanted to visit.
Here I am showing the beach and the park up.
I was in my element, I could literally fall out of bed and into the sea.
The following day we drove back to Mojacar to have a quick look around the town.
We went to the town where we could park not the beach area where it wasn’t allowed. The town was high up and there was a car park where we could park and then walk up. Here are a couple of photos. If you look at the one with me you should also be able to see Jovanna in the car park below.
On the way back we stopped at the supermarket and stocked up on loads of food and drink so that we wouldn’t have to move until the other side of Christmas!
The following day we went for a bike ride. We rode into Vera and beyond. We also cycled through a nudist resort. There were signs everywhere so we knew what to expect. However it still came as a surprise when we turned a corner and there was a man wearing just a jacket that was open with shoes and socks!
Finally it was Xmas day on the beach, which was not in the slightest bit Christmassy! Perfect, it was just another day. We love Xmas on the beach.
I went for a swim, as I had every day. By now we’d met a couple from Yorkshire and they’d actually joined me for a swim a couple of times . As always great to have some swimming company. Here are a couple of Christmas Day photos, didn’t manage to get any with them in though!
We ate lunch outside. Scallops which we bought in their shells and we grilled with garlic butter. Smoked salmon, smoked tuna and washed down with Spanish Cava. Perfect.
The rest of the day was spent sitting reading in the sun, until the sun went down and it got cold, which happened around 5pm .
On Boxing Day morning we woke to a beautiful sunrise. More swims and more sitting in the sun.
The following day was laundry day, we needed to get it done! We’d seen a couple of launderettes when we’d been for the bike ride and also in the van when we went to Majocar.
We knew that we’d struggle to park if we took the van so we decided to cycle. Dee very cleverly managed to attach our trolley full of laundry to the back of his bike and made a homemade bike trailer! It worked very well but didn’t like sharp corners!
The following day was market day in the village of Palloma which was about half an hour walk up the hill from the beach. We went with the couple we’d met from Yorkshire .
It was a small village and a small market. We had a quick look round and came back with some fruit an veg.
We’d now been at this park up for a week. It was honestly such a good place and we were probably getting a bit ‘too comfortable!’
We kept wondering weather we should stay or go for New Year. Our friends from Yorkshire were staying, our neighbours who were from Germany and Holland had already left.
In the end we decided it was time to move. We had just under a month left and still places to see before getting our ferry from Barcelona to Italy. So we said our good byes and once again we were on the road.
Our first stop was about half an hour away. Another recommendation we’d had, it was called Playa de los Cocedorres Cala Cerrada and we were now in Murcia
The place and the beaches were really nice but it was very crowded there. Lots of vans of all sizes and they were all parked close together. Some looked like they’d been there a while too.
I was however spoilt for choice as there were in fact 2 beaches, 2 different bays to swim in. Here’s a couple of photo’s from the one I swam in on the day we arrived, the first beautiful bay .
We walked around a bit and got some more photos
The following morning I got to swim at the 2nd beach before we moved on. We did really like the place but it was just too crowded with too many vans all close together.
Here I am swimming to the buoy. In Brighton in the summer the buoys come out to mark the swimming areas. We always swim to them, often doing a circuit. In the winter they get removed and we’re always sad but love it when they come out again as it’s a sign of the summer.
As you can imagine I was loving the fact that this beach had buoys to swim to, and yes I sent some pics back to my friends in Brighton too!
Below this one there is a photo of the bay.
After my swim we hit the road once again. This time we headed to Bolnuevo, it looked like a great park up.
When we got there it was really nice, it was opposite the beach and there was lots of bars, restaurants and shops all just a short walk away. The only thing was that there were no other vans!
We parked up and had a walk round. There was a very strange rock formation in part of the car park. They were actually limestone and had been formed over millions of years by wind erosion made more powerful by sand and salt carried in the air . They really are quite impressive.
Back to the car park, there were some ‘No Camping’ signs and also some reviews to say others had been moved on in the past. We decided to move on. Shame as it looked like a great place.
Our final stop on 30th December 2022 was at Azohia, Cartagena, still in Murcia. The park up itself was ok. It was opposite the beach which was of course great for swimming. There was a shop and a restaurant. The shop was handy to have close by, the restaurant never opened not even on New Years Eve or New Years Day!
The 2 photos below are both from the 30th December, the day we arrived.
During the day on New Years Eve we went for a walk. We headed round the bay where we could see a village that was completely in the shade because of where the mountains were. We couldn’t understand why someone would want to live constantly in the shade, but I guess they appreciate it in the summer.
It was about 40 minutes to walk round and then up to the watchtower which was The Torre Santa Elena, the last surviving watchtower dating from the 16th century in the municipality of Cartagena.
On the way back we passed a restaurant. We stopped and spoke to the owner who said he would be open New Year’s day from Lunch time but not New Years Eve.
Later in the day, around 5pm we walked the other way, there was a beach bar. It was quite busy mainly with people watching the sunset. We stopped to do the same.
We stayed for about an hour and then continued walking in the hope of finding somewhere that might be open for New Year. After about half an hour with nothing anywhere in sight we gave up and went back.
There was a campfire and music back at our park up. It wasn’t our kind of music, a bit indie and 80’s/90’s. It also seemed pretty exclusive, mainly German I think and as though they all knew each other, not the kind of thing you could just barge into!
So we resigned ourselves to the fact that it was just gonna be us in the van for New Year. We had some nice food and some Spanish Cava. It felt a bit weird though not really doing anything. We didn’t even manage to stay up and were in bed by around 10pm.
New Years Day appeared to be more of a ‘thing’ in Spain or at least where we were. We went for a bike ride into Cartagena and had lunch by the sea. We cycled back and early evening went back to the beach bar and then into a restaurant for dinner. I think we made up for New Years Eve.
January 2nd was time to move on. We were slowly making our way to Barcelona. Our next post will be ‘The Start of 2023’.
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