Earlier this year we took a road trip to Spain – follow us on our journey as we head South to warmer climes.
Day 1 to 3 (Portsmouth to Santander)
After two nights onboard Brittany Ferries Galacia, we arrive in Santander early morning and head across Spain to the Valencian region where our first overnight stop is on the coast at Oliva. Staying at Camping Azul virtually on the beach, this turned out to be the only campsite we used during our trip.
Day 4 to 6 (Oliva to La Manga)
After a relaxing overnight stay at Oliva, we headed South towards Calpe calling into the port of Denia along the way. We check out the ferry terminal and timetable for the ferry to Majorca as we plan a future trip.
With an overnight stop in Calpe, we then travelled further south to the small British urbanization of La Marina near Guardamar del Segura. With quiet street parking not far from the bustle of bars and restaurants we dined out on a banquet of that traditional British delicacy ‘Chicken Tikka Masala’ washed down with copious amounts of Spanish rose wine – with ice of course!
Day 7 to 8 (La Manga to Nerja)
From La Marina, it’s off to La Manga with its quiet beaches, warm winter sunshine and lots of sheltered beach parking. The next stop is the town of Almeria with its bustling port and long promenade.
Street parking in the centre of Nerja gave us the opportunity to explore the town taking in the sea views from the Balcon de Europe with its huge Christmas tree still standing tall even in the middle of January.
Day 9 to 11 (Nerja to Fuengirola)
The ever-growing Torremolinos never fails to impress with its huge beachfront, ample parking and numerous Chiringuitos. With Benalmadena only a stroll away there’s lots to see and do along this familiar part of the Costa del Sol. The mild climate, clear blue skies and warm winter sunshine make this feel like our best British summer days.
Away from the heat and madding crowds of the Spanish summer, it’s easy to find parking and the bars and restaurants have a relaxed and welcoming feel. With our 5.4m van fitting into a normal car parking space the overnight parking options are endless allowing us to stay within the lines on a secluded street or mainstream 24h car park – you just don’t get these kinds of care-free opportunities in a larger coach built.
Day 12 to 14 (Fuengirola to Porstmouth)
We leave our ‘beachfront accommodation’ in Fuengirola to head North as we start our journey back home. It’s miles under our belt day as we make our way up towards Marcilla near Pamplona for an overnight stop at a quiet country restaurant. It’s then off to Santander to jump on board Galacia back to Portsmouth and a steady drive back to Leeds to complete our ‘grand tour’.
Whilst we enjoy using campsites and the facilities they offer, they are often situated some distance away from the main towns and cities, so in order to explore the area fully – particularly in the evenings – we find that overnight street parking gives us the opportunity to see more. We always find a suitable spot and after many hundreds of nights doing this both in the UK and Europe we have managed to avoid ‘the knock’!
With good batteries and solar panels, we are able to be self-sufficient when it comes to electricity at most times of the year and we have always managed to find a suitable water source whether it’s a garage filling station, a ‘lucky tap’ or buying in large containers from supermarkets.
Over the past 40 years, we have been fortunate enough to spend over 4,500 nights ‘on the road’ using more than 60 different motorhomes and travelling in excess of 500,000 miles.
It is this experience together with our extensive manufacturing background that has given us the unique insight to create the optimum two berth van conversion motorhomes. We enjoy our travels and as a result, our product development and commitment to excellence continue to be the driving force behind the Consort brand.
We are more than happy to share our experience with you and help you in your quest to find the ultimate van conversion motorhome.