Since the last post we've done pretty well nothing, the weather has been fine though not particularly warm and we've enjoyed just hanging around. There have been some quite strong winds but the only effect on us has been the tops of the trees blowing around as we're well protected by tall hedges and the gale coming down the valley has been broken up by the buildings.
Jamie has disturbed us pretty well every night, wanting to go out for a wee, although we suspect it is more that he wants some attention and is bored just lying around. But Camping Dunas at El Puerto have confirmed our reservation so he's got long runs on a beautiful beach to look forward to.
But we're running out of provisions and, whilst the on-site shop is okay for emergencies, we really could do with some retail therapy. So after packing away, breakfast and then servicing the van we said our byebyes to the nice reception lady and headed out. Because we're going back to maybe meet our friends again we chose the town of Vera, not far away but a nice run through the Nature Reserve. Found Mercadonna okay which had a parking fee system, but if you bought enough it was free - no problem for us! Then, because we thought it would have the few items we'd run out of and couldn't get elsewhere, we went to the Iceland Overseas store just outside the town, parking in a back street as it was impossible to get Berties into their car park.
For those interested Iceland Overseas is a British owned and operated small chain of supermarkets in Spain catering to the UK ex-pat population as well as myriads of visitors. It's stock is mostly British branded food and drink, albeit a little more expensive than local alternatives - every item has to have a special "approved for sale in Spain" label"
Our "few items" turned into a full trolley load and we struggled a little getting it all packed away. Once we're at El Puerto before we do another shop we'll have a big sortout and rearrange it back to our normal layout. Having lots of cupboards is great as long as you can remember where you put things! Then lunch while we decided on where next. The weather forecast is good and we're in no rush to rejoin our friends we thought we might have a look at some of the wild camping areas around Palomares, an area we've stayed before. We did check a couple of campsites and camperstops, which as expected were all full.
But there were a number of large beach areas with room to spread well out and many motorhomers had chosen to stay there. No facilities but if you are self-contained a few days is very workable. The only downside is very occasionally the police come along and clear them out, usually because there have been complaints. Unhappily there are a few selfish people who either don't understand, or just plain ignore, the wild camping "code" thus spoiling it for everybody.
We investigated the first we came to, realising that we had in fact visited this very site before whilst staying at a campsite just a few hundred yards back into the hills. It would have been fine but we thought we'd have a look at some others, there being maybe half a dozen places in our camperstop apps. As it turned out the next wasn't actually in the apps but nevertheless had loads of room with may be 50 vans spread all over. We found a spot at the back of the beach which afforded us a little shelter from the breeze and decided this would do for a night or two.
Derek and June had been having problems getting a firm date to collect their new van and we had just been hanging around waiting to see if anything changed. So it was with some relief that late on we learned that the collection paperwork had finally been sorted out so we decided that tomorrow we'd return to the ranch.
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