We've been at Camping Las Dunas for two weeks now, probably the longest we've stayed anywhere, so it's time to move on. Much of our gear was packed away yesterday leaving the basics to be finished off today. However Jamie decided that he needed to go out a couple of times which saw Terry wandering around the campsite in the dead of night with a poo bag! 7.30am saw us both up, cleaning him up after a particularly messy episode, so we just gave up and made a cuppa before getting the day started properly. We had decided on an early start anyway but.......
After breakfast we packed away the final bits of equipment, refilled the water tank and pumped the suspension back up. On the rear springs we have air-assist but when we stop it tends to stretch a bit so we let most of the air out which keeps the van level, just have to remember to pump it back up again or we get a very odd ride! Then after watching an inept Belgian almost reverse into another motorhome, despite screams and shouts from other onlookers, we followed said Belgian round to the waste dump station where he couldn't seem to make his mind up which of the two to use. So we made it up for him and did ours first. He seemed a bit miffed!
Then with all the formalities already completed we simply drove out of the campsite and headed for our first stop, a large Mercadona supermarket on the edge of town. On this occasion we were following Google Maps on the phone but it sent us around in circles so, as TomTom wasn't doing any better, we found our own way out of the town until Google sorted itself out. Then with the larder fully replenished we headed out onto the A4 autovia to Cadiz. Cadiz? We wanted Seville which is the other way. So Terry switched his brain back on and 15km later we were on the right road in beautiful sunshine. Until once again a moment of inattention resulted in us missing the turn TomTom was giving us, but not to worry, we did exactly the same thing last year so carried on the N4 until we eventually got back onto our route.
Not unexpectedly, as it was lunchtime, it got busier the closer we got to Seville but we picked up signs showing an alternative route which avoided the inner ring road and ongoing roadworks on and around the big bridge then took us through the docks area, which we recalled we also did last year, before joining the autovia west towards Portugal. We paused at a service area for a latish lunch and also to review our plans for overnighting. We had agreed to meet up with our friend Eds brother who lives on the Algarve and had selected a motorhome parking place near his home. However we felt that it was now a bit far to go, bearing in mind trying to find a place late in the day in our experience wasn't a good idea. So Bren got busy with our campsite apps and found a couple in the port city of Huelva, just short of the Portuguese border. Google Maps seemed to be having a bad day so we pulled over to programme TomTom who took us to a very pleasant street parking area alongside the river where we joined a couple of other motorhomes, just squeezing into the only available space, although of course later in the day many of the parked cars left.
It's probably worth commenting that it is quite permissible to park a motorhome almost anywhere in Spain, even overnight, provided it is not causing an obstruction and, obviously, there are no local regulations prohibiting it. The main rule is that there must be no "camping behaviour", for example putting out tables and chairs, barbeques or erecting awnings, or discharging waste. However there is no rule forbidding sleeping inside. So provided you are careful and considerate you will usually be left alone, unless a number of campers all congregate and turn it into a makeshift campsite. It then only takes one complaint and the local police will come along and move you on. However one or two isolated motorhomes are most often left alone by patrolling police.
But I digress. The only problem with this spot was that it was on a fairly busy road and it continued to be so well into the evening, not helped by being located next to a "sleeping policeman" where every vehicle slowed right down and then accelerated away again! But it did quieten down, but as for it being an undisturbed night..............
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