Tincataylor
Free Member
- Jul 9, 2012
- 639
- 1,360
- Funster No
- 21,869
- MH
- Coachbuilt
- Exp
- Never leave a campsite with your clothes line tied to a lamp post.
This winter we have opted to return to Spain and Portugal until late February, and we have decided to start off with spending Christmas and New Year at the Turiscampo site near Espiche, Lagos; but first we have to get there.
The packing of the van went like clockwork due to Mrs Tinca's meticulous planning and by 10:00 we were on the road to Portsmouth for an appointment with the Pont Aven to whisk us away to Santander. The journey to the port was uneventful until we finally boarded the ferry (an hour and a half late due to bad weather) when things were definitely a little different to last year. I thought Brittany Ferries may have changed the name of the ship to the Marie Celeste as we felt like we were the only people on board. Our last outward journey in 2014 was also from Portsmouth, but then it was on the Cap Finisterre to Bilbao, and the boat was rammed with lorries and camper vans heading south. The Pont Aven by comparison was very empty and by 10:00 in the evening we were one of about three couples listening to the cabaret act and trying to make them feel like they weren't wasting their time. Perhaps it was just as well they didn't ask us to join in the chorus. The crossing was a little lumpy in the channel but once we turned the corner into the Bay of Biscay it settled down to a steady swell. In addition we got an upgrade on our cabin as the one we were allocated was well forward on the starboard side where it was considered it would be too uncomfortable given the rough sea conditions, so we got a 4 berth outside cabin amidships which was much better.
On arrival in Santander it was already 22:00 local time so rather than drive on into the night we headed for the marina where we found it was a perfect place to spend the night for free so we could start bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning. We were on the road by 10:00 and heading along the north coast on our way to Santiago de Compostela which was where we would turn south and drive down through Portugal to the Algarve. This was our first time on the north coast and we found it very scenic driving past the snow covered Picos de Europa mountains and the Eucalyptus plantations with the coast visible for a lot of the time on our right hand side. We never like to spend a whole day driving so we opted for a free camper stop in the town of Gijon which was right on the beach and a short walk into the town where we were able to buy a few odds and ends. The camper stop is next to the port entrance, so there was some noise up until midnight from lorries entering and leaving, but all in all it was perfectly OK for us.
Thing's they don't tell you in the manual #8
When purchasing any Michelin road map make sure you purchase a roll of Sellotape on a dispenser at the same time as the map will fall apart just by looking at it.
Next day it was Mrs Tinca's turn to drive and she got the longer stretch to Santiago de Compostela so I could sit back and enjoy the scenery. We stopped at a small roasdide cafe at mid morning for a break and were served 3 cups of delicious coffee (Costa and Starbuck's take note) and home made tapas and crisps for under 4 Euro's, superb value. We made really good time on the road and we were camped up at the As Cancelas camp site and walking into town by late afternoon. We did the usual meander through the old town and completed a tour of the cathedral just as they were starting evening mass. A few glasses of the excellent local Galician wines and tapas later and it was time to hop on the bus back to the camp site where we slept very well indeed after what had been a long day. After another great nights sleep we drove the relativly short distance to a camperstop on the beach at Sanxenxo where we will chill out to the sound of the waves lapping the shore twenty metres from our van, before heading south to Porto in the morning.
The packing of the van went like clockwork due to Mrs Tinca's meticulous planning and by 10:00 we were on the road to Portsmouth for an appointment with the Pont Aven to whisk us away to Santander. The journey to the port was uneventful until we finally boarded the ferry (an hour and a half late due to bad weather) when things were definitely a little different to last year. I thought Brittany Ferries may have changed the name of the ship to the Marie Celeste as we felt like we were the only people on board. Our last outward journey in 2014 was also from Portsmouth, but then it was on the Cap Finisterre to Bilbao, and the boat was rammed with lorries and camper vans heading south. The Pont Aven by comparison was very empty and by 10:00 in the evening we were one of about three couples listening to the cabaret act and trying to make them feel like they weren't wasting their time. Perhaps it was just as well they didn't ask us to join in the chorus. The crossing was a little lumpy in the channel but once we turned the corner into the Bay of Biscay it settled down to a steady swell. In addition we got an upgrade on our cabin as the one we were allocated was well forward on the starboard side where it was considered it would be too uncomfortable given the rough sea conditions, so we got a 4 berth outside cabin amidships which was much better.
On arrival in Santander it was already 22:00 local time so rather than drive on into the night we headed for the marina where we found it was a perfect place to spend the night for free so we could start bright eyed and bushy tailed in the morning. We were on the road by 10:00 and heading along the north coast on our way to Santiago de Compostela which was where we would turn south and drive down through Portugal to the Algarve. This was our first time on the north coast and we found it very scenic driving past the snow covered Picos de Europa mountains and the Eucalyptus plantations with the coast visible for a lot of the time on our right hand side. We never like to spend a whole day driving so we opted for a free camper stop in the town of Gijon which was right on the beach and a short walk into the town where we were able to buy a few odds and ends. The camper stop is next to the port entrance, so there was some noise up until midnight from lorries entering and leaving, but all in all it was perfectly OK for us.
Thing's they don't tell you in the manual #8
When purchasing any Michelin road map make sure you purchase a roll of Sellotape on a dispenser at the same time as the map will fall apart just by looking at it.
Next day it was Mrs Tinca's turn to drive and she got the longer stretch to Santiago de Compostela so I could sit back and enjoy the scenery. We stopped at a small roasdide cafe at mid morning for a break and were served 3 cups of delicious coffee (Costa and Starbuck's take note) and home made tapas and crisps for under 4 Euro's, superb value. We made really good time on the road and we were camped up at the As Cancelas camp site and walking into town by late afternoon. We did the usual meander through the old town and completed a tour of the cathedral just as they were starting evening mass. A few glasses of the excellent local Galician wines and tapas later and it was time to hop on the bus back to the camp site where we slept very well indeed after what had been a long day. After another great nights sleep we drove the relativly short distance to a camperstop on the beach at Sanxenxo where we will chill out to the sound of the waves lapping the shore twenty metres from our van, before heading south to Porto in the morning.