Time to move on. We had planned to spend half our trip in Pinar San Jose (a campsite in Zahora, near Barbate), ,on the Atlantic coast and the other half in Camping Los Madriles which is in a lovely village called Isla Plana, on the Mediterranean coast. However, the weather in Pinar was so good we thought me might as well spend the whole time there. Although the weather started well, the trees that provide a lovely shade during the height of summer worked against us in the beginning of the Spanish winter. We decided, as we knew the campsite in Isla Plana was more open, that it would be well worth the 2-day drive to get a little more sunshine around the caravan (or at least Jane did)!

The quieter roads disappear as soon as you get down level with Gibraltar and you are faced with the Spanish version of the M25 as you pass Algeciras, Marbella and Malaga, which is always fun when towing!

At least when you find a rest spot they come with great views!

Our overnight stop was in the small resort of Motril and the campsite was just over the road from the beach. The only problem with having the sea so close at hand is that the campsite was very tight to manoeuvre in with quite a lot of trees to watch out for, and the pitches were very small!

But after a long drive it was very handy to walk across the road for an evening stroll along the beach.

Los Madrilles……..borders of bougainvillaea and nice wide open pitches with a view of the sea……….

It’s a lot less windy here and in consequence a lot easier when riding your bike. A perfect opportunity to do a little more Geocaching……..Jane thinks I take a few too many risks whilst I’m climbing over the rocks in search of there caches, but in reality she knows that I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to hurting myself so she doesn’t moan too much!

Sometimes the tracks are a little too rough for cycling……….

But the views are always worth it when you get to the top!

This part of Spain is more popular with the British, and consequently they are well catered for. I managed to get my hands on a couple of life’s basic necessities, which due to Brexit we can’t now bring over with us…..

Jane thought that my new sun hat was a little on the large size!

We took a trip in to Cartagena, and it was only when we got there that Jane told me she wanted to spend the day shopping……she took this picture of me by the statue of another man that didn’t want to go shopping!

The Ventura was in port whilst we were there so the shops were even busier than normal!

A great sunset on our way back from shopping, and as I was good Jane bought me a cake for behaving myself!

I’m not too sure of the story of this area which has been barred from all motorised traffic, but there is a lovely coastal walk past many deserted and crumbling buildings. It was once a community with houses, farms, barns and villas, and our only thoughts were that it must have been too expensive to maintain the crumbling infrastructure. It was a lovely walk, though, and with the added bonus of a few Geocaches along the way. (Mind you there were a few I couldn’t find, so next time I’ll have to bring along someone with a lot older and far wiser head on his shoulders ……….Kev Heard…..)

A Sunday morning cycle ride in to the nearby town of Mazarron to get the papers and have a full English……….lovely!