Category: Travel

Getting back on track after our amazing weeks detour and return to Cabo de Gata, we headed south for the lovely out of season town of Nerja and found a beach side parking for a few days. From here we explored Nerja which at the end of November had a British retirement home feel to it. Much like a more relaxed and cleaner version of Benidorm. We also visited the mountain village of Figiliana and spent some nice time hiking the waterways high above this quaint village.

After enjoying some more time at our lovely parking watching the most incredible sunrises, we made our way a little further down the coast to Torre del Mar and naturist camping Almanat. We were not sure if we would stay but after walking around we thought we would give it a try even though we were very sceptical. As it turned out we should have gone with our gut feeling and just left and cancelled the booking.

The campsite was pretty awful to say the least. Still absolutely filthy after the high water where everything you touched or put down was covered with dirt and mud. Not their fault obviously but the entrance and all access roads around the camp were like a swamp. It left us feeling depressed and sorry for the state of this part of Spain..

The beach was like a bomb site with no real attempt to clean it up and even if you could find a spot amongst the debris you then had to put up with the inevitable flurry of activity around us when an attractive woman appeared. So we packed up and left there as soon as we could.

Driving further down the Costa del Sol we were heading for our final destination of the trip and the furthest south we would go. We wanted to visit Malaga and parked just outside Torremolinos and directly under the flight path! The car park did turn out to be a decent base though as it was close enough to walk to the train station and also near a Nike outlet where I finally had some new running shorts as Leela had sewn up my old ones too many times now on this trip!

Malaga was a nice city with plenty of room to move and a relaxed atmosphere. We walked to the castle, the marina and all through the old town. Unfortunately the one art exhibition that we wanted to see was closed on a Monday so we just walked the city and did enjoy the market and Christmas lights, even though they were not on in the middle of the day.

The city gave us a feeling that it is mainly geared toward the huge cruise ships that dock right in the centre. Even the market, where we hoped to have eaten, had a very structured menu. Not the vibrant chaotic locals market that we were led to believe and hoping to experience. The options for a  cheap beer and nice Tapas replaced with expensive cava and a €15 bowl of paella that looked like it had been sitting there for three days! So we continued walking late into the afternoon before taking the train back toward the Costa’s and the parking lot.

We were hoping to have stayed at least another day there to take a look at the naturist beach nearby, but as the beach clean-up was progressing very slowly we decided to move on to have a last day together at a beach further south.

We found a nice little park-up very close to Cabopino naturist beach where we had hoped to enjoy. The usual unfathomable behaviour and cruising in the dunes on a Wednesday afternoon bringing stress to straight couples and single women is a constant irritation to us. But the sun shone and we tried to focus on ourselves.

Unfortunately we had to leave shortly after when a man walked around us 3 times within a couple of feet and then began playing with himself. I tried to be polite and then more threatening but I should have just called the Police. The outcome was the same as with all of them. Run away. They do not understand the extreme stress that they bring to people and they are so lucky that they don’t get themselves into more trouble than just a verbal exchange. We were jointly hugely frustrated with the day, the local people, and the area.

It was so sad as it was to be our final day together of the trip and it was spoiled by the state of something that we love so dearly – Naturism. Well of course not exactly the lifestyle of Naturism but the men (and it is only men) who are now using it as a foil to their terrible behaviour in ALL naturist locations that we have visited. Without exception.

We hoped for a fantastic last day together, but we were both left deflated with people so we had a few beers and watched an amazing sunset and night sky which cheered us up no end..

The next day was our planned official end to the trip as Leela was flying back to Austria first as she had to prepare to go back to work and there was lots to take care of, and I would slowly make my way back over the next days to return by Christmas.

There are always highs and lows with extended travel and this last week or so was definitely the low point of the trip. It was such a shame that this particular journey had ended a little flat, but what we had done, achieved, seen and experienced was just incredible.

Happy travels.

After our amazing time inland and in the mountains we returned to the coastline at Motril. This would be the week of Leela’s birthday but our plans of staying a whole week at the naturist camp Almanat would have to be put on hold as the campsite had suffered badly during the flooding a couple of weeks earlier and were still trying to clean up the mess. So we moved our reservation to give them some more time and changed our plans a little.

Leela’s only request was to be near the ocean and hopefully on a naturist beach, and by far the best beaches we had seen on this trip were at Cabo de Gata. So we made the couple of hours drive back up the coast to this incredible natural paradise once more, and with the weather forecast looking like beach weather all week, we were sure she would get what she wanted.

We spent a quiet night just outside the park before heading for San Jose and a few nights in this sleepy town, spending the days running, hiking and relaxing on the amazing beaches that run along this peninsula.

Next we moved to las Negras for a few nights and done pretty much the same in and around Playazo de Rodalquilar beach. Before returning to San Jose for Leela’s birthday and just an amazing day in 25 degrees, blue skies and still swimming in the crystal clear ocean at the end of November. We had a lovely meal in a quaint restaurant, a very seldom treat for us on this trip, and a fantastic time exploring this spectacular landscape.

Cabo de Gata really is a unique and amazing place to visit and we can wholeheartedly recommend it if you are active outdoors and a beach and nature lover. If you are a naturist it has the added bonus of having a few officially designated naturist beaches within the park. But with Spains liberal nudism laws and in low season, you can pretty much be naked everywhere as we were. From sunrise to sunset, on the beaches, at the van, and whilst hiking which was an incredible bonus and made the week unforgettable for us to feel so free in this natural paradise.

Happy birthday.

Leaving Catalunya we headed into the mountains surrounding Valencia for a week of hiking and searching for rivers and beautiful swimming pools.

The first stop after a tortuous drive was Fuente de los Baños in the town of Montanejos. This is a natural (luke) warm spring favoured by the locals of the valley and has magical youth capturing powers that we were both keen to try out! The pool is quite spectacular and as we arrived late in the afternoon after the sun had gone we pretty much had it to ourselves. The water was not so warm and the powers not so strong but a very enjoyable natural phenomenon to experience.

We found an incredible location to park for the night overlooking the village and were enjoying a bottle of wine when a psycho local woman started slamming the van and screaming at us in the pitch black which was quite alarming, and after calmly explaining that we were doing nothing wrong she drove off still screaming. Deciding that discretion would be best we left and parked in a lay-by on the main road, but it was our first negative parking experience of the trip so far.

We next drove cross-country on very picturesque and completely empty roads to our next destination of Calles. Finding a lovely parking spot next to the river we left the van and headed out to find the Roman Aqueducts for which this area is famous. The hike takes you deep into the mountains and high above the twin towns of Calles and Chelva until you get to the aqueduct and waterways. Its an incredible feat of engineering with deep walls, tunnels, and a very impressive bridge all hand worked in the middle of nowhere and in times when you cant imagine creating such structures. We followed these amazing waterways and dropped back to the very quiet town of Chelva with its labyrinth of crazy tiny streets and sleepy cats before following the river back to Calles for a deserved beer.

Next on our itinerary was the highlight of this area and a visit to the hilltop town of Chulilla with its gorges, oasis, and hanging bridges. The drive there was again testing but we found the most amazing parking once more and set off on our pre-planned and very long hike to try and see everything on offer in one day!

First heading out of town there are some outstanding views of Charco Azul which would be last on the days itinerary, and then paid the attendant the 1€ each to enter the gorge of Turia. This is quite an amazing natural oasis and almost looks like it has been created by Disney as it is almost too good!

The hike takes you back and forth across the river on high hanging bridges and wooden paths and follows the river to the end of the gorge where most turn back, but after a break we headed on to take a look at the Loriguilla reservoir and then the tough and exposed hike which brings you to Pinturas Rupestres.

These prehistoric 5000 year old cave paintings were first discovered in 1998 and even though natural decay has eroded nearly all of the frescos, it was still worth the effort to witness and to be so close to such amazing history.

Back on the path it was another decent hike to the village but after a break we headed this time back up the gorge to the truly beautiful Charco Azul and after a very hard 20km in hot weather we were ready to finish the day with a swim in this breathtaking location.

Moving on from Chulilla, the final water stop for this section would be the town of Buñol. This town is not famous for the natural pools but more so for the crazy Tomatino festival held in August each year where for 1 hour, 10 thousand people decide to throw tomatoes at each other and then wallow in the sauce filled streets before being hosed down and leaving this sleepy village to get on with its business for another year.

But we were there for the river and cave pools this time and although the larger of the two caves was closed for needed path repairs, we soldiered on to the upper cave which was just an amazing natural experience. As we were there on the Spanish National Holiday, it was a little overrun so we didn’t get in, deciding instead to follow the river back down and away from the crowds.

This turned out to be a great move as we not only saw some wild Ibex but also found some beautiful small pools to bathe in alone. Taking a look around Buñol on our return there didn’t seem to be any party planned for the evening and as our parking was nothing exciting we decided to move on for the evening.

Randomly picking a remote village parking which was midway to our next destination we arrived early evening to see that there were banners and plastic chairs placed along the main street so for sure there was something going on later. So we parked under the imposing Montesa Castle, had a quick beer, and headed into this tiny village to see what was going on.

The rest of the evening was a surreal blur of a few beers, wine, and tribes of Christians and Moors in full regalia, make-up, masks and horses all stamping through the town. Each tribe was followed by a marching band pumping out an incredible sound, and they were greeted at the end of the village by a blast of fireworks. It was quite an amazing spectacle and a completely random find where we were for sure the only foreigners there but welcomed in by a local family wholeheartedly.

Leaving through the main street and the clean-up operation the following morning, we headed to our last in-land stop for a while and climbed the 700m mountain road to Sierra Natura Naturist camp nestled deep in the mountains. Here we spent some lovely days in this quite unique campsite wishing that the weather was better so we could have stayed longer. It is quite a random collection of buildings and pitches laid out across the forrest, all surrounding the quite bizarre swimming pool. The facilities were spotless and the owners very friendly and together with the quite wonderful forest walks available we would really recommend a visit if you are in the area and want some complete peace and quiet in total nature.

Returning to the coast south of Valencia we found a perfect place to park right on the ocean where we stayed still for over a week and enjoyed the amazing sunrises each day and time on the wonderful naturist beach of Cullera. It was just incredible to be enjoying full summer days in the middle of October and we were making the most of this lifetime experience that we had given ourselves.

After the excitement of Cap d’Adge we would have liked to have gone a little deeper into the mountains, but unfortunately the weather wasn’t in our favour so we decided to head to Cerét a little earlier than planned. This town has the museum of modern art as well as apparently the best street market in the whole of France. Quite a claim!

We arrived on a dank Friday evening and parked under the Devils bridge. The following day was market day so we set off bright and early to see what the fuss was about. And we have to be honest and say that this was definitely the best street market we both had ever seen. The quantity and quality of local goods and produce on offer was quite amazing. Everything you could want in home grown organic foods and grains, flowers, and some pretty decent clothing as well as a lovely buzz to the town.

After the market we went to the museum of modern art for a couple of hours of stimulation. Cerét is famous for housing a few of the so called greats including Picasso, Chagall and Max Jacob. They were attracted by the bohemian atmosphere and openness to male orientation. Although it didn’t fare so well for Jacob when the Nazis came rolling through. The works on display were very impressive as well as being very priceless and it was an enjoyable current instalment also.

The next days forecast was terrible but fortunately for us it was completely wrong so we went on a long hike to a waterfall which was overtaken by locals and continued deep into the forest and came across an amazing pool where we could swim and have our lunch in the sun in this secret natural paradise. Saying goodbye to a nice few days in the foot of the pyrenees we cleaned and serviced the van so that all 3 of us were respectable enough to head for Spain!

Crossing the crazy border towns of Le Perthus we headed for the Camper Aire of Montmeló, just a stones throw away from the F1 circuit. The park up was absolutely terrible. Full of rubbish, a service point drain full of human waste as the black waste was broken and total and utter morons pour their toilet cassette into the open drain. And a fresh water connection you had to disinfect with a pressure washer. But it was late and we wanted to visit Barcelona the next day so we just closed the doors and blocked everything out which is our way in situations like this.

The next morning we were on the train and very slowly heading toward the city, seemingly stopping in every town in Spain on the way. But after a slight backtrack from missing our stop we were emerging into the crazy Barcelona city atmosphere.

Covering over 26km in the day we pretty much saw everything we wanted and more. The city is really diverse and there is pretty much every cross-section of human there as well as every type of business that you could possibly want. We very much enjoyed the tiny streets, the seafront, and especially La Sagrada Família. Its worth the effort alone to walk around this incredible structure.

Returning back to the van after an exhausting day we were good for nothing and even the thought of making a meal was too much for us, so we had a cold beer and called it a night.

Leaving the filth of the car park the next morning we first had to find a clean camper service and then headed for the beach. This would be our last day together for a couple of weeks as unfortunately Leela had to head back to America to sort some things out once more. So we found a lovely naturist beach near Calafell and spent the day in the beautiful sunshine whilst getting sandblasted in the process as the wind was still haunting us.

Leaving Leela at the Airport again was not easy and the next few days I was a little lost so I just stayed where I was to work out a new plan for myself. It really was a lovely place with an amazing seafront and a wonderful Naturist beach where I enjoyed to run each morning and swim in the afternoons. I also managed a well needed hair cut with Abdul, the charming yet ever so slightly menacing local Moroccan barber!

The next days were spent in the quiet and picturesque hillside town of Prat de Comte in the Serres de Pàndols-Cavalls national park where I done some hiking, visited La Fontcalda (not so) hot springs and rode the impressive Terra Alta bike way before returning to the coast.

Finding a safe and very nice place a stones throw away from Playa del Torm, a quite amazing naturist beach, I stayed still for the best part of a week. Just running, hiking and enjoying the freedom of nature at this incredible beach before driving back up the coast to pick up the returning Leela from the train station so that we could be back on our way together.

We did take a detour to get four new tyres for the van which were much required and with new running shoes on, we then spent some lovely time back at Playa del Torn together which brought an end to our Catalunya adventure.