Valencia

Sunday 4th November

Barcelona to Valencia,

is the penultimate leg of our journey to Cartagena, Murcia and we're feeling quite buoyant.  After the next stop it's La Manga del Mar Menor, feet down and legs up for a couple of months.  We've had, and continue to have, great pleasure and great fun from our travels through France, Andorra and into Spain.  We are now ready for an extended rest.  225 miles to our final overnight stop puts us on the southern edge of Valencia, next door to Albufera National Park, home to the largest lake in Spain and an important wetland area. Despite the cloud, we left in a temperature of 18˚C.

It was beautiful drive, mostly alongside the Balearic Sea and often very close, to within a few feet at times. Ocasionally the sun shone but we started in cloud and we ended in cloud.  The temperature however did change.  By 4pm we were set up and thinking about dinner.  The temperature had risen to 27˚ and we sat out enjoying the all enveloping warmth.

The following morning dawned hot and sunny so we sat out for a while before taking a walk round the site.  We were the only people here apart from a few workmen, restoring the site to its pristine pre-season state.  It's a beautiful site with well kept hedges and shrubs and white painted walls.

We came upon a circular stadium which at first we thought was a sports arena but soon realised it was a BULL RING!

Later we headed off to stock up on provisions from the nearest supermarket.

Our drive to Carrefour took us back along the CV500 for about a mile then a left turn and onto the CV401 which ran to Alfafar directly across the Albufera National Park. We saw Herons by the score,or to be more precise, a hedge of herons, including what we think is a Mauve Heron, and dozens of small white birds, some with black beaks and some with orange.  I later found out these were Little Herons and Cattle Egrets respectively.  We sat in the car with the binoculars and watched whilst being further entertained by starlings flocking above us.

Little Heron

Tuesday 6th November

We woke up to a dull and dismal day.  Although not cold, it was 15˚C to start rising in the afternoon to 18˚, we decided to begin to make good for our final stage of the journey tomorrow. Despite the gentle rain we drove out to the wetland and watched the herons.

We are outside of the footprint of the Astra group of satellites with our 80cm dish here therefore no tv or radio for the time being so on our return we read until our eyes refused to stay open.

Wednesday 7th November

We left at 11.45am on the final leg of our journey.  180 miles now to La Manga and all on the AP7. A toll road and perhaps for that reason, surprisingly quiet, with long periods when there was no car in front and nothing behind. We later read in a local English written newspaper there has been a 30% drop in the number of vehicles using the toll roads in Spain. The trip from Barcelona to Valencia cost us €39.70 then a further €5.20 to La Manga.  Total cost of tolls on our 2,000 mile journey amounts to €155.00 or approximately £125 - about 6 pence per mile.  For us towing it's a price worth paying with no roundabouts or junctions to contend with and part of the cost is saved by a lower fuel consumption, and it helps keep my blood pressure down!

At 4pm we arrived at Camping La Manga, 30 days from leaving home and kowing we were here for a couple of months. We breathed a joint sigh of relief.