Route Part 3 - The Road to Andalusia
'“I would sooner be a foreigner in Spain than in most countries. How easy it is to make friends in Spain!” – George Orwell
Having had a short break from travelling and enjoying a little sunshine in the Costa Brava, we set off to see the finest that Andalusia had to offer. Andalusia is a very interesting area, rich in history, mountainous in places and whilst the beaches aren’t as golden as the Costa Blanca, it is an area of outstanding natural beauty. The weather in winter can sometimes be less stable than that of the Costa Blanca however, mainly due to the mountains which offer skiing opportunities especially in the Sierra Nevada. The history of Spain is often intertwined with religious history and it was in this section of the Tour that I realise despite being together with H for over 32 years, that she had never seen the film El CID. However despite downloading it I yet to find a three hour in H’s busy schedule for her watch it.
We made the following stops in this section of the Tour.
Monastery of Santa Eulalia del Campo
Mazarron
Granada/Alhambra
Nerja
Malaga Beach Area
Ronda
This stop over has space for 5 vans on the car park, and there are some facilities and details can be found on the Camper Contact App.
There is an amazing walk up the hill that shows the 14 stations of the Crucifixion of Christ. Full image gallery here https://www.behance.net/gallery/140425369/Santuario-de-Santa-Eulalia-de-Mrida ( Free to View)
Stop Over No 2 . Área Cámper Mazarrón
What three words - ///seriousness.uproot.defiantly
Website address is here . This was a one night stop for us but this is a very well appointed and equipped site with bars, restaurants and pools. Not expensive and again sourced by the Camper Contact App - but we recommend booking ahead here if this your chosen destination it was very busy.
We didn’t really do too much here as we have been to Mazarron before, but would recommend if you have not been to the Port to head down there either on bikes or public transport it is a very nice place.
Our purpose for being here was a little less attractive though , we needed to wash clothes and restock with food , there is a Mercadona nearby and to get ready for the trip to come.
Stop Over No 3. Granada/Alhambra
What three words - ///speaker.stunner.unravel
The site web address is here
This place is a must visit for a tourist and here are the headlines
Tickets for access to the Alhambra site on our visit were €14.85 per person and can be booked on line
At our time of booking passport ID numbers needed to be submitted with the on line booking application
Passports needed to shown to allow access to the venue
Dogs were allowed in the gardens only and allowed in through only via certain entry points
The Alhambra site is stunning and well worth the money in every respect.
The site has a motorhome park up with no facilities - €38 low season for 24 hours - double in high season, it’s very expensive but patrolled and has CCTV. It is a safe place to visit the site and walk down to Granada.
Granada requires some security vigilance - there are thieves operating in the city as well as the usual street issues around heather/flowers for sale etc.
Camper Aire - Alhambra .
Our recommendation would be to visit out of season, bite the bullet and stay on the official Aire arriving at midday with a pm ticket booked for the Alhambra Palaces. Stay the night on the Aire, get up early the next day and head into the City returning to the Van before the end of the 24 hours and moving off to somewhere more cost effective for the night. This worked for us.
Do not be put off by security concerns from visiting Granada , here is our security advise for visiting.
Go early - we were in the city for 8am
Usual advice for major tourist attractions anywhere in the world - no wallets in back pockets , handbags are a risk , back packs are better but nothing valuable in the outer pockets , if approached by street sellers give a firm ‘no thank you’, do not engage in convseration and do not let the flower sellers put anything in your hand, even if it means letting the heather/flowers fall on the floor .
Park on the official Camper Stop
A full Granda image dump is here
Stop Over no 4. Nerja
What three words ///raising.beanpole.talker
Following our own advice above we headed out of Granda after lunch for a place to spend the night , not keen on spending another €38 for a further night and we chose Nerja, which is a favourite spot very popular with the British, who in fairness were here in numbers. The most concentration of people from home we had encountered on this trip.
The Camperstop here doesn’t look anything special and apart from rubbish , there are no facilities which at €18 per night was possibly the worst value for money stop over we have had on this trip , but it’s location was ideal and Nerja is very nice. We slept well and had a little walk around the town before leaving the next morning.
Stop Over no 5. Malaga Beach
What three words ///hounded.freed.bubbles
If Nerja was poor value for money , this next camper spot was the opposite. It was quirky, a little bohemian and run by two delightfully eccentric ladies and it was a favourite for us. The site is ideally located , very popular and needs booking in advance. The facilities here are as good as you can find with easy access to the beach and easy cycle routes along the coast in either direction.
There is a Malaga Beach Area photo dump here
As you would expect there is a great choice of places to eat along the coast all reasonably priced and a supermarket nearby in addition. The camp shop sells most things you will need. This was a highlight spot for us , the beaches of course are a volcanic grey colour here , gone are the golden sands of the Coast Blanca , but in front of the site is only one of the two dog friendly beaches in Anducalcia. Happy days.
Stop Over no 6. Ronda
What three words ///unanswered.quacking.cold
I am not sure I have the words to describe Ronda , we stumbled across it really , prompted by a friend saying ‘do not miss it’ we headed there. It’s just unique , I think I’ll let the pictures tell it’s story and repeat our friends words “do not miss it”
There are a number of Aires in Rhonda and Camping options, but we stayed at Area De Autocaravanas Ciudad de Ronda , another Camper Contact App option, which allowed us a 30 min walk to the main centre of the town.
There is a full image dump from Ronda here
Hopefully this has been helpful , Part 1 and 2 of our journey are also available in our blog section. Now we are onwards to Portugal.
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