Route Part 2 - To the Valencian Community
Our Itinerary - We just just have to visit.
As the weather turned we headed for our usual sanctuary of the Valencian Community, as after seven days off grid we had clothes to wash , the need of a food shop and most importantly a few days in the sunshine. Two out of three was the outcome, as the weather became unseasonably wet for Spain and we were also hit by a sandstorm but more on that later. The Valencian Community it is.
The Valencian Community, is an autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish autonomous community after Andalusia, Catalonia and Madrid with more than five million inhabitants. Its capital Valencia is the third largest city and metropolitan area in Spain .
Stop Over 1 . Bonterra Park, Benicassim
What three words location - ///partner.awards.stream
The site website address is here
Our first stop was Bonterra Park at Benicassim , a regular stop for us on our travels with memories of attending a Bailey Owners rally in 2017 with our previous van and making new long standing friends. The site has some small pitches (called comfort pitches) and we unfortunately did end up on one which meant we parked a little Katie cornered. The pitches are themselves not small per se , just in groups of four in cul-de-sac’s with trees positioned to make manoeuvring in some corners a challenge. Don’t be put off though with care and some patience this can be resolved and this is a great site in a very good location. A large supermarket is located just outside the site entrance and after a short walk and you’ll arrive on the sea front promenade. A warning for dog owners though, Los Perros are not allowed on the sands between March and October which for a Norfolk beach dog like Poppy this was hard to take.
This however is one of our favourites and whether you are wanting short walks along the promenade or to walk a bit further into the hills adjacent or indeed ride your bike, it has everything you might need. A decent bar and restaurant to boot.
Here are a few images between the breaks in the rain.
Stop Over No 2 . Nomadic Camping Car Valencia
What three words - ///trend.solids.nails
Website address is here
Valencia is without doubt our favourite City in Spain and we have been to both Madrid and Barcelona , it has everything and the Las Fallas festival is just the most amazing experience , albeit louder than an ACDC Concert. If you’re interested in the festival we have written a previous blog here
You might ask why it’s our favourite Spanish City , it has history, culture and style . It’s people are friendly, charismatic , stylish and energetic . If you never been we urge you try it. This year we visited the week before the festival reaches its crescendo, as we now have Poppy to think about.
The Camper Van Park is impressive and defies its first impression. It is popular, well equipped and serves craft beers. An eclectic mix of vans were present, it felt like all van life was represented. A future VLOG will show this in more detail but we loved the site but it must be booked. Often full most nights we saw unbooked campers parked outside on the street.
The Aire is located on an off road biking route, which after 30 mins peddling you will arrive into the centre of Valencia. There is also a train stop near the aire which also takes you to the city. We used our bikes to travel in Valencia for two consecutive days and had a wonderful time in our favourite city. We’ll be back Valencia - watch out for the future VLOG.
The site will divide opinion there is no doubt , it is massive with over 1300 pitches not including bungalows and chalets and two large outdoor pool areas. It has every conceivable need covered from gym and spa , to hairdressers and nail bars , restaurants , outdoor plaza’s , tennis courts and children’s entertainment. The reception is more like a concierge desk and they will do anything you ask of them. The site is family orientated , popular with the Spanish and loud at festival times. Our relationship with this site goes back five years and we visited this site with a caravan and it is an excellent site to winter long term. Long termers are looking for something different to holiday makers or tourers and this place, until recently known as Marjal Camping, gives it to them. For us, we come back to visit our friends who winter here from Holland, they come in December and leave at the end of March each year and they love it. It is an ideal cycling location and we have used the local train networks to get to Valencia , Murcia , Madrid , Alicante , Benidorm and Altea. The local Nature reserve is a must see and we will always come back here. This year however it give us an added twist as a sand storm hit , so severe we were warned by the local authorities not to go out in it.
Stop Over no 4. Camping Alicante Imperium
What three words ///fears.ticket.release
Site web address is here
After an interesting time with the sand storms of Africa and managing the social habits of our friends from Holland which basically involved getting up , riding 50 miles on your bike followed by drinking, eating , singing , laughing and then sleeping only to repeat this cycle again the next day, we felt we were ready for a rest. We had a wonderful time but on a long trip we always plan a holiday within a holiday , we picked another nice site and just chilled for a while. Camping Alicante Imperium at Villajoysa was ideal. A great place in every respect , however the weather did not let up and the rains came everyday and only let up for a few hours. We’ll be back here though it’s a great place , but again Los Perros are not allowed on the beach.
The tram stops in Villajoyosa , one way to Benidorm and the other to Alicante. This is lovely little place, full of coloured houses and nice places to eat. It is not at all like it’s larger party town up the road. We liked it so much we booked it again for next year.
To book or not to book
People often ask us whether we book sites , the answer is yes we do , but not too far in advance so as to allow us some flexibility. We understand some people find this restrictive but we don’t and it works for us. We would always book sites at key holiday times such as Easter and in key locations where we want to ensure a location is available. Aires of course in the main cannot be booked so we follow the advice of the French which is to travel in a morning , arrive at an Aire after lunch and set off exploring on foot. This way you can normally get a spot.
Social Media links
To watch our travels more consistently our social links are above and below - our latest instagram feed is below.
