We finally left Benicarlo, after thinking, we really must get moving as we still have a long way to go and the weather is not looking too good. Our next stop was a aire which we stayed on when we were travelling south. Oh how I wish we were now. I hate going north, the thought of going to work, the cold windy days. Even worse at the moment with the so called beast from the east attacking the Europe and the UK. The guy who runs the aire greeted us with his usual smile and remembered us from the last time we were there in November. We only stayed a night and were up and away the next morning just after 9am heading into France where we would spend another night on a aire. The forecast was to be really cold with frost etc. After a five hour drive we arrived at the aire parked up and settled in for the night. Next morning although it was cold there was no frost but it was cold. After spending over three months in Spanish sun, it was cold. I even packed my flip flops away. Life’s tuff sometimes. On the road again to St Germain les belles, again a campsite we stayed at last year on the way home. Run by a Dutch couple who speak very good English with a have a great sense of humour. We spent three night there, the days were so sunny but a cold wind and the nights down to -5 but we were as snug as a bug in a rug in our camper. From there another five hour drive to just outside Le Mans, home to the famous 24 hour race. We are using Nikki’s phone as the sat nav as well as a good old fashion map after our sat nav has decided to leave us. Surprisingly it’s doing us good with only a couple of small blips. We opted to try and find campsites to stay on so we electric for the heating etc, makes life easier. The campsite we are on now is run by a English couple, they only bought it two years ago after it had been closed for nine years. So they have a lot of work to do but they are getting there. It’s a bit rustic but full off wildlife and birds. We have seen two red squirrels. Tomorrow we move on a bit further north. Picture is the mill house just outside the campsite.

We left camping imperium in Villajoyosa on Saturday the 17th of February after being there for three months. After saying our goodbyes to everyone which took about an hour. The week leading up to our departure we slowly packed things up while it was dry in between doing other stuff. We have so many nice friends here. The camper fired up and we drove down the campsite to waves of goodbyes from all directions. Not sure if they were going to miss us or just glad we were going. While Nikki was packing up she pops her head out the door and says one of the catches on a draw has broke so won’t stay shut, not good for travelling, no worries I will sort it in a minute! Five minutes later the kitchen tap is broke again. No worries I will sort it when we get to the next place! The tap has been a ongoing problem. It’s got a micro switch in and is a bad design. It has two very thin wires that rub and break, so I have to dismantle the whole thing and put insulating tape round the joins. It then works again for maybe a month, maybe two three months. I have another switch and will replace the whole thing one day! Another five minutes later after the draw, the tap, a little voice announces the sat nav is not firing up. Ok that bloody thing can go in the bin! The sat nav is built into the dash and is a radio, CD player, DVD player and is supposed to be a sat nav. To be fair it has been very good, but last year it had a couple of blips and on the trip down this year it had more than a couple of blips. It’s old now and needs updating. So the radio, cd, dvd works but no sat nav. Another thing to buy when we get home, well after we have started work. It’s going to cost but it doesn’t matter. We do so many miles in Europe we have to have a good one. I know none of them are fool proof but I want the best I can get. When you travel through some of the French, spanish and Portugal villages you know whatI mean.

So our plan was to leave imperium and drive up the coast to Benicarlo, about three hours away. So were out on the road with out sat nav, but we do have Nikki’s phone with maps on and of course a map, remember them, it’s like a book with all pages of roads etc, what a good idea. It’s strange how you get used to sat nav. I like to have it on even if I know where I am going just so I can watch my speed and for the warnings of speed cameras etc. It’s also better to have it because of getting right to the spot you want to get to. A map can get you to the area but not to the exact place you want to be.

Our rough plan was to get to Benicarlo, stay for a couple of nights then move on up the coast about three hours drive for another couple of nights, then another drive to a aire which would take us into France and then to a campsite for three days to chill for maybe three days leaving us three days to get to the ferry. Plan B is ongoing. We got to Benicarlo, the sun was out, the sea was sparkling, the beer and wine were cold. So we extended our stay by another two days. The thought of getting across them mountains between Spain and France into the cold was putting us off. I know we have to do it but what’s a couple of days. So we are here for another day and move on tomorrow. May be, all depends on my co pilot with her map reading skills.?

We are now into our last month. We leave this site in Villajoyosa in ten days time and start heading north. Are we looking forward to that. Yes and no, I will be glad to get behind the steering wheel and out on the road. But I would prefer to be driving south instead of north. But needs must, the bank balance is going down faster than my bike tyre so we need to return to work to start saving to get on the ferry in November. We must admit the time here staying on one campsite has gone quick and we have been out and about, but next year with the E bikes will be a whole lot better to get out more. It’s also cheaper to stay in one place because of the discount you get on your pitch for long stay, and with the euro to pound rate not very good it makes sense.

We are having a cold spell at the moment, not as bad as back in the UK but we have been spoiled with so much sunshine this winter. We woke the other morning to snow on the mountains, they are in the distance and very high so no worries. Looks nice from here but we don’t want it on the roads.

We have even had some rain in the night for the last three nights, but the days have been dry but colder. As from Saturday the temperature starts to rise again reaching 18/19 degrees again so that’s nice for our last week here. It will be colder though as we head North, and France and further north in Spain has had a lot of snow.

Our friends Rob and Jean came over from Benidorm last week for the day to see how the other half live. They are enjoying Benidorm but did like it where we are. We all had a good day including a beer stop here and there with some food thrown in. It’s what we’re good at.

I have mentioned the bird life out the front of the camper in the and around the olive trees. The hoopoe is a regular visitor now and the other day there was two of them chasing around and doing a flying display, it’s coming up to mating season so the male was strutting his stuff. Also there has been a new bird on the block. It’s a Iberian shrike, I have never seen one before but I knew about the shrike family. They are called butcher birds. They are often seen perched about ten to fifteen feet off the ground looking out for prey. The one here sits regularly on the same tree. A bit to far away to get a decent picture. They eat small birds and grasshoppers, bugs and even snakes. Once they see there prey they fly down attack it then they impale it on a barbed wire fence or thorny Bush an come back to it later. Hence the name of butcher birds.

So that’s us up to date. The next time I post we will be on our way home stopping here and there up through Spain and France, the tans will be fading and we will be getting nearer and nearer to our work place. Can’t wait…….Not