Explore europe in a campervan

During the last few days we’ve had my Mum, Bobbi, visiting. Being a biker and well-accustomed to camping at motorbike rallies throughout the year Bobbi was keen to ‘go wild’, but after one night at the campsite we decided to stay put. The advantages were so many with three of us staying in the van….showers, toilets, a pool, internet access, space and wind-shelter for the awning to go up for more living, eating and socialising space. It’s also just over the road from Valdevaqueros beach where we kite, sunbathe and swim.

Four nights wasn’t long to get the full Tarifa/van-life experience, but we squeezed it in. We decided to take it easy in Tarifa rather than travel long distances each day to visit tourist attractions, which was our alternative plan. After dropping Sam at departures and collecting Bobbi from arrivals we drove the 95 miles back to the campsite, stopping off for a cold shandy at a beach bar looking out at the sea. The first stop has become a tradition for those visiting us at the van - supermarket shopping!

We spent a relaxing day swimming in the pool and visited the beach later on when the wind had picked up a little. Although we went out late in the afternoon the sun is still really intense so my Mum and I had a long, cooling swim in the sea - very warm considering it’s the Atlantic Ocean! While Simon got in some kite-surfing we flew my 2-line foil kite, which is fun but has little power. Then I flew the 3.5 metre Rage kite. Unusually for Tarifa there wasn’t enough wind to keep it in the air, so it kept ‘luffing’ and trying to fall out of the sky. Once it was down and packed up we looked for Simon…..No sign of him! Worried that the kite had ditched and wouldn’t relaunch due to the wind dropping, I headed down the beach, expecting to walk a mile around the corner to find him drifting in. It was a relief when I finally spotted him just on the shore-line, with the kite being secured on the sand. Phew. Ironic that the time I’ve been most worried was when there was hardly any wind, rather than strong winds.

The following day Bobbi and I got the bus into town for some shopping and a spot of lunch. We also went to look at the possibility of Bobbi going whale-watching as Simon and I had enjoyed it so much when we took the trip. She booked to go on the boat at 5pm which unfortunately meant more beer and coffee while we waited! Despite being warned (but not bothered) that the sea was going to be rough on this particular day, Bobbi had a great time - seeing Pilot whales, Bottle-nosed dolphins performing for the audience on the boat and a Sperm whale at close quarters. Once again a very worthwhile excursion that enables you to see a variety of fish exclusive to the Strait of Gibraltar.

That night was the bbq that never was. Having had a bbq before and smelling them around the campsite we were waiting for the flames to die down when a campsite employee told us bbqing wasn’t allowed! We had to put it out and start up the gas grill inside the van - lucky that our van is equipped with a grill as most continental motorhomes aren’t.

After unceremoniously dumping Bobbi out at Malaga airport (it seems to be almost entirely under construction, with nowhere to park a van), we drove back to Tarifa for the last time. Having checked out of the luxury of the campsite we’re back in the ‘pig field’ where many vans, cars, trucks and all kind of vehicles park for free, right by the beach. The weather has changed again and we’re experiencing VERY strong winds, with gusts up to 35mph, which set the van rocking. The majority of people out on the water are wind-surfers,but there are a few kites out, mostly of 7-9 metres which would be too small for kite-surfing in most locations in the UK. There are some impressive big jumps to watch, but it’s not a day for relatively new kite-surfers to go out. As usual with wind sports we’re crossing our fingers one way or the other - now waiting for less wind!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 6:32 pm and is filed under Diary. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.