By NEILMAC on Sunday, 13 July 2014
Posted in Meets and Rallies
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Following on from our Taste of Spain meet we are inviting subscribing members to accompany us on the following provisional journey which comprises a route from the south of France down to the Med coast of Spain taking in some of the regions of Catalonia, Aragon and Valencia.

This 'run' would suit everyone from 1st timers to Spain right through to seasoned travellers who should all gain from the trip because, like the Taste of Spain, its mostly about 'real' Spain rather than the better known Brit tourist spots. We will be using Aires, wildcamping/tolerated parking spots and a campsite. For any location that has the potential to not be able to accommodate enough vans there will be a 'plan B' option....

The timing, September/October, is ideal because it is post Spanish holiday season and just pre the mad dash of northern European motorhomers that flock to southern areas. And the weather should still be great! (no guarantees though of course)

Anyone interested is welcome to join us for the whole thing or just dip in (or out) where it suits your own plans. Although it would be very helpful for s to have an idea in advance of who's doing what! Any number of vans are welcome to come along up to a maximum of 12 for logistical reasons. The complete run is planned to take 21 days.

Start date is around the 19th September 2014 at a beachside Aire, Leucate Plage on the Mediterranean coast of France and the plan is as follows:

Weekend beginning Fri 19th - Meeting up at Leucate Plage for a few days you can take a breather, make acquaintances and generally spend time on the beach.

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]YRdqGaqRHKc[/video]

Mon 22nd - Driving south we should then get the option of staying at the Aire at St Feliu de Guixols for a couple of nights where there are plenty restaurants and shops and a marina.

Weds 24th - Inland and into the Montseny Naturel Park where you will see up close(ish) the dramatic Montserrat mountain range. Staying overnight at Viladrau.

Thurs 25th - moving on the following day to Lleida.

Fri 26th and Sat 27th - Heading south again we plan for a couple of nights to Morella, beautiful, medieval, hill top town famous for its confectionery, wool and woollen goods and black truffle. Something for everyone there then! We will stay over 2 nights at the Aire here to give you the chance to really explore the town.

Sun 28th and Mon 29th - Back to the coast and Peniscola, we will stay at one of the 'Stop and Go' camper parks where if you have a bike(s) you can get to see all that this popular and busy seaside town has to offer.

Tues 30th - Two nights on and we head to Nules / Borriana for a bit of tolerated parking before

Weds 1st Oct - A couple of days at Tavernes Playa gives us a chance to soak up some sun and maybe some food at our favourite little Italian/Spanish fusion restaurant.

Fri 3rd - Inland a few kilometers and we will stop at Simat for one night for maybe a local walk and/or visit to the amazing monastery.

Sat 4th - and we head further inland over the mountains and on to El Palomar, a small municipal campsite/Aire just outside of the town which has been recently opened and is by a restaurant.

Mon 6th - after a couple of nights we head to Rugat to the campsite we used as a base during the Taste of Spain meet. A four night stop for walking and the chance to pay a visit to nearby Victors bar for a little lunch maybe?

Here the meet/run ends but you can stop on for a little longer if you wish or carry on to your chosen destinations, retrace some of your steps with new confidence for the newer motorhomers and a bit more local knowledge for all.


A guide to the intended route

As always there is no charge to attend but you are, of course, responsible for all your own expenses etc.

We appreciate that this is fairly short notice but could you please respond on this thread if you are interested in coming along or have any questions - we will need to keep track of numbers in order to make overnight bookings where possible?

Thank you

Those running wild (in order of confirming) will be:

1. neilmac & caromac
2. Dreammobil & Toolbox3
3. Traveller_HA5_3DOM
4. Hamster44
5. allstar
6. suenmike
7. stevegos
8. gweare
Yes please. If its anything like the last one it will be great. Hopefully the weather will be good for us.
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7 years ago
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Yes please. If its anything like the last one it will be great. Hopefully the weather will be good for us.


Excellent, it will be great to have you two along :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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Sorry Neil can't make it - sounds just up our street and as Elspeth says if it's anything like the 'Taste of Spain' it will be great.

We leave for Germany on the 2nd Sept arriving at my sisters in France on the 26th - then Gra is flying home for a week (lads walking holiday)' we then leave for Spain on the 6th October.

Might use some of your stopovers though - shame as it would hav e been lovely to catch up with you both

Chris
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7 years ago
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That's a shame Chris but never mind, we'll try and catch up sometime while you are down this way :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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love to be included.
Look forward to meeting up with both old friends and any of the newer members who feel they would like to try some of the French and Spanish places that are perhaps off the main tourist routes.
Keep us informed of any updates.

K & P
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7 years ago
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It will be great to see you both! Looking forward to it already.
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7 years ago
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Great, just booked the ferries through Dovereurochange fully flexible tickets £125. We have just used this offer in June, it seems to be exclusive to them and it works well. They do still have some of these tickets left and no question of what height or length you are, so we are good to go.
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7 years ago
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Great, just booked the ferries through Dovereurochange fully flexible tickets £125. We have just used this offer in June, it seems to be exclusive to them and it works well. They do still have some of these tickets left and no question of what height or length you are, so we are good to go.


Excellent news!

Looking forward to your company :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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Sorry Neil & Caroline,

We've got too much going on at the moment, what with ongoing health issues, and with the uncertainty of Rita's current employers (CO-OP Pharmacies).

It sounds ideal, especially for Spanish touring novices such as ourselves. Thanks for taking the time and effort to organise the trip. We hope you get a good response.

Cheers for now,

Jock & Rita.
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7 years ago
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Sorry Neil & Caroline,

We've got too much going on at the moment, what with ongoing health issues, and with the uncertainty of Rita's current employers (CO-OP Pharmacies).

It sounds ideal, especially for Spanish touring novices such as ourselves. Thanks for taking the time and effort to organise the trip. We hope you get a good response.

Cheers for now,

Jock & Rita.


Sorry to hear you two can't make it this time

We'll just have to tempt you again later......

Hope your situations improve soon :thumbs: We'll raise a glass (and peel a prawn!) on your behalf :laugh:
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7 years ago
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Hi

We are new to your club, although been motor homing for a few years. We are in France for the summer and would like to join you on the Run Wild in Spain trip. We would like to meet up at the first stop in Spain as we have friends with us until the 22nd Sept. it will probably take about a day to get to you as we are in the Aveyron.

Please let us know if this is ok.

Looking forward to meeting you all.

Many thanks

Rita and Lance
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7 years ago
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Hi Rita & Lance and :welcome1:

It will be a pleasure to have you both along and no problems with meeting up at St Feliu - we can sort out the fine details nearer the day :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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We very much look forward to meeting you both :thumbs:

I guess your journey down will depend a bit on how long you want to take, an amble or a dash....

As you will be heading for the Med then mostly likely routes will be down the middle of France or the eastern side. Our latest trip down, just weeks ago was down the eastern side and if it helps the trip was documented on our blog http://www.clubmotorhome.co.uk/members-area/blog/entry/more-aires-hunting-day-1.html

I'm sure others will offer advice too
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7 years ago
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:welcome3: Vaughan & Nina

It will be great to have you along!

Look forward to meeting you both on the 19th at Leucate Plage :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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Hi Neil and Carol,sorry we cant make it this time,no more holidays left, but as I definately retire next february its an almost certainty we,ll be down your way,we have a plan ,have a great meet and hope to be able to make it next year.
Pete and jan.
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7 years ago
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Hi Neil and Carol,sorry we cant make it this time,no more holidays left, but as I definately retire next february its an almost certainty we,ll be down your way,we have a plan ,have a great meet and hope to be able to make it next year.
Pete and jan.


Hi Pete & Jan,

Sorry you can't make this one but do let us know your movements when you are down on the Med side of spain next year - if we're around it would be great to meet up
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7 years ago
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Steve n Dee, Newbies would love to join the group. Love a few clues about getting to the start. Sounds like ferry crossing is a good start. So if any one starting the trip from UK then some guidance would be welcome.
Cheers for now Steve n Dee

Hi both look forward to meeting up with you. You have made a good choice in joining both the club motorhome site and an even better one joining in to one of Neil and Caroline's excellent get togethers.
As stated on previous page we have secured a fully flexible ticket through http://www.dovereurochange.co.uk/ Thes e are exclusive to them and not offfered on the My ferry link website. We think they are well worth the few extra pounds to firstly pick a time of your choice and secondly to have that flexibility to turn up early or late and cross the channel without any extra payments. Having said that, It is always better to drop the an email or phone just to smooth the admin.
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7 years ago
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Hi Neil

Full of envy but cannot make this year. I've not been on the site for a while as I have had a triple heart bypass which has limited my activities somewhat. Recovering that well but hit with the need for chemotherapy for lymphoma discovered when tests were undertaken for surgery. Consultant advises no overseas trips so it's the uk this year.

Chemo finishes in October so looking forward to next year's trips

Barry
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7 years ago
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Hi Neil

Full of envy but cannot make this year. I've not been on the site for a while as I have had a triple heart bypass which has limited my activities somewhat. Recovering that well but hit with the need for chemotherapy for lymphoma discovered when tests were undertaken for surgery. Consultant advises no overseas trips so it's the uk this year.

Chemo finishes in October so looking forward to next year's trips

Barry


Wow, sorry to hear that Barry! But glad you're in good hands and going forwards. I hear the UK is quite nice this year :cheer:

Hope to meet up with you soon as though :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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Hi there, I'm a newby and I'm just finding my way around your site so please excuse any errors I may make in entering the topics.

We will be in Sardinia until about 20th September and we were thinking of taking the ferry from Porto Torres to Barcelona and this time go farther south into Andalucia. I briefly read your travel programme and will certainly study the itinerary better so maybe we can meet up somewhere along the road?

We've visited Catalunya many times along the coast but have never been farther south than Valencia.

I'll keep in touch and let you know what we decide.

Vivien
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7 years ago
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Hi Neil, if its not to late we would like to join you for this trip down into Spain.
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7 years ago
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Hi Neil, if its not to late we would like to join you for this trip down into Spain.


Hi suenmike :welcome2: No, it's not too late and we will be delighted to have you along!

I've added you to our list of confirmed attendees in the first post :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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Thanks, see you all on the 19th ish
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7 years ago
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Hi Neil...I was just looking through the stops we are doing going down to spain and found that stop and Go We need to contact in advance to book a spot ?? Is this correct?? And Camping Natura has 10 places and 12 campers are going?? Where do the other 2 plus go?? Am I reading this wrong or is there backups for the places that won't take all of us??

Vaughan....


Hi Vaughan, worry not.... I have it under control

I am organising any bookings that are necessary and have actually just emailed the various 'need to book' locations with some numbers and dates so will update everyone when I have things firmed up.

Camping Natura can take 12 without problems - this is where we stayed for some of our 'Taste of Spain' meet in 2013.

I thought it prudent to wait until our attendee numbers built up before making reservations (as I expect they will not be hugely busy at that time of year) so that I can give a realistic guide to numbers. From experience this allows me to be a bit cheeky and ask for some special rates. These may not be forthcoming but it doesn't hurt to ask B) .

I will update everyone further as the replies come in and the plans progress.

In the meantime if anyone has questions I am always happy to help.
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7 years ago
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A marble?????

:laugh:
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7 years ago
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Ahh I see
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7 years ago
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Information Update!

Just to keep you all informed I have now heard back from 2 of the stopovers that require pre-booking

El Palomar will be very happy to accommodate us. Sadly, rather than a discount they have done away with their previous introductory rates and now will charge us 10€ per van per night, at the moment EHU is another 3€ (if you need it) but I'm working on that. It's still great value for the facilities which include toilets, showers, washing up sinks and a washing machine. They will be arranging a paella for us at 4.50€ per head and as we will be there on a Saturday and Sunday night this will be a perfect Sunday afternoon gathering

The campsite at Rugat have agreed to maintain our discount from last year so will be 15€ per van per night - all inclusive of EHU. We will be there for 4 nights. It is also agreed that if anyone wants to stay a few nights longer (this is where the meet ends anyway) then they are welcome to and still at the same rate :thumbs:

So, that's the latest and I'll update further as soon as I hear more
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7 years ago
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Probably early days yet, but what are the group doing after Rugat. I have been planning a route back through France but undecided whether to stay on in Spain for a bit. This will be our first trip to Spain although frequent travellers in France so not sure what to expect. You hear so many rumours about travellers in Spain.
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7 years ago
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Hi there
As you say probably early days to make definite plans. We personally will return to our home in Spain for a little while before deciding on our next adventure.
I am sure there will be some of the contingent who having made it this far will end up staying a few months and maybe going even further south to catch the winter sun.
As for rumours, all I can say is that we have, so far, travelled many happy hours in Spain including at times with an A-frame :evil: Not sure what in particular is on your mind but please do ask if you have any specific concerns that we maybe able to help you with.
I hope you may get some answers from others but probably, like us, most only make plans to not plan!
Looking forward to meeting you soon
Caro
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7 years ago
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Hi there

We have only just joined the web site, but count us in.

We have an beloved elderly cat that we needed to find a cat sitter for. That's now sorted so count us in!

Introducing... We are both in our early 40's and have been motorhoming for just over a year in our Burstner i572 and love it. Whilst we are both very well traveled, we have only taken the motorhome abroad twice for a week at a time (France and Netherlands) but many UK trips so this longer trip will be something very different and will be interesting as I will need to work some half days (I'm a freelance web developer so can work from anywhere).

Very much looking forward it.

Steve & Jane
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7 years ago
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:welcome1: Steve and Jane, we're delighted you could make the arrangements to be able to join us.

I don't know what data roaming setup you'll have but there should be quite a lot of wifi en route:

Leucate has commercial at 5€ per day

St Feliu has decent local wifi via the town hall.

Morella has free local wifi.

Stop & Go has paid wifi.

Tavernes Playa has free wifi by the tourist office (5 minute walk from parking)

El Palomar has wifi (may be a couple of € per day)

And of course Rugat has wifi included in our stay.

So you should be reasonably OK :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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Thanks for the info Neil

Wifi is always best, especially when its free!

I have a Europasim which is working fine (I know some have been disabled recently even with valid credit on) which give me 500Mb per active day and then slower speeds thereafter.

I also have a Fon account which is great in France but according the Fon maps, not much coverage in Spain.

Steve
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7 years ago
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Information Update!

Having struggled to get a response from the Camper Park at Peniscola I telephoned them this morning.

Good job I did as they would not take a reservation for our number of motorhomes for just 2 nights - they 'expect' to be full of long termers by then. Well best of luck.

We are now booked in at a different Stop & Go at Peniscola - Its Camping Los Pinos B)

Caromac and I are putting together an itinerary and travel note document to email all attendees soon - we'll have some paper copies with us to hand out when we meet up too.
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7 years ago
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B) We have decided to leave 1st September and start our sloooooooooooooow trip down to Leucate Plage, arriving on the 19th. See you all then - Bon voyage.
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7 years ago
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Lovely! We too are leaving on the 1st. Heading first of all north to Bergerac to visit family then on to Leucate Plage. See you soon.
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7 years ago
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Information Update!

We will soon be closing the attendees list for this meet. The reason being that we will be setting off from our own base within the next 2 weeks to travel a little before we meet up with you all at Leucate Plage.

Before we set off I will need to confirm final numbers to places that are booked. Communication is not always reliable when travelling so we don't want any misunderstandings :dry:

The (so-far) confirmed list of attendees is shown in the first post of this thread. If you are still considering coming to all or any part of the trip and you are not on the list - now is the time to let me know your plans.

We have an 'Itinerary and Travel Notes' document which we will email to all attendees before we personally set off. This contains the dates, locations, GPS, tariffs and general notes for each stopover.

Any queries just shout :ohmy:
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7 years ago
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Just thought I'd share a few photos from previous visits we made to some of the planned stopovers :lol:

Leucate Plage - the beach (not quite sure whether a panorama shot will display properly but you'll get the idea.


Saint Feliu beach


Tamarite de la Litera - no worries about space here...


Morella lit up on a misty night


Peniscola


Tavernes Playa


Monastery at Simat


Sunset at El Palomar


Look forward to meeting up in just a month! :thumbs:
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7 years ago
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Cheers Neil mate.

I feel even more depressed now after seeing those photos, knowing that we can't attend the tour. :S

Only joking. Smashing photos.

I hope it all goes well, and that everyone has a smashing time. :thumbs:

Cheers,

Jock.
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7 years ago
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Great photos. Tunnel tickets are booked and looking forward to the trip.

Steve
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7 years ago
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Great pics Neil, can't wait to start the trip.
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7 years ago
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Just to let all of you know who are coming, I have just sent out via email an itinerary and travel notes document for you to print off.

It contains all the GPS co-ords, approx mileages etc.

Hope you find it useful and look forward to seeing you soon

If you haven't received it and its not in your junk folder please let me know....
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7 years ago
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Well, we have arrived at Leucate Plage in advance of our group arriving from tomorrow for the meet.



It's very warm and looks a bit stormy and the waves are crashing on the beach next door........ but its lovely!

The Aire looks quite full as you approach it but there are plenty of spaces so, come on in! B)
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7 years ago
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Great, We are at a sleepy little place called Ouveillan we are calling in at Peyrat de mer to catch up with the flamingoes tomorrow and will be with you on Saturday
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7 years ago
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Well, the story so far.......

We all met up at the planned meeting place at Leucate Plage in the South of France including new members from Australia that caromac and I met on our 'Aires Hunting' trip leading up to the meet.

Some very posh vans at this meet!




Apart from just relaxing after various long journeys the game of boules became the popular attraction of the afternoons...



And several of us wandered up to the local shellfish stalls for a RAW shellfish lunch!



Moving onto our next stop and into Spain we chose to eat out together for a menu-del-dia (everything cooked this time)



Our dog Digger sat by and wondered just how long we were going to take..... the waiter did bring him out some ham though



Next stop, a great find, free parking for up to 79 vans! We were the only ones for a while though.



Today we moved onto another inland Aire and we are just awaiting one of our group who have had radiator trouble and are hoping the breakdown people can get them going again.....



To be continued.....
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7 years ago
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I think the picture sums up eating raw shellfish 'Just close your eyes and think of England'
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7 years ago
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You're a braver man than I Keith. wink (can't use the smileys.

Great photos Neil. thumbsup
Glad to see my old mate Digger looking good.

You all look like you are having a good time...........and weather.

Stay safe,

Jock & Rita.
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7 years ago
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Since the last update we've travelled south through some amazing landscapes with breathtaking scenery to the ancient fortified town of Morella. We more or less filled the Aire and spent a couple of very pleasant days exploring the place.

The Aire


The town


From there we have moved further south and to the coast to a camperstop at Peniscola - its a traditional campsite with an Aire at one end - pool use is included and several folks are looking forward to using it :thumbs:

The parking


The pool


Next stop is some wildcamping......
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7 years ago
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So we pull into our favourite Spanish beachside wildcamping spot only to find a brand new Aire setup. The owner was so pleased to have 6 vans turn up at once that he broke open his own wine store and treated us to some of his guitar playing - this is a fantastic road-trip!

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]OGmjmCtMn5s[/video]

B)
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7 years ago
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The weather could have been better by the coast but we had a great couple of days and a group meal out at the local Italian/Spanish restaurant



Moving inland to a small town with a superb part restored but very original monastery we spent a couple more nights and had the experience of a traditional Spanish breakfast - enjoyed by all!





Our next stop wasn't too far away but did involve crossing the nearby mountains to get into the next valley. Coffee stop at a viewpoint near the top.

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]f_Tc2Gtb2zM[/video]







Arriving at the next Aire we received a warm welcome from the young lady who manages it - the place to ourselves we enjoyed an afternoon/evening barbeque. Music and dancing followed but I am under strict instructions not to publish the video..... :whistle:
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7 years ago
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Some great photos and videos of this meet we can see you,re all having a great time .You,re certainly visiting some beautiful places. :cheer:
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7 years ago
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Great photos Neil. Given me ideas for places to visit in the Spring. Off next week to Switzerland - might be a little cooler

Barry
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7 years ago
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Thanks mid4did and MR2 B)

Since the last post we had a great stay at El Palomar, our generous host supplied us with melons from her father's fields and gave us a personal tour of the village and it's own museum.

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]cv7vMC6w2k4?list=UUB3phsCf8_ju[/video]

We also had a great group paella at the onsite restaurant.

After a couple of nights there we moved on again, this time to our final destination for the trip, and settled in for 4 nights.



Continuing our food theme we all enjoyed another traditional Spanish breakfast at a bar in the next village



An excursion or 2 up the local mountains



with one of our group going just that bit further....

[video width=425 height=344 type=youtube]dQdsrVL9DwY?list=UUB3phsCf8_ju[/video]

More food with a menu-del-dia



and plenty of time to relax as demonstrated by Traveller_HA5_3DOM



Its the last day today and we're looking forward to Dreammobil's arrival after her earlier delays with mechancal trouble and also TravelsRus, who they are now in company with :woohoo:
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7 years ago
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Continuing our food theme we all enjoyed another traditional Spanish breakfast at a bar in the next village

Now then, that looks like my sort of breakfast Neil, ie, with beer. :laugh:

Great vids and photos. :thumbs:

Cheers,

Jock.
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7 years ago
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Well here we are home! The washing, ironing house cleaning etc are all done.

Just wanted to say thanks to all of you lovely folk who made 'Run Wild' a great trip. It was so lovely to meet up with you all and thanks so much for not looking too bored when we mentioned a few times how we love it here! We had some comings and goings along the way but with a minimum of six and a maximum of eight most of the time and this seemed a really good number..

Hope all of you are still enjoying yourselves and for those in Spain, still enjoying the beautiful Autumn sunshine

Love and hugs Caro x
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7 years ago
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Hi Caroline and Neil

Just wanted to add our thanks for a lovely trip, and for all your hard work in making everything run so smoothly. We are back in the UK until Lance has finished treatment at the dentist and then off again to France for around 3 weeks. It took a while to get used to the temperatures after we left Spain and no doubt by the time we get back to Najac the current highs will have gone.
We look forward to keeping in touch with everyone and hopefully meeting up again somewhere before very long.

Rita and Lance
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7 years ago
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Hi all finally got back on line
Just to say a big thank you to Caroline and Neil and the rest go the gang for allowing use to join you for a few days of your rally. We had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the company of you all and hope to see you some time in the future. Will add some photos later.

Steve & Jo
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7 years ago
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‘Internet at last’ – Woo Wee what a trip, we are at our last camp site at Calais before heading back to UK. We left UK early September and headed south, across channel, spending two/three weeks roaming down through France – what a great time of year, late summer when most tourists have left, enjoying the friendliness of folk in the villages we pass through on our travels.
We reached the south coast at Leucate Plage, where Sue had her first paddle in Med this year, and we met-up with CLUB MOTORHOME – Neil, Caroline & Digger and a great group of folk from around UK and Australia, who all became great friends. We set of on what turned out to be an epic adventure through the mountainous region of Cataluna, Spain. Wahoo, again what fantastic scenery/drive through the villages and mountains. The group experienced a few second Spanish breakfasts, which usually last till lunch (wine and beer for breakfast – that’s a first), multi-course dinners and for me experiencing eating raw shelled seafood (must check with Neil whether they were live or not –NO don’t really want to know), and a great real Spanish paella prepared and dished-up free, we certainly experienced the warmth, friendliness and generosity of the Spanish village folk. The adventure ended three weeks later in Rugat where we experienced an off-road drive with Neil through mountains overlooking the villages where they lived (wow what an awesome adventure). Big thank-you to Neil for all the time, planning and organizing this fantastic trip and to all our new found friends who made this an enjoyable adventure.
We set off again south for more of the great Spanish sun in October, to a CCC Rally at the Spanish resort near Cartagena. Over the three week stay we made several friends, most settling-in for a winter stopover and visited local villages (for mooooore wool he he!). Heading north on our return along the coast towards Barcelona, had a great inspiration – why don’t we head home through the Pyrenees mountains. Wow and wow again, as we climbed up we experienced one of the first snow falls of the winter, wow the mountain rivers coming to life, wow the waterfalls, the alpine looking villages, the hill climbs, the tunnels and the glorious coloured lakes, what an experience. Must tell you this, left med coast it was mid-twenties, shorts tee-shirt, get the picture. We get to picturesque spot in the mountains – decide that was the spot for a photo, grabbed the camera and jumped out the motorhome, sh*t my body experienced a -30 degree temp shock, froze solid almost, anyway got the photo and dived back in the van, all’s well.
Heading north again through the glorious scenery of the midi-Pyrenees, the autumn colours through the forests were breathtakingly beautiful, did our first wild-camp (in someone’s back yard, I think) on route. Took a few days more getting here through charming French villages.
All I can say is Sue and I have experienced our first great, enjoyable trip into Spain – A big thank-you to Neil, Caroline, digger and all our new friends, hope to see you again soon.
[Message for Nina from Sue – not only found Heinz, but found Branston baked beans too, in Spain]
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7 years ago
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Great to here you had such a great time. We've been back for a full month now and my tan is fading!

Next motorhome holiday won't be until next year now :-( But we are off to Vienna and Prague for Christmas markets in a few weeks time and probably skiing over the winter but not in the motorhome.

Steven and Jane
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7 years ago
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Thanks all for the comments. Just have to ask Sue and Mike - did you enjoy it though? B) Seriously though how on earth did you get Sue up those Pyrenees? Did you have to tie her to the seat with wool?
We will be catching up with a few folk when we do a birthday / Xmas 'tour' to Calpe.

In the meantime have fun all! We would love to see some photos although any containing dancing may well be censored!

Caro x
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7 years ago
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Hello. We are Pat and Paul, total newbies.
Run Wild in Spain 2014 sounded wonderful. Will there be a similar trip in 2015?
We have just bought our first motorhome and are really looking forward to travelling around Europe but have to admit to being a tad nervous about doing so on our own.


:unsure:
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7 years ago
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The trip was excellent and hope there will be another trip planned for this year.

We only bought our first motorhome in August 2013 and only had a few trips to France, Spain and Netherlands so far.

Don't be nervous but do keep some common sense... If you don't like the look of somewhere, just move on to the next stop. Everyone we have met when motorhoming has been friendly and willing to help. Just buy a ferry or tunnel ticket and go. France and Spain are especially motorhome friendly with free aires everywhere and some great low cost aires or camp sites. We have stayed in some amazing locations for free.

Use the aires/stop-overs guides here on the web site or buy some of the "All the Aires" books. They cost about £20 per country but will save you that in the first 2 nights.

Steven
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7 years ago
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Thanks for your advice Steven, much appreciated.
I presume the 'All the Aires' books are available at garages, or can you get them on line?
Pat
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7 years ago
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Amazon sell them but the publisher also sells them direct.

https://www.vicarious-shop.com/All-the-Aires-France-North-and-South-5th-edition.html
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7 years ago
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Many thanks.
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7 years ago
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Hi
We agree with Steve, don't be nervous to venture further afield. You will find France in particular very motorhome friendly, just a word of caution, don't confuse autoroute aires (aire de repose) with aires de camping. The autoroute stops are not advisable for stopping overnight. You will also find many small towns and villages have no objection to you stopping overnight in their municipal car parks or Salle Omnisport for example. They work on the theory you will possibly spend money in their Town.
Another consideration would be to join France Passion, around £26 for the year and you can stop for nothing at vineyards, duck farms, etc. in locations all over France. We have found some wonderful places, the last one was a micro brewery near Chartres. They are generally basic stops with no facilities, but an excellent way to find the real France.
Happy travels
Rita
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7 years ago
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That's really interesting. I didn't realise there were different types of Aires. Need to do more reading me thinks! Thanks so much Rita.
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7 years ago
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Pleased to be of help. The autoroutes all have aires for anyone to stop for a break, lorries, cars etc. and many have service points for motorhomes. The lorries use them for stopping overnight and it is perfectly legal. The Aires de camping are located off the main roads and usually in or on the outskirts of towns or villages.
The Aires book gives a description of the location so no need for concern.
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7 years ago
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Hi ecotrish and :welcome3:

All good advice for you so far! I would suggest that you spend a little while looking around this website.

Start by looking at the stopovers by country to see just how many possible stopovers there are for any journeys that you might plane, then look in more detail at the regions that you intend to pass through. Clicking on any of the map markers will take to to the specific page for that stopover. The information on most stopovers contains description, location, facilities etc. Many have photos and quite a few now contain some video content. Each has a Google map which you can use to zoom in on the location and most of the maps can also convert to StreetView so you can have a look around from your armchair!

Any problems with using this information please just ask for guidance.

Hope you have great travels :thumbs:

PS. We have a couple of ideas floating regarding another Run Wild type meet but nothing definite yet
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7 years ago
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Thank you Neil. I will do that.
Don't you just love technology?
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7 years ago
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ecotrish,

Please don't exclude the extremely MH friendly Germany, when looking to tour abroad in your MH. Their network of Stellplatz (German Aires) is vast, and like France, very accommodating. Germany is a beautiful country,especially through the Mosel Valley. :thumbs:

Happy but safe travels.

Jock.
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7 years ago
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Hi
Couldn't agree more, but not as easy to wild camp as France. Can also highly recommend the old Eastern Germany especially Stolberg, Hartz, it is a beautiful Town kept completely in the old style and the area is wonderful. There is a steam railway that runs through the Hartz mountains. Really not to be missed.

Rita
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7 years ago
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Noted Jock, thank you
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7 years ago
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Thanks Rita. My travel appetite is certainly whetted!
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7 years ago
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