France & Spain September / October 2025

Week 3 – Spain.

Day 15 Monday 6th October – Camping Los Llanos to Camping Santa Clara, Altea via Xabia. (40 miles)

Left Los Llanos by about 11am and drive the short distance to Xabia, normal challenge of trying to find somewhere to park but after a couple of false starts we managed to find a free car park no more than five minutes from the sea front. A lovely walk around the town and along the sea front before a very nice coffee and then the 20 minute ish walk up to the old town which was also very nice. Definitely an affluent and up market town and somewhere we both agreed would be a great holiday spot. Bought some bread and a couple of tuna steaks from the supermarket before heading off towards Altea.

The journey to Altea was an experience! We needed to go via a fuel station that also sold LPG and I could not get the Garmin to accept the address and so decided to use Google maps….. Should have double checked the route as it took me up and over a big hill along very narrow and poorly maintained roads which definitely caused a bit of stress! Fortunately we got away with it and finally ended up on normal roads again. The fuel station was the next challenge as it was unmanned and you had to pre pay at a machine first…. All sorted though and topped up with diesel and LPG for some very reasonable prices.

Finding the campsite was also a real challenge as Garmin took us to a service road behind some shops…. Google came to the rescue though and took us the 100 metres or so to the actual entrance which was up a very rough track and to somewhere left back in time….

A very laid back and quite unusual site to say the least but very nice all the same. Lovely old couple running it who couldn’t have been nicer. Small pitch but nice and open with some views of the sea.

We had a quick snack, having not had lunch and took a stroll down to the sea front which was just a couple of minutes away down a rough path. Walked all the way along the front through Altea which was so nice, maybe the best coastal spot yet, even better than Peniscola, Denia and Xabia which were all great. The beach is not as good as the one at Peniscola although still a lovely pebble one which made such a great noise when the waves rolled in.

Finished off with a beer at a bar on the beach at the bottom of the path to the site. Lush!

Day 15 expenses

Site fees £27 (£130.89)
Coffee etc £10.28 (£90.34)
Fuel £52.26 (£277.93)
LPG £10.45 (£21.40)
Groceries £3.92 (£173.08)
Charging adapter, glasses, cable £18.29
Total £122.20 (£764.34 – £50.96 Ave)

Day 16 Tuesday 7th October – Day 2 Camping Santa Clara. (0 miles)

A peaceful and good night’s sleep. Walked up to the light house on the hill at the end of the bay which was about 5 miles there and back it was a well paved track that wound its way slowly up to the top giving amazing views of the bay all the way up. Such a lovely walk on a warm and sunny day.

We then walked along the front through Altea to the far end where the cafes and restaurants were on the sea front with no road in-between and found somewhere for lunch. We shared a fried fish dish and a Mediterranean salad with a bottle of white wine and had a long slow and very enjoyable lunch. Not something we get to do very often but it is such a perfect spot we couldn’t resist it.

After lunch we went and sat on the beach for a while.

And then decided to go and see what the old town was like where you could see an old church. What we found was beyond anything we had expected, it was just the most beautiful white washed town with narrow streets, restaurants, shops and an incredible church. Maybe one of the best old towns I have ever been to.

Expenses day 16

Site fee £27 (£157.89)
Coffee etc £0 (£90.34)
Fuel £0 (£277.93)
LPG £0 (£21.40)
Groceries £0 (£173.08)
Lunch £47 (£75.18)
Total £84 (£848.34 – £53.02)

Day 17 Wednesday 8th October – Altea to Chinchilla via Biar (136 miles)

Drive up to El Castelle De Guadalest as it had been recommended by the young Dutch girl staying next to us at Camping Santa Clara. It was up some very winding steep roads and when we arrived it was absolutely rammed with the car parks all full .. so a quick U turn and we carried on our way to the proposed overnight stop in Biar which was again for some time on very winding and steep roads which although spectacular did become hard work. We did stop at one point where we could see down to Guadalest.

We arrived in Biar at lunchtime at a nice park up on the edge of town which had a request to inform the local police. Rather than try and call them I decided I would try and WhatsApp which worked a treat!

Had a good wander around the town, which was very quiet with nothing much going on but immaculate and quite pretty, and up to the castle.

We decided that we may as well push on for another 1.5hrs and stop in Chinchilla instead putting us a bit closer to Madrid. The landscape in this part of inland Spain is still a bit arid and featureless but a few more signs of crops than previously. Still so much scruffier and unkempt than France though.

On arrival there were a few Vans already there but it was a large area. A guy with a dog was walking around telling everyone that there was a market in the morning and so we had to park in a particular area. This was fine except it was on a bit of a slope and the use of Ramps etc was banned as that would be seen as ‘camping’ so a night on a slope it was!

Had a walk around the Town and up to the castle which was so far up! Amazing views.

By the late evening there must have been 20 Vans parked up 🤷🏻

Day 17 expenses

£0 – no money spent today!
Running total £848.34 (£49.90 ave)

Day 18 Thursday 9th October – Chinchilla to Pinto, Madrid. (172 miles).

Not the best night’s sleep as on a slope and anticipation of the market kicking off at 6am…. In the end the market had barely started by 8am and there wasn’t much noise or anything going on. Also just one of those park ups that was busy with Vans and I wasn’t that keen but it served a purpose. Didn’t try and service Bertie as busy and got on the road with the intention of sorting everything at the half way point which was a parking area with service in a village called Castillo de Garcimunzo.

It really was a village with nothing going on, just one tiny Tabac the size of a cupboard which didn’t sell bread. The lady there told me (via Google translate) to wait as the bread van was on its way around. Sure enough about 5 minutes later an old van with an old man rocked up and in the back was a load of bread and cakes. Bought a baguette for €1!

Serviced the Van, although the tap fitting was a very large one, which I had seen before in Spain so I had to use the 10L carrier to fill up.

On our way for the final leg to Pinto where we were going to stop to get the train into Madrid the following day. It is €8 per 24hr and a 28 minute train ride into the centre so quite convenient.

Pinto seemed like a nice area as we drove in and the parking area was spacious with all services available and working.

Once settled we walked over to the station about 15 minutes away to suss out the train tickets etc for the morning and after a bit of faffing about figured it out (I hope!)

Back to the Van and decided to go into the park which was just behind the parking area and was very nice even if the man made lake was completely dry!

Sat and wrote this up and read for a while, then back to the Van for a cheeky beer and an evening in.

Expenses day 18

Site fee £6.25 (£164.06)
Groceries (bread) £0.87p
Running total £855.46 (£47.18 ave)

Day 19 Friday 10th October – day 2 Pinto, Madrid (0 miles)

Walked to the station for the 10:10am train into Madrid. A nice man helped us with the ticket machine as the first one apparently wasn’t working. Stood in the train for a while just like the commute into London but room to sit after about 10 minutes. The journey only took 30 minutes and after going up many escalators we popped out in the centre of Madrid.

The buildings are something to see and so many of them. Walked down what felt like the equivalent of Oxford Street but nicer and maybe not so mad. Down to the Palace where there were a couple of bands from the military and police playing which was cool to see.

After a bit of a wander we found somewhere on the edge of a square for a coffee and pastry and watched the world go by for a while.

More walking and seeing so many grand buildings and parks, such an amazing city. Obviously found time for a beer .

Plenty more walking including going into the Zarag flagship shop which was impressive and Sarah couldn’t resist a throw which would have been twice the price at home.

For some lunch Sarah had heard about something called Bocadillo De calamares which is basically fried squid rings in a soft bread baguette….. People were going mad for them so we got a takeaway and sat in a square where a Spanish band was practicing on a stage, presumably for a show later in the evening. It was a great atmosphere 😊

A bit more exploring but after about another hour we were both tired so decided to take on the journey back to Pinto which actually went rather well. During the train journey we had a beggar going up and down the carriage getting no ones attention followed by a young guy with a small amp and microphone singing to everyone. To be fair he had an excellent voice but got about as much acknowledgement as the beggar did!

Popped to the local supermarket when we got back to top up on beer and tomatoes like you do…

A great day in Madrid and highly recommended for a long weekend trip.

Day 19 expenses

Site fee £6.25 (£170.31)
Coffee and beers £16.03 (£106.37)
Lunch £7.84 (£84.04)
Groceries £11.49 (£185.44)
Total £41.51 (£896.97 – £47.21 ave)

Day 20 Saturday 11th October Pinto to Almazan (133 miles)

Quite a few miles today but easy driving on two dual carriageways all of the way so cruise control at 90kph. Filled up at the station by the parking area in Pinto for €1.37 per litre which is the cheapest so far. Then on for about 35 minutes to a Supermercado for a big shop and onward for about 1:30hrs through miles and miles of harvested grain crops, must have been thousands of acres and not many houses or villages to break it up.

Arrived in Almazan just after 2pm in a really nice parking area good for about 20 Vans with a few already there. Had some lunch and went and explored the old town by walking through a nice wooded park and up past the old outer walls. It was predictably very quiet as it was Saturday afternoon but some of the restoration work that had been carried out was amazing and the different views spectacular especially from the top of one of the towers which you could go up by a new wooden staircase.

Then back to Bertie for tea and biscuits and a chill for the evening.

Day 20 expenses

Site fee £0 (£170.31)
Coffee etc £0 (£106.37)
Fuel £78.39 (£356.72)
LPG £0 (£21.40)
Groceries £57.39 (£242.83)
Eating out £0 (£84.04)
£135.78 (£1032.85 – £51.64)

Day 21 Sunday 12th October – Almazan to Logroño – 86 miles.

A lovely quiet night and on the road on a slightly chilly morning with a bit of drizzle in the air. We had intended to have a look at Soria on the way but I had a navigation nightmare driving into and around the town so we abandoned that idea, especially as it didn’t look anything special.

Berties amber engine warning light came on as well….. Will go to a Fiat dealer tomorrow as there is one with a commercial work shop in town.

The road to Logroño, which is the capital of the Rioja region was easy and also spectacular going over the mountains.

We found the parking area near a pool and market easily which is just down from the official site where you can service your van but nobody really parks there as it isn’t as nice or convenient.

We had some lunch and then walked into Town which initially looked a bit ordinary until we found the old town and in particular the streets with all the small bars and restaurants serving Pinxos (tapas) which were heaving. We had a beer but not sure why we didn’t have wine since we were in the capital of Rioja and watched the people go by, then walked around some more before realising most of the bars shut at 4pm. However we did find one slightly away from the narrow streets and had a glass each of local wine at a whole €2 per glass!