15 February. Marbella is always sunny ???

3 hours drive from Conil through beautiful terrain but boy, did we see rain. As we drove on a short motorway section I had to reduce my speed to 5 Mph as we passed through a cloud burst. A 10 minute alarming experience. At first I was concerned someone might run into me, those fears soon passed as I realized no one could drive any faster. It rained most of the way but despite the cloud burst the journey through the mountains, as they disappear and in parts reappear was spectacular.

 

We arrived at Cabopino camp site without a hitch, well to tell the truth I did embarrass myself a little. I picked up the site map from the reception and Mary and I walked to find a suitable place, we came across a perfect pitch, although it wasn’t marked on the site map as being available. (Site maps are not always up to date.) Mary stood guard as MH’s were queuing to enter the site and we didn’t want to loose this place. I parked the MH and walked back to inform the management only to be told that the place was private and I should move immediately. Tail between my legs I went back to the site where I saw my MH sinking into what looked like a hard newly gravelled area. I was in bother as the front wheels had sunk up to the brake discs, After much arm waving from onlookers and a tow from a small truck who’s owner took pity on me, I eventually got back to tarmac under a cloud of blue smoke which came from the trucks tyres and a stink of burning clutch plates from me. I suspect this will cost me down the line.

Most of the pitches are shaded by trees, this is where we finished, water and electric to hand, but the facilities are quite a walk away.

         

The site boasts 2 swimming pools one of which is heated, the second day here, still raining, Mary did 20 widths, I was exhausted!

There are a lot of large MH’s here but this one takes the biscuit, wonder around the back and you find it’s trailer, which is almost as big as my MH.

 

 

Goodness knows what’s inside? Notice it has a swing down awning!

We continue to suffer from bad weather, we decided to shop at a large shopping centre,

we spent all day here and were pleased we did, as again it rained all day. However, It turned out to be one of the high points of our holiday as Mary found an M&S. Garments here are the same as UK shops with one significant difference, prices are up by 15%, and of course you have to carry them home. A small price to pay for 4 hours of fantastic fun!!!!! And a jumper. Not all purchase hunting was for Mary, She decided to brighten my persona with the purchase of these designer pyjamas, 6.99 Euros from the grocery shop!

                     

Mary looks forward to an interview for a job here? (a family in joke).

My reward for suffering a gruelling day came with 2 days of sunshine. We regret it now as we lounged about soaking up the novelty, for the next day, rain returned and we wished we had taken a trip to somewhere, anywhere, just to sight see!

It’s Sunday, two weeks today and we will be home, another day of heavy rain, we decided we would try a posh restaurant on camp site to lift our spirits. That it did, and at the same time it reduced our bank balance by a substantial amount, and it continued to rain.

The next day, Monday, and still raining.

It’s not easy to photograph rain with our small camera, but you can see rain falling from our canopy and the large puddle beyond the car. Unfortunately this has been the norm as most nights we hear rain bouncing from the MH roof, we in fact don’t notice it anymore. The saving grace is listening to BBC weather on the TV each morning and thinking, well at least it’s not cold here. I think we are both beginning to regret taking this holiday so early in the season, ok, so we are missing the terrible winter that UK seems to be having. but there, we have other interests to occupy our mind. MH holidays are all about sightseeing and exploring areas as we travel, which is seriously curtailed when the weather is wet. Another joy is cooking outside which has not been possible for a most of the time.

All that complaining about the weather and suddenly, 12 noon and out comes the sun, just in time as we have arranged to meet Rob in Fuengirola, about 8 Km away. Who is Rob? Rob has advertised in the local rag, offering storage facilities for MH’s at Fuengirola, along with a free taxi service to and from the train station. He met us in the town and we followed him to his site. Nothing special just a hard standing area, fenced with secure gates. Rob lives on the site and his colleague runs a cattery and kennels. He also has a property and lives on site, Trains run into Malaga Airport every 30 minutes. It seems ideal for our purposes and the charges are not excessive at 90 Euros a month for both vehicles. We can now relax as our storage arrangements are confirmed.

Going back to the large RV and it’s trailer, I had a peek the other day. The trailer houses a motorbike, surf board, sail board, wet bike, complete with trailer, skis and goodness knows what other “boys toys” Then the owner pressed a button and the floor of the trailer lifted to create room underneath for his BMW car. I want one mum!!

Tuesday 23rd February made no promises about the weather, we wanted to go to Ronda so we took the chance. I say chance because the town nestles on a plateau between two mountain ranges and rain along with poor visibility would not be good. The climb to the top has so many hair pin bends you couldn't count them. The road cuts into the side of the mountain with “rock fall” warning notices around every other bend. The only way I dare look over the edge was to stop at one of the few resting lay-bys.

We stopped here for coffee. Mary enjoyed the central heating (gas fired).

Each table had these small heaters under, watch were you place your feet. The idea is to place the table cloth on your lap to keep your nether regions warm. Mary was quick to learn!

We round the corner of this building at the top of this picture and Ronda comes into view. (don’t look down)

Ronda looks close by, but it is a12Km drive from this point to wind down to the town. It’s a strange feeling to enter the town as you feel you are back to normal ground levels, when suddenly you cross a bridge over a gorge as you enter the town, and you are reminded that you are still 3000 feet above sea level.

The bridge, nothing unusual until you look down!

The town itself is very nice and well worth the visit, here are some images.

The inside of the church looks very

pretty, tastefully painted.

There is a bull ring here, not our cup of tea!

More shops here than you can shake a stick at, these comical figurines were interesting but I’m not buying!

Oranges growing outside the joint Police and Council Office is one thing, nice with your lunch, but home grown milk from your porch? Now that's different.

Can you see it? Is It a goat or a dog? No, it’s a cow.

The next day we arose late, in the afternoon we went to the Marina just 1/4 mile away,

The properties seen behind the marina are typical of holiday apartments seen in this area.

We had an ice cream here, walked the beach, then went back to the MH, we needed more rest from the previous day.

26th, a great day, washed the car and did nothing else. The weather news man on BBC this morning stated “I've never before had to warn of gales so severe, starting in southern Spain and Portugal and reaching 95mph”. I’m standing by ready to wind in my canopy at the slightest whiff of a breeze. Meanwhile I shall now switch off and sit and enjoy the sun and 19' degrees.

27th 9am and 20 degrees, Had a lazy day. As a precaution I wound the canopy away before going to bed last night, although there was no sign of wind, this morning all is calm. However, BBC again forecast violent winds on the news this morning, It’s like waiting for Armageddon!!. I feel a right idiot as I had warned a couple of friendly campers, and like me they had wound in their canopies each night, Where is the wind? they ask each morning. I shall have to move!!

1st March, wow it’s a scorcher, 28.6’ degrees and we are off to Ojen, not far away it’s recommended as being a typical unspoilt Spanish mountain town. It took just 3/4 hr to get there and 3/4 hr to walk to town centre, straight down, just 500 yards away from the car.

With plenty of rests in-between, we eventually arrived at the town centre, along with my bruised arm from Mary’s vice like clutches as she held on.

Lots of locals gather here around the bars and cafes and we joined them for our morning coffee. The church is also on the square although it was locked. No praying on a Monday.

The Church had no spire or tower as it was originally a Mosque, just this substantial entrance.

Some scenes from where I parked the car.

As you can see the streets are too narrow for vehicles.

What a beautiful relaxing atmosphere it was to sit for an hour taking coffee, strolling, then more coffee with a sandwich for lunch. A day to remember for all the right reasons, being on holiday. Surprisingly it was easier to get back to the car than expected. We must be getting fit!

That evening we purchased a pizza from the camp site takeaway, watched a film and wet to bed about 12 midnight. It’s now 3am, I write this note as we are both out of bed and still paying a heavy price for it. I’d like to say more about it’s effects on our digestive system but my editor forbids it!……………. Needless to say we stayed around the site most of the following day, and continuous rain added to our discomfort. We did manage a bit of shopping later as our neighbours asked if we would like to join them on a trip to the local super market.

It’s now the worst part of the holiday as we think about packing and I contemplate washing the MH down so she’s clean for when we return. Just 3 days to go, It’s an awkward time as I don’t want to leave anything out as I want to pack things away dry. It’s rained most of the night but it’s sunny now,11am. Do I pack chairs, tables, BBQ and canopy today, or do I leave them for another 2 days hoping it don’t rain? Ups, the decision has been made for me, as I write the sun disappears and it’s “persisting it down” what's more, it don’t look as though it’s coming back soon? Bugger, I was getting all psyched up.

Thursday, sunny all day, got all jobs done. I decided to do a dummy run to test Mr Garmin to see if he could remember the way to Rob’s storage place. He did, half hour’s drive, we shall set off Sunday morning about 9am, Allowing a couple of hour’s to cover the MH and leave no later than 12 noon. Our flight leaves at 17.55 which gives plenty of time for hiccups.

Sunday all went well, we arrived at the storage site early, Rob the owner arrived shortly after to unlock and let us in. As I started to place the cover on the MH it started to drizzle, and it didn't take long for sludge to appear. I had to connect a dozen straps together from each side of the cover by passing them under the MH, by the time I had finished I looked as though I had been competing in a mud wrestling match. The makeshift on site toilet is crap, (in more ways than one) the sink waste drained into a bucket that overflowed, wooden palets were placed on the floor to keep your feet dry, there was no roof and the door was jammed open. Mary was amazed????? She looked on and kept guard as I stripped down to my knickers, cocked a leg into the sink to wash off the sludge, having washed my croc (shoe) first. I repeated the process for the other leg before dashing to the car all but naked, to dress. No photos! The sludge laden clothes went into a bin liner and were placed in one of the bags for home. Customs weren't interested!

I had booked and paid for the flight online with Ryanair, £33.00 each to Bristol. I registered online for my boarding pass as required but couldn't print off a paper copy as I had no printer. This is a cardinal sin in Ryanairs eyes and they demanded a further £80.00. After much argument at the checkin desk I was told, in no uncertain terms, to pay up or go. Needless to say this spoilt our day, I hate being ripped off.