Long term Winter stays in Spain / Portugal
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we dont do 6 months but 2 x 3 month tours....France in the late summer and generally Spain in the winter (after Xmas till Easter) and the trip can comprise much movement like last year....Algarve hopping, along with a couple of culture cities, two 2-week site stays and some French exploring on the way home in the warmer weather.
we always have plenty to do as, like others have said, we are just living away from the UK weather for a while.
we have pals who do the same site every year for 7 months...the primary reason is to get away from the cold and the warm sun does wonders for their aging bones...they enjoy a full social life but mainly better health...
they leave their caravan in spanish storage and its placed on the pitch for their arrival, either by car (or by plane to the local airport)...
we will be on this site for a few weeks but will combine touring, this time to the north of our current location to visit an area weve passed by previously.
we're blessed with great weather (Gloria excepted), good friends, good food, cheap living, cycling and walking to die for, excursions and as many social events as you fancy, whist/quiz/table tennis/boules....tai chi at sun up on the beach, running along the prom etc....many things we wouldnt be doing in the rain back home...
add in the golf course down the road, concert hall, planetarium, natural parks and....
although 6 months might seem a lifetime for some, i can certainly see why some do it....it depends a lot on circumstances and what there is (or not) for you at home....
..and with the airport close by (from bristol/stanstead etc) its easy and cheap to bring family out for a break...
finding the definitive 'reason' for folk doing such long term breaks is hard, but i can see why they do it....
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I am not sure its speculation per se but just a natural conclusion that people who spend six months on the same one campsite in Spain every year are a different group to the majority of people that post on this forum who in the main enjoy some element of touring even if they may stay 6 to 8 weeks on one campsite. The journey to and from that longer stay destination often includes other stays en route for longer than just an overnight stays on the way back to the UK. I am not sure where to suggest that WTO looks for the answer to the question but I don't think it will be found on regular forums and facebook groups that I use.
David
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I thought it was a pic of a CAMC warden multitasking.
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Long term winter stays may, in the future, be defined by how many hoops one has to jump through to remain there past 90 days.
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I was just ploughing through these posts and you have just beaten me to the point I was about to make Cyber. However, living in my lovely caravan for 5 - 6 months over a winter period even in southern Spain would drive us up the wall; we need more than 15sq mtrs, plus an awning, living space.
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..and this is a classic (mis?)interpretation of a long term vanning situation...
we dont even have an awning, we dont need the space, its there for you in spades outside, why would we want to be sat in a tent?..
we dont live in the van for n months, we live in the town, the bars, the cycleways, the mountains, the beach, the villages, the shopping centres, the restaurants, the facilities, etc, etc...just as we do at home..we only sleep (and eat about half time) in the van...so dont get time to feel cramped.
at home in summer, we are out for most of the daylight hours exploring and then return to our house to sleep and relax...
out here, as the weather seems like summer to us, we're doing just that, all day long, except when its really hot and we sunbathe nr the van, something we wouldn't be doing at home for sure.
so, in terms of space, we have loads of it, far, far more than is available back home...meaning roads are quieter and safer, theres always room in a restaurant and supermarkets are less crowded...
and if you've had enough of one place, move on..
add in the fact that your cash goes far, far further than at home and the world is....as they say.
yes, in summer when its warm, im happy to be back home (or on a proper holiday somewhere) touring and enjoying the weather...
but a bleak, cold, wet period in the UK or a few months in the sun in Spain.....? no contest.
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thought it looked a bit familiar...
the way things are going at the moment we're eating out every other day/night...local Menu del Dias from a silly €6 which has to make you think hard about your supermarket trips and whether its really worth the effort of cooking yourself...
today at the Salera shopping centre in Castellon, both of us shared a €5 meal and it was all we needed for lunch....
tonights meal was (virtually) paid for by the Quiz winnings.....again.
Steward's enquiry invoked..0 -
WTG, we to have thought about spending winter months in Spain. So far we have only managed 10 weeks but we were on the move most of the time with the longest stay being 12 days.
Like you we wonder what folk do for 6 months and even spoke to those on the long rallies. Not sure if its for us but we are considering doing a month at a time on sites and then moving on. Just need to find enough sites that we like to spend a month on.
Kind of hoped you would get some answers, sems like us you will just have to keep trying.
My brother had a villa in Murcia for 14 years but never spent more than a month at a time there and never after November. He said it was to quiet and nothing to do. Does make me wonder.
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purely our own perspective but this past week we have been on a site organised 'trip', a 7-man long bike ride, been to the shopping centre in the next big town, strolled to the market, lunched with pals down at a beach restaurant, last night a 'goodbye' dinner for friends moving on...
you can do as little or as much as you please....today a quiet sunbathe on site and stroll later...
at home, despite winter weather, we try to get out most days and its a bit like this here, but with the option to 'rest' outside in the sunshine...or play table tennis, or go to the golf club if feeling a bit more energetic.
i dont really feel i have to look for things to keep me occupied, we're doing even more than we do at home....albeit some different things and in far more pleasant weather...
we will be moving a little further north and doing some coastal explorations in a few weeks time (as the north warms up) but, until then, i dont feel we are looking for things to fill a 'holiday', we are just living in a different part of the world, in better weather, with a large choice of indoor or outdoor activities to enjoy...
i certainly dont find this hard work....
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Thanks AD, we are off to Spain mid April heading for the south. Camping Rosaleda is on the list to check out as are a few others. Depending on how we do we might give it a go at the back end of the year.
Like WTG, not sure that we would like months on end in one place, so a variety of sites might be the option, however given that so many folk go over winter and sites get pretty full I think it might be that we would need to book in advance not something we do just now.
I do like the freedom to move on at a whim and Ive ben told that the sites in winter have a different atmosphere to the springtime, so what might seem a nice site in spring might be different come winter. Guess its a case of try it and see.
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Yes went on the SS Nevassa, sailing from Swansea, to Gibraltar, Madeira etc. I was a pupil however....only recently found "daily log". Great experience, especially for a youngster. Have done a few more as an adult and with the good lady, who was also on the SS Nevassa, but from another school. Did not know her then....
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I love Pembrokeshire, out of season. Live in neighbouring Carmarthenshire, and spend many a few days on CL in Pentlepoir. Love it. Bus ride to Tenby etc. Walk Saundersfoot to Wiseman's where a glass or two is consumed. Then return journey....
However 6 to 8 weeks , May, June, in France. Wandering not staying too long in one place.
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I have spent some time abroad .I have met many people on sites some all year types some up to 25 years . One comment was " Just working in a differnt place " when washing dishes. Usually there is enough to do ,,shopping ,dining out walikg about cycling fixing litte faults just like being at home ,when you are retired. One of the biggest problem ,and it is a problem with retirement "BOREDOM" So you must have an interest I saw a lot of hobbies done in the bar all day ... not a great idea .The is always a local market where you can walk to and spend a few hours shopping then retire to the bar for a coffee and then a walk back to site and dinner then a few friends for a chat and drink . How else can you do it ,can't work and see sights all the time .The only reason the go south is the SUN and that can wane a bit as well .
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