What Draws You Back To Spain
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Strangely very little. I don't wish that to sound as though I don't like Spain as I have only been a couple of times with the van and we once visited Cadiz from a cruise ship. Cadiz was lovely. We only went to Spain for the first time to go to the rowing at the 1992 Olympics but we did enjoy Barcelona. The beaches, as lovely as they must be, are not a sufficient enough attraction to us as we have never been "sunbathers".
David
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I agree with all AD's bullet points and we saw many great towns and cities during our 7 weeks travelling around 2 years ago.
There are still areas of Spain we have not seen and we will almost certainly return in the future to complete our tour. Areas still to be explored include NW Spain and Portugal and also the Eastern coast above Benicassim.
Where we differ from AD is we have no inclination or intention to revisit areas that we have already explored.
Similarly we have visited all the Balearic Islands but there is still much to be seen on Majorca, which really is a lovely place and nothing like the image portrayed over the years in red top newspapers.
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Again, the history. Spain was on the edge of two of the really big empires, Roman and Moorish. And of course the weather....😁
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Like I said in the 'France' thread, What's not to like.
Lovely people
Diverse countryside, its a lot greener than some folk think that just visit the Costas
So much history
Great campsites
Great beaches (if that's your thing)
Cycling while not as good as France is better than the UK in places.
Great markets
Oh and the weather ain't that bad either
We haven't made it back since our last visit in 2016 but we have been trying to. If it hadn't been for Covid we would have just returned from a 9 week visit.
France still has the edge for me though as Spain can get to hot and to busy at times.
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We would never take the motorhome to Spain. From the site photos I have seen it looks dusty and lacking in greenery and it’s far too hot in summer so you need to choose the time very carefully. On the other hand, there are great cities to see on a short fly drive - Cadiz, Granada etc.
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Curates Egg of a country for me.
Likes - Wildlife, Space particularly the further inland you go, food, history (some of the Moorish history is breathtaking), cycling on open roads, some superb campsites, mostly friendly people.
Dislikes - Built up coastal areas, the architecture, the lack of greenery in large swathes of the country, some very poor campsites, the litter and general lack of respect for the environment, the despoilation of beautiful coastal areas with concrete monstrosities. (I remember the very first time we saw the bay of Benidorm from the motorway way above it and were awestruck at the beauty of the natural bay and horrified at the boil that was attached to it. Before mass tourism it must have been impressive)
The weather in early Spring is perfect for me but summer would be hell.
As I said, a Curates Egg.
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Your not alone in that AD, we much prefer to be away from the Costas.
Salamanca is a city to visit if you like history and the area around it is very green.
Folk who say Spain is dusty/dry and barren haven't been to the areas we go.
The joy of Spain is that you don't HAVE to go in high season, pretty much anytime of year other than July, August and September is good weather that's not to hot.
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We have only been once and have been trying to get back ever since but something always crops up to stop us
In November the temperature in Andalusia was perfect and the history and historical remains of the country especially the Moorish and Roman blew us away and it is that I would love to go back to.
I wasn't particularly keen on the scenery which when we went was very arid but they hadn't had rain for four months and our only day at the coast was marred by the hills behind covered with greenhouses.
The people were so friendly and helpful, the tapas so tasty and meals so cheap and the roads were excellent.
At the moment we do have a ferry booked for the end of October.....but then we have had two booked before.
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Sun, sand and sangria. Having said that, when we had the apartment on the Costa Blanca, we visited during every month except July and August when it would fry your brains. Tastes change over time though and the things that drew us at the outset no longer do. It's also a blooming long drive.
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We go in the autumn primarily for the weather and because the campsites aren't so full at that time of the year. Where we stay the sea is still warm enough to go swimming in the open water until early November. We treat it as an extension of a summer feeling.
However, we wouldn't overwinter in Spain because by all accounts the campsites on the coast are chock-a-block then and, at least for us, the sea is too cold to go swimming before May.
Last year we went to Italy in the spring but the weather there was so atrocious that we packed everything and did an over 1200 mile detour to southern Spain to spend the rest of our holiday there.
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Its not that far to the Costa Brava CY one of the most beautiful coastal areas of Spain. I agree some coastal areas are a real eye sore more so the further south you go e.g. the Costa del Sol. Ignoring the weather, that is what I like about it. The variety in the country is much greater than France or anywhere else in western Europe for that matter. It has desert, forest, mountains, lakes, a very varied coastline, wild country areas, and over crowded urban areas. Its a poorer country than France and that gives it something of a different feel along with the varied architecture and an interesting history.
Try visiting Galicia, also known as green Spain. It is an altogether different Spain to the Costas.
I like the sun sea and sangria and the unpretentiousness of the country.
peedee
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Hi David, We have only camped three times in Spain.
Would agree with many of the comments and also add that it is also cheaper than France, more noticeable when your holiday is split between the two.
Our first visit was just over the border at L'Amfora, the second at Vilanova park and the last, in 2016, at Playa Joyel.
All decent sites but also different and not at all like the ones that you seem to use!.
Our pitch at L'Amfora was huge and the beach was good but the strong winds, its a windsurfers dream, make sitting on it rather unpleasant.
Vilanova was OK and it was chosen as a base to visit Barfecelona and for that it was ideal with a bus from the gate for €4 ish.
At the end of this stay we drove across country to Santander, for the ferry, and its a trip we remember due to the amazing countryside we saw, the lack of traffic and the views along the coast from Bilbao.
We liked it so much that we decided to visit the area and stayed at Play Joyel. This was in June and areas of the site were still closed so not a great choice of pitches.
The experience was, for us, quite strange as arriving on a Sunday afternoon we entered a busy, lively site, my wife's preference, but on the Monday it was like a ghost town as all the Spanish users of the seasonal pitches had left.
The whole area was rather odd as all on street parking was full but there were no people about during the week.
It is however on just about the best beach we have been on and we spent more time on it than we would have thought we would as it was so appealing.
We almost went back last year, intending to meet up with friends, but in the end changed plans.
Would like to go back and see other areas but as CY says, its a bloomin long way and, when we look at the distance, our next thought is that we could do Italy which is our favourite.
However, due to the current situation it may be that we look at going later this year as it will be a better bet weather wise than Italy so fingers crossed!
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Hi David, Yes we were impressed overall, as said it was great for visiting Barcelona.
The facilities blocks we used were very good, and very clean. The pitch we had was not that large and it was right against the wall bordering the wood yard so there was no need for an alarm clock but a duster was a necessity!
The site shop was very good, jean was happy as they did newspapers, and the bar/restaurant was inviting and prices were OK. We did visit the bar quite a lot as you got an hours internet free when buying a drink!!
We were there late Sept/Oct and the pools were very nice, if a bit chilly, and sometimes we were the only ones, during the week, enjoying them. We did have some very bad weather but it was only for a few hours at a time so bearable.
The beach closest was OK but we went to Sitges and found we could park easily and only a few yards for the beach so did that a couple of times.
We visited Sitges on our last weekend and there was a wine festival taking place which was very entertaining and its a lovely town well worth visiting.
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