So it finally arrived and here we are in Spain at the start of our 'Big Trip.' Three years planning and even longer saving but we now have a whole Summer of fun, adventures and exploring ahead of us.
I'm not going to dwell too much on the journey to Spain as it was pretty much two days of misery but we made it. We spent the night before the ferry crossing on a lovely campsite near Tavistock and there's a review at the end of this post for those that are interested.
One thing about the crossing was worth mentioning. We had a private balcony (I sold my soul to get a posh, Commodore cabin) so we got a great view of L'Hermione sailing past. It's a replica of the 1779 ship that carried General Lafayette to the US to take part in the American Revolutionary War. Just so you know. Anyway, it looked pretty cool from our balcony!
Everything else about the crossing needs to be forgotten - it was a bit on the rough side and my sea legs aren't what they used to be so moving on.....
First thoughts on camping in Spain are that the pitches are small. Very small. I'd read this in the vast amount of research I did but I was still surprised. We couldn't even fit on the first pitch they gave us but they let us find another one and we managed to fit on that with a bit of creativity and by leaving the car in the car park.
You also really have to love thy neighbour. Crossed guyropes are the norm and you can hear them breathing in the next tent, although that could have something to do with the fact that just about everyone smokes. I wonder if that's why I haven't seen many old Spanish people....
The other thing is that, on this site at least, quiet time is from midnight until 8am. Roughly translated that means that everyone, including young children stay up and lively until midnight but on the chime it's as if someone has flicked a switch and it goes silent. Evenings are definitely when they prefer to live around here.
We're pretty much the only Brits here (in the whole of Asturias it seems) and we're going to have to learn some Spanish pretty sharpish because we managed to come back from the supermarket with garlic pork instead of bacon and 200g of everything we could pronounce from the deli counter because the girl there taught us 'doscientos.' I also got put in my place by the site owner - I asked him if he speaks English. "No. We are Spanish." Oops! Serves me right!
Anyway, enough of the dull, getting to Spain post. More to follow when we've had chance to explore a bit.
The site
Woodovis Park near Tavistock was where we had our quick stopover but I wish we could have stayed longer. It's the kind of place where you can take teens who don't love camping for camping's sake and don't relish the thought of staying in a field with "nowt to do."
We were knackered and grumpy when we got there but the site owners are lovely and gave us a pitch where we could drive on/off without unhitching the trailer. They're the kind of people who remember your name and make you feel like you've known them forever.
There are two main areas for tents (plus statics to hire and some hard standings for the tin tenters). All pitches come with EHU as standard and there are some pitches that also have their own water supply and TV aerial socket, although I'm not sure whether that's just on the hard standings.
We were on the top field, which is opposite reception, the games room and the main shower block. You can also see the play area from all of the pitches up there and the swimming pool is just around the corner. Yes I did say swimming pool. Included in the pitch fees are full use of the pool, hot tub and infra red sauna. Absolutely the best thing ever after an eight hour drive of misery! There's also a covered boules area and a large playing field.
The top field is quite lively during the day just because of where it is but it's absolutely silent after 10pm - they even turn off the hand driers and ask you to use paper towels so you don't disturb everyone!
The bottom field is a bit more out of the way an a lot quieter but still has facilities close by.
There are two toilet/shower blocks on the site and these are immaculate. You control the water flow and temperature of the showers and you don't have to press a button every 15 seconds. They also supply shower gel! There is also a launderette plus indoor and outdoor washing up areas.
There's a touch screen tourist information board in the games room with lots to do in the local area and the Copper Penny Inn at the end of the (long) drive is a great place to go for food and a drink.
All in all this is a fantastic site with lots of facilities but still retaining a small, friendly site feel to it. It comes at a price of course and we paid £35 for one night, which increases in the high season. Is it worth it though? Absolutely!
No comments:
Post a Comment