Murcia and Valencia, Part 4

After our round Spain trip, we were somewhat worn out and it took us several days to get our journal up to date.  We bumped into Patricia and Geoffrey in Alfaz while hunting for tyres and satellite bits and were invited for lunch.  We walked to their bungalow in Albir on the 12th.  We hadt intended to catch the bus, but as we were so early started walking.  However, between El Raco and Albir we didn't see any bus stops and the bus went by us just as we approached Albir.  Lunch was delicious and took most of the afternoon and by the time we caught the bus back it was getting cold and we would not have enjoyed walking back.  

El Raco, shown on the left, had been our base now for almost three months and we were getting restless and a little bored.    It was, however, fairly comfortable and at £5.50 a day pretty inexpensive.   As we were soon to find out, it was also convenient and inexpensive for supplies.   Because we hadn't moved for so long, we took a whole day preparing for the move.

The awning was washed and, when dry, packed away but it still took us till mid-day to pull out on the 17th.  Partly this was due to saying goodbye to the English we had met, including Terry and Lynn and their boys George and Jack.   Terry was a singer and had given a free show in the bar to celebrate the birthday of one of his Dutch neighbours.  The family had sold up in England and moved in a camper to Spain.   The boys were in the local Spanish school.

17th February, 2000

When we finally got away, we took to the motorway as we had seen most of the coast as far as Valencia.  We stopped at the services north of Gandia to eat our lunch.  It had been windy on the road and in the exposed service area the gusts were enough to make us concerned for our safety.  As we continued on towards Valencia, we took the picture, left, of Cullera through the open window of the car.  The town is on the inland side of a large hill on which its name is painted for some reason.

Sagunto was our chosen destination.   We thought we might return to Valencia, which is only 20 Km to the south, though in the event we didn't bother.  We picked Sagunto because it is an old Roman town that was attacked by Hannibal in 219 BC and, after nine months of siege, the citizens burned it and themselves rather than surrender.  We had chosen the nearest campsite shown in our guide as open all year, but when we arrived and pulled into the gates, we were informed that it did not open until the end of the week.  After a tricky bit of reversing, we moved on to Malvarrosa de Corinto.  The approach to the camp and the camp itself looked a bit tatty, but it was clean and right on the beach.

We chose a pitch next to some Brits in a camper with the beach just the other side of our hedge, as you can see from the picture far left.  Centre left is our rig, in amongst the eucalyptus trees, between which we had had to manhandle the caravan.

Sagunto is a town of two parts and we went first to the newer Port of Sagunto, which had been a major steel-making town and now has large derelict areas, as shown below left, waiting to be redeveloped.  Nearby, we saw the interesting looking Church, shown below centre, and went to look at it.  We were puzzled by a somewhat crude white painted concrete wall around its front, with a covered tunnel to its door.   Closer inspection revealed that its ornate appearance was a crumbling stucco facade and the ugly concrete was to protect its congregation from falling cement.  We found the main square in which a statue, shown below right, celebrates the town's industrial heritage.  It is a worker in a hard hat but we could not decide whether it was a miner or a steel worker.

The old town of Sagunto is dominated by a huge castle that sprawls along the ridge of a hill behind the town.  To reach the castle we climbed through the narrow streets of the old Moorish town to the remains of the Roman Theatre and then further up.   Below left, we show the view from above the theatre, looking at the castle which extended to about the same distance behind us.  Originally the Roman fortified town, it was added to by the Moores and the Spaniards and is by far the biggest we had seen and, to our pleasant surprise, after climbing up to it, we found that entrance was free.  Just inside the entrance is the old Roman section, shown below centre, which has been partly excavated.  The extensive walls of the castle made a natural sun trap and we were surprised at how hot it could be as it was only mid-February.

Looking down from the castle we show, above far right, the old Roman Theatre for which entrance is not free.  It has been largely rebuilt and is used as an outdoor theatre.  It is questionable whether the modern reconstruction does justice to the original. 

The camp was very quiet, with few tourists.  It is mainly a 'static' site.   Further along the shore we found a community known as Casa Blanca, which seems to be also holiday homes.  Some of them were too close to the sea and indeed crumbling into it.  Most probably the whole area is a weekend resort for the citizens of Valencia, though some may well commute in.  There are still a number of building plots for sale, some of which are directly on the beach.

The campsite had its own bar and restaurant, the view from which is shown below left.  We dined in it on the Saturday night and had a surprisingly enjoyable meal.   One man ran it and we were able to make ourselves understood in French.  The price, while reasonable in UK terms, was half as much again as we would have expected to pay in Benidorm. 

While in many ways the camp site was idyllic, we decided to be on our way and said our goodbyes to the Brits we had met and set off for Peñiscola.  Arnold and Freda, shown above centre, were serious caravanners and on their caravan door had country codes like scalps, including Iceland - where they lost their first caravan to the wind - and many East European countries.  George and Marion, shown above right with Kate, were on the way south and over a few beers we  had exchanged notes on camp sites.  George had just retired from the Navy.

21st February, 2000

In Peñiscola we made for the Eden camp site, recommended by George and Marion.   We never cease to be surprised by new camp sites, despite this being the 20th of our trip.  Several sites we have been to had security with electricly operated barriers, but this one had gates that would not have been out of place in a medium security gaol.  It also had the novelty of an individual sink and tap on each pitch.   Individual taps are common, but this was the first time we had seen a sink with drainer.  However, because there was no hot water so far as we could see, none of the campers made real use of them.  The camp had an excellent restaurant and supermarket, but they were closed for refurbishment. 

Our first task was to search out an Internet Cafe and the Reception told us we would find one in Benicarlo, the next town up the coast.  As it was not open when we arrived, we had a brief wander around the town.  Lacking any spectacular attraction, it is obviously outshone by Peñiscola and its 'El Cid' castle.    We were, however, impressed by its Church with its ornate entrance.   Finally, the Internet Cafe opened and we were able to deal with our mail.

The following day we visited the castle in Peñiscola.   The view, shown left, as one approaches is very impressive and may be why it was used in the film 'El Cid'.  It was built by the Knights Templar and is well preserved.  It was used by the Pope, Pedro de la Luna, who had been deposed in the 15th century.  The Church inside the castle is shown below left, while below centre is a more recent Church outside the castle walls and below right is a view looking down to the harbour.

We continue to be astonished at the dangers these old monuments present, with parapets barely knee high we felt quite uncomfortable in many places.  It may well be that the very obvious danger these places present makes everyone careful, but we shudder at the thought of bringing our children here when they were small, as they were very hard to restrain.  George had told us that the fishing boats returning at 5 p.m. was a sight to be seen and, from the top of the castle, with its low parapet, we took the picture to the right.

Last updated:  18/03/01