Travel Plans for 2023?

[GMJ]

So what will you be up to this year? Any firm plans or ides/thoughts on trips for 2023?

 

[Webby]

We're off to Spain tomorrow and we are hoping to go to Norway later in the year.
As I get older I understand the Moroccan expression Insh'Allah ....God willing.........it's what we are hoping to do.
I think Graham you are planning to go to Sicily this year. I remember getting together some notes about our trip and campsites etc but can't remember passing them on to you.
Can't remember is another expression I understand more as I get older.

 

[GMJ]

Yes Pete - we are off to Sicily in April so anything you have would be most welcome. Drop us a PM if you can Pete?

Before that we are off on our Spanish trip starting on the 14th of Jan. Hopefully we'll get away from all this dismal rain.

Aside from that the outline thoughts are for Devon/Dorset in June and then Germany in September. Aside from that there will be several trips up to the West Country to see friends and rellies.

 

[trevskoda]

Spontaneous, where and when I have not got a clue.

 

[marchie]

Still hoping to take a Winter Sun break to Spain via France. But the repairs to our Dining Room after the 16th December pipe burst in the upstairs Flat are proving difficult, both in terms of financial liability and work scheduling. At worst we may have to instruct solicitors, so best to remain in Scotland until the process and liability is settled

Steve

 

[Burge]

Still hoping to take a Winter Sun break to Spain via France. But the repairs to our Dining Room after the 16th December pipe burst in the upstairs Flat are proving difficult, both in terms of financial liability and work scheduling. At worst we may have to instruct solicitors, so best to remain in Scotland until the process and liability is settled

Steve

Hope this year starts better for you than last year ended, Chris.

 

[GMJ]

I'm sure we'll bump into each other one of these winters in Spain Steve.

 

[s4x4c]

heading off to spain next weekend on ferry sunday to amsterdam then a wee drive down to vilanova i la geltru for a couple of weeks then onto benicassim for a month after that who knows where home in april

 

[Winks]

Still hoping to take a Winter Sun break to Spain via France. But the repairs to our Dining Room after the 16th December pipe burst in the upstairs Flat are proving difficult, both in terms of financial liability and work scheduling. At worst we may have to instruct solicitors, so best to remain in Scotland until the process and liability is settled

Steve

You have my sympathy in that challenge. Our daughter has been out of her own home for over a hundred days now for what was supposed to be a three week subsidence repair. The loss adjusters and their contractors are a bloody nightmare. They’ve already seen off two local building firms.

We are off to Lanzarote for a month in march then hopefully a bit more mooching about through the rest of the year. Just to keep out of the way. . .

Cheers

H

 

[Mobilvetta]

We are setting sail to France on the 8th January, have to be back in the UK for the 1st April, was hoping to get the ferry direct to Santander and then return through France, but unfortunately there was no cabins available for our dates, although we could have reserved a chair. So will do the west coast route down into Spain. In May we are then flying to Vancouver for 4 nights then doing an Alaska cruise.

 

[marchie]

We are setting sail to France on the 8th January, have to be back in the UK for the 1st April, was hoping to get the ferry direct to Santander and then return through France, but unfortunately there was no cabins available for our dates, although we could have reserved a chair. So will do the west coast route down into Spain. In May we are then flying to Vancouver for 4 nights then doing an Alaska cruise.

We did a Yokohama to Seattle Cruise in 2017 and made a couple of stops in Alaska. Included a stop at Icy Strait where 6 of us hired a small Fishing Boat [Yamaha outboard power ...] and Skipper for a 3 hours Whale Watching excursion. Freezing cold, cramped, but bloody loved it! The photos we took were stunning! Hope we can return when cruises feel safe again!

Steve

 

[2cv]

After fleeing back from San Diego when covid hit in 2020 we plan to get back to a couple of months in Palm Desert In Spring and Autumn. We hope to go to the IOM TT with the van. Other than that we hope to get to a few car shows and maybe a couple of rallies and to spend a little time in our new home.

 

[Mobilvetta]

We did a Yokohama to Seattle Cruise in 2017 and made a couple of stops in Alaska. Included a stop at Icy Strait where 6 of us hired a small Fishing Boat [Yamaha outboard power ...] and Skipper for a 3 hours Whale Watching excursion. Freezing cold, cramped, but bloody loved it! The photos we took were stunning! Hope we can return when cruises feel safe again!

SteveView attachment 65381View attachment 65382

Brilliant photos, very lucky, I presume you had a top notch camera to get them shots. I hope we get to see some wildlife on our trip, we did go whale watching between San Diego and Mexico a few years ago and saw quite a number of Whales who travel down to have there young, then travel back up North once they have been born. Would love to see some Orcas. Her indoors wants to go to Cape Town in the summer, I've said I'm up for it if we can go on Safari, but she isn't keen, she can't even watch the wildlife programs as she ates seeing animals kill.

 

[marchie]

Brilliant photos, very lucky, I presume you had a top notch camera to get them shots. I hope we get to see some wildlife on our trip, we did go whale watching between San Diego and Mexico a few years ago and saw quite a number of Whales who travel down to have there young, then travel back up North once they have been born. Would love to see some Orcas. Her indoors wants to go to Cape Town in the summer, I've said I'm up for it if we can go on Safari, but she isn't keen, she can't even watch the wildlife programs as she ates seeing animals kill.

Thank you. Camera is Nikon D5300 and I think I had a 200mm lens, but it coud have been a 300mm. Shortly after that trip I bought a Tamron 400mm lens and swapped to using the phone for piccies! If we return to a cruise, I'll dig the Nikon out!

Elaine lived in Cape Town for 6 years during her formative years and we visited in 2007 and 2008. Whale watching at Hermanus was wonderful, but we also had a couple of hours around Strand [Baden Powell Drive] but couldn't get close enough to get decent shots, so we just watched from the road!

Steve

 

[We Luv Freedom]

After fleeing back from San Diego when covid hit in 2020 we plan to get back to a couple of months in Palm Desert In Spring and Autumn. We hope to go to the IOM TT with the van. Other than that we hope to get to a few car shows and maybe a couple of rallies and to spend a little time in our new home.

I,m at the Southern100 / TT & ManxGp to do a bit of spannering as the nephew is a Manx Racer ,,,, if u watch a newly uploaded blog on you tube titled ( newcomers journey ) its Frankie Stennet ,,,, part 1 & 2 ,,,, In Spain till 22nd April then its Superbike season in the van supporting Max Stainton in the 1,000cc Superstock sponsored by Hicky ,,,,

 

[paulhelenwilko]

Interesting Thread.

We are thinking of trying to beat the winter blues by driving down (Ferry out of the question) to warmer climes in late January/Feb.

Are we niave to think it will be much warmer down there ?

Is the journey problematical at this time of year eg campsites and aires closed, no water ?

How far south do we have to go to find shorts and t-shirts weather ?

Or should we leave a bit later ?

 

[We Luv Freedom]

We will be in Benidorm from 23rd Jan to April & it has it's own micro-climate of 320 days per year sun & daily 20° ...

 

[2cv]

Interesting Thread.

We are thinking of trying to beat the winter blues by driving down (Ferry out of the question) to warmer climes in late January/Feb.

Are we niave to think it will be much warmer down there ?

Is the journey problematical at this time of year eg campsites and aires closed, no water ?

How far south do we have to go to find shorts and t-shirts weather ?

Or should we leave a bit later ?

I think that you need to be much further South such as Middle East for t shirt weather in January, with Southern Spain for example, whilst warmer than UK, only averaging 15 degrees max and 6 degrees min in January. We wait till March to head for the California desert to be guaranteed mid 20s daily and no cold nights.

 

[marchie]

Interesting Thread.

We are thinking of trying to beat the winter blues by driving down (Ferry out of the question) to warmer climes in late January/Feb.

Are we niave to think it will be much warmer down there ?

Is the journey problematical at this time of year eg campsites and aires closed, no water ?

How far south do we have to go to find shorts and t-shirts weather ?

Or should we leave a bit later ?

We've visited Spain from late November, staying until mid February in 2018/19. and 2019/20, each time in a caravan. We travelled Newhaven to Dieppe to take the overnight ferry and then to our hovel [inland Vendee], before pushing on to Bordeaux [Gradignan], then Camping Llarouletta [St Jean de Luz], followed by the Camping Municipal at Zaragoza, and then on to Moncofa, arriving by lunch time. Dieppe to our hovel is a touch over 300 miles and the subsequent legs are around 190 miles each, so a gentle 4 hours driving each day. We did a [delayed] Motorhome trip from early March to late April 2022, not visiting the hovel, and made Spain by Day 7, staying at free Aires en route. The stops are Dieppe to St Ferté-St Aubin [south of Orleans to miss morning rush hour]; then Saint Ybard; Grissoles {Montauban]; Gruissan Harbour [Narbonne] 2 nights; Le Boulou; and thence to Vilafranca del Penedes [20km from Barcelona].

It gets cold at night, and can be very windy, so heating needed! Quite common to wake to temperatures around freezing or just above, but wandering around the site with a cup of coffee/tea and wearing shorts and a jumper is commonplace. Daytime temperatures 16-21 degrees so jumper off, until around 5.30pm when its useful for the end of day stroll before retiring to the Van.

Shorts, T shirts, Warm shirt for evenings, plus jumper and a pair of jeans/chinos so you can use any combination. Windcheater for late night walks should complete the ensemble! The photos are on the same promenade at Moncofa, day and night, the latter with the hoodies for warmth! We would have been away again in late November but life got in the way! Chomping at the bit to get away in late January [flood repairs permitting].

In a nutshell, all the daily activities you do in England, but wrap up against the rain and wind, you can do in shorts and tee shirt, and enjoy the stroll to the supermarket and cafe, rather than enduring the rain running down your neckhole via your anorak hood!

Steve

 

[GMJ]

Interesting Thread.

We are thinking of trying to beat the winter blues by driving down (Ferry out of the question) to warmer climes in late January/Feb.

Are we niave to think it will be much warmer down there ?

Is the journey problematical at this time of year eg campsites and aires closed, no water ?

How far south do we have to go to find shorts and t-shirts weather ?

Or should we leave a bit later ?

We travel down to Spain every winter for some winter sun and we are start this years journey on the 14th Jan.

We use the tunnel and then drive a routs via Rouen - Poitiers - Bordeaux - Urrugne to the Spanish border. If heading to the Med coast or Almeria area we will then stop in Zaragoza. If heading to the Costa del Sol we'll probably going via the Madrid direction.

We use campsites rather than aires on the way down but on the way back in March we may use the odd aire in France as well.

In terms of weather I am in shorts when we leave Zaragoza and only put jeans back on when we get to mid France on the way back! Temperatures vary in Spain but we have seen 24 degrees in January. 18-20 degrees is typical. The only time we experienced sustained 'bad' weather was last year when we were 2 weeks in Peniscola when it rained on around 8-9 of the days. A few years ago we had 2 weeks at a site as far north as Barcelona and the weather was glorious with folks even swimming in the sea in February!

A typical trip for us would be to head down to the Costa del Sol or Almeria area and spend 2 weeks at a time working our way up the coast, on 3 different campsites. Many of the popular ones get booked up way in advance so I organise the trip in the pervious year at around July time. If you get on to a site that you like and would like to return to, it is a good idea to pay a deposit for the next year so you can guarantee your place.