# Somewhere Warm this Winter



## VenturerDave (Oct 2, 2009)

Having recently bought our first ever MH we are thinking of spending a few months of this coming winter somewhere warmer than the UK, like Spain and Portugal.

Has anyone done this and got any advice to pass on or is there anyone who is planning to do it also this winter and looking to join up with others.

Advice on best ways to get there, good places to stay, costs involved etc would be appreciated as we are complete novices and are not sure of the best way forward.


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## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Motorhome*

Hi

I have never done a winter in the sun, well, not strictly true as I did a winter in northern Italy, but not so warm.

I would advise you to look for long term discounts. There was a new site mentioned on here recently with some good rates.

If it is your first trip overseas, do you have all the necessary equipment - such as warning triange, high viz vests etc?

Russell


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

We did it for the first time this year, going just after Christmas. We're experienced European travellers but usually go in spring or autumn.

I'd advise booking a site as soon as you have made up your mind and, if it were me, I'd go for one of the club rallies. I understand you don't have to join in if you don't want to but you are guaranteed a pitch of reasonable size and it will be waiting for you when you arrive. You can, if you wish, follow the club's advice as to en route campsites and even arrrange to go with others.

We travelled round most of the time in Spain and Portugal but thought we might just have a few days on the Algarve...or a Costa...or anywhere on the coast ! Fat chance; the sites were heaving and we were laughed off two of them. Vans were pitched so close that you could hear your neighbours breathing and we were not much taken with it ! Some were like shanty towns. 

We did the Portsmouth to Santander crossing and then came back through France in March. The crossing was not cheap, and we were extremely lucky that it was flat calm, but it did save a long journey so we are glad we did it.

The weather was so-so; much warmer than UK but not as warm as we expected but it was blessedly dry in the south.

G


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## bambi2 (Oct 19, 2007)

VenturerDave said:


> Having recently bought our first ever MH we are thinking of spending a few months of this coming winter somewhere warmer than the UK, like Spain and Portugal.
> 
> Has anyone done this and got any advice to pass on or is there anyone who is planning to do it also this winter and looking to join up with others.
> 
> Advice on best ways to get there, good places to stay, costs involved etc would be appreciated as we are complete novices and are not sure of the best way forward.


20 years ago when we first went to portugal for the winter, we stayed at Armacao de Pera, we had lots of rain and it was chilly, then the next winter we tried Spain and found that you can even have frost in the Alicante area but found the weather a bit better than Portugal, for some years now we have travelled to Morocco which had nice warm weather but still had heavy rain now and again, but all 3 had better weather to spend the winter than in England, whatever you decide on., the first trip is very exciting and you will allways remember it, we just had a map when we first did it and new no one who had done it to get advice from, you are lucky because you can get good advice from this site, but you will soon meet other motor caravanners who will happily point you in the right direction, have a great time. Bambi 2


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## bozzer (Jul 22, 2009)

Hi

We've had winter in Portugal/Spain for the last 6 winters.

First year we booked through the C&CC winter sun book. Not knowing if we'd like a rally we booked a non-rally and rally a month at each. As already stated you don't have to join in but I found it really good - I enjoy a game of whist, my husband doesn't so I went to whist night, he didn't and listened to music for the evening.

Following year we went to more sites and stayed longer. Year after we booked it ourselves and just stayed at one site. We've decided 30 nights in one location is enough for us, we do 30 nights to get the cheap rates.

The C&CC book costs £5 but you get a refund if you book. It does however give you an idea of prices and sites en-route.

What suits one person doesn't suit the next, the only way is to try.

Jan


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## cavaqueen (Mar 27, 2006)

Hi there,

Why not try the new campsite at Marjal that is advertised on here, we have stayed at it's sister campsite for the last 3 years and love it, the new site has very competative rates and everything you need on site, also the weather is great in this area, of course you still have some cold evenings, but I have been sunbathing in January and February,

good luck

Cavaqueen


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

As has been said the sites fill up very quickly and many are not very attractive. 
I think the Camping and Caravan Club rally look like a good option for a first timer too.
We just went and did it and loved every minute of it. We found the best (driest) weather was the very southern tip of Spain. It has Europe's only desert! For this reason it is not to everyones taste as it is not very green.
We found a lovely uncrowded site which we are planning to return to. It was on the coast but not near any amenities so not to everyones taste.
Wild camping is also an option which we had to do when we found all the overcrowded sites with too much shade for the winter for our taste. We enjoyed it but, again, not to everyone's taste.


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

bozzer said:


> The C&CC book costs £5 but you get a refund if you book. It does however give you an idea of prices and sites en-route.
> Jan


You can read it for nothing online 

peedee


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## masie123 (Nov 9, 2010)

hi we first went to portugal 35 years ago but it was june i always remember that because it was 40d in shade very very hot and even a few of the old locals died  
it was also a place called Armacao de Pera although we travelled about (hire jeep) we have been back in varius m/homes in winter and summer but it is on the atlantic side so not as warm in winter as say the costas..but likes been said it is better then the british weather  masie
just to add whats already been said the a lot of the campsites get very crowded more so on the costas and not very comfortable but if you decide to go make sure you book well inadvance..


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

peedee said:


> bozzer said:
> 
> 
> > The C&CC book costs £5 but you get a refund if you book. It does however give you an idea of prices and sites en-route.
> ...


CC&C 2011/12 Winter Rallies
La Manga, Costa Cálida, Spain - 24 Sep 2011-15 Apr 2012 
Playa Tropicana, Costa del Azahar, Spain - 16 Oct 2011-15 Apr 2012 
Almafra, Costa Blanca, Spain - 1 Nov 2011-1 Apr 2012 
Monmar, Costa del Azahar, Spain - 10 Dec 2011-31 Mar 2012 
Albufeira, Algarve, Portugal - 18 Dec 2011-16 Apr 2012 
La Rosaleda, Cádiz, Spain - 6 Jan-17 Feb 2012 
Turiscampo, Algarve, Portugal - 7 Jan-24 Mar 2012 
Castillo de Baños, Costa Tropical, Spain - 11 Jan-31 Mar 2012 
Vilanova Park, Costa Dorada, Spain - 1 Mar-16 May 2012 
Bonterra Park, Costa del Azahar, Spain - 10 Apr-26 May 2012

The brochure is now £10 but you can read most of it >here<

peedee


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## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi.
Portugal?,we are near Santa Comba dao,just inland from Coimbra,it is warmer in the winter than england,but you do get rain,a mate who lives in the Algarve region 4.5 ish hrs away south will not come up to visit us in the winter,because........."it is to cold!". So,come to Portugal for the winter,but be at least 3hrs south of us,LOL.
Super people,very easy driving,(hardly any traffic),just be aware of local speed limits/bridge speed limits,as the police have started to make an appearance with radar,seen one this year!lol,the "Stop" sign seems to be the favourite instant fine,so we,STOP/STOP,sorted.
Have fun.
Jented.


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## teemyob (Nov 22, 2005)

*Warmest*

Warmest Mainland Place I have stayed in winter is Javea, Costa Blanca, warmer than Costa Tropical.

I have watched the temperature in Palermo and that looks good, but never been.

TM


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## arty23 (May 20, 2005)

Pictures and a few details of the CCC La Manga Rally can be found here:-La Manga Rally


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

We never book anywhere in Spain and Portugal, we just go with the flow either wild camp or pull in any site that takes our fancy, we have never seen a full site in the winter period Dec / April and we have never been turned away..

We never book as we never know where we will be.. but we do have a couple of "bolt holes" we know that will always be available :wink: ..


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## peedee (May 10, 2005)

rayrecrok said:


> Hi.
> we have never seen a full site in the winter period Dec / April and we have never been turned away..


Came across three this year Ray, Camping Marjal, Camping Cap Blanche and Camping Calpe Mar but agree if you are not fussy about having a good pitch for a long stay or where you stay then there is no need to book!

peedee


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## NeilandDebs (Aug 28, 2008)

*First trip overwinter*

Hello

Our first trip overwintering was to Olhao in Portugal. We stayed on the campsite for 2months. The site is within walking distance to the town centre and the harbour markets. There are supermarkets within walking distance and Faro is only 8kms away which you can train/bus or cycle to. When we were there we spoke to people from all nationalities and gained some very good advice.

After the 2 months we spent the next 2 months wildcamping along the Algarve. Fantastic!!

I would reccommend getting a Camperstop book and books from Vicariousbooks.

We are off to Morocco in October until Febuary so give it a thought and we might bump into you.

Where ever you end up have a good time!

NeilandDebs


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

rayrecrok said:


> ... we have never seen a full site in the winter period Dec / April and we have never been turned away..


I can add to peedee's list of places we could not get a pitch Ray.

I think part of the problem is that the campsites have- rightly- been designed to give maximum summer shade via either trees or permanent shelters. In winter three factors come into play: no-one wants a heavily shaded pitch in winter, vans are bigger now and many people cannot get under the shelters or manoeuvre round the trees and the pitches we saw were often sandy and, with winter rains, a bit like quicksand. Hence the large numbers of units parked informally by the road sides on campsites giving several we saw the appearance of shanty towns.

Not surprisingly campsite owners wish to push in as many units as they can so, in the less regulated ones, you can spend a night but relax- no ! We also saw some awful instances of wildcamping and, from talking to others, got the impression that " things were changing" on that front (Spain).

We've been in Greece in early spring and found that much less crowded. Yes, there were shelters but they tended to be roofed yearly so, when we were there, many places had not covered them and we found no problems parking under them....but we have a lowline van.

G


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## Wilmannie (Feb 7, 2010)

We did this last winter with great success. We crossed Dover-Dunkirk with DFDS (cheapest) and drove down through France using off-road Aires in towns and villages and we returned this way too. Fuel costs are up tho so ferries right to Spain may be the cheaper way now. We spent the winter mostly wild-camping in the south of Spain and on the Atlantic coast between Gibralter and Portugal and in Portugal itself. We had the best weather on the Atlantic coast and in Portugal and stayed some time on a campsite at Olhao (approx $10 per night) We used ACSI sites too sometimes & loaded them into our TomTom. The weather was mostly good but some bad rainstorms and of course long dark evenings. Best advice I can think of is 1)Park safely, carefully and considerately. Stop by other motorhomes. 2) Allow for possible difficulties getting gas in Spain 3) Sit out the wet days, the sun always comes out again! 4) Have fun


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hi.

We tend to meet up with friends and wild camp most of the time. We do go on campsites from time to time for a night or two to do the washing, fill with water etc but never stay long term as you might as well be at home.

We do stay however in Camping Markadia http://www.360cities.net/image/camp...las-alvito-alentejo-lets-go-swimming-portugal in Portugal for a few weeks as I like the fishing, and we do wild camp at the side of the river Ebro in Mequinenza Spain for a month fishing for the monster carp. In both places we stay for the fishing but I couldn't park up on a site and sit in a chair reading a book or jump on bus to go walk round some town or other looking in shop windows.. That would be our idea of the holiday from hell...

Try wild camping at some of the Brit stops you will meet a better more interesting and friendly set of folk who can make their own entertainment, who all muck in together and help each other out.. Not sit in their vans and glare if someone walks over "Their" pitch. :roll:


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

rayrecrok said:


> That would be our idea of the holiday from hell...


But we're all different Ray ! My idea of the holiday from hell would be sitting watching a fishing line all day; how boring it that ? I'd also hate camping cheek-by-jowl in a scruffy car park with a load of erzatz hippies and making our own entertainment and I loathe going round shops under any circumstances. I do enjoy visiting museums, art galleries, archaeological sites, interesting town centres and travelling through small villages on the service bus watching people go about their everyday life. I don't like excess heat and sun either. I'm sure this is other people's idea of hell however !

I like to get back to the van at the end of the day and have a shower a change and a drink and watch the world go by. We use our van as a hotel and transport but it is not a holiday destination in itself.

Back to the OP: If you are going to be any length of time or camping en route in Portugal then it might be worth applying for an Orbitur discount card ( assuming you are over 60 ?). This is free and can be done via their website. They are the biggest chain campsite owner in Portugal and they franchise many sites there. The discount beats the ACSI rate for an overnight though it might not make a difference for long term rates.

G


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## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Just love all the replies and terrific information.
anyone know where we can get warm now in the UK.  :roll: :roll: 

cabby


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## Jented (Jan 12, 2010)

Hi Cabby.
Forgemasters Forge,Sheffield,LOL!.
Gearjammer


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## julie1 (Sep 21, 2009)

Grizzly said:


> rayrecrok said:
> 
> 
> > That would be our idea of the holiday from hell...
> ...


Hi G
Do you have a website address for Orbitur. Have searched via Google but only ACSI is coming up or websites that include Orbitur campsites.
Many thanks Julie


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## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

julie1 said:


> Do you have a website address for Orbitur. .


This is it Julie:

http://www.orbitur.pt/index.php?idioma=GB

I e-mailed them ( in English) at:

[email protected]

and they sent a form to fill in with passport details, I returned it and they sent the card.

G


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Grizzly said:


> rayrecrok said:
> 
> 
> > That would be our idea of the holiday from hell...
> ...


 :lol:


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