# Catalonian co-ordinates Jan/Feb 2014



## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

We were looking for some sun, Central France where we live may not have been as wild and wet as England, but is pretty chill and wet, and colder in winter than England anyway.

A friend suggested the Ebro delta, S of Barcelona, as being not too far, and pleasantly uncommercialised . . .

Most of our overnight spots we found on: 
http://www.furgovw.org/mapa_furgoperfecto/

Many thanks to Hogan on this forum for that link !

( A shame we don't speak Spanish, but Google Translate was useful. )

10th Jan
We set off, as usual at midday ( by the time we had drained the water, packed the van etc ) and lunched in the spacious carpark of a Casino supermarket in town ( that way we can nip back for anything we have forgotten, in this case David's trainers ).

Made Carcassonne in 3.5 hrs, we usually park close to the Canal du Midi at nearby Trebes, a nice little town with a useful Super U for fuel and essential supplies. ( The Tom-tom got rather lost though !)
N 43.20859 E 2.44431

( At la Jonquera at the Spanish border on the way home, we stopped at an Outlet duty-free shopping centre, where David made a killing on some snazzy mustard-coloured trousers, and I stocked up on 4 different whiskies, a litre of gin, armagnac, and some very nice mulberry liqueur. Very cheap good saucisson too. No co-ordinates, but can't miss it from the Motorway.)

Our first requirement in a foreign country is usually a 3G Sim, or renewal of same. 
I had phoned the really helpful Tourist Office in Figueres, who suggested we park on some rough ground for lorries, close to the Esclat supermarket on Carrer Emporda in Figueres, and walk a few 100 yds into the centre, where we found the Vodafone office. I asked if this was a safe place to park and got a very definite reply of "no problem".
( No Co-ordinates, but just drive down Carrer Emporda away from where it begins in the centre, where the Tourist Information is, and you can't miss the parking. )

It cost us 20 Euros for the Sim and 1 gig for a month, which I thought was a bit steep in fact, and some English we met later said you can now get a much better deal buying for a mobile phone rather than a tablet. This is beyond us, but might be worth following up ? 
The Sim is quite invaluable though, you are your own Internet hotspot wherever you go, so well worth the outlay.
(Later we topped up in a tobacconist's, as you would for a mobile phone.)

The Dali museum in Figueres is whacky and fun, he designed the building too.

From Figueres we headed East to Castello d'Empuries and a peaceful overnight pitch at:
42.258522 3.078499
This is a lovely village with a massive basilica on a hill, a mediaeval Jewish quarter, and a museum in a flour mill.

For reasons best known to ourselves ( i.e. grandchildren), I then flew back to England from Girona airport, leaving David to his own devices for a week.

We found a sheltered overnight in a municipal campervan site w/ free facilities at the Girona suburb of Quart, S.E. of the town (Tomtom got lost again ! ):
41.93954 2.83926

Girona itself we explored on our way home. 
Very pleasant old town, cathedral, old churches, a mediaeval Arab bathhouse. We tried the furgovw carpark for an overnight but it was full so we parked in another nearby carpark on the way to a Tuesday morning market (where I made a killing on lemons for marmalade, 50c / kg ! ) an easy walk from the centre, at:
41.98932 2.81709

We gave Barcelona and Tarragona a miss this time, but explored a bit of the hinterland away from the coast. 
From Girona we drove West to Vic and Manresa, and parked overnight on waste ground in the little town of Suria.
Dramatic views from the N W of the serrated peaks of Montserrat, as well as a lovely run through wooded country along the winding C37.

One pleasant overnight "area" was a converted railway station in a cutting at Pinell de Bray ( just S of Mora d'Ebre):
40.99875 E 0.47133

The Ebro delta is a bit like the Camargue minus the bulls and horses, water all around you reflecting the sky, and with good viewing platforms to watch waterbirds such as herons and egrets . . . bikes would be useful here.

Overnights included:
Lovely beach under Eucalyptus trees beyond Els Montells 40.65567 E 0.78245

Restaurant Casa di Fusto, NE of S. Carles de la Rapita 40.65939 E 0.67500
( found this one after the police said we could not park in the marina carpark).

Sant Carles de la Rapita was a nice little town for essential shopping, we had good tapas in a scruffy small taverna on the main street.

South of the delta we fell in love with Les Cases de l'Alcanar, the tiny fishing port of the inland small town of Alcanar, it has 2 campsites, a supermarket, pharmacy, small shops and plenty of seafood restaurants . . .

. . . all you need in January, and all open because of the boats coming in at 4.30 pm and the subsequent fish auction in a shed on the quay.

This was our entertainment most days . . . watching the octopus climbing out of the fish boxes too !

The weather was sunny mostly, sometimes windy, ( but nothing compared to what you'all were getting back in Blighty. )

We lurked here for 2 weeks, ( partly because we had flu !) and parked up either:

Seafront carpark ( next to a No Campervans sign ) 40.54985 E 0.52846

Police drove past us most afternoons. In summer you might be better off at the other end of the car park, next to a bar, esp. if you went and had a drink there, no "No Campervans" sign at that end.

Town centre carpark ( both very quiet ) 40.55314 E 0.52971

Camping Estanyet, very nice site, no sea view, 20 e / day 40.54054 E 0.52005
We stayed there to tank up, do washing, or when we were ill . . .

We made a foray further South and found the following overnights:

Carpark in Vinaros, a pleasant town and working port 40.45497 E 0.46151

A tiny hillside carpark on an unmade road, in a Natural Park, N. of Alcossebre 40.26474 E 0.29932

We lunched on a Sunday in this carpark on the bustling seafront at the mainly Spanish resort of Benicassim. 40.03585 E 0.04948

Beachfront at Burriana ( several vans here) 39.86436 W 0.06752

Burriana is just S of Castellon de la Plana, and was a bit of a pilgrimage for us.

We have an old book on Spain, "Iberia" by an American journalist, James Michener, who came to Burriana on a tramp steamer from Dundee in 1932, when there was no harbour, but lighters of oranges in steel barrels were towed out to sea by oxen, specially bred by the Romans to work swimming in the sea. The oranges were cut in half and the barrels filled up with sea water apparently !

There is a harbour here now, and from our pitch beside some palm trees we saw a cruise ship in dry dock . . . woke up next morning (Sunday !) and it was gone.

Nice shops at the roundabout just back from the port behind us, including a "Hamburgeria" w/ was also a butcher's. A jolly girl and her Mum sold me plain and spicy sausages and some wonderful pork meatballs w/ mint and pine nuts in the seasoning, and a frozen block of saffron soup to serve them in. 
They either fry rice, paella-style, or a short pasta called "fideua" to serve with it . . . . . a great local take on fast food !

Les Cases de Xilxes, seafront parking ex furgovw 39.77053 0.15313

This was by a lovely beach, in front of deserted holiday flats, there was a stiff breeze overnight but we were well sheltered.

We then drove inland via the scenic and well-signposted Vall d'Uixo to the railway station at Segorbe ( a furgovw camper stop, but the water was turned off, good WCs in the station, and a cosy bar selling lunch ).

Then to the Spa town of Montanejos, fabulous drive on well-maintained winding roads through majestic scenery, sadly the hot baths were closed for the month of February, a shame as I was looking forward to a prolonged dip . . . !

So instead we returned to Burriana for the night, lots of kids windsurfing, very watchable . . .

Then we turned for home, via Girona and La Jonquera.

(We did find the Autoroute via Toulouse extremely expensive, we are only a Class 2 vehicle, and it cost 57 Euros from the Spanish border to the exit at Souillac . . . another year we would use the A75. )

We had an overnight on the way through France, anyone could use this one in winter, by the river Dordogne in Souillac at:
44.88673 1.48221

Hope to go further South another year !

Helen and David


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## jiwawa (Jun 22, 2007)

Wow, hmh, thank you for that marathon effort! 

I've now marked the thread so I can come back and pick up the info at my leisure. 

Thanks again!


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

A few more:

Water near Burriana beach 39.86484 W 0.07312
There is also a manhole to a sewer, at the entrance to the carpark on the beach.

Water on sea-front at les Cases de l'Alcanar 40.54803 E 0.52631

Helen


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