# December 2009 to March 2010 in Spain and Portugal



## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Hi
There seems to be lots of knowledge and expertise out there, so thought you might be able to advise.
We set off for our long trip very soon and hope to find ourselves in southern Spain and Portugal between December 2009 and March 2010. Some of the things we read suggest that campsites are very full at this time of year and that we will need to book and stay for a month or more in one place.
We only have a small campervan and we tend to prefer to move around after a week or so somewhere. Will we have any problems finding places to stay in the south during those months? Will we need to book ahead or will our usual aimless wandering be OK?
Many thanks in anticipation.
Carol


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## markandlorna (Jan 17, 2009)

hi C&A..

myself and lorna will be heading that way too Dec09 till march10, then onward to Italy.. and more... also may pop over to morocco

we were going to travel round spain wild camping and in campsites, so will be very interested, if need to book camp sites.. and if there are many aire type set up's in spain...

sorry i'm not helping exactly, with your question.. but there are loads of very very helpful people on here, i'm sure they will have some answers for you..

also we were thinking of some skiiing in Dec, not sure where in Pyreenes is best and cheap!! lol..

are you just going spain/portugal or elsewhere too?

Regards

Mark


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Hi Mark

We'll certainly look out for you and if you see a blue VW Devon Sundowner, knock on the window and say hello.

The vague plan is Italy for May and June, then east for a while before pottering through France in Oct/Nov to Spain and Portugal. of course we're excited and are counting the days now.

I'm sure there is skiing in the Pyrenees. You can also ski in the Sierras near Granada I believe. We'll probably stick to walking and cycling ourselves.

Good wishes
Carol


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## Jean-Luc (Jul 21, 2005)

We spent over 10 weeks wandering around the South of Spain and the Algarve during Oct to Dec '08 and had no difficulty finding pitches on our chosen sites. In all we stayed on over a dozen sites, some for as little as one night, others for up to a fortnight. One thing, if you choose to say put for about a month you will usually come into the 50% discount area which usually brings the site fee down to perhaps €8 or €9 per night, there is a good selection of sites which offer this type of discount that are within walking or cycling distance of all shopping, dining out and beach requirements.


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## machilly (Feb 10, 2007)

Hi stopping for a night or two can be very expensive on Spanish and Portugese sites, wild camping seems to be the way to go.
Although we have not attempted this, good friends of ours travelled France, Spain and Portugal from summer last year, and are now on a site for a few weeks.
I think you will find that with the Credit Crunch, sites have been generally quieter, and of course the recent bad weather in Spain and Portugal have not helped.
If you are booking sites, check out some of the C&CC rallies, as the price can be a bit keener through them, it also helps to negotiate with the sites and an ACSI card is apparantly useful.
Hope this helps, I know there are a few books that have wild camping sites, so if you can pick one up, you never know, might be useful.

Regards


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## 101405 (Oct 15, 2006)

You will have no problems stopping on small sites, but remember we do have winter in Southern Spain and this has been the coldest for 20yrs and the wettest, once the sun is down boy does it feel cold ,we have had a log burner lit since late octubre. so remember to bring those warm clothes.


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## teensvan (May 9, 2005)

Hi.

The site we are on in benidorm charge €27 per night for stays under one week. This is common around this area. There are also lots of wild camp spots in the area you just have to look where the Dutch are. As said it has been very cold this winter and we were having frost up until last week.

steve & ann. -------------- teensvan.


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Thanks for all the wonderful advice and help. The discounts for long stays may be tempting if we find somewhere we like.

We're fairly tough. We camped in minus something conditions in the Lake District the other week so should be able to cope with the weather.

Carol


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## Briarose (Oct 9, 2007)

Hi we have had no problem with just pulling onto a camp site, last year we were there in Feb to Mar and again Nov to Dec (Portugal not Spain).

This was in the Algarve more sites are closed up in Northern Portugal but again we still found some all year ones open on the way down last Feb.

Ref wild camping in Spain and Portugal you will prob find the following link interesting to read also more info on sites etc.

http://www.motorhomefacts.com/ftopic-60837-days0-orderasc-0.html


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Thank you Briarrose. We're feeling reassured that we will be able to find somewhere to stay as we potter around.
Good wishes to everyone who has helped.


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## ActiveCampers (Jun 17, 2005)

Your prize for correctly naming the Iron atom (I'm sure you could have googled it ) is our info you already have 

Wildcamping is the way to go over there. Food is pricey. Never had any issues at any sites we stayed at so don't worry  ACSI is a key tool to have over there.

Anyway - you know where the rest is!


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## PeterandLinda (Feb 21, 2009)

Hi

You won't have a problem finding _somewhere_ to stay but you may not be able to stay on your first choice of campsite, especially if it is in a popular place. We have found that the places offering the largest discounts for long stays tend to be the busiest, but we have always fitted in somewhere.

P&L


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