I Thought That You Wanted To Avoid The Mountains?

CABO DE GATA.

Mass is at 11 at nearby Torre del Mar so we enjoy a leisurely breakfast. Deal with the van and Rosie buys some toilet cleaner from the campsite shop. She really knows how to enjoy herself.

We park near to the lighthouse and walk to church. The words of the prayers and hymns are shown on a power point screen. Nice to follow along, the mass is aimed at the younger members of the congregation.

After mass, we walk to a cafe on the promenade. Great to chill and watch the world go by. There is s statue to one of Spain's greatest sailors. Blas de Lezo. Great he might have been, lucky he wasn't. He lost his right leg, left eye, left hand and the use of his right arm. They believe he was the prototype for pirates in literature.

Temperatures reach 20 degrees again as we walk back to the van. The guide book tells us this resort is popular with the Spaniard. Certainly fewer foreign voices than of late. One of the attractions appears to a pair of dogs coupling. It has drawn a crowd of locals!

The satnav gives us a route of 200 miles as the shortest time. We choose 50 miles shorter for our route. What follows is a really mesmerising journey. We start on a motorway, then follow the coast and finally turn inland into the Sierra Nevada. The contrast is phenomenal. The motorway cuts through the hills, the cliffs roll down to the sea and the mountainous passes take our breath away. We can see snow already on the top of the mountains. At least 30 Fiat 500s pass us going in the opposite direction. I had said that I wanted to avoid this stretch but what the heck!

Take a wrong turn at one point, it adds time to the journey but the road becomes easier. Two years' ago, Rosie tried to find a spa town with her friend Julia. They were looking at Alhama in Murcia. Today, we found it at Alhama in Almeria. Only 100 miles away! The spa is at a hotel but Julia's contact mentioned a free spring. We find the signs but no water is running.

Our site is on the coast. It's a fabulous place but there are signs warning of no overnight parking for motorhomes. The same applies down the road. So settle for a paying site which turns out to be lovely.

There is a restaurant next door. We're the only customers at 7pm. Unusually, I'm persuaded to try a T bone steak. It's delicious. Rosie picks veal but is not as impressed. The wine is great, the deserts are great as well. Mine is an custard fried in a sugar coating. Later, a large table of bikers arrive for a reunion. Time to take our leave.