Continued to head south of Madrid to Spain's Mediterranean coast to visit a desert area where many of Hollywood’s classic westerns were made in the old days. We were told it was an area worth visiting by a couple of Germans we bumped into. By Australian standards pretty ordinary, but for Europeans something quite different.

We followed the coast in a north east direction towards France for a while but quickly lost interest. This is not to say that there wasn’t some great scenery, there was, but even though it is a Parc de Natural the area is dotted with half completed, massive, hotel ruins.
It’s absolutely criminal that developers have been allowed to trash this coastline. A lesson for Australia about inappropriate development in National Parks!

We have started following the green lines (scenic routes) on the road map as we start our return journey north and east to France. Following these lines will keep us away from the over exploited coast, that from past experience has little to offer us, and take us inland.

Doing this has rewarded us with some of the best that Spain has to offer. Great mountain scenery, and some fantastic, old rural villages. There are also an amazing number of deserted farms with crumbling buildings. In the past these farms would have provided plenty of
local jobs, but today’s big farms mean less jobs, and nearly deserted rural towns. Unemployment here runs at 25%. Staggering!

Pigs in Spain are big business, and pollo (chicken). Industrial scale factory farming appears to be favoured, with the animals spending their entire lives inside sheds. If you favor red meat you will have to search for it. As for Asian food, forget it, it’s not on their radar over here.

The other night we arranged to camp outside the gate of a campground so that we could get an early start in the morning. Camp grounds here often have a card operated gate to regulate traffic flow, and you have to leave a deposit on the card. Therefore if you want to leave before reception opens at 8.30, as we did, there is no one to refund you the deposit when you leave early.

I was just about to hit the sack, about 10pm I think, when a car pulled up next to us. There was some discussion between the occupants and some barking from, what turned out to be, two huge dogs they had in the car. The fact that they arrived late, and didn’t drive straight
up to the gate started the alarm bells ringing in this suspicious old barstards head.

I leapt out of the camper and with flailing arms and my kindergarten French indicated the direction of the office so that they understood that I knew they were up to no good. Well the looks that I got back from those assembled indicated to me that they already had a plan in place and I could get rooted.

Now I am the last one to stand in the way of enterprising French youth wanting to jump the fence for a free shower, but I felt their plan was going to impact on us in some way. Something had to be done so Gael was dragged kicking and screaming into the action. Gaels role was to discreetly knock up the owners and inform them that some plan was being hatched in the car
park.
This task was accomplished with some difficulty as the owners were where we wanted to be, tucked up in bed. When the owner and Gael finally got to where their car was parked the bad guys happened to be back there, after an absence of some time, trying to get the two dogs to have a pre getting locked in the car for the night, ****.

Well the game was up for this lot. Apparently during the period of time from my initial confrontation, to the owner confronting them, they had been in a park cabin hired by a couple of their mates where they intended to spend a free night. Now I don’t have a real problem with that per say. What I do have a problem with, is that they planned to leave two bloody great dogs in a car parked next to us for the night. Now how bloody dumb do you have to be to think you could get away with that? Anyway they all got the flick in the end.

We were sitting ducks for retribution in our isolated position outside the gate so I ended up shifting the truck closer to the office as Gaels appearance with the owner when he confronted them was not in the script. These foreigners can’t be trusted!

In the past I have been less than kind to France. My view was based on our previous visit in 2010 where we stuck pretty closely to the major towns and south coast on the Mediterranean. This time we spent our time in the smaller rural villages and paralleled the coast through
rural and mountain areas. Whilst most of the villages are so depressing it’s a wonder the locals don’t top themselves after their morning coffee, some are real gems. The scenery through the Alps in the south is absolutely stunning with plenty of bush/wild camping if you want some peace and quiet, or stay in b&b’s or small hotels if that’s your scene. So forget what I said before. France is bloody great mate! Only stay away from the 'big name’ draw cards, and
hit the rural roads.

On our way back to the UK now where we will store the truck in a caravan storage facility (a paddock) until next year when we will move further into Europe.