it's an equally lovely sunrise, the low angled light picking out the colours and relief in the rock. As the sun rises higher it lights up the towns down the coast and casts perfect reflections in the still waters of the coves below us.

Bill and Julie say goodbye having enjoyed their first night not on a site or friend's driveway.

We leave at 11:30 and continue along similar scenery to yesterday but with bright, warm sunshine. At Nerja we pass a large brick viaduct.

Traffic is busy as we skirt Malaga and drive through Torremolinos. We reach our destination at Benalmedena and park on the seafront near the hotel.

After lunch Nick and Grete go off on their motorbike while we walk into town along the seafront. There is an endless beach on one side and loads of cafes and bars on the other. Menus are in English and not expensive. One advertises 'Democratic crisis unbeatable prices - cheep [sic] beer €2/pint'

The beach has a boardwalk ramped from street level so we amble along there for 500 yards or so before heading up into a public bird park. A large central lake houses a wide variety of birds and terrapins.

The sun starts hiding behind clouds as we return to the van, and for a while it looks like it might rain, but doesn't.

In the evening we go to the hotel bar and use their wifi before returning to the vans.

Grete cooks pasta for dinner.