Last night the wind raged on unabated, blasting its way down from the snowy peaks and hammering across the vast flat delta. The van rocked quite violently at times, like we were travelling at high speed on a motorway with crosswinds. The skylights rattled and a few times we wondered if they'd be ripped open.

This morning we're still rocking and freezing until the sun comes up, lighting up the mountains in stripes of strata. By the time we've had a big porridge breakfast the water is glistening blue and the bent over reed bright yellow.

As we drive away through the delta we see much more in the early morning light than last evening driving into low sun. All along the water courses are herons, egrets, moorhens and geese. But as we drive beside one ditch there is a real treat as a flock of 6 or 7 kingfishers skim the water and suddenly rise up across the windscreen, their iridescent plumage bright in the sunshine.

All along there are rice fields and orange groves, the trees heavy with fruit even now. One grove has not fared well and the ground is littered with smashed windfalls.

Leaving Amposta we rise above the marshes, looking out to a choppy sea. We pass olive groves,also laded with fruit, and one has carved figures which remind us of the ones in the olive patch at the Eden Project.

We approach a supermarket - HiperSimply and stop for fuel. We still have over quarter of a tank but diesel is €1.03 or 80p / litre.

A little detour off the main road takes us into Vinaros, a town famed for its langoustines. We park overlooking the attractive leisure harbour and prepare lunch. The sun makes it warm in the van and at 8 degrees we're definitely heading the right way, but the strong wind still whips a few bits of rubbish around and is cold enough to make getting out uninviting.

We leave Vinaros and drive a few miles to Benicarlo, with the road meandering through the town centre and past a brick mosque with a shiny blue tiled roof. A few minutes later we are heading into 'Stop & Go La Volta' just outside Peniscola. It's an unusual place, between an aire [in that we are all parked quite closely] and campsite [it's staffed with wi-fi, electric and amenities] but it's only €7, plus 3 for electric.

Even here it's still too windy to get out but at least we're not up on our origianally planned route through the north west, where trucks and cars are stranded on snow bound roads..