Sunday 26 January - Peñiscola

As we are going to be stationary for chunks of time on this trip, there won't be things to say for daily posts - however, I do have a couple of observations from today.

I took myself off for a run this morning, along the seafront promenade from Peñíscola to Benicarló. As I would expect for Spain, there were lots of people out and about and you could tell the locals from the Northen European tourists (puffer jackets & hats vs shorts & t-shirts).

Along the way I took a detour to look at the other campsite that we thought we might want to move to next weekend, and my first thought was that it would be much better than the one we're currently at. Indeed, I even stopped in to enquire as to their availability, but it turned out the 'Open 8-20h' sign on the Reception door wasn't quite accurate, as it was all locked up.

Continuing along my way, I thought further on the pros and cons of the two locations.

The route I'd taken down to the seafront this morning (2km via the most direct route) used a quiet road and a path through a nature park and was far more pleasant than the route we'd taken into the town yesterday. Behind us here are hills, that I will be exploring later in the week. Next door to us is a supermarket.

Yes, the other campsite is only about a 5 minute walk from the seafront, but there aren't many businesses open nearby at this time of year, and it's further away from the centre of Peñíscola than we are here. I'd expected there to be more open at the S end of Benicarló, which isn't too far away, but when I got there I found that not to be the case. In fact, I recognised the place from our previous visit and was reminded that it doesn't have a seafront prom like Peniscola does; instead apartment blocks are built right next to the beach, with the pedestrian way & bike path running behind those buildings.

Back at Bertie, this campsite got another tick in its favour as the shower was right up there as one of the best campsite showers I've ever used. No push button, as hot as you like, powerful water flow, a hook for clothes/towel, and a basket for shampoo and soap - everything one wants in a campsite shower (except there is no mop for afterwards).

So, we may be parked on a slab on concrete with no view, but otherwise, this place isn't looking as bad as I adjudged it yesterday.