His Nipping to Valencia

Eddy and Angela were off back to the rain and cold not to mention Brexit turmoil. So after a week at Playa Fiesta we packed up and set out for Valencia which had a campsite “Camping Valencia park” close to Betera just off the N344.

The access is good for a big RV, though it is smaller than some sites, it had a pool but it was closed, I guess its to avoid the paying clients turning blue in the winter weather. The facilities were lovely, with nice clean toilets and showers and a restaurant which was very family run and Spanish, but the chef was a young English guy.

In the evening the staff and family that live there were playing guitar and singing Spanish songs as a family, not for our entertainment, I could have listened to this all night, it was so lovely to see such bonding.

The reception was very helpful. We stayed two nights. The site is 5 minutes walk from a Metro that goes in to Valencia, you buy a metro card at the site reception, trains are every 30 minutes, and the time table is very visible at reception and the Metro station, they have even made a video to show you how to use the metro which is exceedingly well done, even professional.

Valencia Campsite pitch

Valencia was really worth the visit, and we managed 21000 steps on the fitbit! This was to walk around the impressive historical areas with so much to see.

Central Market Valencia

Plaza de Virgin Valencia

Plaza de Virgin beautiful fountain Valencia

Plaza de Virgin Valencia

Plaza de virgin Valencia... again... well it is nice

Part of our walk, just a beautiful city

Valencia old city wall Gate

From Valencia Camping we made for Pinosos where we have a campsite we reconnoitred last year, and booked for a Month. The only issue was, we needed to find LPG or GPL. FindmyLPG.eu gave us some fall backs but all were off the AP7, if leaving the AP7 or A class roads we have to do a lot of checking to ensure the way is safe for Monty. So we set out hoping not to have to leave the main highways. After pulling in to a couple of Cepsa garages it became clear that after filling on the Spanish side of the border GPL was not to be found on the toll roads as in France, or at least not so easily, so we set the Sat Nav for our fall back which was a Repsol close to the toll road.

At this point I should mention that as I pulled in to the Cepsa garage, one of the road cleaners called to my wife “Lady look” and pointed to Mike on the rack at the back of Monty. I went to look and found a ratchet strap had unlatched and dangled till it touched the road. Mike was still very secure, but a good bit of the ratchet strap and mechanism had ground away. So I had to remove this strap and apply the spare and be grateful for the kind help in pointing this out from the garage cleaner. Thank you anonymous but helpful man.

Further on, and no straps seeking self-destruction, we left the highway for a Repsol service station in an industrial area and praise our good fortune, they had GPL and spare adaptors. A very kind attendant even came out and did the filling for me, I was quized about Monty, the final comment was that Monty was a palace. This turned out to get the cheapest LPG (GPL) at a mere 0.65/Litre. We did have to go five miles out of our way to get the fuel. That 5 miles was endless roundabouts, clover leaf junctions and speed humps, but it was worth it I think.

We now made a carefully planned beeline for our campsite at Pinoso, we were passing a Repsol on the A31 which was touted to have LPG so we intended to top up, just South of Villena we had to watch the Repsol float by as the planned slip road did not exist as indicated on the satnav. I suspect the satnav shows what was planned, not what was built, we did notice the highway itself was not where the satnav thought it should be. We have since been informed the GPL is on the carriageway passing from Sax to Villena, we have yet to confirm this.

Her Snow Birds on Finals to Spain

Tarragona-Playa y Fiesta

Our next stop was to meet up with our friends from Wiltshire, that were ‘old hands’ at traveling in a motor home around Europe and had been doing it for many years. We left Carcassonne in strong winds and were on the toll roads after filling up with LPG and heading towards Narbonne on the E80. We came up to some road works with concrete blocks either side so just one lane to use. We heard this loud noise from the roof and after some time we were able to pull into an Aire just off the road. We found one of the roof vents was flapping and had been cracked by the force of the wind. We also found the awning had started to unroll partially, which was amazing as it had been locked into place. Luckily Steve always puts double Velcro bands around the arms as he had heard of someone whose awning had come away as he was driving and had crashed into the side of a lorry. So Steve had to climb on the roof (in a massive gale), and fix the roof vent with some strong tape and also we  rerolled the awning and fixed it with long tie wraps as well which we will now do each time we travel just to be on the safe side. 

Steve on the roof fixing the awning

Through the Border to Spain

We drove through the Pyrenees and the trees were amazing, the scenery from the top of the hills looking down into the valleys, just stunning. A really delightful drive. The AP7 is a great road and so is the A7-it may cost to travel on these roads, but we think it is worth it. We found there are several camping sites all along the N340 and we had booked into Els Prats where are friends were also going. On checking the route the week before (as we always do now), we saw there was a tunnel into the camp with a railway over the top. On checking the height, we got 3 different measurements, 3.5 metres, 3.6 metres or 3.65 metres from the site, from a review and from a sign. It was obviously too close for comfort, so I rang 2 more sites but were told their maximum plots were 8.5 metres. I was fortunate to find one further along called Playa y Fiesta. Very friendly receptionist and I was told they had large plots so we had planned that into our route. We did notice that on this site-you actually went across the railways-so there were gates each side where you waited if a train was coming through-then the gates opened and you could go across.

Waaiting for a train to pass

Waiting for the barrier to lift

Going across the train tracks on the scooter

 That was quite interesting with Monty as it wasn’t exactly level-but I think we are quite good at packing securely now so all went well. We were told to choose a pitch we wanted and then let reception know the number. We chose an excellent pitch right close to the beach and got Monty into position between the trees, again watched by other campers. Great! Now we could relax here for 5 days!

Monty parked between the trees

Miami Platja & Cambrils

So nice to meet up with friends and spend time together.

Meeting up with our friends Angela & Eddie

 Their site was more modern and had a restaurant that was open sometimes (😉) and marked out pitches but quite small. The cost for them was double ours so we were very happy to have found this site. It had good showers, toilets, washing and drying machines, reception cooked fresh bread and croissants every day and they sold a few other items. The second day a tropical storm was forecast, and it rained hard the whole day-the tracks between our vehicles became rivers of mud running down into the sea. 

The 'river' between our vehicles

At least the rain has stopped!

A large motorhome opposite us, (which was also on jacks) had rain halfway up the wheels and he was closer to the sea. During a lull in the rain we walked a little way along the beach to see the damage and then the heavens opened and we got soaked! We ran back to our pitch and our poor scooter (Mike the bike), had blown over and the handle had gone through the picnic table and was bent into a curve.

Some of the evening we sat up watching the amazing lightening storm all around us. We had never seen such continuous lightening-as there was a power cut it was pitch black and the lightening just lit up the sky all around. The rain continued and I think Noah would have been pleased he had his Ark built if he had seen so much rain. Debris was all over the beach and some people had lost some of their belongings. Our friends on the other site had to move further up the camp as the sea was crashing over the sea wall and the café where we had sat the day before having coffee was totally covered in water. The rain just hammered on the roof the whole night. The next day the sun was shining with a bit of overcast and the clearing up process was starting. The power of nature is sometimes frightening but also awesome. 

Market Day & Wash Day!

Wash & Dry in One Day

The next day was a great drying day so I got on and did the washing ;)

We went into Cambils the following day on our scooters with our friends and walked around the market there. Very busy as always and a great variety of items and local fresh produce which always looks and tastes amazing! On to the Port to look at the boats and have lunch-very nice. You would not think we had such a terrible storm the day before.

His Snow birds on finals to Spain

Crossing in to Spain (via the toll road from Perpignan south) was almost unnoticeable. Once across the border we started noticing LPG was no longer advertised at service station signs and some doubt crept in to our minds about availability. Then a Repsol garage came up and LPG (GPL Autogas) was priced and at a very low price of 68 Cents/Litre, so we pulled in.

At this point I am stood at a pump for GPL and looking at a very different nozzle to the ones in France, it will not fit the UK bayonet or French dish adaptors, I am also remembering I was going to buy an all Europe kit and forgot about it. Trying not to let the boss spot my guilty face and shifty demeanour, I go in to the garage armed with fear of discovery by the boss and my bad Spanish and explain the situation, the lady serving then pops a box on the counter of brass adaptors, fits one to the French dish adaptor I had been waving and bids me happy filling.

Unlike France I found you fill then pay in Spain. In France you have to go in, prepay, then go back out and fill, then return for the receipt for the actual cost.

A point to note for fellow RV users is that In France the LPG is in the car area not the lorry pumps. The car area is guarded by a height restriction of 3.3 metres, dangly red and white plastic boards, so every French service I had to pull up to these overhead restrictions, then nudge under the boards. At 3.7 metres Monty could easily pass under the gantry, but had to push the dangly boards. It is not nice to hear them bumping over the aircon, but I have checked and no damage is being done to the solar panel or cables on the roof. The pump area is 4.4 metres height clearance for all the French service areas I saw on the toll roads, so I have no idea why they put that gantry and boards there, dangling to 3.3 metres. In Spain the GPL is not at or with the Petrol pumps, it is normally to the side and no height restriction gantry, so happy days when you find a service station with GPL.


Our mission was to meet some friends (Eddy and Angela)

Angela, Jennifer and Eddy Playa Fiesta

Steve with Angela and Eddy Playa Fiesta

who were long time motor-homer’s and had tried to help and give advice on some issues as we made our plans in the early days. They had booked in to a beach campsite at Cambrils near Taragona.

I did my usual google earth and then street view of all junctions and turnings, and the very last check was for where we turn in to the site. I spied the entrance to their site was via a tunnel under the coast railway. There was no height information and it looked low or too close to call. The site Els Prats when phoned told us the height was 3.6 Metre, I found a road sign further down the main road that said it was 3.4 Metre and a blog that said it was 3.5 Metre.

The boss was not happy when I told her to cancel the booking, we got a full refund as they had not stipulated a height restriction.

A little research found there were a number of campsites in a row along that beach and one site down from Els Prats was Playa Fiesta. A quick call with a very helpful reception confirmed access was over the rail line via a crossing and they were ok for Monty, they actually said, if a pitch is not big enough use two, we will only charge you for one! How good is that?
They were so friendly and positive we booked, we could walk along the beach to see our friends.

On arrival I was told, go find a pitch and let them know where later. We parked about four metres from the lapping waves on the beach with a clear view out to sea,

Nice spot by the beach

Looked very nice... at this point

and whilst we filled the pitch completely we did not need a second. We drew the usual crowd to observe as we manoeuvred between the trees and on to the pitch with their friendly curiosity. It was sand (of course) so out came the trusty jack pads made from ex-military trackway to load spread. Monty levelled himself and Mike slid smoothly from his rack, things were feeling good.


The boss then found an orange weather warning for Taragona area, severe thunder storms, torrential rain and flooding. So awning put away and secured after just deploying it, Mike put in the lea of Monty for protection and garden furniture tidied away and the storm began.

In coming storm

If you have ever seen a Hammer house of horrors film where totally unrealistic constant lightening and thunder occurs, then you have seen our storm, it started mid-afternoon, as dusk set in so did the heavy rain, the tracks on our site became rivers, a Concord RV across from us had water halfway up his wheel hubs and he was on jacks too.

The wind was viciously battering us and we rocked in the wind and the sea started with the big breakers and we felt quite vulnerable.

Mmm, that sea is getting closer

Darkness fell and the storm raged on, getting ever worse not better. I considered the risks and thought it better to sit it out than try manoeuvring away from the sea in the dark and the rain. At one point in the flashes of lightening we see the sea washing past the Concord RV up to our pitch and we were getting worried. Then there was a break in the rain and storm, in the distance it raged like a war with flashes and rumbles of artillery. People emerged and checked and tidied, we decided a brief walk along the beach to assess the area and look in awe at the power of nature. Fat raindrops turned to torrential rain in moments and we ran for the camp site and Monty. Huge gusts battered us and slowed our progress. On getting to Monty, I see Mike has been blown over, the damage was light, but again I was incredulous that the wind could lift such a weight. I have a curly brake lever now and Mikes paint has a few marks, otherwise Mike survived his knock down blow quite well.

shortly after this, she would have been washed away by breakers

I righted Mike and moved him to a safer more shielded spot, then checked the jacks were not sinking, they were not, the jack pads were fine. Then the site power went out, the electricity cabinets were flooded. The rest of the night the power went on and off. Never long enough off for me to consider starting Monty’s generator.

Walking in the storm break

Day dawned, sunny and bright. The tracks were a mess of debris, the beach was piled with wood, bushes and flotsam and all campers were accounted for, and power was back on. We got some sleep, probably because we found the sound and light show so impressive we sat looking out over the sea in the dark (lights were out up and down the whole coast) with a large glass of baileys for the boss and Tia Maria for myself, being light weights this pretty well wiped us out and we slept for around 4 to 5 hours.

The flood recedes

Some of the baggy eyed faces the next morning told me others had not done as well. By the end of the day the site was fully tidied, though not the beach. It is a good site for RV’s we paid around 14 Euro a night, Our friends at the Posh Els Prats paid 31 Euro weekend and 28 Euro week days. They had an onsite restaurant, tarmac road ways and of course a tunnel. I was surprised to see smaller more cramped pitches, and low over hanging trees. They were not on the beach but It was neater, had a restaurant and was more posh, but no good for Monty.

During the storm their site and pitch became so flooded they had to move because the site did not drain as fast as at our site Playa Fiesta.

We enjoyed our site, it was a bit more “earthy”, with many Spanish who were very pleasant, it had clean toilets and lovely showers and reception baked fresh bread every morning in a small oven. A bargain at 14 Euro per night and a nice helpful attitude We did get one "D" plated motorhome drive by, beeping and shouting "BEXIIIIIT", but we took a leaf from the Penguins in Madagascar film, and just smiled and waved, assuming it was good natured, it did appear that way.

C0-Driver (God of driving the right hand)

The Co-Driver

 We have been through the why we bought Monty so now my thoughts once it was our home-no going back from here! I was never worried that Steve would not be totally competent with driving Monty-he can drive any sort of vehicle within about 2 minutes-and I am still looking where to put the key in! Very frustrating!

Jousting with mirrors from on high

 It is very daunting when you sit in the passenger seat, especially in UK. It seems as if lorries are driving straight at you or the drop from your passenger window is very close and a long way down! I don’t think RV drivers give enough thought to new people when they say they are thinking of buying an RV. The answers generally are very blasé about the width and just brush it off as no problem. When we bought ours, we were told there were loads of RV’s driving around and you would soon meet up with RV people and I had thoughts of friendly groups together round a camp- fire, discussing trips and places to visit. This is so not the case! We have travelled from UK down through France and are in mid Spain now-this is the second site we have been on where there is an RV. We have only seen two others on the road. When we drive into a garage or a campsite, we get long stares and people saying how huge Monty is and can they look around. So as one member said on the Motorhome Fun site-they are as rare as hen’s teeth in Europe. So whatever other RV drivers say-the width does make a difference. Manageable yes-but care and consideration has to be given to places you want to visit by checking first the route, checking again with Google Earth street view (are we missing something?), reading reviews of other RV drivers and checking whether your size vehicle is allowed on each campsite.

Organisation

Of course the plus's are obvious, much more room once you are set up and great having space for storage and even being able to use the virtual reality set in the RV.

So as co-driver-I am responsible for a variety of things. Setting up my own sat nav (I have a Snooper) with the route, including stops for fuel and food. Writing out the route on paper in case both sat navs go on strike. Having money ready for toll payments or credit card; water to hand; snacks close by; writing the mileage and when we buy fuel ; the road atlas, just in case, pen & paper; sun glasses etc etc. I also am aware of the height of bridges, overhanging trees, diversions, road works, keeping an eye on the scooter on the ramp at the back, and making sure we stop at regular intervals for a break-if not for fuel. So my former thoughts of sitting and looking out of the window and enjoying the view-rarely happens. You are too busy checking everything is OK and then hoping when you arrive at the next site it is large enough and has enough space to manoeuvre Monty into without too much of a problem. So every time we are going out on the road, there is a certain amount of tension and pressure to get it right with no expensive mistakes.

Directing/marshalling

I find having a 2-way radio a lot of help when marshalling-it is easier to explain over the radio than use hand movements. It is quite a responsibility to make sure Monty does not hit anything-so we usually take it slowly when moving into tricky places. If we have to shuffle a bit, then that is what we do. The overhang at the back is what one must think of when turning and the bike rack on the back makes it worse.

It is getting easier-I am sure if we carry on doing the traveling, we will get more confident and relax more. Some of the RV drivers have been all over Europe and had no problems so as with most things-it is practise that makes perfect. We will continue to travel around and look forward to seeing some more interesting places, enjoy the sun-and just maybe-meet up with some other RV drivers.

God of driving and RV's (Will I ever get used to it?)

From time to time, my lady spots questions on forums about driving an RV and how useful and relevant doing an LGV course would be. So I have written a short piece on my experience and views on this subject.


We all most likely have been drivers and have various degrees of experience, we also all have different attitudes, characters and capabilities, so please note these are my perceptions, you may find various parts harder, easier and less of a challenge.


In my past I was in the RAF as an engineer and was required from an early age to drive land Rovers, Mercedes Unimog's, tractors, 4 Ton lorries with two ton trailer, motorcycles, bicycles and other random vehicles. I have towed millions of pounds of aircraft. Despite this, I felt the move to driving an American RV worth thousands of my OWN pounds that I could ill afford to loose, a big one. My past told me I would manage and the length would not be the issue, but handling, manoeuvrability and width would. To put my mind at rest and to unlock the RV’s capability of an All Up Weight of 8.1 Tons I wanted to get my LGV C license. I parted with £1500 in April 2019 and embarked on driving lessons.

The driving lessons

You do exactly the training of any lorry driver, there is no difference if driving an RV later.

I learned on a lorry loaded to 18 Tonnes, non-articulated. My place of learning was Bristol. My Instructor was a brave chap called Duncan from Mendip Training Ltd. you can find them at mendiptrainingcentre.com  Facebook.com/mendiptraining . 

My oh so patient instructor and forgiving but abused truck

Day one

Instruction starts with a talk, walk round then manoeuvring in the car park, then straight out on the roads and a very tense drive from Radstock into Bristol. I had forgotten so much from my past, the lorry felt HUGE and HEAVY. Going downhill took as much planning as going uphill, it all felt like it was driving me, not the other way round. On my first day I freely admit I was way behind the curve and overwhelmed. Duncan was astoundingly calm and talked me through everything, and knew pull overs to give me a break and let the poor souls past that were trapped behind me get past. My first drive through Hanham in Bristol was horrific, jay walkers, traffic, cars not so much parked as abandoned and the worst thing of all, mad suicidal cyclists! As I was driving in to Hanham, I noted a pedestrian, a teenage girl with headphones, I have no idea why, but I put my foot over the brake, and she just did a ninety degree turn off the pavement in front of me, I was not used to having 18 Tonnes and I hit the brakes really hard, The windscreen appeared to be looking straight down at the tarmac to me, My heart was thumping and my mouth very dry as we pogoed back and forth on the suspension (the load was water in large square containers). The girl mounted the pavement and continued on oblivious, I was stunned, outraged and sick inside, it was so close, is this what it would be like? Why am I doing this? I then had to drive through the shopping area, with mums walking in front with prams, Duncan talking me through kept me going but really, inside I was a wreck and far from happy. When we took a break my hands were shaking and I was so ashamed I tried to keep it from Duncan. I make no apology for saying that after my first day, I was thinking I had made a mistake, it was all far too stressful, and I dreaded the next lesson. Only Duncan made it so I could turn-up and try again.

After Day one and new underwear

It got easier, less overwhelming and I resolved to avoid busy town centres when in my own RV. I learned to use my mirrors A LOT and have a good all round situational awareness whenever behind the wheel.

The things to learn

I started to get a radar for loony tune cyclists and their suicidal antics. They have NO RULES, NO SCRUPLES, NO SENSE and they want TO DIE and take you with them when they do. If you think this way, hopefully they will not drag you in to their insane world, and you get to avoid ambulances, police and court appearances. The other thing I learned was to stop worrying about the impatient drivers behind. You are big and slow, they just have to wait.

The tips you get from the pro's

I discussed my intentions with Duncan and he imparted some wisdom about a left-hand drive large vehicle on UK roads, which was repeated by Empire RV. Put tape marks on your wind screen so you can judge accurately the centre of the road and tape your nearside mirror, summer growth will have hedgerows slapping this mirror and it will break or get scratched and beaten up.

The driving test

My first test was a mixed bag. I was pretty good at manoeuvring at the “Belt-up School of Motoring” but on test day I got confused about where the tester wanted me to pull forward to, then I made a mess of the reversing. I failed before leaving the carpark! Boy was I mad at myself. I was asked if I wanted to do the road assessment even though I had already failed. I said yes and actually did so well I would have scraped a pass but for my initial mess-up. £400 poorer and a new test date came around and it all went pretty smooth for the manoeuvring and the road test. In my opinion the manoeuvring is easy, despite my poor performance on the first test, but the road test is very hard and not to be under estimated, the examiner sits there scoring you with his tick list as you dive and you cannot help worrying about it. I found it harder than doing my pilots license! But I passed, not faultless, but I avoided the big sins.

Officially God of Driving

God of driving attained

So, armed with C LGV license, time came to pick-up the RV. I fell back on my training immediately, I did the pre use walk round, started a drivers log, put the tape marks on the windscreen and familiarised myself with the controls. Empire RV have space and I spent an hour manoeuvring before going out on the road.

God of driving hits the road

I had memorised my route, checked for height restrictions, weight restrictions and width restrictions. Once on the road the Lorry training kicked in.
Going down the first hill I noted road works and the lights went red to me, I started braking and was shocked at how much poorer compared to the school lorry the RV brakes were, a large lorry was driving at me through the road works at some speed. I fell back on the tape lines to judge clearances, they were close. I brought the RV to a halt, later than planned but in time, despite this the large lorry driving at me pulled alongside shouting abuse, "slow the F*&$K down you F*&^K*&g moron". I am still not sure why, I was stopped, and pulled in, but he saw something in my driving he felt was worth abuse, but not the big white triangle in my passenger windscreen about 1 metre from his face that said “Caution New Driver” in bright red writing. Not bad for my first mile! But I now had learned that the brakes were not like airbrakes. Particularly going downhill. This incident incensed me, but did teach me that the L plates were off and unreasonable people out there will be happy to jump all over you. I treat hills with far more caution for braking now.

How to cope

Every incident where no one gets hurt and nothing gets broken is a great learning experience has to become your way of thinking or you will break and not cope. Pilots hear "every landing you walk away from is a good one" it means the same.

Is taking your LGV C license worth it?

YES is the unequivocal response.

Is all the LGV applicable to RV’s?

NO RV's do not all handle as well, they are wider, the gears are easier and so on.

Would I do the LGV again to drive an RV?

YES and I highly recommend you do too, spare yourself the stress and cost of serious mistakes.

Humbled God of driving moves on

We have now driven down through the southern UK. France from North to South and around half way down Spain. Every drive it is getting easier, the planning less hassle. My wife and I (co-driver) more of a slick team working as one. I taught my wife how to marshal as I used to with aircraft and she is getting very good, we have to trust each other and communicate our fears rather than pass them on. We are not perfect, but we are trying to get there in stages and small steps.

Humbled God of driving words to the wise

So if starting out, you will be asking will I ever be ok with this? Yes you will, take it a step at a time. Plan easy routes, use big roads, gather tips from those before you, get all the training you can to drive and use a large vehicle. Plan short trips, 1 hour, then two, then three up to four. After four hours you will loose your edge unless you are a pro and drive professionally. Avoid being in a hurry to leave, or to arrive. Leave room for breaks and plan stops on route, whether you need them or not. Follow that and I promise you will start to enjoy it. You will find it’s a challenge and you are meeting it and better still winning through and that is very rewarding. Personally I like having a co driver but in the UK it is essential, so many roundabouts, so little visibility across the RV!
Happy trails, a step at a time.