We didn’t leave our hotel until the 12 o’clock checkout time. We thought we’d enjoy the A/C for as long as possible!

The thought of navigating the city to look at the hanging houses didn’t appeal either, so we just got outta there!

It was a beautiful drive today through a massive gorge with towering rocks either side. 

It went on forever.We spent a lot of the day at altitude too, so it wasn’t quite as hot. Still 32 degrees, but that is bearable now.

But then we came off the mountain and it was back to 38 degrees. So we kept on driving.

There were quite a few really straight roads that looked like Roman roads. And so many pristine castles along the way. And houses built into the hills. It was really neat drive.

We looked at a couple of places to stop, but at that heat it was too hot. At 7.30pm, we found a hotel which looked quite nice overlooking an old town, but it was locked and nobody was on reception. It looked like one of those places you had to book online and get a code. It seemed like too much effort. So we carried on driving.

We are heading towards the Pyrenees, and I really didn’t want to start driving over a montain pass at this time of day. But Mike ensured me he was fine.

At 8.30pm we made it to another town, but it was still stifling hot. And the only hotel looked a bit dodgy. So we kept driving.

Then, at 9pm, I saw another place in a town. There were two other campervans parked there and it looked fine. Still hot, but the sun had gone behind the buildings so we were in shade. And there was a lovely view from our open doors at the rear.

You’re not supposed to take your chairs out at places like this, but everyone else was. And it was way too hot to sit inside. So we sat out the back of the van stealth like and admired the view of the mountains.

A few more campervans came in while we were sat there. We had a couple of false starts at going to bed. At 10.30pm Mike tried first. He lasted 10 minutes before he fell out of the van again, panting.

I tried at 11pm. Nope, not happening! Now I know why Spanish people don’t go to bed before midnight.

I’ve been carrying strawberry ice blocks in our freezer, so we had ate of those and that seemed to cool us down a bit. And I wet my buff and used it to cool me off. By midnight it was still 32 degrees inside the van, but we couldn’t stay awake any longer.

By 3am, a cool breeze came in through our roof vent and it was bliss!

We finally left the nudist colony after 3 relaxing days. The heatwave was due to break and it seemed like a good time to make a run for it towards France.

We drove most of the day and it was quite nice. We stopped at a town of Cuenca and headed straight for a hotel.

There was one on the outskirts of town with safe parking for Bertie. It was nice to have the relief of aircon again.

This town is famous for hanging houses, apparently hanging off a cliff. Maybe we’ll take a look tomorrow.

We are not resort people. We overlook the pool from our balcony and it’s funny watching what goes on. Everyone is heading to breakfast but on their way, they put their towels out on the pool recliners to save them. We even saw run guy running to get his spot for the day.

As a result, when we go down to the pool, there are hundreds of chairs with towels on them, but nobody using them. And trying to find a recliner is near impossible. I think the whole situation is weird, who wants to sit by the pool all day? And if you’re not using it, take your towel with you! Geez!

Today I woke up feeling lousy, with a sore throat and absolutely exhausted, probably from my late night. Plus we haven’t been eating properly. So I spent the day taking it easy, trying to get some editing done but not getting very far.

That evening we decided to eat out. There is a buffet at the hotel and for 24 euros it seemed like good value as it also included drinks. Thankfully this is another hotel rule. You must be dressed for all eating areas. Thankfully, as I can’t imagine how naked at a buffet could pass hygiene standards!

I was so hungry I ate two giant plates of food, followed by desert. I think I really need to start eating properly again.

The day started with booking another night at the hotel. Thankfully our room was available again. She said this hotel is always full!

There are a few rules to staying at this hotel. Everyone has to wear clothes between 8pm and 8am, and you can’t wear any clothing into the pool. But you can wander the streets and the beach with nothing on. Weird huh?

At 9pm we took a nice stroll along the beach, the mediterranean pounding on the shore. It was too rough to swim, but we paddled our feet and the water was really warm. 

But by 10am, it was hot! So we found a shaded spot by the pool then spent another hour sitting.

I’m not sure how we do it, but we always seem to arrive somewhere during a traditional festival. Earlier in the day, I saw them setting up a huge bonfire with what looked like a pile of old rubbish ready to burn. It turned out it was for San Juan, a midsummer festival celebrated on the night of June 23. Traditionally, people gather around bonfires, enjoy fireworks and parties, and burn old belongings as a symbol of leaving the past behind.

The hotel hosted a beach party that started at 10pm with a live band and dancing. Then, at midnight, they set off a fireworks display before lighting the bonfire on the beach. It was really cool to see bonfires stretching all the way along the shoreline.

As a result, we didn’t get to bed before 1.30am.

Today was brutal. We’d had a pretty lousy sleep sweltering in the van, so we headed off at 9am to try and avoid the heat. But obviously it was already hot. There were some Dolmens, which are neolithich underground burial chambers we wanted to go to. 

The first challenge was getting there. It was only 5.5 kms, but Google told me there was a quicker route only 3km away. I should have known better but I think the lack of sleep was affecting my judgement. Next minute we are navigating horrendously narrow streets inside the old town and it was terrifying.

We managed to get out and followed the main roads. Somehow it took us 30 minutes to drive 5.5 kms. And do you know what the worst part is? We got there and it was closed! Monday’s are a closed day for museums. Doh.

So then I asked AI where we could go to avoid the heat. He said the mountains. So, off we went, driving some more narrow and terrifying roads, but this time with lots of idiots on them. It was a beautiful drive though.

I navigated to a campsite with sounded really cool. They bring you tapas when you order a drink, and they also have a pool. But when we got out of the car, the shock was unbearable.

It was 45 degrees, by far the hottest of anywhere we had been. The wind felt like it was a burning fire! There was no relief even in the shade. It turned out, even though we are up in the mountains, it was in a valley and the hot air was trapped there getting hotter and hotter. It was awful and I couldn’t wait to get out.

So I asked AI again, and he said, go higher! I didn’t want to spend an hour in this heat driving higher and higher and be faced with the same problem. I told him this. So he suggested the coast.

I set the navigation and off we went, up another steep narrow road, this time no safety barrier. I was absolutely terrified. But, we made it to the top, and remarkably it was a bit cooler. Still 37 degrees, but it felt much better. And there was a stunning view over the mountains, which had frikking snow on them! The wind was even blowing from that direction, but it made no difference. The other side was a view of the mediterranean sea.

Anyway, we had a decision to make. I’ve become a bit nervous about narrow winding roads, and the road google was sending us on, was a narrow winding road down to the coast. So I asked google AI as he has been quite helpful. He said ‘Don’t take that road. It’s narrow and steep with no barriers and you will burn your brakes out. Go straight on.’

But straight on was quite a lot longer. And really, would it be any better? So I asked chatGPT. He said “Go for it, you’ll be fine.” I think he knows me better.

Anyway, we went for it. Google AI was half right. It was steep and narrow and scary in places, but there were some barriers that made it feel safer. And Mike knows how to drive steep mountain passes so brakes weren’t an issue. Heck, we drove down the Mesa Verde with no brakes when they failed in America

Anyway, we made it down no problem. But it was still stinking hot at the coast! It was 6pm, so we looked at the campground there, but it was full of permanent vans, and nobody on reception. We parked up and looked at out options. There wasn’t a lot.

Mike has been on about a place on the coast further north that he wanted to go. But we’d have to stay in a hotel there because of the heat. And it was 4 hours away. But it seemed like the best option at this stage as the coast is very busy and there are not any camping grounds.

I plugged Mike’s place into my google and removed avoid motorways. Only 2 hours! So we decided to go for it. We gave up our avoid motorway plan to hopefully find a nice air-conditioned hotel by the beach.

Oh, did I mention why Mike wanted to go there? You’re probably thinking it’s just another nudist beach. But it’s bigger than that. It’s actually a naturist town, where you are allowed to wander around with no clothes on. I know! Not for me, but I’m happy for Mike to be happy.

So, off we went, hurtling along the motorway and I must admit, apart from all the tunnels, it was quite relaxing, not having to navigate or to hang on for deal life going around corners. And two hours later we arrived.

I’d chosen a hotel to stay at as I wanted to make sure there was parking for Bertie. And as it was now 9pm, we needed somewhere with 24 hour reception.

Thankfully there was parking. We went into reception and tried to book a room, but it was full. Eek. She did some stuff on the computer and thankfully there had been a cancellation. But it was a studio rather than a double. But she gave it to us for the same price as a double, so that was nice.

It’s actually a naturist resort, with bars, entertainment and a pool. But there are rules, but I’ll mention more on that in tomorrows blog.

Our room is expensive, but still quite nice, with a balcony overlooking the pool, a big room, and a kitchen. I figure most of our accommodation has been free on this trip, so paying for a couple of nights won’t hurt.

Europe is experiencing a massive heat wave at the moment, but it is supposed to ease off a bit on Thursday. So we’re hoping to stay a few days. But we have to check in each morning to see if there has been a cancellation.

Mike can have his naked time, and I can spend time editing my videos in a comfort of A/C.

Today was brutal. We’d had a pretty lousy sleep sweltering in the van, so we headed off at 9am to try and avoid the heat. But obviously it was already hot. There were some Dolmens, which are neolithich underground burial chambers we wanted to go to. 

The first challenge was getting there. It was only 5.5 kms, but Google told me there was a quicker route only 3km away. I should have known better but I think the lack of sleep was affecting my judgement. Next minute we are navigating horrendously narrow streets inside the old town and it was terrifying.

We managed to get out and followed the main roads. Somehow it took us 30 minutes to drive 5.5 kms. And do you know what the worst part is? We got there and it was closed! Monday’s are a closed day for museums. Doh.

So then I asked AI where we could go to avoid the heat. He said the mountains. So, off we went, driving some more narrow and terrifying roads, but this time with lots of idiots on them. It was a beautiful drive though.

I navigated to a campsite with sounded really cool. They bring you tapas when you order a drink, and they also have a pool. But when we got out of the car, the shock was unbearable.

It was 45 degrees, by far the hottest of anywhere we had been. The wind felt like it was a burning fire! There was no relief even in the shade. It turned out, even though we are up in the mountains, it was in a valley and the hot air was trapped there getting hotter and hotter. It was awful and I couldn’t wait to get out.

So I asked AI again, and he said, go higher! I didn’t want to spend an hour in this heat driving higher and higher and be faced with the same problem. I told him this. So he suggested the coast.

I set the navigation and off we went, up another steep narrow road, this time no safety barrier. I was absolutely terrified. But, we made it to the top, and remarkably it was a bit cooler. Still 37 degrees, but it felt much better. And there was a stunning view over the mountains, which had frikking snow on them! The wind was even blowing from that direction, but it made no difference. The other side was a view of the mediterranean sea.

Anyway, we had a decision to make. I’ve become a bit nervous about narrow winding roads, and the road google was sending us on, was a narrow winding road down to the coast. So I asked google AI as he has been quite helpful. He said ‘Don’t take that road. It’s narrow and steep with no barriers and you will burn your brakes out. Go straight on.’

But straight on was quite a lot longer. And really, would it be any better? So I asked chatGPT. He said “Go for it, you’ll be fine.” I think he knows me better.

Anyway, we went for it. Google AI was half right. It was steep and narrow and scary in places, but there were some barriers that made it feel safer. And Mike knows how to drive steep mountain passes so brakes weren’t an issue. Heck, we drove down the Mesa Verde with no brakes when they failed in America

Anyway, we made it down no problem. But it was still stinking hot at the coast! It was 6pm, so we looked at the campground there, but it was full of permanent vans, and nobody on reception. We parked up and looked at out options. There wasn’t a lot.

Mike has been on about a place on the coast further north that he wanted to go. But we’d have to stay in a hotel there because of the heat. And it was 4 hours away. But it seemed like the best option at this stage as the coast is very busy and there are not any camping grounds.

I plugged Mike’s place into my google and removed avoid motorways. Only 2 hours! So we decided to go for it. We gave up our avoid motorway plan to hopefully find a nice air-conditioned hotel by the beach.

Oh, did I mention why Mike wanted to go there? You’re probably thinking it’s just another nudist beach. But it’s bigger than that. It’s actually a naturist town, where you are allowed to wander around with no clothes on. I know! Not for me, but I’m happy for Mike to be happy.

So, off we went, hurtling along the motorway and I must admit, apart from all the tunnels, it was quite relaxing, not having to navigate or to hang on for deal life going around corners. And two hours later we arrived.

I’d chosen a hotel to stay at as I wanted to make sure there was parking for Bertie. And as it was now 9pm, we needed somewhere with 24 hour reception.

Thankfully there was parking. We went into reception and tried to book a room, but it was full. Eek. She did some stuff on the computer and thankfully there had been a cancellation. But it was a studio rather than a double. But she gave it to us for the same price as a double, so that was nice.

It’s actually a naturist resort, with bars, entertainment and a pool. But there are rules, but I’ll mention more on that in tomorrows blog.

Our room is expensive, but still quite nice, with a balcony overlooking the pool, a big room, and a kitchen. I figure most of our accommodation has been free on this trip, so paying for a couple of nights won’t hurt.

Europe is experiencing a massive heat wave at the moment, but it is supposed to ease off a bit on Thursday. So we’re hoping to stay a few days. But we have to check in each morning to see if there has been a cancellation.

Mike can have his naked time, and I can spend time editing my videos in a comfort of A/C.

Well, today did not get off to a good start. After 4 days break we finally headed off again, starting our trip north. First stop, Lidl. But when Mike turned a corner, he pulled out in front of a car that was in his blind spot and they blasted their horn at us. But it wasn’t just any old car. It was a police car.

They pulled in front of us, put their lights on then stopped. Shit. This ain’t gonna be good.

Then all four policemen got out looking pissed off. The looked really intimidating with their flak jackets and guns. One was shaking his head in disbelief and started heading my way. Why’s he coming towards me, what did I do?

Then I realised I was in the drivers seat if I was in a European van. So I pointed to Mike. I didn’t want to deal with this.

Thankfully he spoke English but he was very mad. He said we almost caused an accident, it was very close. Mike apologised saying he was in his blind spot. Normally he gets me to check. But I didn’t see them either, it’s like they came out of nowhere. I think they were going too fast.

Anyway, he asked where we were from. When Mike said New Zealand, his face visibly relaxed. It was really weird. His whole demeanor softened, and he just said, “Be careful. That was close.” And they all piled back into their car and drove away. Phew.

But, that was a terrifying start to the day.

The rest of the day was awesome though and we saw some cool wildlife. Our first stop was a lake where we could view pink flamingoes. There were hundreds of them on the lake and they were very cool to see. And we were the only ones there! But it was ridiculously hot still at 5pm, so we only took a short walk as there was no shade.

But then we found an observatory on the other side of the lake, so we headed there and sat in the shade admiring the birds. Still nobody around! I loved watching these guys, standing on one put, dipping their heads into the water. They didn’t look that pink though!

Then we headed an hour away to some cool rock formations called El torcal near the town of Antequera. Up and up and up we went up a squiggly steep road to the top. Again there were very few people around. Probably because it’s 7pm and still frikking hot, but slightly cooler at 1400 metres. 

We took a walk through the rocks and Mike kept point out animals. I’ve since read that these are called Spanish Ibex, a native wild mountain goat. We saw quite a few and I felt a little intimidated by them, especially the males with their long curved horns. But they were very cool to see.

It was 8.30pm by the time we’d finished our walk so we headed back towards the town on Antequera where I’d seen some campervans parking overlooking a cool castle. 

It was still stinking hot when we arrived so we found a bit of shade. There was a vicious hot wind, and it was blowing dust into the van and a fine layer settled on everything. It was really gross. And the wind kept blowing our top hatch shut, so we couldn’t even get a decent breeze into the van. We had a sweltering night where the temperature didn’t drop below 31 degrees. I gotta say, I am getting sick of this heat!

A quiet day today as it was much hotter. I spent the morning finishing my video, then the afternoon at the bar uploading it. While we were there we ordered a pizza and it was huge. So we had half of it, and took the other half back to the van for dinner.

I love how liberal Spain is. Women are wandering along the beach topless like it’s the most natural thing in the world. All shapes and sizes, old and young, it just seems to be a thing here. Meanwhile, just across the water is Morocco, a muslim country, where this would not be allowed. Must be a shock for them coming into Spain.

We’ve really enjoyed relaxing here. It’s still been very hot, but not unbearable because of the sea breeze. But we are planning to move on tomorrow and start heading north. Well, there’s not much choice as south is Africa. And it’s too bloody hot to go there!

That evening we went down to the beach bar again. I forgot to mention, where we are camping is probably the equivalent to half way up Paku, so it’s a bit of a slog up and down in the heat. But that didn’t stop us going back down to the beach bar for drinks. We ordered a couple of local beers and they were really yummy, and it was perfect, sitting looking out over the ocean. It felt like we were on a boat as the tide was right in, up against the bar. Just without the rocking.

Then about 9pm we headed back to the van to eat our leftover pizza and to have a cold shower. Tomorrow we leave.

Today our aim was to walk into Tarifa to reach the southernmost point of mainland Europe.

We could get there along the beach but we had to time it right due to the tides.

I thought the tide time was about 1pm but I decided to check with AI. He told be 3.30pm. I asked him to double check and he said 11.30am. I asked him to triple check and he told me 1.30pm. Seriously, don’t trust AI for your information. 

So instead I went to the official tide place and it said 1.10pm and the high-tide is 8 hours later. It’s a 16 km round trip, so we figured if we left by 10.30am we’d be fine.

We set off and the part of the beach from our camp was covered in seaweed, but after that it turned into nice firm sand. Walking along beaches is not my favourite thing to do, but it was quite nice. A breeze kept us cool and there was a bit of cloud cover. We’d picked the perfect day to do this.

A few kite surfers were setting up as we wandered along. It took us almost two hours to reach the end. There is a causeway that separates the Mediterranean sea from the Atlantic which we walked along. It was viciously windy so we had to take our hats off.

We took a few obligatory photos then headed back. The kite surfers we saw earlier were all out in force now and we had to navigate around them. They had their kites laid out, and their ropes were all over the place. We both thought it seemed a bit dangerous to step over their ropes, so we had to zigzag around them.

4 hours later we made it back and we were exhausted. That’s a longest walk we’ve done since Karen’s one.

I stopped at the campground toilet to go to the loo when I met my first kiwi. They also keep their van in England over the winter with family. She was from Whakatane, so we’re practically neighbours. So that was exciting to meet someone from home.

We’re officially halfway through out Schengen allowance in Europe, that means we have 45 days to get back to the UK. But with this heat and the summer holidays coming, we may even go back earlier.

I didn’t do a blog for yesterday as we didn’t do much. I spent the day working on scheduling facebook posts and my next vlog. Mike did some laundry and a few other chores. And somehow the day just disappeared! We’ve decided to stay at this campground for 4 nights, as it’s so nice and relaxing.

We were ready for an early start this morning and just as well we were. By the time we were ready to leave the sun was streaming in and the carpark was filling with cars. So we were away by 9am, a record for us.

It was a driving day today. We were on a mission. To get to the south coast of Spain where it might hopefully be cooler. Thankfully the roads were straighter and I was glad for taking a wide berth of Seville.

Around 2pm we arrived a campground just outside of Tarifa. We picked our campsite, a gorgeous spot overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar and Africa across the water. It’s still hot though! But there was a nice breeze and we were in shade and I felt so happy to finally be here. After the stress of the last few days I feel like we might well stay for a week.

That evening when it cooled down enough we went for a walk along the beach. It’s not every day you can walk along a beach at sunset and look over at Morocco. It was pretty special.

It’s an hour on the ferry to Tangier, and I’d be quite keen to do it. But Mike keeps looking at the high rises over there and thinks we’ll probably hate it. He’s probably right.

It’s about a 6 km walk into Tarifa, and we can probably walk most of it along the beach at low tide. We don’t actually need to go to the town, but I would like to reach the southernmost tip, just to tie it in with last years northernmost point.