Spring Tour 2023 - France - Spain

04/27/2023 Departure

Here we take our lunch break after we have filled up very cheaply in Saarbrücken. So in comparison, a liter of diesel cost €1.849 here and €1.509 here. Then we continue in the direction of Nancy. We avoid toll roads again as far as possible.

Here we find an SP for 12 vehicles via the park4night app. Now let's hope we get a place. It's already late afternoon and we get the penultimate place.
The SP is for €7/night including electricity and V&E. Then we walk into town via a "hiking trail" to the left of the parking space. Visit the Saint Étienne Cathedral and have a coffee there. In the evening we plan our further journey for tomorrow.





































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































• Z
About the weather: sun and clouds

















































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































• Regarding the weather: there is supposed to be a thunderstorm this afternoon, otherwise there will be sun and clouds alternately, the temperature will be a pleasant 18°

04/28/2023

New pitch, spacious pitches with electricity, €12/night including tourist tax. V&E possible, waste disposal. Next door there is an Aldi and a bus stop. We took bus 1 into town.

Troyes is an old town with many churches and old half-timbered houses, a pedestrian street with many shops. It's worth a visit!

• Regarding the weather: there is a lot of sun today, the temperature is a pleasant 18°

04/29/2023

Small CP with ACSI card for €15 plus tourist tax/night.
Large pitches with trees, bread service, heated sanitary building and very large showers.

Here we stay for 2 nights.

04/30/2023

You cycle along the Yonne river. sightseeing

The castle in Sully-sur-Loire cannot be overlooked, on the right behind the castle a road leads to the SP.

Free, with V&E, waste disposal and right on the Loire. Lots of space.

05/01/2023 - this morning the sun tickles us awake and we start in the direction of the Loire. The route takes us via Toucy, St. Fargeau, Bonny-sur-Loire, from there we drive left of the Loire via Gien to Sully-sur-Loire.



We walk to the castle, then to the center and eat a pizza.


• Regarding the weather: there is supposed to be a thunderstorm this afternoon, otherwise there will be sun and clouds alternately, the temperature will be a pleasant 18°

05/02/2023
Continue towards Orleans. We are in La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin on an SP directly on the Loire. The SP can be booked with a machine for a maximum of 72 hours. Garbage, electricity, fresh water is incl. View of the Loire, lots of trees. This afternoon we're going to walk a little longer here on the Loire. It is only 5km to the big city, which we will cycle tomorrow.

• Regarding the weather: A lot of sun and only a few clouds. Temperatures 19°, very pleasant.

05/03/2023
5.5 km of well-developed bike path. Cathedral and center visited.

About the weather: 14 hours ☀️☀️ at 22°

Unfortunately, the castle is covered and the parking lot for 2 hours was too expensive for us, we wouldn't want to stay longer. It's a shame, but there are more castles to come

05/04/2023

SP from CAMPING-CAR Park, night €13.90 incl. electricity, garbage and V&E. Places gravel and with green. Good cycle path to Blois. Look at the old town and the castle

• Regarding the weather: sun and clouds, pleasant 23°, wind from the afternoon. 7 hours of sunshine

Here we had to look at the castle. The parking lot was already full of big buses and of course (I could have guessed it) the entrance fee is 16€ per person. We decide to continue driving. There are also no pictures because we didn't get there.

05/05/2023
CP for 1 night without electricity €17.09 including tourist tax

We walk to the center and eat very good crêpes in the pedestrian zone right at the entrance to the castle.
We only look at this castle from the outside, as there is an entrance fee. Since I can't remember all the information anyway, I can't do anything with the deceased and buried 🤣😜 let's go eat some delicious ice cream !!!

05/06/2023

Candé Castle is a small castle with a beautiful garden. Many hiking trails throughout the area. Parking lot generous, it was very little going on.
We are not in the castle, because entry is required here.

Pitch via camping car park directly on the Loire with a view of Saumur. €11.80/night including tourist tax and electricity. The place is indicated with a sanitary building, but everything is closed here. It is a large meadow on 2 levels with electricity columns. Very quiet and lots of green. The city is 5km away.

We are staying here for 2 nights as we want to go to Saumur tomorrow.

07.05.2023 - 23° 🌤️🌦️
We walk to Saumur after it rained again and again in the morning. (10km in total with a warm 25°C and sunshine). We have lunch in the large square by the church. Afterwards we walk up to the castle. Great view. The way back is somehow more difficult than the way there (probably because it's much warmer) and seems longer than this morning.

• Regarding the weather: Alternating sun and clouds. Temperatures 23°°, again and again rain showers.

05/08/2023
Today we decide to drive a longer stage. The total length of the Loire is over 1000km and we've ridden a good 300km of it. The estuary into the Atlantic at Saint Nazaire/Saint Brevin les Pins we were there in spring 2022, so we are looking for a place around Pornic.
We chose this SP directly on the Atlantic for one night for €14.10 including electricity and tourist tax. Tomorrow we want to go to the island of Noirmoutier.

• Regarding the weather: Very cloudy today and light wind. Heavy rain is expected during the night. 16° only clouds, no hours of sunshine.

05/09/2023
Today we went to the island of Noirmouthier. There is a very cheap CP with special WomoSP without electricity, just right for us. We pay €11.32 for 1 night and can use the sanitary facilities. Everything nicely maintained and clean. water is hot!!

Tomorrow we want to cycle around the island and see it.

Regarding the weather: still raining this morning (it rained all night) but this afternoon the sun keeps coming out. 16°, wind gusty, and about 5 hours of sunshine

10.5.2023

After it rained all morning, meaning our bike tour fell through, we continue our journey.

In Pons in front of the Camping Municipal we can stand for 1 night free of charge. A small restaurant right on the square we enjoy a small dinner. The night was very quiet.

Tomorrow we continue towards Spain and hopefully sun and warmer.

05/11/2023

It's ok for 1 night. Camping car park, paved, electricity, garbage disposal and fresh water. Gray water and black water also possible to dispose of. Fee €14.32
We know Biarritz and also the beautiful area.

About the weather: very cool today, windy, lots of showers, 14°/16°, 5 hours of sunshine

05/12/2023
This morning dark clouds gather as we drive off.
Our first goal is Pamplona. Unfortunately it was too cold for us (8°) in Pamplona so we just go shopping and drive 40km further. As we arrive it is 13° and in the afternoon it will be 16°.
The municipality provides an SP free of charge. Max for 48 hours Garbage disposal, fresh water and gray water disposal possible. 6 places with picnic tables. In the evening there are more than places.

We finally have a bit of sun and enjoy our coffee outside.

05/13/2023 - 9°/21° ⛅️ 🌤️ - 17th day
The Royal Palace of Olite
After a quiet night with many other campers on the community square, we continue towards the east coast. Today, too, we first drive on the country road. The small town of Olite is only 6.5 km away. Here is a castle from the 11th or 14th century. It was the seat of Charles III the Noble, King of Navarre. Worth a visit!! Even the small village is rustic and very well maintained. Unfortunately, the temperatures (9°) are not so tempting to linger on the market square.

Bardenas Reales semi-desert
The road is getting narrower and narrower, but we proceed cautiously. We turn onto the gravel road to see some of the spectacular rock formations. The wind is strong today (6-7bfr). Lunch break in the parking lot after the gravel road. The temperature is finally at 16° and the sun comes out again and again.

Zaragoza - for coffee at the Cathedral
We already know SP in Zaragoza, so we're going there again. We take the tram (stop directly at the SP) for €1.50 per person to the Plaza de España in the old town. After a short walk we drink coffee and then visit the cathedral. It's enough for today and we'll end the evening comfortably in the Womo.
• About the weather: this morning a fresh 9° and clouds, the further we drive towards the east coast, the warmer it gets. In the afternoon we have 21° - sunshine with occasional clouds. The wind continues to be fierce with 6-7bfr.

05/14/2023 - 14°/21° 🌤️ - 18th day
After a quiet night on the SP in Zaragoza, we continue towards the Mediterranean Sea in glorious weather. Our route takes us through very beautiful scenic areas. Since today is Sunday, there is very little going on on the streets.

After lunch we drive the last stretch on the C12 along the big river L'Ebre to Tortosa. Here we find the free SP of the municipality. A short walk into town in the afternoon, but it's very quiet here today.


• Regarding the weather: sunny, cloudy in the late afternoon and a small shower. windy, 12h Sunshine.

ACSI space for incredible €15/night including everything.
We wash our laundry here for €4/10kg. The showers are modern and most importantly a large shower head with really hot water.

It's not far to Peñiscola, so in the evening we walk to the beach and drink a glass of wine in a bar.


• About the weather: 14 hours of sunshine, lots of wind and 24°

05/16/2023 - 15°/26° ☀️ 💨- 20th day 14 hours of sunshine

The night was very stormy (8bfr - it's already shaking in the camper 🤣) until lunch it stays stormy, then it gets a little less and we cycle to Benicarlò and also to the next town to Vinaròs.. Bike paths are well signposted and also well developed. We can't find an ice cream parlor that's open, so we cycle back and drink coffee at the Womo. We cycled a total of 32km. Enough for today.

• About the weather: 26° - 14 hours of sunshine with strong winds and occasional clouds (fortunately the wind is nice too, otherwise it would be too hot for me).

I believe the pictures speak for themselves. Everyone can watch what they like. We like it here very much. We are here for the 2nd time.

The city has its own flair and many locals come here to vacation.

05/22/2023
A large CP (ACSI) with all comforts. 21€/night plus tourist tax. We get a nice spot near the beach.

Sanitary facilities are clean and modern. The train tracks are really close to the square, just behind the sanitary building. Except for maybe 3 hours at night there was train traffic. During the day we don't find it disturbing, especially since we were out and about.


About the weather: very mixed today with occasional showers and in the evening the sun will come out.

We take the 12 bus (bus stop 10 minutes away from the campsite) for €1.60 per person. in the center.

Tarragona has many archaeological sites dating back to Roman times. Otherwise it's not such an attractive city for us. (unfortunately we compare a lot with Cádiz, Seville and Valencia, so almost nothing can keep up 😜)
So everyone has to decide for themselves what they like and what not!

About the weather: 21° - sunshine and clouds from time to time, but the predicted rain didn't materialize.

05/24/2023
Since the weather forecast for the coast is not that great, we decide to drive a bit inland, especially since we would like to see the region around Lleida.

Montblanc is a Catalan city in the province of Tarragona in northeastern Spain. The medieval city center has been a listed building since 1947. It is surrounded by an almost completely preserved city wall with originally 31 towers and 5 gates.

The old town with its narrow, medieval streets invites you to stroll.

We continue to Sidamon, here there is a free SP with V&E. A bakery is in the immediate vicinity (3min walk), on the SP there is a playground and picnic tables, as well as a bowling alley. The SP is right on the street, which was hardly audible at night.

But depending on the wind direction, you can smell the multitude of cattle breeding sites. For us it was really enough after one night!!

05/25/2023
It's supposed to rain all day today, so we make our way to Lleida to park our camper in a parking lot and then visit the old town.

Of course, we don't really feel like it when the weather is bad, and the parking lots are far away, or very dirty and therefore not trustworthy for us.

So only seen the old town from the Womo and then drove on.

A small old town on the Segre River

We are still too early for lunchtime, but we stroll through the town anyway.
Here there is an extra free SP for Womos, also for overnight stays.
After a stroll through town we continue

There is also an SP for Womos (right next to the police) with V&E. Here we also walk into the old town and go out to eat.
Unfortunately, the storm is coming while we are eating.
Tomorrow the weather will be better again, the rain is of course urgently needed here.

05/26/2023
This CP is really only for us to visit Barcelona. Beautiful is different. ACSI pitch for €21 plus tourist tax, but these pitches are not beach-facing. We stood under trees and our Womo sticks from head to toe. (something is dripping from the trees). The "forest floor" is more in the camper than outside.

The sanitary building is open and due to the large number of people it is sometimes clean and sometimes not so clean. It is rather difficult to get away by bike or you can cycle on this expressway that leads directly past and to the campsite. Bus drives 500m away from the CP, that worked out well.
But what has had the most negative impact on us is the extremely large number of aircraft that fly a curve over the CP right after take-off. There were 336 starts on the first day until 11 p.m. Then all of a sudden it was quiet (depending on the neighbors) and in the morning it starts again at 7.00 a.m. sharp. That's why we really only stay 2 nights. It's not so nice here.

05/27/2023
A big city, but we kind of compare everything to Seville, Cadiz and Valencia and still think that those were our 3 most beautiful big cities in Spain so far.

There was a lot going on in Barcelona, which of course is a challenge for us country bumpkins.

It is best to decide individually what to look at. For many tourist strongholds you have to book tickets online, otherwise entry is not possible.