Aiming to beat our record in Sant Feliu de Guixols

Zagan the motorhome is sitting in his predecessor Dave’s tyre prints at one of our favourite aires, in Sant Feliu de Guixols (N41.78016, E3.02276), last time we were here we stayed for three nights – a rare thing on our tour – hopefully this time we’ll beat that (you’re allowed at this aire for five days, for free)!

Zagan in the aire next to the bus station – hours of fun people watching from our vantage point

Last night it was cold. I know there is snow back home and temperature-wise it is probably colder than here, but when you’re in a small tin box and the door opens to let pampered pooch out for his evening stroll, the Arctic blast reaches everywhere. I spent most of the evening wrapped in a sleeping bag as we watched a movie. When we hit the sack, I was so pleased that I had changed the bedding for our winter set that morning; we spent the night toasty warm, enveloped in a sea of brushed cotton.

Blanket and Sleeping Bag – Charlie is taking no chances!!

This morning the ground was covered in frost and Zagan had his very own icicle. Charlie had spent the night on the bench in an upgrade from his bed on the floor of the cab, it was a good job he did otherwise we may have had an ice-pop-pooch this morning. We turned the heating up and waited for the sun to reach over the trees and warm us up, and thaw out the steep path into the aire.

Our foot-long icicle from underneath Zagan’s heating exhaust

We programmed in the coast and wound our way along the tree-lined, narrow, wiggly roads, dodging a couple of huge lorries coming the other way. For the last part of the road to the motorway we were followed by a gritter, his flashing lights filling Zagans mirrors.

Our first view of the Med in the distance

The motorway was wide, smooth and free and in less than an hour brought us easily to Sant Feliu de Guixols. We stopped here on our last trip after a busy couple of days in Barcelona and loved its chilled-out feel. Our plan for this trip was to go from San Sebastian to the Med, so this was the best place we could think of to come to.

Sant Feliu de Guixols

We’ve only been here for a few hours, but have already settled in and spotted a few changes. The aire has more than doubled in size (it was new when we were here last time) and now has sign-posts to get to it. Tourist information is now housed in a flashy new office in the Monastery, which now charges to go around the museum (hopefully the cork exhibition has had an upgrade too).

Charlie sneaks onto the Blue Flag beach…

… and has to rub his face in it!

Generally the whole place is a bit more closed than it was last time (end of March 2012) but the good news is that we can still get onto the bus station’s free wifi and the Menu del Dia prices don’t seem to have changed – so we’ll be off out to treat ourselves while we are here. Happy days!

Ju x