Peniscola: Feeling Like A Motorhome Snowbird
Zagan the motorhome still hasn’t moved, his contents have spilled outside, filling our campsite pitch as he and we relax into our second week in Peniscola. When we arrived at Camping Ferrer we had planned to stay for three nights, that quickly stretched to a week, now it has become two. We jokingly refer to the campsite as the ‘Hotel California’, as the lyrics to the song say “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave“. This theory was confirmed when Marilyn and Brian, a retired English couple who had been here for a couple of weeks, left earlier this week. By nightfall they were back with tales of full campsites further south down the coast and nowhere better than here.
Today Mike, Victoria and their pooch Piglet might have broken the spell and escaped. They too arrived for a couple of nights and ended up putting off their departure several times. Their channel crossing at the end of February, finally forcing north. This brings me to one of the downsides of motorhome life – friendships, or rather the very short nature of them. We’ve spent a wonderful 10 days with Mike and Victoria as neighbours and friends, which in itself is unusual; normally we only get to see folks for a night or two. Over those precious days, we’ve been out for several meals together, taken walks around the castle, town and on the beach, pooch sat Piglet and had many doggie cuddles from her, spent many, many hours talking about past travels and future plans and just enjoying the company of like-minded folk. Then as suddenly as their friendship arrived, it’s gone.
Don’t get me wrong, I know we’ll see them again. Not wanting to quote too many song lyrics in one post, but Dame Vera put it so well – ‘don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again‘, however the feeling of loss is still there when it’s time to say goodbye. Motorhome life brings a lot of goodbyes.
24 hours ago we were going to stay put here for another week – yes I know, three weeks in one place, it’s unheard of for us! Then last night something shifted, we both felt a pull to leave. I think partly it was knowing we’d be on our own here and it wouldn’t be the same, and partly it was because Jay spotted a huge Oceanarium in Valencia that he fancied visiting. We could easily stay put as we are really enjoying being here. We’ve been using the place as a bit of a winter training camp. On Wednesday’s if we were back home we’d be out running with our club, in the biting cold and dark. While we miss the company of other runners, here we have sunshine, a natural park a couple of miles away where we can do long runs on trails and in the hills. There is also the beach and boardwalk, ideal for short fast runs and interval training (going faster then slower) using the palm trees or bins as markers. So, as you might guess, we’ve made the most of it going out running or cycling most days.
We’ve settled into the rhythm of things in Peniscola. The campsite comes to life around 9am as the sun warms the motorhomes, the ‘oooh la la’s’ and ‘bonjours’ of our neighbours, long lunches, the clacking of boules being played around 3pm and the claxon echoing across the town at 4pm signalling the fishing boats’ return and the fish market auction beginning, shops opening after lunch at 5pm just when it’s getting dark. Before being here I couldn’t see the appeal of staying in one place for the winter. I can now totally see the appeal for the thousands of European ‘snow birds’ who come to Spain in their motorhomes for months at a time. Being here I’ve seen the community spirit that the campsite has. Helped by the warm winter sun folks are out and about. Just like us with Mike and Victoria, the long-term campers are outside all day, sharing meals, going out cycling or walking together, playing boule and just enjoying life. This place is going to be hard to leave, but now the Oceanarium has given us something we want to see, which will give us the push to check out of the Hotel California – for now!
I’d happily come back to Peniscola, but maybe only at this time of the year. Looking at postcards of the beach in high season you can hardly see the sand for bodies. As it’s winter the beachfront cafes, bars and shops are all shut, as are the hotels and apartments and the ‘big sights’ like the castle, all either closed or undergoing renovation, but we don’t mind. The places that are open are in the town, where the locals shop and eat. We are warmly greeted and very well fed for very little money, our smattering of Spanish appreciated. Although we do attract some stares as the locals walk around wrapped up in big coats I’ve ventured out in my shorts a few times.
Ju x
Bonus pics – We’ve finally managed to get a couple of photos of the locals birds for all you bod watchers!
Looks like a great spot. Still, we’ve never been able to stay put in one place that long. Even at a place we like, we are ready to move on after a week or so. I think that it’s because we like to explore, and if we return another time there will still be things to see that we didn’t see the first time around!
The Oceanarium in Valencia is class – as is the whole area around it with all the amazing architecture – it’s like walking around in a sci-fi movie. There’s a clutch of ACSI campsites just to the south of the city, all with regular buses into town which also go right past the oceanarium. We stayed at ‘El Saler’, the cheapest of the bunch, but it was pretty scruffy and cold showers – it might be worth paying a few quid extra for one of the other ones!
Thanks Chris. We’d seen you were there and were going to copy you – but might look for another site now. Looking forward to seeing all the fishes! As you may guess from the post, we’re still in Peniscola! I bet you guys are in Portugal by now :) Ju x
We stayed at Valencia Camper Park. 5 mins from Metro into Valencia. Reception sort out train tickets for you. Enjoyed Oceanerium. Collect headphones as you enter for English commentary. Lots to see in Valencia.
Haha, ever since Valencia we’ve been stalled ourselves – but not by choice exactly – we’ve both been laid low by a nasty flu bug all week! We made it to the site that Mike & Victoria recommended at Oliva – it’s been the perfect place to recuperate, sitting on the deckchairs in the sunshine and going for very slow danders along the beach!
Enjoy Valencia – the whole place is brilliant – the cutting-edge area with the oceanarium deserves a whole day on its own – and then at least another full day in the old town. There’s also a lovely park that runs the whole length of the city along a dried-up river bed. Happy travels!
C&S
hey Chris, sorry to hear you’ve been feeling rough. Glad you made it to Oliva. Did you get the ACSI books?
Get well soon and good luck with onward travels x
You don’t have to ”excuse” for staying longer in a place with very good condtions ,where you feel well & comfortable with good companions and can appreciate it..But that only happens when you have seen already a lot of the ‘rest of the world.’ & got a little wiser.
Valencia is a very interesting city .Amazing modern architecture & a very nice old town.Good public transport.
Advice: If you should get into the very recommandable Tapas chain ‘Lizzaran,’ please order only 2 at the counter, because someone comes every 20 minutes with a tray from the kitchen with freshly made hot tapas.You pay by tooth pins on your plate.Enjoy your motorhome life! Heide
Definitely shorts weather here at Mikki’s Place in Portugal. I think you would like it – it is easy to fall into a comfortable and convivial routine here and put departure off from one week to the next. Valencia sounds worth looking at too on the way up to France in a few weeks.
What a pity the whole snow bird experience is threatened by our Brexit brain fail decision. No more months away at a time. It’ll be 90 in 180 days after 29/3.
Hi Kevin, it’s a shame the Schengen limitation will kick in, but multi-month tours will still be possible. Morocco, for example, allows stays up to 6 months (3 months by default but you can extend your visa in-country) so you could do a full 12 months in Spain and North Africa. Thousands of motorhomes already snow bird in Morocco, and we’ve written a book on how to do it, available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1521201978. Cheers, Jay
We love Peñíscola.
Was there for 3 weeks in August and went back in November for a 2 night stay. First time for us stopping in one place as well. Can’t wait to return to Spain as we returned to the uk in January to buy a new to us MH. Getting it ready to return is taking longer than we thought thou 😞
Keep having fun where ever you are.
We’re loving it too! Time to move though, having a read for a while then reloading the bikes, rolling up the map, popping the chairs in the locker and trying to remember how to drive again! Cheers, good luck with the new van, Jay
Lovely post. We felt very much the same about El Puerto de Santa Maria on the Bay of Cadiz. Intended staying for a couple of days then spent a couple of weeks. L’Oceanogràfic in Valencia is terrific though, as is the whole city – our favourite so far in Spain. We’ve returned to Valencia again and again and have always been enchanted. Enjoy!
We also enjoyed Peniscola, we were there in oktober I think, time flies when living in a motorhome full time :D We will definitely go back.
Hi there
It was so lovely spending time with you both. Piglet is now sulking and is definitely missing the extra love and attention. Hope your departure is less dramatic than ours! We’re taking bets on how long before you end back at Hotel California. …… it’s a lovely place.
Hope you get the T shirts too!
It was lovely meeting up with you both and sep ding time together. pigletvis missing you both so much already, sulking and wouldn’t settle last night – that’s a first!
Hope you ‘escape’ Hotel California, and your drive away is less scary than ours was!
Take you you both xxx