IH 630 RL. 4 Years on. Last Review. Goodbye April!

We have finally come full circle with our first PVC creatively called April. After  living with a much larger motor home and "downsizing" to a camper, we were apprehensive to say the least. However all has gone so well! We have been very pleased with the freedom a smaller camper has brought and everything we have needed has fitted in with locker space to spare.

Over 4 and a half years we have covered 27 800 miles and been to 18 countries. The driving and travelling has been very comfortable. The under slung gas tank has only been filled 4 times, we mostly stay on sites. Fuel consumption has been fine, we had a long range fuel tank fitted but honestly we haven't needed it. The solar panel on the roof means the van stays charged up in the summer without the need for an electric hookup.

 Our worries about the big sliding door letting in flies has been  unfounded, we find if we leave the roof lights open "little critters" usually fly in have a sniff around and fly out. At night we put down the window fly screens and that usually keeps the mozzies out. In the Baltics we used a plug in mozzie fighter and apart from a few challenging "swots" we survived. An air con unit is not needed, we just open doors and windows. Satellite TV, not really needed and hardly used. We survive quite happily with a Kindle and the odd DVD for rainy days. In the UK and Northern France TV reception has been fine but then we don't watch much TV.

April, parked in St Petersburg, a brilliant drive. Camping in the Phlogiston Hotel in the suburbs of the city. A fabulous trip through Belguim, Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia to Russia and back.

We loved the colour of our van but practically speaking dark grey tends to keep the heat in and the bugs love it. On the plus side April matches our Skoda Yeti and looks good on the drive. Oh and black marks don't show.

Another worry was the lack of storage space...we thought. This worry has proved totally unfounded. There has been more than enough room for everything we want to carry, although we did have a good cull of essentials. The boot at the back holds a table, chairs and a BBQ. We were pleased we had paid for the back pod which has worked really well for us. It has also meant no nasty draughts at the back of the bed. There is good storage under the seats and even a secret locker that took us two years to discover.

In the shadow of a cruiser at Corfu dock. Another great trip to Greece via Italy including a week on Corfu.

The sleeping arrangements in the van have been perfect for us. The huge bed is really comfy and we have just added a mattress enhancer which rolls up for storage under the seats with a duvet. We carry winter or summer duvets depending on the season. We have never been cold at night and the heating is very effective. The beds can also be made up as two singles.

Our comfy bed.

Loads of storage.

A really spacious seating area.

Cooking facilities are plentiful with a full oven and grill, 3 gas and one electric plate in the hob. The electric hotplate is I think an unnecessary luxury we turned it off and it has hardly been used. Lots of storage in the oven with a pan drawer underneath. Worktop space is very limited and the sink with pull up tap though workable, is a bit fiddly. Big enough to wash a pan in though. I was initially concerned the fridge would be too small but its been more than adequate with space in the freezer compartment for a couple of chops. The freezer can also be removed. We carry an electric cooler box for wine and beer too, this has worked well.

The bathroom is OK for size but with a drop down sink not my favourite place. On the positive side the sink does lift out for easy cleaning. On the negative side if you leave the tap up and forget to drop it before running water you get a wet midriff and floor. Plenty of mirrors and storage space for bits and bobs. We have tried out the shower but not really used it much. The table stores in the shower room and the shelf in the bathroom fills up with water so needs emptying after the shower is used. The toilet is fine and I prefer the bench style loo.

Lighting and heating has been very efficient. We are very economical in our use of gas but we do stay mainly on camp sites. We have been warm and toasty at night.

Overall, April has been a great van and we have enjoyed having her. Our only niggle has been lots of minor warranty work which should not have been necessary. Everything has been fixed but it has taken a bit of effort on our part, to ensure we did get full value for money. To be fair IH did not quibble over any warranty work

We Liked:

• The back door pod.
• The big sliding door.
• Easy drive we could take this van anywhere.
• Storage.
• The massive comfy bed.
• Good customer service direct from IH at Leeds

We disliked:

• Drafts at the front of the van around the fridge area
• Lack of work top space in the kitchen.
• The fact the kitchen tap had to be raised each time it was used.
• Drop down sink in the bathroom.
• Warranty niggles due to lack of care with the initial build.

We would have liked:

• The ariel removed in the wardrobe, to give more hanging space.
• A fix for the droopy carpet in the overhead locker.
• Less of the IH decor, everywhere you look.
• A better place for the fire extinguisher rather than over the sink with the glass lid.

All good things come to an end and it is time to move on. Whoever gets April next are getting a fabulous little van ready for the next adventure. 

We are off to pick up our new arrival a Vantage Neo who we will christen Krystal. More excitement to come.

To April's new owners we hope you enjoy her as much as we have.

Spain & Portugal Winter Sun 2019. La Manga. Part 5

We arrived in La Manga with the great excitement you feel when arriving at a new place!
It was a large site on the edge of the Mar Menor lagoon so seemed a promising venue. We were booked in for 10 days.

We arrived and parked up in the very large car park by reception. We were told to report to the rally stewards who would allocate a pitch. We were shown four pitches all in the same location by one of the roads and picked one by a static hut the rally pitches were all in the same area. Driving to the pitch we passed rows of permanent static and huts crammed next to each other. We thought things have to improve. We finally manoeuvred onto our pitch running the gauntlet of the traffic on the road. We were told that if we wanted sun in a quiet location we were could use the sun spot across the road by the swimming pool.

A large pitch with a bit of shade.

The rally site. Quite spacious but because of the gravel roads and dry conditions it was horribly dusty. The " La Manga Cough" could be heard echoing across the site!

The rally tent. Could the watch word here be "off duty". Only three sets of rally stewards for all those campers. Guess we had been spoilt at Castillo de Banos.

It very quickly became apparent that our pitch was by a very busy exit road. There were other pitches free but we had only been offered road side pitches. As newbies here we didn't realise the implications.

After 24 hours of constant traffic, walkers, cyclists, dogs and noise we had really had enough! To make matters worse the toilet block which was at the other side of the rally area was very poor. Clean but decidedly in need of a revamp. More like bad school changing rooms, water was hot but came and went from hot to cold. To add to the mix  there was only barely tepid water in the washing up sinks, which were not too clean, outside and prone to blocking up.

We decided to explore. Very good supermarket on site with reasonable prices. On the first night we tried the beach side restaurant and had an excellent meal at a very good price. It was a pretty beach with lots going on and there were quite a few bike tracks.

 We rode out to the light house and into La Manga Menor, a challenging ride for some of us! The edge of the lagoon housed the lighthouse of Cabo de Palos a very touristy area though well worth a look around.

By the end of day three we were ready to move. The noisy pitch was taking it's toll. We contacted the Camping & Caravanning Club and booked another site we had two more nights left to endure at La Manga. The rally stewards did at this stage offer to move us but we really couldn't be bothered.

 We decided to take the bus to Cartagena. A good decision. The bus ride through the outlying Spanish villages was worth the journey.

Cartegena was an interesting place to wander in. We saw all the usual attractions The Roman Theatre of Cathago Nova which was easy to view from above.

The port is now a major cruise ship destination so it does get busy. 

We walked around the port explored the old town and had  a very nice huge tapas lunch before catching the bus back.

Our final day at La Manga and we thought we would go for a farewell bike ride!

I should have known the place was jinxed! 
I should have known better than to follow Den!

I fell off!!!

A huge bruise and scrapes and a hurt hand. Den did rescue me before he checked the camera and the bikes all of which were fine. I heroically rode the bike ( which was too big for me! ) home. I need a new bike that fits.

I survived to happily leave La Manga and hopefully never return. Although we may consider a night if in the area and if desperate!

Seriously, we enjoyed exploring this part of Spain. We had a lovely evening with friends we had made on the previous campsite who were also at La Manga. A big thank you to Trish and Peter for company, food and to Trish for bravely making pancakes in her van for everyone. She deserves a medal.

 Den spent many a happy hour corresponding with the other happy campers on the La Manga Rally Facebook page about the facilities, before he was blocked! We have yet to work out why anyone would wish to go there for weeks on end. I guess each to their own.

Next stop Villa Nova just outside Barcelona. Let's hope it's a good one.

Oh and all my injuries have healed up and Den got me a new small mountain bike. Thanks XXX

Winter Sun 2019 Spain and Portugal. Part 1.

On a cold and miserable winters afternoon in December we had a "light bulb" moment. 
"Why don't we go somewhere warm!" 
Interesting thought.  A bit of discussion later and we had decided to give "Over Wintering" a try. As we were new to this we decided that booking through the Camping & Caravanning Club, may be the best idea as rocking up to a campsite in January and finding " no room at the inn " was not too appealing.

Soon the deed was done. A phone call later we were booked on 4 sites with ( we hoped) winter sun. One site in Portugal and three in Spain. We had allowed two weeks travelling and booked onto the tunnel both ways.

After a couple of false starts and two tunnel postponements due to flu bugs ( very nasty) and a faulty central heating boiler ( equally as nasty ) we were off. We had plotted a route through France down the West coast and then through Spain to Portugal. After some very helpful forum advice on routes and stops we found ourselves safely parked at Euro Cite, following an uneventful though actually quite pleasant journey around the M25 to Folkestone. Tuesday is a good travelling day.

No signs of migrants or anything nasty at Euro Cite it felt very safe. We had a good meal in the restaurant followed by a good nights sleep. Next morning not too early we were off towards Poitiers our first stop for the night Le Futuriste. We hadn't booked but it was a great overnight stop with a hot heated shower block. Altogether a very pleasant stopping place and one we will use again. OK, I'm sure the Aires are cheaper but we prefer proper sites.

On the site at Poitiers.

Next morning off again, using our toll tag we were soon spinning on towards Spain and our next stop Camping Larroute at Urruge nearly on the Spanish border. 

Amongst the spooky trees. Bet it looks completely different when the sun shines.

The drive had been good and the weather mild. We were soon in Spain, here we met a bit of every type of weather. Sun, fog, rain and even a few snow flurries. We ploughed on ( not literally !) We were aiming for Salamanca and Camping Regio. 

Camping Regio was kind of a building site, but tidy and clean. The water in the shower block was scalding, the heating was non existing. In the true spirit of adventure we made for the hotel restaurant and a plate of paella with a few red wines to keep out the cold. Salamanca would be worth an explore on another day. Our final day of travelling took us over the border into Portugal and our first proper destination Camping Rio Formosa.

It had taken 4 days from home. Our extra large double pitch for the next two weeks.

Camping & Caravanning Club Escorted Tour Greece. Athens to Corfu. Part 4.

We were soon on our way to the next rendezvous Athens. We had been briefed about the journey and  it was recommended we make a stop at the impressive Corinth Canal. This narrow 4 mile canal separates the Peloponnese from the Greek mainland. It's construction saved a ship a journey of 185 nautical miles. The approach was not that spectacular but we knew we were getting warmer as we approached the car park on the edge of the canal and saw the crowds.

The canal is an amazing structure. It was dug at sea level and contains no locks. 6.4 k long and 21.4 m wide at the base, it was inaugurated in 1862 by King George 1 of Greece and completed in 1893. Sadly, the canal was never really big enough for larger vessels. Today it is mainly used by tourist boats but remains a popular attraction and 11 000 small boats use the waterway each year.

Saturated in information about the canal, we continued on our way to Athens and steeled ourselves to enter the city traffic. We were heading for Camping Athens in the suburbs, a few miles from the city centre. As we braved the 4 lane dual carriageway into the city, we spotted the campsite on the other side of the road. A quick bit of thinking and ignoring Madam Satnags entreaties to "turn around when possible", we followed our instincts to the next junction and actually managed to turned around. We breathed a sigh of relief as we spotted the site entrance. A bit more wriggling around and we soon settled April safely under the trees.

Our first foray out was to forage for food at the local supermarket. Athens was manically busy but there were a couple of supermarkets within walking distance and a few local bars. We shopped and then slumped in a bar with a cold beer.

Our first trip out the next day was an extensive tour of Athens with a local guide.

First stop was the National Archaeological Museum which houses the largest collection of ancient Greek sculpture. We saw so much, here are a few highlights.

The bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon.

The Jockey of Artemision. A large Hellinistic bronze of a horse and rider found in a shipwreck off Cape Artemision and dated 140 - 150 BC.

The golden death masks discovered by Heinrich Schliemann in the 19th century dated 1550 - 1500 BC.

Aphrodite Pan and Eros in playful mood! We learnt a lot about ancient Greek sculptures!

My favourite piece, a pair of ruby encrusted bracelets.

We could have spent hours at the museum but we were  soon off to see the highlight of the tour, the Parthenon. Dedicated to the Goddess Athena. Absolutely spectacular and well worth climbing up the marble steps to the top. If you go wear proper footwear!

Completely over awed by the temple, we were soon back to reality as we returned down the hillside and made for the shopping area of Plaka and some refreshment.

Entering Plaka was like going into another world.

We wandered around the back streets, browsing in the myriad of stalls before having the best meal of the holiday in one of the many restaurants. Athens is a very busy place though and care needs to be taken as one of our party found when her handbag was snatched! Nevertheless it was an enjoyable visit and apart from the graffiti which was absolutely everywhere we enjoyed the trip. Not so sure I would be desperate to return to Athens though!

Our next stop on the journey was Delphi. The best place on the mainland. Our campsite was a 100 miles from Athens through some fabulous scenery. Camping Delphi was just outside the town at the top of the hill, with the most amazing views across the valley to the sea and the olive groves. Delphi is on the slopes of Mount Parnassus and was home to the famous oracle. Delphi had to be one of our favourite places and certainly on the "return" list.

The fabulous view from April.

Settled for a few days.

A short dash cam of our drive through Delphi to the campsite.

The campsite could not be in a more beautiful setting, complete with an almost infinity pool.

The restaurant also overlooked the valley. Sel our escort took us on an amazing trek from the campsite up the mountain path to the top the village of Delphi, it was a great walk and one we would certainly do again. We even managed to find the way back on our own.

We also had a guided tour of the Delphi site. I loved the fact that most of the artefacts were still in place in the museum or on site and that restoration had been kept to a minimum.

The Charioteer of Delphi. One of the earliest bronze cast sculptures. It was a shame his arms were incomplete but the detail was exquisite.

The Temple of Apollo. Home to The Oracle. Definitely something in the air here.

Soon our short stay at Delphi was over. We were off to Velos and Camping Sikia Fig Tree only 139 miles away. A bit of real culture next. We were off to visit some of the places where "Mamma Mia" had been filmed on the famous Pelion Peninsula.

Our campsite at Velos was right by the sea on a big site with all the facilities. Another interesting place to find. Driving through Velos was exciting especially the bit when I had to get out of the van to aid the navigation between the parked cars. Den coped very well.

 We were lucky enough to get our own pitch on a lower level all by ourselves. The site was on a picturesque part of the coast with loads of restaurants and bars near by. We had a great meal in a local restaurant along the coast. The sea was warm too. Lots of Germans on this site soaking up the last of the summer rays.

The campsite restaurant.

We sampled the local food from this bar on the beach.

The plane tree over 1000 years old in the small village of Tsangarada in the mountains. There are lots of these trees well visited by the tourists, not so sure how many locals congregate under them these days.

Some of the shops in the village of Makrinitsa. Very touristy but worth a visit. The Pelion peninsular is absolutely beautiful but we were glad we were in a coach as the driving would have been challenging to say the least! How those coach drivers got around the narrow mountain tracks I have no idea. In one village we were a hairs breath away from buildings.

The next part of our Greek saga was to visit the site of the famous Greek monastries at Meteora. Our campsite was in Kalambaka. Meteora which means in Greek "Suspended in the air" is an amazing place. These monasteries are built on sandstone pinnacles rising up over 400 m above the valley. They are now tourist attractions, sadly lacking in monks or nuns I felt, but still well worth a visit. There are masses of coaches visiting each venue so it is hard to get away from the crowds. However, it is still worth a hike up the mountain to get a look. 

I felt the hike down which we did was more impressive although quite a stiff walk. We were glad we wore our boots.

Coming down from the heavens.

I think the "Meteora Experience" was better from the outside. The monasteries did not feel very spiritual inside and I think they had become a parody of themselves, which is a bit sad. More like a Hollywood set than a place of worship. Still well worth a visit for the views if nothing else.

Our final destination in Greece was a 5 day visit to Corfu followed by a return to Igoumenisa before sailing back to Ancona. The trip by sea to Corfu was an education in the Greek management of ferry passengers. The loading and unloading process was somewhat traumatic for some. We were lucky, in our relatively easy to manage 6.3 m panel van. We were so pleased we were not any bigger.

A short dash cam showing our ferry crossing from the port to Corfu.

 The campsite we were heading for in Corfu was Camping Karda Beach near Dassia, a short bus ride into Corfu Town. 

April was soon nestled down amongst the trees and our washing!!

Next stop a trip into Corfu Town.

 

Very very busy! It would depend on the time of day how many people were in the town. The cruise ships docked in the harbour and the town heaved with visitors. There were masses of bars and restaurants. We had a good wander around.

 Our trip to Corfu included a day trip around the island with a visit to all the main attractions. We spent a morning at the Achillieon Palace learning about the famous Sisi Elisabeth Empress of Greece and all her woes.

We toured Mon Repos where the Duke of Edinburgh was born. The final day on Corfu was spent on a day trip to Albania. Rather disappointing as it turned out! Albania will be worth a future trip.

We did however, enjoy the brief sea crossing to Albania on the hydro foil and the preview of entering a "non-EU" country. Passports shown, stamped and through. It took all of 5 minutes. There's hope after Brexit! 

The approach to Albania by sea was unexpected, the Port of Saranda was much more built up then I had imagined. We spotted a few nuclea bunkers and the landscape we travelled through was pretty barren.

There were quite a few of these littering the landscape.

We did experience an Albanian traffic jam, which sadly meant we were unable to experience an Albanian market as we may have missed the ferry back.

We did get to visit Girokaster and it's fortress, rather over touristy we felt. Unfortunately we didn't get to talk to any Albanians and after a very hurried lunch in a rather presumptuous hotel ( on the 4th Floor no less,) it was time to leave. I think Albania had much more to offer and another visit on our own in the future will be called for. Another longer ferry crossing which was packed and we were back in Corfu.

We enjoyed the visit to Corfu but were very disappointed at the amount of rubbish which was piled everywhere. Corfu is a beautiful place but very over crowded, I'm not sure if it would be on a revisit list ? Maybe.

All too soon, it was another ferry crossing back to Igoumensita and our last stop in Greece. This time the campsite was just 6 miles from Ancona, Camping Kalami Beach. An idyllic spot and just the place to while away our last Greek day.

The beach and water was beautiful. Time to say goodbye to Greece. The driving and scenery was amazing. People were friendly and we did enjoy ourselves. The weather had been absolutely brilliant. Two votes to return.