Saturday 24 December 2016

December 2016 Jemima the Hymer takes off.

Yes Judy has given the ”new” motorhome a name ”Smiley” first sprang to mind because it appears to have a big smile on the front but a friend is already using that name so Judy said as we were going along; Jemima would be nice. So Jemima it is and little did we know that she would be needing web feet like Jemima Puddle Duck very soon!

Well after six months getting Jemima registered in France we finally managed it with only a week before we were due to set off for our winter trip.Steve had been busy during that time fitting all the gadgets we would need;.Solar Panels with a special controller that would switch the fridge on to battery when the sun was producing enough electricity, he converted the satellite dish to get the internet as well as TV and fitted the special aerial so we can park outside places like McD’s to pick up their free Wi-Fi while travelling. Plus all the other little things that make life simpler on the road like twelve volt sockets so we can charge our tablets and the computer on the dash that records our journey and the dash-cam to record the road ahead. Liquid soap dispenser and tooth brush holder in the bathroom etc.

Wednesday 14th December 2016
We hoped to get away before lunch but packing all the last bits-n-bobs as always takes far longer than expected and we finally got away at 6pm. After filling up with fuel we arrived at Jonquera in Spain at just passed 8pm which was a shame as we needed to buy a new side marker lamp which had blown and we thought the truck stop there would stock them but it closed at 8pm so we parked up in the large car park for the Escudos supermarket with about twenty other campers. Unfortunately we were not able to dine at the WOK-U in Figueras which is our favourite and usually marks the start of our holiday, perhaps on the way back.

Thursday, Friday and Saturday 15th, to 17th December 2016
The Truck Stop didn’t open till 10am so we had a leisurely start, but unfortunately they didn’t have the exact light we needed which is a sealed LED unit so we will have to order it from the UK or Germany when we return if we can’t  find it while away.

The petrol station opposite the Truck Stop did LPG so we took the opportunity to fill up while there.

The journey south was uneventful except for torrential rain and we found a few more new roads had been built which cut out some of the slow bits. Thursday night was spent in the lorry parking area of a petrol station near Peniscola, quite safe and quiet.

We arrived in l’Abir a few miles north of Benidorm at about 3pm and had a walk around then decided to move to a street near a Japanese buffet restaurant so we could have the meal we missed on Wednesday, it was nice, but not as nice as the WOK-U but we waddled out at about 10:30pm and had to walk around for half an hour  until we felt a little less full to go to bed.

On Saturday we moved to Benidorm but were not booked in to our site till Sunday so parked in the street to spend the night which is fine out of season. We took the opportunity in the afternoon to walk around Villasol, the site we were booked into to find a pitch for tomorrow, hopefully two together as Fred & Chris were due to meet us in a couple of days time.
Late afternoon and all night, the heavens opened and our road became a river, it looked as if Jemima would need her namesake’s web feet.

Sunday 18th December 2016 till Christmas eve.
Sunday morning it stopped raining long enough for us to move into the site but soon started again and continued on and off till Tuesday morning when the sun came out. Fred & Chris arrived about midday and managed to get the pitch next to us but after lunch took a look at their booking form and found that the site were charging them 30% more that us because they did not pre-book.
They checked at the site next door who had space and were actually cheaper than we were paying so they quite rightly moved there. we had looked at that site but they don’t take bookings so it is difficult  to not know there will be a place.

During the rain we found a small drip from one of our roof lights so the sun on Tuesday afternoon gave Steve the opportunity to get on to the roof to investigate. The sealant appeared to be applied very badly so Steve did a better job but the whole roof-light will need to be removed when we get home to be sure it is done properly because just a little dampness in the fabric of the motorhome can be a disaster and cause real problems later on.

The sun continued shining all week which is what we are here for. We have booked a Christmas Dinner with the Funsters which is our motorhome group and many of them over-winter here in Benidorm so it should be a good afternoon with them all, we hope . So we will probably be very busy enjoying ourselves so will not be updating this blog till we get on the move again in the New Year.

We wish everybody a Very Happy Christmas and a good New Year and hopefully a much friendlier 2017 than 2016 has been since the referendum.