Backblip 24th January: An improved view of the Med

So much did we hate the site in Benicassim that we were up and  out of bed early. A site just "35 minutes" northwards had been identified as our target so we didn't need to be away until lunchtime but the urge to leave was strong!

We planned a stop at Lidl, knowing that our next stop was situated well out of town. Unfortunately we missed the exit for Lidl and there was no convenient other exit. We tried to make up our own but ended o turning around and rejoining the main road. A Mercadona in a town up the coast was identified and we headed for there instead. 

The drive was horrible. A busy main route with much HGV traffic and a poor road surface, the driving all made so much worse by gale force winds. The scenery was grim, with tower blocks along the coast punctuated by the cranes of ports, (thankfully?) wreathed in the haze generated by traffic and industry. Gone were the handsome mountains, the almond blossom, the orange groves... I was close to tears. I was back to "I hate Spain" mode and longing to ask The Driver to just take us home. Really, it was just beastly. I wondered what on earth people see in the Med. Why do they flock to the Spanish Coast?

We stopped at Oropesa del Mar for the aforementioned Mercadona stop. It too, like Benicassim, was a ghost town of apartment towers, graffiti, dirt and rubbish. 

We had the Going Home conversation. We decided  that the day, despite the theoretical 35 minute drive, had felt a long and unhappy one and rest was needed. We would press on to the planned destination and not strike out for France immediately.

Perhaps we would feel better after a good sleep.

And then.... and then, we arrived at Ribamar. We felt instantly, completely in love. 

The campsite falls within a national park and is sited a  3 minute woodland stroll from the sea, the local area is backed by mountains and  the air is clean, clear and bright. Wild flowers abound. There are many waymarked walks.

The site itself is clean and modern and very well kept. Reception was professional and welcoming. The restaurant is open (but the pool is not). It is quiet, with perhaps half the site occupied (not entirely by Brits, either) but pitches are large and separated by hedges. I can see the sea through my kitchen window, over the tops of the trees.

In moments we went from "Let's go home" to "fancy staying a month here?"

We booked in for an initial 4 nights.