Now our Italian adventure is done we look forward to a winter of sun and lazy days on the Iberian Peninsula so we set off across the Med coast of France
The first night is spent near Aix en Provence up in the hills in a quite picturesque region. The downside is when we awake its shockingly cold and the heating goes on for the first time since last winter
We pull up at a lovely marina near Bellegarde next day and 'Fozz' it to nearby Arles
How we made it I'm not sure as its blowing a hooligan although quite warm in the sun bizarrely
Its not compulsory to enter my dear...
The bull ring at Arles
2 chocolat chauds in the nearby cafe just about thawed us out
So cold here we felt it could snow..
Next morning its bitterly cold although clear skies and a diminished wind means it will be another sunny cloudless day but things are not well in battery world..
The leisure battery status is so poor I have to switch to the vehicle battery to run the on board systems. In motorhome world this is a bad thing and signifies serious issues as normally we can go up to 5 nights without the need to hook up to electric or break out the genny for an extended run
Its reared its head several times this past few weeks and finally I have to admit perhaps the time has come to replace the original leisure batteries.
Given that they are nearly 4 years old and have had a lot of use on a daily basis we decide to travel to Beziers to a dealer who can check them over.
This is duly done and the tech's battery tester confirmed not only were the original batteries shot but also the extra one I'd had fitted 18 months ago was also duff (probably due to it having supported the other two for so long)
We have a technical discussion and I come up with the idea of binning all three but just replacing the two external batteries. This is warmly received by both the French tech lad and Nina who has suddenly discovered a knowledge of on board power management and agrees that the two solars up on top would serve just two batteries in winter sun far better than three
In hindsight the third battery (fitted before I had the second solar panel) was a folly but they have served us well.
€468.00 later and we headed for a really nice private Aire near Beziers for what was to be two days of battery charging via site hook up
Beziers
Not to be confused with the successful Montech water slope this one here at Fonserannes suffered big technical issues. It was abandoned in 2001 and today looks quite sad and neglected
It was a means of pushing larger barges, too big for the canal du Midi, up a water slope, thus bypassing the locks. The machinery spewed hydraulic oil under the tyres removing traction but think that was one of several issues at the time
Next day we stay near Perpignan and nervously monitor those new batteries
The Aire is quite superb for facilities but my God its cold at night here in the wind
We enter Spain next day and things are very different. Beauty and the Beast above is the view from the van as we pull up for a buffet lunch Spanish style at a restaurant/stopover just over the border in Catalonia
This was a real bargain here. The restaurant was run by a guy who spoke good English and we tucked in to a buffet style 3 course menu with large choice of dishes, a litre of red wine, and all for the princely sum of €9.50 each….
We even had servicing facilities for the van next morning….
All that food needed walking off so we head in to the village
Blue skies are the backdrop to the local church adorned with the Catalonian colours
Being kind to the batteries becomes a priority this week so we move off reluctantly to the coast in search of a hook up and end up staying for a very pleasant two days at Palamós on a multi tiered Aire not far from the two marinas. There's a washing machine here too so that was half a day gone for 'wash boy'
After a nice glass or two at the marina bar we stroll in to town
Not too picturesque but they have harbour side views
Its a functioning small port with some nifty cranes….
The harbour starboard entrance sculpture
Our journey so far this trip...
