Home by the Sea

Wednesday 18 March – Tuesday 24 March

Oops, hadn't meant to leave it this long before another entry, but it seemed sensible to write just once from Camping Les Medes and we have stayed here a whole week! We had read articles highly praising this site and it lives up to our expectations. It is only a 15 minute walk to the coast and you can always hear the sound of the sea. Some services, such as the restaurant, don't start until 1 April. Otherwise the only negative thing to note is that the pitches are sandy/gravelly and when it rains parts of some pitches do not drain well so are rather messy.  There is a good shop on site, with a huge range of goods, including bread, rolls etc, baked on site every day and freshly squeezed orange juice. No doubt the chilled cabinets will be stocked up when the season starts.

The weather has been a little disappointing, with one particularly wet and windy night, but on the whole it has not prevented us from getting out and about.

There is plenty to keep you occupied in this area, with a nature reserve close by and lots of footpaths and cycle tracks which have enabled us to cycle safely into both l'Estartit, where we enjoyed a tapas lunch, and to Torroella de Montgri, where the castle looms over the town.

We made an attempt to walk to Cala de la Barra and Cala Calella to the north of l'Estartit but sadly the signposting was no more than occasional daubs of fading green paint on a rock here and there and these coves completely passed us by. However, after a steep descent down a rocky path we did get to Cala Pedrosa, a tiny cove with nothing but the lapping, crystal-clear water of the Med.

Having had only ourselves for company during the journey to Spain, it was nice to find ourselves pitched next to friendly neighbours, Simon and Cathy and we enjoyed a meal together in L'Estartit on their last night on site.

We have visited the ruins of Empuries, just north of L'Escala, where there are remains of both the Roman and Greek cities. It is a huge site, where archaeological work continues. Obviously in a cynical mood, John remarked that the Thermal Bath was just like a Nuffield Health gym and, if you read the information board, there are definite similarities! 

At the end of our visit there we moved the van to the beach car park next door and then set off for short walks to Sant Marti d'Empuries, a small mediaeval village in one direction and to l'Escala in the other.

Another trip has been to La Bisbal d'Emporda, which is certainly worth a few hours' visit. The town produces ceramics, and pottery shops line the main road. 

After browsing in those for a while we found a lovely bistro called Divinum located in the Avenguda de les Voltes, offering a menu del dia for just Euro 11.50 and including three courses, bread, wine or water, and coffee. The food was delicious. 

We rounded off the visit with a leisurely stroll around the interesting old town and then along the river, which is in need of some clearing and cleaning, back to Theodora. On the way back to the site we called in at Peratallada, a fascinating medieval walled town. It seemed to be purely restaurants and holiday accommodation, integrated into the honey-coloured stone buildings and we wondered if anyone actually lives there or whether it is purely a retreat for residents of the nearby cities.

We have only scratched the surface of this part of Catalunya, but it really is time to move on …..