Winter is a far more difficult time than summer for retirement travels as the opportunities are so much more limited. In fact, unless you are a winter sports fan, only two countries seem to have grasped the possibilities of The Grey Plague, The Snowbird Invasion or whatever else you call the retirees who crave winter sun - Spain and Portugal. We have spent two of the last three winters (2011/12 and 2013/14) touring these two countries and both of them seem to understand the old folks have cash to spend, kids inheritances to dispose of, and they don’t get roaring drunk and offend local people. Well not quite as often as young holiday makers.

We have spoken to people who spend the winter in Sicily but we like to keep moving - not particularly easy on an island when you are there for the best part of six months. France closes for the winter. Italy and Greece are warm but those who we have spoken to who have tried to overwinter in these countries say they are simply not set up for winter caravanners.

So back to Spain and Portugal then.

Last year we drove down through France and returned by ferry, unfortunately as mentioned above, France closes in September, well 95% of the campsite do, and we had trouble finding sites which led to some very long driving days so this year we plan to go down to Spain by ferry and drive back through France in the spring when most of the sites will have reopened.

To make this winter different we were planning to go to Morocco for a few weeks. I say were because our car insurers have refused to cover us there and although I have found an alternative the cost of changing car insurance policies mid year is prohibitive so we will have to wait till the end of the policy before changing and so Morocco will have to wait till next year.

Although we have spent a considerable amount of time in Spain and Portugal during our retirement travels we try to keep the experience fresh by not, unless for a specific reason, visiting the same attraction or the same campsite twice.

Some readers will I’m sure think that as we have been to Iberia for the whole of two winters there can’t be much left to see. Oh contraire!! Spain has forty four UNESCO World Heritage Sites and we have visited only seven while Portugal boasts fifteen of which we have visited just six so on that criteria alone we have a great deal still to see and do on the iberian peninsular.

The ferry is booked for the 12th October from Plymouth (we’ve never sailed from there before) arriving in Santander just after noon on the 13th.

BRING IT ON!!!!!!!!!!!! 😀