# Wintering in Spain



## Babbs (Oct 1, 2008)

My husband and I would like to take our motorhome to southern Spain for the winter months. We have taken holidays in hotels in Spain but have not taken our motorhome there. Can anyone inform us of the pitfalls/problems we could encounter driving from Santander to the Cadiz area, also are there campsites that could be recommended to stay in for maybe 2 to 3 months, what facilities would be available etc and costs involved? And are there cheaper ferries to use as the Santander ferry seems very expensive? Any info would be appreciated, regards, B


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## Claire la richarde (Jul 6, 2009)

You've probably already done this, but in case you haven't, how about some of the motor home forums, where questions like this seem to be asked, and answered, regularly? One that seems active is motorhomefacts.com Motorhome Forums, Motorhome Discussion, Motorhome Chat - Forums

Disclaimer: I don't have a motor home and I'm not a member of or subscriber to the site above. It just seemed to have some sensible and helpful advice on it.


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## Cazzy (Nov 23, 2008)

The drive is easy we do it often. It is cold in Spain in Winter, but I guess you have heating in your motor home. Campsites can be expensive on the coast, up to about 25/30 euros a night. I guess they will be cheaper in Winter. I know in camping La Roche they offer a discount, but They only have a few campers in the winter.

Caz


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## brummy (Aug 13, 2010)

*winter in spain*



Babbs said:


> My husband and I would like to take our motorhome to southern Spain for the winter months. We have taken holidays in hotels in Spain but have not taken our motorhome there. Can anyone inform us of the pitfalls/problems we could encounter driving from Santander to the Cadiz area, also are there campsites that could be recommended to stay in for maybe 2 to 3 months, what facilities would be available etc and costs involved? And are there cheaper ferries to use as the Santander ferry seems very expensive? Any info would be appreciated, regards, B


hi babbs my couse winterd in spain and portugal last year they rave about a place called javea by alacante the way the spainish spell the J may be aH they also loved portugal be careful of cadiz we whent there in the summer it was cold and windy if need any more imfo get in touch bye brummy


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

brummy said:


> hi babbs my couse winterd in spain and portugal last year they rave about a place called javea by alacante the way the spainish spell the J may be aH they also loved portugal be careful of cadiz we whent there in the summer it was cold and windy if need any more imfo get in touch bye brummy


We spell it Javea - or Xabia in Valenciano


the weather is pretty mild (compared to the UK anyway) in winter - though it can rain a lot


Xmas day always seems to be sunny though, for some reason:clap2:


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## maxdog008 (Aug 4, 2010)

The coastline that Cadiz is on is fantastic, some amazing sandy beaches n great campsites, but some may close at low season!!! However it does become very windy and with all that sand it can get messy!!!! It is very flat and great for cycling and a very traditionally spanish area. Try the manzanilla.............wicked!!!!!


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## 90199 (Mar 21, 2010)

Cadiz, never been there but I know there is a ferry to the Canary Islands from there, weekly I think,

Hepa


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

*CADIZ*, from our last visit


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## giritana (Aug 3, 2010)

brummy said:


> hi babbs my couse winterd in spain and portugal last year they rave about a place called javea by alacante the way the spainish spell the J may be aH they also loved portugal be careful of cadiz we whent there in the summer it was cold and windy if need any more imfo get in touch bye brummy


Hi from CADIZ! It's my second year here and we've been having fabulous weather, just as last year between June and now - in fact, last year, my friends here were predicting we'd be cold by September, but people were still on the beach in November! It rained last year very rarely, during daylight hours, between March and Sept. When it did, we were all very grateful for the change to fresher conditions, lol!

Winter's a differen proposition, though - it gets much colder and the chill factor's heightened greatly by the damp - what the Gaditanos call 'humido' - in the evenings the ground's covered in dew and so are our clothes, if outside! Homes can be damp, too, as there's virtually no central heating in the Spanish buildings. Going into a restaurant or shop doesn't help, because they have no heating, either, but they do have cold, tiled floors and walls! I wouldn't recommend Cadiz for a Winter sojurn - the rain falls copiously in that season - 3 whole weeks, last Xmas - but then I was in the U.K. stuck in thick snow, trying to get a plane back home, lol! 

The issue of windy conditions applies much more further down the coast - here in the capital, we welcome the light evening breeze as a respite from the currently sweltering daytime temps! We've got great beaches in this part of the province, but most Brits are much more familiar with the more famous locations to the East - Tarifa, where the two seas meet,which is incredibly windy, Conil, Chiclana etc. 

After arriving here from Malaga province, I was astounded at the beautiful yellow sands and the cleanliness of all the beaches here - they're perfect, being cleaned nightly in Cadiz capital, and not suffering the input of so called 'sand' from river beds, as was being hotly debated in the Malaga press at the time of my visit there - there, Nerja was wonderful, but the beaches nearer to the East of the capital were often darkish brown and tourists were complaining of the 'coal -dust' effect!

The majority of the tourists visiting Cadiz capital, according to a recent analysis, are Spaniards from Sevilla and Madrid looking for cooler Summer temps .and fantastic beaches. Here in the central 'casco antiguo', our visitors are mainly from the cruise ships and they only stay for half a day! By Sept. 1st. the beaches are much less crowded and tables are easily available on all bar terraces! That's a great month to visit here, IMO. 

Wishing you great fun in choosing your Winter home here in Spain!

Giritana


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Babbs said:


> My husband and I would like to take our motorhome to southern Spain for the winter months. We have taken holidays in hotels in Spain but have not taken our motorhome there. Can anyone inform us of the pitfalls/problems we could encounter driving from Santander to the Cadiz area, also are there campsites that could be recommended to stay in for maybe 2 to 3 months, what facilities would be available etc and costs involved? And are there cheaper ferries to use as the Santander ferry seems very expensive? Any info would be appreciated, regards, B


Hi, I live in Cadiz province and as far as I'm concerned winter is the best time! The area is notoriously windy, as you know, but it is calmer in the winter months from October to March. On average you get rain on 6 days a month in winter, but the 7 hours a day average sunshine more than makes up for it.

The only alternative to the Santander ferry is to drive through France, which would cost a lot more in petrol and tolls but if you aren't in a hurry it might be a nicer way to travel.

There are good campsites on the Costa de la Luz that are open all year round. Try Rana Verde in Chiclana: Camping bungalows cabañas La Rana Verde, Chiclana Cadiz. 

There is wonderful countryside inland too, and in winter it is GREEN rather than the parched brown you see in summer. Wild flowers grow in profusion from January onwards and it never gets really cold. You could probably make a deal with a local farmer to camp on his land for a small fee, and get free-range eggs into the bargain!

I have some photos of the area in winter which you might like to look at:

Collection: Life in Alcalá de los Gazules


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

giritana said:


> I wouldn't recommend Cadiz for a Winter sojurn - the rain falls copiously in that season - 3 whole weeks, last Xmas
> Giritana


But last winter was the wettest winter for 40 years, it's not normally that bad!!


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## giritana (Aug 3, 2010)

Alcalaina said:


> But last winter was the wettest winter for 40 years, it's not normally that bad!!


Hi - hope not, lol! An Argentinian friend left his home here in Cadiz in Sept. last year, claiming he couldn't stand the idea of another COLD, DAMP winter here, so would enjoy a Southern hemisphere Summer, instead, in Buenos Aires - In fact, when he returned here to Cadiz in June, this year, all his Spanish friends took great delight in telling him just how mild the last Winter had been, compared with that of 2008/9! (apparently, they claimed, that of 2009/10 was much milder tho,' admittedly,also much wetter - I only arrived in March, 2009, so hadn't experienced that previous one which caused locals here to recall it with so much dread!

I just love the predictably hot sunny days we've been enjoying for weeks now, lol!)

BTW - mistyped 'sojourn' in my previous post - oops! Sorry, all!

Giritana


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

giritana said:


> Hi - hope not, lol! An Argentinian friend left his home here in Cadiz in Sept. last year, claiming he couldn't stand the idea of another COLD, DAMP winter here, so would enjoy a Southern hemisphere Summer, instead, in Buenos Aires - In fact, when he returned here to Cadiz in June, this year, all his Spanish friends took great delight in telling him just how mild the last Winter had been, compared with that of 2008/9! (apparently, they claimed, that of 2009/10 was much milder tho,' admittedly,also much wetter - I only arrived in March, 2009, so hadn't experienced that previous one which caused locals here to recall it with so much dread!
> 
> I just love the predictably hot sunny days we've been enjoying for weeks now, lol!)
> 
> ...


Last year was the first time ever that we weren't able to go to the beach on Christmas day and have an ice-cream. Let's hope winters like that only happen every 40 years, then I won't be around for the next one!


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