Touring southern Spain in a motorhome February 8th Day twenty-six La Herradula

 Why is La Herradula so charming?

We watch the sea intently and sure enough about 800m out, the hump and dorsal fin break the surface followed by two more. A pod of porpoise following the tidal race streaming off the headland to the east.

Prime table location in the restaurant overlooking the fine pebble beach with just a few outside tables between us and the sea. The breeze spills off the western headland ruffling the water with those zephyr wind ripples. Today the sea is grey reflecting the sky above. The weather has broken but sunlight is breaking through in places. Mellow piano and jazz songs in the background. We are, to put it mildly, very chilled.

Behind me is the long sweeping curve of Playa La Herradula. A fine grey pea gravel beach with date palms lining its rear. A steep profile, the waves lap gently today, but it is clear from shops behind, this is a windsurfing and paddle boarding area. Beyond the town, the steep coastal mountains, their peaks wreathed in big grey cumulus clouds. The beach is empty.

The far headland has houses clinging to its steep sides, white, ochre and terracotta in colour. Very picturesque.  There is a chilled laid-back vibe to this place. We really like it.

Our campsite is small, pitches are tight but the welcome is warm, facilities spotless and location fantastic. A one-minute walk to the beach, the tourism centre and the shops. Be aware there is only one toilet and one shower for males and same for females and the site takes around forty vans. The entrance street is narrow but there are 8m vans on site but nothing bigger.

We managed to get off our pitch this morning up at Parque Ardales. Thank God the big van moved yesterday. It was replaced with a smaller van but it gave us an extra 3 or 4 feet to play with at the front and so with a bit of forwarding and backwarding, I managed to exit without going over the steep ravine edge. The wheels didnt bog down, no slipping or sliding despite all the wet weather

The route out along the M 54 ..... was far easier than our entry the day before!  An hour down to Málaga and an hour on the A7 along the coast.

Anyway, back to the Porpoise. We love porpoise watching. Great beach location, chilled music, great coffee. Did we say how laid back we were feeling?

Back at Bryony, we catch up on cleaning, admin and photo processing before popping along to the tourist information office to find out about cycling routes and things to see in the area. We chat to our Dutch neighbours who are intrigued by the stupidity that was BREXIT and whether or not they are limited to 90/180 days if they visit the UK. They were also intrigued as to where we slept in an Autosleeper Broadway! Their bet was on a bed coming down from the ceiling!

We like this site. People talk with each other; they sit and chat. Great stuff.

The little resort is beautiful. Not a huge number of shops but a stunning grey pea gravel beach, bright blue seas, plenty of palm trees and some lovely sea front cafes and restaurants. It is clearly off the radar of most tourists but at each end of the bay, ‘posh’ holiday homes cling to the hillsides. This is where the Spanish come to holiday!  There is also great cycling in either direction over the headlands to other resorts. For motorhomer’s – is it worth a stop off – absolutely – if you like peace, quiet, tranquillity and laid backness!

Useful information:

Route: MA 5403 – A357 – AP 46 – AP 7 – N3401

Distance: 98 miles

Costs: camp site fees 38 euros for two nights

Campsite: https://www.searchforsites.co.uk/marker.php?id=46831