The grand tour of Southern Spain: Western Andalucía 31st January – 6th March 2024 Day 8 and 9 Visiting Seville

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Day eight:  Heading for Seville

Mileage start: 16251

Foggy and overcast, again! Where is the sun? We came for the sun! We escaped the rain in the UK. For sunshine! This was not the weather we pre-ordered.  

Away by 0840 after topping up water and draining the waste tanks. Down the N431 for thirty miles in thick gloom and fog. Yes! Fog! We can just make out the orange groves either side of us. Occasionally an artic lorry looms out of the fog; pickers swarming around with various sized crates laden with beautiful Seville oranges. Between the orange groves we pass plantations of olive trees and fields of wheat. To relieve the tedium of the gloom and lack of views we stop for coffee and donuts at a Repsol garage. Desperate times call for desperate measures!

Camping Villsom proves to be a good site but with tight turns and not much space between pitches. Its internal roads are narrow, sandy and deeply rutted.  Lots of overhanging trees as well. We find the best available pitches available are along the back most road; sideways on against the rear wall.

Distance covered: 90 miles

Costs: campsite fees 48 euros

Route: A4

 

Day Nine: Dos Hermanas

It rained solidly from 5pm last night. Torrential like a monsoon. The area outside us, just beyond the gravel road is flooded. Those pitches are huge and at right angles to ours; sloping downwards away from us, they have become ponds! People will find it difficult extracting themselves from these. To make matters worse these are big pitches for 8m plus motorhomes. Our pitch, next to the rear wall and on slight slope drained well overnight but there are small rivulets everywhere else.

We catch the bus into Sevilla (M132). The bus stop is out of the site, left and across the dual carriageway. About 400m’s away, a ten-minute walk. Be warned, there is a bus timetable, but we found the buses often came earlier than advertised – by around 15 to 20 minutes on some occasions. Rush hour, it takes 40 mins to get into centre.  3.5 euros for two singles.

Monsoonal weather. Intense heavy rain, drops bouncing off the road surfaces.  After getting off the bus and walking for twenty minutes into the city centre, we are drenched. Gortex waterproof jackets and trousers have failed! We have washed up in Starbucks and they don’t look too impressed as we strip off sodden outer clothing!

After restorative coffee and pastries, we explore the cathedral, wander the streets and finally give up. Flood water everywhere, our walk back to the bus stop almost involves outdoor swimming. At the bus stop, the puddles are so large they top over the kerbs and flood the bus stop shelter.  

Back at Bryony, we pull out the bed frames, turn the heating up full and start an afternoon of rotating various items of clothing and footwear to try and dry them out. It’s like being in a sauna!

 

Day 10: Lets try Sevilla again!

We catch the 0831 bus into the city and tour the Alcazar and royal apartments. Amazing Moorish facades and designs. I find the royal palaces a little disappointing but there are some great paintings and some beautiful marquetry on tables. The gardens and courtyards are stunning.

Back at Bryony, we pull out the bed frames, turn the heating up full and start an afternoon of rotating various items of clothing and footwear to try and dry them out. It’s like being in a sauna!

 

Day 10: Lets try Sevilla again!

We catch the 0831 bus into the city and tour the Alcazar and royal apartments. Amazing Moorish facades and designs. I find the royal palaces a little disappointing but there are some great paintings and some beautiful marquetry on tables. The gardens and courtyards are stunning.

We stroll the old quarter and then arrive at Plaza de Espana. After watching the tourists and strolling the plaza we are back on the bus by 1400 and back to the site where we get showers (in the van), catch up with the family on Skype, clean Bryony and charge up the bike batteries. A chilled day. And a bonus, most of the damp clothing and footwear has dried out!