Best bits
- People – I met so many people from so many places in the world.
- Weather – lovely and warm
- Food – cheap and tasty (especially tasty in France)
- Surf – varied and good
- Views – from the green mountains of Northern Spain to the massive dunes of France
Worst bits
- Getting an infection and seeking hospital treatment in Santander (the hospital staff where excellent thought)
- Spanish mountain roads – having to drive up one mountain, down the other side, then up another mountain, and down the other side, just to go to a town 5km from where you started 🙁
- Portuguese minor roads – really bad quality, and constantly shaking my van. The roads are worth taking though, to reach the beautiful countryside and beaches that they lead to.
My favourite cities
Paris – France
Great sights, great museums, great food and a great street vibe. Paris was better than I was expecting. The Eiffel Tower was my highlight, and the L’Ouvre close behind.
San Sebastian (Donastia) – Spain
Beautiful old city streets and great beaches.
Brussels – Belgium
Grand buildings, great food and beer, and an excellent musical instrument museum.
My favourite campsites
Gran Pins– Lacanau-Ocean, France
This campsite has everything you could think off, is reasonably priced, has its own private access to the north beach, has surf reports, is a great place to meet people, has a great Pizzaria, can you tell I like it?
Things I bought
A mountain bike
I bought a mountain bike for €99 from a Decathlon store in Spain. It proved to be excellent for exploring towns and cities, as well as the countryside. I stored the bike inside my van, which was a little hassle, but well worth it.
Sleeping bag
The zip broke on my old sleeping bag in Spain. I couldn’t find a decent camping shop until I got to Portugal. I got a great, very slim sleeping bag for €30 from a sports shot in the shopping centre in Viana do Castelo.
Surf board
I took a 6′ 10″ board for the bigger waves, but had spent the summer that year learning to surf on a longboard and got frustrated at not being able to surf when the surf was small or messy. I decided to buy a mini-mal to catch smaller waves. I could also store a mini-mal in my van without making big changes. I tried to find a board in Viana do Castelo, but the surf shops had closed down or had little stock. When I got to Peniche I found the excellent 58 Surf Spot at the Baleal beaches and bought a great 7′ 5″ mini-mal for €390. They had cheaper boards with better graphics, but the board I bought was very high quality, tough, and flexible. The staff at 58 Surf Shop are great. The board immediately proved excellent and I happily started catching waves.