Join me at Barefoot and Raw

For the time being this blog will be moving across to my website over at Barefoot and Raw. It doesn’t make sense to keep everything separate at the moment and will be easier for me to update if it is all in one place.

Hope you will come across and follow me there.

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Update

Its been an interesting few months being back in the UK. Spending a ‘proper’  winter in Bessy has not been an enjoyable experience. We have battled against the damp, condensation being public enemy number one! and having to cope without running water in the caravan for a few weeks at a time has been hard work.

We have spent much of the winter tripping over extra heater and dehumidifier cables and what did seem like a very easy way of living when we were in the sunshine suddenly felt very cramped and stiffling.

We have been warm and cosy though which is just as well as I am not sure I would have got through it otherwise.

Whilst we may not be out of the woods yet the sun did make an appearance this afternoon and for about an hour it felt like a lovely spring day. Suddenly everything seemed better, the promise of warmer days ahead.

So, what next on our travels…….well we have deducted from our visit home that the UK really is no place to be living in a caravan and so we are crossing the Channel again in early April.

We have secured a position ‘caretaking’ a French Chateau and so for the summer months at least Bessy will be parked up, stripped back, dried out and given a makeover whilst we enjoy the luxury of living in a house again.

Then come the winter we will be heading back to the warmer climes of Spain where we will lay our heads back in the familiar hills and coastline of Andalusia.

The UK has been fun catching up with family and friends but I have to confess to preferring the more laid back approach to living adopted by our European neighbours.

I’m an outdoor kinda girl but I also hate the cold so I am feeling very couped up at the moment. We have hardly set foot outside other than to work, run or do the shopping as we both recoil every time either one of us mentions going out and doing something else. I need to feel free to be in the fresh air without the risk of getting frostbite before I will venture out.

So, the countdown is now on, things are being sorted before being packed up again (I am being ruthless and getting rid of even more stuff for the next stage of our journey) Nights out with friends are being had and visits to family sorted. Passports are up to date (Molly’s included) and we are trying our best to speak as much French to each other as we can.

I’ll keep you posted but you can expect normal service to resume here at Helen’s European Journey very soon – woo hoo…….

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Getting ready for winter

The idea of spending a winter back in the UK was always going to be a little bit scary.

Living in a caravan down in Southern Spain in the winter is one thing, but being back in temperatures that drop considerably overnight is something else altogether.

Our routines have had to change to accommodate ‘drying’ out the caravan as condensation is enemy number 1.

This weekend we also tackled another problem, the awning roof freezes overnight (on the inside) and then the following day defrosts and rains waters down like a shower!

So, everything has now been double bagged in bin bags and what we don’t need either packed away in the car or gotten rid of.

People have questioned the sense of what we are doing and asked why we don’t just go and rent a house for our stay. Its a fair point and one that I thought about yesterday whilst we were knee deep in bin bags and the temperature hit 28F in the caravan due to all the heaters we were using to dry everything out!

Why don’t we just go and rent somewhere? The answer to that is simple. Money. We would need lots of it. The average rent around here for a 1 bedroom place is about £600. Add to that water rates, council tax, heating oil (most places in this area are oil heated) electricity and that’s before you have even thought about food and petrol and any other living expenses you may need.

Food is our main living expense and its not cheap, especially when you want to buy good quality organic fruit and vegetables which lets face it are the mainstay of my diet. It is crazy that I have to spend more money on buying fresh natural food than I do to buy processed, pre-packaged crap that nourishes me not a jot – but that is a post for another day!

If we wanted to rent we would have to go back to regular 9-5 employment. Back on the merry-go-round, the hampster wheel that we disembarked from many years ago. Back to spending most of our waking days in the pursuit of money so that we could pay just to live.

Being self-employed is not easy and more so in a world that certainly doesn’t encourage free thinking or working outside the box. There are no incentives, no pats on the backs or nice holidays at the end of it all. But, you know what I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since letting go of all my material ‘stuff’ I have been able to see just how much of a drain it is was on us; financially, emotionally and physically. Was my life any better having the latest fashions, iphone or 40″ TV????? or am I living a more authentic life now that I don’t have to worry about earning the money to pay for it all.

I get to do follow my dreams, live my passions and explore the world on my terms. At times it can be tough but it is so worth it because I feel like my life is much richer now than it has ever been, and that is the real difference. People think they need money to be rich, society has conditioned us to think that the more material stuff we have then the easier and happier our lives will be. But I disagree(you knew I would didn’t you!!)

I feel as though my life is much better now that I have less. I have done the other side, had the big flash house, four bedrooms, ensuite bathroom, double garage, utility room, underfloor heating, amazing views……all the trimmings and yes it was lovely but it was also exhausting maintaining it all. We worked like maniacs just to pay for it all and to be quite honest by the time we made the decision to sell it felt like a noose around our necks. The funny thing is over ten years later people still ask me if I miss it.

I guess they see that image and then look at us living in a caravan and think that we are down on our luck. We must have hit rock bottom, bummed out and are scraping the barrel.

The truth is that I am so much happier living my life this way. Even with winter fast approaching and the promise of snow by the end of the week looming, which is where this post started! This is my choice, actually it is our choice and we are embracing it as we do everything in our lives. Feeling it, living it and experiencing it  – and more importantly preparing for it!

This week we are making sure we have everything in place in case the weather does turn foul as has been promised. Extra food supplies, candles and torches and enough gas in case we lose electricity, draining the water from the system and switching to manual (buckets for the waste water outside and bottles of water to wash inside) as pipes will freeze and burst otherwise oh and coats for the cats to keep them warm and snuggy – especially for the old boy.

Doing this makes me appreciate what I have even more, a roof over my head, food in my stomach, a place to wash and clean myself and my clothes and the people that matter most to me by my side. The rest is just frills, decoration and the thing I have discovered over the last few years is that I am definitely ‘minimalist’ when it comes to decor

 

 

 

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Someone shut the door – its cold outside

Its been just over a month since we made the journey back from Spain and spent a very hot weekend discovering Madrid. I remember how we stopped often in shaded cafes for a cooling beer or jug of ice cold water and there was even a surprise discovery of an organic ice cream parlour where I had a delicious mango sorbet – not raw but definitely vegan.

Its remembering fun times like these that is keeping me going as the temperatures drop and the layers of clothes I find myself piling on every morning gets larger.

Last night was the coldest since we have been back in Blighty with temperatures hovering around 3 degrees. We survived of course and with the electrical heater set on timer overnight we were snug as bugs.

This morning there are reports of the first snows of winter – some just a few miles down the road to us and the rain here is decidedly icey. I must admit that we had hoped that winter would not show its face quite so quickly but it seems that mother nature has other ideas.

Our routine has now changed to include the daily wiping down of windows so the condensation doesn’t pool at the bottom and rot the wood and the hum of the dehumidifier is now a regular background noise for us. Once a week we lift the mattress to dry out the underside and turn it over and everything that we are able to seal has been done.

To say I am looking forward to Spring is an understatement but I am also trying to take the time to enjoy the changing seasons. The autumnal colours of the trees are glorious – must go and take some pictures – even though the weather belies the fact that we are still in the autumn season!! and last weekend we went out to the seaside to breath in some sea air.

Unfortunately this consisted of us being battered and buffeted by the wind so we quickly retreated to the nearest tea shop to enjoy a pot of ‘tea pigs’ peppermint tea to warm our bones.

I did manage to take some photo’s though which give a good idea of how blooming cold it was!!

Really trying hard not to think about the beaches I left behind in Spain…….lol

Ok winter – bring it on!!!

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Spain to the UK

The 1st of September saw our departure from Spain back to the UK on the next stage of our ‘European Journey’.

Leaving the Costa del Sol coincided with the worst forest fire in the area for 100 years. It began just up the road to us and it was scary to smell and see all the smoke and watch the water planes and helicopters buzzing over head.

Luckily for us the wind was blowing in the opposite direction but this was taken just a few miles away from us. Sadly though people lost their lives, property and animals perished. It left us feeling very sad to leave the area at such a time when much help was needed and it was with heavy hearts that we drove away in the middle of the night to get up to Madrid whilst it was still relatively cool.

Once back on the road with the sadness of saying goodbye to friends and the worry of the fire behind us we fell right back into the routine of towing Bessie. We made the 350 mile trip up to Madrid and found the campsite with relative ease. Manevouring onto the pitch was a little tight as is most common with a lot of campsites. Too many pitches are squashed on and not enough thought given to the turning circles required of a rig 37ft in length.

However not to be disheartened we made camp, sorted the cats out and then headed into Madrid for the evening for some well deserved food and a little glass of beer!

Getting into the capital city required two buses and as is usual with buses in Spain the trip was a white knuckle ride with us being thrown around and left dazed by the time we got to our destination. Thankfully a lovely evening ensued as we wandered the streets taking in all the sights and atmosphere before finding a lovely, romantic bistro and enjoying a rare meal out.

Returning back to the campsite was an equally hell raising experience and this time in the dark and at speed we had little chance of locating our stop until the very last minute and then the driver wouldn’t stop for us. Not sure why he decided to not tell us we were coming up to our stop as he only had us and one other couple on board. The universe smiled on us though and the other couple came to our rescue and arranged for another bus to bring us back and this time we managed to alight the bus at the right stop.

It didn’t spoil our evening though and we had a good giggle about it before retiring to bed and repeating the process the following morning so that we could see Madrid in the daytime as well.

Madrid is a lovely city where they have managed to retain the old buildings, character and essence of the place unlike other capital cities we have been to where all the history seems to have been erased in place of new high tech buildings.

Perfect blue skies but a little cooling breeze accompanied us as we mooched around the streets taking in the sites and sounds.

Street artists were aplenty; although I’m not too sure what this last guy was all about, maybe Dougal aka The Magic Roundabout (sorry but only the English will get this one) just about to go to the local disco!!

Beautiful side streets – love the way this tree is just there in the middle of all the buildings

Lovely buildings……

And a square that reminded me very much of St Marks Square in Venice greeted us as we slowly meandered our way across the city to the botanical gardens for a picnic lunch.

After a lazy few hours in the sun it was time to walk back to the bus station.

More fancy buildings…..

A dubious looking museum……

And a fast food outlet that didn’t really think its name through too carefully and we were back on the bus for our relaxing (ahem) trip back to the campsite.

After our two day break in Madrid we started the serious business of driving back up to the channel tunnel and the first night saw us in Pamplona, Northern Spain. No photo’s of this rather non descript campsite I’m afraid but with its cold showers I wasn’t overly impressed!!

Setting off early the next morning we got our first glimpse of the Pyrenees and some rather nasty black looking clouds…..

Molly took to riding shotgun and as you can see there is lots for a little cat to look at…..

But eventually it all proved to much for her and she collapsed on my lap exhausted……

Next stop Angouleme and a campsite we had last stopped at 10 years ago.

The Lake was a gravel pit in the war where British troops used to land and be squirreled away by the resistance to fight the Nazi’s.

The nights grew cooler the further north we drove and Oscar needed a little extra warmth in the evenings.

Next stop was Brevident and another campsite with Lake. The early morning mist provided a lovely photo opportunity although I’m not sure this picture shows how lovely it looked – or cold lol

On leaving the following morning and traveling around Rouen I managed to mess the directions up – in style. Unfortunately it was about 100 miles before I realised that we were heading east towards Paris and not north towards Calais……an ‘oh shit’ moment if ever there was one.

Because we had already spent a lot of money on toll roads that morning we stopped and purchased a local map and found our way back to the toll road that we did need via all the D and N roads. It proved to be a false economy as 8 hours after we had set off we found ourselves back on route but only 80 miles further north than when we had started out that morning and with 120 miles still to go!!

6 beers – in about 30 minutes – that evening helped soften the blow and we went to bed to prepare for an early rise to get to the channel tunnel and our train back to Blighty.

The cats were checked in at the Pet passport control first and with their ‘checked and controlled’ sticker on the windscreen we proceeded to the main check in and boarded the earlier train. 25 minutes later we were heading out and onto the roads of Folkestone.

My mantra – ‘drive on the left, drive on the left’ helped me negotiate the first 10 minutes or so and then I fell back into the old habit of driving in the UK.

Several hours later we pulled up outside my parents house where we spent the night before heading up to Thetford the following day.

So far Norfolk has delivered warm, hazy sunshine (although I am sure it won’t last) and we will be at this campsite for about a week whilst we plan our next move!

A lovely English sunset marked our first night back in Bessy as we both breathed a sigh of relief that we had arrived back after 1500 miles safe and sound and ready for the next stage of our adventure…….an English winter!!

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Big news…..

Our plans when we first set out in Bessie, almost 2 years ago now, was to head for the sun and enjoy a simpler way of life.

We have certainly achieved that and there is no way you would get me to give up caravan living now. But as with all things they grow and evolve as time goes on and we now find ourselves planning for the next stage in our journey.

This will see us return to the UK for 6 – 12 months. Partly this is to plan out where we want to go next – Spain and Portugal have been fun but we both want to go further afield and see some more of Europe but are not sure how this will work yet.

Also living in Bessie for 2 years has been great but there are some alterations that we want to do to her in order to make living in her even better and it will actually be easier (and cheaper) to do these back in Blighty.

Then of course I have my runs next year back home and so it seems that the UK is calling us to be the next stop off on our trip.

So, we head back at the start of September, winding our way back up through Spain and then France. A day trip to Madrid beckons on route and we hope to hit the channel tunnel (not literally) sometime in the second week of September.

Many people have asked if we are still going to be living in Bessie when we get back and the answer is a resounding YES. As I said I can’t imagine living anywhere else now which is a massive surprise to me I can tell you.

It will certainly be a daunting task surviving an English winter in a caravan but I am actually looking forward to it – I know too much Spanish sunshine has addled my brain.

Seriously though, living this way feels very authentic to me, having to survive with limited mod cons almost feels as if I am living the way my ancient ancestors would have.

When you take away all the trappings of material life, of which there are many, you are left with the real fabric of what it is to exist.

The last two years have been the most real of my life and I feel I have found the true essence of myself along the way. Stripping our lives back to the very minimum that we need has been one of the most therapeutic and liberating experiences I have ever had and I am not going to trade that in for anything……

Mind you….ask me that again in the middle of a Norfolk winter when there is snow outside!!

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‘Senora Mop’

Well, it is finally official. What I have long suspected has been confirmed. I am lacking a very important gene……one that many other women around me seem to have but that definitely seems to have gone amiss with me……’the cleaning gene’.

When we arrived on site yesterday a plot a few down from ours was pointed out to us. Staying for three months the owners of the said plot had spared nothing to make it a home from home for their stay.

An awning with tables and chairs, astro turf covering the entire plot, an outside seating and eating area, an outside table with bbq, a tent that I can only assume contains their ‘tools’, light bulbs strung overhead, solar lights on the floor and about a dozen or so large pot plants…….you get the picture here don’t you. This is a serious set up and made us feel quite inadequate with our few meagre belongings lol.

The owners were at the pool but later in the day the wife returned. Sitting outside whilst summing up the energy to decide what to do next we suddenly heard a strange noise. A surreptitious glance confirmed what I thought – the lady of the ‘house’ was cleaning.

There she was sweeping down the outside of the awning with steely determination (an activity I had done two days previously when breaking camp that has left me with two massive blisters on each thumb!)

Next she attacked the leaves on the drive in front of their plot sweeping them all up and placing them in the bin.

Then out came the hoover and she got to work on the astro turf before she choked us out with a spray for goodness knows what all around the outside tool tent!

It made us chuckle and I asked hubby if he felt a little jealous that this wife was obviously fulfilling her domestic duties a lot better than his does!!

A slight pause…….before he of course denied that he felt that way lol.

Hmmmm……maybe I need to go and get some broom sweeping tips from Senora Mop – or maybe not!!

 

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Munchkins, mutts and miquels……..

We have moved location, to a brand new campsite this time and even more amazing than that the journey went smoothly from start until finish – well nearly.

No massive rainstorms, or heavy winds that threatened to blow us over or punctures or directions that could best be described as part of a treasure map…….

We left the campsite in Portugal just before 8am on Tuesday morning, an early start but not quite as early as we had planned (we had been hoping to get away for 7am). It was actually better that we left a little late as it was thick fog first thing and I didn’t fancy towing a caravan in that given the impatience that the Portuguese seem to have for anyone on the road not going 100mph!

A quick 120 mile drive down to a stop off at a campsite in Monesterio. Directions were scarce but we managed to find it without too many deviations and as it was getting pretty hot in the car it was good to call it a day there and let the cats calm down a little.

Once released from the dreaded cat baskets they spent the day holed up together under the bed popping out only for water and the odd look out the window. The sounds of ‘munchkins’ enjoying their summer holidays in the pool and mutts wandering around outside the caravan ensured that they scurried back to the safety of their den!

The following morning we were off again by 8am and heading further south to our final destination and a trip of just under 200 miles. Thankfully a fair amount of cloud meant that it stayed cool in the car for much of the journey and we arrived on site at about 1pm.

Then the fun and games of trying to reverse the caravan into a plot began. Unfortunately there was not enough room to turn without hitting obstacles of trees, pillars and bins!

After 30 minutes or so of reversing up an incline and trying to shoehorn the caravan around a turn that wasn’t actually feasible the clutch on the car was smelling decidedly dodgey and a plan B was required. Thankfully another idea was suggested and we managed to maneuver into a plot opposite and with some careful reversing finally get on our plot…….phew!!!

By now the cats were very hot and stressed and there followed the routine of sitting under the bed, drinking lots of water and panting so much that I was forced to get the ice pack out the freezer and rub Molly up and down with it in an attempt to cool her down.

The panting went on most of the day and into the evening (I have a feeling that they were trying to make me feel bad!!) but at last we managed to persuade them to come out of the caravan and have a look around.

We snuck down to the bar on site for an hour as the sun finally went down and had two very welcome and refreshing pints of San Miquel. It has certainly been a few years since I sunk a pint of larger but I don’t seem to have lost my touch although I am wishing this morning that I stuck to halves. Two pints is more than my limit and I fear I am now a serious contender for ‘lightweight of the year’ award………actually I should have stuck to coconut water – lol

All that is left for us to do this morning is get the awning up, unpack the car, do some shopping…… and the list goes on

A few piccies of our latest travels…..

Last few bits to pack and we are ready to go….

Overnight stop off and some much needed shade under some trees (actually didn’t have much effect!)

Nothing to do but chill out in the sun!

Chillaxing……

Worried faces……

Journey’s end and chilling at last….

Sticking together……safety in numbers!

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Best laid plans…..

I often thiink that it may be better to not announce anything to the world until you are actually there doing it as the universe often has an uncanny habit of stepping in and blowing the whole thing wide open.

Which is exactly what has just happened with our plans to return and work out of the retreat site I have been involved in for the last 7 months.

Sadly, and through no fault of our own or the family we were going to be working with that is no longer going to happen

So, the last few days have been spent rehashing our plans and seeing what we can salvage from the situation. Luckily other contacts I have made may be able to step in and take over the role that was to be played by our finca family but time will tell and I need to be back and meeting people face to face in order to make that happen.

All of which means the campsite life is not over for us by a long shot and there is no guarantee that we will stay in Spain for long so technically I guess we will be ‘traveling’ again……

I strongly believe that everything happens for a reason and that when one door closes it usually means there is a bigger and better door for us is around the corner.

Hubby is celebrating his birthday tomorrow which means a lazy day and time for some chillaxing ahead of breaking camp and heading back out on the road early next week.

A new campsite awaits us and an exciting and busy few months lies ahead. New trails for me to run on, cheaper petrol and food (it is expensive here in Portugal and diesel has just gone up 8 cents in as many days????) and more life for us to enjoy.

Stay tuned as I think I may be back here again as we follow a new twist in our path!!

 

 

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Hello world…..

Its been two months since we arrived back in Portugal and it has been a funny old time since we have been back.

Many years ago hubby and I decided that we wouldn’t return to the same place twice and yet this is exactly what we have done in coming back here and indeed what we did last winter with going back to Iznate.

Being back in Portugal in the same place has had a strange feel to it this time around. I can’t say as I have really settled in back here and to be honest I am looking forward to getting going. Which is exactly what we are going to be doing in a few weeks time.

When we left the UK back in October 2010 we had a grand idea of traveling and exploring and for me to pick up work teaching yoga as we went.

Other than that sketchy overview we really hadn’t put too much more thought into it as we rushed around like headless chickens trying to organise everything.

But of course things haven’t really gone to plan in the ‘traveling’ department and you can’t really say that we have been traveling for the last 21 months. Instead we have gone from one place to another and then stayed there for 6 months!!

Not that we haven’t been having fun whilst doing it. I love, love, love caravan living and the simplicity my life has now. I wouldn’t swap it for the world but we both realised we needed to find a way to make our choice more sustainable.

Last winter in Spain I was lucky enough through networking to meet a fantastic group of women who I could work with and create a vision for sharing good health through my passions for raw food, yoga and barefoot running.

As well as getting back into teaching (yoga) I dipped a toe into the retreat world and hosted a weekend raw food, yoga and EFT retreat in April.

When we go back to Spain we will be going back to the finca that we ran these retreats out of and working more closely with them to get regular retreats, bootcamps and classes of the ground.

It is something that I have wanted to do for a while and at this point in our lives it seems like the best solution all around. As you know we have two cats with us one of which is elderly and battling chronic kidney disease and although this decision hasn’t been made entirely around him, it would be cruel of us to drag him from place to place when he needs quiet and calm in which to live out his final days.

I have been umming and erring over what to do with this blog. It stopped feeling like my ‘European Journey’ some time ago and with two other blogs on the go (one for my business and one for my marathon challenge) I find it difficult both squeeze the time in to write it and also to find something to write about!

So, for now I am going to bow out of writing here and thank those of you who have been following over the last few years.

I am sure it will pop up again in the future as travel is something we still want to do.

If you want to keep up with me in other ways then you can follow my blog on my website www.barefootandraw.co.uk or follow my ultra marathon challenge 2013 here.

Thanks again,

Helen x

 

 

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