On the dashboard (I imagine you know this) next to the air conditioning, there is a button with a T... it is to help traction in case of gravel, snow, mud, etc., for example to go up those slopes... and next to it the other button, to help go down slopes and unevenness, the hill descent... greetings... you are going to love the north of Spain...
Hi Justiniano, Yes, we do use the traction controls, but sometimes Perse will still skid. Can't be helped and we managed to get back out ok. Thanks for thinking of us. 💜🤟
Percy made her way admirably up and down that sketchy road, then did herself an injury on an innocuous-looking road - isn't that always the way!! We once found ourselves, thanks to Google Maps on one of those sketchy roads between Ojen and Elviria. Just looking for an alternate route home. Started out fine, but just got worse and worse, with no place to even turn around with our little rental Puegot 208 - Sharp stones, in fear of pinching a hole in the gas tank or puncturing a tire. The last 3 miles took us over an hour to travel, but we made it!! Another great idea A&D, Thanks
Hey Paulette, I agree, she did a great job. We let her down though, as we'd filled the water tank before making the journey, the extra weight certainly wouldn't have helped. 🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️ We're definitely still learning. The change in angle of the road looked ok, we just couldn't see the extra dip at the junction. Thankfully Darren turned in at an angle, or it would have been worse. It was bound to happen at some point, the back overhangs the wheels by such a large amount and swings out on corners. Gosh, you must have been seeing £ signs in your minds for the insurance excess. Glad you made it out ok and I guess it gives you a great story to tell at the dinner table. 😜 Google maps seemed to have a real hissy fit for us in France. We had set it to avoid tolls, but she seemed to take that as avoid main roads at all costs. She would divert us off the main road, onto some really dodgy back roads with loads of overhanging trees for about 5 miles and then put us straight back into the main road again. 🤷🏼♀️ It was a good job we weren't in a hurry and that we didn't meet anything coming in the opposite direction, but we got to see some lovely little villages and scenery that we would have missed otherwise. 🤣 Thanks for sharing your experience and joining us through ours. Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
Another great video - thank you ! I’m really looking forward to seeing some more of northern Spain ! Love the off the beaten track bits - you two are braver than me going up the side of the mountain. I probably would have done it but not as composed as you! See you next week.
Hey Sarah, Alison here. We love getting off the beaten track. I love heights, so it was fine for me and Darren is getting much better and did actually enjoy the hike, which was great. I think we are just getting used to doing strange and stupid things. 😂🤣😂 In next week's video, we visit a village with a population of just 3 people and when you see it, you'll understand why..! 🤯 Thanks so much for your continued support. Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
Hi Alison and Darren, Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. It sounds like you've encountered some challenging situations on your travels, but your proactive approach to safety is truly commendable. Your commitment to researching and choosing safe locations demonstrates a responsible and thoughtful mindset. It's heartening to hear that despite the occasional hiccup, you haven't let it dampen your adventurous spirit. Your resilience in navigating through storms, both literal and metaphorical, is inspiring. Did you ever think about purchasing a cheap security system with cameras that you can monitor from inside your motorhome? I also watch a family that are sailing around the world and who encounter pirates trying to onboard and they put in place an inexpensive security system bought off of Amazon. Just a thought to consider. We appreciate your words of encouragement about taking the plunge into the unknown. Your reassurance that one can adapt and find joy outside of their comfort zone is uplifting. Wishing you both continued safe travels filled with wonderful experiences and memorable adventures and hoping to we can meet up when you are back in the Valencian region. Stay in touch and we will keep watching every Sunday! Jackie and Frank xx
Hi Jackie and Frank, We have thought about and looked into putting in a security system. Unfortunately all of the systems seem to rely on WiFi and whilst we do have a router, fitted by the previous owner of Perse, it involves having another SIM card/contract to run it. Whilst this isn't an issue in Spain (the country we feel safest in) it has proved to be a pain in the butt trying to source them in other countries. We will continue to hunt around until we find a suitable option. We're so glad that we still inspire you to follow your dreams. Hopefully yours will make you as happy as ours do. 😍😘 Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
"They're waiting for us to kill ourselves" 🤣 I hope not, how are we gonna see Greece and Turkey et al if you do that? We both cracked up at that Alison 😆 Welcome to the pranged up rear end van club, it's a fun place to be...honest 🤪😬 It's truly horrible when it happens though, it's more than just knocking your car and it can make you feel vulnerable as of course it's your home AND means of transport. Glad you're okay and hopefully Percy will be fine too. Total irony after being on that off road looking track, I swear that's always the way. I have to say this was one of your best videos to us! It felt so pacey and we loved your banter back and forth. The abandoned village and those swimming spots, that scenery, all lovely...we're so jealous as that was part of Spain we sadly had to skip through. But good reason to return in future. Darren, I'm with you on those steep steps hanging over the edge of oblivion 😬 😂 Enjoy being back in Spain guys, and much love. Dan & Stephen ❤🤟
Percy is doing ok now, we have been repairing the damage slowly whenever we get to a suitable Parkup (never easy when you're always on the move as you know). However we are sure this won't be the last bump for Perse or ourselves. But yes the irony of it. After all the crazy roads we've used, a rock on a simple little incline onto someone's drive does the damage. Thanks for the kind words about the video, always nice to hear. As for the steps, we both like to push our fears now and again, so more heights and tunnels to come. Much Love 🤟♥️
Hi Jacquelyne, Thanks..! It had to happen at some point, but Darren is very annoyed with himself. We did feel unsafe at a motorway service station when we had just arrived in France on our way to England last year. Waiting in the motorhome whilst we were doing some laundry, someone tried to open the door, not realising that we were inside, obviously an opportunistic thief as they fled when we made noise. Then again about 10 minutes later, when Darren moved the motorhome and accidentally blocked a lorry from jumping the queue to fill up with fuel. The lorry driver got out of his lorry and waved a tire iron at Darren through the window, but did nothing more. The truth is that there are people and places that make everything unsafe. We do our utmost best not to put ourselves in situations that could cause problems. We don't sleep in motorway service stations and we always check reviews on Google maps and Park4Night before choosing a place to park or sleep in town locations. This is the reason why we decided not to visit Avignon or a lot of the Camargue region. The reviews for every park-up had lots of mentions of break-ins. Whilst we don't have anything of much monetary value to steal, we don't want the cats to be put in danger. We won't be visiting San Sebastian this time round either, for the same reason. When we arrive at a site, if we don't like the feel of it, we move to another. One had a travelling fair parked right nextdoor, stop we found somewhere else that turned out to be much nicer anyway. The high winds of storm Ciaran had us worried for a night, but now we know that the motorhome will cope with it. We just know not to park near trees if high winds are forecast. 😬 We have never felt unsafe driving or walking around in any location yet. I'm sure it will happen eventually, but hopefully no time soon. If you take the plunge, you might feel anxious to start with, as it will be out of your comfort zone, but you will get used to it and hopefully enjoy it. 🤞 Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
So enjoyable & informative to see all your Video of the Places & a glimpse into managing Motorhome life. If you can put any Place names in Description, appreciate it as don’t always catch spoken: following on my map! Stay Safe & Enjoy ☺️ 🚐🏞️
Hi Suzanna..! Alison here. I will pass your request on to Darren. He does all the editing and stuff with the video. I'm just the social secretary. 🥴 We love that you're following along with us on your map. 😍 Is motorhome life something you're considering..?!? Thanks for your comment and much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
Hey Heidi, We never regret a swim. That was more of a quick dunking though. 🤣 The water was leg achingly cold. We don't know of Philly and Keely, we will have to look them up. 😉 Thanks for your comment. Much love 💜🤟
@HeidiPriest We dreamed of doing this for quite a while. Give it time, fingers crossed the prices will come down again. Covid inflated the price of everything. 🤷🏼♀️ Good luck. 💜🤟
Great hike, awesome views. 🤟Picking up the rocks hit home... That's what I do when I travel. I bring some rocks, which sit at the bottom of a clear base with a water plant I have. 🪨🪨🪨🤘
We used to have a "Memory Table". A glass topped table with a drawer underneath that we used to put our precious memories in. Items from our wedding, from the house reform and little bits we found on our travels. We won't have room for much now, but hey ho. 🤷🏼♀️ We're so glad that it's not just us. 😘💜🤟
These videos are well put together. They must take a lot of work x
Thank-you Roger, your comment and praise is very much appreciated.. The hard work is all Darren's. 😍💜🤟
I bet it feels great to be back home and put shorts on.again!😊
Hi Beti,
Yes, we have definitely missed wearing shorts. We are enjoying that middle ground where it's warm enough, but not too warm..! 😬💜🤟
It's great to see you back in Spain again, looking forward to next week's video 😎
Thanks Dave,
We've missed it. Thanks for continuing to travel with us. 💜🤟
On the dashboard (I imagine you know this) next to the air conditioning, there is a button with a T... it is to help traction in case of gravel, snow, mud, etc., for example to go up those slopes... and next to it the other button, to help go down slopes and unevenness, the hill descent... greetings... you are going to love the north of Spain...
Hi Justiniano,
Yes, we do use the traction controls, but sometimes Perse will still skid. Can't be helped and we managed to get back out ok. Thanks for thinking of us. 💜🤟
Percy made her way admirably up and down that sketchy road, then did herself an injury on an innocuous-looking road - isn't that always the way!! We once found ourselves, thanks to Google Maps on one of those sketchy roads between Ojen and Elviria. Just looking for an alternate route home. Started out fine, but just got worse and worse, with no place to even turn around with our little rental Puegot 208 - Sharp stones, in fear of pinching a hole in the gas tank or puncturing a tire. The last 3 miles took us over an hour to travel, but we made it!! Another great idea A&D, Thanks
Hey Paulette,
I agree, she did a great job. We let her down though, as we'd filled the water tank before making the journey, the extra weight certainly wouldn't have helped. 🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️ We're definitely still learning.
The change in angle of the road looked ok, we just couldn't see the extra dip at the junction. Thankfully Darren turned in at an angle, or it would have been worse. It was bound to happen at some point, the back overhangs the wheels by such a large amount and swings out on corners.
Gosh, you must have been seeing £ signs in your minds for the insurance excess. Glad you made it out ok and I guess it gives you a great story to tell at the dinner table. 😜 Google maps seemed to have a real hissy fit for us in France. We had set it to avoid tolls, but she seemed to take that as avoid main roads at all costs. She would divert us off the main road, onto some really dodgy back roads with loads of overhanging trees for about 5 miles and then put us straight back into the main road again. 🤷🏼♀️ It was a good job we weren't in a hurry and that we didn't meet anything coming in the opposite direction, but we got to see some lovely little villages and scenery that we would have missed otherwise. 🤣
Thanks for sharing your experience and joining us through ours.
Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
Another great video - thank you ! I’m really looking forward to seeing some more of northern Spain ! Love the off the beaten track bits - you two are braver than me going up the side of the mountain. I probably would have done it but not as composed as you! See you next week.
Hey Sarah,
Alison here. We love getting off the beaten track. I love heights, so it was fine for me and Darren is getting much better and did actually enjoy the hike, which was great. I think we are just getting used to doing strange and stupid things. 😂🤣😂
In next week's video, we visit a village with a population of just 3 people and when you see it, you'll understand why..! 🤯
Thanks so much for your continued support.
Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
Hi Alison and Darren,
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. It sounds like you've encountered some challenging situations on your travels, but your proactive approach to safety is truly commendable. Your commitment to researching and choosing safe locations demonstrates a responsible and thoughtful mindset.
It's heartening to hear that despite the occasional hiccup, you haven't let it dampen your adventurous spirit. Your resilience in navigating through storms, both literal and metaphorical, is inspiring. Did you ever think about purchasing a cheap security system with cameras that you can monitor from inside your motorhome? I also watch a family that are sailing around the world and who encounter pirates trying to onboard and they put in place an inexpensive security system bought off of Amazon. Just a thought to consider.
We appreciate your words of encouragement about taking the plunge into the unknown. Your reassurance that one can adapt and find joy outside of their comfort zone is uplifting.
Wishing you both continued safe travels filled with wonderful experiences and memorable adventures and hoping to we can meet up when you are back in the Valencian region.
Stay in touch and we will keep watching every Sunday! Jackie and Frank xx
Hi Jackie and Frank,
We have thought about and looked into putting in a security system. Unfortunately all of the systems seem to rely on WiFi and whilst we do have a router, fitted by the previous owner of Perse, it involves having another SIM card/contract to run it. Whilst this isn't an issue in Spain (the country we feel safest in) it has proved to be a pain in the butt trying to source them in other countries. We will continue to hunt around until we find a suitable option.
We're so glad that we still inspire you to follow your dreams. Hopefully yours will make you as happy as ours do. 😍😘
Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
@@findingxanadulife Maybe a wifi dongle? This would be the most effective and cheapest option and then hotspot.
@jlannoote We'll look into that too. Thanks for the suggestion. 😘💜🤟
Videos still going up and up . Your van now looks like a real Spanish one keep it up.🤘🤟👌
Glad you're still enjoying them Martin. Does one ouchy count..?!? I'm sure it takes more than that before she will look truly Spanish. 🤣😂🤣💜🤟
"They're waiting for us to kill ourselves" 🤣 I hope not, how are we gonna see Greece and Turkey et al if you do that? We both cracked up at that Alison 😆
Welcome to the pranged up rear end van club, it's a fun place to be...honest 🤪😬 It's truly horrible when it happens though, it's more than just knocking your car and it can make you feel vulnerable as of course it's your home AND means of transport. Glad you're okay and hopefully Percy will be fine too. Total irony after being on that off road looking track, I swear that's always the way.
I have to say this was one of your best videos to us! It felt so pacey and we loved your banter back and forth. The abandoned village and those swimming spots, that scenery, all lovely...we're so jealous as that was part of Spain we sadly had to skip through. But good reason to return in future. Darren, I'm with you on those steep steps hanging over the edge of oblivion 😬 😂
Enjoy being back in Spain guys, and much love. Dan & Stephen ❤🤟
Percy is doing ok now, we have been repairing the damage slowly whenever we get to a suitable Parkup (never easy when you're always on the move as you know). However we are sure this won't be the last bump for Perse or ourselves. But yes the irony of it. After all the crazy roads we've used, a rock on a simple little incline onto someone's drive does the damage.
Thanks for the kind words about the video, always nice to hear.
As for the steps, we both like to push our fears now and again, so more heights and tunnels to come.
Much Love 🤟♥️
Welcome back to Spain! Feel so badly about the “wups” that happened to your lovely home. Question? Do you ever get nervous or feel unsafe?
Hi Jacquelyne,
Thanks..! It had to happen at some point, but Darren is very annoyed with himself.
We did feel unsafe at a motorway service station when we had just arrived in France on our way to England last year. Waiting in the motorhome whilst we were doing some laundry, someone tried to open the door, not realising that we were inside, obviously an opportunistic thief as they fled when we made noise. Then again about 10 minutes later, when Darren moved the motorhome and accidentally blocked a lorry from jumping the queue to fill up with fuel. The lorry driver got out of his lorry and waved a tire iron at Darren through the window, but did nothing more.
The truth is that there are people and places that make everything unsafe. We do our utmost best not to put ourselves in situations that could cause problems. We don't sleep in motorway service stations and we always check reviews on Google maps and Park4Night before choosing a place to park or sleep in town locations. This is the reason why we decided not to visit Avignon or a lot of the Camargue region. The reviews for every park-up had lots of mentions of break-ins. Whilst we don't have anything of much monetary value to steal, we don't want the cats to be put in danger. We won't be visiting San Sebastian this time round either, for the same reason. When we arrive at a site, if we don't like the feel of it, we move to another. One had a travelling fair parked right nextdoor, stop we found somewhere else that turned out to be much nicer anyway.
The high winds of storm Ciaran had us worried for a night, but now we know that the motorhome will cope with it. We just know not to park near trees if high winds are forecast. 😬
We have never felt unsafe driving or walking around in any location yet. I'm sure it will happen eventually, but hopefully no time soon.
If you take the plunge, you might feel anxious to start with, as it will be out of your comfort zone, but you will get used to it and hopefully enjoy it. 🤞
Much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
So enjoyable & informative to see all your Video of the Places & a glimpse into managing Motorhome life. If you can put any Place names in Description, appreciate it as don’t always catch spoken: following on my map! Stay Safe & Enjoy ☺️ 🚐🏞️
Hi Suzanna..!
Alison here. I will pass your request on to Darren. He does all the editing and stuff with the video. I'm just the social secretary. 🥴
We love that you're following along with us on your map. 😍
Is motorhome life something you're considering..?!?
Thanks for your comment and much love Alison and Darren 💜🤟
😂never regret a swim😂 thats what philly and keely say❤
Hey Heidi,
We never regret a swim. That was more of a quick dunking though. 🤣 The water was leg achingly cold.
We don't know of Philly and Keely, we will have to look them up. 😉
Thanks for your comment.
Much love 💜🤟
@@findingxanadulife your doing what I am dreaming of for the last 5 years, motorhomes are such crazy prices
@HeidiPriest We dreamed of doing this for quite a while. Give it time, fingers crossed the prices will come down again. Covid inflated the price of everything. 🤷🏼♀️
Good luck. 💜🤟
Great hike, awesome views. 🤟Picking up the rocks hit home... That's what I do when I travel. I bring some rocks, which sit at the bottom of a clear base with a water plant I have. 🪨🪨🪨🤘
We used to have a "Memory Table". A glass topped table with a drawer underneath that we used to put our precious memories in. Items from our wedding, from the house reform and little bits we found on our travels. We won't have room for much now, but hey ho. 🤷🏼♀️
We're so glad that it's not just us. 😘💜🤟
@@findingxanadulife 🤟