Tarifa

It was good to take a look at the Sierra Nevada and Granada, but kiting is what I'm here for, so back to Tarifa it is. I have to pick up my boards first so take the road for Comares. The first challenge is the village with the weird route to where I want to be, I remember it well. The road to this point has been reasonable but here it goes crazy. For a start it's down a fairly steep narrow street with speed bumps which comes to an end. There's a steep wide concrete pavement to the right, and no other way, so it must be the road. Down I go and up the other side and appear to be entering an industrial area, but no, the road continues to the left with an extreme hairpin bend. I'm unsure if cars could navigate this in one go but the van needs a three point turn and once round this, a right hand hairpin. Now the road becomes more reasonable and I can see Comares on the hill ahead a few km away, 15 min says Google. I'm feeling quite relaxed, I'll get there before dark, no doubt. Well I keep going but Comares is not getting any closer. I now find I've taken a turn to nowhere and have to retrace my tracks.

It's now getting dark and I don't think Google knows where I am. I half recognise a junction and trust my luck. The turning takes me down to a bridge/dam which I remember crossing before with a steep incline on the other side. It's a rare occasion the van can't make an incline in 2nd but I have to select 1st and because the handbrake can't hold the van on this hill I give the throttle plenty, it jams open and the engine howels, I have to turn the ignition off and hold the van on the hill with my foot on the brake. Putting the van in gear with the handbrake on seems holds the bus on the hill and allows me to check the throttle which has just been extended beyond it's normal position. The bus is now stuck at the top of the hill just before a sharp left hand bend. Oddly a van came up the hill and crept past without enquiring if I needed help, unusual in these parts. Anyway, with the throttle released I got going again and make my way to Comares and the now regular bar/restaurant - Balcon de la Axarquia pictured above.

Having parked up for the night, in the morning I find my way to Daniel's with no further mishaps. I get the van ready, load the boards and the bike carrier. Daniel takes hold of the carrier and gives it a shake. Something had been clanking at the rear end, the tow-bar is loose. Daniel thinks his neighbour could tighten it so I decide to leave the bike behind, the tow-bar can be tightened when I'm back in the UK.

Off I go to Tarifa and Palmo Camping where I stayed before. I ask for five nights but the campsite closes on Sunday so they can only give me two nights. I park up in the spot I used before and lo, my neighbours (from Gibralter) turn up to shut down their static for the winter. Always good to see faces you recognise.

The next day (Sat) I'm down to the beach, The car park is no longer supervised, plenty of spaces and free. I had been used to carrying my gear across a dry river bed and setting up near the shore. I guess the storms that have filled the riverbed which is now a small lake. Wading across the lake in my wetsuit was an altogether better experience than the heat of mid summer. I get set-up, someone launches my kite and I go out. I get a good start and blast off. Maybe this is the problem, I'm now hopping over the waves, feel out of control and stop rather uncomfortably. I launch back to shore a little to robustly and get pulled over the front. In these two moves I've gone 200m down wind and body drag to the shore. I'm not happy.

On Sunday I have to find another campsite and look along the drag towards Tarifa and stop at the first site on the seaward side. Seems pleasant enough and I park up. The facilities are good, well maintained and clean and the camping goes down to the sea.

Monday I drive back towards Palmo beach and take a turning to the beach terminating at the school I used before earlier in the summer. Changed and standing on the foreshore deciding what to do I see my old instructor. I've been back home for three months and just turned up here to bump into someone I know. I go into the water, hardly get a ride and lose 200m downwind,

The next day the wind is +35knts, I need a 5m kite and the smallest I have is 8m, but the enthusiasts are out there in numbers.

There is no wind showing on 'Windy' for Wednesday so I take my time in the morning. It is a clear day and by mid-day there is a breeze for sure. I load up kites and turn up at Valdevaqueros beach. The wind is probably 15+ knots and there are big waves and break. It looks inviting, particularly for the guys that know what they are doing. I get a launch, not the best but the kite is in the air and I enter the break and immediately get knocked over and dump the kite on the shore but relaunch immediately. Clearly I've underestimated the force of the break. I get stable and wait for a gap in the break, spot one, sink to get my feet in the straps and get hit by a big break. Tumbling with my board the kite hits the shore, someone runs up and grabs the kite, 'are you ok?' yes thanks for helping. So I was in the water for 15min max and never got on the board. I watch others and see that some body drags beyond the break, the best have no problem going straight through, and there are some very good kiters out there.

I can see the break diminishes further down the beach to where I usually kite. I think I should try down there, but really, I have no confidence and have just made a fool of myself in front of the best. I pack up and set off back to the van. I'm the last to go the others just melted away.

It's now Wednesday and the wind has been blowing all night. Windy tells me to expect 30-35kts with gusts to 40+. I load 8 and 10m kites but know they will be too big, maybe a 5m kite would suit, but I don't have one. I've been out in similar conditions at Molido on the Portuguese/Spanish border with a 4m kite. Looks like the wind might drop a bit mid afternoon so I head to the beach and sit about in the bar reading. If anything the wind gets stronger, the kite school closes so I decide to go into Tarifa for a haircut. But, then I remember the advice of another kiter who suggested Los Canos de la Meca is a popular spot with less extreme wind, a 45min drive back towards Cadiz, so I turn left instead of right and find the beach by the lighthouse. It's a great spot with really pleasant bars.

The kiters are very good. Someone was in the water with kite and board 200m off shore. Some guy passed and grabbed the board dropping it on the beach before going back to rescue the kiter by dragging them into shore hanging onto the back of his board, pretty impressive. Sadly the conditions are the same as where I had just come from, so I retreat to the bar.

Of course it is now dark and I have to drive back with dipped headlights because the main beam is not working. To make matters worse, this stretch of the N340 is awful, humps and bumps which almost bottoms the suspension, add to this the wind buffeting the bus, I had to hang onto the steering just to stay on the highway. Of course I took a wrong turn and land up at Barbate with Google maps trying to direct me around narrow cobbled streets. After going round and round I negotiate one corner with a five point turn, ignore Google, go back the way I came and find the main drag and a sign for Malaga. I get back to find the bar/restaurant closed and find something to eat in the van.

Back in the UK Oli has kindly bought tickets for the autumn international against Australia at Twickenham so I leave my bus with Daniel and take a flight back to Gatwick. Everything is going nicely as I stroll down to the boarding gate, however '...... what's this long que on my left?' Oh no, I'm in the Euro que, I need to go back and join the end of the Brit's que! What now? Well the que to passport control is so slow I miss the flight and have to purchase another tickets for a flight a couple of hours later. I get an early morning train at Gatwick and a taxis home, I've taken keys, so no problems on arrival.

The match at Twickenham was entertaining with the lead changing several times in the second half, unfortunately ending as a win for Australia.

After a few weeks at home it is time to collect the bus and bring it home. 6 months insurance, MoT and the loose tow-bar all conspire to make this inevitable. I book a flight for Wednesday 27th November, it will be a long drive Malaga/Santander.