Camping in the forest at Despeñaperros
Arrived at this site heading north. Please note do not follow the satnav when you reach the village and instead follow the signposts for "camping". We followed the satnav and ended up towing our caravan down a single track road for about 2 miles until we found a turning spot.
The campsite is in a lovely setting surrounded by olive trees in the National Park. Found the receptionist/owner very pleasant and we managed with very limited Spanish but you do have to attempt some Spanish and the staff are more than happy to help. The entrance is quite tight through the archway, so line your unit up before driving through.
We were allocated a pitch under a tree lined area which we found to be quite cold. The pitches on the edges of the site looking over the olive grove were bathed in sunshine and next time we will ask to move to another pitch. We spoke to a Dutch couple who were allocated a pitch in the same area as us but they just moved to the warmer pitch - it is perfectly acceptable to do this.
We found the showers and toilets to be spotlessly clean. There are no toilet seats but this is only for hygiene reasons. The temp was -3C when we woke up, and although the shower blocks were cold, there was ample hot water so didn't have a problem there.
Lovely walk /dog walk at the side of the site past the olive trees into the National Park. Took a stroll around the village in the morning which was really pretty and very well kept. There were local shops for bread and groceries, wine etc.
When leaving the campsite to go north, turn right at the bottom of the campsite road and drive up through the gorge which is absolutely stunning. It is a very good wide road, and we had no problem with the van despite it being very twisty.
We hope to return to this site again later this year when we head south again.
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