23/08/2026
Our Spanish summer certainly turned into an adventure! ☀️🚐
We spent a brilliant week in San Sebastián with Sonya’s sister and her family before travelling further along the coast into Asturias, with our Orange Camper very much at the heart of the trip.
After taking the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Bilbao, we rolled off into Spanish sunshine and headed straight for La Co**ha beach. The campsite wasn’t ready, so there was only one thing for it... park up, get the swimmers on and head straight into the sea! 🌊
The week that followed included plenty of beach days, swimming, surfing, tapas, calamares, Spanish omelettes and even the occasional fish finger sandwich cooked in the ’van when the boys fancied “a proper meal”! 😂
And we really got to put some of our latest campervan features through their paces.
With temperatures around 30°C and plenty of mosquitoes, the fly screens and portable air conditioning were invaluable at night.
Our new built-in shower was another game changer. After a full day on the beach, we could put the hot water on and everyone could shower right there in the beach car park. No trailing sand everywhere and no hunting around for campsite facilities. 🚿
Sleeping worked brilliantly too. Charlie and Sonya took the two singles downstairs while Richard and Billy slept upstairs in the ATEK Pop Top. Having that extra sleeping space gave us so much flexibility as a family of four.
After San Sebastián, we headed into Asturias and returned to Camping Arenal de Morís for more beautiful weather and beach days.
Unfortunately, the trip then took a very unexpected turn when Billy needed an emergency operation to have his appendix removed. Thankfully he’s absolutely fine now, and the hospital staff in Oviedo were wonderful. 🧡
It was also one of those moments when we realised just how valuable having the campervan with us really was.
We were able to sleep in the ’van at the hospital so one of us could always be close to Billy. Once he was discharged, he wasn’t able to manage the walk to the campsite showers, so having our own shower meant he could get washed and comfortable without having to go anywhere.
Definitely not how we expected to use it, but probably the moment on the whole trip when we were most grateful for having it.
Once Billy was feeling stronger, we slowed everything down and enjoyed a gentle trip to Llanes, where we found a brilliant campervan parking spot beside the beach. There was jellyfish spotting, ice cream, calamares and a few games of Mölkky. ☀️
And there was one very good reason to stay put in Asturias a little longer...
We were in one of the best places in the world to see the solar eclipse! 🌒
After everything the holiday had thrown at us, being able to stay where we were, slow down and experience something so special together felt like a pretty incredible way to finish our Spanish adventure.
That’s one of the things we love most about campervan travel. You have the freedom to change the plan, stay a little longer and make the most of those unexpected moments.
From swimming in San Sebastián and exploring Asturias to hospital stays, beachside showers and watching an eclipse together, it certainly wasn’t an ordinary summer holiday.
But it’s one we’ll be talking about for a very long time. 🧡🚐