Bringing home bertie

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Not sure if it was the "turning 60, purple hat syndrome" we had been talking about getting a motor home in a few years time, but then decided that life is too short and we should enjoy it whilst we are able to......... So with that in mind we set out to look for a motorhome! We saw a few advertised but when we went to see them, it was obvious that they weren't well looked after. We were booked to spend a night just outside Seville as there were two dealers there but on the way we called into Autocaravanasnorte in Antequera and that was where we first saw Bertie! He is a 2007 Burstner Levanto 3 berth with 39500km on the clock and immaculate inside so well looked after. He has a top box and solar panels and is an ideal size for our first motorhome. There is a surprising amount of space in side and the corner kitchen enables me to stay out of the way, leaving space around the table.

We decided we really ought to carry on to look at the other two dealers but there wasn't anything that came up to Bertie, so back we went and did the deal!

We picked him up on March 28 2015 and the first trip out was down to Canos de meca on the Costa de la Luz, by Cape Trafalgar where a found a lovely campsite called Los Pinos. We booked for two nights, costing €20.50 for the first night and €29.50 for the second as it was Good Friday. This included electric, WiFi, lovely clean hot showers and a good sized pitch. A very nice couple called Diane and Bill very kindly lent us their spare tv so we even had tv! Even if it was mostly Spanish but we could get ITV...... Shame there was football on tho!

After setting up, Bob connected Tigi David's electric grill and did steak, peppers and onions, it was lovely but did take a while to do the veg as the grill is a griddle, so we made the decision to bring our electric flat plate next time.

A good night's sleep and we got up the next morning and took a walk to the beach ( the weather was glorious) and along the beach to Cape Trafalgar. The beaches on the Costa de la Luz are amazing. We decided not to walk too far as sand walking isn't easy and Bob was still recovering from a bad back. So returned to Bertie and enjoyed a siesta followed by some beautifully cooked tuna.

We set off for home the next day, stopping in Sotogrande in a car park on the beach where we had lunch then on to our next two nights...... On the market ground at la Cala! We wanted to try it out on gas and battery. The site there is an aire and free, including fresh water and the facility to dump the waste water. Set up then decided to walk over to La Cala where we were going to stroll along the boardwalk but when we arrived we saw people starting to line the streets and realised it was Good Friday and so the religious parades were about to start. We stayed for that and then made our way back to Bertie. Woken up really early the next morning as we'd forgotten how early the market sets up!

Having a few problems with the water as it's very hit and miss so we are going to take him back to get it sorted along with a smell of gas in the home when not on electrics. All in all, we're delighted with him and can't wait to get away again. Bob says the drive is very comfortable as well.

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Photos

Fantastic beaches
Kiss me hardy!