We've been debating it, discussing it, wavering about it, and then when the decision was made and the forms submitted, planning for it for what feels like forever ..., yes, retirement has finally arrived for the both of us. Retired! Blimey, that makes me feel so old, in my head I'm just a mature looking 21 year old who happens to have grey hair and a beer belly. I went straight from school to work, no university and no gap year, so I sometimes think I've missed out on the whole misspent youth and travel thing, and I'm hoping that early retirement will allow me to play catch up while I've still got some stamina to live life on the edge ......... well I say on the edge, buying a motorhome and joining the Caravan and Motorhome Club its probably more middle England then sex drugs and rock and roll. I do like my comforts but there is something quite appealing about the freedom of being on the open road, just going with the flow and following the sun until we can no longer afford the diesel!
Our big retirement plan was to drive our new MoHo through Norway returning via Finland, Sweden and Denmark. We ordered our Bailey Adamo in June '21, anticipating a few trips before our retirement and the big adventure. Our planning in less uneventful times would have been sound, but the after effects of a global pandemic have meant ongoing delays with the production and delivery of our van. So as much as my excitement and anticipation ebbs and flows with each new promised delivery date that isn't met, there is little I can do, other than immersing myself in MoHo Facebook groups, magazines and videos until the van arrives and then the adventures can begin.
The problem with becoming an armchair expert on all things Motorhome is that I've had too much time to think, and I just get sucked into convincing myself about all the must have 'essentials' that need to be added to the MoHo - air conditioning (to keep Oscar the Dog cool when we are abroad), automatic self levelling (ramps could be a health & safety risk), WiFi (Netflix), electric bikes (get out and about with ease, but what about Oscar and the weather?) or maybe even a small car that can be towed (perfect), the list goes on and gets more and more expensive, less gap year backpacking on a budget, more the Ritz on wheels. Mrs Riley just nods and goes with the flow, and throws in the odd comment about crockery, pans, bedding and two reclining outdoor chairs are the only essentials we need. Well maybe, but pressing a button and letting the van level itself, now that's sexy!
So with no MoHo in sight, and with the risk that our first month of retirement would consist of me watching back to back YouTube MoHo videos, Mrs Riley decided an alternative plan was called for. So we packed the car (and Oscar) and set off to an apartment we had rented for four weeks in Almeria, southern Spain. The appt was part of a traditional farmhouse called a Cortijo, located in the mountains outside the whitewashed village of Bédar. We'd chosen this place because it was set in roughly 4 acres of fenced in agricultural land, so we could allow Oscar to roam free whilst we chilled by the pool enjoying our first days of retirement.
Oscar is probably best described as an impatient traveller, so with three days in the car and an overnight ferry crossing, it was also an opportunity to see how he would cope with a long distance journey. We needn't have worried about the car journey, he was an absolute star, although his ability to produce copious amounts of output based on a small amount of input failed him on the 23 hour ferry crossings, no grass on the doggy walking deck clearly means no performance.
After arriving at our destination our host was explaining that he leaves his three dogs to roam around the grounds without a problem, when out of the corner of my eye I spotted Oscar on the other side of the fence disappearing into the distance. We should have seen it coming, when Oscar sees a fence, it's not really a barrier, more of a challenge to find a weak spot. He generally comes back when he's ready, but our host didn't know that as he clambered over fences and scrubland to get him back. The small gap in the fence was made good, but when you have the Harry Houdini of Dogs on your land that was just a temporary set back.
The Cortijo was located in a beautiful setting about a 15 minute walk into the old mining village of Bédar and about a 20 minute drive to the beaches of Vera, Garrucha and Mojacar. The village had everything you could want, three bars, a Panaderia and two small, but well stocked shops. We soon dropped into a lovely routine of walking to the village bakery in the morning, lazing by the pool for most of the day (with Oscar, who was quite happy to settle after his morning walk) and a visit to the village or one of the beaches in the evening. Although we came close, thankfully Oscar never made it in the pool! If this is retirement I'm all for it. With one eye on a winter sun MoHo holiday, we also checked out a couple of campsites in the area. Will the van be here by then? Well who knows, but it's another potential adventure if it does.
My youngest daughter, Meg has just set off on her latest 8 week trip to South America, visiting Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil. What started off as gap year travelling while she decided what she wanted to do, has become an ambition to visit all 7 continents by the time she turns 25. South America is continent number five and next on the hit list is Antarctica. As I am now a gentleman of leisure Meg asked if I wanted to join her for this next trip. So after a bit of negotiating (I'm not doing any of this backpacking and sleeping in the ship's engine room malarkey), a deal was struck on a deluxe veranda cabin with balcony on the Magellan Explorer. We set off on a 10 day voyage from Ushuaia, in March next year, sailing through Drake's passage and setting foot on Antarctica at some point during the cruise, weather dependent. As well as the amazing scenery and abundance of wildlife to see, apparently you have a chance to swim in the Southern Ocean ...... on that day I will be supporting Meg from my balcony with a drink in hand.
Links
Antarctica - we are travelling to Antarctica with Adventure Life
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I also have an Adamo (69.4) on order for well over a year now
ReplyDeleteWe just liked the Adamo best and prepared to wait. Do you have a delivery date. Noel
Hi Noel, yes that is also our outlook. No confirmed date yet but we are hopeful that it won't be too long now. It is what it is and I'm sure Bailey are doing all they can. My only frustration is that communication could be better from Bailey. Although my dealer has been excellent we all get slightly different interpretations of messages from Bailey via our dealers and some direct comms I think would have helped. Adrian
DeleteGreat reading as always. Defo self leveling! Ibh
DeleteCheers I'm working on it ;-)
DeleteBrilliant to read 👍🏻
ReplyDelete