We had visited the small town of Benicàssim before, on an autumn trip where we stayed at Torre La Sal (further north) and then cycled on the amazing 5.5km long Vía Verde/cycle path from Oropesa south to Benicàssim where we had lunch and gawped briefly at the opulent late 19th, early 20th century beachfront villas – so not quite a visit in the traditional sense!
With memories of the amazing coastal trail and the enjoyable ride, we decided to stay on a site at the southern end of the Vía Verde and cycle back to Oropesa for lunch, where we hadn’t eaten previously.
With loads of campsites to choose from (no doubt in part attributed to its history as a go-to-resort from the early 1900s – as well as the world famous FIB festival in the summer), we agreed on one that would deliver some (by now) essentials: good washing machines; free internet; and easy access to the Vía Verde.
Plumping for a campsite that met those criteria was made easy, as only one, Camping Tauro, offered free WiFi. Which is how, after a quick and easy drive down the coast, we arrived in one of the most unusual campsite locations yet, surrounded on all sides by housing!
And it was hot – nudging 30c at the point we arrived. No matter we thought, our ACSI guide told us that it was only 400m to the beach. So, after setting up camp in the sweltering heat and doing the laundry, confident it would dry in a couple of hours in the blistering heat (it did), we thought we’d treat ourselves to a quick promenade down to and along the beach.
Except, whoever had written the distance was either using a differently gauged metre, or had simply guessed at the distance – which, given we were unable to fly in a direct line, was much more like 1.5km. Not far you may think, but as our inner children were silently screaming ‘are we nearly there yet’ we eventually, and not a little testily, arrived at the promenade where there was both shade and a gentle breeze – phew!
Remembering (falsely as it turned out) that the prom went the entire length of the beach (it did on the small bit we did years ago) we set off for a walk towards those famous villas, but soon realised as the prom turned into a busy road with buildings between the beach and the sea, that we were now at the arse end of all the lovely villas we had previously admired, which of course had the beachfront prom themselves!
Admitting defeat and realising it would be both more fun, and faster, to see the villas as part of our day out on the bikes along the coast the next day, we turned tail and set off back to the campsite… where the pool we had promised ourselves would make a welcome cooling-off treat, was full of noisy and boisterous campers. Making do instead with a much-needed shower (very posh and new, but cunningly without any hooks to hang stuff on…) we ate supper in the high 20s, waiting for the cooling of the evening before turning in.
Except it didn’t – we had totally forgotten a lesson learned from our time having a house in Oliva; that concrete is an amazing material to absorb heat in the day, and then deliver it back, old-school storage heater style, well into the wee hours…
After a hot and sticky night, we were keen to be up and off the next morning and to feel the cooling breeze we hoped would be generated by a cycle ride along the coast, as we set off to rediscover the delights of the Vía Verde, with a plan to have lunch in Oropesa, at the end of the trail.
We’ve waxed lyrical about this trail before, and it’s so good we are going to wax away again!
Stopping (after a 6km warm-up) at the Torre de Sant Vicent (now restored and a museum – which we saved for another day) we learned about its role as part of a defensive chain built in the late 1500s fighting off Corsairs and Pirates (we had to look up the difference!) before we headed off to the Vía Verde itself…
but not before taking in some of the marvellous and opulent villas…
The start of the trail from the Benicàssim end is marked by a shady bench overlooking the bay…
and, in true Spanish style, a sign with a set of rules that appear to be largely ignored!
Pedalling off into the cool of cuttings and tunnels…
we soon reached the fabulous stretch that hugs the coast with views down to the sparkling azure blue of the Med at its best…
but not before we had encountered a very interesting chap offering his salutations to the sun…
Arriving in Oropesa ready for lunch but no clear idea where we were going, it was Mr B’s turn to sniff out a resto largely frequented by locals and with a ‘plato del día’ of San Pedro y ensalada… and apart from confirming it was indeed a fish, we had no idea what we were in for!
Settling in with a beer in an ice cold glass, Mr B soon had Google helping out and we sat back to wait for a fish neither of us had ever eaten before, John Dory. With no idea how it would be cooked, we were pleased when we were served with a tempura style battered array of St Peter’s fish, with griddled peppers and sweet onions, and thinly sliced potato chips, with a lovely fresh salad to start – yum! (€10!)
After a delicious meal, and an embarrassing few moments when settling the bill where Mr B discovered it was cash only (he was stood in front of the very clear graphic sign of a bank card with a cross through it) and we had to raid Mrs B’s purse for just the right amount – (she had of course guessed this might happen!) we set of for a brief explore of this bit of Oropesa before heading back to the trail, taking in the lighthouse and a clichéd photo of what could just be the Spanish version of a partridge in a pear tree – (a paloma/ dove in an Agave tree).
The ride back delivered more chances for some clichéd photos of the amazing coastline and its crystal clear waters…
as well the cooling cuttings…
At the end of the trail and the start of the prom proper, we popped in to have a look at one of the other campsites, ‘Azahar’ where the very friendly person on reception allowed us to cycle around. Set amongst plenty of trees and about 100m from the beach (actual!) it might just be one for a future visit – along with one Mrs B discovered tucked away in Oropesa.
The Vía Verde is just so beautiful it’s highly likely we will return at some point in the future – but if it’s hot, probably not to Camping Tauro!
So, after another very, very, hot night surrounded by the residential storage heaters, we set off for our ‘target destination’ for this trip, Oliva, where, depending on the weather, we may stay for a few days, or even a few weeks…
S&J 16.10.23
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