This site is huge – about 850 large pitches – but is only about a quarter full at the moment. This means lots of facilities and not that many people to use them which is great and the shower blocks are very modern and clean.

The site is right alongside a beautiful sandy beach, Playa de Ris, with a gate directly on to the beach about forty yards from our caravan so we are hoping for some good weather while we’re here.  Playa de Ris is four kilometres of fine golden sand set round two curving bays of the Cantabric Sea. The beach, caravan site and town of Noja are surrounded by the Noja Wetlands Reserve which is home to many wild animal and bird species.

The Camping and Caravan Club have been allocated nearly fifty pitches, all in the same area of the site. The Rally actually started on Monday so we were entertained by lots of other caravans and motorhomes arriving and setting up around us.

After enjoying each others’ company and doing our own thing for nearly four months George and I weren’t sure how we would take to being organised in a big group but we are really enjoying the social interaction so far. None of the activities are compulsory but we find we are attending most of them – already been to quiz nights, boules competitions, coffee mornings and organised walks. Our fellow Rallyers are a mixed bag – from all parts of the UK, all walks of life, all very friendly and great fun.

We also had a lunchtime walk into town for a typically Spanish meal – 26 of us in all – three courses including wine for 11€ each. George found himself next to a fellow Rotarian from Queensferry Club in Edinburgh. Grainger and his wife Norma were great company – over the next few days we ended up consuming lots of alcohol together – finishing off their best malt whiskey along the way. Sadly they were only here for a week but we hope our paths will cross again in future travels.

Also on the site is a group of musicians - all men – who are on a tour with their bicycles, mandolins and penny whistles. They did a couple of impromptu sing-along performances in the bar here which were great fun (Anne and Norma practised their maracas playing – see photos) – it seemed the more we drank the better they were !

There is a 9-hole golf course 1km away – three par fours and six par threes. To play round twice cost 7€ per person so we thought we’d give it a go. The course was a bit rough round the edges, short but quite challenging and we really enjoyed it.

The weather this week has been mixed. Have had some heavy rain at night mixed with roasting sun and cloud during the day. One evening we were still on the beach in hot sun at 6.30pm.

As this is being typed we can hear the calling of peacocks. There is a children’s animal park at one end of the site and two days a week at 6.00pm they open the gates and we can all go in and feed the animals with the old bread collected from the camp shop. There are peacocks, peahens, llamas, cows, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, beautiful tiny black piglets and two sorts of deer - all very tame and taking food from our hands.

This has been quite an accident-prone week for the Rallyers – the local ambulance has been needed twice for bicycle accidents – and also poor Tom, the Rally Steward, went over his handlebars whilst leading an ambulance through the site to the latest casualty. The ambulance crew didn’t know who to stop for first but Tom heroically waved them past himself as he sat bleeding on the tarmac. Thankfully he was not seriously hurt and when the ambulance had left with the injured lady we made him and Shirley a cup of tea to help them calm down - after a medicinal scotch or two they eventually stopped shaking!

This is a lovely site in a great position and we look forward to the next two weeks – more of the same (minus the accidents!) plus some trips out.