This is our last stop in Spain, for a long while. Finally, after 4 years, a months and 4 family camping road trips, we are leaving our adopted motherland. It’s time for these self-styled, pseudo-nomads to roam again. . . this time to a winter wonderland of Poland.
But before all that we’ve got a week more to go on the road and a final Spanish stop at Camping Lake Caspe. Here’s a review, in pictures. . . for all you happy campers out there. Big Smile! If you need more info on the campsite, text follows at the end of the pictures. Enjoy!
So, what is there to do here in Caspe? Old history has it that the original inhabitants of this land came from the Caspian sea… or so they say. The “lake” near the small town of Caspe is actually the river-looking, snaking Embalse de Mequinenza (Mequinenza reservoir).
This area could be one of the best places to spend a weekend interacting with nature. Good fishing scene for carps, if you fish. If you have a boat, even better. Great for hikers/trekkers/senderismo and all-around nature lovers.
After a family GAP YEAR. . . that turned into over four years, living in Jerez de la Frontera, it’s finally time for our semi-nomadic family to move again, from one camping site to the next. . . all the way to Poland. For how long? We don’t exactly know.
what to do near CAMPING Lake Caspe
So, what to see or do nearby? Not much, except, this area looks like one of the best places to spend a weekend interacting with nature. Good fishing scene for carps, if you fish. Good place for your boat. What else?
Mas De La Punta–is suppossed to be a good place to chillout and commune with nature, right at the river’s bend. A good place for picnic, a stroll, or even horseback riding, if you can find it. It has built-in barbecues, tables and benches as well as, ramp for boats and bathrooms. You can drive near it. There’s a large open space for parking. 7 minutes/5 kilometers from campsite.
Aeródromo de Caspe–a wide area for hobbyists into all things that fly. . . model aircraft, paratrikes (you know the one that you can get on and it has that huge fan in the back, yeah, that one!), drones nd kites… The club hosts some kind of flying festival.
Ermita de la Magdalena–a magical and beautiful ruins of a Catholic church atop a hill or mound that overlooks the snaky river-like reservoir that gives the explorer-traveler breathtaking scenery. It has surprisingly well-preserved walls (still standing) and even parts of the dome. 56-minute drive or 45 kilometers from campsite to get near it. Walk. Don’t drive. Unfortunately, not much info to read on it. Why was it abandoned?
Ermita vieja Mequinenza–another hermitage/catholic church nearby (1o kilometers/10-minute drive from campsite). This is smaller one, with unassuming scenery/views. But the walls are still up. Again, not much info to read on it. Why was it abandoned?
REVIEW of Camping Lake Caspe, Aragon, Spain
A little NOTE before we go on with the review. In case you’re wondering. . . NO, we have not received (nor expect to receive) any form of compensation or freebies or anything at all for reviewing or mentioning this or any others on our blog. We do because it may be helpful to you and others. And it’s fun too!
What we like about this campground?
TRANQUILITY–that’s Camping Lake Caspe in a word. And what’s to like about this camping site? Tranquility among the trees. Eventhough the campinground is not quite in the “wild nature” it offers something close to it with its fully grown shadeful trees and lush greeneries thoughtfully arranged, all around, everywhere.
A walk along the numerous paths was almost like what Zen practicioners call kinhin–a meditative walking towards mindfulness.
What we don’t like about this camping site?
What not to like? Well, there’s a beach, although it was not suitable for swimming as it was cold and murky. There’s access for boats which likely adds to the gunk in the water.
PRICE
Below-average price at €32.70 euros per night (tax included) for a family of four (two kids–1 under 6 years old) in a 4-person tent with electricity in the summer high season (from 12 July to 30 August).
It would have been only €3 euros cheaper during lower season.
Almost the same as Camping Trevelez during this road trip. It was €36.40 at the last camping in Orgiva.
Price Breakdown per night:
- €6.90 for a 4-person tent
- €6.00 car
- €6.80 for electricity
- €6.50 per adult
- €0.00 for children under 12 years old. Yes, FREE! Yay!
PITCH
How’s the pitch? Wide plots/pitches on clean ground with soft pebbles, instead of dirt. That means, it’s NOT dusty here from dirt and road everytime a car would pass by.
Bigger than a standard plot. Quite spacious for our (now-bigger) 4-person Amayama tent, dining area with two tables and 4 chairs, plus the car with plenty of room in between.
Not enough space to put the car in front of the the tent, between the tent and the road, for a bit of protection and privacy.
There are 134 plots/piches for tents and caravans, plus 40 cabins/bungalows for rent. Yup, it’s huge yet quiet because there was only a handful of campers there, less than 30 people at the time we were there.
PLAY areas
SWIMMING POOL: Is camping all about playgrounds and swimming pools? For our boys, YES, it is!
Swimming pools are particularly importanat when camping in the simmering Spanish summer heat, especially in Andalucia where it can get already quite hot by 10 in the morning even in the summer shade.
Watch out though ’cause some pools, as advertised by campgrounds, can have quite COLD WATER, especially those in the mountains like in Camping Trevelez where we were, at one point, wondering why no one was in the pool. And then the boys jumped right in and 10 minutes was about all they could take because the water was quite cold. Pool water cools down overnight, specially in the mountains, and it takes some time for the sun to warm it all back up.
Here, there are 2 relatively small swimming pools. However, since there were not many campers here, the main pool gave plenty of room for everyone.
Depth: between 1 meter and 1.57 meters.
NO LIFEGUARD.
Amazingly, the water was quite warm!
The best part is, there’s also a KIDDIE POOL!
And they are both quite CLEAN!
This whole pool area, including the lawns, can apparently hold 350 people.
PLAYGOUNDS are always a nice family-friendly addition that our children appreciate . . . what child wouldn’t anyway?!?
Here, there’s an old school wooden play things like football goals, swing and a climbing structure, a slide, rocker and sandbox.
This small but sufficient enclosed playground has plenty of shade from the trees.
ACCESSibility
Slow down as you get near Camping Lake Caspe because it is not easy to spot the entrance from the road.
There were not a lot of cars that we encountered on the way to the camping site, unlike in the Sierra Nevada where locals and travellers seemed to drive at the speed limits on two-lane narrow, mountain roads–too fast for this SLOW-GO FAMILY.
WATCH OUT! Here, from the main road, there is only one small signpost that reads (ready for this) “CAMPING” that points in the direction of the camp.
If you would look away as you approached, you’d likely miss it. There are no flags, no billboards, no nothing.
The good news is, this road is wide and caravan-friendly, and pleasantly paved with small stones.
Once you make that turn, you’d have a couple hundred meters drive with fruits trees from a farm called Finca El Pino on the left (and NO, I wasn’t allowed to pick fruits for FREE, she says!!) before you’d come to a fork on the road (and NO, the devil wasn’t waiting there for me. . . I think) with a sign to the left towards Camping Lake Caspe.
Then, another hundred-or-so meters until you come to the entrance with a big eponymous sign. The small reception to the left of the gated entrance that actually does restirct access to the campgrounds.
SHADE
Shade is especially helpful when camping in Spain in the summer. And in the mountains, you can actually get sunburned. You’re in Spain after all and closer to the sun! Duh!
Here, there’s plenty of shade from very tall, full-grown trees all over the place and marking the corners of piches/plots.
We still had a bit of sun on our tent for a little while but the tent quickly cooled off.
Privacy hedges
Not much really inbetween pitches; only those that mark the outer sections of the different camping areas.
The outer border of the campsite had chain-link (see through) fences, surrounded by trees and shrubs.
SANITARY FACILITIES
Dishwashing and clothes-washing areas
Areas to wash clothes and dishes are sufficiently clean, just outside the bathroom area. There were more than 10 sinks for washing dishes and five for washing clothes, with Covid-19 social-distancing measures inbetween.
WC/Bathroom/Shower
One centrally located WC/bathroom/restroom with good ventilation. Each section (males/females) with 7 stalls toilet, 5 showers, 10 sinks, and of course urinals for men.
There’s even a sink and toilet for children.
Another good thing here is that there are hook and places by the sink and at the shower to put your things. There’s even a stool in one of the showers.
Bathrooms are nice, clean, modern and looked new, with plenty of room to maneuver although campers are for the most part respectful of social distancing measures during the Covid-19 pandemic.
There’s plenty of FREE hot water. I know, I know, right? Where else do they chrage for water?!?!? In some campsite in Belgium and Poland, YES, they do!
It comes with toilet paper and they did not run out of it. Believe you me, there are plenty of camping sites out there that do NOT provide this most essential product of modern civilized society!
Surprisingly, there was sanitizing gel outside the WC, but NO SOAP.
There’s an electric hand dryer. Yay, SAVE the TREES!
NO PROBLEM with water drainage.
NO separate FAMILY bathroom which, admittedly, is a novelty for camping sites, but NOT unusual for family-friendly camping sites in Spain.
DINE or DRINKS
The camping’s restaurant is best for drinks, although you can order an all-you-can-eat buffet (€13 for adults and 10 euros for children; FREE for those under 4) and help with local economic development. It also helps, especially if you don’t wanna drive or WALK to town.
It has some shaded/unshaded outdoor terrace. You might NOT like shade, but it could be a life-saver in the summer. YOU’RE in SPAIN after all!
WI-FI
Wifi only at the bar/restaurant area. Works fast and free (or at least no additional costs)!
others
We did not see the following additional amenities: refrigerator, freezer or microwave. It’s likely there. We probably just missed them.
TIPS for Camping in Spain
WALKING: Be kind. Unwind! There can be a lot of walking involved in this camp, even if you just need to go to the toilet/showers and even with the stone step-stairs. If you treat your walk as some form of kinhin or walking meditation, you might blend just right in with the calm and solitude of the environment.
FIRE: Do NOT make fires outside of the designated BBQ/barbeque areas. It can be quite dangerous, especially in sweltering dry summer months. You don’t wanna start a forest fire, do you?
SWIM CAPS: To be able to use the swimming pools, make sure to bring swimming caps/headgear (you know, those little things you put over your head to make sure your hair does NOT get into the pool, and if you have it on too tight, your eyes start to squint like you’re a drunken runaway monkey. . .) Yup, that one!
Although it was not really needed (or enforced) here, it would do you good to bring them with you when camping in Spain (maybe even France) to save you money, just in case the camping site that you ended up in has a pool and are strict about enforcing the so-called regulations, if there are in fact any such thing.
Check out this video of FREE things you can do with kids in the Sierra Nevada… in the snow!
UNFILTERED Road Trip NOTES on the road to Camping at Lake Caspe
336 kilometers and 4.5+hours of driving.
First stop before heading at Papa John’s, which our boys immediately dubbed “Johnny Pops” for a taste of the good old American classic, Papa John special pizza with “alitas” (or wings) and some fresh fruits at the fruteria next door–no good; expensive, unlike in our dear Andalucia.
We got food. Time to go. First straight south [on N-400], then round the hills and far away on a quiet and lonely road (N-420).
Through the sierranitas, plains, collinas and back again. Passing through an exclave of the autonomous community of Valencia near Teruel. Interesting that there is a separate region of Valencia between the autonomous regions of Castille-La Mancha and Aragon.
Cross the river of Ebron and a pueblo of Los Santos.
The tower on a steep hill of a little pueblo called Villa [that doesn’t help; the villages are all called Villa-somethings here, it seems] on N-330 north towards Teruel in Aragon.
Past the red rocks on the left and the rock hills on the right, then there’s a club called Brasil on the side of the road, a kilometer before turning left onto N-420 towards Zaragoza.
Past Teruel… interestingly changing lanscape… the winding road, round the white rock mountains, with lush valley greens in between, at around 1000 meter altitude.
Alfambra. Legacy of Muslim rule this far up north, is evident in the name.
At 1100 meters altitide the landscape resembles the pacific northwest, usa.
Picture: 12 windfarm on Fuentes Calientes (with Arcoiris factory) and 18 on the other farm far on the right.
Wind turbines everywhere in these parts of Aragon,1350 meters up. pictures with town names.
1,408 m at San Just tunnel, wind turbines south of the town Mezquita de Jarique.
A sleepy mining town called Eschucha, surrounded by turbines on the ridge… Funny, the name says “Listen”. But there’s nothing here, really… it’s a ghost town… feels like a zombie apocalypse.
picture: turbines on ridge, southeast of palomar de arroyos.
Castel del Cabra altitude 1100m picture: right before turning onto N-211. Cabra is a rio. Goat River.
Gargallo, Jenny detour [Jenny is what we call our GMAP navigation voice],… pink pueblos… road between Arcos and Andorra??!?!!!!? Andora–the spanish town!!!
Alcorisa: Ruta del Tambor y del Bombo, repsol pic.
pic: a whole lot of nothing left to go.
Interesting combo of poligono industrial [industrial sector] and church and town welcome the lone motorist, like in Calanda.
Welcomed by white top olive trees on the long approach to Alcaniz, with a castle and a tower. LIDL stop, alcampo gas stop.
KK are cooperating more, less marudzi on the road. More laughs and conversations and their own jokes. Both can spot the time on Gmap from their seats and read signs. First time having the all-american Papa John’s, enjoying it so much that they each held onto the last piece until now–nearly 4 hours since we bought it at Cuenca.
Landscape like a western setting. Rocky outcrop mountains with different, varying colors and landscapes, some with camouflaged houses, if you look close enough.
19kl arrival–not ideal ’cause now, we gotta set up camp while all hungry and tired, before the sun sets. We left at about 13:20 with a stop for gas and grocery for 45 minutes. Boy, oh boy! We sure drive SLOW!.. and SAFE : )
Next Stop: ANDORRA, Finally!
Onwards, upwards. . . . to Andorra! Here’s the first half of our family camping road trip. . . number FOUR! 1,617-something kilometers from Jerez de la Frontera, detour to Bolonia, then Setenil de las Bodegas, the white villages of the Alpujarras, the caves of Guadix, Baeza, Ubeda, Ossa de Montiel, the hanging houses of Cuenca, Lake Caspe and finally the little country of Andorra. . . at least for the first half of this trip!
Thanks for stopping by!
SUBSCRIBE!
BIG SMILE!
free electrons family 