Travel Blog

Once described as the most famous place on Earth that no one has ever been to, Cape Trafalgar near Cadiz in Southern Spain finds itself centre stage in 2005. On October 21st this year, two hundred years will have passed since one of the greatest naval battles in history took place in the seas around the Cape - The Battle of Trafalgar.

Fought between the British Royal Navy under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson and the Franco-Spanish fleet headed by French Admiral Villeneuve, the Battle of Trafalgar was a pivotal moment in the long-running Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Napoleon was planning an invasion of Britain but to achieve victory he knew that he had to gain supremacy on the high seas. Although greatly outnumbered, Nelson pulled off a dramatic victory over Napoleon’s fleet at Trafalgar, employing innovative maritime warfare tactics to surprise the enemy. This shattered Napoleon’s dreams of a British invasion, forcing him to switch focus to a ‘continental strategy’ and ultimately bringing him to defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

Nelson though was to lose his life in the fray. He died aboard his beloved Victory battleship shortly after Villeneuve’s fleet was defeated. To this day, Nelson is still recognised as one of Britain’s greatest war heroes, his most famous memorial being Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square, London.

Cape Trafalgar in 2005

Today, Cape Trafalgar is an unassuming spit of land that juts out into the sea. Its sandy windswept shoreline leads down to a lighthouse at the head of the cape from where spectacular views of the coastline between Conil and Barbate can be enjoyed. Whether you’re a sun worshiper, watersports enthusiast or just want to gaze out over the waters where Nelson grabbed his famous victory, Cape Trafalgar truly is an inspiring place to visit.

Getting to Cape Trafalgar

Cape Trafalgar is easily accessed off the main N340 Highway between Cadiz and Gibraltar. From Vejer de la Frontera take the CA-2141 or CA-2143 towards Los Canos de Meca. The Cape is then within easy reach of the town centre. Car hire can be booked in advance for pick up from Cadiz, Gibraltar and many other cities in Spain by visiting http://www.your-carhire.com

Seb Jay is a freelance writer specializing in the origination of web content for http://www.your-carhire.com

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Before one of my recent trips to Bulgaria, I was surfing the net for information about the country in general. I came across a line on a property website that claimed “Bulgaria is like Spain 30 years ago”. It set me thinking

When I was in my early teens I travelled across Europe with my younger brother and parents every summer. We would just set off with no clear plans as to where we were going to end up, but a rough idea of when we would be back, which was basically when we were down to our last pound note!

We didn’t have the luxuries I or my children take for granted as today’s seasoned travellers - such as crisp clean hotel beds and room service. We either had an over- ladened roof rack, stacked high with our camping gear and clothes, or if we were a little better off that summer, we had a second hand caravan hitched to the back of our old car. I remember the caravan was always sold on our return to tide us over while Dad went back to work.

I vividly remember one summer, when my father had ingeniously welded together two bread vans - yes bread vans and made them into a camper van, but the really clever bit was, when we arrived on the camp site, the rear section slid out, to give twice the living and sleeping area - although not very good for the “street cred” of two cool 70’s teenagers - we certainly had fun.

My point is, we saw and experienced on those adventures, some of the most traditional and native parts of France, Italy and most of all Spain.

So, is Bulgaria like Spain 30 years ago? Well, in my humble opinion - yes, in many ways…

The roads for instance - in Spain, their motorways were simple dual carriageways, poorly maintained and infrequent. Until this year - Bulgaria’s roads were very similar - where you would hope to have found a sturdy motorway you might find a two-laned, pot hole ridden, carriageway, unfit for donkeys never mind cars - and in-land, donkeys were more common! This year however, I am pleased to note, that with EU funding the new motorway is nearly finished and many of the main artery roads have now been re-surfaced - but the “four by four” transport still most commonly used in the quaint rural regions is still the donkey and cart!

Just like the Spain of my youth.

The toilets - I remember many tears in my youth, where I had the embarrassment of squatting down behind a tree, at the side of a dusty Spanish road, with my nether regions exposed to any passing insect or giggling doe eyed Spanish boy, because I just couldn’t travel any further looking for an English style toilet to sit on! We had travelled mile after mile, because I had stubbornly refused to use the traditional Spanish “squat pot” - a smelly hole in the ground, with a porcelain tray with dirty footprints on either side, giving you a hint as to where to put your feet! Yuck!! But I wonder, was the tree any better?

Over the past three years I have travelled the length and breadth of Bulgaria, on my business travels - not looking for an English style toilet to sit on, but certainly wishing I could find one!! Mile after mile, I have refused to visit their “squat pots”, but I am happy to report that they are now cottoning on - many of the little roadside cafes and bars of the rural regions have now been re-furbished, and you can find more and more “proper” toilets”, and in the tourist resorts, it would be very unusual to have to go looking for your own private “tree”!

The people - one of the things that stands out from my childhood holidays are the memory’s of the people in Spain. They were always so eagar to please, particularly when you escaped into the countryside. I remember many occasions when we were given fruit from the trees and drinks from the villagers, even though there was no caf

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