From Sweden to Spain: A Winter Road Trip in Search of Surf
On 17 December, I left Varberg, Sweden, and started driving south. The destination was El Palmar in Spain, where I planned to spend the winter working remotely and surfing.
On 17 December, I left Varberg, Sweden, and started driving south. The destination was El Palmar in Spain, where I planned to spend the winter working remotely and surfing.
I liked the idea of having the car with me, bringing my things and making stops along the way. Looking at the route on a map, though, made it clear that there was quite a bit of driving between me and those Spanish waves.
Somewhere in southern Germany, I spent the night in the car.
It was below freezing, and I was absolutely freezing too. The photo says it better than I can. This was the less glamorous part of heading south for a winter of surfing: trying to sleep in a cold car, still a long way from the destination.
At that point, the thought of being somewhere warmer felt particularly appealing.
When I reached San Sebastián, I took some time to walk into the old town. It was incredibly beautiful and a lovely place to spend time after the drive.
One of the things I enjoy about travelling by car is being able to make these stops. El Palmar was where I was heading, but I wanted to enjoy the places along the way too.
The restaurants were part of the experience. There was something special about sitting among all that food, with air-dried hams hanging overhead. I took photos of both the meals and the restaurant itself. It was the sort of place that made me happy to have stopped.
I also bought a surfboard in San Sebastián, and I was really pleased with it.
The photo probably gives that away. There is a particular kind of excitement that comes with a new board when you have a whole stretch of time ahead of you devoted to working, travelling and finding waves.
It felt like a good addition to the winter ahead.
San Sebastián also greeted me with fantastic waves.
After leaving Sweden in December and spending that freezing night in Germany, seeing the ocean like this was a pretty convincing reminder of why I had started driving south.
The plan was still to continue to El Palmar, settle in, work remotely and surf through the winter. But San Sebastián had already given me a beautiful stop, some memorable food, a new board and waves worth photographing.
A good start to the journey. Even if I could have done without the frozen night in the car.