Solo Overlanding Spain – Getting out alone and taking it easy in the Granada campo
January in southern Spain is a nice month, yeah it’s cold, it can be frosty in the morning but the days are generally crystal clear, from a photograph you might assume it had been taken in the summer but in reality the temperature might just be above freezing.
Solo overlanding Spain, not something that happens on a regular basis but sometimes you need to get out and about, take in the fresh air and be out in nature. A quick trip on a Saturday morning, coffee in the back of the rig, a bite to eat and some spare time, what more could you want?
One of the best parts about rural Andalucia is that you have great views and the freedom to drive pretty much anywhere through the countryside you like. As someone who has regularly considered a move back to the UK it’s solo overlanding that makes me appreciate what I already have, in the UK things would be very different indeed and not just the weather either.
Sitting in the 4×4 parked up on a hillside having just made your coffee gives you time to think, to be in your own head for a while with no distractions, as an only child this is something I appreciate from time to time and it gives you the opportunity to contemplate, consider and evaluate what is good in life.
Will I be moving back to the UK? Not anytime soon, I doubt it, no matter how many gripes I have with Spain and how attractive it would be to modify the Shogun without endless red tape and ridiculous cost in England there are simply too many positives from an overlanding point of view that sway the balance in the direction of Andalucia.
It would be a challenge to get anything like the above just a few miles from the front door if we moved ‘back home’, we also receive quite a few comments about the area.
“Acknowledging the good you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance” – Eckhart Tolle
The images on this page where all taken with the Fuji X100v, a camera that has been in the arsenal since the beginning of 2022, a joy to use and a pleasure knowing that the images you capture of the area will do it justice.
One thing that strikes you solo overlanding in Spain is the complete silence you can enjoy in rural areas and when I say silence I mean exactly that – the kind of silence you can almost hear… Getting out early to catch the sunrise and you can be completely on your own with nature, the local wildlife will welcome in a new day and there you are – right in amongst it.
Solo overlanding to some may seem like a lonely thing to do but it is truly liberating, you also have to take on the responsibility in that if anything goes wrong then it is your decisions and your’s alone that will determine the outcome of any event. It is complete independence, excitement and adventure even if it is only for a short trip.
Despite any complaints I have about the bureaucracy in Spain particularly when it comes to vehicle ownership and modifications the country offers spectacular overlanding opportunities in every region. My UK alternative may be just as stunning in a different way but perhaps with added restrictions and a lack of freedom to just get in the old Shogun and hit the countryside.
For further info on overlanding Spain and to get a taste of what to expect check out some of the videos on the K90 Overland Youtube channel.
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