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Hello! I saw your post on Ruffwear fb page. My husband and I are wanting to travel europe by campervan with our Labrador and just wondered what gear did your dog Archie take? And what have you done with regards to his food? Do you have any useful links with regards to travelling with a pet (passport reqs)? Your pictures are fantastic and we are very excited to pack up and go, but we are still very much in the saving and planning stages. Wishing you all the best. Happy travels! Rachel

That’s so exciting! I’m sure you’ll have an amazing time :) We took ages planning everything too, and saved for nearly a year, and we’re still figuring things out now that we’re on the road.

In terms of specific doggy gear, Archie has a swamp cooler vest, the Approach pack and also a set of Grip Trex boots from Ruffwear.

So far, the cooling vest has been AMAZING in high temperatures up to 46°C in Spain. It cools him down instantly and I definitely recommend it if you’ll be in hot places, or if your pup just doesn’t slow down (like ours!). He’s worn it in the car, on hikes, and just chilling at campsites. It seems really comfy and very easy to soak with water, either off or on.

His Approach pack is great too, and he loves having a job to do, I think that’s his Lab temperament showing through, maybe yours is the same? Once he has his pack on, lightly loaded with Zip-Lock bags full of food, treats, water bottles and his folding bowls, he’s ready to go and will literally wear it all day. He gets a lot of comments on long walks too, and it’s really practical to free up some space/weight in our packs by having him carry his own water.So far we haven’t used the boots yet, except for letting him get used to them in short bursts, but as we’re planning some longer walks, we want to protect his paws.

In terms of food, we bought one of these food carriers by SimplyGo, which can be bought at Pets at Home, but lots of other companies make something similar. We loaded it up with the food he normally has at home, which lasted him for nearly a month (although he’s smallish medium sized dog so you may run out quicker). As it happens, we were staying with some friends who feed their dogs a different brand and we tried him on it over a week and ended up switching over, so when his old food ran out we bought a bag of the new brand and filled the carrier with it. Most big supermarkets and pet shops seem to stock Pedigree dog food, but they don’t sell a lot of canned food, it’s mostly dry, and I don’t think there are any other UK brands available that I’ve seen. I would recommend making space in the van for a big sack of food if your dog has a sensitive stomach or you prefer feeding a particular brand. Archie isn’t too fussy and will often have leftovers mixed in with his dried food but I still like to know he has a high-quality food so we don’t need to rely on finding supermarkets.We also have folding bowls for him (one of these from Ruffwear and a similar one from Go Outdoors) which save a lot of space and are easy to clean and pack away.

The only other things we brought for him are a couple of leads and a tether, an updated set of tags for his collar with the UK calling code on (+44), plenty of treats and of course his bed for the back of the car, but this was a bit of a luxury :)

As for the legal stuff, we just went to our vet and registered him for a pet passport. It’s really simple, all it involves is a rabies injection and the passport will be issued by the vet the same day. Don’t worry too much about having it to hand. I was obsessing about every detail on it, and so far it hasn’t been asked for once! But it will be checked on the return journey to the UK, so we will update the blog then.

So far, we’re just over halfway through our trip, in Sweden and he’s having an amazing time wild-camping with us. I hope this all helps, and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask :) 

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Puppy Makes Six - our canine companions for the week we spent house-sitting in Alicante. Milo, the black and white rescue galgo (spanish greyhound)

Ziggy, german shepherd cross, the boss

Pipa, 8-month ball of energy who is head over heels in love with Archie

Nice to run with the pack for a while. And by run, I mean lie in the hammock by the pool drinking margaritas. Tough business, this travelling thing.

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Los Fuentes de Algar - a lovely day spent in the mountains with friends, exploring and cooling off (sadly, pup wasn’t allowed, so he stayed home wth his doggy friends)

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After mountains, we headed for the coast, for the main reason that we came all this way south through Spain. Maddie spent her first stint in Spain living in Salobreña, just along from Motril. It's a beautiful little town huddled up on a little hill stretching down to the coastline.

We stayed in a gorgeous campsite in Motril for a few days and took the time to explore some of the places Maddie grew up around; Almuñecar, where she went to school, and Salobreña where she lived.

We even stopped in at Tropical Steakhaus, a german-owned steak restaurant on the beach in Salobreña. All of the steaks are served raw on a hot stone, where they cook before your eyes, more to the point, on your terms! A great way to eat, and definitely somewhere to check out if you're in the area.

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A panorama of the view from the GR07 between Capilerilla and Bubion, summer 2015.

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Whilst up in the Alpujarras, still a bit sore from the trek around Bermejales, Andy and Archie did a short trek along the GR07 from Capilerilla to Bubion, higher up in the hills.

The GR routes are great for anyone looking for long treks in Europe. They're well signposted, and cover some beautiful ground. Just keep an eye out for horizontal coloured lines on your adventures, and keep an eye out for the crosses if you feel you might be taking a wrong turn.

Trekking in Spain is so damn hot in the summer, especially up in the mountains where you can be really exposed. We definitely found ourselves missing the shady pine trees from around the lake... As ever, Archie's Ruffwear swamp cooler was a lifesaver. Despite the heat, definitely stick to proper walking boots as there are some pretty steep paths heading over the crests.

The advantage of being up in the mountains is of course the amazing views. From the moment we started it was stunning in every direction, and a great opportunity for some pictures.

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After our mini-break at Bermejales, we headed east towards the Sierra Nevada to another of Maddie's old childhood holiday destinations- the Alpujarra mountain range. The drive was stunning, through long tunnels and over huge bridges, winding round tiny mountain roads with vast wind turbines dotted around, sometimes even below our line of sight. We passed through Órgiva, Lanjaron, famous for its mineral water, and then settled in a campsite in Pitres with an amazing view of the surrounding mountains.

We spent our afternoon exploring Pampaneira, a small village way up in the hills that's found its calling producing these amazing heavy rugs, one of which we will now be carrying around with us until we get home. Such a beautiful place in an amazing setting.

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At Bermejales, we had a lovely Portugese couple living next to us who, despite his insistence on barking at them every time they walked past, fell in love with Archie instantly. They had a German Shepherd and a Poodle back at home apparently; what a combination...

Anyway, they left just before we set out on our epic tour de lake, and gave us some leftover steak for Archie’s dinner. Needless to say it went down a real treat, so although we never got a picture of them, here is Archie enjoying his romantic lantern-lit steak dinner for one. Thanks guys!

There is something strangely satisfying about cooking for your dog when you’re too tired to lift your own legs, let alone cook for yourself.

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So in Bermejales, whilst we were lazing around between the shade and sunshine, splitting our time between our camp, the lake and the pool (oh such tough decisions), we decided one day we'd take off around the lake for a walk to find a quiet spot to read. After about an hour however, Andy plucks up with "Hey, why don't we walk around the whole lake?". So off we went. We hadn't planned to be going off for a proper walk, but what was the worse that could happen?

Now, don't get us wrong, it's a beautiful walk with some amazing scenery. There's the dam at the top, and some huge storm drain infrastructure that's quite a sight to see, not to mention miles (and miles and miles and miles) of shady pine forests, all between the stunning backdrop of mountains that you get in a lot of Spain and the blue of the lake.

However, it's one hell of a long way. Longer than it looks, and we're pretty sure longer than they tell you. There are lots of hidden coves, which are great, but maybe not so great when they add another hour to your trip, it's 40+ degrees out and you've run out of water, which is pretty likely when there are hardly any places where you can refill.There is plenty of shade which is a real plus, and almost alien to us after coming through La Mancha.

We had an amazing time, and if you're tempted and feeling up to a challenge then go for it, but on a hot day it's a real slog as it is so far, and on the southern tip there's a pretty boring (and seemingly unavoidable) detour through a town with a steep and unsatisfying climb. But hey, we did it, so you don't have to now, right? We took photos for you and everything.

Archie had a great time obviously, rushing off into the water and running up behind us taking our ankles out with a stick in his mouth. His love affair with pinecones has reached new heights and as we collapsed back at camp just after sunset, having had no water for at least 2 hours, he was still running around with pinecones like we'd just got up.

I'm making this sound like we were miserable. We weren't. Let me be clear. WE HAD FUN. Just tired, hot, hurty feet fun... And the feeling of seeing the campsite beach as we came around the last cove? Indescribable.

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Our first night at Embalse de los Bermejales, we just had to pop down for sunset. We were not disappointed. There were goats and everything...

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Ever since we started planning this trip, Maddie has talked about a lakeside campsite she remembers from her childhood in the south of Spain. Bermejales is a lake to the south east of Granada, formed by a dam to provide water and electricity for the surrounding area.

As we packed up at Toledo, we turned on the radio to discover that there were fires in the mountains in the south, in some places that we're hoping to go to. Forest fires are a real problem in Spain. Everything is so dry that one spark can spread too quickly to control. We'd already had the sobering experience of seeing someone's camper up in flames on our way south, but we knew about that a kilometer up the road from the fires spreading up the hard shoulder.

So when we got in the car, we had no idea what to expect when we got down south. It was a boiling day, hitting 46°C at it's worst, so keeping pup cool was a big priority. We've got a Ruffwear Swamp Cooler jacket with us, and we figured it was time to try it out. When soaked, the water evaporates to leave pup nice and cool, and within minutes it really worked. We couldn't believe it, he wasn't even panting! Very impressed.

As we got closer, things were still looking very much like desert, and we were getting pretty worried. The last place you want to finish 300 miles in a hot car is in the desert. Then, lo and behold, the oasis appeared.

The lake is the most brilliant cyan blue, and the associated campsite is great. Only 17 euros a night for the three of us, with a pool, watered tent pitches and only a short walk from the lake beach, where everyone including pup is allowed to swim.

So, unsure if the mountains would be safe for visitors we decided to stay for 3 nights, save some money and get some rest!

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After Ávila, we headed to Toledo, which is very similar, just bigger and better known. We splashed out on a campsite with a pool with a stunning view of the city and spent the afternoon holidaying. Then, fully recharged we spent our morning exploring. It's a lot busier than Ávila, and I'd say proportionally more beautiful, but if you're of the sort to rant against the tour-bus brigade then maybe don't.

If you're like us and are happy just wandering around, taking pictures and not really going into places, it's great with a pup as there is LOADS of shade, but do watch out for cars on the narrow streets. They weren't slowing down for anyone.

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As we'd made so much ground we headed back to Ávila for the morning for a snoop around. It's beautiful, oozing with history, and not too overrun with visitors. Sure, our wandering was mostly aimless, but with so many miles behind us we were in no hurry.

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Panorama of the sunset at Embalse del Burgillo

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So, after leaving Bidart we took to the roads at an alarming pace. We'd planned to get to Burgos (homeland of queso fresco) but found ourselves with enough momentum to carry us all the way to Ávila, a stunning city built into an ancient wall.

We set our trusty Satnav TamTam to find us a campsite, and were taken to "Sonsoles", not a campsite but a nunnery. A lovely place for a picnic with a lot of shade, but not a place to pitch a tent. There, a waiter informed us that we'd be unlikely to find a campsite open as it was too early in the season and too cold.

Bear in mind it's over 40°C out.

So we carried on into the mountains towards Toledo, through Barraco to the first campsite we could find, another half hour towards nothing.

But, against all odds we found a small corner of paradise. The most Spanish campsite imaginable, with dogs running round, kids on bikes, and everyone settled in for the whole summer. It was like walking in on someone's family barbecue. The ground was hard as rock, but luckily we had packed a small dome tent which doesn't need pegging out to stay upright.

Just a short walk away was a huge lake, Embalse de Burgillo, where Archie could go for a swim and we followed. It was everything we wanted for this trip: fun for everybody, and not a soul in sight.

And then we took all our clothes off and jumped in. Archie started it.

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On our way down through Central Spain to Avila we came across El Monumento al Pastor, both a nice place to stop for lunch and a perfect chance for Andy and Archie to mess around and play pretend. 

Pushing 40°C in the car, and the heat may or may not be going to our heads...

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Week 1: Leamington Spa - Lancing - Dunes de Slack - Alençon - Pornic - Meschers-sur-Gironde - Bidart

We’ve had an amazing week beginning our journey south through France and stayed in some really beautiful places. We decided against taking any motorways (except for a minor blip due to a 2008 map) so we’ve taken the slow roads along the coast and seen some very pretty little French towns that we would have missed otherwise.

On our first night we slept under the stars in our sleeping bags, after a long, hot journey followed by a dip in the sea and a bottle of wine. The mist rolled in at about 5am so we were up early…only to learn that somebody had slashed one of our front tyres in what we thought was a quiet car park.

Not a great omen for the start of the trip.

With grubby fingers and the spare tyre on, we had a revitalizing pain au chocolat and a cup of tea and luckily found “100% Pneus” and got back on the road in no time. Other than this incident and then a small (ish) piece of plastic falling off Beni, he’s been a fantastic travel vehicle and we’re confident he’ll look after us.

Temperatures have been in the high 30s every day which has meant many hours sweating in the car and drinking warm bottled water but the relief of a cool shower at the end of the day is indescribable. We’ve powered through France and we’re currently clocking just over 1000 miles, fuelled by sugary iced tea and this song.

Archie’s been great on the long drives, and although sometimes he’s a little vocal on campsites, we can’t ask for anything more. He’s incredibly smart, inquisitive and affectionate, but most of all, he makes us happy and reminds us of what’s important.

Two days staying with friends in Bidart has been very welcome and we’ve been treated like kings: lovely meals sitting outside in the shade, plenty of wine and also a real bed. A big thank you to Georgie and Gerard for your hospitality and hours of patience throwing Archie’s ball for him!

Tomorrow, we’ll set out across the Spanish border and begin the long drive south to the Sierra Nevada in search of cool nights and lakes to swim in. Here’s hoping we don’t melt on the way.