Wednesday 28 May
Left Plymouth at noon, headed for the bar, ate and drank then headed for our cabin and slept like a baby until 8.00am the following morning – excellent start!
Thursday 29 May
Drove off the ferry and promptly got lost… Stopped an hour later at a BBQ area outside a village called Comillas in a sweat, hosed ourselves down and decided we needed a PLAN! Had set off from the UK with no particular destination in mind other than we had to be in Roscoff in France by the 20th June. Sounded very laid back at the time but in reality it didn’t work. Decided to head into the Asturias area and along the North coast from Santander and a campsite at Ribadesella, spend a night there and form aforementioned plan. Scruffy little campsite, full of nice Dutch campers, down came the rain, out came the wine! Also out came the maps, Lonely Planet, campsite books and more wine and a plan has now been formed??? Decided to move as weather has not been good here for quite some time it seems, just what we need really, more rain eh?
Ribadsella
Friday 30 May
Rained all night so up early and on the road to Arriondas and Cangas de Onis heading into the Picos mountains (Picos de Europa, jagged, deeply fissured mountains straddling Asturias, Cantabria and the northeast of Leon.) We drove as far up into the mountains as we could go (or rather the engine on the campervan would allow, it was very steep!) and the views were breathtaking. We were trying to reach Covadonga and its lakes but sadly didn’t make it. Did meet a very very large bull half way up the mountain whilst out of the van and taking in the views, only to be warned to get back in the van quickly – bull coming our way (or at least I think that is what the farmer said, it may well just have been that he wasn’t too keen on Brits!!!) Interestingly have seen no other Brits on our travels so far. Needless to say he didn’t have to tell us twice….
Left the mountains behind us and drove inland towards Leon where we had found another site to stay at – there are not many open at the moment – this one was 12km outside the city, so no cycling for me yet. Arrived around 6.00ish, parked up, had a couple of beers outside the bar in the sunshine (yet another scruffy place but this time owners very friendly) when the weather changed again - more rain. Getting a bit fed up with it but what can you do??? Went to bed that’s what!
Saturday 31 May
Decided (after night of rain and wheels slowly sinking into the grass reminding us of Glastonbury days) to get the local bus into Leon and have a look around this medieval cathedral city which stands on the rim of the Castilian heartland. Bus duly arrived and we made it into the city, wandering around most of the morning, suitably impressed by the 13c Cathedral which had amazing stain glass windows, there seemed to be more glass than brick! Also took in the Real Basilica de San Isidoro, a church founded in1063 – sadly we didn’t get to see the mummified finger of San Isidoro as that meant taking a half hour tour spoken only in Spanish – shame!!!
Lunchtime arrived and we headed into the centre which by this time was thronging with people, first time we have met crowds really. Had an “interesting” tapas-style lunch with lots of Rioja and then down came the rain again. Headed back to the bus station and a 2 hour wait for the trip home having a minor panic about which bus to take. Friendly lady talking at us incredibly fast, no idea what she was saying but pushed us onto the right one so made it back and am now sitting eating the cherries and bread I bought in the market. Really must make an effort to learn Spanish, life would be so much easier both here and in South America!!!
Up and on the road early tomorrow heading for Santiago de Compostela. During yesterday’s stroll we came across a fair few people with large rucksacks and staffs with shells on! They apparently are pilgrims who walk (mainly, although some are known to take buses, campervans or bikes!) along a track which starts in various places including the South of France and ends in Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. And they are everywhere. Apparently they walk from wherever, staying each night in hostels along the track, carrying all their stuff in rucksacks, which when it rains they cover with waterproof bags – sensible of course, but that makes them look like snails!
According to my Lonely Plant, Santiago is a beautiful city founded on the basis of a rather unbelievable story!! The corpse of Santiago Apostol (Saint James) the myth relates, was transported in a stone boat by two disciples after his execution in Jerusalem in AD44 and was buried not far inland from the present day Santiago. His grave then became a rallying symbol for Christian Spain and now Santiago has become a goal for Christian pilgrims from all over Western Europe. To an old cynic like me, it seems that everyone seems to make money out of these pilgrims but they seem a jolly lot and march along the track come rain or shine. We did notice that one pilgrim we studied on the bus (he probably should have been walking) had a record book in which he was collecting date and place stamps presumably at each hostel he stayed at - a bit like letter-boxing Doug says!
Still raining so going to bed!
Sunday 1 June
Drove most of the day towards Santiago through the mountains along a wonderful straight piece of motorway – not so pretty but certainly less stressful driving! Spanish drivers are fast…. Campsite very basic again at the top of a very steep hill but with good facilities, so booked in for 2 nights and promptly headed into town – a 20 minute walk away down the hill. Lovely old part of the city, mainly pedestrianised, quick look at the outside of the cathedral then back to the van.
Monday 2 June
Up early, blue sky, campsite full of Dutch, Germans and Italians – no Brits to be seen for some reason. Caught the bus into town and wandered through the streets again. Accosted by a charming lady who somehow managed to sell us a large local cheese that looked like a big breast (I assume you can guess the shape??) which cost us £7 (when we worked it out – gasp) Hope its as good as it looks but I have me doubts, so far cheese has been a bit tasteless. Getting a bit desperate for a supermarket to re-stock the food cupboard, but for some reason we don’t seem to be able to find a big one where we can park and do a massive shop! Probably because they are on the outskirts of large cities/towns and we try to avoid those!
Anyway, wandered through the cathedral when it suddenly filled to capacity (we should have realized something was going on but we are getting a bit slow in our old age…) and low and behold, a service started. Being all in Spanish not a word was understood and we thought after about half an hour we would try and make a quiet escape-no chance, doors all closed with tape across them. Having said all that it was very beautiful, the singing was excellent, so we stayed a bit longer then followed the nearest priest to an exit that was open!
Had an excellent lunch, shopped and wandered a bit more – like this city very much (for a city!) We are finding the 2.00-5.00 everything closing a bit difficult as we have no idea what to do in that time (other than eat and drink which is presumably what the Spanish do). Also almost everything is closed on Sundays and Mondays, museums, galleries etc and of course we always seem to arrive in interesting towns when everything is closed – such is life!
Tuesday 3 June
Decided to head into Portugal today and small, sleepy provincial town of Caminha. Read through some local books last night about driving in Portugal and some of it made us laugh (& scared us somewhat!).
Portugal has the worst driving statistics in the EU. Drink-driving is rife, motorway service stations have bars in them and lorry drivers are known to take a bottle of wine with their lunch before getting back on the road…. Reckless overtaking is the norm, across solid white lines, on blind corners, on hills and in crowded town centres. Posted speed limits are viewed by most Portuguese drivers as minimum requirements – while on deserted motorways you need to check your mirror frequently to make sure someone isn’t right up your exhaust pipe! On bends in country roads, oncoming vehicles routinely approach you down the middle of the road and speed bumps are dealt with by crossing to your side of the road to avoid! Right of way is something of an alien concept – vehicles zoom across roundabouts without so much as a glance – and the use of indicators is in its infancy. Parking restrictions are treated with disdain, people park absolutely anywhere and drivers are always happy to stop for a lengthy chat with passersby or other drivers at traffic lights, thus blocking the road! It goes without saying that talking (illegally) on a hand-held mobile phone while driving is considered a basic motoring skill…. What can I say, this says it all – I can’t wait, I may possibly be in driving heaven where there seem to be no rules whatsoever!!! I should think that whatever mistakes we may make whilst driving in this country will just blend seamlessly into the general mayhem that is an average day out in Portugal.
Drove through Vigo, the biggest fishing port in Europe (apparently!). Ended the days driving in Caminha at a campsite on the beach. Very sunny at last – windy but then you can’t have it all… Been gone one week now.
Wednesday 4 June
Drove all day up and down green valleys, very different from the countryside we have seen so far. Finally found a supermarket and now driving along with bottles merrily chinking in the cupboard! Very wiggly roads with lots of old ladies with hoes walking up them, followed by old men with donkey carts. Typical!
Ended up in a small town called Valpacos, very rural, at a completely empty campsite by a river. Again, very hot and sunny so D had a BBQ and we generally slobbed out. Have to mention that most Portuguese people we meet are not particularly friendly although of course there is the odd exception. They stare but then maybe there are not many Brits here, we certainly have seen none! As a race they are mainly dark and of short stature, getting wider as they get older, so I am feeling right at home from that point of view…
Thursday 5 June
Off again at around 10.00 towards Mirandela and Branganca, on a brilliant road through vineyards on either side. Both well and happy, although passing through large towns and cities always causes big stress – my map-reading skills being as crap as ever. Thank goodness for the SatNav and yes, drivers are very scary here, waiting on your exhaust to overtake on bits of road we wouldn’t even consider.
Braganca has a hillock above the city on which stands a circle of perfectly preserved walls enclosing a white medieval village, keep and castle, known locally as the Citadela – a must see we think! Sadly we are not here for Ash Wednesday (in late Feb/early March) when the local men run around town dressed as devils, whipping penitents. This was thought to originate from an ancient fertility cult when it was believed that pan impregnated women simply by smacking them. Now I have heard it all…… After settling in at the campsite we took a taxi (yes taxi, Doug whining badly at this point on the waste of good Euros….) to look at the Citadel which unfortunately we couldn’t get into but could look at from the outside, it being closed on Thursdays! Story of this trip really but we took ourselves off to a nice little bar/restaurant and had salted cod (local delicacy) and new potatoes to console ourselves before heading back in yet another taxi to the campsite, 6km out of the city.
The campsite is great, by a river, and covered in a white fluff which comes off the trees and makes it look like you are sitting in a blizzard when the wind blows. Everywhere is almost empty so we are loving it.
Friday 6 June
Today we managed to cycle 38 miles through the countryside, more by accident than design. Set off to explore a bit but ended up just keeping going around in a huge circle through old villages with houses that probably haven’t changed in centuries. It was extremely hot and fairly hilly so all the food/drink was thoroughly worked off! Every village we passed through seemed to have a bevy of small, dark, very ancient and fierce looking ladies hobbling about with sticks-almost as scary as the drivers!!!! The verges all had wonderful flowers, lots of lavender growing wild and more butterflies than you could shake a stick at.
Stopped for apples and nut bars by a river, listening to birds. Doug not spotted much in that direction, heard a Golden Oriole twice (which got him quite excited) saw storks on nests everywhere and today he thought he saw some sort of eagle but was driving at the time so identification a tad difficult….
Bed early, totally exhausted but a good day and lovely to go to sleep listening to the river.
Saturday 7 June
Headed out early, sorry to leave this place with its friendly staff and peaceful setting. Now off to Zamora back in Spain. Before leaving Portugal however Doug wanted to stop at Gilmonde to look at a roman aqua duct and more nesting storks. Whilst he was doing this and I was sitting with the van in a cobbled side street, a very old face appeared at the window, smiling broadly and displaying her 2 lovely teeth at me! We both mumbled a few words – mine a mixture of English, Spanish and French, hers presumably Portuguese. She then hobbled around the van, thoroughly inspecting it and with more smiles and waves, shuffled off to her ancient house (a wooden affair up on 4 granite stilts) – just wish I could have talked to her, she was obviously very curious and probably would have liked to have seen inside the van, but by the time I had thought about it, she had moved on. Frustrating - need to learn to speak Spanish properly.
Crossed into Spain and put our watches forward an hour, no border posts, you just keep driving but the roads do change almost immediately from not so good to excellent…. Reached Zamora in the Central Plateau of Spain, a fortress town on the Rio Duero, around lunchtime (when everything was closed as usual) so had a quick look around the city walls and its Castillo. Everything may have been closed but it was obviously a good spot for brides to have their wedding photos taken as we saw 5 different sets of brides and grooms wandering around with photographers in tow!
Now sitting at a campsite outside of the city listening to a local band rehearsing for something in the field next door – reminds me of Glastonbury a bit except that the songs are in Spanish and the sun is shining!!!!! Long drive tomorrow to get to Segovia, a World Heritage city, so lots to see there then.
Sunday 8 June
Happy anniversary Jane & Pete….
Left early and drove through flat countryside where you could see for miles and miles heading towards Segovia, stopping along the way at little villages – lots of stork photos. These villages are all beautifully kept, neat rows of vegetables and no litter to be seen anywhere! Stayed at campsite on outskirts of town with very small pitches which means you spend a lot of time looking at your neighbors…. And they sped a lot of time looking at you! Did a massive amount of washing and decided to take a quick look in town to be followed by a full day tomorrow – sort of recce. So 4.00pm saw us at the bus stop outside the campsite and heading into town. Excellent bus service 82c and run every 15 minutes even on a Sunday. Got off at the Roman aqueduct, a very impressive sight consisting of 728m granite blocks, with 163 arches which were once 16km long. At 29m high and with no mortar to hold it up it was pretty incredibly really. Lots of Japanese tourists milling around taking pictures of each other. Weather cold and drizzly, for the first time on this trip the heater went on in the van!
Monday 9 June
Back on the bus into town to see the cathedral this time, which was completed in 1577? Whilst we were walking around an organist was practicing and the acoustics were as you would expect in such a huge building – beautiful. The interior was a bit austere but included smoke excellent works of religious art.
Next we went to the Alcazar – all rapunzel towers with slate roofs. The tourist blurb says that Walt Disney was inspired by it and used the design for sleeping beauty’s castle but I couldn’t see it myself! We didn’t go in, weather now very cold, windy and trying to rain so headed back to the van, retreive3d the washing and did some research for next stop.
Tuesday 10 June
Left at around 9.00 (early for us…) after a good nights sleep, don’t get too many of them sadly. Drove to La Granja de San Ildefonso – a palace of the Bourbon King Felipe V who created his own version of the palace of Versailles. Huge place didn’t go in the palace but walked around the elaborate gardens which included 28 fountains all totally over the top decoratively-speaking! No wonder they had the Revolution, these palaces must have cost an absolute fortune to build and maintain. Weather still a bit nippy but next heading towards the foothills of Sierra de Guadarromer then on to the Navarre region west of Pamploma towards Lumbier.
On the motorway by 11.30- these motorways are great although pretty expensive; take you from A to B very quickly which is great for our purpose of traveling through large areas of France. We have decided that this trip will be spent traveling and bearing this year and last year’s trips in mind, we will plan to come back next year and spend longer in the areas that we really like the look of.
Arrived in Lubier around 6.00ish and a strange little man who spoke no English showed us where to park up. The weather has been very wet here so we have to be careful where we park or we may never get off again. It is a very rural site with only 3 other camping cars here, all “neddies” and us! We are situated in a gorge, river close by, raining again heavily by early evening. Were going to try and eat out but as usual the weather precluded this, the main problem with a camping car is that rural sites are too far from the town to go into at night to eat – more cooking for me….
Wednesday 11 June
Bad night – rained very hard for most of it and it is like sleeping in a noisy tin box (or rather not sleeping…) Walked into the village once rain stopped and Doug decided to walk 7 miles into the gorge for a look. I elected to stay in the van, a day off doing domestic chores and lazing around and maybe catching up on some sleep. Rained on and off but by 4.00 suns shining brilliantly. Doug saw lots of birds on his walk, griffin vultures mainly and a solitary red-backed shrike. Evening saw more rain, so ate in and bed early.
Thursday 12 June
Headed for Olite and a look at their stunning castle – which it was – but decided to keep going towards the Pyrenees, sunny today and very wiggly roads. Stopped for lunch at around 2.00 at a roadside restaurant – very Spanish, very nice meal and of course Doug had to drink his wine as it was included in the 10E price. So I had to drive over the Pyrenees so we decided to take the tunnel which was 5 miles long under the mountains. Not as scenic but much easier to drive and quicker.
Arrived on French side to equally manic drivers and more rain. They just sit on your back bumper and scare me to death, before picking the most unsuitable place to overtake and scare me a bit more.
Arrived at our chosen campsite to find that it was closed due to flooding so drove to a nearby village (passing through a lot of flood damage to both houses and roads to a village called Orlon Sainte Marie. As it was so wet we (and a couple of other vans) parked on the campsite road to enable us to be able to get out again in the morning everywhere very soggy. Still not seeing many Brits!
Friday 13 June
Raining again! Drove all day through Toulouse to Mouailles in Gaillac to a vineyard we stopped in last year and where we bought some fabulous wine and were entertained by very friendly English speaking locals! Chateaux Bousilliac. Had out first wine tasting and of course bought 12 bottles, mainly rose and white. Camped around the back of the degustation room in the same place as last year, so peaceful here, walked around the village after supper – as always totally deserted.
Saturday 14 June
Up and on the road by 10.00, found a supermarket in Rondez and stocked up on all sorts – love shopping abroad, could spend a lot of time wandering around shops and markets in France, their food is great and the cheese – well, marvelous. Dry and sunny today, maybe the weather is changing, still have heard no news of the outside world other than the football match between France and Holland (which we later found out that Holland won). Heading towards Lyon via Millau/Montpellier. Stopped for lunch on the motorway in an Aire – which are always nice picnic areas, usually clean and very easy to park le camping car in!.
Arrived around 5.30 at a small town called Largentier and what is possible the most hideous campsite we have ever stayed in – huge and full of campers but everything was clean and we had every facility we needed for a one-night stop. Did loads of laundry again…. Most amazing thing about this campsite was that there was a wedding in progress – didn’t believe anyone would get married at a campsite (or even want to!!!) but there she was, bride looking beautiful as all brides do in the long white dress, surrounded by tents, camping cars and caravans – most bizarre. They partied until quite late. Bought some viognier wine from the Ardeche region which was local to this area.
Doug spoke to Jo and she told him she was pregnant so I will never hear the end of his “grandchildren” stories now….. Very pleased for her though.
Left Plymouth at noon, headed for the bar, ate and drank then headed for our cabin and slept like a baby until 8.00am the following morning – excellent start!
Thursday 29 May
Drove off the ferry and promptly got lost… Stopped an hour later at a BBQ area outside a village called Comillas in a sweat, hosed ourselves down and decided we needed a PLAN! Had set off from the UK with no particular destination in mind other than we had to be in Roscoff in France by the 20th June. Sounded very laid back at the time but in reality it didn’t work. Decided to head into the Asturias area and along the North coast from Santander and a campsite at Ribadesella, spend a night there and form aforementioned plan. Scruffy little campsite, full of nice Dutch campers, down came the rain, out came the wine! Also out came the maps, Lonely Planet, campsite books and more wine and a plan has now been formed??? Decided to move as weather has not been good here for quite some time it seems, just what we need really, more rain eh?
Ribadsella
Friday 30 May
Rained all night so up early and on the road to Arriondas and Cangas de Onis heading into the Picos mountains (Picos de Europa, jagged, deeply fissured mountains straddling Asturias, Cantabria and the northeast of Leon.) We drove as far up into the mountains as we could go (or rather the engine on the campervan would allow, it was very steep!) and the views were breathtaking. We were trying to reach Covadonga and its lakes but sadly didn’t make it. Did meet a very very large bull half way up the mountain whilst out of the van and taking in the views, only to be warned to get back in the van quickly – bull coming our way (or at least I think that is what the farmer said, it may well just have been that he wasn’t too keen on Brits!!!) Interestingly have seen no other Brits on our travels so far. Needless to say he didn’t have to tell us twice….
Left the mountains behind us and drove inland towards Leon where we had found another site to stay at – there are not many open at the moment – this one was 12km outside the city, so no cycling for me yet. Arrived around 6.00ish, parked up, had a couple of beers outside the bar in the sunshine (yet another scruffy place but this time owners very friendly) when the weather changed again - more rain. Getting a bit fed up with it but what can you do??? Went to bed that’s what!
Saturday 31 May
Decided (after night of rain and wheels slowly sinking into the grass reminding us of Glastonbury days) to get the local bus into Leon and have a look around this medieval cathedral city which stands on the rim of the Castilian heartland. Bus duly arrived and we made it into the city, wandering around most of the morning, suitably impressed by the 13c Cathedral which had amazing stain glass windows, there seemed to be more glass than brick! Also took in the Real Basilica de San Isidoro, a church founded in1063 – sadly we didn’t get to see the mummified finger of San Isidoro as that meant taking a half hour tour spoken only in Spanish – shame!!!
Lunchtime arrived and we headed into the centre which by this time was thronging with people, first time we have met crowds really. Had an “interesting” tapas-style lunch with lots of Rioja and then down came the rain again. Headed back to the bus station and a 2 hour wait for the trip home having a minor panic about which bus to take. Friendly lady talking at us incredibly fast, no idea what she was saying but pushed us onto the right one so made it back and am now sitting eating the cherries and bread I bought in the market. Really must make an effort to learn Spanish, life would be so much easier both here and in South America!!!
Up and on the road early tomorrow heading for Santiago de Compostela. During yesterday’s stroll we came across a fair few people with large rucksacks and staffs with shells on! They apparently are pilgrims who walk (mainly, although some are known to take buses, campervans or bikes!) along a track which starts in various places including the South of France and ends in Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain. And they are everywhere. Apparently they walk from wherever, staying each night in hostels along the track, carrying all their stuff in rucksacks, which when it rains they cover with waterproof bags – sensible of course, but that makes them look like snails!
According to my Lonely Plant, Santiago is a beautiful city founded on the basis of a rather unbelievable story!! The corpse of Santiago Apostol (Saint James) the myth relates, was transported in a stone boat by two disciples after his execution in Jerusalem in AD44 and was buried not far inland from the present day Santiago. His grave then became a rallying symbol for Christian Spain and now Santiago has become a goal for Christian pilgrims from all over Western Europe. To an old cynic like me, it seems that everyone seems to make money out of these pilgrims but they seem a jolly lot and march along the track come rain or shine. We did notice that one pilgrim we studied on the bus (he probably should have been walking) had a record book in which he was collecting date and place stamps presumably at each hostel he stayed at - a bit like letter-boxing Doug says!
Still raining so going to bed!
Sunday 1 June
Drove most of the day towards Santiago through the mountains along a wonderful straight piece of motorway – not so pretty but certainly less stressful driving! Spanish drivers are fast…. Campsite very basic again at the top of a very steep hill but with good facilities, so booked in for 2 nights and promptly headed into town – a 20 minute walk away down the hill. Lovely old part of the city, mainly pedestrianised, quick look at the outside of the cathedral then back to the van.
Monday 2 June
Up early, blue sky, campsite full of Dutch, Germans and Italians – no Brits to be seen for some reason. Caught the bus into town and wandered through the streets again. Accosted by a charming lady who somehow managed to sell us a large local cheese that looked like a big breast (I assume you can guess the shape??) which cost us £7 (when we worked it out – gasp) Hope its as good as it looks but I have me doubts, so far cheese has been a bit tasteless. Getting a bit desperate for a supermarket to re-stock the food cupboard, but for some reason we don’t seem to be able to find a big one where we can park and do a massive shop! Probably because they are on the outskirts of large cities/towns and we try to avoid those!
Anyway, wandered through the cathedral when it suddenly filled to capacity (we should have realized something was going on but we are getting a bit slow in our old age…) and low and behold, a service started. Being all in Spanish not a word was understood and we thought after about half an hour we would try and make a quiet escape-no chance, doors all closed with tape across them. Having said all that it was very beautiful, the singing was excellent, so we stayed a bit longer then followed the nearest priest to an exit that was open!
Had an excellent lunch, shopped and wandered a bit more – like this city very much (for a city!) We are finding the 2.00-5.00 everything closing a bit difficult as we have no idea what to do in that time (other than eat and drink which is presumably what the Spanish do). Also almost everything is closed on Sundays and Mondays, museums, galleries etc and of course we always seem to arrive in interesting towns when everything is closed – such is life!
Tuesday 3 June
Decided to head into Portugal today and small, sleepy provincial town of Caminha. Read through some local books last night about driving in Portugal and some of it made us laugh (& scared us somewhat!).
Portugal has the worst driving statistics in the EU. Drink-driving is rife, motorway service stations have bars in them and lorry drivers are known to take a bottle of wine with their lunch before getting back on the road…. Reckless overtaking is the norm, across solid white lines, on blind corners, on hills and in crowded town centres. Posted speed limits are viewed by most Portuguese drivers as minimum requirements – while on deserted motorways you need to check your mirror frequently to make sure someone isn’t right up your exhaust pipe! On bends in country roads, oncoming vehicles routinely approach you down the middle of the road and speed bumps are dealt with by crossing to your side of the road to avoid! Right of way is something of an alien concept – vehicles zoom across roundabouts without so much as a glance – and the use of indicators is in its infancy. Parking restrictions are treated with disdain, people park absolutely anywhere and drivers are always happy to stop for a lengthy chat with passersby or other drivers at traffic lights, thus blocking the road! It goes without saying that talking (illegally) on a hand-held mobile phone while driving is considered a basic motoring skill…. What can I say, this says it all – I can’t wait, I may possibly be in driving heaven where there seem to be no rules whatsoever!!! I should think that whatever mistakes we may make whilst driving in this country will just blend seamlessly into the general mayhem that is an average day out in Portugal.
Drove through Vigo, the biggest fishing port in Europe (apparently!). Ended the days driving in Caminha at a campsite on the beach. Very sunny at last – windy but then you can’t have it all… Been gone one week now.
Wednesday 4 June
Drove all day up and down green valleys, very different from the countryside we have seen so far. Finally found a supermarket and now driving along with bottles merrily chinking in the cupboard! Very wiggly roads with lots of old ladies with hoes walking up them, followed by old men with donkey carts. Typical!
Ended up in a small town called Valpacos, very rural, at a completely empty campsite by a river. Again, very hot and sunny so D had a BBQ and we generally slobbed out. Have to mention that most Portuguese people we meet are not particularly friendly although of course there is the odd exception. They stare but then maybe there are not many Brits here, we certainly have seen none! As a race they are mainly dark and of short stature, getting wider as they get older, so I am feeling right at home from that point of view…
Thursday 5 June
Off again at around 10.00 towards Mirandela and Branganca, on a brilliant road through vineyards on either side. Both well and happy, although passing through large towns and cities always causes big stress – my map-reading skills being as crap as ever. Thank goodness for the SatNav and yes, drivers are very scary here, waiting on your exhaust to overtake on bits of road we wouldn’t even consider.
Braganca has a hillock above the city on which stands a circle of perfectly preserved walls enclosing a white medieval village, keep and castle, known locally as the Citadela – a must see we think! Sadly we are not here for Ash Wednesday (in late Feb/early March) when the local men run around town dressed as devils, whipping penitents. This was thought to originate from an ancient fertility cult when it was believed that pan impregnated women simply by smacking them. Now I have heard it all…… After settling in at the campsite we took a taxi (yes taxi, Doug whining badly at this point on the waste of good Euros….) to look at the Citadel which unfortunately we couldn’t get into but could look at from the outside, it being closed on Thursdays! Story of this trip really but we took ourselves off to a nice little bar/restaurant and had salted cod (local delicacy) and new potatoes to console ourselves before heading back in yet another taxi to the campsite, 6km out of the city.
The campsite is great, by a river, and covered in a white fluff which comes off the trees and makes it look like you are sitting in a blizzard when the wind blows. Everywhere is almost empty so we are loving it.
Friday 6 June
Today we managed to cycle 38 miles through the countryside, more by accident than design. Set off to explore a bit but ended up just keeping going around in a huge circle through old villages with houses that probably haven’t changed in centuries. It was extremely hot and fairly hilly so all the food/drink was thoroughly worked off! Every village we passed through seemed to have a bevy of small, dark, very ancient and fierce looking ladies hobbling about with sticks-almost as scary as the drivers!!!! The verges all had wonderful flowers, lots of lavender growing wild and more butterflies than you could shake a stick at.
Stopped for apples and nut bars by a river, listening to birds. Doug not spotted much in that direction, heard a Golden Oriole twice (which got him quite excited) saw storks on nests everywhere and today he thought he saw some sort of eagle but was driving at the time so identification a tad difficult….
Bed early, totally exhausted but a good day and lovely to go to sleep listening to the river.
Saturday 7 June
Headed out early, sorry to leave this place with its friendly staff and peaceful setting. Now off to Zamora back in Spain. Before leaving Portugal however Doug wanted to stop at Gilmonde to look at a roman aqua duct and more nesting storks. Whilst he was doing this and I was sitting with the van in a cobbled side street, a very old face appeared at the window, smiling broadly and displaying her 2 lovely teeth at me! We both mumbled a few words – mine a mixture of English, Spanish and French, hers presumably Portuguese. She then hobbled around the van, thoroughly inspecting it and with more smiles and waves, shuffled off to her ancient house (a wooden affair up on 4 granite stilts) – just wish I could have talked to her, she was obviously very curious and probably would have liked to have seen inside the van, but by the time I had thought about it, she had moved on. Frustrating - need to learn to speak Spanish properly.
Crossed into Spain and put our watches forward an hour, no border posts, you just keep driving but the roads do change almost immediately from not so good to excellent…. Reached Zamora in the Central Plateau of Spain, a fortress town on the Rio Duero, around lunchtime (when everything was closed as usual) so had a quick look around the city walls and its Castillo. Everything may have been closed but it was obviously a good spot for brides to have their wedding photos taken as we saw 5 different sets of brides and grooms wandering around with photographers in tow!
Now sitting at a campsite outside of the city listening to a local band rehearsing for something in the field next door – reminds me of Glastonbury a bit except that the songs are in Spanish and the sun is shining!!!!! Long drive tomorrow to get to Segovia, a World Heritage city, so lots to see there then.
Sunday 8 June
Happy anniversary Jane & Pete….
Left early and drove through flat countryside where you could see for miles and miles heading towards Segovia, stopping along the way at little villages – lots of stork photos. These villages are all beautifully kept, neat rows of vegetables and no litter to be seen anywhere! Stayed at campsite on outskirts of town with very small pitches which means you spend a lot of time looking at your neighbors…. And they sped a lot of time looking at you! Did a massive amount of washing and decided to take a quick look in town to be followed by a full day tomorrow – sort of recce. So 4.00pm saw us at the bus stop outside the campsite and heading into town. Excellent bus service 82c and run every 15 minutes even on a Sunday. Got off at the Roman aqueduct, a very impressive sight consisting of 728m granite blocks, with 163 arches which were once 16km long. At 29m high and with no mortar to hold it up it was pretty incredibly really. Lots of Japanese tourists milling around taking pictures of each other. Weather cold and drizzly, for the first time on this trip the heater went on in the van!
Monday 9 June
Back on the bus into town to see the cathedral this time, which was completed in 1577? Whilst we were walking around an organist was practicing and the acoustics were as you would expect in such a huge building – beautiful. The interior was a bit austere but included smoke excellent works of religious art.
Next we went to the Alcazar – all rapunzel towers with slate roofs. The tourist blurb says that Walt Disney was inspired by it and used the design for sleeping beauty’s castle but I couldn’t see it myself! We didn’t go in, weather now very cold, windy and trying to rain so headed back to the van, retreive3d the washing and did some research for next stop.
Tuesday 10 June
Left at around 9.00 (early for us…) after a good nights sleep, don’t get too many of them sadly. Drove to La Granja de San Ildefonso – a palace of the Bourbon King Felipe V who created his own version of the palace of Versailles. Huge place didn’t go in the palace but walked around the elaborate gardens which included 28 fountains all totally over the top decoratively-speaking! No wonder they had the Revolution, these palaces must have cost an absolute fortune to build and maintain. Weather still a bit nippy but next heading towards the foothills of Sierra de Guadarromer then on to the Navarre region west of Pamploma towards Lumbier.
On the motorway by 11.30- these motorways are great although pretty expensive; take you from A to B very quickly which is great for our purpose of traveling through large areas of France. We have decided that this trip will be spent traveling and bearing this year and last year’s trips in mind, we will plan to come back next year and spend longer in the areas that we really like the look of.
Arrived in Lubier around 6.00ish and a strange little man who spoke no English showed us where to park up. The weather has been very wet here so we have to be careful where we park or we may never get off again. It is a very rural site with only 3 other camping cars here, all “neddies” and us! We are situated in a gorge, river close by, raining again heavily by early evening. Were going to try and eat out but as usual the weather precluded this, the main problem with a camping car is that rural sites are too far from the town to go into at night to eat – more cooking for me….
Wednesday 11 June
Bad night – rained very hard for most of it and it is like sleeping in a noisy tin box (or rather not sleeping…) Walked into the village once rain stopped and Doug decided to walk 7 miles into the gorge for a look. I elected to stay in the van, a day off doing domestic chores and lazing around and maybe catching up on some sleep. Rained on and off but by 4.00 suns shining brilliantly. Doug saw lots of birds on his walk, griffin vultures mainly and a solitary red-backed shrike. Evening saw more rain, so ate in and bed early.
Thursday 12 June
Headed for Olite and a look at their stunning castle – which it was – but decided to keep going towards the Pyrenees, sunny today and very wiggly roads. Stopped for lunch at around 2.00 at a roadside restaurant – very Spanish, very nice meal and of course Doug had to drink his wine as it was included in the 10E price. So I had to drive over the Pyrenees so we decided to take the tunnel which was 5 miles long under the mountains. Not as scenic but much easier to drive and quicker.
Arrived on French side to equally manic drivers and more rain. They just sit on your back bumper and scare me to death, before picking the most unsuitable place to overtake and scare me a bit more.
Arrived at our chosen campsite to find that it was closed due to flooding so drove to a nearby village (passing through a lot of flood damage to both houses and roads to a village called Orlon Sainte Marie. As it was so wet we (and a couple of other vans) parked on the campsite road to enable us to be able to get out again in the morning everywhere very soggy. Still not seeing many Brits!
Friday 13 June
Raining again! Drove all day through Toulouse to Mouailles in Gaillac to a vineyard we stopped in last year and where we bought some fabulous wine and were entertained by very friendly English speaking locals! Chateaux Bousilliac. Had out first wine tasting and of course bought 12 bottles, mainly rose and white. Camped around the back of the degustation room in the same place as last year, so peaceful here, walked around the village after supper – as always totally deserted.
Saturday 14 June
Up and on the road by 10.00, found a supermarket in Rondez and stocked up on all sorts – love shopping abroad, could spend a lot of time wandering around shops and markets in France, their food is great and the cheese – well, marvelous. Dry and sunny today, maybe the weather is changing, still have heard no news of the outside world other than the football match between France and Holland (which we later found out that Holland won). Heading towards Lyon via Millau/Montpellier. Stopped for lunch on the motorway in an Aire – which are always nice picnic areas, usually clean and very easy to park le camping car in!.
Arrived around 5.30 at a small town called Largentier and what is possible the most hideous campsite we have ever stayed in – huge and full of campers but everything was clean and we had every facility we needed for a one-night stop. Did loads of laundry again…. Most amazing thing about this campsite was that there was a wedding in progress – didn’t believe anyone would get married at a campsite (or even want to!!!) but there she was, bride looking beautiful as all brides do in the long white dress, surrounded by tents, camping cars and caravans – most bizarre. They partied until quite late. Bought some viognier wine from the Ardeche region which was local to this area.
Doug spoke to Jo and she told him she was pregnant so I will never hear the end of his “grandchildren” stories now….. Very pleased for her though.
Sunday 15 June
Up early and on the road, stopping on the village which was a lovely old walled place. Bought some souvenirs a cicada, wall thermometer for the verandah at home, a Xmas present for Ann and a Picasso plate for me...) and some chestnut sacue for icecream (a local speciality) and Doug bought some chestnut beer.
Continued on towards Lyon and decided on a vineyard for the night. Passed a horrid car smash which must have just happened – lot of debris and both cars would be right-offs. No-one was hurt amazingly but they do drive incredibly fast here so I guess we are not surprised, only that this is the first accident we have seen. Weather warm and cloudy. Crossed over the Rhone river and ended up in Cave Du Chateau de Chenas – tasting followed and of course another 12 bottles purchased, mainly Beaujolais – Gamay grapes, grown in sandy soil is all I can remember.
Cycled 5 miles into the next village where they were having a fete of some sort by a windmill so we ended up buying local break making flour, another bottle of white wine and some home-made chocolates…. (Moulin a Vent = windmill) Cooked at the vineyard and played our first game of scrabble which Doug won (and I sulked).
Monday 16 June
Left 9.30, early for us) heading for Burgundy – Doug’s favorite. Stopped for lunch in some totally unknown village where Doug was not happy with either the wine or the price but the food was excellent. A very expensive lunch but I think it was well worth it although it meant that I had to drive all afternoon. We drove for another 4 hours on the motorway and on small lanes (SatNav takes us some funny routes sometime…) to Sully sur Loire as we are now in the Loire….. Campsite ok, weather cloudy and warm was amazed by the size of the Loire river, it is very wide. Stopped on our way out of Burgundy and Doug bought another 6 bottle of the expensive stuff.
Tuesday 17 June
Up and on the road by 10.00 towards Orleans (28k away) but hopefully will bypass it. Stopped and visited the Chateau Sully sur Loire, a 14c medieval fortress belonging originally to the Dukes of Sully – the first Duke being Grand Minister to King Henry IV. Typical fairytale castle, impressive.
Warm and sunny today now heading towards Angers to a place called Saint Aubin de Luigne and another vineyard night.. Duly arrived at said vineyard, had obligatory tasting with owner and promptly bought 18 bottles!!! This has got to stop.... Ate in as all the restaurants were closed, this being Tuesday (???), we always seem to be in the wrong place and the wrong time for food hey ho. Wandered around the village, a very beautiful and peaceful spot. Did find a campsite by the river called Stade Layon, camping would be exellent here right on the river's edge - to be remembered for another trip.
Wednesday 18 June
Started early and after finding a loo (the vineyard didnt have one...) stocked up in the local supermarket and headed towards Brittany. Poor old campervan now heavily laden with cheese, wines, olive oil, you name we seem to have it.. Sunny today and as usual when the weather is nice, we are stuck in the campervan. Have now reached 2,411 miles with still more to come. Drove all day and stayed at Le Point Chataulin campsite, run by Brits who took over 8 weeks ago. Jumped on the old bike as in desperate need of exercise after sitting all day, rode into nearest town which was truly awful - traffic hideous so didnt hang around. Back to campsite which was very nice, quiet and close enough to the Ferry for the following day.
Thursday 19 June
Drove to Crozon peninsula to Camaret and parked up by the sea. Wandered around and decided to have a really nice farewell to France meal - you know, the 3 hour lunch the French do so well - ending up in the Hotel Styvel - excellent meal, could not fault it... Sun shone too. Drove on to Saint Pol de Leon, very close to Roscoff and parked up for the last night. Walked along the seafront.
Friday 20 June
Homeward bound. Raining today so not sorry really to see the ferry and board.
All in all, a good trip, weather not brilliant but everything else was. Travelled nearly 3,000 miles which really is far too many in such a short space of time but we have done this two years running now and have worked out all the places we would really like to return to next year. Will stick to a small area in France around the Ardeche and the Loire next year and hopefully the weather will be kinder - it makes all the difference when you are in a campervan!!!
Next trip Wedding in Munich followed by 5 weeks in Thailand, Laos and Vietnam - bring it on!!
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