The Journey Here 🚌
Tuesday 6th July after a 5 week delay on the arrival of our new motorhome ‘Molly’ or (The Winnie Mobile to the boys) our alarm went off at 4am to mark the start of a new chapter in our lives. Our summers in France to be replaced by tours in Molly. Meg now onto adventures of her own, we are heading off with Jack to do a tour of Spain (and maybe Portugal as well depending on the CoVid restrictions) for the next 4 weeks. After only a week to familiarise ourselves with Molly we were definitely heading off into the unknown. Our practice run weekend booked in Devon for the second May bank holiday had come and gone with just the news of delays in fiat chassis’s and no delivery date, but now for the real thing.
We had a smooth run to Portsmouth and were surprised by how briefly all our paperwork was looked at. They spent more time looking at Winnies health certificate than our CoVid vaccine certificates or Jack’s Test paperwork.
Our crossing was to take from 9am Tuesday to 1.30pm on Wednesday, so we had booked a pet cabin to allow Winnie to come in the cabin with us, unlike the Caen crossing where the dogs stay in the car. A new experience for Winnie, but she adapted well. We had a fairly smooth crossing although Jack did end up with a little seasickness on the first evening in the Bay of Biscay having refused to take a travel tablet -he’ll learn 😂🤢
On Wednesday we sat at the front of the boat and were treated to seeing 2 separate pods of dolphins swimming in front of the bow.
On disembarking we were pulled over for a spot check of CoVid documents as it seemed not all vehicles where being checked, but again the checking of pets and their health certificates took longer than CoVid checks and passport control.
Our first stop in Santander was the Carrefour, and whilst Chris and I shopped for some fresh ingredients, Jack took Winnie for a short walk, both relieved to be back on firm ground.
We then had a 20km drive out of Santander to stay in a free Aire on the edge of a lake by the Nature Park Cabarceno. After a lovely FaceTime call with Meg, I served up trusty pesto pasta for our first supper and we toasted our arrival with a glass of Spanish Rioja 🥂 before settling down to watch England v Denmark ⚽️
Cheers to our first night in MollyMotorhome 😂
Sitting at the front of the boat today passing time and watching for dolphins
Winnie made herself at home in the cabin
Driving to our Aire
Walking from our aire
Our Aire for the night.
Onwards to Donostia San Sebastian
Despite a full Aire last night with lots of family’s and chattering during the evening, the site fell silent and we had a good first night, with the only sound during the night being the occasional rain shower gently thrumming on the roof.
We had a slow gentle start in the morning, learning the new rhythm of the motorhome – how we all work through the bathroom and shower, prepare breakfast, clear and wash up- all of us adopting a different role to share the jobs and work around each other – so far so good 😀
We let Jack get up and use the bathroom first whilst we had a cup of tea in bed 😂
Once Winnie had also done her morning ablutions we headed off to Donostia-San Sebastian a 190km drive along good coastal autoroutes passing Bilboa along the way. The landscape was unexpected, lush and green with cattle and horses blooming in the perfect grazing conditions, unlike the skinnier versions you see further south. The rolling hills were cloaked with dense woodland and shrouded by mist following the rain last night. The other surprise was the housing – unlike more rural spain this coastline consisted mainly of apartment blocks clustered around the small estuaries and bays between the enless rolling hills.
We arrived in Donostia around 1.30pm and made ourselves lunch before heading out to explore on foot.
The countryside between Santander and Donostia San Sebastian
Donostia San Sebastian
After a good night sleep in our second Aire, again although rammed tight with motorhomes was very peaceful overnight, and we awoke to the chorus of birds around 7am and finally a clear blue sky making it finally feel like Spain.
Our packed Aire taken while walking Winnie this morning
San Sebastian in the sunshine this morning where we walked to a coffee shop for breakfast for Coffee and croissant, then Chris did our first toilet cassette empty which proved to be a doddle, then onwards to Pamplona and Lumbier.
The beautiful city of Pamplona to the hillside village of Lumbier
Leaving a now sunny San Sebastian behind us we headed south east for 83Km to Pamplona. Away from the coast the woodland covered hills become forest clad and there is a similarity to Switzerland in the farmhouses dotted through the valleys with sheep, cattle and goats running the hillsides.
As we neared Pamplona the landscape changed again. The valleys became wider and carpeted with fields of wheat and barley, some now harvested leaving behind their stubble and bales. A few fields of sunflowers gave a hint of France, as did some of the stone houses in their honey coloured tones with faded shutters. As the landscape opened up gone were the apartment blocks that cluttered the coast.
Soon we arrived in Pamplona and found our Aire just for the day, which was located on the outskirts down a wide dead end road next to overflowing allotments stuffed with courgette, tomatoes, beans, asparagus…., fenced by hedges of lavender and wild flowers, a tethered donkey and 2 ponies grazing on the scrubland next door. From here we new we could access Pamplona by cycle path, but ended up taking a more precarious road route into the city having missed the designated cycle route.
Winnie in my bike basket
Pamplona should have been holding its annual bull run this week, but it has been cancelled due to Covid, but the old town was magical. old cobbled streets with 4-storey town houses packed with colour and charm, with their wrought iron balconies adorned with red geraniums. After a delicious lunch and a good walk round on foot we cycles back through the botanical gardens and found the actual cycle route back to the Aire – much more enjoyable.
The campsite I had chosen for the night was another 39km outside Pamplona, outside a hilltop village called Lumbier. We deliberated whether to stay at the Aire or carry onto the campsite and the decision to go was rewarded by arriving at a perfect site set next to a wide river with soaring Red Kite, swallows swooping for water and what we later discoved to be Vultures soaring the high jagged rocks, their huge wide wingspan marked by their flight feathers spread like fingers. Winnie had a well deserved swim to cool of and we could finally set up our tables and chairs outside and got the BBQ out. We found a butchers in the village and bought some steak for the BBQ for supper.
From Lumbier down to Anento (233Km)
So Lumbier turned out to be the gift that kept on giving. Following some exploration of the village a short walk from the campsite, we found a map showing us the route to a local gorge which is popular with cyclist and walkers. After a cooked BBQ breakfast of bacon and eggs, we settled Winnie into her basket and off we peddled along the easy gravelled cycle track that took us to the gorge. The route took us along a disused railway line that closed in 1955, consisting of 3 tunnels carved through the rock and spectacular view across the gorge and surrounding countryside.
More vultures took advantage of the high cliffs and thermals and rose majestically, soaring above us as we rode. We parked up our bikes at lunchtime and descended the steep trails and found a quiet spot next to the river to pass an hour or so.
On the route back we stopped at a visitor carpark and had and ice-cream, then on returning to the campsite took full advantage of the cool river for a swim and a sunbath on the banks until our BBQ supper.
In the morning having downloaded an App recommended by the site manager Jacqueline we found a route up to a hill top church which we decided to walk early before breakfast as it was due to be a hot hot day. The route followed a steep trail marked by beautiful crosses where passers by lay stones. I googled to see why and apparently it represents leaving your baggage behind, but local authorities don’t like people doing this as they have to clear them away – so no stones where left 😂
The walk again rewarded with spectacular panoramas and more vultures. but this time perching on a rocky outcrop just above the church surveying their hunting grounds.
We waved goodbye to Lumbier and headed south to Zaragoza (149Km). As we drove we became aware of these iridescent waterways zig-zagging with us on our journey. These man made canals fed into smaller trough sized water courses that networked this vast landscape carrying this precious resource to irrigate the crops. The landscape was vast and the roads deserted.
On arriving at our chosen Aire in Zaragoza we had planned to walk to the Carrefour and stock up on new supplied. We had forgotten that we are in Spain and everything is closed on Sundays. The combination of this and the 40degree heat made us decide to skip cycling into the city and instead looked for more rural Aires nearby on our many Apps. Chris found a well reviewed Aire in a village called Anento (83Km further South), so onwards we went and were not disappointed by the decision.
Unfortunately the lack of Sunday opening and the late opening of the only village restaurant (8.30pm and the football started at 9pm) meant we had to make use of our emergency rations of camping food so settled down to watch England V Italy in the World cup final with some boil in a bag meals and a bottle of wine 😋⚽🍷🍷
Anento to Bronchales (99km)
Following Englands loss against Italy, we enjoyed messages with Meg who had watched the final in Italy with Max and witnessed celebrations in true Italian style including fireworks being let off in the street and as it turned out in buildings too. Once we knew she was back safely in her apartment we had a peaceful night in this quiet rural village and looked forward to exploring the trails in the morning.
The temperature cooled overnight and we awoke to a pleasant cooler temperature ready to make the most of the routes we wanted to take to Aguallueve and the Castillo. We also added a detour up to an old Celtic Tower at the top of the valley to make the most of the views from both sides.
Along the routes
Agullueve
Views from the Celtic Tower back over the village with the castle above-
The Castillo
Coming back down through the village
Finishing our walk we stopped for coffee in the village before heading back on track to our next stop Bronchales.
The roads are magnificent.
Bronchales boasts the highest campsite in Spain at 1727m immersed in Pine Forests in the Sierra de Alarracin
From Bronchales to Alcala Del Jucar (231km)
This forested campsite gave us a brief interlude from the heat with the temperature dropping from 40 degrees the day before in Aneto down to 16 degrees making for a comfortable night sleep amongst the trees. This was the first night we managed to eat at a restaurant – albeit the campsite restaurant and a limited menu due to it being a bank holiday in Spain and a lack of fresh supplies 😐. We turned up to eat at 7.40 as we had checked to see when it opened (7.30pm), and were greeted with confused faces as the Spanish generally eat between 9-12😂
The following morning we made the most of the extensive trails throughout the forest and had a very refreshing walk at a fresh 15 degrees plus a cool wind – like being back at home.
On the road again I was excited to be heading to an Aire in Alcala Del Jucar (East of Albacete) that looked like a site not to be missed and the reviews were right 😲. We had a hair-raising drive down steep mountain hairpin bends that descended the steep gorge down to this small town on the Jucar river.
Views from the cab as we zigzagged down – 0n the right you can see the town carpeting the hillside:
The town rewarded us with its medieval Arab Fortress and 15th century church of San Andres, and its steeply built streets lining the sides of the gorge and the Aire was right next to the river allowing us and Winnie to cool off with a paddle.
Now adapting to the Spanish timings we headed out for supper at 8.30 to find nowhere opened until 9pm, but luckily the restaurant we had chosen felt sorry for us and let us in at 8.45 and let us look at the menus until 9pm 😂😂, then after supper we were rewarded by the town lit up in the darkness:
The morning followed our new routine of finding a walking route on our new App Wikiloc (recommended by Jaqueline back in Lumbier and it has been our best friend since for finding walking routes). Another great walk taking in the views over the Gorge before heading on down to Murcia for some rock climbing.
Alcala Del Jucar to a large rock near Murcia (La Panocha) (197km), then onto Cuevas Andalucia near Baza (180km)
Leaving Alcala Del Jucar the landscape was changing again. Now in the Olive and wine region with the pale silvery hues of the olive groves shimmering across the landscape and the darker green lines of vines standing to attention in the midday sun. A rugged backdrop of mountains hunkered down along the distant horizon following us on our journey.
Today we were heading for the rocky ridge of the Cresta del Gallo south east of sprawling Murcia. This ridge is punctuated at one end by the impressive tower of La Panocho (the Corncob). We had another hair-raising trip this time ascending up to a high carpark next to La Panocho for the night. My knuckles were white by the top as I sat clinging to my seat as the vertical drops next to the road seemed all too close for comfort, but the top was worth the drive. A stunning viewing point from the carpark gave us a panoramic view of the area and was even more beautiful when all lit up and twinkling at night.
We knew that the car park was not a designated Aire and hoped we would not be moved on, so when the rangers appeared we felt apprehensive, but they seemed more interested in a car parked up there and soon radioed police for back up. After much walking around this vehicle peering through windows and gesticulating, the owner then emerged from his walk and they all disappeared 😂
After this we thought we would be in a for a quiet evening. Walkers, cyclist and runners came and went as the evening passed. We had a BBQ supper and watched the sun setting over the viewing point and settled in to what we expected to be a quiet night. Not to be! At 1.20am we were rudely awoken by a car driving up right next to us and settling in for the next 2 hours with other cars following. Doors open, a stereo blared dance music out into the night, dancing, singing, drinking and generally harmless but loud fun, keeping us awake and slightly on edge for those 2 hours hoping no trouble would occur. Finally after 3.30am things quietened down and we finally went back to sleep 😴
We had planned for an early start to head up to La Ponocho and Climb in the cool, but we all overslept and woke up at 8am. Jack spent some time flying his drone as it was a hazy morning and quite cool, and we headed up to climb around 9.30.
We climbed 4 great routes over the following few hours, meeting a couple of other groups of climbers, and then went back to set off to our next destination.
More Epic roads and an awesome Driver 😉😍. All those year driving horse lorries down narrow country lanes with poor access into fields has set him in good stead for this trip.
Stopping en-route to empty waste at one of the many service points along the way. All set up for emptying grey water, toilet cassettes and refilling water tanks – all so easy and clean.
Our next destination would be our first Farm stay – an Olive Farm called Cuevas Andalucia, in the land of the Troglodyte Houses. Owned by Sam and Aurora who have been here for 13 years originally from France. As well as the olives, they have 5 troglodyte lodges they rent out, and 7 camping pitches. Immaculate facilities and a swimming pool 😃 to cool off in. His policy is peace and quiet and no parties, so after last nights revellers we breathed a sigh of relief and had the best night sleep since we have left, due to absolute peace and quiet. The other campers were all French and proper adventurers who stop here en-route to Africa in their 4×4’s with rooftop tent boxes. Made us feel like right British softies 😂.
The drive to the Olive farm and our pitch when there:
An example of these amazing houses built into the landscape:
We planned our day over breakfast and had intended on cycling to Playa De Frella with a picnic for the day (a beach on the edge of a lake about an hours ride away) but on getting the bikes off the rack, Jacks turned out to have a flat tyre. We spent an hour mending 2 puncture having removed a large thorn from the tyre and finding another small tear, but the innertube was beyond repair. We changed our plan and Jack gladly opted to stay behind with Winnie while Chris and I cycled to the nearest town of Baza, found a bicycle shop and bought 2 new innertubes (one backup). We stopped for a drink at a cafe as the heat was sweltering and then google maps took us on an extra long detour through sandy tracks that felt like the desert with air like a hairdryer, until we finally made it back to camp alive at 2ish and had lunch. We then settled by the pool for the rest of the afternoon and finally cooled down in the lovely cool saline water. despite missing out on the lakeside beach, we really did have a lovely day.
From Baza onto the Sierra Nevada above Granada (105km)
Following an incredibly couple of nights in Cuevas Andalucía we waved our farewell to Sam and Aurora and headed on to Granada, sad to leave the incredible troglodyte houses behind in all their weirdness.
The drive did not take us long and before heading up in to the Sierra Nevada we stopped in Granada to fill up our LPG and stop at the supermarket for provisions for the next 2 nights. All of these routine chores have proven to be extremely easy and we have managed to fit the seamlessly into our routes so far.
Once stocked up we headed on up through the mountains with the final remnants of snow on the north facing highest peaks. After some of the roads we had been on so far this trip, these roads up to our campsite Las Lomas, Guejar Sierra, was a breeze and rewarded us with breath taking views over the lake as we passed. The campsite was a well run site with large pool, restaurant, good facilities, shop and a magnificent lookout over the lake and surrounding mountains.
We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool and reading and then put a couple of loads of washing on and hung them out to dry.
We had a tasty BBQ supper of Dorado, new potatoes and salad and settled in for a comfortable night playing monopoly deal with our 2 euro bottle of Rose – the most expensive one we could find in the supermarket today 😂- I think its their table water of choice.
The following morning after coffee and fresh croissant from the on site shop Chris found a 6km walk on Wikiloc to the top of the nearest peak and we headed off on the 300m assent with an eager Winnie who had not had much walking in the desert near Baza as it was so hot and dusty.
The walk rewarded us we more panoramic views of the mountains, valleys and lakes, and took us through goat herding territory with wild rosemary, thyme and sage growing in the harsh mountain conditions and filling the air with the most amazing aromas. The sounds of crickets and cicadas filled our ears as we walked and the occasional distant donkey broke the air with its awkward Eee Aww.
We spent the rest of the day chilling in the shade and by the pool preparing for our trip to Gibralter tomorrow.
From the Sierra Nevada to Gibraltar (290km)
Today we were heading out on our longest daily journey yet (290km). We have decided to take a detour from the intended route of Cordoba then Seville (for the originally planned sky diving trip which we have decided to save for another time) and instead head down the dreaded Costa del Sol with the plan of visiting Gibraltar. Just because we can 😂
We set off after a breakfast of more of the delicious croissant with our coffee, and followed the sat nav down the opposite way to which we had come. We headed down through the mountain roads into a very pretty village/town with a water wheel and coloured bunting zig-zagging above us. As we headed on through the streets they started to become concerningly narrow and we found ourselves heading up a one-way street to the centre. As we neared the top we noticed lots of villagers just standing and staring, so I jumped out to ask for help and was told the only routes out were not passable by such a big vehicle and the only way out was back down the one-way street we had just come up😱
After helping Chris try and reverse in an incredibly tight space to turn around, I ran down the one-way street to the bottom in the hope of stopping the on-coming traffic so Chris could make his decent down the narrow single file lane. To my horror, half way down with no way of stopping it was a bus bigger than our motorhome making its way up towards Chris 😱😂
Feeling slightly hopeless and with Chris being completely out of sight I just had to let things play out, but tried then to stop the cars coming up behind the bus to try and prevent complete and utter chaos up there. As I was doing this I noticed another road feeding into this one-way system above where I was stopping the traffic, at which point I just shrugged and let them all carry on😆 and walked up the road behind them relieved to see Chris in the distance making his way down having navigated a way for the bus to get through, and the lovely man I had initially had a hand gestured English to Spanish conversation with, was walking down in front of Chris asking all the cars to reverse back down and let him pass😲 – the kindness of strangers. At the bottom, with much ‘muchas gracias’ and more hand gestures I jumped back in the cab and we headed back in the direction of the campsite and returned the way we came.
After heading round Granada we headed down to the coast and hit the coast road for the first time since Donastia San Sebastian. We drove through tunnel after tunnel cutting through the mountainous coast line winding along to Malaga. Where the original houses remained, they were pretty and simple, painted all in white and adorned with terracotta tiled rooves matching the colour of the burnt scrubland filling the space between the building and farmland. The farmland seeming to be mainly olives groves, acre upon acre of them with their shimmering silver leaves.
the prettier villages before it got ugly.
As we drove on past Malaga and onto Marbella, prime real estate cluttered the coastline vying for the best sea view, and where they could no longer achieve this at ground level they had built upwards in the larger towns completely ruining the appeal of the coastline. Giant billboards lined the road side shouting for attention and promoting shopping malls, apartments for sale, hotels, hair implants…..
Below and in between the billboards, roadside restaurants lined the way, treating their customers to curry, tapas, burgers, again the list goes on….
All in all it was busy and ugly and for a while we were regretting the Gibraltar decision.
Fortunately though the coastal chaos eased as we headed further south and we eventually arrived at our Aire for the night at the local marina 10 minutes walk from the border crossing into Gibraltar. This was a great spot for the night with the typical marina sounds setting the scene- ropes clanking on masts and water lapping gently against the jetties. A quiet business as people came and went or were doing maintenance jobs on board.
our first sighting of Gibraltar on the now quieter roads.
Once we had settled in and Chris had had a lie down after the stress of the costa del sol, we decided to walk over to Gibraltar for a look around so we could make a plan for tomorrow. The walk over was simple. We had our passports stamped leaving Spain and then had to wait for an easyjet flight to take off in front of us before we could walk across the runway and along Winston Churchill Avenue into town. The experience of arriving in Gibraltar was discombobulating 😂. We felt like we were still in Spain, but suddenly everyone around us was speaking English and all the signs were back in English (having neither heard or seen it for 2 weeks). We wandered into ocean village which was reminiscent of Gunwharf Quays in Portsmouth with its Wagamama’s and Pizza express and views over the harbour, so we headed on into the old town passing through some of the original stone walls and found ourselves a shaded spot to sit and have a drink. I am then ashamed to admit we did go back to Pizza Express for supper and sat looking out over the water enjoying the familiarity.
Our Aire for the night, and Chris having a quick break 😂
Our shaded spot for a drink in Gibraltar old town:
Our spot at Pizza Express:
The familiarity of Gibraltar😂, we stocked up on a few things:
Walking back across the runway:
Back at the motorhome to watch the sunset:
Exploring Gibraltar then off to Jerez (112km)
Despite our initial reservations after the long drive down, Gibraltar was starting to exceed our expectations. We had picked up a £1 tourist map yesterday evening and had made a plan for the day. We were heading over this time on bikes with the plan of heading initially East and cycling the full circumference of the island. We had looked at the cable car options and the Nature Reserve, but they did not allow dogs so we would be limited with Winnie along in the bike basket.
We headed across the border this time cycling across the runway and then followed the main road East which took us along the high cliffed Mediterranean coast line on the only road on this side of the Island. Some areas ran down to small beaches and were lined with pretty houses while other areas were rugged and wild. To continue along this side, a long steep uphill tunnel had been carved through the side of the rock to get to the southern most point. With the extra weight of Winnie in her basket and a strength disadvantage on the boys I found myself watching them heading off into the dark and a strong feeling of claustrophobia came over me so I had to get off and push the bike until I found Chris waiting for me around the corner and the end of the tunnel in the distance.
The Mediterranean coastline looking back North and then South towards the lighthouse:
Once out the other side we had a great ride around the South East corner to the southern point (Europa Point) and Trinity lighthouse, where the coastline of North Africa could be seen ghost like in the haze. The African coast was a mere 15miles across the straight of Gibraltar and it felt exhilarating to see it looming across the water. The largest peak is that of Jebel Musa with Ceuta to the East and Punta Cires to the West. This is the point where the Mediterranean meets the Atlantic
Once we had explored the monuments and war memorials on this Southern point and made the most of the spectacular views we headed back round the Europa Road and then Windmill Hill upto ‘Pillars of Hercules’ Viewpoint at Jew’s Gate. This is the entrance to the Nature Reserve and a host of other attractions we did not think we could access with the dog, but once we battled the steep hill up, we noticed a sign saying ‘dogs on leads in the reserve’, so we asked at the ticket office and they said we could take her in but that the Monkeys hate dogs and can attack them 😨. Luckily Chris was wearing my Backpack and I knew that if you wore it on your front you could use it as a pouch for Winnie so she could be away from the evil Gibraltan Barbary Apes.
These Barbary Apes are in fact a type of Macaque (Monkey not Ape) introduced to the Island in the 12th & 13th Centuries by the Moors from the mountains of Morocco and now live in packs on the upper rock within the reserve. Once in the reserve we locked our bikes up and walked up to St Michaels Cave where we had a well needed drink in the bar before the boys headed off into the cave while I looked after Winnie, then Jack sat with Winnie while I went into the cave with Chris. There are thought to be over 140 caves within Gibraltars Rock, but this is the most famous and it did not disappoint. It is proven that Neanderthal man lived in Gibraltar and may have first set foot in this cave around 40,000BC. The Limestone cave was vast and filled with Stalagmites and stalactites and had an area used for concerts and theatre performances due to its natural acoustics and auditorium.
As we walked on up to O’Haras Battery, one of the highest Southerly viewpoints we considered the labarynth of tunnels beneath us. There are 34 miles of tunnels constructed over the course of 200 years of history principally by the British army, within the land area of only 2.6 square miles of Island. They were started during the Great Siege (1779-83). Unfortunately we did not visit the ‘City Under Siege’ Exhibition again due to dog restrictions, but we enjoyed taking the skywalk to Douglas Lookout and then from O’Haras Battery took the old Mediterranean steps on the long steep walk down the East cliff face, through a tunnel and on round the south of the higher rock back to our start point at Jew’s Gate.
Views from O’Haras Battery, back towards Spain and then South to Africa:
The Mediterranean Steps:
All in all a great day in Gibraltar, we headed back to MollyMotorhome for a late sandwich and to prepare to head off to Jerez.
Jerez (112km from Gibraltar), then onto Playas De Luz near Isla Cristina just before the Portuguese Border (222km)
We headed off from our Aire by Gibralter at around 3.30 to head up to Jerez (112km), through Bull country. Wide open landscape with long horned cattle grazing the sunburnt scrubland. And lots of wind turbines too along this now Atlantic coast.
We had planned to stay at an Aire at a local motorhome dealer in Jerez, firstly because of its proximity to the Spanish riding school we wanted to visit (Real Escuela Andaluza De Arte Ecuestre), but secondly because it had great reviews from everyone who stayed. The reviews promised a warm welcome and a glass of local sherry. What more could one want 😁
On arriving, (they were expecting us following my email) after settling into our spot and going to borrow an extension lead for the electric point we were first welcome with a cold glass of cream sherry straight from the barrel and then a second glass mixing half cream and half medium to make a dryer mix. We then needed to go and have a lie down 😂
We headed out for supper and Chris and I both enjoyed a bowl of clams while Jack had a burger.
The following morning we headed to the Famous Spanish Riding School and home of the horse ballet. Sadly due to Covid reducing their show seating from 1600 to 600 per show we had been unable to book to watch the actual ‘show’, but instead went to the school and had a guided tour of the stables, tack room, grounds and were then able to sit in the large indoor arena and watch the masters teaching and training horses and pupils. We spend a couple of very happy hours there soaking up the atmosphere.
The lecture theatres and library are situated on the first and second floors of this beautiful French Style Palace designed by the French architect who also designed the Paris Opera house and Monte Carlo casino:
The Indoor School which also houses the stables and tack room of the performance horses:
The Tack Room was like a museum even though every working horse had its tack kept there. The temperature and humidity was kept perfectly to preserve the leather, and all the tack used at the school was made on site for each horse:
All the animals in training are Stallions, and most are pure bred Andalusian horses. All the mares are kept for breeding at a stud farm outside Jerez.
They also teach carrage driving in an outdoor school with its stables behind:
Following out lovely few hours watching the horses we headed back on the road up to Seville. More open land with lots of arable land as well as dry pasture with cattle and horses. As we headed on past Seville and towards the Portuguese border the countryside changed again to orange groves, poly tunnels and wooded countryside, starting to resemble the areas of Portugal we were more familiar with.
On arriving at our well reviewed campsite for the night we spotted a couple of other British motorhomes for the first time, and the campsite was very busy ( a bit too busy for us). It was situated in a beautiful marshy part of an estuary and very much reminded us of the parts of Portugal we know. The same marshy smell and lots of wading birds including Flamingo.
Jack cooked us burgers for supper and we walked out onto the marsh to watch the sun set.
From Playas De Luz on into Portugal and Casa Chicken Run (138km)
On Thursday morning we got up to another beautiful day with a gentle costal breeze which was very welcome. The plan was to do the 25km bike route Chris had found on Wikiloc, and then head off to Portugal.
Before we headed off we had a chat to the neighbouring brits who were also heading off to Portugal today and they had driven over the border on their motorbikes yesterday to check there were no issues at the border crossing. Although they said there had been a lot of police and military doing checks, there had been no issues.
We had an amazing bike ride along dirt tracks and bike lanes, through some local towns and then a lovely route along the beach promenade before heading back into another local town and marina to pick up the little ferry back to Isla Cristina, and the final push back to the campsite. As we were at sea level everything was completely flat so the ambitious distance on a hot day proved easy with a cool breeze.
Once back at the Motorhome we had a quick dip in the swimming pool to cool off before packing up and having a quick sandwich before heading off to Portugal.
We crossed the border with no sign of police or military checks.
We had already registered online for the autoroute payment so headed smoothly on past the junction we would have taken to dads if he had been in Portugal and on past Faro, Albufeira and Portimao to find our little family run campsite ‘Casa chicken run’ where we parked up in a big space next to some orange trees and a small pond with croaking frogs. There were chicken roaming around and a few resident dogs as there were a few long-timers here – all British. It was a strange mix between being in the middle of nowhere and in a British retirement community, although the retirees were all lovely and very welcoming.
Once settled, Chris and I cycled the short but very steep ride up to the local village and bought some provisions including some large steak from the butchers for supper. We then had a very peaceful evening in this charming quiet part of the world with BBQ steak and salad.
On Friday morning Jack and I headed off with Winnie for a walk while Chris had a video call for his Friday work meeting to catch up on everything at work, before heading on to Sagres for lunch.
Casa Chicken Run to Sagres (48km) and then on up to Quinta Do Rossi (109km)
We left Casa Chicken Run after Chris had finished his meeting and headed off to Sagres and on to its lighthouse on the South Western tip of Portugal. I had always wanted to visit the lighthouse and see the rugged beauty of this tip of Portugal but we had never made it on previous visits. This time it worked as a small detour for lunch so off we went through Lagos and onto Sagres. The Landscape now had more cattle, sheep and horses grazing and felt less touristy as we headed west and the temperature slowly dropped down to 23 degrees by the time we reached the lighthouse. This part of Portugal felt very rural and rugged.
The road from Sagres to the lighthouse:
From the lighthouse we had amazing views up the steep sided cliffs along the West coast of Portugal and after taking it all in we headed back and parked at the old fort in Sagres and went looking for a small local restaurant for lunch. Sagres is a real surfer town reminding us of many of the surfer towns we have visited in Australia and Spain. Whilst walking around its few streets offering mostly board hire, we stumbles across a small local cafe with a lovely menu. I had sardines, Chris had sea bass and Jack had half a chicken. All cooked to perfection by a very gruff looking Portuguese man on his brick BBQ and served with a simple but delicious salad. We left happy and full, ready to continue on up the coast to Quinta Do Rossi, a family run farm and campsite on the main coast road south of Sines.
We followed this coast road all the way up the West coast to our stopping point and it had long straight sections, then twisty windy sections, ran through small towns and villages and took us through lots of arable farmland with wind turbines riding the hilly ridges inland. The roads were often crowded with trees, their roots creating corrugated tarmac and a bumpy ride. A mix of evergreens from Stone Pine, Cyprus, Eucalyptus, Cork and Holm Oak. Inland the hills were clad with this dark green veil of leaf.
This Atlantic coastline gave us a feel of more Northerly climes with a wilder more natural feel. As we went on the agriculture shifted again and mixed vines, orange groves and polytunnels into the fields of stubble from wheat and barley already harvested.
When we arrived at Quinta Do Rossi it had a surfer / Youth hostel vibe reminiscent of those we had stayed in up in Queensland back in our youth, but the owner was delightful and showed us the available slots and made us feel at home. The Pitches filled up quickly after 5pm with Germans, French, Dutch and Spanish, all seeking a park up for the night now the new rules in Portugal prevented wild camping with the risk of a 200eoro fine. The pitches were surrounded by farmland and in the neighbouring fields there were cattle grazing with their calves, their bells singing along as they ate. A pot belly pig ran up and down his fence grunting for attention and wanting his ear scratched.
After a simple pasta supper we went for a sunset walk towards the coast to check out our bike route for the morning.
Saturday morning everyone left promptly to head to the beach. We got our bikes set with towels and swim things and headed off too. All the beaches along this coast are dog friendly as they are known as wild beaches, so no concerns with Winnie. We headed down our planned route and found a lovely sand and rocky cove full of rock pools and spent a lovely few hours relaxing reading and pool hopping in the wild beauty of this coastline before we became peckish and cycles another km on to find a café with views towards the port of Sines- container ships coming in and out, and had a simple lunch of bread, olives cheeses, some chips for Jack and a plate of whole calamari for Chris and I to share. At around 2.30pm we finished up and cycled back to pack up the van and head on up the coast towards Lisbon.
From Quinta Do Rossi via Sines and on up to our first Vineyard Stop (23km +110km)
On leaving Quinta Do Rossi behind, we looked for our nearest Service point and supermarket and found an Intermarche in Sines with a motorhome service point in the car park, so off we headed to empty wastes and refill with water and do a quick supermarket shop before heading on to our first vineyard stop at Filipe Palhoca Winery near Palmela (www.filipepalhoca.pt). In Portugal there is a scheme called Portugal Easy Camp (similar to France Passion), where farms, vineyards, and local producers can offer free parking for the night in return for you buying their product. At the vineyard we were going to, we paid 18euros for the night, which is similar to a campsite, and instead of getting free facilities, we get a safe/secure spot for the night and some of their produce which in this case was a pack of 3 bottles of their wines. As we have toilet, shower etc on board and can fill and empty free of charge at service points it makes sense for us to effectively buy wine instead 😂
View through the windscreen when parked up.
We had to arrive by 6pm (closing time for their vineyard shop) and as it was Sunday tomorrow they would be closed, so we would have the site to ourselves. We planned to stay 2 nights and have a chilled Sunday just hanging out in our own space.
Once we had arrived, been given our wine, told we could park absolutely anywhere and walk throughout the vines if we wanted to and explore, we settled in with a glass of the sherry we had bought at our stopover in Jerez. We then cooked kebabs on the BBQ which we had with new potatoes and salad and broke into a bottle of the vineyards Red wine.
On Sunday morning we had a slow and lazy start waking to a cloudy sky for the first time since Donastia San Sebastián and following coffee and cereal we headed off on the “Vineyards Garden Trail” which took us on an 11km walk through sandy trails of Cork Oak forest and vineyards.
Once back we cooked up some sausage sandwiches on the BBQ and sat around reading, blogging and also doing some invoices for work.
From Filipe Palhoca Winery near Palmela to Peniche (137km)
On Monday morning following our very relaxed stay at the vineyard we headed a few km’s up the road into Palmela to walk one of the old windmill trails. The walk headed up a well trodden track along a ridge with breath-taking views south through the valley below filled with vineyards and olive groves and watched over by the Castelo de Palmela. In the distance you could see across to the sandbar of the Troia Peninsula where Matthew and family have enjoyed holidaying, and then looking north the view took us across the river Tagus to Lisbon – spectacular views in both directions as we walked along this old windmill ridgeway, some now derelict whilst others lovingly restored to homes. The track was edged with the familiar herbs of Rosemary, Thyme, sage, wild lavender, honeysuckle and fennel all sharing their scent in the Atlantic breeze. We walked on past the remains of old hilltop peasant settlements dating back to 11th Century with the only historic Muslim praying room preserved in this area.
Onwards then over the river Tagus towards Lisbon although we wont be stopping on this trip as Jack keeps reminding us he hates cities 😂 (but Chris and I will definitely be back to this area). As we crossed the longest of the 3 bridges crossing the river, we noticed large numbers of people wading the mud flats presumably collecting shell fish and razor clams. Others had buoys to help them swim out to flats further out into the river. This work, bent double knee deep in mud in the baking sun looked truly back breaking.
We look forward to visiting Lisbon one day, but today we headed on North. The landscape Hilly, with clusters of white houses with their terracotta rooves nestled amongst these green mounds, wind turbines again adorning all the high points along the way often in sharp contract with the old stumpy windmills still holding their place. Vineyards created order in this rolling landscape.
As much as I marvelled at the wide open plains of Spain with its rugged mountains, I am loving the rolling hills, vineyards and windmills of Portugal. It has a unique charm I had not expected.
There are new Eucalyptus plantations shimmering with their silver green leaves and then huge towering dark Eucalyptus forests towering along many of the road sides. We passed orchards full of apples and pears.
Peniche is a hard working fishing town and in the busy harbour it felt a bit like Weymouth in the sunshine, but it is also known in Europe as having world class surf beaches, and Supertubos is famous for its powerful tubes considered to be some of the best in Europe. Peniche had once been an Island, but had now become connected to the mainland by sand dunes. This part of Portugal between Lisbon and Porto is known as the Silver Coast due to its 150km of exquisite beaches, and they truly are.
Peniche Fortress:
Here we were staying in a carpark style motorhome park (ASA Peniche), mainly for its central location, services and excellent reviews. It was the first place so far to request our vaccination certificates and Jack to do a lateral flow test on arrival.
We found a lovely family run restaurant down a side street for supper and Jack had steak, but Chris and I both had shark caught off the Azures, and they were the most tender and delicious fish I have ever eaten. All served up with a clam sauce, Patatas bravas, homegrown salad and rice and a lot of love and passion from the family who ran it.
In the morning we cycled around the 10km circumference of the Island to view all the coast line and beaches with a few detours on foot to walk on Papoa, a rocky outcrop covered in Succulent wild flowers and alliums. There was plenty of opportunity for Winnie to get out and run beside us along the sandy tracks. Sadly it was quite a calm day so no incredible waves for us to witness, but all in all well worth the visit
From Peniche to Caves Sao Domingos, Anadia (188km)
After our cycle around Peniche we headed on Northwards to Caves Sao Domingos as Chris felt we needed more wine.
Onwards through more of the spectacular scenery of rolling hills, Eucalyptus forests, Vineyards and orchards.
On arriving at the vineyard we had to work out how to get in. Due to Covid most places weren’t open except for bookings, so you had to phone through to get reception for someone to come and meet us. Again Covid vaccination certificates were needed and Jack did a lateral flow test for them. We were then shown where to park and had water and electric hook up which was unexpected, but nice, as it meant we could leave Winnie in the motorhome with air conditioning as they invited us in for a wine tasting.
This cave was established in 1937 and been producing sparkling wines, old brandies, bagaceira brandies and Bairrada wines, so it was a bit different. Our Welcome pack consisted of a sparkling Rose, a White and a Red.
Inland the temperatures seem to raise at least 10degrees so the very enjoyable 27 degrees in Peniche had risen to high 30’s here, but the village was very peaceful and we enjoyed a simple supper and an evening stroll around the village.
In the morning we decided to cycle the 3km’s of mountain roads that would take us to the Barragem Gralheira (Dam). Although it was a tough mostly uphill cycle through beautiful eucalyptus forest, resulting in a lot of moaning from Jack as he is still not fully functioning at 9.30am, but even he agreed it was well worth the cycle and the homeward trip was nearly all down hill and great fun.
Anadia on to the Douro Valley and Peso da Regua (150km).
It is now Wednesday 28th (a week until we head home) and we are heading from Anadia following our Dam cycle ride, on up to the Douro Valley:
The drive took us across bridges over large flood plains where the valleys were a rich lush and vibrant green colour. The large electricity pylons that often look like large metal soldiers marching across the landscape where being used as apartment blocks for the large storks. Their nests stacked up through the metal structures, as many as 10 on one pylon.
Having listened to a short Rick Steves Podcast recommended by Meg I had learnt that the Duoro river is famed for its wine production and more specifically Port (named after the Port it was shipped from ‘Porto’). The steep sided valley to the Duoro River is a patchwork of vines terraced hundreds of years ago and still mostly managed by hand as the terraces are too small to be mechanised. The many Quintas (Farms) all use their own recipes for their port, usually a mixture of at least 5 or 6 grape varieties blended together. Once fermented on site, the wine is then transported by river boat to Vila Nova de Gala in Porto to Age in barrels (where the climate is more moderate than back in the valley) before being exported.
The landscape en-route did not disappoint. As we approached the Duoro Valley we entered a patchwork quilt of terraced hillsides.
We were heading to Peso da Regua in the Vila Real area, as we had found a free Aire on the side of the river for the night. We approached the small town over one of its 3 bridges, and the location was perfect. Unfortunately the temperature were extreme (39 degrees) so it made exploring a very sweaty affair, but this was followed by a dip in the river to cool of which made up for it.
Our spot for the night:
We then lucked upon ‘The River Restaurant’, having been told the first place we tried was fully booked, and we spent a lovely few air conditioned hours there enjoying the incredible food and amazing service – would definitely recommend if you ever find yourself in Peso da Regua.
Heading off on Thursday morning to drive along the Duoro River before cutting off to join a less scary road to Porto:
Douro Valley back past Porto to Vila do Conde (147km) then to Fisterra (292km)
Having had our fill of the beautiful Douro Valley Views we soon found ourselves on the outskirts of Porto.
We headed on up the coast road to our next destination Vila do Conde to a free parking area overlooking the water for the night. Unfortunately as we reached the coast road in Vila do Conde, there was obviously a feud against the motorhome as there appeared to be signs with motorhome and caravans and big crosses all along the coast and the area we had been led to believe was a stop over on our ‘search for sites’ App was all cordoned off and being re-purposed. Just before this area there was a gravel area next to the lifeguard station with no apparent anti-motorhome signage, so we decided to take a gamble and pulled in and parked amongst the local fishermen casting off from the harbour wall.
It was a great location, but we were hoping we would not get moved on. Chris took himself down to the beach for an hour while I caught up with my blog. We then went off to the supermarket and Jack took Winnie off for a walk. I cooked a simple paella style rice supper and we went off to watch the sunset.
We had a relatively quiet night although the local fishermen did come and go all night to have a stint at fishing.
Morning view from my bed…
In the morning Chris and I wandered off for a walk with Winnie and continued our café breakfast routine with coffee and croissant allowing Jack a little longer in bed before we headed off on a longer stint North into Spain and off to Fisterra and The Cape of Finisterre (Finis=end, Terrae =earth/land). Many Pilgrims walk the ‘Camino de Santiago’ (The way of St James) to Santiago de Compostela, and decide to continue walking to Fisterra to find the sea at the end of the land. The first Pilgrims arrived in Fisterra in the middle ages, and those that arrive today can get the ‘Fisterrana’ an official document to say they have come here.
Crossing into Spain:
Drive on up – lots of forested hills:
and eucalyptus plantations
Across the large Estuary at Vigo:
I had emailed a popular Aire run by a very friendly Spaniard with good English as the reviews warned that it is a very busy site. He said as soon as someone left he would save us a space and true to his work when we arrived at the site he showed us to our spot for the night.
View through our windscreen in our parking spot:
The town was underwhelming, but maybe because of the heavy cloud. It was a little like Padstow in feel, but more run down.
An interesting British boat moored up:
On heading down into the town later for supper we hit the dreaded curse of Covid. In order to get into any restaurants, we needed our Covid Passports – which was fine, but Jack also needed to do a lateral flow which we could not be bothered to walk back to the motorhome to do. We therefore decided to look for a restaurant with outdoor seating, and found what we though to be the perfect one with some empty tables, only to be turned away because they already had their outdoor capacity under the new covid rules 😒. In order to sit outside we ended up at a very uninspiring place next to a table who’s kids turned out to scream through most of our meal and the waiting staff used the alley just behind our table for their fag breaks – all in all not the best night, but I did get to have fresh Razor clams and Chris had Cuttlefish, both caught fresh off the coast.
We finished the evening with a few rounds of Uno.
Fisterra to Outeiro de Rei near Lugo(183km)
We were woken up on Saturday morning after a great night sleep by Winnie politely asking to go out (with her quiet single bark), so it was my turn to do the quick Pee/Poo run with her before we got up properly, and boy was I glad. It was just after 7am and the light on the water was incredible. I wandered her down to the private beach at the bottom of the Aire and sat and watched the sun come up -just beautiful.
Chris and I then wandered down into town with Winnie for our coffee and croissant:
We then chased Jack up to walk to the end of the land along the last part of the Camino de Santiago with the other walkers, many whom had covered miles with their backpacks and sleeping bags. Others drove straight to the end just to look at the view.
The end of the land or most Westerly lighthouse in Europe made for a great start to the day.
Once back we headed to our next stop in Outeiro de Rei. First heading up towards A Coruna, then across towards Lugo. The landscape her in Galicia is quite uneventful and I have not fallen in love with it. Mile upon mile of forested hillside with a few pockets of grazing for cattle mixed in, but agriculture here is mainly forestry, especially eucalyptus.
Once we reached Outeiro de Rei, we found the lovely quiet Aire at the end of a street of housing. It was quiet clean and had free water and electric hook up and picnic tables out on the grass in front. Unfortunately the only downside was that it had terrible internet connection as I was going to catch up on invoicing and my blog. Instead I laid out on the grass in the sun and read my book.
Winnie on guard:
We cooked Kebabs, new potatoes and salad for supper before a final walk and bed.
After a very quiet night, guess what! Chris and I walked to the local café for our coffee and croissant – you can pretty much find one anywhere 😂, even on a quiet Sunday morning.
Once we had got back and Jack was up, we decided to take the bikes to try and find the Dam/Weir and then the suspension bridge that were shown on the map at the Aire.
We had a lovely cycle ride and despite a few wrong turns we found both.
At the Dam, we saw 2 kingfisher hunting along the banks which is always a treat:
At the suspension bridge there was a beautiful tranquillity as the water bubbled along through the mass of white flowers covering the shallow water.
Winnie was terrified on the bridge
All laughing at her expense.
Outeiro de Rai on to Molinaseca just passed Ponferrada (136km)
Following our beautiful Sunday morning bike ride, we packed up and headed on to Molinaseca. Pretty much sticking to the A6 all the way. This route took us out of Galicia and into Castilla Y Leon, and as we left Galicia behind the landscape opened up to make an altogether more interesting journey. We drove over Viaduct after viaduct and through the odd tunnel allowing us through this dramatic landscape without all the ups and downs that would otherwise have been involved.
Agriculture started to dominate forestry as we came off the mountain roads with the return of vineyards and orchards. Field upon fields of espalier pears tied up to wired supports and straining with fruit. My photos from the moving vehicle can not do the views justice.
As we approached Molinaseca we passed a sign saying no vehicles over 3m high or longer than 9m. We knew we were 2.95m without the satellite dish and 7.8m long plus a meter long bike rack. We kept our fingers crossed, but did not come across any bridge or obstacle to cause concern before we turned into the car park in this picturesque village along the Camino de Santiago. Our next Aire for the night. The car park was rammed with motorhomes and cars so we had to pull over to wait for space whilst eating some lunch. I finally did my invoicing and by the time I had finished both the cars next to us had left so we moved over into the 2 spaces. Now our vehicle was almost legally parked we could take a look round this seemingly very busy village. It was charming and had cleverly made use of the beautiful crystal clear river running through it to make a kind of municipal pool with steps in and out and beautifully mowed edges for people to sunbath on. We realised being a stopping point on the Camino de Santiago was not its only attraction.
We found a lovely Spanish restaurant to have supper at and I had a delicious peace of Hake and the boys had Entrecote steak, Chris’s with Foie Gras 😋
Following our usual breakfast routine:
We found a walking route along another part of the Camino de Santiago along a rocky mountain path that has been well trodden by pilgrims for hundreds of years, and has remained unchanged throughout that time. There was a magical light following the heavy rain we had had during the night, and the pale lichen frosting the trees gave an ethereal quality to our route.
Molineseca via Leon and on to Riano (211km)
More Viaducts and tunnels helped us on our onward journey towards Leon. The landscape flattened out into open arable land with wheat, maize, potatoes and sunflowers now bowing their heads. As we neared Leon the land became predominantly scrub land.
We stopped in Leon to use a service point and supermarket then onwards into ‘Parque Regional Montana de Riano y Mampodre. Here the landscape changed to spectacular. Mountain after mountain as we crept along the windy roads following the coarse of the river until we reached the dammed section high up in the park creating a huge reservoir/lake. A real feast for our eyes, if they have not been spoilt enough already. Our destination was a lakeside aire in Riano which I had highlighted on my map back before Easter when I started planning this trip.
Once we had parked up, we spent a few hours sitting out in the sun and then went to find a bar for a pre dinner drink before cooking up some Burgers and salad for supper.
From the bar:
Tomorrow we will be heading back to Santander to get our Covid tests and Winnies health check done before we catch our ferry back on Wednesday evening. I may do one last post from Santander if I get any nice photos.
Riano to Santander (204km)
I was not sure I would write another post for our last day of driving, but that was because I had not known what was in store for us on our drive through the Picos De Europa on the N621.
We crossed small arched stone bridges crossing the many rivers as we drove. Villages nestled amongst the peaks with their immaculate allotments brimming with Veg. Long horned cream coloured cattle grazed peacefully along the river banks.
Before long we ascended above the clouds and joined what felt like another world floating above. Here we stopped to take in the landscape near a shepherds hut where an old man was busy chopping wood and heading back in to stoke his fire. Miles from anywhere, but with the music of the cow bells floating across the valley in this other world of a place. A simpler life.
As we drove we passed villagers tending their animals – dogs, hens, horses, or their allotments full with leeks, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, peppers- a feast for the eyes.
Once we descended back down below the cloud we entered a long gorge, Chris described it as ‘Cheddar on steroids’. Along many of the high sides where nets to catch the falling rocks and protect the vehicles travelling below it.
On through villages with every balcony adorned with geraniums in full bloom.
Eventually we crossed into Cantabria continuing to follow the river as it flowed towards the sea. mostly pasture full with grazing cattle.
On reaching Santander we found the Free Aire next to the park by the University. We then took Winnie to the vets to get her return wormer and passport stamped and made sure we had all our paperwork for our return journey.
We followed Megs example and found a restaurant on the Fork app and wandered off into the centre to find it. We had an amazing last night at a beautiful restaurant tucked away with a delicious set menu, and then settled down to our last night.
In the morning Chris and I went off for our coffee and croissant and when we returned we got the motorhome ready for the return journey, packing up the bike rack and getting the bikes stowed back in the boot. emptying the water tanks and toilet cassette and giving it a general clean and packing our overnight bags for the ferry.
Onwards to the port for a painless trip through our paperwork checks and a couple of hours to hang out before boarding.