From Asturias to Galicia - and a pilgrimage of sorts.

Sunday 11th October.

Yesterday morning we set off from Cangas de Onis on a cold and misty morning but the lady in the panaderia promised us blue skys in an hour or so. We headed for Cudillero on the coast and her prediction came true, the clouds parted and the sun shone, lovely. The drive was pleasant and we arrived after a final deep, twisty descent into the harbour to find the only car park 43.56424 -6.14755 packed with visitors to the pretty town. We finally found a spot opposite a sign threatening us with a €300 fine if we parked overnight! So we stopped for lunch and a spot of harbour fishing (don't ask) and then consulted the maps to find somewhere to park for the night, Porto de Bares looked promising so we set off. We left the province of Asturias, the "real Spain" the locals would have you believe and the occupants are proud of the fact that it is the only part of Spain never conquered by the Moors who were defeated and routed in ad722 at Covadonga at the foothills of the Picos. We crossed into Galicia and it immediately started to rain - "Welcome to Galicia" said the sign as the windscreen wipers were turned on. This area is known as Green Spain and it's green for a reason, much as the English Lake District is green for a reason. The coastline is stunning but we didn't see it at its best through all the rain.

The town of Cudillero from across the harbour:

 

We finally arrived at Bares, squeezing through the tiny village and negotiating the hairpin descent to the bay where we were told there was parking for 25 motorhomes to again be confronted by a sign advising us of no overnight parking 43.77174 -7.66774. By this time I'd driven the best part of 200 miles and there was no way I was driving any further so we parked up and walked over to the beachfront bar which had half a dozen customers and we received a somewhat chilly reception. Half an hour later a German couple arrived in their brand new Motorhome and after a chat they decided they would also stay the night, safety in numbers they thought. Finally, just as it was getting dark, a massive Winnebago arrived, I have no idea how he drove through the village but within minutes the sides were slid out and the generator switched on. Fortunately he turned the gennie off before we went to bed but he woke us up with it this morning, grrrr. Anyway we survived the night without being moved on. Bares is a lovely place with a sandy bay and pine forests above on three sides and in the summer it would be an ideal holiday location, unfortunately nothing was bathed in sunshine whilst we were there.

The sandy bay at Porto de Bares:

 

This morning we set off for A Coruna just 80 miles away through mostly pine forests and the first 20 miles or so we drove through thick fog at about 500m elevation but as we dropped down the fog disappeared and the sun tried bravely to break through. Unfortunately it didn't try hard enough and it soon started raining again. We arrived at the city with both Sat Navs agreeing on the route we should take, which is unusual, and things were going well despite a whole load of traffic until we arrived at a police diversion because of a city fun run. Several detours and we finally arrived at our parking place, a little west of the city and overlooking the tiny port of O Portino 43.37167 -8.44444 there's nothing here apart from a bar/restaurant with no food. But we have plenty of food and the sun is just breaking through at 6pm so we'll stay the night and explore further down the coast tomorrow. Mind, we've just discovered that tomorrow is National Day and a public holiday and as I don't have too much diesel and I expect the garages will be closed we won't be going too far. Maybe Santiago de Compostela?

It's 9pm now and it started raining again at 6.05pm and shows no sign of letting up. I've just read that the Galacians have more than 100 words to describe different kinds of rain. Says it all really. I'd describe this as p*****g down.

Monday 12th October.

We decided this morning that we would visit Santiago and we found an open garage on the way. We arrived here at a large Motorhome parking area 42.89518 -8.53281 and after some lunch headed off for the town, it's only a walk of a couple of kilometres but downhill all the way which didn't bode well for the return journey. However our walk to the cathedral was nothing compared to the pilgrims route, the Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) which originated in the 9th Century after Pelayo, a religious hermit, unearthed the tomb of St James the Apostle who had been brought back to Galicia by stone boat after his death in Palestine. Compostela became the most important destination for Christians after Rome and Jerusalem. The 11th and 12th centuries marked the pilgrimage's heyday, the Reformation just about saw off Catholic pilgrimages but now a revival of the route sees over 150,000 folk each year walking or cycling the route. Their are many caminos to Santiago but the most popular is the 780km route from the French Pyrenees taking five weeks to walk or a fortnight to cycle however you still get a certificate if you walk the minimum distance of 100km although you don't get such a large chunk of purgatory knocked off.

The cathedral itself is stunning although the main entrance is undergoing renovation and so is covered in scaffolding which means that the 200 Romanesque sculptures depicting major figures from the old and the new testaments are not visible. We joined the pilgrims and queued to ascend the staircase to kiss or embrace the 13th century statue of the Santiago - not having walked the best part of 800km for the privilege I felt a bit of a fraud so just gave him a friendly nod and a pat on the shoulder - and then descended to the saint's tomb.

The area around the Cathedral is full of tourist shops selling all sorts of religious tat and jewellery shops selling very expensive non-tat but we explored the narrow streets of the old medieval city before completing our pilgrimage back to the car park.

The main altar:

Even the side chapels are impressive:

 

 

 

Entrance to Casa da Conga:

After a fortnight away we need a washing machine! So it's a campsite for us tomorrow and maybe the next couple of days before a little more exploration of the Galician coastline and then - Portugal beckons.

Pat

 

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Amazing buildings and spectacular scenery.

Friday 9th October.

Yesterday we stopped at Comillas and what a delight it was despite the fact that motorhomes are not really welcomed. We pulled onto a massive car park above the wide sandy beach with plenty of "No Motorhomes" signs and despite the fact that the Guardia Civil station was opposite we parked up and set off for the tourist information office. We wanted to visit the town to see a building designed and built by Antoni Gaudi, one of his earliest commissions and one of only three examples of his work outside Catalonia. The tourist info lady provided a map of the town and suggested a few other places we might like to visit so,suitably equipped, we moved the van to an empty car park 43.38866 -4.29274 with no restrictive signs and headed back to the old part of town. The menu del dia was tempting at a few of the restaurants and after a delicious meal we set off for Capricho De Gaudi. A small palace built for Maximo Diaz de Quijano, a young lawyer who dealt with the legal affairs of the Marquis of Camillas and other Spaniards who, like himself, had made their fortunes in South America and Cuba. The building has all the hallmarks we expect from the genius Gaudi but, perhaps, without the flamboyance to be seen in his later work in Barcelona. Colourful ceramics, the use of different woods, stained glass, the attention to detail and the understanding of natural light throughout the day and the seasons are all here, above all this feels like a house to be lived in. Unfortunately Maximo, considered something of a bohemian at the time, died before the building was finished.

The spiral staircase leading down from....

The attic

But this example of the early work of a true genius was not the only delight in this pretty town. The Sobrellano Palace and accompanying memorial chapel were also impressive. A neo-gothic style palace commissioned by the Marquis of Comillas, Don Antonio Lopez y Lopez and designed by Joan Martotell, no expense was spared in the construction of this building designed as a summer residence for the marquis and the Royal Family. The stone carvings, stained glass and the fireplaces, designed by Cristobal Cascante were particularly impressive.

Detail

The memorial chapel was completed in just two years and conceived as a Cathedral on a smaller scale and incorporates a girola housing the family mausoleum. The pews and the confessional were designed by Gaudi.

The chapel:

Designed by Gaudi:

Not bad for a last resting place:

Today the Parque National de Los Picos de Europe beckoned. Covering 647 sq km and including three massifs, the highest reaching over 2,600 metres we couldn't pass by without a peek (as opposed to a peak). There are no passes through the whole area and we were undecided which way to go so drove along the northern edge on the AS-114, which was a stunning drive in itself, to the town of Cangas de Onis. There the young lady in the tourist information office came up trumps again, advising us which road to take to the two lakes (we'd call them tarns) at Pedro Pidal. We were lucky, from tomorrow the roads will be closed for repair and maintenance. The weather today has been glorious, sunshine and blue skies and not a cloud to be seen so the views were stupendous. The road ends at 1,100 metres and on occasions it was a bit scary with a few naughty hairpins and motorists who seem unaware of the width of their vehicles but we reached the lakes without incident and sat on the lakes edge breathing the freshest, sweetest air. Of course, we've only scratched the surface of this magnificent National Park, we met a couple today by the lake who were from Harrogate and were travelling by motorcycle and had spent a week in the area. The drive back down wasn't as enjoyable as the brakes started overheating - "What's that smell" said Phil, "Smells like somethings burning". - "Just the brakes, darling - nothing to worry about." Halfway down I managed to find somewhere to pull over for a while and let them cool down before we completed the descent.

The views:

The lake:

 

Oh no! A selfy:

Afterwards we returned to Cangas de Onis where the Mayor has kindly provided 4 parking spaces in the massive car park for motorhomes with fresh water 43.35225 -5.12554. Unfortunately he possibly underestimated the demand as there are currently 12 vans in the car park and a few more at the bottom of the road.

Tomorrow our plan was to head north again to the coast but the weather forecast is appalling for the next few days in all directions so we are unsure. I think we need somewhere with a few museums.

Pat

 

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Spain

Wednesday 7th October.

Yesterday we spent at San Sebastián with mixed fortunes. We left Capbreton in the morning in warm, humid weather, we stopped a little south of Bordeaux for coffee, the sun came out and it was glorious. Arriving in San Sebastián it clouded over and a few spots of rain fell but undeterred we set off for the old town which is a brisk hour's walk from our parking place 43.30789 -2.01453. San Sebastián is one of our favourite cities, the broad boulevards contrast perfectly with the old town and the curving, sandy beach is the icing on the cake, together with lots of pedestrianised areas and cycle paths it really is a pleasure to explore. But yesterday we were focused on finding the tastiest Pintxos, which is the Basque take on Tapas. According to tradition each offering should be no more than two mouthfuls so we shared four in the first bar, four in the second and two in the third with a cheesecake and coffee to finish, a small beer (Solitos) in each bar which is only maybe 10 or 15 cl is just enough. The whole experience cost about €35 for the two of us and we ate nothing for the rest of the day. We dodged the showers as we moved from bar to bar but this was just a taste of what followed. We bought an umbrella and then the wind got up and it absolutely tipped it down. The brolly was trashed in about fifteen minutes and ended up in a dustbin and by the time we got back to the van we were like drowned rats; our jeans and trainers are still drying out!

A couple of views of the bay at San Sebastián (note the gathering storm clouds!)

We set off today following the coastline and stopped first at Zumaia and would you believe it we were parked next to the river. Out came the fishing rod and a pleasant hour was spent catching........nothing. Along the coast to Deba, then Ondarroa, onwards to Lekeitio then inland dropping down to Gernica by which time I was running on fumes. The SatNav directed me to a fuel station just as the warning light came on - phew, that was lucky. Back up the road to Bermeo where we are now parked up for the night having got the last but one Motorhome parking space 43.42299 -2.72561. Only a few showers today and the forecast is looking better as we get toward the end of the week by which time we will be at the Picos mountains. We'd semi-planned a route but discovered yesterday that the snow line starts at 500metres and it's recommended that we call at Camgas de Onis to check the route before we set off so that's what we'll do. But before that we have Comillas to visit tomorrow.

Pat

 

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Vineyards, Sand Dunes and - a storm?

Monday 5th October.

What's not to like about stopping in a French vineyard courtesy of the France Passion scheme? Well, nothing really apart from the weather. The last couple of days we've stopped at Chateau Bonhoste in Aquitaine 44.80121 -0.12489 about 15 kilometres south of Libourne and the weather has been a bit dreek but we tasted, and bought, some delicious wine and just chilled for a couple of days. We arrived a little later than anticipated due to a coordinate situation! Once again I managed to enter the details for east of the Greenwich meridian rather than west which wasn't too dramatic and only involved another thirty minutes driving through a torrential rainstorm unlike the time I did the same thing in Spain a couple of years ago which involved about four hours extra driving. Anyway we'll be west for some time now so we should be ok. The vineyard welcomes motorhomers and provides us with spotlessly clean toilets and showers and free WiFi which meant I was able to watch Arsenal fillet Man U yesterday. It wasn't the best WiFi so it was a bit like watching a game of underwater football but I managed to see the goals and an impressive second half defensive display. Mind, the aggression and rivalry is a little lacking from yesteryear so here's a pic to remind you all of the good old days.

 

I went out for a final look at the stars last night (euphemism alert) and nearly trod on what I at first thought was a brightly coloured reptile. In fact it was a fire salamander like this guy here.

 

I've never seen one before and shouted to Phil to come and have a look but as she was snug in bed she declined.

This evening we are parked up at Capbreton 43.63663 -1.44702 about 40 kilometres north of Bayonne. We are in a car park for camping cars beneath the dunes and we've just come back from a walk along the long, wide, sandy beach complete with big waves and, of course, the surfer boys and girls. We left in the rain this morning but as we drove further south the clouds broke up and it became warmer and warmer so I'm back in T shirts and shorts. Mind, the sea is pretty chilly.

The beach at Capbreton:

 

We haven't had a sunset pic for a while:

And here we are all safely tucked up for the night:

The lass has just called round for our payment (€8 which is reasonable) and as there are some big black clouds about I asked her if it might rain. She told me to expect heavy rain, thunder and lightning tonight!! Hatches will be battened.

This is our last day in France, tomorrow we are heading for San Sebastián and a feast of Pintxo washed down with a Solito or two.

Pat

 

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Three points and into second place.

Pat

 

 

 

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No luck with the fish!

Friday 2nd October.

We are parked up tonight in the tiny, pretty village of Rom, 46.29120 0.11403 about 50kms south west of Poitiers. We didn't intend to stop here, our plan was to spend the night in Couhe but the parking area allocated to camping cars was pretty scruffy and the services were filthy. It also had the feel of the kind of car park that would be full of boy racers later in the evening. So we had a pot of tea, consulted the map and set off for Rom, just a ten minute drive away and we're glad we did. The village boasts a museum displaying artefacts and the history of Roman activity and settlement in the area, it's mostly directed toward school children but we gladly paid our €4 each which included a map in English showing a walk around the village where we could see the Roman baths and other significant features. There is also a graveyard in the village which is a sombre reminder of events in the area over seventy years ago. Driving through Normandy we see many cemeteries where allied servicemen are buried and we always find them to be emotional places to visit but the events here were particularly horrific and still upsetting even after the passing of so many years.

 

We're parked between a basketball court and a boules pitch. I doubt whether the village could muster enough kids for a one on one and the four elderly boules players had to go home for their tea at six o'clock so it's peaceful now and I suspect it will be until the dawn chorus commences at silly o'clock in the morning.

Last night we stayed at La Suze-sur-Sarthe, 47.88932 0.03058 we've stayed there three times before as it's a natural stop off point on the way south but also because we can park overlooking the river and it's a pretty little town with a great Boulangerie. Parking next to the river I had to test my new fishing tackle, of course, but had about as much success as the French guy parked next to us - no success at all but despite his complete absence of English and my seriously limited French we managed to chat away happily about fishing for ten minutes or so. I was hoping I might cast a lure or two this evening as we are only a hundred metres from the river but when I went to investigate earlier the river is completely dried up! C'est la vie eh?

View from the bridge at La Suze, you can maybe see us parked up behind the floating restaurant:

 

Still shorts and T shirts but it's not looking too promising for the next few days - showers forecast for the next couple of days.

Pat

 

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Untitled

Tuesday 29th September 2015

We're back!!

Not the most auspicious start to this trip though. We left home at 4pm Monday heading for the Eurotunnel terminal at Folkestone where we planned to sleep overnight before catching the 8.50am train on Tuesday that I had booked a week or so ago. We arrived at Folkestone at 11.30pm to be told that, in fact, I had booked the train for Monday morning so we were 14 or so hours late. Not to worry though, we could be put on any of the trains leaving in the next few hours at no extra charge. I asked if we could wait for a 9am train so we could get our heads down for a few hours but apparently we can no longer park for in excess of four hours now at the terminal for security reasons. So, we booked the 3.27am train and tried, unsuccessfully, to sleep for a couple of hours. We arrived at Calais at about 5.15am local time and drove the couple of hours to Le Crotoy, 50.218646 1.634077, parked the van, drew the blinds, went to bed and the next thing we knew it was two o'clock in the afternoon. We've been for a walk in glorious sunshine under a big blue sky and a bracing wind but we still feel a little fuzzy and "tired round the edges" as Phil says.

We stopped here a couple of months ago on our way home from our last trip and the car park here was very nearly full, holding approaching 100 motorhomes and when we arrived this morning we were surprised to find it almost full again. Mostly French folk but some German and Dutch vans too plus about another ten or so UK motorhomes. Probably at least a couple of million pounds worth of vans here tonight; gotta love the grey Pound/Euro keeping all the Motorhome manufacturers in business eh?

This is our sixth European trip in the van and this time we intend to revisit places in France and Spain and explore a little further afield. The plan is to travel down through Normandy, Val de Loire, Limousine and Aquitaine before entering the Basque region. From there it's the northern coast of Spain with a diversion for the Picos de Europa, then to Galicia and then south again into Portugal. We've never been to Portugal before but we have plenty of recommendations of places to visit on the Atlantic coast so we'll hug the coastline all the way down to the Spanish border and then inland to Seville and Andalusia before ending up in Bolnuevo on the Costa Calida where we hope to spend a few months before returning to the UK next spring. As usual we'll miss family and friends but they're never too far away with Viber, FaceTime etc....

Tomorrow we are heading for Broglie, south west of Rouen.

Wednesday 30th September.

We're parked up this evening at Broglie a pretty little village with a beautifully landscaped Aire de Camping Car 49.005603 0.529663, it's €5/24hrs but when we stopped here earlier in the year nobody came around for the money and nobody has come around yet this evening. There are about ten motorhomes here now and a couple more will probably turn up so that's €60 the village is missing today but hey ho, maybe the person who collects the money is on holiday.

The river running through Broglie:

 

How's the weather are you asking? Shorts and T shirts, how is it where you are?

Pat

 

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