travels in a motorhome: The Bay of Biscay Blues.

Sunday 22nd February. 45.358513 -3.818645.

Bob Dylan, you may recall, was stuck in Mobile with the Memphis Blues. We're stuck in an elephant park just outside Santander with the Bay of Biscay blues. We arrived here this afternoon at this charming village which boasts an elephant, deer and bison park because we were told that if we're lucky we can see the elephants from our car park and wouldn't have to pay to enter the wild life park. It's only a hop and a skip to the ferry so it sounded like the place for us. Sure enough we arrived early afternoon after an uneventful drive from Palencia over the Pyrenees (snow on the tops) and after parking up had a look around and there they were, elephants! They looked as miserable as the weather but looking around I don't suppose they have too much to be happy about. With all the wildlife programmes there are on TV do we really have to keep animals the size of elephants in european parks? Anyway, whilst watching said elephants I got a text message from Brittany Ferries telling me that due to adverse weather conditions our ferry may be delayed. Half an hour later I got the email telling us it would be delayed - until Wednesday!!

There were four other British motorhomes parked here all setting off for Monday's ferry and the other guys all jumped out, virtually at the same time, shouting "Have you got a message about the ferry?" We confirmed we had and there are now only three motorhomes here as one guy phoned Brittany Ferries, cancelled, obtained a refund and is now on his way to Calais. Seems a bit extreme to me but.......

So we now have to entertain ourselves for a couple of days. I explained our predicament to the folk on the Motorhome forum I engage in - www.wildcamping.co.uk - and received various suggestions as to how we could fill the time. "Talk to each other" "Open a bottle of wine" "151 things to do in Santander". Having looked at the list I think the last suggestion is a bit optimistic! Anyway, here we are till Wednesday and I'm sure we'll find something to amuse us.

Last night we stayed in Palencia, 42.003925 -4.534832, a pretty yet modern riverside town. We were parked between a park with a few duck ponds and an elderly folk's home. We watched the ducks while the old folk stood at their windows watching us. I'm not sure who had the most entertainment.

"Oh Mamma can this really be the end,

Stuck outside a wildlife park

With the Biscay Blues again"

Elephants, in Spain: