Sightings, Samplings and Snowy Surprises!

Blog 40 then - wow, I can't believe I've sat in so many different places, and put my thoughts and tales down for others to read. Great to hear from some of you last time around, nice to know you are continuing to enjoy my stories! (and thanks for not shattering my illusions if you're not!)

This entry finds us into May, Friday 3rd, although after some nice weather, things are a tad cold and soggy again today. Hey ho, I think we've well and truly realised where the rain in Spain mainly falls, and it does seem to ring true that one!

The last entry was at our cheeky spot by a railway line, in the car park of a disused station. Of course this didn't mean the line was disused, but in fairness I don't think there was more than 1 train an hour and neither of us heard anything overnight. It was a lovely spot though, and looked nicer the following morning after the rain.

Thursday (25th) morning we rolled away from our cheeky spot and headed towards Monfrague National Park, well known for some rock formations and it's resident vulture population. The drive in was pretty stunning, although it was a very cold, windy and at times wet day. We'd hoped to do a walk, but the weather just wasn't on our side. As we sat having lunch, trying to plot our next moves I happened to goggle the park (trying to find out who or what was Monfrague - I still don't know that!) and I spotted some images of a massive rock structure which we'd yet to see. It was literally 1/2 mile from where we'd sat and almost planned to turn back! Thank goodness we didn't!

We'd never realised that they used the "feet down" approach to slowing down, much like aircraft do!

This picture shows a vulture next to a stork for a size comparison!

Anyway, after a lovely (if blowy) time watching them, we rolled back out of the national park - as I think I've mentioned before, camping is strictly forbidden in national parks, but we'd found an option just on the edge of the park - a fellow motor homer who runs a bar/café/restaurant who doesn't mind people parking in his car park overnight. We enjoyed a cup of coffee on arrival to warm up too!

Friday morning and much better weather. The plan today was to head into the La Vera valley which is the home of Pimenton production for most of Spain. It was to be an out and back trip up what looked like a lovely valley road. What we didn't expect was the most spectacular views of snowy peaks ahead of us. We drove on towards the best viewing spots at Madrigal de la Vera where we had a walk along the stream and around the roman bridge. For me this was just breath taking.

All the way down the valley were parking spot with stunning cascades where the water runs from the mountains and meets the main river. Each one was different, and the colours so vibrant.

We stopped for a coffee at Villanueva de la Vera, and then popped in a service point handily located at Losar. We had hoped to visit the actual Pimenton HQ at Jaraiz de la Vera, but time had rolled on. Instead we found an amazing overnight stop in the grounds of a small church - with yes, you've guessed it, more lovely views!

We had a quiet night at the church, and the following day was again sunny and warm. We headed down the valley and back to Jaraiz to have a look around the museum. The key to its production is around the traditional La Vera drying process which is different from all other productions. In La Vera, they use oak or holm wood fires to provide the heat for the dehydration of the fruits. This is a process lasting 10-15 days, and is what gives the product is unique aroma, flavour and colour. The process is finished by being ground on traditional stone mills. This was all fascinating stuff, but we couldn't help but think the town was missing a trick by not having a tasting room, or even somewhere to buy the local product!

From Jaraiz we headed to Caparra to see some of the best preserved roman remains in Spain - they were simply amazing, and all free too!

From Caparra we headed to Zarza de Granadilla which is the site of an abandoned village. This one dates from the 1950's when the reservoir was thought to be at risk of flooding. All the villagers were told to leave and paid a pittance for their property. Of course, it never did flood, and the replacement town is somewhat soulless compared to what they had. Amazing though to think the castle & walls could have been lost to the water.

Our stopping place for the night was to be alongside another reservoir. However, our Sat Nav didn't like the coordinates (trying to drive us into the water!) and we ended up at another village just alongside the reservoir - this one was also 80% abandoned as it turns out, for pretty much the same reason. In the case of Salvatierra de Tormes though it was more the river being damned that sealed it's fate. It was an odd place, but at least for one night, we raised the population from 78 to 80!

Sunday morning and after a quiet night we rolled from our parking spot and towards the Duero region. Our planned stop was at a town called Penafiel, but bluntly, although the hilltop castle was nice, the place was a total dump! The parking area looked like a party had just finished, and it was covered in rubbish. We had a quick lunch stop and hastily re-planned a new destination. Luckily Jase found us another church side spot just up the road at Pasquera de Duero. We pulled in and had a nice afternoon enjoying the view of the town that was such a let down!

Monday morning and we had an early start to get some much needed supplies in Arando de Duero, including diesel at €1.10 a litre! We'd planned to visit the Canyon del Rio Lobos, and on the way we were able to see another set of roman remains at Uxama.

These overlooked the town of El Burgo de Osma which has the most spectacular cathedral.

Finally on arriving at the Canyon, we were not disappointed. Rock formations that could only be described as like being on the sea bed millions of years ago. We had a short walk around, spotted a kingfisher, woodpecker, redstart plus plenty of vultures, and then headed to a free Aire at Hontoria del Pinal with a plan to head back the following day for a longer walk.

Tuesday morning and another bright day. We drove back down the valley to the Canyon and pack our bags for a long 18km walk to the "8 bridges". Unfortunately, with all the rain over the past few weeks, we could only get about 5km up along the path as all the crossing points were flooded out. Instead we explored the canyon itself in greater detail, again enjoying the views. In all I think we walked about 12km, so not too bad, and with a fair bit of height gain too!

Plus got a great view of this Booted Eagle

As we'd had a fairly tiring day, we headed back to the same Aire at Hontoria for the night.

Wednesday 1st May and campsite time. We'd done just on a month off grid since our last proper campsite at Granada which is a record for us. With the various modifications Jase did over Christmas, we've really dealt with most of our needs, with the only lingering one being getting the washing done. We both also felt like we wanted a couple of days without driving so headed for Haro which is the capital town of the Rioja wine region. Once pitched up, we spent the rest of the day loading & unloading the ancient site washing machine and making the most of the sunshine to get it all dried!

Yesterday Thursday and having got all the washing sorted, we headed into Haro for an explore. The town itself is based around a central square, but for some reason the Bodegas (wineries) are based on the other side of the river. Thankfully the campsite was right between the two, giving us the perfect position to take in a sample (or 3.....!). As you'd expect, each and every one was very tasty indeed!

And so to today, Friday 3rd May and we woke this morning to the pitter patter of rain, and it's down to about 10 degrees again. This is our last day on site, so we've spent the day getting all the other jobs done, including a stock take of all our goodies in order to make the most of the cheap food prices in Spain before we leave.

Our plan from here is likely to see us heading for Pamplona, then towards Bordeaux and finally back at Steve and Claire's in the Vendee for Thursday 9th May.

So our Spanish adventure of almost 5 months is coming to an end. We've loved many aspects of Spain - the weather (in the main!), cost of living is more on a par with the UK, the locals have seemed very friendly and it has wowed us over and over with its scenery - so much more than just beaches. We've got a fair chunk we are leaving undone - Galicia plus the northern coast, so we will definitely be back!

That's it for now, see you on the other side of the border

Stay safe all
J&J x