June 7th ~ Aire sur l’Adour

Awoke to a better day, but still quite a bit of cloud. Decided to take a bit of a detour to Lourdes, as we were reasonably close. We had planned to travel up via the Millau Bridge and the Central Massiff, but this was too far, and we couldn’t agree on which of the many sights to see there. Also , the hand-break on the van is not holding the van on steep hills, and this area is very mountainous. We were delayed an hour or so in Orthez getting the hand-break . The VW garage could’nt do it, but a very helpful Australian mechanic arranged for us to go to another garage , who “fixed” it in about 20 minutes.

Stopped off at small village of Coarraze, and parked close to a small Dolmen in someones garden. Also stopped at Lestelle Betharram, another small village on the river Gave Pau, still in full spate from the melting snow in the Pyrenees, and a beautiful turquoise colour . Huge monastery there. On to Lourdes, with its splendid Church, Basillica and Grotto .....more history to follow.....

Walked around taking in the atmosphere of so many people of all nationalities, many of them sick and infirm. The town is a mixture of high religious tourism, and people praying openly in the streets and squares. Toured all the sights and filed past the Grotte, and got 5 litres of holy water to see if it improves our health.

After lunch, about 3 pm, set off North via Tarbes and on to Aire sur l’Adour, a picturesque village with campsite by the river. Added bonus’ were a washing machine and wifi. By the late afternoon, evening, it was very hot and sunny, and being by a river, quite a few mosquitos. After supper, walked round the village , which was pretty dead by then, and back to van to catch up on blog , e mails etc..

Orthez (Béarn Region of France)

Light rain overnight and raining as we got up. Drove to the French border at Irun, filling up with 60€ of fuel @ 1.16€ per litre, which was a good saving, as petrol is 1.48 € in France. We had lunch at Sauveterre-de-Béarn, an attractive medieval market town, and spent an hour exploring the sights, inc church, fortified bridge and chateau.

On to Orthez , an important Béarn market town, with its 13th Century fortified bridge, an important crossing point over the Gave de Pau river in the middle ages, still a swirling torrent from melting snows from the Pyrenees. Also, churches and chateaux as in previous town. The Tourist Office is housed in one of the many fine sandstone mansions, and is where Jeanne d’Albret gave birth to Henry IV.

We camped in the Municipal campsite at about 3 pm, unusually quiet, but with quite a fewtents and caravans and a container being used as a dwelling. Also, there were a few “pilgrims” walking the Santiago de Compostela caminos, as Orthez is on the route. However, many were elderly and arrived in minivans, so not sure whats going on there. Chris also talked to one of them , who confirmed he was on the way to Santiago de Compostela, over 1,000 km in North Western Spain, and also had a log book of stops, which he got the campsite manager to stamp “Orthez”, although he is not camping here this evening. Also, on returning from exploring the town, there were about 20 Eastern European workers apparently living on the site. Not sure if they are seasonal workers picking fruit and veg, or manual workers working on motorway construction. Spent the evening uploading pics and the blog – unfortunately no wifi.

June 5th ~ Matriku

Another dull overcast day , and we planned a longish leg tp about 50km West of San Sebastian in the Basque country. We passed through one of our favourite places to Camp and visit – San Vincente de la Barquera, with its bridges, lagoons and attractive old city.First stop for coffee was the village of Comillas, with its medieval centre, featuring the Iglesia de San Cristobal and a number of old sandstone houses with flower decked timber balconies. The village was really busy, and there appeared to be a major event in the main square, with a stage and an array of chairs, and National TV cameras, for what appeared to be a live draw of the National Lottery “El Gordo”. After having coffee, we wandered around the village and its many sights, culminating in Antoni Gaudi’s “Capricho, a flamboyant folly of a huge mansion covered in sunflower motifs on a green background. (Gaudi was the architect of the great unfinished cathedral in Barcelona).

We stopped off for lunch at Santillana del Mar in an unattractive lay-by, scarred by a recent fire. Afterwards , we read in the Rough Guide : This medieval jewel has been casting its spell over visitors since it was declared a National monument in 1889” “You could easily drive through Santillana del Mar and never know what exists off the main road. Don’t make that mistake..........oh well, how sad, never mind....next time a must !!

On to Castro Urdiales, a “ typical Spanish fishing village” we had planned to visit on our mini cruise to Bilbao in November 2009 (cancelled due to bad weather). We eventually found the old town and the Iglesia de Santa Maria, a huge 13th Century church of Cathedral-like proportions, also linked to a small Castello, which formed a barrier against sieges, but allowed escape via the sea.

The sun finally came out on the last leg to Matriku, a small picturesque Basque fishing village, with the campsite is high above the village. Its street wind tortuously down to a small harbour – how do we know this ? – we walked down after dinner (in the van) , and walked back after an hour , and yes, it was torture! Like many places in this part of the Basque country, Matriku had an “edge” to it, mainly due to the locals being quite unfriendly. Spent rest of evening trying to find where to go and what to do tomorrow!

June 4th ~ Ribadesella

Awoke to our first really cloudy day and quite a bit cooler. After breakfast, walked into town and walked above the town overlooking the estuary, to an Ermita (Church). Views of the mountains behind the town were obscured by cloud. We continued walking round the old quarter, which was delightful, with numerous 16th & 17th Century mansions built by wealthy traders returning from the Americas. We then did the Tito Bustillo caves, named after one of the potholers who discovered the caves in 1968, who died a few days later in a mountaineering accident. The caves remain in their natural state, with just a few dim lights to show the path, and a guide with a torch. The stalactites and stalagmites were spectactular, and the cave ran for about 1 kilometer . At the end were a number of cave paintings of horses, deer and wild cattle painted over 14,000 years ago> they are in such an amazing state of preservation that they are recognised as among the finest in the world, and of a high quality of artistic detail.

Back to the van for a late lunch and then back to the beach at low tide to find some dinosaur footprints.However,by the time we walked there , it was 90 minutes after low tide, and it was difficult to scramble over the huge boulder strewn beach, and gave up on the footprints. May try and find some more tomorrow.

Walked on in to town and had a drink in a Sidreria (cider bar), as cider is a very popular in the Asturia Region. The rough 12% Sidra comes in an unlabelled bottle with a siphon devise inserted. You press a button with the glass for the sidra to be pumped at pressure into your glass, and you drink the “fizzy” sidra immediately. Chris had difficulty using this dispensing device, (see video!! Lol) and whether it was this method of serving the Sidra or its strength, he was quite mellow and tiddley after a 500ml bottle, and decided against another. Had a wander round the town, buzzing with children playing the squares, at the start of the weekend. After a cheap and cheerful meal and then walked up to the Ermita, hoping for a sunset and pics of the town at dusk. Returned to camp about 11pm, about an hour s walk back from the Ermita.

June 3rd ~ Ribadesella

We got up early as a long day ahead. Set off for Leon, once the Centre of Christian Spain, and arriving about 10.am . The Gothic Cathedral is magnificent and built on a grand scale, with 30 or so fantastic stained glass windows from the 13th – 16th Centuries. We also visited the Basilica de San Isidoro, which is a grand romanesque church, which hold all day services from 7 am – 7 pm every day for pilgrims walking the Caminos de Compostela , and we caught a bit of it.

After coffee, we set off for the Northern Coast via the “Puerto de Pajares” @ 1378 metres (nearly 4,500’ above sea level) over the mountains .Stopped at the summit for lunch , with fantastic views of the peaks with residual snow, even though it has been so hot (see pics).

A long drive down, and had hoped to camp at Arriondas still in the mountains, but the campsite was closed, so we headed for the coast and Ribadesella, where there were 2 campsites open. Got details from the Tourist office and a bit of shopping and headed for site. Decided to stay 2 nights as Chris tired from driving, and site has wifi in van. J cooked a delicious chicken stew !!

A Couple from Bristol camping on the site (only 8 vans/tents in all) told us about local dinosaur prints and fossils, so will explore tomorrow.

June 2nd ~ Hospital de Orbigo

Another day dawned bright and sunny. The dawn chorus we had anticipated, because of the many birds and the unusual woodland of Oaks, Sweet Chestnuts and Cherry trees, never materialised. Guilt set in about not seeing The Cidadela, and we returned to do it justice. The 13th Century Domus Municipalis, the pentagonal Romanesque civic building was disappointing, but enlivened by kids shouting to produce echoes. However, the Torre de Menagem was outstanding, with its 33 metre tower housing a military museum and an inner protective wall with 15 towers, which we walked.

After coffee, we drove the 200 km or so to our next planned camp. Unfortunately, there was only one sign out of Bragança for “Espanha”, and we took the main road in error rather than Jackie’s preferred scenic route to the Spanish border. However , She corrected the error by finding a good route across a huge plain, with numerous birds of prey, including Red Kites, Griffon Vultures , Hen Harriers, a Booted Eagle and others we could’nt identify. We stopped for lunch at Villardeciervos, when Chris had to stop the van for Jackie to take pics of a group of Red Kites ...no traffic so no problem.

On to several boring motorways until we reached Pobladura del Valle, a very odd place, with what we first thought were hillocks covered with a profusion of poppies. We then noticed that there were dozens of chimneys protruding amongst the poppies, implying a maze of underground houses ? – not in any guide books, so need to Google sometime. The first campsite we tried was closed, so on to the next, the small village Hospital de Orbigo, one of the stops on Caminos a Santiago, which runs from Castrilla y Leon to Santiago de Compostela, an ancient pilgrims route. Short thunderstorm cleared the air, with a fantastic rainbow afterwards, as the storm moved away.

After showering , we went for a walk round the village, noticing that they are preparing for a medieval jousting festival next weekend. This has been the story of our trip, missing festivals by a few days all the way up though Portugal. This was compensated by seeing a church with 4 storks nests, each with fledglings (see pic).We popped into 2 of the Auberges or refuges where walker s of the 687 km walk stay, who were very friendly and welcoming, and allowed us to use their internet service to catch up on e mails. Spent a nice relaxing evening on the campsite catching up with blog and pics and a lovely bottle of local Portuguese wine from the Douro valley!

June 1st ~ Bragança – rural campsite

Reasonably cool over night, but early indications that it would be another scorcher today. After breakfast, we headed off to Celorico da Beira, as they had a regular Tuesday market. Parked up outside the village and walked up to the castle and square, but no sign of Market. Instead we “did” the Castle, partly renovated walls and tower. Bizarrely, the top floor of the Tower had been modernised into a Library, with computer and internet facilities. We walked round the castle walls, and saw the market in another part of the village. Walked over to see, but it was not very busy, probably having started @ 7 am, and we had arrived @ 11 am.

Locals friendly and anxious to sell their home produced cheeses from the surrounding Serra (Mountains). Brought ½ kilo of delicious local cherrys for 1 euro, and then some eggs from a man who turned out to speak good English. The eggs were expensive (6 for 1.25 euro), but he insisted they were “ecological” and from his own smallholding. He then introduced us to his Chinese wife, who suggested we buy some of their homemade marmalade, which we did @ 2.50 euros. He then went on to try and sell us his home produced olive oil @ 25 euros for 2 litres – much too expensive, and then asked if we were interested in buying a house with some land near a river, although the house needed “fixing” – a snip @ 2,500 euros which was his first price, but laughed when we queried the amount yes @ 25,000 euros. Also got caught buying some bread rolls – asked for 2 but got 8, as sold in batches of 4 !

Set off to drive nearly 200 km to Bragança about 11.30 am, stopping for lunch in a layby high over the Douro valley, with its hundreds of hectares of grapevines ripening in the 33C sun, quite a bit cooler than yesterday. Arrived in Bragança just after 3 pm, and eventually found the Tourismo. “Did the castle and walked the city walls, but our hearts were not in it – “Castled out” Is the phrase that came to mind. I’m afraid we did not do justice to the Cidadela,” one of the most memorable sights in Portugal” according to the guidebook, and the home of the Braganças, the last line of the Portuguese kings ruling from 1640 until 1910.

We walked back through the old quarter and decided to pop into the Sé (Cathedral). We followed 2 old women in, but they went into a large ornate sideroom, and we did’nt like to go in. However, a man invited us in and showed us some old statues and the carved panelled ceiling, and some large drawers. He then ushered us into the Cathedral, but to our horror, it was at the front near the altar, and the Cathedral was packed with people attending 5pm Mass, all muttering away with their prayers. Unable to go back, or squeeze down a side aisle, we had to walk down the main aisle, both of us attracting astonished looks as not properly dressed for the occasion, and one started talking to Jackie, trying to show her a statue, we think! We made our way out as best we could, missing some beautiful cloisters we would have liked to have walked round.

Back to the van and drove to our rural campsite in the middle of National Park here 12km out of town, where we found a lovely spot to camp with views overlooking the Montesinho National Park. There are only 1 lot of other campers here who we haven’t seen. Weather much cooler ie 25c and cloud has set in. Jackie cooked a delicious ham and mushroom omelette from the eggs we had bought in the market, and we had a relaxing evening catching upon the blog and watching the birds and listening to the cuckoos.

May 31st ~ Guarda – Municipal Campismo

Awoke early to an unbelievable dawn chorus of birdsong, probably hoopoes, bee-eaters and azure winged magpies, as these are the cries we don’t know, but know the birds are in this area. Another scorching day in prospect, possibly reaching 40⁰ C in the full midday sun. We drove to Idanha-a-Velha, which was once a major Roman city known as Igaetania. During the 15th Century, it is said that a plague of rats forced the villagers to move to Monsanto (see next visit).

The village looks much the same as when the rats moved in, and not much different to when the Romans left either. Massive Roman walls remain intact, and the Roman bridge .... just a series of stepping stones ...remains in use to this day (see pic). Roman relics including sarcophagus’ and inscribed blocks of stone lie strewn about the village. The locals were friendly, and ensured we didn’t miss the Roman Bridge.

On to Monsanto, which claims to be the most ancient settlement in Portugal, although Idanha-a-Velha is probably older. We drove to the upper carpark, and walked through the village which is built into the crags of the mountain, up to the castle constructed as part of the huge rocky outcrop. Some of the streets are carved out of the rock, barely wide enough for a mule.

We reached the summit of the castle in blazing heat, which had also triggered swarms of tens of thousands of flying earwigs , which were a nuisance. Returning from the summit, they soon cleared, although the lady in the cafe where we had lunch told us that they had engulfed the village the day before.

On to Penha Garcia, a small village 7 km away, and extraordinarily not in the guidebooks. The lady in the cafe had told us it was a “must see”.The Turismo was closed for lunch, so we climbed up to the Church and the start of the 3km “fossil walk”. The village overlooks a rocky valley of layered rocks at unusual angles, and is located where 2 tectonic plates collided and formed these formations, including ancient fossils in the rocks. We foolishly started the walk @ 2pm in temperatures of between 35-40⁰C, and walked down to an old watermill, which had a small pool nearby, which Chris took off his tee shirt to soak and put on, in order to conserve enough drinking water for Jackie. We cut short the walk , due to the heat, and climbed back to the village, only to find an old lady singing and playing an “Adufe”, a double skinned square drum, a true symbol of the local identity.

On to Sabugal, which was quite disappointing, as the Castle was closed (open Tues-Sun), and appeared to have been totally restored.

Drove the last lap to Guarda, which claims to be the highest City in Europe @ 1,007 metres , nearly 3,500’. Quite a big city, but we managed to find the Municipal campsite, which for some reason was pretty full. Showered and changed , and went for a walk and meal, as had irritated fellow campers by camping in their perceived domain. Guarda is quite austere, with grey stone walls and a huge block Sé (Cathedral) where a service was in progress. Brought Richard 1,000 fags, and asked the tobacconist where to eat, who directed to us a Restaurant ( Restaurante Tucha, 2mins west of Se) where we had a fantastic meal at a budget price of 28 euros inc pre-prandial drinks, olives, bread, two main meals and a bottle of wine.

May 30th ~ Idanha-a Velha – Orbitur site near lake

Sunday dawned clear and sunny – another scorcher predicted @ 33C . We drove to Belver Castle high above the river Tejo, one of the most famous in Portugal. The Castle dates from the 12th Century, when the Portuguese frontier stood at the Tejo. Unfortunately, the Castle was closed for restoration. However, the locals were friendly, one showing us where we could park and we had a coffee in the square. The same guy then told us where to get the best pic of the castle and river and also said we could sleep in the van in the square. Another local whispered to us that he was a very important man - Junta! – possibly the Mayor?!

After a shaking of hands all round, and his apologies about the ‘obras’ (work) on the castle, we made our excuses and drove on to Castelo Branco. Not much has survived the successive wars of this frontier area, particularly the Castle, which we didn’t bother to walk up to. However, we picniced in the formal 18th Century gardens of the Palacio Episcopal (Bishops Palace), with its elaborately shaped hedges, Baroque statues of Portuguese kings, pools and fountains – truly magnificent, and a welcome break from Castles !!

On to our campsite at Idanha-a-Velha, next to a lake. We waited until 7pm to go for a walk by the lake, in search of European bee-eaters (red , blue and yellow birds which we had seen as we drove in) but it was still too hot to be walking......its still too hot @ midnight as we type the blog !!

May 29th ~ Castelo de Vide – rural campsite

Awoke early to another beautiful day. Chris managed to gain the trust of both dogs, who were dozing in the warm morning sun. After breakfast,we headed along a white road through lovely rolling hills and countryside. The roads were lined by poppies of the deepest red, and the meadows were a carpet of yellow ,purple and white wild flowers. The air was pure and clear, making the views stand out in sharp focus. After an hour or so, Marvao came into view, a walled settlement perched on a high rocky escarpment. You could see why it had been built there because of its strategic location.

The village was founded by a knight of Islam named Ibn Maruan in the 9th Century, and the Moorish fort was named after him. It was re-conquered by the Christians, and received a Royal Charter in 1226. The village is totally surrounded by high walls using the natural contours of the rock, as are the bastions and fortifications of the Castle and Towers within. We walked round the village on the walls , marvelled at the Castle and the spectacular views, and explored the numerous streets and alleys, always coming across the unexpected, such as a beautiful church, formal gardens, a monumental cistern for storing precious water, or children waving, and old women pointing out a sight we had missed. The museum was interesting, showing the history of the place with a series of naive religious icons and costumes through the ages. Marvao reached its demographic peak in the 16th Century, housing a large garrison who fought in the various border wars and skirmishes. Now, the population is only 159, although it is reviving with the development of tourism. However, they have’nt got much commercial sense in that entry to everything is free !
After 3 hours or so, we sat on a cafe terrace to have a drink and gaze out at the spectacular views. The place is so high that the highest flying birds can be seen flying below you. All in all, our favourite place so far, and unlikely to be surpassed.

However, after we had lunch in the carpark, and luckily having missed 3 coach parties, who came and went during that time, we drove on to Castelo de Vide, not expecting a great deal, arriving about 3pm in very hot sun. As the Tourismo was closed , we explored the old Jewish quarter of the village, which was enchanting, with narrow cobbled streets between the whitewashed houses with flowers everywhere. The Castle was’nt much to see in quite a dilapidated state, although the Tower had been restored and housed a museum, and provided great views of the surrounding countryside and of Marvao on the horizon.

The town was also founded in the 9th Century and conquered from the Moors in 1148. However, it developed in the 15th and 16th Centuries, when a large Jewish community settled there. We visited the oldest Synagogue in Portugal, which was quite interesting. In the basement, there were huge excavations in the rock made to store grain and cereal crops in times of persecution.

All in all, a memorable day, although a bit too hot for sightseeing. After shopping in Pingo Doce, our favourite Portuguese Supermarket chain, we found a lovely rural campsite outside Castelo de Vide, and spent a relaxing evening with a BBQ , wine and a bonus of the internet to catch up on e mails etc..

May 28th ~ Portalegre - bar carpark

Weather improved today and a busy day in prospect. We set off for one of 3 marble towns, known as such because of their access to marble for building in the most modest of homes. Arrived in Estremoz and headed for the Tourismo to get a map of the town. Walked up to the top of the town to the Pousada (State run Hotels in converted National Monuments), in this case, the Royal Palace of King Dom Dinis. We were allowed to look round the Pousada, including the Tower of the 3 Crowns, which we climbed, giving superb views over the town and surrounding countryside. Marble was everwhere , used as a basic building material.

On to Elvas, a mighty walled City together with separate garrison outside the city walls. Like Evora, it had anAquaduct bringing water to the City from over 7 km away. The walls are over 50’ thick and totally impregnable. We walked round the City, taking in all the sites, including the English cemetery for the war dead of the Napoleonic wars, which involved Portugal.

We then drove on to Campo Maior, which also had a Capela dos Ossos (bones chapel), but on a much smaller scale to Evora. We eventually found it after asking the locals, and accessed the chapel via an administrative office, presided over by a man who also took confessional communions in the nearby church. We waited while he did a confession and then visited the chapel. It was apparently built to commemorate a disaster in 1772, when a gunpowder magazine in the Castle was struck by lightening, killing 1,500 people and destroying 823 houses. Three rows of Skulls look out from the window ledge to inspect passers by.

By now it was 5.30 pm and still had to get to Portalegre to find campsite. Arrived there about 6 pm, but there was only 1 campsite sign, with no further signs . We tried several roads and alternatives before asking a policeman, who confirmed the way to the campsite, 3km North of the town on. We drove up the steep hill into the mountains, and arrived at the Orbitur site, only to find it was closed.......perhaps related to the lack of signs.

However, there was a bar opposite with a big carpark, so Jackie suggested we rough camp there if the owner agreed. They were very friendly, and understanding our predicament, said we could camp there. Two dogs eyed us with interest, although both very timid – a big Labrador and a smaller dog with a bad leg, equally friendly, but too timid to approach. We set up camp there and had supper, and went over to the bar for a few drinks to show our appreciation.

We took all our maps and guide books over and were studying them, when an old chap and the barman came over and showed great interest in our maps. We thought he was just a local piss-head , but it turned out he was the Owner of the bar, and was being friendly. He was particularly interested in Jackie , probably due to her revealing strappy top. We chatted to him and showed him our planned route and pics where we had been. As he was a bit pissed, he spilled his wine over our maps and itinerary, and the barman gave him a mop and bucket to clean it all up.

He then took us in to a side room full of trophies, cups and medals from his illustrious career as a professional footballer and athlete – see pics. He then got out a very thick photo almum and went through each pic with explanations – luckily it was only half full , or we could have been there all evening. When we came to leave, after 7 drinks and 2 drinks for them on our tab, the bill was 2.30 euros, a ridiculous amount. They said it was correct but I insisted on them having 10 euros, but only on condition that we had another drink included on the bill. We eventually got away and had a quiet and safe night in the carpark