We planned to go at the start of the week, but an appointment with Trafico in Alicante, and all the joys that brings, kept us at home until midweek.
Now we are free of bureaucracy for a while we are off!!!
TOTAL TOUR STATISTICS
- Distance travelled 1413km
- Travelling time 26hr 15min
- Amount of fuel used 127.35 litres
- Cost of fuel used €142.52
- Average fuel consumption 8.9litres/100km (31.5mpg)
- Nights away 14
- Nights in campsites 5 at a cost of €88
- Nights in paid aires 3 at a cost of €28
- Nights in free aires 2 at no cost
- Nights wildcamping 1 at no cost
- Nights in España Discovery sites 3 at no cost
- Longest daily distance travelled 263km
- Shortest daily distance travelled 4km
Thursday 14/05/2015 Home to La Manga Strip
63km in 1hr 5min
We had planned to head North towards Cuenca today, but the weather forecast was for huge temperatures in the high 30s, so we thought a trip to the coast before we set off would be a good idea. La Manga is a strip of land with the Mediterranean on one side and the Mar Menor on the other.
There is a wildcamping spot right at the end with brilliant views. (N 37°46'33.6" W 0°44'33.9")
Glyn is always up for a swim when the thermometer reaches 25° - well today was 35° with a fierce south wind blowing - it was like standing in a fan oven - really hot.
After some shopping and sorting out an internet sim card for the Nexus 7, we filled with diesel and were off to La Manga. Not far to go but it was still 3pm when we got there.
The wind had eased a little but was still blisteringly hot..
As predicted Glyn was straight in the Med - not quite warm enough for me!
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| Floating in the Med - bliss! |
8 motorhomes were already here and we found a spot where we could park into the wind (allowing us to have 2 of the 3 rooflights open) and got level on the third step of the ramps.
Nice to see the Guardia Civil driving round the car park at 4:30pm to check everyone was OK.
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| Not on our own |
The weather, bizarrely, is only here for one day - it will be 10° cooler tomorrow, so then our trip north will begin.
As Glyn said as we stood at the waters edge at sunset "you can see our house from here!"
See today's full photo gallery here
Friday 15/05/2015 La Manga Strip to Yecla
226km in 3hr 15min
Noisy car drivers at midnight - when we got up in the morning their 3 cars formed 3 sides of a square and they were asleep outside on the tarmac of the car park.
Maybe they did us a favour, because we weren't really asleep when the wind changed direction 180° at 2am. Now the rooflights were acting as giant air scoops and were rattling themselves to death.
It was a case of batten down the hatches and ride out the storm.
Next morning the onshore winds were blowing the spray off the crashing waves onto all the motorhomes (and the still sleeping car drivers).
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| Waves crashing in - so different from yesterday |
Along with most of the other motorhomes we were on the road by 10:30am after a leisurely breakfast.
Our destination was the aire at Yecla which we had read about on Areas AC on the internet. An update had been recently added to say the aire was now for sale due to an accident which prevented the owner from operating it.
The approach to the aire was interesting to say the least. 10km of virtually one way camino roads (but we only saw 3 other vehicles), then onto a dirt track for 500m to one of the best situated aires I have ever seen. (see YouTube video of approach to Yecla aire here) The nearest house in sight was over the valley 15km away.
The silence here is deafening - just birdsong, the buzz of bees and the distant whirr of the wind farms - a naturalist's heaven.
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| If you like nature and peace and quiet - this is for you |
We met the owner later and invited him for a beer, along with the only other motorhome there - a massive German Coachmen motorhome.
It transpired that the owner, Bjorn, had fallen off a ladder whilst painting a house in the village. He shattered both heels and destroyed a couple of vertebrae. After an operation to plate together what was left of his discs, the surgeon told him that any sudden movement or lifting anything heavier than 5kg could result in him being paralysed for life in a wheelchair.
Bjorn put this on his website and the response was that Dirk and Isla in the Coachman got in touch and said they could help. They are on a 2 year travelling trip, and are staying here until Bjorn was sorted - that's motorhoming for you.
Bjorn's only option was to sell the aire (€49,000) and go back to Germany to a sedentary job. Dirk and Isla will stay here and keep the business running until it is sold.
A very sad story. Bjorn bought the land 5 years ago, and took 4 years (whilst working elsewhere) to single-handedly transform a piece of barren land into a motorhome aire. It has now been open for 2 years, and last year (year 2) he made enough to live on. He lives in a caravan on-site and also has an ageing motorhome, which is now also for sale.
We wish him all the best after his cruel luck. He is only a young man (late thirties?) and is bearing up well, but you can tell he is very sad.
On his recommendation we went for a short walk yesterday to some Roman ruins and a natural spring used for swimming in the summer.
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| Not a house in sight or sound |
As night fell there was absolute silence apart from the scuffling of the nocturnal animals. The night sky was unbelievable - not an artificial light to be seen anywhere in any direction, which made it a perfect spot for stargazing - which we did.
This is the place to go to see any celestial event such as the Perseids, as well as just having the best view of the night sky - ever!
See today's full photo gallery here
Saturday 16/05/2015 Yecla
This place is so good we had to stay another night - just to make sure last night was not a fluke. Last night was the quietest we have ever had in Cervantes - not a sound.
Bjorn had told us of some local walks so we packed a picnic (tortilla, bread and wine!) then headed for the hills.
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| Just us here |
On our 3 hour walk we never saw a soul - just us enjoying the stunning scenery and awesome wildlife. On our return Bjorn invited us to join him, Dirk and Isla tonight at the annual fiesta in the local town of Yecla, 15km away.
We of course said yes and duly arrived in Yecla at 6:30pm. The place was packed and parking was a problem today, but we squeezed in eventually.
The parade floats were all 3D collages made of tiny pieces of paper - they must have taken months of painstaking work to make.
The floats celebrated the local produce and landmarks and had already been judged, with the results proudly displayed.
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| Intricate models made of paper....1 |
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| ....2.... |
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| ....3.... |
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| ....4....many more in today's photo gallery |
Free wine and food was being liberally dispensed from every float, and everyone was happy, smiling and just a little bit drunk.
We tried to get something to eat in Yecla but, understandably, everything was closed, so we said we would cook for them as a thank you for taking us.
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| Keeping hydrated! |
Once back at the aire Glynis soon had pasta and salmon rustled up, and Bjorn, Dirk and Isla could not believe how much room there was in Cervantes to sit and eat - they were very sceptical when we said they could all get in comfortably, but were amazed when they stepped through the door. We had a visit from Dirk and Isla's Newfoundland/Labrador cross which is the largest, friendliest, most laid-back dog we have ever seen. She was so big she took up most of the kitchen floor space, but was so placid that you couldn't help but like her.
Much cava and beer later we said goodnight and headed for another peaceful night in this idyllic spot.
See today's full photo gallery here
Sunday 17/05/2015 Yecla to Cuenca
263km in 3hr 42min
After another supremely quiet night we decided it was time to move on. We said our goodbyes to Bjorn, Dirk and Isla (and Anka the dog) and set course for Cuenca.
We do hope that things work out for Bjorn, and that he sells the business soon and can begin another life - such a shame after all the hard work he has already done. I am sure the business will prosper with Dirk and Isla looking after it - good people.
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| Dirk, Isla, Glynis, Brian, Bjorn and, of course, Anka the dog |
After some breakfast in Almansa we were well on our way to Cuenca. We stayed on the motorway all the way to the N420. The road and scenery here were great, but the road surface was terrible - like having square wheels - avoid if you can.
When we eventually got to Cuenca we had already identified an overnight parking area near the auditorium. We knew this was still active because some good friends of ours had stayed there last week (Hello Val and John - hope your fridge is working now!)
After numerous traffic lights through the new town we got to the car park to find a mountain bike race event was on and the car park was chained off and full of vans and coaches.
We managed to manoeuvre a chain out of the way and squeezed into a spot by the coaches.
By this time it was just gone 4pm and the race was obviously over because the car park was beginning to clear. We reversed into a better spot by the river and paid our €12 for 24 hours, then went for a walk up the steep hill into the old town.
A massively impressive cathedral met us in the Plaza Mayor along with a very helpful tourist info office.
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| A dominating cathedral facade - very impressive |
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| The town hall in the same square as the cathedral |
Cuenca is a World Heritage site and has some stunning views of the houses clinging on to the edge of cliffs. There is a parador here and numerous museums and exhibitions. Churches seem to be on every corner from the plain to the overly ornate, and the 14th century "skyscrapers" are something to see.
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| We popped into a church and found some veiled singing nuns |
The old town is a wealth of small streets and stunning views with a river on each side of the hill - well worth a visit and an explore.
After a beer in a cliff-top bar with the best view, it was back to Cervantes for some food and bed.
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| A beer with a view |
Unfortunately there was some kind of childrens entertainment still going on at 10:45pm through the usual enormous speakers, so it was earplugs for us tonight.
See today's full photo gallery here
Monday 18/05/2015 Cuenca to Cuenca
11km in 22min
We awoke today (thank you earplugs) to just us and a Euro Mobil next to us. Our plan was to take a further look at Cuenca as recommended by the tourist office.
First off was a walk up the hill to the Parador, which was up to the usual standard and had exceptional views of the old town.
Then across a very high bridge over the river (I am not very good with heights, so it was one hand on the handrail, one hand clamped into Glynis', and eyes firmly ahead. We made it fine!)
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| A very high bridge and some hanging houses |
After a breakfast in the Cathedral square we went into the Cathedral for a look. €3.80 each to go in with an audio handset included in the price. We were blown away by the huge scale and minute detail - words cannot describe - it was awesome. Also very well run and organised - we were very impressed to say the least.
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| The stunning cathedral - many more pictures on today's photo gallery |
Then onwards and upwards to the ruins of the castle that gave us wonderful views of the whole of the ancient part of Cuenca.
After a drink in a bar with a fabulous view (and a very friendly cat) we headed down to the River Júcar valley to walk along it, then cross over to the River Huécar, which we are parked next to.
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| It's a brave man who takes a motorhome through these streets |
We marvelled at the precarious placing of the houses on what seemed like random pieces of rock.
A word of warning to anyone who suffers from hay fever. This time of year is especially bad for sufferers due to the enormous amounts of pollen and spores in the air. When we were in Aranjuez in May 2014 it was the same. We thought it was because the Royal gardens had been planted with exotic, unusual trees, but Cuenca is just the same - the air is thick with pollen swirling about like snow. So beware, I have never suffered from hay fever in my life, but have had it twice here in Spain in May.
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| Pollen in the air |
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| Pollen caught in vegetation by the river |
Back in Cervantes we decided we wanted a night out of the town (spoilt by Yecla I think!) so went to Camping Cuenca, who are not part of any club or scheme, so the cost was €24 for one night with electric. The taps were not threaded and were really narrow, so it was container filling to fill up with water, which was a bit of a faff. Now on a pitch with good sun, electric (toothbrush is charging), and the anticipation of cooking in Remoska tonight.
On the way here we stocked up at Lidl, and fuelled up at Al Campo for €1.109 per litre - cheap travelling.
See today's full photo gallery here
Tuesday 19/05/2015 Cuenca to Albarracin
151km in 2hr 39min
After a glorious day of sunshine yesterday we awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. The temperature has dropped outside from the mid teens to 10° overnight - positively cold.
Chairs and table were still out so quickly packed them away.
We're now full of fresh water and empty of waste, all showered, and everything charged up, so we're now ready for anything.
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| Camping Cuenca |
We're heading today for Albarracin, said to be the prettiest village in Spain. We were going to head due east through the National Park to get there, but on closer inspection it looked as if the road did not continue over the top of one of the mountains. Discretion won and we went on the N340 towards Teruel. A great driving road with negligible traffic. Instead of going into Teruel and back out again, we did do 50km on a small back road through some very small villages in a very picturesque setting. (see a YouTube video of the approach to Albarracin here) We also went through some stunning mountain passes hewn out of solid rock - very impressive (see a YouTube video of the cliffs here)
We're staying tonight at a cheese maker in Albarracin who is part of España Discovery. The owner showed us where to park to allow them to receive the milk delivery tomorrow morning. We got here at 1:57pm, so 3 minutes before he closed, to re-open at 4pm.
We got parked up just in time - as I turned the engine off the heavens opened with rain, thunder and lightning.
The milk delivery arrived at 9pm. It was still light but with torrential rain - the driver was soaked to the skin. The milk tanker was quite small - just a 7.5 tonne truck with a tank on it. I guess this was so it could fit up the narrow lanes to the remote farms to collect the sheep's milk.
We are currently at 1100m here, so quite high. It seems very quiet here, and the outside temperature is plummeting.
Wednesday 20/05/2015 Albararacin to Albarracin
4km in 11min
A really quiet and peaceful night - the rain finally stopped at midnight. The outside temperature got to a minimum of 3° last night, whilst the inside dropped to 8.7°.
The air here is clean and clear, so noses and sinuses are slowly recovering. Off early at 9:30am to go only 7km up the road to an ACSI site in Albarracin. It was quite a narrow approach, but a much bigger motorhome than us made it so no problem for us.
We found a great spot to pitch with a stupendous view of the cathedral and castle.
We went staight down to the town of Albarracin and had breakfast on a precipitous, overhanging balcony - great fun.
A walk through the very, very narrow streets to the Plaza Mayor and then on to the castle walls saw us gaining at least 200m in height. The view from the top of the old walls was impressive to say the least - there was a complete vista of the old town from the top.
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| Some seriously narrow streets |
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| Is this house address No1 Castle Street? |
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| The hugely impressive Albarracín - clinging to the hillside |
However, a tour of the cathedral museum was on offer so we took that for €2.50 each and spent a good 45min looking at some very old tapestries, costumes, paintings, relics and furniture depicting the history of the cathedral.
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| Excellent trompe l'oeil in the museum |
We were short on cash so we went back to the Plaza Mayor where we had seen a Santander sign on the side of an old building. I looked everywhere but couldn't see an ATM outside, so went inside to ask. A very helpful man behind the counter smiled ruefully, led me outside and pointed to a grilled window - on closer inspection the ATM was behind the grille! All very much in keeping with the authenticity of Albarracin.
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| Can you see a cash machine?.... |
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| ......here it is! |
Cash in pocket we went for a menu del dia for €11 - the usual bread, starter, main, sweet, wine and water (or casera). The quality of food was top notch (especially the garlic soup) and the service was second to none - I don't know how they do it for the price - we may be back tomorrow!
Feeling a bit sleepy now we headed back to Cervantes for a sit down and a good book in the sun (although the wind was a little chilly).
See today's full photo gallery here
Thursday 21/05/2015 Albarracin
A quiet night with a good view of the lights of Albarracin.
We set off at 10am to have breakfast on the same vertigo-inducing balcony - good job the coffee was strong.
Then up to the castle to see if we could get in. It appears that entry is only at certain times, so it was either 1pm or 5:30pm.
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| Great views from the castle |
After a walk through some parts of the town previously unexplored, we were at the ticket office at 12 noon for the cathedral tour. It started with a 15 min film show about Albarracin, then the guide took us onto the cathedral square and gave us a 20 min talk on the history of Albarracin, the finally we were in the cathedral.
There was major renovation work going on in half of the cathedral with scaffolding and boards going up to the ceiling, where the renovation team were sanding, cleaning and painting for all they were worth.
The rest of the cathedral was covered in a fine layer of dust, but you could see the quality of the work shining through, explained in great detail by our guide.
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| Still glowing under the dust |
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| Major renovation work under way |
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| An interesting walkway! |
We enjoyed our menu del dia so much yesterday we decided to pay another visit to Tasca Azagra and were welcomed with open arms and a big smile. Bizzarely enough the same 4 people who were there yesterday were there again today at the same table - just to re-enforce our decision.
The food was fantastic, especially the migas, and so it was that we were back at Cervantes at 3pm for a read and a snooze in the sun.
We had great fun at 6pm watching the always entertaining putting-the-tent-up-for-the-first-time by a couple opposite. 3 hours later it started to look vaguely like a tent.
See today's full photo gallery here
Friday 22/05/2015 Albarracin to Utiel
154km in 2hr 43min
Another cold night (2.9°) so on with the heating and we were soon toasty warm.
We're leaving today so filled up with water and emptied the waste and are now ready for our destination for today - an entry in España Discovery called Bodega Vera de Estenas. We had originally planned to head for the highest campsite in Spain at Bronchales, but Glyn noted that the overnight temperature there was into minus figures so she put her foot down and said no!
The roads from Albarraccin to Teruel and from Teruel to Utiel were perfect. Wide, good surface, fast and with great scenery.
On the way we passed Teruel airport on a long straight road. You could clearly see over the flat fields that there were at least 30 aircraft there. We thought this was very strange, so a google search later revealed that Teruel airport does not deal in passengers or freight. It is the largest storage and repair facility in Europe, capable of storing up to 250 planes with a 3km runway capable of landing an Airbus A380 - what would we do without Google?
We arrived at Bodega Vera de Estenas at 2:40pm, so we expected it to be closed, which it was. There were no signs as we approached so we were a bit unsure where to go. I parked and had a good look round, and concluded that the place to park was through a quite narrow entrance, around a large tree and into a wooded glade full of pine needles - enchanting. (we had to move a few overhanging branches to get in unscathed). See YouTube video of the approach to the bodega here.
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| In the enchanted glade |
The slope was a bit steep (even for us!) We had to use ramps under the REAR wheels!
I'm banking on it not raining tonight otherwise getting out of here could be quite interesting - Belgian cobbles all over again!
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| Uphill through pine needles - no problem (I hope!) |
There was no-one around to ask where to park, and no signs to tell you, so here we are - right or wrong.
I took another walk after an hour or so and discovered a man with an air rifle and did a bit of a double take - was he a poacher and about to shoot me? I engaged him in conversation to take his mind off murder, and it turned out he lived there as a sort of caretaker and said it was OK to stay where we were. He then turned back to shooting whatever it was he was shooting before I interrupted him.
So here we are in a wooded glade, in full sun, the Giro d'Italia on the TV (watching from outside), with a beer, sat in a comfy chair, - what could possibly go wrong.
A piercing scream from Glyn soon told me!
Taking a walk amongst the trees she had come across a 4' long snake - brown with 2 parallel black lines on its back running the length of it. A quick google told us it was a harmless (to humans) ladder snake (it's the biggest grass snake I have ever seen) - it may be harmless but I wouldn't like to step on it by mistake! I can feel a nightmare coming on tonight when we're asleep!
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| Snake! |
I've just re-read the description and it says "only dangerous when repeatedly photographed - in which case RUN!"
Putting the snake to the back of our minds we took a walk around the gardens and compared the birdsong to the Masters golf in Augusta, even though we never took our eyes off the floor.
See today's full photo gallery here
Saturday 23/05/2015 Utiel to Benageber
30km in 53min
Taking a walk this morning with our coffee after a very quiet night, a young boy (10 years old) from the caretakers house approached us with a ferret in his hands. He was just off to the fields where he was letting it go and hunt for rabbits. We really are in the hunting, shooting, fishing country here!
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| Just off to catch a few rabbits |
The bodega was closed when we got here yesterday, and is closed again today, so we decided to move to a free aire in Benagéber, in the middle of a lovely area of vines, mountains and big skies.
It was only 30km away, but what a 30km! The road was in good condition but was too narrow for 2 motorhomes of our width (2.3m) to pass, and to pass a car was only just manageable - quite scary on the blind bends, of which there were many.
The aire itself was fantastic with fresh and waste water facilities, and a massive area to park on.
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| Benagéber aire with the town behind |
The village itself was only a 2 min walk away, and we gave the only bar and the only shop some business to show our appreciation.
A picnic lunch was the order of the day to take on a 3km round trip to a viewing point called Pico Franco. It certainly was worth it when we got there with a 360° panorama of the surrounding mountains and a great view of the lake in the valley below.
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| A picnic with a view! |
There was plenty of wildlife about, especially butterflies and bees. The butterflies were mating (or fighting) on the wing, which was a sight to behold, and made for some great camera shots.
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| Butterflies.... |
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| ...everywhere |
On our walk to this spot, whilst at it, and on our walk back we saw no-one. I think this is typical of rural Spain. There are so many great expanses of wilderness to go to, none of them ever get busy (which is perfect for us)
A Dutch motorhome joined us at the aire at just after 5pm along with 2 huge dogs - where do they put them?
See today's full photo gallery here
Sunday 24/05/2015 Benageber to Caudete de las Fuentes
83km in 1hr 43min
A nice quiet night had us up early to face the road back to Utiel. We figured that 9am on a Sunday morning would be the quietest time on the road (although today is voting day in the Spanish local elections). We only saw 3 cars on the road the whole of the 20km narrow road, all of whom were considerate and sensible.
Our initial destination was an ACSI site by a lake which seemed to have a fantastic situation. However, to get to it we had to drop at least 100m into the valley, and consequently lost all hope of a TV signal.
Today was a major mountain stage in the Giro d'Italia, and there were 4 hours of TV coverage. Unfortunately there was no TV signal at the campsite, so we moved on to an España Discovery site just outside Caudete de las Fuentes, which was a rural hotel as well as a bodega.(See YouTube video of the approach to the bodega here)
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| Nice and quiet in the vineyards |
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| Still trying to figure out what this is - weather forecasting? |
There were no cars there when we arrived, so we assumed that the bodega was closed and that there was no-one staying at the hotel. We checked that we could get a TV signal, then manouvred ourselves level and settled down to watch the cycling (Contador still leading by 2min 30sec. Astana tried to break him in the mountains but he was too strong.)
There are no other houses in view from here and it is very, very quiet - what a place to spend the night!
See today's full photo gallery here
Monday 25/05/2015 Caudete de las Fuentes to Villargordo del Cabriel
26km in 32min
We were concious that this was obviously a working bodega and we didn't want to get in anybodys way, so we were planning to get up early.
A little earlier than planned at 7am the tractor started which had us out of bed sharpish.
At 7:15am it trundled past us to attend to the drainage in the lower field (© The Fast Show), followed soon after by the arrival of a worker who promptly got on a fork lift truck and started moving pallets of clean bottles about.
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| An early start for the workers |
We were busy packing things away when a 30,000 litre tanker arrived, followed by another, then another. We made a hasty exit, and met a large HGV on the entrance track delivering or collecting something. This really was a busy bodega.
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| A busy bodega |
Our plan was to go to yesterday's campsite as it had seemed so nice, but it was a bit early. We thought we would kill some time and have some breakfast in Caudete de las Fuentes - a nice little village with some interesting buildings.
After coffee and toast we were at the campsite for 9:45am - no problem booking in at that time. The pitches are very large, clean showers and toilets, electric, water and all facilities including a large bar and restaurant for €16 per night - bargain.
We are right next to an enormous lake here, and this site is geared up for activity holidays if required - kayaking, bouldering, orienteering and all manner of outdoor activities.
We're here for 2 nights so everything we have in the way of chairs, tables and floorcovering is outside for the superb weather.
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| Everything we have is out |
It was good to cook with Remoska and the outside gas stove again and then eat outside.
The sunset over the lake was also an added bonus.
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| Sunset |
See today's full photo gallery here
Tuesday 26/05/2015 Villargordo del Cabriel
Todays weather forecast is for full sun all day, so an explore of the lake is the plan for today.
There is a high speed AVE train-line to Madrid at the bottom of the entrance road to the campsite. The train enters a tunnel under the hill here, so the first stop was to get some photos of the train entering and leaving the tunnels. This is a very fast and well used train service.
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| A fast RENFE train |
Our first walk was following a road down to the waters edge where, suprisingly, someone had driven a VW van nearly into the water down a steep slope - I hope he can get back out.
We then re-traced our steps and joined the long distance footpath PR-CV 174 which went on a higher level to the end of the lake. A brilliant walk through rosemary shrubland and pine forests gave us a lovely scent to walk through all the way. In places the path had succumed to rockfalls and mudslides which we managed to negotiate - Glyn leading the way and doing a brilliant job on forward spider-clearing patrol - definitely a mention in dispatches!
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| Excellent views all day |
A very cold beer back at the campsite was very welcome. Opposite us yesterday was some sort of meet of motorhomers, all with numbered stickers in their windscreens. Obviously they talked and got together, so when they all left this morning we thought we were in for a quiet afternoon. Imagine our faces whilst having our beer when a coach pulled up and disgorged 50 very excitable eight to ten year old children into the campsite reception.
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| The very well-behaved children |
They are here for an activity break, and hopefully by tonight will be too tired to stay up all night - the instructors have now had them on the water and in the surrounding hills for the last 4 hours.
See today's full photo gallery here
Wednesday 27/05/2015 Villargordo del Cabriel to Lezuza
160km in 2hr 21min
The kids were brilliant last night - a little noise but nothing major - I think they were tired!
An early start got us on our way to Lezuza - a brand new aire on La Paca opened this year (they are the first with every new aire that opens in Spain). It's always a good thing to support new ventures - it may encourage more in the future.
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| All alone in Lezuza |
We found Lezuza no problem thanks to Glyn (ace navigator) and the SatNav, via the straightest road in Spain - if it isn't it must be a close second (YouTube video of it here)
The sleepy town of Lezuza was very sleepy. After an extensive walk around the town we had seen 4 bars (3 of them shut) and 2 shops.
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| Swifts nesting in the church roof |
The one bar open was also a restaurant so in we went and had a menu del dia. There were no prices so we were winging it to a certain extent. We were first in, but the dining room soon filled up and was soon buzzing.
A huge salad and bread on the table, then paella or soup to start with, meat, fish or chicken for main, followed by sweet, with a litre of wine cost us the ridiculous amount of €10 each! - what a country!
We are on our own in this enormous area (an old football pitch) in a designated area - plenty of room for another 4 motorhomes.
This town is so quiet we anticipate a very quiet, peaceful night.
The Giro d'Italia cycle race today is next to a series of famous Northern Lakes - Como, Lucerne, Lugano etc and we have TV reception! Fabulous scenery bringing back many memories of our trip along the same route.
The Roman ruins at the top of the hill were a bit of a struggle to get to, and were slightly disappointing, but the excellent view of the town more than made up for it.
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| Great views of the town |
See today's full photo gallery here
Thursday 28/05/2015 Lezuza to Home
217km in 3hr 4min
Again La Paca had a new aire, this time in Hellin, so we decided to call in and check it out on the way home.
It was a car park next to a petrol station in what looked to be a very run down part of town. It seemed safe enough after talking to the petrol station staff, so we parked up and walked into Hellin, where the town seemed to be focused on the cathedral and the town hall in the plaza mayor.
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| The church in Hellin |
Maybe it caught us on a bad day, but neither of us were impressed with Hellin or its suburbs - they were very run down and scruffy.
On the way home through Peñas de San Pedro we spotted in the distance a massive volcanic plug. As we neared it we could see a castle wall running round the whole of the perimiter at the top - very spectacular. This will definitely be a place to visit and examine in more detail at a future date.
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| The castle in Peñas de San Pedro |
Home by 2pm to unload Cervantes after another brilliant trip with some excellent towns and cities seen.
See today's full photo gallery here
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