Avinyo Nou (Art Cava).

Night time view of last night's aire

What a fabulous view this morning, the mist swirling below the top of the hilltop town.It felt like we were at the top of the world!

On the aire with us was a large English van. Part of it’s registration number reads BIG, very apt. We last saw this van two weeks ago whilst waiting to board the car ferry at Newhaven.

To exit the aire we had to drive up into the town, where we took a wrong turn whilst negotiating the narrow streets. Of course it would be our luck to have a police car behind us. But the nice lady officer waited for us to do a three point turn and waved us in the right direction.

Leaving the town meant driving down a very steep road, with no wall or crash barrier to stop you falling over the edge, and bear in mind we were over 1000 metres high!

For miles we turned and twisted around the descending road, keeping Marge in a low gear to avoid too much breaking.

We were heading for Saint Carles, a town that John worked in over forty years ago. On the way we passed many lemon and lime trees.

After a look around the town of Saint Carles we purchased some beer and wine from the supermarket , (well, you wouldn’t want to run out, would you?).

We then decided to move our van into a shady spot in a nearby car park, whilst parking, low and behold the German man we had met in an aire we didn't stay at yesterday drove in with his friend, small world.

Whilst I prepared lunch John visited the nearby tourist office. He enquired about a hotel he had stayed at many years ago, and the lady realised he had a connection with the oil industry, which she said her father and brother were now involved in. After some conversation she pointed John in the direction of the hill his small hut was stationed. It is now a look out post.

Note from John, never go back. The hotel we used in town is gone along with Ramone the barman, and ex Real Madrid player. The spot the hut I lived in whilst running a navigation station has been replaced with a huge edifice with JC on top. All very disappointing.....

After leaving Sant Carles we stopped to top up our auto gas which we use for cooking and heating our water. The cost 2 euros 71 cents, bargain for two weeks use.

Tonight's stop was supposed to be at El Catllar, a fortified village with an impressive Roman aqueduct. But we saw neither, as the aire was plaqued with mosquitoes, so we decided to move on. It was a shame really, as there were a Dutch couple there in their early 60’s who had retired early, sold their house, bought a thirty three year old van (makes Marge seem young) and set off. They were heading south and had been on the road for nine months.

So reluctantly we left them and drove for just over an hour to tonight’s stop, an aire behind a family run vineyard. We are now in cava country, the home of Freixent. We have a view from our van across the grape vines towards the Montserrat mountain range. 

Barcelona is about 30 miles away, but we will not stop there on this trip, as we feel it’s a place more suited to a long weekend city break.

Morella

We awoke to a fresh morning after last nights storm.

Leaving the bodegas behind us we set off on today’s journey, crossing the level plain past mile after mile of industry and distribution warehouses we hoped the drive would become more interesting.

Once pass Zaragoza we once again headed into the hills. The inclines were gentler than those earlier in the week, and the landscape around us looked like the surface of the moon, small mounds, that from a distance looked liked large sand dunes.

Further on the road levelled out, and we were in olive country, the olive trees a welcome green after the arid landscape we’d just driven through.

Then a few miles on, the rocks that started to tower above us on either side were of a striking, vibrant red stone. The area reminded us of Colorado and off the back drop you see in many western films, it seemed only a matter of time before we would see cowboys riding by. We saw some beautiful sights, but the road was so it was not possible for us to stop and take photographs.

Our planned stop for the night was Abalate del Arzobispo. There was only one other van there when we arrived, owned by a German man, who told us he had driven 2,500 km from Germany in just two days. He was staying on the aire as he was visiting a friend in the town. But the stop did not feel right, the town looked down at heel, and there was a lot of grafitti about. We are agreed, that if a place doesn’t feel right, it isn’t, so we moved on. We passed through many areas with derelict hamlets and towns, the houses and churches grumbling ruins, (this area used to be a mining area, and we think the decline of mining must have led to the people moving on in search of work). Then we arrived at the town of Andorra. The aire here was on the edge of an industrial estate. It was noisy and we were the only van there. Once again we weren’t happy, so decided to drive for just over another hour towards the hilltop town of Morella, altitude 1000 metres, we don’t learn do we?

So it was a case of here we go again, but surprisingly the roads were quite good, although winding and twisting.

At one point the road narrowed to about the width of two cars as it followed the base of the towering rocks beside us, luckily, we did not meet any of the many lorries on the road at this point.

Along the road we saw a church and hotel perched on the edge of the rock above us. We wondered if the people in the building could see the very large crack in the rock just below them!

So, now we are safely installed on the aire, with fellow campervans at Morello. As we were late arriving the meal of choice was homemade pizza a la John.

We have now travelled over 2000 miles and we are about 1 ½ hours from the east coast.

Elciego

Quite a lot of photos today as we managed to stop a bit more often.

Last night a large flock (must have been hundreds) of egrets landed in the trees at the end of the lake. 

In the fading light, they made the tree look like a magnolia. This morning they were gone, probably back to the nearby estuaries.

There was a beautiful blue sky this morning, showcasing the mountains around us. 

Today we travelled across country away from the fast roads. Some pretty towns along the way and a few gradients. Then in second gear and struggling, Marge summited Puerto de el Escudo at 1011 metres, nearly as high as mount Snowdon! Thank goodness Marge is a strong old girl (held her nerve better than the driver!).

After an equally gruelling decline, rolling down off the plateau we stopped for lunch at the medieval town of Frias. We were parked just below the ruined 12^th century castle, and as we ate our lunch we could hear the songs and music of the street entertainers up in the town.

Continuing on our way we passed through a gorge, where there were mountain goats in the road, and stopped to look at the old church under the rock. 

One last mountain to go, which had large sweeping bends, meant Marge could slowly and steadily make her way to the top, where the view of the plains with their patchwork fields below were lovely.

We are now in Rioja country, staying at the small town of Elciego. It has been 30 + today and we have had a fierce thunderstorm overhead for about an hour now. This is the most rain we’ve had so far, we guess it’s good for the grapes. As we look out of the van window now, we can see the sky starting to clear over the nearby church, although the thunder and rain seems to be set in, and as I type this we have just experienced some huge thunderclaps directly overhead. Thank goodness we didn’t take that walk to sit outside a bar in the town!

Let’s hope tomorrows journey is less eventful, and the weather is more settled.

John walked down to the bottom of the Aire, and took a look in what had been a dried up river bed, it is now a raging torrent.

Carbarceno

This morning the view from the van was of a beautiful pink sky, as the sun rose behind the mountains. The soft light bathed a village on the other side of the estuary. The water was like a mill pond, and the air still, the only sound, a distant roar of the waves as they broke over the rocks. One word to describe all this, idyllic.

Today we have continued our journey back along the north coast. We have decided to cross Spain to the west coast, (yes we have been lured back to the Costa Brava, where we went last September), and do not want to risk Marge’s engine by taking her inland and over the mountains. 

Even though we have passed this way a few days ago it gives us the chance to stop off a different places we missed on the way down.

Tonight's stop is at Carbarceno, which is inland, slightly south of Santander. Being so close to the port means there are quite a few English people here. The aire is adjacent to a lake and on the edge of Carbarceno Nature Park. 

Cost to enter the park, 30 euros for an adult, but you do get to travel round the park on a cable car. From our site, a very short walk takes you to the perimeter fence of the park, where you can watch the elephants and water buffalo roam, and all for free!