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Caves & Castles
  • Misadventures Of Wanda
  • Misadventures Of Wanda

Caves & Castles

This is our journey back to France, Spain & Portugal to visit some of the things we’ve overlooked in the past. Weiterlesen
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    Foix

    12. Oktober 2024 in Frankreich ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Our next stop of the day was Foix and this is where we would be spending the night.
    Getting to the designated Motorhome area was an utter nightmare as unbeknown to us there is a country show on just 50 meters down the road and there are cars parked absolutely everywhere. I had to use all of my lorry driving skills to get us into this place and it was very stressful. At one point we had 1 inch of space down either side of us and cars just kept coming towards us.
    Once we were in we decided to go up to the show to see what all the fuss was.
    Just 50 meters up the road in the centre of town is a huge free agricultural show with untold amount of cattle. Several horses and lots of sheep, goats, chickens, ducks and even small finches. We watched what we believe was supposed to be a tractor rally but they just seemed to be driving aimlessly about, followed by horses.
    Then there was lots of food stalls and handmade items. It was a nice afternoon out and it was heaving with people, hence the traffic.
    At 6pm we got back to Wanda and the Motorhome area was completely full.    Weiterlesen

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    Rivière souterraine de Labouïche

    13. Oktober 2024 in Frankreich ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    We slept much better last night than the night before considering there were so many vans in the little aire.
    By 7:30am we were up and so we’re lots of other people and a few vans we’re leaving by 8am.
    After a few coffees we left just after 9am and had to drive right through the town centre where all the stalls and animals were already getting ready for the second day of festivities. And it was just a short 5 Mile drive to our first location of the day Rivière souterraine de Labouïche.
    Our tour started at 10am and we had an excellent English speaking guide who took us on a 2km trip in a boat on the longest navigable subterranean river in Europe.
    He guided us 500 meters one way and then 1500 meters back the other way where we had to swap boats 3 times to navigate our way through.
    It was an amazing morning and the trip cost us just €13 each and lasted 90 minutes. It was a great start to our day.    Weiterlesen

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    Lombrives Cave

    13. Oktober 2024 in Frankreich ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    From Rivière souterraine de Labouïche we travelled 20 miles south and right to the edge of the Pyrenees mountains to our second activity of the day, Lombrives Cave and we purposefully arrived here super early to make lunch and chill out before our tour started at 3pm because having done the longest underground river in Europe we were now going to do the largest cave in Europe. However we didn’t chill out much because we had to park in the sun which has finally decided to show itself and it was 36° outside and 30° inside.
    We started our tour at 3pm with a 1km hike up the side of the mountain to get to the cave entrance. We could have taken the land train but I didn’t book it.
    Once at the cave entrance our guide told us he didn’t speak English but we didn’t really care.
    Inside Lombrives it is absolutely huge. Pictures just can’t do it justice and fortunately we had plenty of time to get pictures as we kept stopping for our guide to explain stuff in French. This tour lasted 2 1/2 hours and took us 2km into the caves it really was amazing.
    When we came out it was 5:45pm and luckily he let everyone take the land train down which got us back to Wanda quicker.    Weiterlesen

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    L'Hospitalet-prés-l'Andorre

    13. Oktober 2024 in Frankreich ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    It took us 50 mins to reach our park up for the night and we are currently two thirds of the way up the col du poymorens which sits at 1915 meters above sea level.
    We in in the little town of L'Hospitalet-prés-l'Andorre which is just a few kilometres from Andorra but we will be turning left tomorrow and into Spain. Our free aire for tonight is beautiful, nestled in the mountains with a waterfall behind us. There are also washing machines here, water for €2 for 100 litres and various hours of electric should it be required. It’s an amazing little aire and our last one in France for a while. Tomorrow we’ll be in Girona and aires will start to be a little different.Weiterlesen

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    Our first day in spain

    14. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We had a pretty good nights sleep in our free camp halfway up the col du puymorens and woke up at 7am.
    2 spaces away from us in the aire at the very end of the spaces is a beaten up old caravan with a middle aged couple that have obviously pitched up for aslong as they can. At 8am they kicked off screaming and shouting at each other in French and a quick glance out of the window we saw that he already had a pint of something in the go.
    Ellie quickly used the shower to wash her hair whilst I got dressed and packed the bed stuff away then Ellie got dressed while the very heated argument outside got louder and louder.
    Just after 9am we were ready and we left the aire to continue our journey up the mountain halfway down the other side and then up the Alto de Toses which topped out at 1750 meters but the climb itself was 22km long to the top and 24km down.
    We arrived at our first Spanish free aire in Sant Esteve d'en Bas at 12:30pm and we’ll be here for the next couple of days.

    (The first references of Sant Esteve d'en Bas date back to the 10th century.
    However, the remains found in the town centre suggest that, before the Christianisation period, there could have been a small pagan temple. During the 12th and 13th centuries, this place was turned into the centre of the viscountcy of Bas and within its borders there was the castle of the viscounts, called Castelló de Bas, and Sant Miquel church. Nowadays, it is the village with most inhabitants, as well as the administrative capital of La Vall d'en Bas.)

    At 1:30pm we went for a quick walk around the old town and the actual town centre is ancient with a church dating back to the 12th century and some of the houses near it dating back to the 16th century. It is full of narrow little paths and roads.
    Even though there’s nothing much in the town itself it does offer us a free aire which is right on the trail if the Via Verde Girona. Spain is criss crossed with old railway lines that have all been turned into greenways for hiking and cycling and some of them are hundreds of kilometres long and all are 100% traffic free. Spain is great at keeping traffic and bikes away from each other, so tomorrow I’m going to ride the Via Verde Girona all the way to Girona city which is 50km away and back.
    During the afternoon we mainly just chilled sitting outside of Wanda for the first time on this trip. It is warm but we can’t actually see the sun because there has been a dust storm from the Sahara desert and the sky is a thick pink colour and Wanda is covered in a nice red sand.    Weiterlesen

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    Cycling the Via Verde Girona

    15. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We had a great nights sleep in our free aire and even though we had the roof open all night it was still pretty warm.
    I woke early at 6:30am but didn’t get out of bed to make coffee until 7am and with the blinds open we watched an amazing sunrise due to all the red sand still hanging around.
    We were here for me to ride the Girona greenway and just after 9am I set off on my own heading for Girona which was just over 50km away.
    99% of the route was off road on gravel which seemed hard packed most of the way there as I steamed all the way there at 30kph. Even with a stop for a quick breakfast I had made it within 2.5hrs. All of the old stations on route are now play parks and have bench’s, fresh water taps and bike maintenance stations in. All along the route there are bench’s to take a break and there are bins, with bin liners in that are obviously collected as most were empty. Unlike England that in the unlikely event of having a bin it would probably be over flowing on any of our trails.
    I reached the centre of Girona city and rode straight into a market and had to walk the very end of the route before turning around walking back through the market and then starting the journey back.
    Coming home was a much more arduous task. I knew I must have been going downhill on the way but as it was a railway line I didn’t really pay too much attention, however the actual gradient on the way home was a constant 2% with 2 sections rising to 4%. In most cases I’d laugh at those gradients but over 50km this takes it toll big time and I ended up climbing 755meters over that 50km. It was a real slog and the gravel didn’t feel hard packed anymore, it now felt like treacle.
    I got back to Wanda just before 3pm to knackered and had a cold shower to cool off, then Ellie and I just chilled for the rest of the afternoon as it was now trying to rain.    Weiterlesen

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    Castellfollit de la Roca

    16. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    We slept with the windows open last night for the first time since we got here and it was much nicer and cooler.
    We woke up quite late at about 7:30am but we didn’t have far to go today.
    Whilst I had coffee Ellie washed her hair. We don’t know when we’ll next be able to get water or empty the toilet so after having washed ourselves and the dishes our next job was to refill the water and empty the toilet.
    Unfortunately we do have a small water leak coming from underneath Wanda and every year we have travelled we have had this problem and I think it’s the pressure relief valve and it’s finally giving up so we may have to find a spares place at some point and try and replace it.
    At 9:30am we left our our and our first stop was in the town of Olot for Lidl which was just 15 minutes away. . This store was one of the superstores so twice as large as any of the Lidl we have previously visited and had much more choice to offer.
    After shopping it was just a 10 minute drive to our destination of the day Castellfollit de la Roca.
    Castellfollit de la Roca is part of La Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park. It is built on a massive Basalt rock and the crag where the town is situated is over 50 metres (160 feet) high and almost a kilometre long. It was formed by the overlaying of two lava flows.
    After struggling to get to our parking spot initially we did eventually find it and it’s pretty good. There are no services and it’s just some grassland and when we first arrived there must have been 15 motorhomes and camper vans already here.
    I have been wanting to come here since I saw it on La Vuelta but when plotting our route I’d already struggled to find anything in the town except for the view from outside and really this is the case.
    There are probably 3 shops in town and a restaurant and a pizzeria and that’s it and wandering through the more modern part of town it is abit of a pit. Even the olden parts dating back to the 13th Century aren’t much to look at which surprised us considering how many people have come to visit the town.
    I was here for one aerial shot but if I had come with just my normal camera I would have been disappointed because unless you’re in a helicopter you really can’t see the beauty of this place.
    Fortunately I had the same view as a helicopter and I sent the drone up risking the high winds and managed to get 10 shots, 5 each from 2 different angles and just as I was landing the drone a resident came out to tell me that drones weren’t allowed. I apologised and she was fine and I didn’t think she was right but on the way back to the town we passed a tiny sign that said no drones. Luckily I didn’t see that beforehand.
    We got back to Wanda at 2:30pm and then spent an hour talking to our new Dutch neighbours in there tiny little van like our British post office vans, and they have already been on the road for 2 1/2 years. Then we just chilled for the rest of the afternoon reading and Ellie caught up with some YouTube videos as it was too late to do our next activity a little further along this road.    Weiterlesen

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    Parc Garrell

    17. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    We had a very peaceful nights sleep, which I was surprised about and didn’t wake up until 7am when one of the houses nearby let there dog out to start barking.
    After coffee and putting the bed stuff away we headed 10 minutes down the road to a parking spot where we started our 1 1/2 mile hike to our first location of the day.
    Parc Garell is actually a very large site in some woods next to quite a busy road at the edge of the town of Argelaguer. It was owned many years ago by an artist who worked the woods to form massive sculptures made from wood and waste materials and he is now entombed halfway down the site.
    Our first stop was called Cabanes d'Argelaguer or in English the Cabins of Argelaguer. It was a huge, weird sculpture that you could walk on or through made from wood, concrete various old tools that sloped down an embankment running from storm drains. When it rains hard the water flows all around the moulded concrete sculptures.
    We carried on walking and our second stop was Cova tomba monumental Garrell or the tomb of Garrell.
    At this tomb we found fresh flowers at the entrance and if your thin, as I now am you can squeeze into the tunnels of the tomb which go back around 20 meters. It is pitch black inside with what look like Mayan carvings of heads all across the walls. It was fascinating.
    We carried on walking and our last stop was Garrells actual house that he used to live in, in the woods with a vegetable plot and even a lookout tower. It was a fascinating place to walk around and we did have to wonder if Garrell was actually in his right mind.
    After 90 minutes it was time to leave and head just 4 miles down the road.    Weiterlesen

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    Besalú

    17. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Our next and final stop of the day was another 4 miles down the road at the medieval town of Besalú.
    We had easy parking directly off the main road and a roundabout and there’s even a dump station and water here, although paid, and this is where we will be spending the night.
    After a quick cup of tea we set off across the new bridge first so we could take pictures of the old bridge and the town. Then we turned left at the end and walked through a Portal and into what was once the old Jewish sector.
    Most of the buildings in Besalú have been restored but everything has been fine with traditional craftsmanship and looks how it did back in the 12-13th century. It is a fascinating place with winding ally’s, cobbled streets and ancient architecture.
    We popped into a couple of shops and I thought this would be a good opportunity to use the Spanish I have been learning for the past 3 months and when a shopkeeper spoke to me I answered him, and he answered back and I answered him again. He took this as I could speak fluently and then started a conversation which I obviously couldn’t do, but I was pleased that I understood and answered him twice.
    After a 90 minute stroll around we headed back to Wanda just in time for a huge storm to break.
    There was thunder, lightning and the rain was unbelievable. The mountains and the town completely disappeared the rain was so heavy and the car park was a lake within minutes. Fortunately we were parked at the edge of that lake and didn’t have to worry.
    We spent the rest of the afternoon in Wanda catching up on bits and pieces from social media and as much as I wanted to go for a bike ride it kept raining on and off and I gave up trying. Once the sun had set we headed back into the town to get some pictures at night and it looked much nicer all lit up with no people standing in the way.    Weiterlesen

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    The museum of exotic sculptures

    18. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    We left our park up In Besalú at 9:45am after a good nights sleep. Our first stop today was a Motorhome repairers just 500 meters away.
    We’ve always had a small water leak on Wanda and we know it is coming from the pressure relief valve of the main water tank. The problem is it’s always been worse when we’ve been up at altitude and then seems to get better as the trip goes on. We’ve never known any different and the pump has always kicked in and out.
    Now however the dripping seems more and more constant and as water has gone up since last year it seemed better to try and source a new valve.
    I’d found this Motorhome repairers online and didn’t think for one minute they would be able to help us.
    How wrong I was. Not only did they have only one of the pressure relief valves they also fitted it. I managed to have 2 conversations in Spanish albeit quite limited but I did explain I had a problem with the pump and the valve. Both new words for me and they understood me. I was pleased with myself.
    Now the pump doesn’t constantly kick in and out. The whole system holds pressure and even the taps and toilet work better, and we’re not dripping water anymore.
    From the Motorhome repairers we had a short drive to our first destination. A weird little wonder I had found on Atlas Obscurer
    called the museum of exotic sculptures. It is basically one man’s life’s work of sculptures based around penises and vaginas. It is most bizarre and although we initially went there for abit of a laugh and for something to do as we were passing but for €4 each it was a fascinating place. Yes he does have an over obsession with cocks and Fanny’s but some of the sculptures are undeniably amazing if somewhat creepy at times. The ones that aren’t sexual are really amazing.    Weiterlesen

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    Melianta

    18. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    After the museum of exotic sculptures our planned route was to take us into Figueres and to the Dali Museum but because of getting the water leak fixed we were a little behind time and decided to stop in the edge of a beautiful little town built around a lake called Melianta.
    It is full of gravel trails to hike and bike here so Ellie suggested rather than rush the Dali museum I should go and explore the trails so I took my bike for a 30km spin.
    It was a lovely gravel trail completely off road and even though it kept trying to rain it stayed mostly dry and was a lovely ride.
    I got back to Wanda at 5pm and Ellie suggested we move location as we had no Wi-Fi incase Ben needed us.    Weiterlesen

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    A Night in Peralada

    18. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    It took us just under an hour to drive to Peralada and we arrived at 6:15pm and the place was packed. Fortunately as we were getting water a large Motorhome left so we had his space which was really the last one.
    We had a light dinner of pizza and then decided to take a walk through this Medieval town and see the sights.
    The is a small tour that you can follow with signs on the wall that take you through portals and into the narrow streets that were once cobbled but have since been concreted nicely. We passed by the old convent and then a 12th century church following signs to the Castillo. We passed through another portal and across a main road and found the Castillo right in front of us beautifully lit up but unfortunately for us it is now a privately owned very posh hotel and casino. But it is lovely for photos.
    From the castle we wandered back through town following the little route until we came back to the first portal we went through and we could see Wanda.
    Back indoors we watched tv for abit until 10pm and just as we were setting the bed up another Motorhome turned up.
    He drove straight into the Motorhome area even though there was no where to go and then proceeded to do a 3 point turn. I thought he’d realised there was no where to park but in actual fact he parked right next to us completely blocking the entrance for everybody else.
    Now nobody could leave until us or him moved because had parked right in the middle of the area.    Weiterlesen

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    Figueres & The Dali Museum

    19. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After getting bread and cakes from the local bakery this morning we got back to Wanda to see that other motorhomes wanted to leave and the idiot that had turned up late last night was utterly oblivious of the fact so I decided to leave early and head down the road just 10 miles to Figueres. The home and birthplace of Salvador Dali.
    We arrived in Figueres around 9am. I knew we’d be early but I just wanted to get into the city and get parked and we found parking in park for night up at the castle with lots of other Moho’s. Once parked we made breakfast and Ellie booked tickets. Luckily she checked to see if we needed to book because the earliest we could get in was midday which pretty much left us with nothing to do for 2 1/2 hours so we FaceTimed some family back home.
    At 11:30am we headed out and into the city and it was literally a 10 minute to the Dali museum and once there we joined a queue.
    We had no idea it would be so busy and they were only letting people in, in 15 minute increments and it must have been around a hundred at a time.
    Once inside for the first 10 minutes it was walk to wall people but as things went along we gradually found more space and were able to see the artwork. It was a really great art museum and we didn’t realise but Dali himself actually brought the building which was a former theatre and helped design and build the museum so it is laid out exactly as he wanted it, and obviously being Dali the artwork is amazing and bizarre.
    The museum took about an hour to walk around and it did feel very confined with people at times but we’re glad we went.
    We got back to Wanda at 1pm and it was time to move on.    Weiterlesen

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    Torroella De Montgri

    19. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    At 2:30pm we arrived in Torroella de Montgri and as I pointed out the castle that we would climb too as we approached the town Ellie asked if I was serious. I had to admit that it was even higher than I thought but after settling in with a cup of tea and eating our cakes we brought from the bakery this morning at 4pm we set off.
    The terrain was unreal, a 10% gradient all of the way up with large sections at 15% made our legs burn. To top it off when we weren’t on loose non grippy gravel we were in flint and quartz rocks that were huge.
    It was a 233 meter of 2.5km and it took us an hour to get to the top. We could barely see Wanda from the first ridge line but once we were at the very top we could see the sea.
    Once we were at the castle we climb to the very top ascending a freshly made spiral staircase in one of the lookout towers.
    To enter the castle was free and the whole area is in an area of outstanding natural beauty and is protected. It was a great afternoons workout and this time we remembered water.
    We arrived back at Wanda at 6:30pm to watch a great sunset whilst dinner cooked and then it was time to rest.    Weiterlesen

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    Medieval Pals by Day

    20. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We had a great nights sleep in the car park. It was blissfully quiet and the temperature dropped quite fast and we were both tired from our mega hike up the mountain.
    We left our park up around 10am and drove just 6 miles down the road to our next destination, Pals.
    This is a medieval town dating back to the 11th century and again the medieval parts have been beautifully restored.
    Most shops in most of Europe are closed on Sundays except for cafes and we didn’t think for one minute that any shops would be open here and I was resided to going for a long bike ride and waiting until tomorrow to see what the town had to offer, but after a quick cup of coffee we decided to go for a walk to get our bearings and found that most shops in the medieval sector were open. Yes it is a tourist town but it is tiny, beautifully presented and this time of year very quiet.
    We looked in all of the open shops including the arty ones and most were selling handmade crafted items made locally. Then we strolled the streets looking at the ancient architecture.    Weiterlesen

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    Medieval Pals by Night

    20. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    After heading out on my bike down the gravel tracks for 30km in the afternoon and then heading out for ice cream at the edge of town when I got back back, we decided to head back up to town in the evening to see it lit up.
    We are so lucky to travel this time of year when there aren’t many other travellers and to wander around the streets of towns like Pals completely alone and image what it must have been like hundreds of years ago when the streets where lit with torch’s, if atall, and horses and carts were going up and down the cobbled streets.
    Even the church doors were wide open and we just entered completely alone to get some pictures.
    We got back to Wanda around 8pm and we our surrounded by 6 other motorhomes but it’s pretty quiet.    Weiterlesen

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    Peratallada

    21. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    We had a good nights sleep in our little car park, tucked in between several other motorhomes from all nationalities. I had promised Ellie that todays location would have an amazing pastry shop but as I checked on google maps I realised the hours had changed because we’re out of season and they now close on Mondays and Tuesdays.
    I looked for a bakery in Pals, the town we were still in and found one just 20 meters up the road.
    The bakery did an array of disgustingly gorgeous looking cakes and it take us ages to choose and when we did I managed to order in Spanish, a chocolate coffee cake which was probably the best cake I’ve ever had.
    From pals it was just a 20 minute drive to our only stop of the day, the medieval town of Peratellada. When we arrived quite late at 10:30am most things were still closed or just opening so we managed to get some good photos, but by 11am everything that was going to open was open and a couple of coaches of tourists turned up.
    It was a pretty town with cobbled steets dating back to the 10th century and it did have a castle but there’s not a lot left of it now.
    Once we had done 2 laps of the town we decided to move on and start heading to our next place.
    This meant moving area completely and heading south towards Valencia and the Ebro river where we went 2 years ago.    Weiterlesen

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    A night in El Masroig

    21. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    I didn’t think we would make it comfortably to our final destination so whilst parked in the services we found a free Motorhome aire in the town of El Masroig.
    Even according to the description there is nothing in this town except the wine shop because the town is run as a cooperative. Whilst sitting outside of Wanda I waved at an old boy walking past and he came over and started a conversation. I told him I only spoke a little Spanish but that didn’t deter him from telling us about his Motorhome, the fact that he was 80 years old, and was I going to the wine shop? It was a nightmare and even when I said it was lovely to meet you and bye he carried on talking knocking my confidence even more. If only he’d asked me if I wanted a cat or a dog or even to book him a table for dinner I’d have been fine.
    Wandering through the town it looks run down and closed but there were lots of children playing and absolutely no cars. There were also no shops except for a pharmacy.
    When we got back to Wanda there must have been 10 children talking to the other motorhomers, the couple next to us were German and then there was a Dutch couple. We stopped to speak to everyone and the kids were learning Dutch, German and now English and we were all learning Spanish. Now I know how far I’ve got to go to actually have a conversation with anyone.
    Our aire here is free, with free water and grey and black waste and we have a beautiful Mountain View and even though Ellie and I aren’t very sociable this is definitely the friendliest town we’ve ever been too. Everybody wants to speak to you.    Weiterlesen

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    Corbera D’ Ebre

    22. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    We were woken extremely early at 4:30am by a car alarm going off which then proceeded to sound every ten minutes until I finally got up at 6:30am to the sound of one of the bins being emptied by a farmer with a tractor and trailer and then a procession of tractors proceeded down the road every 2-3 minutes. For such a quiet village it was a very noisy start to the day.
    We left the park up at 10am and then drove 15 miles down the road to the town of Corbera D’ Ebre.
    The upper town was completely destroyed in the Spanish Civil War during the Battle of the Ebro (25 July–16 November 1938) and although the lower part of the town was rebuilt, the upper part, known as Poble Vell (Old Town), including the old church on the hill, has been kept as a reminder. I had found this location from watching abandoned engineering and as we were passing I wanted to stop and see it.
    The 115-day-long Battle of the Ebro, was the longest, bloodiest and most decisive battle of the Spanish Civil War.
    It’s an unbelievable sight to walk around and although we have been to other worn torn towns this particular one is more rubble than buildings.
    The troops that fought at the battle of Ebro had come from the town of Belchite. That is tomorrow’s location.
    We only spent about an hour at Corbera d’ebre and then after not finding a decent spot to sleep in Xerta we drove to the town of Miravet. We were last here exactly 2 years ago today. We love this area and as soon as we stopped I headed out on my bike on the roads and I was only passed by 1 car over 30km.    Weiterlesen

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    Belchite

    23. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We left Miravet just after 8am and took a 100 mile drive to our next location. Belchite.
    This town is where the American troops were based before heading to Corbera D’ebre for the battle of Ebre and is another bombed out town left as a memorial.
    Belchite has a beautiful Motorhome area and we parked next to a British couple and as soon as we had parked they came over to tell us that Belchite was closed for a month from the 15th October to 15th November. I have to admit that in all of my research I didn’t realise it had opening times and we would need tickets.
    We had lunch and then took a stroll upto the old town remains where there was a path all the way around the edge and in actual fact it was probably a better view than had we been inside the town because now we had an overall view.
    At the end of the walk we passed by the front of the town and spoke to one of the riggers and asked her what they were filming and she told us it was the walking dead so we can forgive them and I’ll be looking out for Belchite in the new season.
    Then we headed back to Wanda and I took my bike out down one of the gravel routes for an hour to wear myself out before bedtime.    Weiterlesen

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    Caudiel & The Via Verde Ojos Negros

    24. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    We were up and ready to move by 9am and today I decided to skip a couple of planned locations.
    Our first stop should have been the remains of a castle and a short hike along some old Roman aqueducts on the way to the fortified town of Albarracin but checking google we’d have had to pay to enter the citadel and then had to pay again to enter the church which is the main attraction. Also we couldn’t sleep at Albarracin so we’d have had to find somewhere to camp.
    After that we should have been heading to Teruel which is our closest city but that was just to look around so we skipped that and headed further down to the next spot on the list Caudiel.
    After filling up with LPG, diesel and fresh water at a lovely free Motorhome area in Teruel we got to Caudiel at 1:30pm after a 150 mile drive.
    We are here because this place sits right in the middle of the Via Verde Ojos Negros a cycle greenway that covers 200km from the coast at Valencia right upto Zarragozza. It is a mega cycle route and I’ve already done large sections of it.
    After lunch I took the bike out and headed downhill towards Valencia for 20km, then turned around and came back which took 90 minutes.
    This via verde actually has a gradient running from 2% to 4% all the way from the coast inland and tomorrow I’m going to cycle uphill for 50km before turning around and heading back.    Weiterlesen

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    The Via Verde Ojos Negros

    25. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ 🌩️ 13 °C

    Today was a quiet day. We got up early at 7:30am which was lucky because the builders that are currently making this beautiful Motorhome area turned up at 8am with diggers and Lorry’s.
    I left Wanda at 9:30am and headed inland and uphill on a 4% gradient for 50km. And then turned around and headed back.
    It was a lovely ride although a little chilly. This is the coldest we’ve ever had it in Spain and for all except one day we’ve had rain.
    When I got back I had a shower as we have free water on tap and then we just chilled out for the rest of the day ready to move on tomorrow.
    Rain was forecast for tonight but at 7pm it got very, very black outside and then a storm broke with crazy amounts of lightning and thunder. We’re hoping it will stop by bedtime so we actually get some sleep.    Weiterlesen

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    Alcalá de Júcar

    26. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    We were woken up early this morning by the digger returning at 7am.
    I didn’t mind to much as we had already said we’d be in the move early. Today was my 50th birthday so after opening cards and presents and getting a video message from Expedition Unknowns Josh Gates, at 8:30am we rolled out.
    We decided to skip 2 major hikes and a couple of sleepovers due to the heavy rain last night and we took a 150 mile drive to the ancient town of Alcalá de Júcar nestled deep in the mountains.
    I had obviously seen this place on La Vuelta judging by the switchbacks and huge decent we took to get into here and I’m really glad I saved this place.

    Alcalá de Júcar dates back to the year 0. It’s over 2000 years old and people were living in the mouths of caves in wooden structures first before chiselling out the cave houses we see today.
    It’s an amazing town built on the side of a mountain and the streets are just wide enough to 2 horses side by side up them.
    So how do the residents move around now?
    Quad bikes. Even the older generation.
    We visited the home of a very famous Spanish bullfighter called El Diablo, infact he actually let us in when I tried the door. It was an amazing. Cave house with lots of historical artifacts mainly to do with farming and the famous people he had met over the years including Salvador Dali.
    From there we visited the castle, which had been structurally restored and stands proud at the very top of the town.
    We got back to Wanda just after 5pm for dinner and then waited for it to get dark and head back out to get some shots of the town lit up. It looked really pretty.    Weiterlesen

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    Caravaca de la Cruz

    27. Oktober 2024 in Spanien ⋅ 🌩️ 13 °C

    We had very noisy neighbours last night, who for part of the night thought it was ok to tie there barking dog to there rear bumper and leave it out there barking it’s head off. Then they were going in and out of there Motorhome until atleast 1am banging the door.
    To top that off at 7:15am they ran there engine for 45 mins obviously charging something and then walked around the Motorhome area with their barking dog.Basically we had arsehole neighbours!!
    We left at 8:30am and our next official stop was the Catwalks of Castril but that was a 200 mile drive and I didn’t fancy that, so we stopped at 150 miles in the town of Caravaca de la Cruz. This town plays host to the one true cross and it is housed in the towns Basillica. It is said to have healing powers.
    Legend has it that the town was under siege by the moors and they had run out of water. The knights Templar heard of the townsfolk plight and rushed to help them but could only find wine to give them and sent their horses up to the town laden with wine. The townsfolk were saved and the injured were miraculously cured and the moors defeated and now the town is one of five pilgrimage sites in the world recognised by the Christian church.
    Until we arrived here we didn’t know any of this until we visited the towns church and then the fortified basilica at the highest point of the town.
    Obviously we don’t believe any of that bible rubbish and it’s just another form of control, but the medieval parts of the town and historical centre were great to look around. Obviously the Christians love a gift shop because there were crosses and pilgrims staffs being sold everywhere.
    We got back to Wanda at 5pm and spent the rest of the evening watching TV whilst it rained again.
    It is unseasonably cold at just 16°c and after checking the weather, after Wednesday it should start warming up again.    Weiterlesen

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