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Our Spanish Road Trip

October - November 2022
Follow along as we head down through France to Spain looking for hiking and biking trails to explore. There’s lots on the bucket list from castles to caves, will we find our ultimate adventure playground in Spain 🇪🇸 Read more
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  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 50

    Cappy to Lumbres to Calais

    November 25, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    This morning I was awake at 6am. I sat up, put the electric fire on and went back to bed for an hour and got up just after 7am and made coffees.
    We had a proper comedy moment last night when another motorhome turned up.
    During the day we needed a decent WiFi signal so I moved from the concrete turning circle we had parked on after getting stuck and we set up camp at the start of the campsite on a big piece of tarmac where the bins were. It was also the entrance to 2 tent pitches which were chained closed but one had an electric port, so it wasn’t as if we shouldn’t park there but it wasn’t a pitch and we were the only ones there.
    At 10:30pm just after we got in bed another motorhome turned up. There’s 28 pitches on the site and a few random concrete turning circles to park in an emergency like we did but where did they choose to park? Right next to us. They didn’t even bother looking around the site to see if there was anywhere else. It was a joke. If we had parked in the street they still would have parked next to us.
    We left Cappy at 9am after tipping our grey and filling with fresh water. We were booked on the 11:20pm eurotunnel and we had just one stop to make and it was a 2 hour drive of 70 miles to reach the outskirts of the town of Lumbres and a huge E L’Clerc store. Here there was a supermarket, gas station, motorhome wash and laundrette so our first stop was for diesel.
    Then we drove out of there and into the motorhome wash, where we exchanged €10 for 5 tokens and washed Wanda. I didn’t think for a minute it would be as good as it was but it was great. We soaped her first then used a soapy brush to scrub her and then finally rinse her. We could have polished and waxed aswell and I think for €15 we could have done a proper job but I just wanted the worst off before we get home. We will have to wash her back in Norfolk anyway before we put the cover back on.
    After washing Wanda we put our laundry in and then went and picked up a couple of pizzas from the main store for dinner and when we came out the washing was done and then we dryed it.
    Once the washing was dry and put away we went to the far end of the car park and closed all the blinds ready to chill out for a few hours. It was a one hour drive to Calais from here and it was only 3pm so we put the tv on for an hour and then we had a little sleep.
    At 5pm we were fully awake and we put the TV back on and continued with our breaking bad marathon while the oven heated up. We had our goats cheese pizzas for dinner and some cakes we’d bought from the supermarket. We had decided to spoil ourselves and the cakes were a double meringue with cream in the middle coated in biscoff.
    After dinner we had 2 hours left and we just chilled out, tidyed up a little and waited until our leaving time.
    At 8:15pm it was time to leave our safe haven and take the final 40 mile journey from Lumbres to Calais. It was an easy 50 minute drive mostly on duel carriageways and before we knew we were at the terminal, checked in and ready to finish our journey.
    Originally we were booked on the 11:20pm train but we were offered a free 10:20pm alternative and took that. The train was running slightly late so it was actually 10:20pm when they started loading us but within 15 minutes of the barriers lifting up we were all on and the train was moving.
    35 minutes later we were back in England, it was now 10:15pm UK time and the roads were fairly busy for this time of night but flowing smoothly and just after midnight we arrived at Ellies mum and dads. Of course nobody was up, and as soon as we parked up next to the garage we made the bed and jumped straight in it.
    It was freezing in the living area because we hadn’t warmed it up with having the oven on and it took us ages and ages to finally get to sleep, but we were finally here and we had completed our journey.
    We had travelled 4150 miles, spent £1050 on fuel, paid for just 5 nights sleeping at £57, spent £25 on LPG and Wanda had done really well. We were pleased with our upgrades of solar power which has already paid for itself and the engine modification which has worked a treat pulling us up hills and sitting at lower revs on the motorway and above all we have had an amazing adventure.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 49

    Our last full night away in Cappy

    November 24, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    This morning we were awake for 7:30am. The temperature stayed good inside Wanda last night even though it was just 7°c outside this morning it didn’t feel to cold in Wanda so I put the fire on when I got up.
    We had nothing planned for today except hiking along the river Somme and finally the rain had stopped and we had blue skies and winter sunshine, so we had a slow start to the morning and both had breakfast before setting off to explore at 9:30am.
    We set off in our coats, hats and scarfs turned right at the top of the road leading to the airè crossed over a bridge and crossing the Somme before turning left onto the canal path which is also known as the Somme veloroute.
    It was a beautiful morning, the canal was like a mirror and it was so clear we could see the bottom. We saw herons, kingfishers, buzzards and woodpeckers and it wasn’t long before we started getting warm and taking layers off. The only problem was a biting wind so as soon as we took something off it soon went back on.
    We walked the Somme veloroute for just over 3 miles ending up in a beautiful little village called Frise. It was a proper chocolate box village with tiny houses circling the ponds of the Somme with a church on the hill and no traffic.
    Then we turned around and headed back the way we came to Wanda.
    We got back to the airè at 1pm and for lunch we had a vegetable soup that we had brought from a local supermarket and fresh bread. The french just can’t do soup like the Brits. I’ve tried it twice now and been disappointed twice and they don’t do a range of soups like the brits either. Ellie made it taste better by adding a chicken stock cube.
    Once lunch had gone down I decided I’d go for my final bike ride and unhooked my bike, got dressed in my warm gear and then went back towards the Veloroute.
    This time I carried on past Frise through to the next village of Feulliers and onto the village of La Chaplette. I rode for 45 mins which was 18km and then stopped for 10 minutes before heading back the way I had come. It was a lovely ride on a tarmac route with beautiful scenery. The wind was still biting cold and as the sun started to set it got colder still and at 4:30pm just as the last rays of sunshine were peaking through the clouds I got back.
    While we’ve still got access to water we’re both going to have showers here and then refill before we leave in the morning so I put the hot water on, got my cycling kit off and waited for it to heat up. Once the water was hot enough I then put the fire on so everything was toasty especially the bathroom which is like a sauna.
    After a quick shower we had our final cooked meal for this trip. We just had a womble dinner trying to use up the junk from the freezer section but it was still tasty.
    Then it was time to relax and watch tv and reminisce on all the things we had seen and done on this trip.
    Tomorrow we’re heading for Calais.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 48

    Formerie to Cappy

    November 23, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We both woke up at 7:30am to a toasty warm Wanda. We had the electric fire running all night on low again and that kept the temperature at a steady 17°c.
    We had nowhere to be today so it was a slow start and it was still raining steadily outside so we were in no particular rush to do anything.
    That gave us a chance to check our phones and see if there was anywhere else to go rather than go to Arras, because even though it’s a beautiful city we have been there before.
    Fortunately while I was checking on Komoot and park4night I found an airè that was camping car for our card. Situated in a mon village as it’s called in France (it’s actually just an enclosed campsite) that was close to the river Somme and had beautiful canal walks and bike rides on hand.
    I never thought I’d convince Ellie we should go and then she turned to me with her phone and said “What about this place?” and showed me a picture of what I had just found.
    Our minds were made up and we dumped off the grey water and filled up with fresh and left Formerie at 10am for a 65 mile journey to Bray de La Somme and the village of Cappy.
    The rain was relentless all the way and the roads were like rivers. Luckily there were no motorways but driving through the side roads mud was just running off the fields making the roads a chocolate brown colour. It was disgusting weather.
    We finally arrived at Cappy at 12:30pm, it was still raining and we let ourselves in through the barrier with pass card. There’s 25 pitches for motorhomes and they were all free, nobody else was here. There are also several static caravans here that are privately owned with little gardens around them. They are all empty.
    We had the whole place to ourselves.
    The pitches for motorhomes were all grass and some had wire on the ground to stop vehicles sinking. I pulled into one that was drive in and drive out and we realised it wasn’t level and also really bumpy so I said I’d move to a better pitch. I saw a flat one over the little hedge to my right so I pulled out and reversed it in and no sooner had we stopped and Wanda Sank.
    I tried to pull out again but the wheels just spun up. Then I tried rocking us out first in first gear and then in reverse and first. It was no good Wanda wasn’t going anywhere.
    Ellie wasn’t to worried and said it would stop raining soon and it was meant to get windy but I knew that wouldn’t help us and if we couldn’t get ourselves out we would need to find help from someone and I didn’t fancy our chances of that either.
    We had a coffee and then I put on my waterproof jacket and hat and Ellie put in her coat and we got the max tracks off the back for the first time.
    There’s a reason why all those soldiers got trench foot in the Somme in the First World War and we were about to find out all about it.
    The max tracks were useless because as soon as the first layer of soil was lifted it became a thick, gloopy, slippery clay and we now knew we were in trouble.
    We set off looking around the camping village for some wood to put under the wheels to get traction. Fortunately we found some large pieces of OSB board behind one of the caravans so we stole 2 and then returned to Wanda. Feeling hopeful.
    I decided we would try and jack wanda up so I put the jack on a piece of wood to stop it sinking and lifted the front left wheel. Once the wheel was lifted we could see that Wanda had sunk about 8 inches. We slid the wood under and lowered Wanda and the wood just cracked but I thought if we could do the same on the other side we would get enough traction to pull ourselves out.
    We jacked up the other side and did exactly the same and then tried pulling ourselves out but it was useless, we needed a different plan but all the time we sat there the back with all the weight in was sinking further.
    We made the decision to empty half of the water. That’s 50 litres but obviously the only place it can go is on the grass which will make it even more boggy.
    We went back to the caravan with the wood and stole 2 more pieces and then I jacked up the back drivers side but we had sunk about 10 inches already.
    We decided to not even attempt putting the wood under and I returned back to the Caravan and found some broken bricks. I put those under the wheel and now the back was level. We tried again but still the front wheels just spun and smoked. There just wasn’t enough traction on the wood to pull us out.
    I then returned to the Caravan and got a paving slab, rejacked the front passenger side and put the slab under. All the time I was jacking Wanda I was laying or kneeling in the mud and now I was absolutely caked in it. It was in my boots, on my trousers my jacket was covered and so were my hands. Ellie had splats if wheelspin mud on her face, one arm of her jacket was caked in it and so were hands. She had also cut her thumb and managed to get blood on her face. Mixed with mud she looked like something from the walking dead.
    We managed to get the slab under and then we tried again but Wanda wasn’t budging, so we went back to the caravan and got 3 more paving slabs, at this point I made a joke that if anyone else turned up we would say we’re building a patio because all we needed now was a barbecue.
    I jacked the front up again and we managed to get a paving slab under the other wheel and to help keep us moving I put the other 2 infront of those so if we did get going we could keep moving.
    I tried again and we would go forward a little and the roll back so I managed to work up a nice rocking motion and when I reached maximum rocking speed I pulled forward. The wheels spun and I turned left and right fast to get maximum pulling traction and slowly but surely Wanda crept forward until we got to tarmac.
    We had made a right mess. My tools were covered in mud, Wanda was covered in mud, we were covered in mud and it had taken 2 1/2 hours to get free.
    It was now 4pm and all those lovely walks or bike rides we were dreaming of weren’t happening.
    We drove Wanda up to the fresh water point and refilled the fresh water tank. Then we hosed off the max tracks and hosed off Wanda.
    We decided we wouldn’t park on the grass and chose to park on a turning circle and use the closest electric point. Once we were hooked up I put the hot water on and we both took our wet and muddy clothes off sat infront of the diesel heater.
    It had been a right ordeal trying to get Wanda out, an ordeal we don’t want to experience again.
    After dinner I had a shower and rinsed off all the mud and then we sat down to relax for the rest of the night.
    Hopefully the rain will have stopped tomorrow and we’ll be able to go for a walk along the Canal.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 47

    Chartres to Formerie

    November 22, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    We were both awake at 7am today. I didn’t sleep great for some reason. I had the gas fire on right up until bedtime and I think in the early hours of the morning I got too hot and started having nightmares. Then I woke up again at 6am, put the gas fire back on so when we got up at 7am it was toasty warm.
    We were ready to leave at 8am but we sat around for an extra hour and waited until after 9am to try and miss rush hour traffic.
    I’m not sure when rush hour is over here. Obviously there is the school traffic in every town and city, but most shops and businesses don’t start trading until 10am so even when we’re on the road after 9am it still seems very busy.
    We had 123 miles to cover today and I wasn’t looking forward to it. High winds had been forecast and even though we didn’t get them overnight like we were supposed to by the time we got to the motorways they had definitely arrived. I spent the first fifty miles of our journey fighting the steering wheel as the wind was giving some really heafty gusts from the left and we dropped down to 50mph for a good deal of the motorway. Once we got to Rouen however we changed direction and the wind was behind us and we started to fly but then the rain came and it absolutely threw it down. The rain doesn’t seem to leave the french roads as fast as englands and water collects on the whole surface and the spray was unbelievable. Even some of the french drivers had there fog lights on.
    At 12:30om we arrived at our airè du camping carpark in Formerie and just before we got here I asked Ellie if we had been here because it sounded familiar. She said no but as soon as we arrived in town we recognised it straight away.
    We had stayed here last year in exactly the same weather conditions and used it for the same reason. A bolt hole and half way stop to our next destination of Arras. The only difference was last time we stayed here on a Sunday and everything was closed. Today is a Tuesday and everything was open.
    We pulled into the airè, I plugged us in to the electrical supply and then we closed ourselves in away from the rain and driving winds and both had teas and coffees and then at 1:15pm the rain stopped and we decided to go into the town to look around and get some fresh bread for lunch.
    Unfortunately when we got to the town square we realised the whole town is closed from 12pm until 2pm except for the little shop we brought soup from last year.
    We just can’t get used to things closing for long periods in Europe. Spain has siesta time between 1 and 5pm so everything closes for a good 4 hours of the day. In France everyone has a 2 hour lunch break and they close all day on a Sunday. Family time over here is greatly appreciated.
    The rest of the day back at Wanda dragged a little. We both watched our phones, I put the hot water on and we both had early showers, then it was dinner time and finally it got dark, we put our pyjamas on and we put the tv on. Once the TV goes on we know it’s settling in time and we can really relax. Outside the weather is still trying to rain and it’s pretty quiet until a huge gust of wind blows over and really rocks Wanda. We’ll have to wait and see if it calms down before we can move tomorrow.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 46

    Vatan to Chartres

    November 21, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    We woke up this morning at 7:30am to a toasty warm Wanda. I left the electric fire on all night on low so the temperature never dropped below 16°c and at 5am I woke up and turned the thermostat up a little so it was nice and warm when we woke up.
    I put the hot water back on as soon as I woke up and then made coffee. Ellie wanted to wash her hair and once that was done we were ready to leave and at 8:30am we refilled the fresh water and left our quiet little airè in Vatan.
    We had 114 miles to cover today, the rain was due to arrive at lunchtime and strong winds are expected tomorrow so I wanted to push further up and try and outrun the worst of it over the next couple of days.
    Just after lunchtime we arrived in Chartres our first stop was decathlon to get some winter riding gloves but they didn’t have any so it was a waisted journey and when we came out the rain had started and within 5 minutes of getting back on the road it was helling it down and the road spray was unbelievable. Torrents of water were running down the roads. Luckily we only had 5 miles to get to our park up and when we arrived it was still chucking it down.
    Our parking spot was on the outskirts of the city by a park and there was a greenway path and cycle lane that ran from the airè all the way into the city. It’s just a gravel car park by a road but the road seems quiet enough and Chartres is a quiet city compared to others we’ve stayed in.
    We’ve been to Chartres before when we did our truck and rooftent adventure and it’s a nice city with a huge cathedral that has 2 spires. 1 gothic and 1 medieval. There are also 2 other huge churches in the city and lots of historic buildings and historic roads.
    As it was raining we had no plans to go and visit the city again and this was just going to be a stop for the night but by 3:30pm after sitting around for a couple of hours we were getting itchy feet.
    By 4pm the rain had stopped and it had brightened up a little so I mapped a route out on Komoot and we set off down the Chartres greenway into the city centre.
    It was a beautiful walk and within 2 minutes we were well away from the roads and walking through a park next to the river. The old buildings on the riverside were amazing with there ancient wooden low balconies almost touching the river.
    Within 20 minutes we were in the city centre walking down ancient cobbled roads and passing houses that looked more suited to the set of Harry Potter than a city. The sun was setting now and the old lamps were turning on street by street and it was lovely to see everything lit up at night.
    We passed the ancient church of Saint-Pierre and the door was open so we went inside. Unfortunately non of the interior lights were on except for very dim LED lights and we couldn’t really see much or take photos but the inside of the church was one huge building with rows and rows of pews running upto a huge altar. Even though we couldn’t see much it was impressive.
    From there we headed down more ancient cobbled narrow streets, some were just wide enough for us to walk side by side and when we popped out Chartres Cathedral was right in front of us.
    It is a huge feat of architectural engineering dating back to the 13th century. It’s archway doors are so big they actually hurt your neck when your looking at them. And the stonework statues surrounding the doors are are unbelievably intricate. Unfortunately you can’t view the outside beauty of this building when your right on top of it. You really need to be atleast a mile away on hill to actually admire it but that’s where Chartres Cathedral has it’s own unique draw for you to want to be inside it.
    Inside is a unique piece of stonework that runs around the entire centre of the church. It is divided into sections and each section has intricate characters from the bible and history inlayed into it. Then inbetween each section is an intricate carving of one of the church spires . This whole structure is around 150ft in length and it creates a room at the centre where prayer and mass are held. It is the most impressive church we have ever been in and even more beautiful than Notre Damme before it burnt down.
    On leaving the Cathedral we saw a sign that said something about Chartres Luminaries where famous historic buildings would have projections on them after 6:30pm. It was now 6pm so we wandered the streets and looked in the shops for 30 minutes and brought some Christmas bits and then started back towards Wanda.
    The Cathedral was now illuminated with projections that covered all of the doors, windows and stone work and bit by bit it built a picture of stained glass windows with a clock at the centre of it. It was very twinkly and beautiful.
    Next we passed back by the Church of Saint Pierre and that also had projections covering the whole building and it was also twinkly and beautiful. Then we were back into the park where the historic riverside buildings were lit up and reflected in the river below.
    We finally got back to Wanda at 7:30pm. For dinner we had a new recipe we had just thought of as we couldn’t get any burgers and put our Cordon Bleurs into burger buns calling them Cordon Bleugers. They were quite tasty.
    Then at 8:30pm it was time to wash up and settle in for the night. It was getting cold outside already with the temperature at just 6°c so we put the fire on and watched tv until bedtime.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 45

    Solignac to Vatan

    November 20, 2022 in France ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    We had a great nights sleep at our park up in Solignac. It was freezing cold this morning at just 3°c out and 6°c inside when we we up at 6am and we weren’t in any rush so I got up and put the gas fire on and went back to bed until 7:30am.
    When I eventually got out of bed at 7:30am I realised the first gas bottle had run out so I had to go outside and switch them over in the cold anyway.
    At 10am, after breakfast, we filled up with fresh water and dumped the grey and then headed into the main city of Limoges.
    It was only a 10 mile journey but for early on a Sunday morning when everything is closed it was a nightmare journey and the traffic was the worst we had seen on this entire trip. We were heading into the city for LPG and once we found the 24 hour automated garage it was a quick and easy fill, once we had worked out which adapter to use. For the first time ever we used the dish adapter and it was the simplest to use out of all of them.
    Once we had gas we could go again. We had 2 completely full LPG tanks and 90 miles left to travel and 88 of those miles were on the A20 motorway. It wasn’t scenic but it was easy and quick with no hold ups and at 12:30pm we arrived at the airè du camping carpark in the town of Vatan.
    The site is called Camping de Mon Village Vatan and it has 48 pitches all enclosed by hedges and trees, a football pitch/ basketball court with a running or cycling track around it. Electric at every pitch and water although it’s currently switched off because it is getting cold and at the entrance there are 8 QR codes leading to different hikes and bike rides. It is a beautiful site and it must be booming in the summer. We paid €11:50 all in. But we’ve since worked out that our last airè du camping car park didn’t charge us and the money went onto our account so we feel like we got our money back on that crappy airè we stayed at in Saint-Lary-Soulan that had no water or electric.
    The village itself doesn’t offer much to do but there was a museum of the circus which looked interesting so at 2:30pm once the rain had abated we went for a walk into town and found the museum which fortunately for us was open.
    It cost us €5 each to get in and Ellie wasn’t particularly bothered about going in because we knew it would all be in french but it was something to do rather than just sit in Wanda and it was actually quite fascinating.
    It started off with the really early circus stuff from the 1920’s and 30’s, they had clothing from famous French circus people, photographs and even original posters on the wall. Then it went up through the years and it was obvious that by the 1960’s upto the 80’s animals were the big draw. One posted bragged that they had 150 animals including Baboon’s, 20 lions, tigers, hippos, elephants and even polar bears. There was even rare video footage playing of the circuses with the animals. In France animals were being used right up until the year 2000.
    In the late 80’s the new draw became the daredevils. People that used crossbows, knife throwing and swords aswell as tightrope walkers and other high wire acts and of course the illusionists.
    It was a fascinating private collection and we were really impressed with how it was done and were glad we went. It broke the day up and we learnt lots.
    We got back to Wanda at 4:30pm and just before the rain started again. We put the TV on and continued with our breaking bad marathon and as we had electric we heated some water and run the electric heater.
    Once the water was hot I had a shower and it was great to have a hot shower in a hot room and then come back into the main living area that was toasty aswell. It didn’t take long for the bathroom to dry out today.
    For dinner we had what looked like a pizza folded in half and sealed at the edges topped off with cheese. It was a heavy going food that we had seen in several supermarkets and it actually looked better than it tasted. Then it was back to chilling out for the rest of the evening.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 44

    Lamagdalaine to Solignac

    November 19, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We had a good nights sleep in our airè but this morning it at 7am the church bells woke us up and it was a chilly 9°c inside Wanda, but because we had electric I put the diesel heater on and within 10 minutes we were toasty warm and drinking coffee in bed.
    We had another big day of driving ahead of us today so I wanted to be on the road early and we left our airè at 9am. We talked about visiting Cahours but because it was cold and wet outside we decided to just push up further and we’d come back another day.
    Today we were heading to Limoges and Château de Châlucet. We’ve been to Limoges before and this was missed out on our first visit, so this time we are on the right road and we’ll be passing right by.
    It was a 114 mile journey and when there was just 70 miles to go we decided to stop at an ALDI and stock up on junk food and by Ben some junk food for Christmas. Then we drove around the corner and stopped at an E’ Le Clerc petrol station and topped Wanda off as we’ll be off grid for the next couple of nights. The whole of the journey to get to Château de Châlucet has been cutting across the country without using toll roads. There were no big roads or motorways until we got to the last 55 miles. Then we picked up the A20 and we were flying along at 60mph on cruise control. I have to say the scenery was nice on the back roads but it does get very monotonous changing speed all the time and having to drop to atleast 25mph in the villages, sometimes slower.
    The last 55 miles flew by and at 1:30pm we finally arrived at Château de Châlucet. Before we climbed up the steps to go and see it we had lunch. Ellie had found some spring roll looking rice and chicken things that were actually really tasty and then we set off.
    It was a short walk and then a short but incredibly steep climb to reach the remains of the chateau that left us both with burning legs and out of breath. At the top of the steps was a T junction and we first turned right towards a huge tower.
    It was Le Tour de Jeanette and nobody knows why it was called that but it had a door halfway up and used to have wooden steps leading up to it. The tower was originally a dungeon and had no windows, no other doors and no toilet, it was a fascinating structure but unfortunately we couldn’t get inside.
    Behind the tower were the remains of an old town that housed approximately 200 people. It was pretty much foundations now except for the gable ends on a huge house and the underground cellars.
    Then we doubled back on ourselves and went to the main Chàteau. It was a huge towering structure, with arched doorways and windows everywhere. We couldn’t get inside because it’s all fenced off but we could get right to the front door using the original stone steps. It must have been an amazing looking building in it’s day.
    From the Chàteau we headed back down the steps to Wanda and plotted our park up for the night as it was now 3:30pm.
    It wasn’t far to our final destination of the day and by 4pm we had arrived. The small village of Solignac has made an area for 10 motorhomes right next to the football field. It has water a dump station and even has washing machines and dryers and toilets that are beautifully clean. For such a tiny village this is an amazing free airè.
    On arrival we had a quick wander around to see what was what and then Ellie went and got all our dirty laundry and cleaned it, and this time the dryers actually dried everything.
    While Ellie done the laundry I made Wanda ready for a cold night ahead. It is set to be around 1°c by 3am so I’ve put the thermal window covers in and closed the front curtains. If it does get down to 1°c this is going to be our coldest night yet.
    Then it was time for dinner, warming Wanda with the heat from the oven and settling in for the night.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 43

    Saint-Lary-Soulan to Lamagdalaine

    November 18, 2022 in France ⋅ 🌧 11 °C

    We had a great nights sleep, it was well worth the money we spent just to have solid peace and quiet all night and we both slept right through from 11pm until 7am.
    It was a chilly 7°c outside and 11°c inside when I got out of bed to put the kettle on and I did consider putting the fire on but thought I would save the gas for a Later date, and I wanted to be on the road early. Now we really needed water and the battery is looking a little low on power as we haven’t had a good spell of sunshine for days.
    Just before 9am we were ready to leave and I’d plotted a route into TomTom. Our first stop was a Super U supermarket where they had fresh water and a dump station. Ellie thought we needed electric to boost the battery so we were going to drive past a few things just to get to an airè with electric and it was a 140 mile trip in total.
    We left the mountains of the Pyrenees shrouded in grey clouds almost at ground level and headed north. Our first stop was just 44 miles away and it didn’t divert us atall and we popped into the Super U to stock up on a few bits and see if we could get Ben any Christmas goodies but it was quite expensive so we just got a couple of Pizzas for dinner and we’ll stick to Lidl. The dump and fill station was situated just off of the main car park and it was easy to get to and our new hose attachments work well and within 5 minutes we had refilled 100 litres of water and we were moving again with 100 miles left to travel.
    It was a slow drive of 50mph most of the way here. There were no motorways and it was country lanes pretty much the whole route with winding hilly roads and lots of bends so it was tough trying to keep a good speed and at times it felt like we were crawling along, especially when we passed through villages and had to drop to 30mph.
    Just before we got to our parking spot in Lamagdalaine we passed around the outskirts of Cahours, it looked like a big city with lots of bridges and cathedrals so if the weather holds out we might go back there tomorrow for the day.
    At 3pm we arrived at our airè for the night. It is an airè du campingcar park and we had already topped our membership card up before we left England. However we hadn’t registered the vehicle so we had to pay anyway to get in.
    It’s a nice sight with pretty views of green fields and hills and it has working electric and water. There were 2 motorhomes here already when we arrived and 2 more arrived later in the evening. The town isn’t offering anything except a convenience store but it’s a handy stop for an overnight stay and it’s quiet.
    It rained on and off pretty much for the rest of the day which didn’t really matter, we were both tired from a long drive and as there’s nothing here to see we didn’t feel as though we were missing anything, so instead of going out we decided to abuse the electrical supply and both have hot showers and then chill out for the rest of the day.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 42

    Escalona to Saint-Lary-Soulan

    November 17, 2022 in France ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Once again we had a great nights sleep, no barking, no vanlifers and no high winds, it was a peaceful night and we woke up at 7:30am feeling well rested.
    It was raining quite light first thing and I thought my bike ride was going to be hampered by bad weather but by 8 o Clock the rain had stopped completely and the clouds were breaking to show blue sky and sunshine.
    Ellie made breakfast. I had Wanda toasties, and then I got my bike off the back and loaded it up with my water bottles and at 9am I was ready for the off. I had, had this road marked off to bike ride for ages and finally I was doing it, it was a proper dream it, plan it, live it moment and I was quite excited. Ellie wasn’t coming so I said I would take photos and my plan was to take it slow on the way and take pictures and just ride on the way back. I knew I had some climbing but I thought the view would distract me from that.
    Within 5 minutes of setting off I had already stopped to take photos, one of a huge waterfall and another off a bridge of the river and mountains. I pushed on, rounded a bend and the road started going uphill but the view of the canyons, rushing river and snow capped peaks of the Pyrenees made all the difference. I didn’t push myself and dropped to a nice low gear and plodded along enjoying the view. As I rounded the next bend I noticed the road was completely blocked off with a barrier and lots of warning signs. This was a nightmare come true for me.
    I rode up to the barriers and the sign specifically stated no walking or biking. Obviously you couldn’t get a motorised vehicle past the Barriers other it would have said that to. They really didn’t want people going down that road.
    I decided to throw caution to the wind and through the bike over barrier, looked around to make sure no one was coming and then jumped on it and set off. I hadn’t brought my bike all this way just to turn back now and unless the road had been washed away I thought my chances of getting through were ok.
    I was now on a closed road, a dream come true because I no longer had to worry about any traffic and I was rewarded with a magnificent view riding alongside the river with the road twisting and turning, going over bridges and the mountainside overhanging the road at just 3 meters high. There were huge rockfalls along the way and parts of the metal crash barrier were completely flattened and at one point half of the road was missing and the barrier was hanging in mid air. Obviously that’s why they stopped people coming down here.
    The road was only single track all the way down and it rolled up and down, and wound round the mountains following the river, I was in the canyon de añisco and it was everything I had hoped for. For 12km I had waterfalls, mountain views, switchbacks and even tunnels.
    Just before I reached the very end of the road where there was a car parking area I stopped behind some trees to take it all in. It had been a slow uphill all the way here but it would be a fast downhill all the way back and now I knew the roads were closed.
    I set off and almost immediately I was in my highest gear. I was travelling at 35kph I was holding the brakes until I got past the rockfall areas and the missing piece of road after that the only thing I had to contend with was wet roads and lots of slippery leaves. After the missing piece of road I put the hammer down, passing through the last tunnel and coming out the other side doing 65kph. As the roads were closed I didn’t have to worry about on coming traffic and I took the racing line into every bend leaning the bike right over and once I was straight I was peddling again. It took me 12 minutes to get back to the barriers so I had 11km of the ride back over with already, then I just took it easy for the last kilometre until I got back to Wanda. It had been a great ride, I had climbed 1239 meters and reached a top speed of 65kph and finally ridden one of my dream roads.
    Back at Wanda I got changed straight away, hooked my bike back in the back and we made Wanda ready to leave, then after a quick coffee we set off for France.
    We were heading through the tunnel de Aragnout, we had passed through this tunnel last year but from the french side and passed through a beautiful Pyrenees ski town so I had marked it off as a stopping point this time.
    We passed through the tunnel which took around 12 minutes and then we started descending, down through the mountains, around hundreds of switchbacks and hairpin bends until finally we were at some kind of ground level and in the town of Saint-Lary- Soulon.
    At first glance it didn’t look anything like the town from last time but later I realised we were on a different road, and this time the town was dead and everything was closed. It still looked pretty though and we had found an airè du camping car here and we needed water so we thought we would use some money on our camping car card stay here and get some electric aswell.
    We found the airè easily and pulled up to the barriers and Ellie jumped out. It didn’t actually say I was an airè Du camping car on any signs but it did say that on park4night. Our camping car card didn’t work so Ellie just ended up using the credit card, it was €10.50 to stay here and an extra €2 for water and electric. We paid for it all, the barrier lifted and our first port of call was the dump and fill station. We emptied the grey water and the toilet and that’s when we realised there was no fresh water. Gutted we went and parked up and that’s when we found out there was no electric. I was proper peed off because the machine took our money and there’s no one to complain to. Luckily the sun was shining so the solar is doing it’s job. Without the solar we’d have been in real trouble. The saving grace is that the airè is quiet, has amazing mountain views and we have a river running right behind us. It’s very scenic.
    After settling in we went for a walk into the town, it’s definitely a ski town and most of the shops are closed up now until the first couple of weeks in December. Then the snow will come and the tourists. We counted 4 churches which seems overkill for such a small town and luckily we haven’t heard any church bells yet considering there is so many.
    Back at Wanda we made dinner and settled in for the night. It looks like we were the only ones stupid enough to pay to stay here but atleast it’s quiet and we like having the whole place to ourselves.    Read more

  • Misadventures Of WandaOur Spanish Road Trip
    Day 41

    Banardas Realas to The Pyrenees

    November 16, 2022 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    This morning we were awake at 7:30am. A dog had barked most of the night, the same one that was relentless while we were watching tv last night. And another yappie mutt woke Ellie up in the early hours but I was sound asleep for that.
    This morning I wanted to Cycle the Banardas Realas, I had found a route yesterday on the Komoot cycling app and saved it ready for this morning. It looked similar to the route I should have done yesterday and was the same distance of 43km. I hoped I would finish the route properly that we should have done yesterday and get a chance to see some more things.
    After loading my bike up with new spare inner tubes and my new tyre lever, bottles and a little food, I finally set off just after 8:30am. I thought I would just be running on tarmac and gravel today passing the visitors centre, the Castildetorro landmark and circling around. The route did point out that the Castildetorro landmark was 32km in to the ride which I thought was odd because it didn’t seem that far when we drove there yesterday. However, we did stop several times before we got to there and maybe my sense of the milage had gone.
    I cycled out of the airè in Aguedas and up hill towards the visitors centre. That was about 8km away and as I was on tarmac I pushed myself on the hills for some speed. This ride was estimated to take 3.5 hours. I couldn’t see I would take that long travelling at an average of 25kph. I thought I would knock it out in 2 hours.
    Just before I got to the visitors centre the app told me to bare left onto a gravel track. I was a little surprised I was passing the visitors centre but I checked the route and I just thought it was taking me down the bike trails. Which it was.
    Atleast to start with.
    Around 10km in the gravel turned to clay and as it had rained the day before the clay was like ice, then for the downhill sections it turned to stones and shingle and with thick clay on my tyres it was like riding on marbles. It was sketchy to say the least. Then the route deviated from the well made tracks to completely off road and no tracks atall just a tiny little path. At this point I was slightly concerned where the route was taking me but again I checked and I was on course so I continued. The fact that there were other bike tracks did give me some confidence. Then the track ran out completely, it had been totally washed away by the flooding river so I did my best to follow the course and it took me right down into the canyon.
    The track was completely gone but this was the way that someone had come previously to make the route and I was now annoyed because I knew that they had done a route, got lost and uploaded the route anyway.
    I checked my distance and I was more than halfway through and obviously whoever made the route eventually found there way out because they got to the Castildetorro so I decided to just go with it and follow the route. It was a nightmare ride for 10km, I was riding over bushes, boulders and zigzagging over what is a river bed over and over again, and parts of had water in.
    Finally after 10km of struggle I popped out of the canyon and there was a gravel track in front of me and I could see the Castildetorro about 2 miles away.
    I was fuming at the route that I had followed, there’s no way or need for anyone to be riding through a canyon when there are hundreds of cycle tracks throughout the whole park. When I chose the route I specifically chose bike touring so I thought it would all be gravel and tarmac. This was an extreme mountain bike ride for the middle part of the ride. Something I hadn’t wanted to do or expected to do.
    I took my anger out on the pedals and thrashed the bike at 40kph to the Castildetorro where I had promised myself a break. Once there I took some photos, sat next to an abandoned house on a concrete bench inlayed into the wall and took 10 minutes to recover. Then I was back on the bike and hammering it home. I was doing a steady 35kph on the flat gravel. Then I turned right onto the tarmac road and past the visitors centre I thought I was passing 2 hours ago and it was a steady 18kph uphill until I reached the final hill and as I went over the brow, I zipped my jacket up and pedalled to maximum velocity. I had just 5km to go and they went by super fast travelling at 60kph almost all of the way. I could see clearly ahead and I had no cars behind so I managed to hold the speed on the bends and push even harder on the straights.
    I finally got back to Wanda at 11:30am. Half an hour later than I had expected but the path through the canyon had me down to just above walking speed most of the way.
    I hooked my bike back on to Wanda then went in, got changed and sat down and drunk a well needed coffee Ellie had made me.
    It was now time to leave Aguedas and head to the Pyrenees on our final push through Spain. Tomorrow we will be back in France and we think the weather will be a little colder. We will miss Spain, it’s amazing historical places, the church bells, signposts that point to nowhere, the free airès, and welcoming culture and the ability to be able to stop and park just about anywhere unless it’s a national park all for free.
    We had a 145 mile drive ahead of now and I wasn’t looking forward to it atall after pushing myself this morning, but Ellie wants to keep moving towards home and neither of us want another night with that barking Collie. We were heading to a tiny little town called Escalona, and a road numbered the HU-631. I’ve had this road marked off on google maps for about 4 years ever since I saw the riders on La Vuelta use it back in 2020. Out of all the roads and scenery I’ve seen in all the bike races I have watched this road has always stuck in my mind.
    We came here last year when we past through the Pyrenees but the thing is with the HU-631 is it’s a gorge road cut into the side of the mountain and goes down to about 6ft at it’s lowest point so you can’t take anything bigger than a car or motorbike. All big traffic has to take the mountain pass around which is the way we went last year. This time I’m going to cycle it and that’s why we’re heading there.
    It was a painstakingly slow but beautiful drive of over 4 hours, as once we reached Huescar and passed into the Pyrenees we left the motorway and followed a small backroad that followed the path of the river for the last 40 miles, we passed through numerous villages and didn’t see any sign of life atall, and for that entire road we only saw 3 other cars. However it was very scenic.
    Eventually at 4:30pm we arrived at our camp spot, a small patch of land that is relatively flat right at the entrance to the road I’m going to cycle and away from everyone. The first thing we did when we stopped was make a cup of tea and start dinner as we were both starving.
    Quite a few cars have passed us sitting here, and what I thought was a busy road has now turned into a very quiet road so hopefully there won’t be much traffic noise tonight. There is a dog barking somewhere in the distance something that seems to be part of every Spanish town or village. For some reason barking dogs is a big thing out here and nobody seems to care or mind. Hopefully it will be quiet come bedtime, and hopefully the road I’ve had saved in my bucket list is all it’s cracked up to be.    Read more

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