Wanda’s First Adventure

This is our first road trip and test of Wanda in all weather conditions Read more

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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The journey to El Caminito Del Rey
October 21, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 20 °C
Today has been a really chilled and productive day. It started at the summit of El Torcal where we get up quite early at 8am, Fed Diego and had a cup of tea and then decided to head into Antiquera to get our washing done and do our first LPG fill up.
We found a motorhome parking spot that had water and a dump station and we filled up, dumped our waste and cleaned the toilet. Just around the corner was a laundrette so we parked up and paid for the washing and from start to finish it only took 45mins.
Then it was back on the road driving through some of the most scenic countryside and we decided that the province of Malaga was quite beautiful and probably our favourite part of Spain so far.
Our first stop was the ancient ruins of babastro. The ruins had been left from the 9th & 10th century and although there wasn’t a lot left by the time we got to the end and saw the remains of the church carved into the rock, we were in awe of what they had achieved in that time period.
From Babastro we took the slow drive down the mountain to find parking for the night ready for our big hike tomorrow, the El Caminito del Ray gorge walk. We didn’t particularly want to pay €20 for the night and lots of people on park4night have said they just slept in the parking bays near the entrance but they were packed at 2:30pm and just as we were coming out of town there was a few parking spaces and we managed to get Wanda in.
Then we made lunch and fed Diego again and then we went on a beautiful walk down a footpath that led to the bottom of the gorge, the beauty was spectacular and the silence was deafening.
2 hours later we arrived back at Wanda and then a British motorhome pulled along the front and the driver jumped out to ask if we were staying.
After a brief chat it turns out that all the campsites were full and apparently all the tickets for the gorge walk have gone. Ellie checked online and it was true. Next available date is the 4th November. I was gutted but speaking to this other driver he said he was going to get to the ticket booth for 7am and it was about 1km from where the path starts so we agreed to do the same and hope we would get tickets.
After a light dinner, Ellie said we should check where the ticket booth was so we know how long it would take in the morning. Great idea.
We set off just as the sun was setting at 7:30pm, walked through the tunnel and then we were onto the mountain side in the woods as it was getting dark. Time ticked on and after 30mins it was pitch black, the ticket booth was nowhere in sight and our only source of light was our phones.
It took us a little over 45 mins to reach the ticket booth, there was no information about tickets or anything at all about the hike but there was a security guard who told us to come back at 8am. Then we had to negotiate our way back out, but that was via a different path which led through a tunnel, however you can’t see the tunnel path in the dark as it slopes down so we ended up walking another mile through the woods, down the mountain side and then along the road back to Wanda. A little over 4 miles in total on top of the 4 miles we had already done earlier in the day.
We were both ready for bed.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Walking el caminito del rey
October 22, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
It was an early start this morning after spending the night in our parking space at the el Caminito del Rey. 6:15am we were up, just enough time for a couple of coffees, to feed Diego his bottle and get dressed before leaving at 7:15am for the long hike to the ticket booth at 8am.
Getting there just before 8am we were surprised to see we weren’t the first there and our friendly little motorhome friend had even got there first at 6am. We then felt a little guilty thinking we didn’t get out of bed until 6:15 and he was already cueing up at that time. The bad news was the ticket booth didn’t open until 9am so we had an hour wait.
At 9am they opened the booth, we managed to get tickets for €10, we had a very brief safety briefing and off we went.
200ft above the gorge floor with raging water underneath us, the sun was just rising and we were now on a boardwalk 3ft across and 5km long with the wind trying to take us off at every bend in the rock. The views were beyond amazing, the light was perfect for pictures with the sun just rising and the further we walked the more the crowds dispersed and we had parts of the walk to ourselves. This really was every thing we had hoped for and more.
At the end of the walk we managed to get a shuttle bus back to the entrance for €1:50 each, and then it was a short walk back to Wanda.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The ancient city of Ronda
October 22, 2021 in Spain ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
From el Caminito del Rey we took a 30 mile drive to Ronda, this was second on the photography bucket list for Russ and when we arrived it was 38.4°c....... roasting!!
We parked in the most amazing airè with security barriers, cameras and a guard. With free water, WiFi and a dump station and for an extra 2 euros we also had electric. It was so hot that the roller blinds were burning up on the sunny side so after feeding Diego we were a little worried about leaving him but he likes the heat and he needs it, but to be safe we left him on the bathroom floor where it was a little cooler and we went off to explore the city.
We had to walk through the whole town to get to the old part of the city which took ages and we got lost. Our first stop was the old bullring in the centre of the old city which was fascinating but a little brutal and barbaric for our liking, but the history was fascinating. Then it was off to the old walls which Russ really wanted to photograph and it was another mega hike down a hill to get to the perfect viewpoint but Russ would to tell you it was well worth it for once in a lifetime photos.
Then it was back to Wanda, walking down the main thoroughfare stopping for a Mango ice cream and a Ferrero Rochè ice cream which we both agreed were the best ice creams we had,had. Then it was back to Diego because he needed feeding.
Unfortunately throughout the day Diego looked as if he was going down hill, he didn’t want to eat, he’d had a funny tummy since 2 days after we had got him and he had been really quiet for 2 days and this evening was the same. He didn’t want to eat and now it looked as though he had blood in his urine. But we have done the best we could have done.
After a feeding Diego it was back down the main thoroughfare to get some food and we chose pizza, a Mediterranean pizza and it was massive so big that we couldn’t finish it with the 2 of us.
All evening we worried about Diego, he still wouldn’t eat and he looked like he was having a seizure at one point so we cleaned him, changed all his bedding, both gave him a kiss and made him comfortable for the night. And then we went to bed worried and upset.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Arriving in portugal
October 23, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
This morning we woke up early from our secure parking lot in Ronda and to our disappointment Diego had died in the night, we were both devastated and very upset. Russ took him out of his home which was a beer box and made a blanket of paper towels and then put him in a smaller box and sealed it with waterproof tape. We cleaned up his blankets that he had been sleeping on, broke down his beer box house and gave it to the binmen who were outside and then we put him on the back shelve ready for our long drive ahead and his final resting place.
Today we were heading to Portugal and we had 230 miles to go before we met up with Ellie’s mum and dad in there holiday home in alcantarilha.
After a quick fuel stop and some negotiating of the first toll booth on the way in to Portugal we arrived at 12:30pm Portugal time, so we had gained an hour. As soon as we arrived, Colin, Ellies dad got a shovel and dug a small hole under some trees and we put Diego inside in his box and buried him.
We had only had him a week, but he had left a big hole in our hearts and Wanda seemed very quiet without him. But we knew we had done very thing in our power to help him and he was certainly comfortable and loved in the time that we had him. We felt happier knowing that we had loved him for that short time, he had met our friends on the road. Ben had seen him on facetime and for a little kitten he will be remembered in 3 countries, was loved by everyone that had seen him and has left a lasting legacy in all our hearts and he will always be remembered whenever anyone visits the Portugal house.
For the rest of the day we just relaxed, had a swim in the pool had a lovely spaghetti bolognaise for dinner and went to bed at 9pm absolutely shattered.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The Feedback Club
October 24, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Waking up to the sprinklers in Ellies mum and dads garden at 6am was a bit of a shock wake up call as we thought there was a huge downpour going on, by the time we realised what it was we were already awake so the kettle went on. We just chilled for about an hour sitting under the covers drinking our tea and missing Diego. Wanda seemed to be missing a part, it wasn’t quite the same not having to wake him up to feed him and clean him.
At 9am we left the house and Colin took us on a magical mystery tour of Portugal, we’re not sure if he knows where he’s going most of the time but wherever we are going we have to get there now..........and fast.
Our first stop was a huge reservoir and damn and it looked beautiful from the dirt road winding up the top of the hill. On the way back from there we saw a sign for ancient ruins but they turned out to be standing stones along a 7km walk and it was far to hot to walk that far.
From there we drove into Silves, which is a beautiful little town and we had some lunch before heading to feragodo and stopping at a Chinese warehouse to get a couple of electronic flyzappers to kill the mosquitoes that were invading Wanda and our legs and feet.
At 4pm Colin took us down the road into Alcantarilla to a little bar called the feedback club. This is a bar that on Sundays has an open Mic night and we hadn’t booked so it was standing room only.
The place was full of ex-pats and quite a few of them were your typical English in the wifebeater shirts and there chest out but the band was great, everybody was nice and the beers were flowing and at €2 euro a pint they flowed fast and a lot.
By 7pm we had all had a skinful and we headed back to the villa for a light tea of toasted sandwiches and then we sat outside watching the sunset before Ellie and Jean took up the tennis rackets and started killing the mosquitoes with a large crack from the charge.
Then we went back to Wanda where the mosquitoes were also waiting to be electrocuted and we watched Dexter on DVD for an hour before turning in.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The chapel of bones & sea of anchors
October 25, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
We were up early again this morning with the sprinklers which was good because Russ wanted some sunrise shots of the villa with the drone. Getting those shots in the bag nice and early we had a quick breakfast and then headed out to Faro. First stop was the chapel of bones which was an unbelievable sight. The bones used to make the chapel were from 1200 monks that had been buried and after 8-10 years they were removed from the ground and the walls were made from femurs and skulls. It really was a beautiful, amazing but macabre sight.
From there we spent some time wandering Faro, checking out a few more chapels which were also beautiful but gaudy at the same time, the biggest of which was late 16th century and had huge wooden statues in from the mid 17th century. We all agreed that far to much money is spent in these churches while people around the world are homeless and starving. It doesn’t seem right.
Then we moved up the coast to Olihue, pronounced owl apparently and had a quick lunch before driving a little further up the coast to Taveria where Russ wanted to get some photos.
We found a little car park and then took a 1 mile hike along the salt marshes out to a huge sandbar that was packed with beach goers and tourists and there we found the sea of anchors. 100 huge anchors placed in the sand in memory of fallen fishermen. It was quite a sight and we couldn’t get quite as near as we wanted but Russ managed to get some good shots with his telephoto lens and then we took a little train back to the car park.
From Taveria it was a 50 mile drive taking 90 minutes to get back to the villa and we arrived back at 6:30pm. Just enough to time to get changed and head back out for our 7:30 table at Jaoa’s restaurant, Russ had the Portuguese fillet steak which was presented beautifully and tasted the same, Ellie had the chicken which she said wasn’t great and Colin and Jean shared a Chàteau Brionne which is a whole meal of steak, chips and vegetables served with fruit. Then it was back to the villa. It had been a very long day and we were all tired and ready for bed.
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Dolphins and Caves & more bones
October 26, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C
Today is Russ’s birthday and we had a boat trip organised to go and see the dolphins and caves. After a late breakfast and a chilled morning we drove to the marina at Albufeira for a 12:30 launch.
After donning our life jackets and getting a brief safety check we climbed aboard our zodiac fastboat with 20 other people and off we went. 10 miles out to sea and we saw a couple of pods of Dolphins, some of the other passengers thought it was the best thing ever and one lady even said this was the best day of her life but in all honesty it wasn’t that impressive. By the time we had caught up with the dolphins they were diving for 10 minutes then we’d have to wait for them to surface and catch them up again and repeat the whole process again. What we were disappointed with was the boat handling. The boat only stayed on one side of the dolphins and never turned so people in one side couldn’t see to get pictures but Russ was only there for the caves really.
Off we went again, 10 miles back to the coast and along abit and the first cave was the Bengali Cave. Unfortunately it was packed with kayakers, bodyboarders and swimmers, not to mention the numerous other tour boats trying to get in. Again our boat seemed to just nose in and then back out, unlike the other boats that seemed to do a 360° turn giving everyone a good view. Russ was disappointed but he marked the cave off on his phone to come back.
Then it was back to the shore, 30 miles in total and 2 hours. We had a small lunch of baguettes and then went shopping for a bbq tomorrow and on the way back to the villa we stopped at the local chapel of bones in alcantarilla. It wasn’t as large as the big one in Faro but it was still impressive and Russ got some good shots. Then it was back to the villa to unload the shopping and spend the evening chilling with tripod the 3 legged cat. Colin then gave us the keys to the car so Russ could go back to the caves in the morning and hopefully get a drone shot.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
A wanda around Seville
October 27, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
From Benagil we drove back to the villa, had breakfast and chilled for a couple of hours before taking a short drive to Seville. Ellie and her dad had some paperwork to sign at a solicitor regarding the existing borehole at the villa and while they went in, Jean and I strolled the local cemetery before heading out and photographing some of the street art around the town.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The Lagoa Art museum
October 27, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
From Seville we took a drove through Lagoa stopping off at an incredible art museum that had the most amazing artwork that was crazy expensive.
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Carvoeiro cliffs and sea caves
October 27, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Then we drove a little further to Carvoeiro to see the cliffs and sea caves, Portugal really does have an amazing coastline.
After a stop at a restaurant for a drink and a wander around the shops it was back to the villa and we did our first BBQ and spent the rest of the evening relaxing with drinks before turning in early at 9pm. Tomorrow we will hit the road again.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Sunrise swim to the Benagil Caves
October 27, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
This morning we got up super early and drove to the Benagil caves. You can only reach the caves by boat and as the sun was rising I decided i would take a body board and swim over 1000 meters around the headland and into the cave with his camera in a dry bag strapped to his back. There was a big swell but the water was warm and the tide was strong and it took 10 minutes to swim out and around the cliff edge. The hardest part was getting into the cave as the swell was trying to suck me back out but after a short fight and lots of paddling I made it and I had the whole cave to myself for photos.
Then it was the fight back against the tide which took another 15 minutes whilst Ellie stood on the beach in the shade freezing.
As soon as I landed Ellie said “ have you got the electronic car key in your pocket?”.
I felt my pocket and said “ yes I have”. And we both thought that we were now stranded at Benagil Beach with a brand new car and a dead key.
Off we strolled back up the hill to the car park while Ellie called me an idiot most of the way and thinking of the excuses we would use to tell Ellies dad when we had to tell him we were stranded but luckily, as we walked to the car it unlocked itself and we got in. Then as I pushed the start button it fired up and we were away. We decided we wouldn’t tell Ellies mum and dad until Christmas when we’re all sitting around the dinner table sharing stories.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The Sea of Straw
October 28, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
After waking up early this morning, we cleaned the inside of Wanda, had a shower each followed by breakfast and then said our goodbyes to Diego the kitten and made the long trek of 180 miles to Lisbon.
We can’t believe how lucky we are because we actually got to park underneath the Vasco de gamma bridge right next to the viewpoint so we’re really hoping for a good sunset as tomorrow the weather is meant to turn wet for the next few days.
Before the rain started we walked into town and found the local Lidl, stocked up on supplies and then wandered back to Wanda.
Now we just have to wait and pray for a great sunset whilst we have a cup of tea.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The Tapada Nacianal Park
October 29, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
This morning I woke up really early, 6am for some reason and the weather was set to be crap for the whole day.
Once again the weather man had it wrong and by sunrise, 8am, what little rain we had,had was clearing and I was out shooting the Vasco de Gamma bridge again.
We couldn’t believe how the people in Lisbon lived. The car park we had slept in was free, and set in the most beautiful park set under the bridge. There were public football pitches, glass walled tennis courts and a wooden boardwalk that run the whole length of the river that everyone could walk or run on or even bike.
Even late last night as I was shooting long exposures at 10pm teenagers were walking arm in arm together down the boardwalk. It really is a city of fitness.
We stayed in Wanda until 11am and after having breakfast we set off down the boardwalk to find the cable cars.
Then we took the 10 minute cable car ride over the river viewing the marina front and the city behind until we landed the other side of the marina. And then we just walked for an hour. Had a light lunch, killed some time and took the cable car back.
We were really impressed with Lisbon.
From Lisbon, we took the A21 to Maifra, and the tapada National Park. It was raining but only gently and it was on and and it was still warm so we decided to take the blue walk of 5km through the old hunting grounds of the Maifra palace. It was a beautiful walk and we saw hundreds of deer, wild boar and even a treecreeper and what made it better was the fact we had the whole place to ourselves.
Just as we reached Wanda it started to rain and the wind started to get up, we took a 15 minute drive through the hilly town and found our camp spot for the night. Free of charge at the Maifra palace. We squeezed Wanda inbetween 6 Dutch motorhomers and settled in. It was getting very windy and the rain was now lashing down and Wanda was rocking. It was going to be an exciting night.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The Palace and Bascilica Of Mafra
October 30, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C
Last night we got a real battering from a storm, the wind picked up and the rain lashed it down for hours. It was so hard Wanda’s walls were flexing which made the plastic on the kitchen window squeak so first thing this morning Russ superglued it to the wall so now it can’t move.
In the car park where we slept there is a little coffee shop so we stopped in there at 9am and the selection was pretty small so we had what we think was some kind of pecan pastry slice. Then we bought tickets to the palace at €6 euro each and ventured inside.
It was the palace of the former royal family who had to abandon it when Portugal became a republic sometime around 1909. It was absolutely vast, they even had there own balconies to enter the adjoining church so they didn’t have to mingle with the paupers during mass. Huge paintings hung in almost every room of famous scenes throughout history and godly scenes from the bible of angels worshiping the royal family. It was very extravagant and lots of the rooms seemed to be there for nothing other than a walkway to another room but I suppose that’s where the servants would stand and wait to be called upon.
From the palace we walked around Mafra for 30 minutes looking at the local shops and streets until the bascillica opened and then we went in there for free. The church again was huge and we saw the upper balconies that the royals would use during prayers. There were lots of side rooms off of the main church and each one had a huge stone statue or medallion inside of a patron Saint so depending on what you were praying for or believed in you could pray to that Saint, it was all very elaborate and must have cost a fortune.
From there we went back and collected Wanda, and drove to the intermarchè about 5 minutes away and done our washing and drying and got some shopping and then we came back to the palace car park dumped our grey water and filled up with fresh water. At 2pm right on que it started raining again and the wind picked up, we settled in for the rest of the day watching Dexter on dvd until some Dutch people turned up in a motorhome next to us who were very noisy. At 9pm as we started to run out of power they opened a bottle of wine and got louder so we moved Wanda to the other side of the car park where it was a lot quieter.
If the weather holds dry tomorrow we’ve found a couple of free interesting places to explore so fingers crossed that we can get out and stretch our legs, and hope we get a night with no squeaks tonight.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Ericeira, the surfing capital of portuga
October 31, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 19 °C
After moving Wanda late yesterday evening because of the noisy people Wanda got a real battering from the wind and rain and when we woke up our leisure battery power was minimal, although we had cained the power by watching dvds for 6 hours and Russ had a shower.
We looked on park4night for a camp with a hook up and found one in the surfing capital of Portugal, Ericiera.
We drove the 20 miles in the rain and wind and checked in. The lady at reception said we had the spot until 9pm the next day so that would give us plenty of time to charge the batteries.
We found a spot in the camping car area and it was full of vanlifers and surfers so we parked at the end furthest from the toilets, hooked up and then waited for the rain to stop while we had a cup of tea.
When the rain finally stopped just before midday we wandered down into the main town, it was obviously once a fishing village with tiny cobbled backroads and one way streets and in the centre there was a square surrounded by trees and the shops were set around that. It was a beautiful little town set out with cafes and surf shops and it reminded me of Cromer.
After the walk we went back to Wanda, Ellie washed her hair and used the showers and then we watched the universe with Brian Cox and that sent us both to sleep.
Then we walked down to the beach and climbed across the rocks to watch the surfers before finally coming back to Wanda and put on Dexter on DVD while we had the power to do so.
For dinner we went to the local Pizzaria and ordered a smoky bacon pizza which was lovely and filled us both up.
We had,had a very lazy day and it was well needed, we were both very relaxed and felt less rushed as the weather, and waiting to see the wolves tomorrow had forced us to slow down.
We decided we would have a lazy morning tomorrow before heading to the wolf sanctuary tomorrow evening and then back to Mafra to sleep because after tomorrow we would be back on the road.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Ruínas do Sanatório Albergaria Grandella
November 1, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
We had a lazy morning as planned today. Ellie cleaned Wanda’s floors, I had a shower and then we filled Wanda’s water tanks. Just before midday we set off in search of an old sanitarium. When we found it on the edge of the village of lousa there were runners doing time trials and to our dismay the path ran right through the middle of it.
We parked up and started walking up to the walls and could see the markers for the runners but there was no one there to stop us so in we went.
It was an amazing building not only to photograph but just to walk around. Arched doorways and pointing walls, the whole place was like a maze and at one point I lost Ellie completely. During that time I found tunnels that led right underneath and they were like cloisters and I actually managed to get all the way through.
As we were about to leave 2 runners came back from where they had run to and they were collecting the markers so as they left I got the drone out and done some aerial photography, it looked even better from the air.
From lousa, we drove back to the car park at Mafra where we had stayed before. Made a cup of tea and chilled for half an hour before we went to the wolf sanctuary.
There’s no way Wanda was going to get up the road to the sanctuary so we had to walk the last 3/4 mile uphill on a cobbled road and got there at exactly 4:30pm, just as the guide was starting.
Sara, our guide was excellent. She first spoke in portugese and then English for us but she did stay with Ellie and I and we got to ask her lots of questions on the route, but to our utter disappointment we didn’t see any wolves.
Leaving the sanctuary we walked back to Wanda in the dark and then returned to Mafra where we would spend the night for the last time. Tomorrow we will be moving area.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
A night in a ghost town
November 2, 2021 in Portugal ⋅ 🌧 7 °C
This morning we had a very rude awaking by a lorry parked next to us in the car park in Mafra at 5am. Once the lorry had warmed up, got his air brakes running and left the binmen turned up and made a hell of a noise and from that moment on the car park turned into Piccadilly Circus. It was a nightmare so as we were up anyway, we sorted Wanda out. Had a few cups of coffee while we waited for the traffic to ease up and left Mafra at 9am.
Our plan initially was to dump the toilet and grey water at Mafra but the dump station was full of vans so we just took it with us and hoped we’d find somewhere on route to dump it all off.
We had a 260 mile journey today to move area completely and head to the north of Portugal, at first we were going to go straight to the waterfalls and hot springs but on route judging the time we decided that it would be better to head straight to a ghost town we had seen on a YouTube video because we could sleep there.
On route we found an intermarchè and dumped all our waste and even managed to fill up the fresh water all free of charge. Then we continued the next 160 miles through the wind and rain to the ghost town.
When we arrived we realised we were a little out of depth and comfort zone here. We were deep in the woods, the buildings were completely derelict and there was an eerie feeling about the whole place.
We parked Wanda next to one of the buildings and started to explore.
One building was definitely an old school because it still had the blackboard, there were 2 houses, both identical but one had a collapsed roof while the other was intact complete with basement and an upstairs and then there were several other buildings and there use is anyones guess.
We settled back into Wanda, made dinner turned the tv on and the fire and then it got very dark, very quickly and the owls came out just to make the place even creepier.
At 9:30, we were ready for bed and just as we turned the tv off so it was silent other birds started making loud screeching sounds which were truly terrifying. We both knew it was wildlife but the mind does like to play tricks on you and it was only the night before I was watching the walking dead.
Sleeping here was definitely going to be interesting, and cold.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Mountains and Hotsprings
November 3, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
We survived the night in Chã, our little ghost town but the noises we heard as we turned the tv off were enough to make your blood curdle. At 6:30am I was wide awake and as the sun came up we were both out exploring the buildings in daylight, which was far better but still creepy.
Around 9:30am we left the the ghost town behind and headed for the peneda geres National park. The plan was to stop at 3 waterfalls so I could photograph them but that didn’t happen.
TomTom kept on trying to take us down huge hills and we got further and further from our destination. Twice I had to stop and check where we were and in the end I decided just to stick to the N roads. They weren’t main roads but I was comfortable driving on them and I could turn around if need be.
The park was beautiful, long winding roads with lots of switchbacks which did stress me out because Portugal is quite bad for road signs so if there was a low bridge or narrow road or really steep incline we probably wouldn’t be warned.
Unfortunately we couldn’t stop at the waterfalls, there wasn’t a lot of parking and one we couldn’t even get near because the road was closed so we ended up driving all the way through the park and back into Spain.
Next on the list was the lobios hot springs, and as we passed we could see the steam coming out of the river.
We found a motorhome parking spot and quickly got changed, Ellie was really looking forward to this and I think it was number one on her list. We got down to try baths and they were empty. No people, no water.
There was a small trickle of boiling water running into the river and it was that, that we had seen steaming from the road and I tried it but it was boiling on the surface and freezing below. We were well disappointed.
I checked our navigation book and the next destination was 280 miles away so I plotted it into TomTom and away we went.
15 miles from lobios, we came across a sign in Spanish that looked like hot springs, I opened park4night and there it was. A spot right next to some 2000 year old Roman baths, or hot springs. I set in the coordinates and it took us down a very steep hill but there at the bottom we’re 10 other vans and people were bathing in the Roman baths.
We did a temperature check first and they were hot, so hot some of them were bubbling, so we put on our swimming gear and went in.
Google says the springs are naturally between 36°c and 48°c and they were really hot. So hot infact that we were grateful to get out into the 10°c air temperature and also so hot that Ellie got back into Wanda, passed out and then threw up. But on a better note it does seem to have helped my knees.
We’ve decided we’re going to spend the night at the hot springs, there’s no hurry now as the weather is turning and it will only get colder the further up we go. So we’re hoping for another quiet night here tonight.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Le Playas de La Catedrales
November 4, 2021 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 12 °C
Last night we didn’t get a lot of sleep. We were parked up next to camper vans and we’ve realised that vanlifers are a completely different breed. It seems that when they park up there vans explode and all there contents from within spread themselves everywhere. Not only that, they seem to have a private competition between themselves on who has the loudest doors when they close and how many times they can open and close them. Not only that, they also don’t have clocks or any knowledge of time because they were rocking up at the hot springs until 2am and then starting to leave from 4am.
Also they are completely oblivious to others that may be sleeping because it seems that if your a vanlifer and your cold it’s alright to keep turning your engine on and running the heaters no matter what time of the night it is. And it’s also perfectly acceptable it seems, to get your tackle out in public and start urinating.
Apart from that we slept fine, and I took great delight in getting up at 6:30 and trying to make as much noise as I could before jumping in the hot springs again before leaving on what was supposed to be another mega drive of 280 miles to the north of Spain.
After a 100 mile trek we stopped for diesel snd 3 miles down the road there was a dump station for motorhomes so we pulled in there, emptied the grey and the toilet and refilled with fresh water. Then it was back on the motorways but we had chosen not to take the toll roads this time as it was only 5 miles longer and an extra 30 minutes on our journey compared to the toll roads. Another 30 miles along and we spotted a sign that said playa de La catedrales.
I asked Ellie to google it quickly as we were speaking to a man from Belgium yesterday and he mentioned it.
It looked awesome from the photos and a photographers dream so we turned Wanda around and headed back and a quick search on park4night led us to a great little car park with a few other motorhomers and unfortunately vanlifers, but we do have the best view in the house and having checked the tide table I seem to be the only one with any knowledge of when low water is, so at 11:30am tomorrow we are heading down to the beach to shoot the beach of cathedrals.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Alone in the mountains
November 5, 2021 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 8 °C
This morning again we had a very rude awakening by a vanlifer, rocking up next to us in the car park at 3:30am and then proceeding to bang every door in the van while they sorted themselves out. That just reinforces my beliefs that vanlifers are the entitled of the road.
So at 6:30am when I got up I dropped the electric step, opened and closed the habitation door and then opened and closed the cab doors very loudly just because I could.
Then at 9am much to our delight a bread van pulled into the car park beeping his horn like there was no tomorrow, that definitely woke the buggers up.
At 9:30am we proceeded down the steps and into the beach to be greeted by sea caves and arches galore. We scrambled over wet rocks and rock pools to get to the 3 arches and we were one of the first there along with other photographers who had tripods. I didn’t take mine because I knew it wouldn’t be free of people long enough to do long exposures and it wasn’t but I did shoot super fast and lots of exposures so I can stack the pictures later. These other photographers were very frustrated and kept on shouting at people to move out the way.
We spent about an hour in the beach and had a good break in the weather before we set off for a small car park in the Sienda National park to spend the night.
When we arrived at 2pm it was raining hard so we made lunch and chilled for a couple of hours and as the rain wasn’t stopping we just decided to head out anyway. We took the famous Torres de osos route or the path of bears because in this region of Spain they do have wild bears. Off we went over a beautiful lake on a long wooden bridge and along the mountain path. It was a beautiful walk, even in the rain and we did get very wet but the walk spurred Ellie on to look for a place that might have bears.
It turns out that tomorrow’s park up in Terverga is famous for the bears so tomorrow we will be going on a bear hunt. But tonight we’ll be spending the night alone listening to the rain and hopefully getting a full nights sleep.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
La Senda Del Oso - The path of Bears
November 6, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 7 °C
We had a great nights sleep, no noise, no vanlifers turning up at stupid hour banging doors and no barking dogs. And we woke to a mountain view, a steaming lake and clouds winding there way down between the mountains.
From our camp spot in the little car park we headed for the path of bears a little further away but parking was a problem so we turned around and headed for the motorhome parking at terverga.
We arrived about 11am, bought some empilladas from a small shop on the way and ate them before exploring our surroundings.
Tervaga and the small surrounding villages are beautiful, they are complete chocolate box hamlets surrounded by huge snow capped mountains and Ellie has finally fallen in love with somewhere.
At midday we headed for a small mountain on foot, we didn’t take a lot with us as we thought we would be walking the path of bears which is flat so 3/4 of a bottle of water and 4 orange club biscuits were what we took, and I’ll be honest they were all by chance.
As we approached the path of bears we decided instead to take a different path that led up the mountain, I read the gradient and height which was 19% at 850 meters for 8.5km but Ellie only read the distance which was 8.5km.
2 hours later going uphill all the way on a road we still hadn’t come across another sign and we were still walking on the road and I was convinced this was wrong so I checked google maps, it looked to me as if the path should go from another small hamlet a little further up. We turned off the road and entered the hamlet and walked around a maze of tiny roads you would have trouble getting a horse around let alone a car and then a grassy and very rocky path appeared on a bend and we took it.
The path was obviously hundreds of years old with huge cobbled stones forming the base of it and the gradient was incredible. I kept checking google maps for our position just to be sure we were still heading in the right direction because now our only landmarks were huge mountains and we so nearly gave up, but an hour later we arrived at the summit. It was a great achievement especially for Ellie as she hates walking uphill and we were greeted by wild horses, 360° views and a tiny little chapel.
We decided to walk back down the road which probably hurt just as much going down hill as it did going up and by the end of it we were both walking like a couple of drunks.
At 4:30pm we arrived back at Wanda, completely exhausted after almost 5 hours and 10 miles of hiking, we didn’t ever find another sign for the path we thought we were taking but the walk was beautiful and we will probably remember it for the rest of lives.
I’m sure we will sleep well tonight.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The Road to Valdeon
November 7, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
This morning we woke up at 8am, that’s been one of our longest lay ins yet, mainly because Ellie slept with her headphones on and I had earplugs in because there was a dog relentlessly barking all night. At 10am we left our camp spot with no sign of the much talked about bread lady and breakfast and headed 60 miles north to the medieval town of Cangas De Onis. We found parking for Wanda in a large car park that was rapidly filling up when we arrived and set off through the town to find the ancient bridge that I had seen in La Vuelta. It was a beautiful bridge, and very picturesque and I don’t understand why people have to walk over it and take selfies. Surely it would be better to stand on the new bridge and get a selfie of the old bridge behind if that’s your thing. It was comical to see people standing there trying to get shots of themselves with the bridge when they were standing on it.
From cangas de onis we were heading for a park up further up the coast that had electric. Wanda’s leisure batteries needed abit of a recharge as we’ve only been doing small journeys and caining the power again. We set off and then Ellie mentioned that she would rather like to do the cable car ride in the picos de europa so we stopped and recalculated our journey, turned around headed back through cangas de onis and up into the mountains.
We took the N-625 mountain pass which was one of the most scenic and beautiful drives we have done. The roads weren’t to steep so Wanda didn’t struggle, it was full of tight turns following the path of the river, we crossed over arched bridges and passed hundreds of waterfalls and there was even a mountain goat that jumped off the side of the cliff right into our path. We climbed over the summit which was 3ft deep in snow and headed down the other side on a 9% gradient and after 90 minutes of driving we arrived in the tiny mountain town of Valdeon.
The airè we found is probably the nicest one yet with our own private electric supply and fresh running mountain water pumped from the tap. The only worrying thing is, we are the only ones here. There are snow boards 3ft high across all the doors and windows and the town is dead.
We’ve checked the weather and it says 7°c and rain so we’re hoping to be alright, and the locals have been down to check that we had paid for the airè online and I’m sure they would have said something if the weather was going to be that bad. Either way, we have electric and we’re warm so if we do get stuck we should be ok.
Tonight we’ll be sleeping listening to the cow bells and wondering if we’ll be going any further in the morning.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
The Camaleño Cable Car
November 8, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C
We survived the night, there was no snowfall and even though we had the electric heater on it only got down to 7°c outside and 16°c inside so the heater didn’t even kick in.
We left our beautiful camp spot at 9:30am and headed for the cable car in Camaleño. The drive took us down the most beautiful roads and we kept stopping to take photos because the scenery was so spectacular, and the 2 hour drive turned into a 4 hour drive. But that reminded us, it’s not always the destination that matters, sometimes it’s the journey.
We got to the cable cars around 1:30pm, had a bite to eat in the coffee shop and then bought our round trip tickets for €17 euro each. The cable car ride was incredibly fast. Just 5 minutes to get to the top and it’s the longest single cable car in Europe.
Getting to the top we were shrouded in cloud and at first couldn’t see anything at all. There was an icy wind aswell which made us think why did we come up here, but then the cloud shifted and the tallest peaks came into view and the sun came out for a few minutes. Whilst trying to get a better view from the edge of the mountain Ellie went down into some deep snow and got a shoe full of water which annoyed her, so almost straight away we came back down before she got frostbite.
Back in Wanda we replotted our course while Ellie changed her socks and shoved her single wet shoe under the blowers in the front and then we set off. Another 80 miles of driving to get to our camp spot for the night in a free airè outside Parque de la Naturaleza de Cabárceno so tonight we have a lake view on one side and elephants and buffalo on the other side.
All for free.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Le Parque de Naturale de Cabarenco
November 9, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C
Waking up to the sound of elephants while your in a motorhome in Spain is Bizarre to say the least, but that’s what happened to us at 7:30am this morning.
We quickly got dressed and trotted down the little dirt track next to our camp spot and were greeted to an amazing site of elephants, buffalo and ibex roaming the field in the nearby safari park.Read more
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Wanda’s First Adventure Misadventures Of Wanda
Finally - Placa San Juan De Gaztelugatxe
November 9, 2021 in Spain ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C
At 9:45am we left penagos, and drove 60 miles north to the coast and the town of Berango. I had checked park4night and apparently this place had everything we needed for a resupply.
First stop was the repsol garage where we refilled with LPG and the helpful attendant told us about the repsol app called waylet that shows us where all there LPG stations are. Then it was round the corner to the erksil supermarket where they have a self service laundrette and while the washing was on we stocked up on fresh food. Then while the washing was drying we put the food away and 15 minutes later we were back on the road heading 30 miles north to the town of Bakio.
This town has a major draw factor for me, and I specifically plotted this route to get to this place at this time of year as I missed it 2 years ago in our France trip and because it is so far over in the map I doubt I’ll ever get to come back, so to me getting here and getting this shot is a big deal.
We arrived in Bakio around 2pm, stopped for a quick coffee as we’re the only ones in the top car park and Ellie done some research on our location.
Placa San Juan De Gaztelugatxe is what I’ve come to shoot, but I had specific angles and locations I wanted to shoot from, now Ellie starts the research only to tell me it’s closed, and it’s been closed since January 2021 because of a landslide. But we could still get to a viewpoint. I was gutted, but I hadn’t looked yet to see what the angle was like so off we went, down a huge hill with a very steep incline and there was the viewpoint.
It wasn’t quite the angle I was after but I got a few shots and if I get down further I might be in luck. Off we went, down a steeper hill and I could see the second viewpoint I wanted and then as we got to the bottom of the hill we were greeted with security fencing and couldn’t go any further. I was completely gutted, but I started scheming on the way back up to Wanda to see if there were any other secret paths or tracks on google maps and I thought I saw one up the top near Wanda, so that’s where we went.
When we got there the track was 400ft up and although it did go down it was only about 8 inches wide and went down the sheer face of the cliff. If I was on my own I probably would have got my camera gear and chanced it for the shot I wanted but Ellie was with and she said no chance, but why don’t you try the drone?
I’ve never dropped the drone lower than me before, I didn’t know what would happen. Obviously when the drone leaves me it’s at ground level, so what would happen when I flew it over the edge of the cliff, would it reassess ground level? Would it already be above the 400ft legal limit if it did reassess and drop down below? Or would I fall into negative ground level?
I decided to risk it because, like I said this is possibly a once in a lifetime shot.
I set the drone off, flew it out over the trees, angled the camera down to see what was underneath and then started descending, the drone fell into negative numbers. I kept on dropping until I was at the height I wanted (almost ground level), positioned the drone and camera angle where I wanted and then started shooting.
The drone had no problems, infact I even sent it out to sea some 600ft up while I had the chance and shot some different angles. Getting it back in was a bit of a challenge guiding it inbetween the trees back to me at the edge of the cliff, but my pilots training kicked in, I knew what I needed to do and just done everything really slowly and without panicking.
Getting back to Wanda and reviewing the images I was really pleased with the drone and myself for getting the shots and I can finally tick this place of my photography list once and for all.
Then, we sat down for a chicken salad dinner and watched the sunset into the sea from our free camp spot on the top of the hill.Read more
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