Medinaceli, high on a windswept ridge

A weather forecast for a week of rain and cold temperatures in the north quickly made up our minds to head south. This meant foregoing a trip to Pamplona, which will have to wait until next time. Instead, we headed out of San Sebastian and travelled several hours through green and verdant valleys followed by flat, almost barren landscape to our destination of Medinaceli.

At 3,800 feet elevation, we had sweeping​ views down into the valley and across the plains and could see the stormy weather passing by. The village itself is a delight; a mix of Roman ruins, cobblestone streets and buildings of soft ochre stone. At the entrance to the town, and which can be seen from afar, is the 1st-century-AD Roman Triumphal arch. It is the only one in the country with three arches and the best preserved in Spain.

It didn't take us long to walk around and see the sights, the centrepiece of the village being the large, partly colonnaded Plaza Mayor (Main Square) but for such a small place, it had some surprises including a 2nd-century Roman mosaic on display and, through the cracks in the locked wooden doors of what looked like an abandoned castle, was the cemetery containing ornate marble tombs decorated with colourful flowers.

In the village bakery cum shop, we bought some local wine and pastries, apologising for our hopeless lack of the Spanish language but that didn't deter one of the locals giving Chris the thumbs up in his choice of a tub of locally-produced pork scratchings. Even I have to admit they are tasty!

The town has gone to a lot of effort to accommodate visitors with a great Tourist Office and a dedicated parking area and facilities for motorhomes, which were free. You just have to be able to drive up the narrow, winding road to reach it but it's worth it.Read more