Spring into summer in Spain

[jumar]

We had a convoy. 15 French motorhomes in an organised group drove all the way through the village at 8.30, milled around near the lighthouse and by 9.30 they'd all left again.

Where they're spending the night is of more concern to us

We've now driven back near the church to go for a ride and, wouldn't you know, it's market day! We're parked furthest away from the parking for the locals, hopefully. Martin's gone for a look around, without telling me . I expect the fruit stall is calling him.

I've counted them in and counted them out again....all 15 of them..at that rate they might do the whole of Spain in 2 days...

 

[jumar]

Sometimes touring in the van, our van perhaps your van, needs attention...
Today it was our van...just a minor issue..
the shunt to system cable appreciated increasing in size...something I'd overlooked when I made a few modifications, increased Inverter and battery capacity, and more importantly started using a 1800w induction hob..
I still have awareness of pending disaster and action to prevent such happening...it was warmer than it should be...so...an hour swapping over some cables gave me something for the job in hand...success....
I was going to tell all about today's interesting bike ride... I'll leave Judith to do that...

 

[jumartoo]

Todays bike ride was ..... interesting. Mostly very nice but with one very overgrown section. My right hand is still tingling from nettle stings .

 

[SMB]

15 French vans in convoy, sacre bleu . I left Proaza today and headed for the area parking at Villaviciousa which, in itself, is quite nice but I'd read reviews on p4n that some shady people had set up camp behind the parking area. I checked it out and they're still there so, after a visit to Mercadona, I moved on. Just thought I'd mention it in case you decide to head that way at any stage.
I headed to Sargentes de la Lora which is in the middle of nowhere but has a nice area parking with free electric next to an oil museum and with a good bar over the road. Apparently there's some good cycling to be had so I'll check it out tomorrow and also cycle to Orbaneja del Castillo which was recommended to me by friends. There is also an observatory not too far from here which allows free tours at the weekend from 11pm onwards, I would have loved to have visited it but I'll be gone by then. Just thought I'd add this to your posts in case other funsters are getting ideas for places to visit which is what I do with yours! Apologies for hijacking your thread

 

[Barriesimpson]

We are also well armed too...but nothing compares with Judith's quick thinking, she just caught it between her hands..View attachment 1066961

Toñi is a professional fly/mosquito assassin. She has one of those electric tennis rackets you can buy in the Chinese shops and it works really well. Every night she cleans out the bedroom in the van of unwanted visitors.

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[SMB]

Toñi is a professional fly/mosquito assassin. She has one of those electric tennis rackets you can buy in the Chinese shops and it works really well. Every night she cleans out the bedroom in the van of unwanted visitor

Wasps make a satisfying crack when swatted with one of those racquets

 

[Jays2]

I'm sooooo glad I caught the mozzie otherwise we wouldn't have settled easy tonight.

This area of Spain is so full of yellow broom, you need to see it to comprehend it. We rode through miles of it and then we drove through even more to get to our present spot, where we're almost surrounded by it.

Today's ride had broom, broom and more broom, lovely bridges, old mills, now renovated, the Pozo de las Paredes with its old bridge and deep gorge. Did I say broom? well there was a bit more, also mares with foals and mares with foals still on board (hope so, anyway, they were quite rotund). All in all it was a lovely morning out.

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I quite like the smell of the broom when in flower, plus gorse earlier in the season.
Driving through Rape growing areas you could smell the scent, earlier this year.
One thing i like to do is to smell the flowers when in bloom.
We had a very heavy scented ( rock rose) type flower in Denmark this year.

 

[jumar]

The wind has dropped overnight which is a bonus...we have a few vans to share this wonderful location, made especially interesting as the lighthouse illuminated at sunset....
I've just planned today's route to ride, one problem we have is, because it's only June, many of the tracks and paths are very overgrown and haven't been cleared, nettles and brambles are getting in our way and leaving their mark.

 

[jumartoo]

15 French vans in convoy, sacre bleu . I left Proaza today and headed for the area parking at Villaviciousa which, in itself, is quite nice but I'd read reviews on p4n that some shady people had set up camp behind the parking area. I checked it out and they're still there so, after a visit to Mercadona, I moved on. Just thought I'd mention it in case you decide to head that way at any stage.
I headed to Sargentes de la Lora which is in the middle of nowhere but has a nice area parking with free electric next to an oil museum and with a good bar over the road. Apparently there's some good cycling to be had so I'll check it out tomorrow and also cycle to Orbaneja del Castillo which was recommended to me by friends. There is also an observatory not too far from here which allows free tours at the weekend from 11pm onwards, I would have loved to have visited it but I'll be gone by then. Just thought I'd add this to your posts in case other funsters are getting ideas for places to visit which is what I do with yours! Apologies for hijacking your thread
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Please don't apologise. Comments and recommendations are very welcome.

(Sometimes there's only Martin and me talking to each other on here )

 

[jumartoo]

Martin's outside, supposedly getting the bikes ready, but in reality he's chatting with a young German van lifer.

I'm trying to summon up enthusiasm to wash the breakfast dishes and tidy the van.

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[billym]

I've counted them in and counted them out again....all 15 of them..at that rate they might do the whole of Spain in 2 days...

We carried on Saturday at a lovely small (14 pitches) campsite in Portugal on Saturday having rung on Friday to check there was room.
We couldn't get on as a group of 9 French turned up ' on spec'
We went back the next day (after another phone call) . They had all left , the first at 5.15 am and the rest by 6 am.

 

[Peavy]

I'm trying to summon up enthusiasm

I'll try to remember this phrase, very useful.
I'll place it in my English vocabulary book next to "I'm collecting my thoughts"

 

[jumar]

Very pleased with how today ride went...had a delayed start due to not finding a replacement quick link for my chain...I knew I had one, but couldn't find it...finally had to use a used one...
Added anti puncture to the tyres too...it dries quickly here with the heat..
Judith just produced a very nice lunch...

 

[jumartoo]

Our ride was so much better today than yesterday's. We rode a lovely section of the Camino del Norte, riding towards the pilgrims. We gave way every time we met anyone, but there were a few sour looking people (in my opinion) who couldn't even grunt a response. Always the walkers, the bike riders were very cheery.

We found ourselves on a narrow lane that we'd ridden last year. This time was much more relaxing as we knew where it was going. We stopped at the font at the hamlet of Balsera. The house with the flowers was much lovlier than my photo shows, but the lane was too steep to stop on earlier. The river it eventually crossed was beautiful. Clear water for salmon to swim in.

 

[jumartoo]

We also passed this strange place last year. Then we thought it was private, but it seems it's not. Martin for scale!

The last part of our route took us through what may have been a private area. There were no signs to say yes or no, but we rode out through some big (open) gates. It was a lovely section, so we're happy to have done it. No photos though cos we just kept moving.

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[jumar]

HEATWAVE Again...Not here at Busto, 24°c max, we have decided this is the place to be today, so I'll plan another ride .....we have enough supplies and the toilet can manage another day..

 

[jumartoo]

Martin's planned us another ride. We're riding into, and through Luarca so we can have a look around. We tried to do so last year but got stuck in a motor scooter rally and had to exit swiftly. It didn't help that some of them were struggling up and
breaking down on the hills

We'll be calling into the motorhome area there tomorrow to use the service point and to get some food (and drink) shopping. I don't think we'll stop there (it was full last year but it was the middle of July) but I've found a grassy parking area a bit further along the coast. Motorhome parking is allowed, but NOT camping.

 

[jumartoo]

Whilst we were out yesterday a motorhome pulled in alongside us, sooo close. Just why they had to park as near is a mystery when there's room here for around 30 motorhomes, with a separate car parking area. Anyway, the nearness wasn't a real problem to us but we have a SOG and our loo was across from their open hab door

I've been hanging on to use the loo, not for any privacy, but because of the SOG. Luckily they've just left

 

[Peavy]

I've been hanging on to use the loo, not for any privacy, but because of the SOG.

It's funny, I would be eager to use it all the time for the same reason.

 

[manners]

Whilst we were out yesterday a motorhome pulled in alongside us, sooo close. Just why they had to park as near is a mystery when there's room here for around 30 motorhomes, with a separate car parking area. Anyway, the nearness wasn't a real problem to us but we have a SOG and our loo was across from their open hab door

I've been hanging on to use the loo, not for any privacy, but because of the SOG. Luckily they've just left

I sometimes use ours as a deterrent if neighbours too close for no reason or miss behaving with no added chemicals it can be quite powerful

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[jumar]

Pi

I sometimes use ours as a deterrent if neighbours too close for no reason or miss behaving with no added chemicals it can be quite powerful

I do the same....it's taken a while for those to realise where the smell is coming from....after kicking the dog and changing the babies, they have turned their attention elsewhere...our toilet is on Day 4 or is it 5 ? It's smelly range has increased to 600 metres..

 

[SMB]

Ah the British and their toilet humour, I'm going to have to fit a SOG now .
I got back from cycling a short while ago, two days in the heat has taken it out of me . I cycled to Orbaneja del Castillo yesterday which is a lovely little place and today headed to Hoyos del Tozo which is very pretty. Both have waterfalls, the one yesterday was a traditional type but today's was a little bit different and more of a dripping waterfall! The attached pics will show you what I mean. I enjoyed the route over the hills today, Northern Spain is rather green and I passed the Cantabria observatory on the route. I'll be leaving tomorrow but will definitely return, the bar across the road from the parking area is just the place to call in after a long ride in the sunshine..

 

[Barriesimpson]

Ah the British and their toilet humour, I'm going to have to fit a SOG now .
I got back from cycling a short while ago, two days in the heat has taken it out of me . I cycled to Orbaneja del Castillo yesterday which is a lovely little place and today headed to Hoyos del Tozo which is very pretty. Both have waterfalls, the one yesterday was a traditional type but today's was a little bit different and more of a dripping waterfall! The attached pics will show you what I mean. I enjoyed the route over the hills today, Northern Spain is rather green and I passed the Cantabria observatory on the route. I'll be leaving tomorrow but will definitely return, the bar across the road from the parking area is just the place to call in after a long ride in the sunshine..



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Avoid clicking on the 'insert images' button and that way the images are not repeated SMB

 

[SMB]

Avoid clicking on the 'insert images' button and that way the images are not repeated SMB

I couldn't be bothered to go through them all again .

 

[jumartoo]

We had a good ride and got a chance to look around Luarca. Unfortunately whilst riding down the cobbled road from the Ermita I felt a problem with my bike's back wheel. It was deflating. We have tubeless tyres and Martin had redone the fluid yesterday. It appeared that the valve was leaking. We used one of our gas cylinders to reinflate it and continued, after looking around the harbour and lower part of the town.

Playa la Cueva

We had a lovely climb through the mountains and then a descent down to Trevias where I felt the back wheel wobble on a bend. We made it to the town and reinflated the tyre and it got me back on the same lovely route we did yesterday, (but missing out the private bit!)

Martin's now put a new valve in the tyre and all seems well.

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[Barriesimpson]

I couldn't be bothered to go through them all again .

No, I meant for the future

 

[jumar]

So most of Iberia is on very high temperature alert...it's just started raining here where we are...just as well we chose today to be a Rest and Catch up day..
It's stopped raining now..

 

[Mikey RV]

Whilst we were out yesterday a motorhome pulled in alongside us, sooo close. Just why they had to park as near is a mystery when there's room here for around 30 motorhomes, with a separate car parking area. Anyway, the nearness wasn't a real problem to us but we have a SOG and our loo was across from their open hab door

I've been hanging on to use the loo, not for any privacy, but because of the SOG. Luckily they've just left

They would have left earlier if you had not waited.

 

[Lenny HB]

So most of Iberia is on very high temperature alert...it's just started raining here where we are...just as well we chose today to be a Rest and Catch up day..
It's stopped raining now..View attachment 1074169

Looks perfect.

 

[jumartoo]

Last night's, not so very stunning, sunset.

And

This morning from the same place

And the lighthouse

Didn't we do well over the last few days.

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