Beech's 1st moho adventure

[Helen Ariel]

Well another week flew by! We stayed 2 nights at the free aire. Had a meal at the restaurant/bar which was decent and got talking to a Dutch couple for a couple of hours who had some hobbies in common with us, namely Sourdough and motorbikes. We found the mountain bike trails some of which were rather overgrown but we managed a good ride which finished with a very loose, rocky, black descent.

We then moved onto an aire on The Lot next to the stunning village of St Cirq Lapopie which we visited 3 years ago before we owned a motorhome and said we would return to stay on this aire one day. It was super hot and quite humid too so we were both feeling rather flat and unenergized and so had a couple of pretty lazy days hanging out by the van and regular dips in the river with Beech and were rewarded with an amazing storm of sheet lightning, rolling thunder bouncing back off the cliffs and finally biblical rain.
The next morning was fresher so we decided on a walk along the river to the next village and to check out the aire there which the Dutch couple recommended. It looked a nice quiet spot but we weren't fussed about moving.

The following photos are of an abandoned house by the river which caught my imagination. It never ceases to amaze me how many beautiful ruined properties there are in France. My attention was first drawn by a small sunken boat by the river and then noticed the house.

The paper is from 1995! It felt as though I'd gone back in time.

We stayed another night then then moved about 10 minutes down the road to a free spot near a restaurant which had a wine tasting and dj playing for a certain DH's anniversaire. Beech decided we should push the boat out and go for the beef cooked in the wood fired oven, 1kg of beef(almost no bone) with frites and salad. There was enough beef for 4 and some chewy, fatty bits for her majesty.

 

[Just smiffy]

When I see the old derelict places I always say to myself... I could live there...

 

[Lenny HB]

When I see the old derelict places I always say to myself... I could live there...

Does it feel like home.

 

[Just smiffy]

Does it feel like home.

You’ve seen my gaff then....

 

[Helen Ariel]

Another week of doggy heaven has passed so lots to catch up on!

After leaving the Lot region we drove for about 3 hours heading towards the Pyrenees, through very agricultural landscapes with lots of fruit trees such as apricot, stalls by the road selling melons etc and stopped at Lac de l'astarac a manmade lake which had a few wilding park4night options. We opted for the main carpark one as the other more remote ones had some locals that looked well installed and we didn't want to crash their solitude.

It was extremely hot again and we were both feeling rather drained and slightly dodgy tummies (perhaps the rare meat was the culprit on top of the heat) and we had a rather listless evening and the morning walk was a real struggle. It was too hot, too dry, the lake was low and green at the edges so we didn't want Beech to go in so we packed up and pushed on to the promise of cooler weather in the Pyrenees which we did have a brilliant view of from here.

We then drove an hour or so to just South of Cadéac in search of some fresh, cool mountain river water to bath in. We checked out a municipal campsite by the river but it wasn't nice and didn't seem to have good river access then pulled onto a side road with a lay-by by a great bathing spot. It was still very hot and we were relived to find a sloping beach to a bend in the river where the water was slow and deep. This was our best swim of the trip so far as whilst the Alpine lakes and rivers were beautifully clear they were too cold for more than a plunge and the inland rivers like the Lot whilst a good temperature were quite low and a little weedy/muddy. This was swim perfection. Crystal clear water, refreshing but not cold and deep enough to swim but not too fast flowing.

After the dip life seemed better and heads clearer so we decided the quiet lay by would do for the night and once the sun dropped behind the mountain it was cool enough to make a roast dinner with the whole chicken I'd bought a few days earlier with new potatoes.

Next stop Spain! A short drive took us to the tunnel through the mountains and hey presto we're in Spain. It's hard to imagine a Europe with borders.

The views were stunning through the Pyrenees and we stopped in the foothills at a campsite called Valle de Anisclo to see if they had room for us as after weeks of living on aires/wilding we felt in need of some comfort.

They had plenty of space and we got a semi shady spot and being lunchtime it was scorching again (34)and I was feeling a little overwhelmed by it again. This didn't last long when I realised why DH had picked this place as we went down some steps from the site to the river to be greated by the Nirvana of river swimming. Smooth sculpted river bed with channels and pools of clear refreshing water. After cooling down we spend the rest of the afternoon lying in the shade on the bank reading and periodically dipping. Beech was in dog heaven again.

It's was lovely to be settled on a site for a couple of days, getting the awning, table and chairs out and there was a great on site bar with pints at 2.50E and 3 course meal with a bottle of wine and bread for 16e. It was basic but amazing value and a treat to be cooked for.

Covid precautions in Spain so far have been much stricter than France. Everyone wearing masks outside around the campsite, hand sanitizer all over the place by water taps etc and tables wiped down as soon as you get up. With numbers rising in France personally i feel safer in Spain now as everyone I've seen seems to be taking it seriously here.

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[Four of us]

I am so enjoying this thread. We're not travelling abroad this year and your reports are giving me lots of ideas for future trips. With so much of the forum descending into nasty political squabbles yours is one of the few threads i look forward to and bother to read. Enjoy your trip and many thanks.

 

[Helen Ariel]

From our riverside campsite we moved about 8 miles down the road to Ainsa which is a small town with an 11th century fortified old town placed high above on a rocky cliff surveying the surrounding region for miles around. Up by the old town there is a large gravelly, grassy aire with services for 2E and parking for 3E for 24hrs. Lovely views of the nearby Pena Montanesa that catches the last of the evening light.

Our main reason for visiting this place is that it is a well known hub for mountain biking and has a large network of marked trails. We also discovered they even have an app for discovering and following the routes whether on foot or bike. These are all maintained by Zona Zero and what a great job they've done.

As the weather had cooled down significantly we took the chance to get out for some rides in the mornings, leaving Beech to have some lazy lie ins with the pet cam on so we could check her and the van temperatures.

We have done 3 rides so far and each one was brilliant with some very challenging conditions and stunning scenery.

DH also has lots of great photos to follow.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Aínsa has held a round of the Enduro World Series MTB race twice now and really is a great place to ride.

Stunning views, well marked trails, fab weather = motorhome fun!

Beautiful old villages to cycle through, but lots of great hiking trails too that are equally well signed.

It‘s been getting hotter though which makes riding uphill harder!

It’s been pretty quiet so we’ve had this tourist hotspot to ourselves sometimes!

Good to see social distancing and mask wearing being adhered to by everyone.

The mountain of Peña Montañesa dominates and changes in appearance depending on the time of day.

It’s a stunning part of Spain.

Back into the 30’s today so we’re leaving the aire for a secret swimming spot that was recommended by a couple of locals.

 

[KiwiKampers]

That is one lucky bitch travelling with you!

 

[Helen Ariel]

That is one lucky bitch travelling with you!

Yes and we're back to the river gorge today as it's gone hot so she'll be in labrador heaven

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[Moglet]

Wow, wow, wow!! I have just read your thread from start to finish. It has been a terrific read and totally inspiring, something we would love to do when we get our Moho in the very near future. Its been lovely seeing your pics as I sit here in a very rainy Edinburgh. Stay safe and continue to enjoy your amazing trip.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Hello everyone. Hope all is well with you. We've had a very varied week since our last post.

The weather was due to get over 30 for a couple of days in Ainsa so we packed in the mountain biking and headed for a wilding spot we'd scouted out when at the previous campsite by the lovely river gorge. Parking for multiple vehicles with a couple of pic nic benches beside a very quiet road perched up high above the river with pines for shade. 2 or 3 other vans doing the same as us.

We spent 2 days there, heading down into the gorge for the hot part of the day with towls, mats and books. Dipping in the water whenever we got too hot.

Then spent the balmy evenings sitting in the shade, bbqing and listening to music.

Next decisions decisions more mountain biking or head on to pastures new?! Being so close to the Pyrenees I requested a couple of days in the mountains with some hiking so DH found us a lovely camp site near Torla Odesa. The mountains in this area are mostly tree covered and it seemed incredibly green compared to where we had been. It was nice to splurge on a campsite after a week plus of basic aires/wilding and it was absolutely immaculate, grassy, and not busy too busy. Plus only 18e a night. We found a nice Wikiloc walk along the valley to a waterfall the next day and just spent our time getting ourselves and the van ship shape and ready for the next adventure.

We then drove for a couple of hours on small, winding roads West and higher into the Pyrenees until only a mile or so from the French border to Refugio Belagua a large space age, recently refurbished building and a large car park with stunning mountain views and ponies and cows freely wandering around us. On our drive the temperature had dropped from mid 20's to around 14. We had dinner and a howling wind set in that was rocking the van on it's suspension and it was about 9 degrees overnight outside. A bit of a contrast!

The next morning dawned clear, calm and chilly and Wikiloc came up trumps again with what i would honestly say is the best hike I've ever done.

It was only just under 6 miles but took nearly 4 hours with a short lunch stop.

The landscape there is just stunning and from grassy, rocky pine strewn slopes we entered a dense, beautiful Beech forest (my favourite tree and the reason for Princess Beech's name) We climbed steeply up through the dappled forest eventually breaking out into a meadow and continued uphill to the ridgeline we had been able to see from the van. The views were immense from here and progress was slow along the ridge with multiple false summits. Finally we reached the high point and stopped for beetroot and cream cheese sarnies before returning the same way.

That afternoon we drove over the French border just to say hi then continued West through the Basque region of the Pyrenees stopping for the night in a basic car park in Ochagavia. The dialect here was such a surprise to me. The place names and business names would have me thinking I'm in Ukraine or similar as the language is full of k's, z's, q's etc. So so different from the Spanish language. What a melting pot Europe is!

In the morning we hiked up the hill from the town to a hermitage which was reputed to be a setting for witches and wizards coverns in the 16th century. Sadly it was chained up but the view through the keyhole of the ancient looking wooden door was magical.

Still only mid morning we decided to really start the next phase of our trip and head to the coast 3 hours drive away. We live on the coast in the uk so although we've had an amazing time the last 2 months I must admit I was very excited to see the ocean again and the promise of surf (our other hobby) was tantalising.

 

[Moglet]

I love the ponies walking along the road! Sounds like you are continuing to have a top time.

 

[Helen Ariel]

I love the ponies walking along the road! Sounds like you are continuing to have a top time.

They made quite a mess of the road and the wheel arches of the motorhome!

 

[StitchesnFluff]

What a fantastic tour! Thank you so much for sharing

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[Helen Ariel]

Well the ocean promise didn't disappoint! We arrived late afternoon in San Sebastian a pretty large seaside town that is right on the French /Spanish border we skirted the town and headed 10 mins up to the top of hill to a small car park with beautiful views of the sea, the town and bay and a nice walk surrounded by more ponies. I almost shed a tear at the sight of my old friend the sea and the surrounding grassy landscape falling away to the ocean reminded me alot of the Sussex downs. Perhaps I'm a little homesick!

On our walk we were delighted to find a chestnut forest dripping with nuts so decided to return in the morning with gloves and a bag. Pork fajitas with all the trimmings and a couple of beers rounded off a brilliant day.

The shine was rather taken off the day in the end when our fly screen door suddenly broke. The internal cord had snapped and looking at the screen we quickly realised it would be impossible to fix ourselves as the surround of the screen is riveted in place. DH had a look and discovered a Dethleffs dealer in San Sebastian! What are the chances so we headed there the next morning. A friendly woman photographed the broken screen and said she would pass on the details to dethleffs and asked if we were staying in the area. We said we could for awhile at least. So we decided to hit the beach in San Sebastian but over the border on the French side but quickly realised that none of the beaches were dog friendly. So walked along the prom looking longingly at the other beach goers. Beech was particularly upset and tried to drag me down each set of access steps we passed.

To cheer ourselves up we decided to splurge on some junk food being in a larger town for the 1st time in ages. Fried chicken and chips at a premium price but high quality and welfare local chicken made it worth it. We were quite shocked though once seated at the contrast from Spain of the level of cv measures. No hand sanitizer, no masks from people ordering at the counter and shared, self serve condiments!

We spent awhile on Google attempting to find a dog friendly beach to make a base for a few days whilst we waited to hear from dethleffs but it seems there are non at this time of year anyway so we decided as the surf forecast was great that her royal highness would have to come second for a change and have a few days with some nap times in the van whilst we got some beach time.

We made our way back to Spain and followed the coast for about an hour looking for a potential free or cheap parking spot but everywhere near any of the multiple beaches was rammed (this was a Thursday early evening) so we back tracked a little to Zarautz and a campsite on the hill overlooking a 2km gorgeous beach with steps down for access. A really popular campsite and i was getting a little nervous that it would be full but DH secured us a brilliant pitch overlooking the surf beach and allowed to stay one night or as many as we wanted just pay at the end.

So the next 4 days were basically a timeless blur of lazy starts in the morning, short walk for the dog (who seemed rather tired luckily) set up the pet cam and head to the beach with the boards for a few hours, late lunch and some more lazing, cook some food when it was cool enough and repeat.

Having done no body boarding for a year and being a beginner anyway the surfing was exciting, scary and shattering. Also i think there was about a million steps to climb back up to the campsite afterwards.

Another plus of the long weekend was bumping into a British couple who were just starting a similar adventure to us and we had an enjoyable evening watching the setting sun and chatting about all things motorhome and Brexit and everything in between. We must have seemed a little hyperactive after many weeks of no-one to talk to but each other!

After day one there we noticed you could take the dog on the beach after 9pm so Beech even had a couple of lovely runs on the sand through the surf at dusk so she didn't do too badly.

Monday morning we phoned for an update on the fly screen and were told we'd get a call back later so we left the campsite and went to stock up at the supermarket then drove on down the coast a little to a basic carpark type aire and to await the call. We are waiting still!

 

[Harben]

Hey Helen and Paul, it’s Tim and Juliet...the guys you met at the Zarautz Campsite!
Sorry we missed saying goodbye, but I think you’d both gone surfing (or hiding in your garage!)
Just to let you know after our lovely evening with you both, you inspired us to head off
to one of your recommended spots near Aínsa in the Pyrenees. Wow...and thanks! It’s stunning. And of course Flo (like Beech) can’t get enough of the river!
Not sure how to pass on phone numbers, but we may meet again with you going one way round, and us going the other. Plus Paul owes me a few beers Take care and enjoy the rest of your trip.
Tim and Juliet xxx
Ps Keep up the amazing posts

 

[Helen Ariel]

Hey Tim & Juliet, great to hear from you too! Sorry we missed you but the surf was just too good @ 6ft and offshore! As we had to leave the site by midday we got up for an early paddle. It was well worth it although Helen got absolutely smashed in a wipeout and hurt her back.
I’ve messaged you our contact details.

This was the view from our spot above Irun. The river estuary is the border with France.

The surf forecast was spot on!

The view from our pitch on the campsite overlooking Zarautz in the morning. It was 439 steps down to the beach!

Although the evening view was pretty good too!

Zarautz was lovely.

Surf frolicking. We may have had a few drinks...

 

[Just smiffy]

Welcome to the fun Harben ....

 

[LinTren]

Really enjoyed reading your adventures and inspirational, thanks Looking forward to more.

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[GAVLAD]

What a fantastic read.
This is what makes it for me, being a member on here and reading a travel journal like this.
Thanking for taking the time to share your experiences

 

[Helen Ariel]

So 8 weeks for the part lol. I had a feeling we were wasting our time and will have to manage with the broken screen until we get back.

We've just done 4 nights free camping somewhere different each night. Not found it particularly welcoming to motorhomes along the Basque coastline and personally don't particularly like the feel of the towns along here but some stunning beaches and rugged coastline and green countryside.

We also had a spectacular morning stop off at site which was used as a location in Game of Thrones and virtually had it to ourselves! It was a humid morning and we were both dripping by the time we reached the monestry. There was a castle built here almost 1000 years ago!

We've now pushed on into Cantabria and a location that DH scouted out during a motorbike holiday a couple of years back. I feel we have finally found the jackpot location to stop, rest and really enjoy for awhile. We are parked on a grassy field top over looking the stunning Gerra surf beach near San Vincente, 10e a day, water tap, outdoor shower for washing after the beach. Relaxed vibe with owner coming around once a day to collect the money. Also a restaurant bar 10 mins away but we had bbqed chicken salad as the fridge is freshly stocked. Surf due in tomorrow!! Excited.

 

[KiwiKampers]

I’m interested in your comments about the Basque towns. This is a region I have wanted to visit and wondered if it might be dodgy. Can you elaborate on your observations?
BTW, I am so enjoying your postings. They put a flutter in my heart when I see the photos and realise that there are still some beautiful places for me to visit ... health, age and pandemics permitting.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Well they seemed rather claustrophobic to me. Quite tall buildings close together, narrow streets, quite a bit of graffiti such as 'this is not France nor Spain' locals only sprayed in a few spots. Not easy to park near the beaches in a motorhome and lots of signs saying no motorhomes where you'd like to go but they generally had some motorhome parking slightly further out. It's because the landscape is so hilly and steep down to the water so the towns are built on the tight little bits of land around the beach. I also found it very busy considering it's kind of out of season now. Stunning scenery though and lovely bits away from the towns. We paid 28e a night to get a campsite near a lovely beach, then one night in a free, grotty car park aire at the edge of town and one night wilding in a scenic viewpoint spot high above the sea.

It's certainly worth visiting i just found it difficult compared with the rest of our trip also because all the beaches say no dogs.

 

[Lenny HB]

So 8 weeks for the part lol. I had a feeling we were wasting our time and will have to manage with the broken screen until we get back.

They are quite easy to repair as it's rivited get a cheap battery drill €20 from supermarket & a few metres of kelvar kite line from a sports shop & self tappers to fix it back together.
You need to take the complete frame out and lay it down flat. Once disassembled you will see how easy it is to replace a cord, you just need to make sure they are all the same length.

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[Helen Ariel]

Argh that sounds a right faff. I think we'll probably wait as it's under warranty.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Another week has gone by and Spain continues to be ace. We ended up staying for 5 nights above the beach by San Vicente de Barquera as the surf was so good.

The weather was great for the week so we made the most of the bar at the top of the hill which had fabulous views of the coast and the Picos in the distance. As you can see it was easy for us to keep socially distanced!

We did have a day off from surfing and felt the need to spin our legs on the bikes so we went into town for some lovely seafood right on the quayside.

Baby squid, mussels, calamari, anchovies, sardines, prawns all cooked to perfection for only €23! The beer was €2.20 a bottle too. Result!

The forecast for the next couple of days was interesting with 50mph winds blowing onshore so surfing was out of the question, but this gave us the chance to rest our aching arms for a few days. We decided to head in the direction of the Picos, specifically going to Cangas de Onis as we needed to do some life admin (laundry, water top up etc). It was also forecast to be a bit wetter too so going into a town with cafes, restaurants & bars provided some distraction plus the aire was free with free services! I’d been to Cangas on the motorbike a couple of years back and was keen to show MH around.

It’s a great size of place to walk around, and it was reassuring to see the measures they were taking to keep everyone socially distanced. All the pavements had arrows showing the direction of travel, as did the pedestrian crossings.

We used the Wikiloc app to find a lovely walk out of town and through the pretty village of Llueves where we managed to forage more sweet chestnuts.

We felt like we’d gone back in time with some of the architecture.

It took us a while to realise that the traditional ‘sheds’ had the stone caps on the pillars to stop mice and rats from climbing up to eat the harvest! Even the stone stairs finished before they reached the top.

Lovely views of the Picos as we climbed higher.

Before we dropped back down into the town again, walking along the river where we stopped for a picnic and Beech had a swim.

The crystal clear waters were inviting but the temps had dropped a bit so we refrained from jumping in.

The Roman bridge that is one of the towns landmarks was stunning. It’s been rebuilt 5 times!

Some fabulous buildings all round town. This is the town hall.

Loads of great roads for biking round here. Bit of a bumpy ride on this one though...

The main church in town was huge!

Picked up some lovely fresh prawns for €2! Quick pan fry and in my belly!

We left Cangas this morning and drove to Riaño as the weather has changed significantly! We saw 7c on the dashboard as we headed higher into the Picos!

Currently just outside Potes surrounded by more sweet chestnut trees on a little free spot we found. Took Beech for a quick walk and we’re rewarded with a full rainbow above us.

 

[KiwiKampers]

Thanks again for a most enjoyable “blog”.
FYI, England used to have those sort of “sheds” with the mushroom-shaped stones for keeping the vermin away from the harvest. Nowadays, you‘re lucky to find one still standing, but the stones are valuable architectural salvage and fetch a hefty price. They’re called staddle stones, but often mistakenly called saddle stones (as my spell-checker also insists on calling them!).
That’s today’s history lesson over.

 

[Snoopy]

Amazing pics..Lovely safe travels

 

[Helen Ariel]

We found the proper cheap fuel at last!

Camped here the last 2 nights. Huge grassy carpark 5 mins from a lovely surf beach. Had a surf yesterday and doing a wikilock bike ride today of 35k.
Chicken kebabs with curry, mango sauce went down well for dinner last night (the bits of wood are pieces of applewood which i cut during lockdown at my dad's and give the gas bbq an authentic sweet, smokey effect)

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