Corona Virus, Great Escape. Med. Spain to Green Spain

[jumartoo]

This morning before we left our church parking we had a short, misty, stroll.

You could be forgiven if you thought someone was pinching the veggies from this field.

The old

And the new

Flowers

These yellow ones we've only seen up in Galicia. I don't know what they are, but they're nice.

Marrow, flower

And ...

 

[jumartoo]

From the church parking which was near Villalba, this morning we drove back to the coast. There the forecast was for a lovely 24°. We pulled into a P4N recommended stop at Cangas. A very nice place next to a church, but with no beach access, it meant that we'd have a long day sitting around. Would definitely have stopped there had we arrived later in the day though.

Instead, we headed back to the official motorhome parking at San Ciprian, from where Martin could go fishing (and not catch anything again , like last time). It was hot, but with a fresh breeze for lunchtime, but clouded over later and is still cloudy now. That's going to make for a comfortable sleep .

Aperitif

Lunch spot, with a view.

And ...

We're hoping to do a bike ride tomorrow, weather permitting

 

[Robert Clark]

Looks wonderful
Did Martin catch anything?

 

[jumartoo]

Looks wonderful
Did Martin catch anything?

 

[jumartoo]

We're hoping, after the weekend, to get the van to the Chiringuito bar on the coast where we cycled a few weeks ago. The road was closed then. Fingers crossed it's now reopened, otherwise the diversion is a grassy track.

We've definitely got to have pulpo whilst we're in Galicia. Maybe we'll have it there.

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[Vipar]

Pulpo ?

 

[jumartoo]

Pulpo ?

Octopus.

 

[Lenny HB]

We've searched all the pockets in Martin's rucksack to find coins to feed the meter. No one is checking if people have paid, but we feel we should it's only €5 after all.

We always keep a pot in the van with €30-€40 in 1 & 2 Euro coins for such occasions.

The forecast for here was silly, 30 degrees today and 36 tomorrow. We'd driven a long way to leave those figures behind. However the morning dawned with cloud cover and it took some time to clear.

Holiday weather don't start until 30°

Enjoying your trip, all the sort of places we love.

 

[Helen Ariel]

This morning before we left our church parking we had a short, misty, stroll.

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You could be forgiven if you thought someone was pinching the veggies from this field.

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View attachment 411855

The old
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And the new
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Flowers
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These yellow ones we've only seen up in Galicia. I don't know what they are, but they're nice.
View attachment 411859

Marrow, flower
View attachment 411860

And ...
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They are evening primrose.

 

[jumartoo]

They are evening primrose.

Really? They are big flowers. They are lovely

Thank you

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[Helen Ariel]

Really? They are big flowers. They are lovely

Thank you

Yes they grow like weeds in my customers gardens back home.

 

[Pikeman]

Are they really evening Primrose? That's interesting!
We have one in the garden Judith, given to us by Ged & Pauline, when we visited them last year in Scotland.
Keith

 

[jumartoo]

Our internet went really slow yesterday afternoon and evening even though we were at a town and its normally very fast.

We're backtracking again. Not such a bad thing because we found so many nice places that it's no hardship to revisit them.

We spent two nights at San Ciprio (other, Gallegan, names are available) and we did a bike ride from there yesterday. Unfortunately, the Garmin didn't want to work (maybe still suffering from the hackers?) and kept saying we were in the wrong place, then the right place, then ... eventually we gave up and made our own route. We did make a mistake and followed a path down to a beach and had to push the bikes across it and up the other side!

This morning we headed west. We drove around a lovely headland, with many nice parking places (all can be seen on P4N) but, because it was too early to stop, we looked and took photos and carried on.

Then, bad timing on our part. We arrived at a Chiringuito (beach bar) parking and couldn't access the parking due to the number of car visitors. We were a bit annoyed, and tried to get around them. Instead we pulled up at a neighbouring bar in the pines (no view from the van) and had a stroll out.

The visitors were leaving!!! But we're staying put now, for tonight at least. Maybe tomorrow we'll park on the cliff tops. This is the same place we were at, on the bikes, a few weeks ago, when we stayed at the fish restaurant port. Will we revisit there for another meal??? If we do I know, exactly, what I'll be ordering

 

[jumartoo]

Last night, as I was almost undressed for bed, I glanced out of the side window and saw the sun setting. It took us by surprise that it was setting where it was, although we hadn't given it much thought to be honest, so I quickly pulled on my shorts and sandals and went out with my camera.

This morning, although dark cloud was forecast, we woke to light cloud with small blue patches in the sky, so our bike rode was on,

The first part was part of a previous ride and then we went to visit the lighthouse at the top of the headland from O Barqueira (Cabo de Estaca de Bares). Part road riding (two vehicles passed us) on the way out and returning on newly strimmed tracks.

 

[Helen Ariel]

I hope we can do some of these rides when we get to Spain!

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[jumartoo]

Between where we left yesterday and where we are now, we must have seen 20 or so places where motorhomes are parked. Two's, three's, ocassionally a few more, but no great numbers to cause concern. We passed four or five places today just on our ride.

Long may it last. We want to come back up here again

 

[jumartoo]

We've, reluctantly, bypassed the port parking with the restaurant with lovely seafood, because we needed to use "services" and do a bit of shopping. We called into Ortigueira where we could do both and had a waterside stroll, and then we drove the smaller road up, and over, the headland from near Cariño.

We stopped at the high point, with its wind turbines and old lookout of Herbeira, before winding our way downhill. We've parked up overlooking the village of S. Andrés de Teixido. We're on grass and surrounded by cattle and ponies. Amazingly I've found a Wikiloc bike ride to do from this very parking area, so that's our morning tomorrow sorted. Our own food again today!!!

Fishing boats at Ortigueira

Wind turbine parking area and the lookout and view from up there.

Our "now" parking

We've just had two VW vans recovered by breakdown trucks, one was parked next to us. Couldn't engage any gears, it didn't sound good! The other was, down the hill, at the village!

We know the feeling

 

[jumartoo]

Today's ride, from last night's (and tonight's as its turned out) parking turned out to be one of the best we've done. After the first few hundred metres of tarmac it was all on gravel/grassy/(single, bit scary once or twice) track. In the first three kilometres we met the only person we saw riding a bike, an ebike at that! A retired Spanish doctor (gynaecologist) from Cartagena. What are those odds??? He's visited Galicia every year in August for all of his 66 years, except for one year when he went to London to improve his (excellent) English. (We did only speak together for 5 minutes or so , that's the Spanish for you).

Anyway. He told us to visit S. Andres de Teixido, so, at the end of our main route we detoured downhill to the most touristy spot we've visited so far . All the way down a tarmac road to scout around (the church was nice) and ride back up again. (I went for the scout around, Martin guarded the bikes.)

Sooo. After today, we've decided to stay put for tonight. It was quiet here last night, except for the one, obligatory, motorist who probably thought he was the first ever person to beep his horn at sleeping motorhomers .

We've eaten mushroom and tuna pasta, with a glass (or two) of red and we're more than happy!!!

 

[DBK]

What a great area.

 

[jumartoo]

What a great area.

It is.

As we sat up on the hill looking down I said I didn't want to leave.

Martin asked where? Here, the parking area, Galicia???

At the time, it was all three!!!

We left the first place, but we're staying at our parking for another night, and it will be a few more weeks, at least, before we leave Galicia.

We had some good news today from Totana. Salva and Maria are out of lockdown and are on their way up north. The last we heard they'd made Toledo. Marta (daughter and our semi adopted granddaughter) wants to see a friend at Ciudad Rodrigo, so that's tomorrow's aim. After that, who knows??? But we hope to meet up somewhere

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[DBK]

We've done bits of Galicia but clearly there are a lot more corners we haven't seen yet.

 

[Robert Clark]

Today's ride, from last night's (and tonight's as its turned out) parking turned out to be one of the best we've done. After the first few hundred metres of tarmac it was all on gravel/grassy/(single, bit scary once or twice) track. In the first three kilometres we met the only person we saw riding a bike, an ebike at that! A retired Spanish doctor (gynaecologist) from Cartagena. What are those odds??? He's visited Galicia every year in August for all of his 66 years, except for one year when he went to London to improve his (excellent) English. (We did only speak together for 5 minutes or so , that's the Spanish for you).

Anyway. He told us to visit S. Andres de Teixido, so, at the end of our main route we detoured downhill to the most touristy spot we've visited so far . All the way down a tarmac road to scout around (the church was nice) and ride back up again. (I went for the scout around, Martin guarded the bikes.)

Sooo. After today, we've decided to stay put for tonight. It was quiet here last night, except for the one, obligatory, motorist who probably thought he was the first ever person to beep his horn at sleeping motorhomers .

We've eaten mushroom and tuna pasta, with a glass (or two) of red and we're more than happy!!!

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Fantastic scenery
Looks so different to much of Spain

 

[jumartoo]

I'd rather be biking!

 

[jumartoo]

Yesterday's laundry was done in the lovely town of Cedeira. The town where our, briefly encountered Spanish doctor friend, spends his summers. There is 48 hour parking on the port, where we parked to walk about the town. Unfortunately there's no shade and, even worse, the road running past the parking is made of cobble stones!!

With damp washing hanging in the shower we drove away from the coast to service the van at a place we'd seen previously. Van duly serviced, but still no shade, we headed further south to a parking area next to a lake near As Pontes. The parking next to the water was day time only, and still no shade, but we had lunch higher up parked under a single tree. From here we headed back south to a thermal swimming area (surely no-one will be there in the heat??? Wrong!!!) But we had a Magnum ice cream each before taking small roads back towards A Coruña. Somewhere near the south side of the Fragas do Eume we found a huge parking area, fully shaded, behind a sports centre. A man was watering the grass so Martin asked if it was OK to park. With an affirmative answer that's where we spent the night. The quietest night ever.

Searching Wikiloc I found a mountain bike route that passed our parking just a few hundred metres away, so this morning we set off in the mist. Bearing in mind the route was posted in 2010, we expected some problems, but we only encountered one short overgrown track and a few forest tracks made difficult by recent felling. Another lovely ride, especially the many kilometres we did along a ridge. Just a pity the views weren't better.

Cedeira

And on today's, misty route.

We then stopped at Lidl in Betanzos for a weekend stockup, then travelled on a circuitous route to an Ermita, high up in the middle of nowhere, to find a group of youngsters there partying!!! Needless to say, we left!!!

We're now parked here ...

Next to the cemetery at A Laracha. Again we spoke to someone working there who gave the and even told us where we could get water if needed.

Tomorrow back on the coast and awaiting news as to where Salva and Maria are?

 

[jumartoo]

We've driven to the coast to a motorhome parking area with services. Van refreshed, some hand washing done and bike batteries recharged by our generator!!! (There's only us here atm so we've not disturbed anyone).

The view from there. (Unfortunately its sloping parking and with no easy/quick access down to the coast.

The drive away from the parking and looking back to Caión was lovely, but it looks busy!!!

I'm now (I was when I wrote that) sitting looking at this view, whilst Martin is checking out a more remote parking for us just above. Our windscreen needs debugging jumar

And we're now on the rocky ground above. Next to a French van . Needs must for the flat ground

And a totally empty bay. It's too far from parking areas and facilities.

Our new view through the, still to be debugged, windscreen.

There's a track running all the way back along the coast, guess what we'll be doing tomorrow???

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[jumartoo]

Yesterday morning we had a ride from our parking area. Up the hill and then down along the coast. We eventually found ourselves back inland and, whilst pondering our options, a very nice (perfect English spoken, even if not necessary) lady walker heard our conversation and sent us along another lovely track. Using Google Maps we got back to base where we stayed for another night.

This morning, after quietly ( well heard by us only) charging the bike batteries, we set off and headed further west. We did the services, and washed the van, at Pazos, and we're now at Playa de Balarés, another lovely, and quiet today, parking area.

A dull day, but we have good internet. Check out the masts on the hill opposite!!!

Counting ......

 

[gus-lopez]

A dull day, but we have good internet. Check out the masts on the hill opposite!!!

I have dozens of them on the castle in direct line of site yet I have no phone signal let alone internet!

 

[jumartoo]

I have dozens of them on the castle in direct line of site yet I have no phone signal let alone internet!

Do you have the right receiving instruments?

(I know nothing though, these things work or don't, and if they don't I call ..... Martinnnnnn!)

 

[klaatu]

I have dozens of them on the castle in direct line of site yet I have no phone signal let alone internet!

You probably have the ones that transmit covid rather than phone signals.

 

[jumartoo]

This has just popped up my Facebook. For once, something we haven't missed!!!

Serra de Capelada, the highest cliffs in continental Europe | Fascinating Spain

The cliffs of Vixía Herbeira, at 620 metres, are the highest in continental Europe. They are located in the Serra da Capelada, in Galicia.

fascinatingspain.com

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