From E to W. Spaniards go to Portugal.

[Peavy]

Day 9.
Qué maravilla no trabajar.
How wonderful not to work.
Until we'll be back next week
Anyway, we arrived Peneda-Gerês, the only natural park in Portugal. A very beautiful area next to Galicia.
We spent two nights in a very simple and basic campsite (cheap also), and were alone there, no more costumers.

We did a trekking in the area, with some challenging weather, but WE WON'T COMPLAIN, we don't miss the permanent oven where we live.

There's a hydroelectric station here that uses the force of the water to generate electricity. The water falls through a duct from a lake uphill to the bottom one (where the power plant is).
We climbed more than 1400 stairs to have the view Our knees were shaking during the way down
We needed an extraordinary dose of our favourite weissbier and fajitas with chicken and pepper, to recover from that enterprise.

Absolutely fantastic simple meal.
We had two relaxing nights here, surrounded by nature, like this animal print slug.

Tomorrow we're spending our last night in the country, we're gonna miss it.

 

[Peavy]

Fat fingers

 

[Peavy]

Day 10.
Another trekking was planned in the natural park, under some rain, but it was rewarding. We came across some Roman stones that were used to mark the miles, so... milestones, right?

That was the Roman road between Bracara Augusta and Asturica Augusta (Braga in Portugal and Astorga in Spain).
It was an enjoyable walk, we love doing this kind of trekking.

The road up to the park was challenging because of some hairpin we came across. I couldn't understand why the road was not asphalt for a short stretch, but cobblestones, which makes traction difficult in case of rain. We had bad luck in a hairpin, because we crossed with another vehicle and had to almost stop, and then our wheels were spinning without grip. I drove straight through the opposite lane for a couple of meters (no traffic coming), but was enough to have enough grip and momentum to recover traction. Here's the place in Google maps, but in a sunny day.

Anyway, lesson learned for another day.
After the park, our next stop was Bragança, but we decided to get there through Spain, as the trip was shorter.
A bit of a mistaken decision, because the roads resulted worse than we expected.
Still didn't know that, we crossed the border and continued the journey.
What an ugly border it was

Finally at the Bragança municipal MH parking, we had a very late lunch or early supper, which was a deconstructed Spanish omelette (very good it was).

The MH parking is great, with all services and lots of room, ideal location to explore the city of Bragança.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Day 10.
Another trekking was planned in the natural park, under some rain, but it was rewarding. We came across some Roman stones that were used to mark the miles, so... milestones, right?
View attachment 968846
That was the Roman road between Bracara Augusta and Asturica Augusta (Braga in Portugal and Astorga in Spain).
It was an enjoyable walk, we love doing this kind of trekking.
View attachment 968849
View attachment 968850
View attachment 968851
The road up to the park was challenging because of some hairpin we came across. I couldn't understand why the road was not asphalt for a short stretch, but cobblestones, which makes traction difficult in case of rain. We had bad luck in a hairpin, because we crossed with another vehicle and had to almost stop, and then our wheels were spinning without grip. I drove straight through the opposite lane for a couple of meters (no traffic coming), but was enough to have enough grip and momentum to recover traction. Here's the place in Google maps, but in a sunny day.
View attachment 968857
Anyway, lesson learned for another day.
After the park, our next stop was Bragança, but we decided to get there through Spain, as the trip was shorter.
A bit of a mistaken decision, because the roads resulted worse than we expected.
Still didn't know that, we crossed the border and continued the journey.
What an ugly border it was
View attachment 968858
Finally at the Bragança municipal MH parking, we had a very late lunch or early supper, which was a deconstructed Spanish omelette (very good it was).
View attachment 968866
View attachment 968867
The MH parking is great, with all services and lots of room, ideal location to explore the city of Bragança.

That’s a super parking and there is a nice local restaurant nearby. Great lamb chops. I think it was called Porta do Sol

 

[Peavy]

That’s a super parking and there is a nice local restaurant nearby. Great lamb chops. I think it was called Porta do Sol

Thanks for the restaurant tip.
Although a little bit unleveled, I would say is one of the best parkings we have come across

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[Just smiffy]

Lots of walnut trees at that park up, I can’t remember what time of year they are ready though..

 

[Jane And Rog]

Day 10.
Another trekking was planned in the natural park, under some rain, but it was rewarding. We came across some Roman stones that were used to mark the miles, so... milestones, right?
View attachment 968846
That was the Roman road between Bracara Augusta and Asturica Augusta (Braga in Portugal and Astorga in Spain).
It was an enjoyable walk, we love doing this kind of trekking.
View attachment 968849
View attachment 968850
View attachment 968851
The road up to the park was challenging because of some hairpin we came across. I couldn't understand why the road was not asphalt for a short stretch, but cobblestones, which makes traction difficult in case of rain. We had bad luck in a hairpin, because we crossed with another vehicle and had to almost stop, and then our wheels were spinning without grip. I drove straight through the opposite lane for a couple of meters (no traffic coming), but was enough to have enough grip and momentum to recover traction. Here's the place in Google maps, but in a sunny day.
View attachment 968857
Anyway, lesson learned for another day.
After the park, our next stop was Bragança, but we decided to get there through Spain, as the trip was shorter.
A bit of a mistaken decision, because the roads resulted worse than we expected.
Still didn't know that, we crossed the border and continued the journey.
What an ugly border it was
View attachment 968858
Finally at the Bragança municipal MH parking, we had a very late lunch or early supper, which was a deconstructed Spanish omelette (very good it was).
View attachment 968866
View attachment 968867
The MH parking is great, with all services and lots of room, ideal location to explore the city of Bragança.

What time is a very late lunch for you guys? 8pm?

 

[Peavy]

What time is a very late lunch for you guys? 8pm?

that's very late indeed.

 

[Peavy]

Day 11.
More lessons learned.
Never EVER drive a dirty road you don't know, even if Google says so
More about that later...
We visited Bragança and it was great.
The castle was opened for free and, despite being a military museum (weapons and stuff like that we were not interested in), we enjoyed the huge walls of that magnificent structure.

This sign was funny, looked like it was there for the loudest nationalities

Around the Castelo, was the tiny citadel, with its charming streets.

After that we visited the old city, which was not big and without hordes, which is always nice.

Bragança was worth the visit
We left Portugal with a heavy heart and enter our country.
And here is where I made that mistake which kept us really stressed for an hour drive. I decided to take this dirty road (images below are captured from our dashcam) that Google said. Why, oh why?!

After an hour driving at 10km/h, from a dirt (narrow at times) road and full of low branches trees, we arrived to our destination, which was a very calm and solitary place, where Mrs Peavy prepared a delicious regarding couscous.

Never again, an unknown dirty road.

 

[Barriesimpson]

Never EVER drive a dirty road you don't know, even if Google says so

And here is where I made that mistake which kept us really stressed for an hour drive. I decided to take this dirty road (capture from our dashcam) that Google said. Why, oh why?!
View attachment 969405


After an hour driving at 10km/h, from a dirt (narrow at times) road and full of low branches trees, we arrived to our destination, which was a very calm and solitary place, where Mrs Peavy prepared a delicious regarding couscous.

Never again, an unknown dirty road.

Dirt roads are all part of the fun using GPS instead of a map I too have found some interesting routes and that is the reason I pay for Tom Tom Go Truck edition, it doesn't take me down unsuitable tracks like Google does and it's only €95 a year.

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[Peavy]

At the end of the day, we were lucky but I thought the van was going to break apart with all that rattling and a constant fear of what was around the corner.
Was a poor decision.

 

[Barriesimpson]

At the end of the day, we were lucky but I thought the van was going to break apart with all that rattling and a constant fear of what was around the corner.
Was a poor decision.

Been there, done that. I had to use a one way street the wrong way in Tenerife once because the van would not fit the other way. A width of 3.5m if that, so 500 metres of anguish to say the least.

 

[Peavy]

Been there, done that. I had to use a one way street the wrong way in Tenerife once because the van would not fit the other way. A width of 3.5m if that, so 500 metres of anguish to say the least.

Qué miedo! Scary

 

[jumartoo]

Peavy We've all done that sometime or other. We used to have to go along some pretty bad dirt roads/tracks when we were competing in orienteering events. We once burst a tyre (a new one at that) driving along one of them that had deep ruts. Luckily we have a spare wheel and changed it in the middle of the forest.

But, our worst ooops moment was getting wedged in Guadalcanal following a diversion sign (again going to an event ). We were well and truly wedged in someone's house wall with our canopy.

We've now learnt (I hope).

 

[Jane And Rog]

Day 11.
More lessons learned.
Never EVER drive a dirty road you don't know, even if Google says so
More about that later...
We visited Bragança and it was great.
The castle was opened for free and, despite being a military museum (weapons and stuff like that we were not interested in), we enjoyed the huge walls of that magnificent structure.
View attachment 969388
View attachment 969389
View attachment 969390
This sign was funny, looked like it was there for the loudest nationalities
View attachment 969400
Around the Castelo, was the tiny citadel, with its charming streets.
View attachment 969391
After that we visited the old city, which was not big and without hordes, which is always nice.
View attachment 969393
View attachment 969394
View attachment 969395
View attachment 969396
View attachment 969398
Bragança was worth the visit
We left Portugal with a heavy heart and enter our country.
And here is where I made that mistake which kept us really stressed for an hour drive. I decided to take this dirty road (images below are captured from our dashcam) that Google said. Why, oh why?!
View attachment 969405
View attachment 969406
View attachment 969407
After an hour driving at 10km/h, from a dirt (narrow at times) road and full of low branches trees, we arrived to our destination, which was a very calm and solitary place, where Mrs Peavy prepared a delicious regarding couscous.
View attachment 969421
Never again, an unknown dirty road.

Love the sign! And the photos are fab.

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[Barriesimpson]

Qué miedo! Scary

En estas situaciones hay que echarle cojones y seguir pa' lante porque si no, lo jodimos.

 

[Peavy]

En estas situaciones hay que echarle cojones y seguir pa' lante porque si no, lo jodimos.

Es lo que hicimos.
We did just that

 

[Barriesimpson]

Es lo que hicimos.
We did just that

Exactly. We live another day

 

[Peavy]

Peavy We've all done that sometime or other. We used to have to go along some pretty bad dirt roads/tracks when we were competing in orienteering events. We once burst a tyre (a new one at that) driving along one of them that had deep ruts. Luckily we have a spare wheel and changed it in the middle of the forest.

But, our worst ooops moment was getting wedged in Guadalcanal following a diversion sign (again going to an event ). We were well and truly wedged in someone's house wall with our canopy.

We've now learnt (I hope).

Thanks for that Judith.
Why reading about others dramas do always help? Wasn't that what the Greeks called catharsis?

 

[Riverbankannie]

Great thread. So interesting to read about places in Spain and Portugal from your perspective. Have saved many spots on my Google map for our trip next April.
Going down an unsuitable road is a rite of passage (a badge of honour proving a true MHer) - we have all done it and never learn!

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[royandsharont]

I’m terrible for being extra cautious, risk assessing almost everything I do (old work habits die hard) and I always use a map before setting off on any planned route then adjusting the sat nav to suit. I sometimes check certain bits on Google Earth if I’m still not happy. Even then it does not always go to plan so you can’t ever be sure. Lessons learned now

 

[Peavy]

Day 12.
The great trek.
After the dirt road incident we arrive to the place we wanted to and spent a quiet night there.

Being early birds, we woke up before the sun rose and drove to the Sanabria Lake, which is a beautiful protected area.
Mrs Peavy had planned a 15 km trek
Very nice place, it took us almost five hours to complete the trek around the lake (surrounding the lake completely) which was harder than we expected as it had steep terrain that included climbing up and down steep mountain areas. We were shattered after that. But it was worth it. It was majestic and we were alone.
We have been lucky with the weather after we have chosen carefully the season in this trip so there's a perfect balance between low season and not so bad weather yet (but we've been lucky anyway).

El lago de Sanabria is the largest glacial lake in Europe.

We arrived back to where we were parked up and drove back to the place we spent the previous night.
Lunch-supper was again incredibly late, at 18h what's happening to us?
It consisted in macarrones con chorizo portugués (pasta with Portuguese chorizo), not a vegan thing.
Just amazing.

We had planned a visit to Puebla de Sanabria, along the lake and in the list of the most beautiful villages in Spain, but we were not in the right shape to do that.
We will include it as an extension of our future planned trip to Galicia.

 

[Riverbankannie]

We had planned a visit to Puebla de Sanabria, along the lake and in the list of the most beautiful villages in Spain, but we were not in the right shape to do that.
We will include it as an extension of our future planned trip to Galicia.

Now added to our trip though thanks.

 

[cyberyacht]

Been there, done that. I had to use a one way street the wrong way in Tenerife once because the van would not fit the other way. A width of 3.5m if that, so 500 metres of anguish to say the least.

How wide is your van? Just make sure you have food and water to survive any mexican standoff.

 

[Peavy]

Now added to our trip though thanks.

It's a beautiful village with a castle/palace and a nice old town (or that's how it looked while driving through).
A bit of a shame not to stop, but we wanted to press a bit forward because we're running out of holidays

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[Riverbankannie]

It's a beautiful village with a castle/palace and a nice old town. A bit of a shame not to stop, but we wanted to press a bit forward because we're running out of holidays

It’s better than being our age and running out of years!

 

[Jane And Rog]

Day 12.
The great trek.
After the dirt road incident we arrive to the place we wanted to and spent a quiet night there.
View attachment 969773
Being early birds, we woke up before the sun rose and drove to the Sanabria Lake, which is a beautiful protected area.
Mrs Peavy had planned a 15 km trek
Very nice place, it took us almost five hours to complete the trek around the lake (surrounding the lake completely) which was harder than we expected as it had steep terrain that included climbing up and down steep mountain areas. We were shattered after that. But it was worth it. It was majestic and we were alone.
We have been lucky with the weather after we have chosen carefully the season in this trip so there's a perfect balance between low season and not so bad weather yet (but we've been lucky anyway).
View attachment 969776
View attachment 969777
View attachment 969778
View attachment 969781
El lago de Sanabria is the largest glacial lake in Europe.
View attachment 969787
View attachment 969788
We arrived back to where we were parked up and drove back to the place we spent the previous night.
Lunch-supper was again incredibly late, at 18h what's happening to us?
It consisted in macarrones con chorizo portugués (pasta with Portuguese chorizo), not a vegan thing.
Just amazing.
View attachment 969790
View attachment 969791
We had planned a visit to Puebla de Sanabria, along the lake and in the list of the most beautiful villages in Spain, but we were not in the right shape to do that.
We will include it as an extension of our future planned trip to Galicia.

I wish we had planned our trip after we’d read about yours. Although we were much unluckier with the weather in Portugal. Do you have a GPS for the place you stopped for the walk?

 

[Peavy]

I wish we had planned our trip after we’d read about yours. Although we were much unluckier with the weather in Portugal. Do you have a GPS for the place you stopped for the walk?

The .gpx track is attached (I don't know if it's possible to attach .gpx extension here).
Here is the link to the wikilok in case .gpx doesn't work here.
There are many possible parkings, all with scary signs against campervans and MH but just because it is strictly forbidden to sleep there being a protected area. It's fine to park though.

Edit: .gpx extension not allowed, but if you have wikilok account you may be able to download the track. If it's not the case, send me PM and I'll send you an email

 

[Barriesimpson]

How wide is your van? Just make sure you have food and water to survive any mexican standoff.

2,32m wide, and yes, we do make sure we have enough wine and food for a couple of days

 

[Peavy]

Day 13.
We moved to León.
One of those cities in Spain where you're going to have great tapas while wandering through the streets of the old town. Most popular parts in the old town are "el Húmedo" and "el Romántico", which are the districts where you'll find all these tapas places.
The most interesting spot in the town, though, is the majestic cathedral.
A shame we didn't take a picture of it as we were passing by, because we were hungry and thirsty and we've seen it before, when we visited the town last year.
Anyway, here's a picture taken from Wikipedia.

Mrs Peavy says this one and the one in Santiago de Compostela are her favourite cathedrals, and she's got her point.
Below are some of the fantastic options we had for lunch and luckily, we managed to take a picture before devour each plate. Patatas, morcilla, picadillo, cheese, jamón... When you order a drink, you are served a tapa, sometimes you are offered the possibility of choosing between two or three options.

Make sure you visit León if you are wandering around the north of the country.
I didn't mention the city has not one nor two but three municipal MH parkings, all well maintained and with services (except EHU), not the quieter place to sleep but what else could we ask for? It is free and does the job perfectly.
We'll be back.

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