The Pyrenees to the Picos de Europa

Wednesday 21 May

Rain, Rain and more rain!

Thursday 22 May

Weather dry this morning but windy so decided to take the canopy down before it blew away.  

We then went on a lovely walk from the village of Marsous, winding uphill to the summer pastures for the cattle.  No cattle there yet, currently colourful meadows.  The streams and rivers are positively roaring after the rain.

Friday 23 May

Rain, rain and more rain.

Saturday 24 May

Temperature dropped to 1.7C last night but dry and clear this morning.   Decided we would try and tackle the hill behind the campsite called Le Pic De Pan.    Route, though up hill was great for a while following the road and along the stream.  However, when we reached the track up the hill it got steeper and steeper until it was more akin to climbing (hands and feet were required).  Worried about getting back down again we chickened out and came down again.  We did reach 1400ft before we turned back.   

In the evening we went across to the bar.  There were 3 other English couples in the bar and nobody else.   We settled in for a good natter.  Around 11pm Herve, the owner of the site, stood in the middle of the room, held his beret high and shouted ‘Vive le France’ then went to bed.   None of us had paid for our drinks so he obviously felt we were trustworthy.

Sunday 25 May. Argeles Gazost to San Sebastian -187 miles

It hissed it down all day.  We moved on this morning to Spain and the town of San Sebastian. After crossing the border I was confused by the road signs before realising that the signs were in Spanish and Basque languages. The area is a bit like Wales, rugged, dual language road signs and wet but without Methodist chapels and Tom Jones.

When we arrived at Camping Iegeldo we couldn’t get into the office so we had to ring the bell. The door was unlocked remotely.  The receptionist was a bundle of joy (not) and told us where to pitch.  On the way out the door was still locked so I pressed the switch to the right of the door to open it. Unfortunately it was not the door release button and I switched all the lights out. She was not happy.  The Site reviews mention lovely views – you could barely see the toilet block never mind the view for the rain and low cloud. The site is well placed though as there is bus stop right outside with a bus to the town every half an hour. The site had laid on some entertainment in the form of a German gentleman and a biscuit lid. I say lid it was actually a small very thin and cheap satellite dish. He spent 45 minutes in pouring rain trying to get a signal. He was eventually successful when he found that it worked if you placed it in the middle of the access road.

In the evening we took the bus down to town to get something to eat and thinking it would be quiet being a Sunday.   However, it was quite busy.  San Sebastian is known for its Pinxtos bars.   This is the Basque version of tapas.  The dishes are laid out on the bar.  You are given a plate and just choose what you want and pay for it.  It saves the trauma of trying to order.   The locals stand at the bar and eat while the tourists like to sit, if there are tables, many don’t have any.   There were many locals out and about and also many, Irish, American, Australian and British accents around. We went in one bar which is mentioned in the Rough Guide, Le Cepa, where the tables have glass tops.  Each table has something different under the glass – ours had a selection of sweets, another shells and another playing cards and casino chips.   The next bar we chose because it was full and lively.  If you wanted to sit there was a bench along the back wall but that was it and the red wine was 1 Euro a glass. The locals were eating octopus tentacles deep fried in batter.

RANT

Why is it that everyone has better buses then the English.

Here the 25 minute journey into town cost 1.65 euros on a bus which had TV screens showing the current weather forecast and temperature, what the next stop was and when it would arrive at its destination. The only downside was that the seats were made of rubber so if you sat down in a wet anorak the water pooled at the back of the seat leading to an embarrassing wet patch on the bum.

Monday 26 May

Not a Bank Holiday here.  Bright sunshine this morning so ventured out to town again on the bus.  The town is set behind the most fantastic beach.   

We got off the bus at the start of the beach and walked along the promenade to take in the view.    We then had a wander around the old town which was just as delightful in daylight.   There is a warren on narrow streets in a grid system as apparently the town had to be rebuilt after the British set fire to it a few 100 years ago.   We tried to walk around the headland but could only get so far as the path was closed for repairs.   The reinforced concrete fence posts had been bent over at the base and road torn up in winter storms.  We had some more excellent Pinxtos for lunch.    Just to give you an idea of  what you get here are some of the dishes we had:-

• ·         A small sandwich of brie, ham and sundried tomato
• ·         A slice of baguette with a mix of prawns, crab and salmon
• ·         Frittata slices with potato cheese and onion.

My brother recommended that we should stay in San Sebastian and he was right. It is a lovely town with sheltered beaches, nice buildings and a relaxed vibe. It’s a bit like what Torquay could be like if they had vision, money and a forward looking council. There are lots of very well kept apartment blocks and expensive hotels. It’s far too posh for a caravan which is why we are a 25 minute bus ride away.

They have restored many of their old buildings and have not caved in to commercialism. For example what do you think the building below is?

The original stone sign says it was a fish market. Inside now is a seven screen cinema and a Kebab outlet.

Later we went to the supermarket which turned into quite an ordeal.  What with some strange instructions from the sat nav and closed roads.  It was huge when we found it.   This year and last we have bought Don Simon Orange juice which is very nice but now we have discovered they make red wine as well at the huge cost of 1euro 10 cents (it is quite good) and the diesel was only 1 euro and 2 cents.    It was worth the trauma! The checkout lady was called Sandra. Sounds like a good basque name.

Also, there is a kiosk selling pick and mix and a dozen or so varieties of olives. I bought a couple of tubs of olives and the nice lady gave me some toffees.

Tuesday 27 May

Beautiful morning so took a drive along the coast to the village of Zarautz.   Another fantastic golden sandy beach.  The promenade had again suffered quite a bit of storm damage.  They were relaying the prom, shoring up the sea wall and rearranging the sand with a big digger so that it sloped down to the sea and not the other way!   The architecture along the beach was not inspiring but  once again the old town was very nice.  The afternoon was hot so we sat in the sun!!

I suspect that some of the highest Scrabble scores in the world are achieved here. For instance, the Basque for bar is ‘jatetxea’. Beach is ‘hondartza’

In addition to having their own language the Basques also have their own distinctive font which is used on official and commercial signs.

So, if the Scots do vote for independence there’s something for the Welsh to aim for…..their own font.

Wednesday 28 May. San Sebastian to Potes

Pouring down once more.   Moved on to the town of Potes situated in the Cantabrian part of the mountains known as Picos de Europa.   To reach Potes we followed the motorway past Bilbao and Santander and then turned inland.  The road leads you through a winding gorge where the villages are denied any sun between November and April (don’t want to live there).  Camping la Viorna is about 1 mile from the town with lovely views.   Weather was warmer and the rain came only in showers.

The owner gave us a warm welcome. He is about 60, tall and has a very deep voice as if he’s been smoking cigars and drinking whisky all his life.

The cost of living has suddenly become much cheaper. Using the internationally recognised currency of a cup of coffee, it’s 50% cheaper here. A coffee with milk in France was 3.50 euros. Here it’s 1.50 euro.

There are a lot of English people around which was a bit strange after not encountering a single English person during our first 4 weeks Then it struck me, the area is a bridgehead for the Brits who arrive on the ferries at Santander and Bilboa. A bit like Calais.

Thursday 29 May

Potes is full of character and it has a number of hardware stores. I can think of no other word that describes these stores better – Ferreteria.

I know of several men who would happily spend a few hours here ferreting around the shelves of screws, fork handles, tools, dog collars, cow bells and more galvanized buckets than you can shake a stick at.  

Plus we have scored another first. A new Supermarket chain called ‘Lupa’.

We went to the site restaurant this evening and had ham, egg and chips.  Well I say chips – they were wafer thin bits of potato that had been shown to the deep fat frier very briefly.   For desert I chose a Grande helado – large ice cream and Sarah selected some sort of coconut confection. After a few minutes the owner arrived to proudly present me with a plate of 5 different Magnum’s.  I was at first panic stricken as I couldn’t possibly eat 5 consecutively. To my relief he said you chose one.

Friday 30 May

Set out on a walk from the site around some local villages and finishing with a climb the monastery of Santa Toribo not far from the site.   This must be a major attraction as there was parking for dozens of coaches.   These attractions do seem to be missing a trick somewhere.   They get hundreds of visitors a day and the only catering is a vending machine. If the National Trust took it over they would have a large café and gift shop in there before you could turn round.

Observation – I was suddenly struck today by the number of people wearing shirts with various UK based designs. Many feature a version of the Union Jack and there other variations including the Rolling Stones and London. I have also seen this in many of the other places we have visited. You don’t see this for any of the other European countries. So, the UK seems to be the sought after brand. 

Saturday 31 May

Weather not great so didn’t go far.   We did walk into Potes for dinner in a hotel restaurant seemingly full of English speaking people.   I ordered black pudding for a starter and it came on a platter with enough for 4 at least.  Sarah ordered the Padron Peppers (fried small peppers with lots of salt). They arrived on a dinner plate piled high and the waitress informed us this was half a portion.  Sarah had roast lamb and what looked like a whole leg appeared with some chips!    Spanish cuisine doesn’t seem to be very sophisticated!   We didn’t have a desert but you could have had what was described as ice cream covered in chocolate on a stick or fried custard.   

Sunday 1 June

When I went to collect the bread this morning I was told by the owner that today is a special day.  I agreed and thought he was talking about the weather. When I saw a huge family gathering later in the day I realised that he meant it was his birthday.

We were sad to leave the Pyrenees before being able to witness their ‘Transhumance’ on 31^st May. We found out that this is when the sheep are taken to the summer pastures.

Well today 1^st June is the Spanish equivalent of ‘Transhumance’.  Apparently this is to allow the valley meadows to produce hay.   We made our way up to the village of Espinama. Thinking it would be extremely busy we set off early and had a long wait in Espinama.   Sarah suggested we had a coffee so we went into this very rustic bar.   The plaster was crumbling and there were a few tables and chairs.  There was an old lady behind the bar who was making the coffee using a machine operate by levers which she could barely reach.  It must have been there for years.

At 11.15 the first herd of horses was led through the village and up the mountain track led by a piper.    This continued and as each farmer arrived he was cheered by his family who then proceeded to walk up behind the herd.  It was quite a site seeing all the horses and many foals, cows and calves trundling along with their bells on.   The last group to arrive is also led by the piper and then any one can follow on up to the refuge where apparently they have a BBQ.

Had a walk after lunch.

Monday 2 June

The forecast was for a fine and sunny day so we had planned to go up the cable car at Fuente de and walk down.  Woke to thick low cloud.   It was market day so went down to Potes.  The market took around 5mins to walk around so we trundled off to the supermarket.   When we went in there was thick dark cloud.  When we came out there wasn’t a cloud in the sky.  Rushed back to the van made some sandwiches and set off for the cable car.     

The cable car took just a few minutes.  At the top you are greeted by high jagged peaks.   We walked on a route with fantastic views that took you firstly down to the plateau where all the cattle and horses are now grazing.   Along with a good number of sheep.  This was all on a wide track.  We then took a small path to take us back to bottom cable car station.   

This took us through woodland awash with small blue butterflies known as Adonis Blue and flowers in tall spikes known as Asphodelus Albus (the white Asphodel).  A stunning walk, of around 8 miles but we were glad to see the car.   













Finally - a word about bread. On the whole the fresh baguette each morning is great especially in France and it is not too bad here in Spain either. 

However, here in Potes if you don't buy your baguette early you are left with the ones no one else wants. This usually means the bigger ones. Sarah had to buy the last one this morning and was presented with a baguette that could have served the whole site. We couldn't eat all of it in one day so we left it overnight and now use it as a door stop.