Druk
Gone but not forgotten - RIP
- Joined
- May 28, 2004
- Messages
- 5,300
- Location
- Not far from Edinburgh.
- Car
- 2011 S212 E350CDi. 1981 R107 300TurboDiesel.
After overwhelming requests (well: *** at any rate) here is the write-up of the recent Spain/ Portugal road-run. (with apologies to those who also use the Owners-Club forum and have read it already).
Prologue...
Leaving home on 7th aug and an overnight in the PremierLodge at Bromsgrove we caught the Plymouth to Santander ferry arriving on Monday 9th to hot and humid but overcast skies. A three hour trip along the north coast of Spain saw us overnighting in Ribadeo. Tuesday on the road early and using mainly N roads took us over the hills to near VillaGarcia and the nice hotel Pazo O Rial Pazo O Rial - Vilagarca - Pontevedra
Tearing myself away from the pool long enough to take another...
A couple of relaxing days here and some exploring of the local coastline..
Mussel farming on an industrial scale
landed by converted trawlers. 12tons at a time.
While the locals utilize low tide to gather whelks and razor shells
.
Heading south again this is part of the huge fortifications at Valenca just across the border into Portugal
And pushing on we reached Porto. This, the view from our hotel balcony
And the mirror image shot of the hotel from the bridge. Handy phone box..
The same scene at night. (note to self...stop getting over romantic)
Good perspective shot of the tramlines atop the bridge
And of the riverfront with me hanging on for grim death. Not good at heights.
No visit to Porto is complete without a small degustation
And a mandatory visit to a shoeshop. Bumped into this strangly familiar figure
Onwards and upwards. Back into Spain and across country to Salamanca.
Beautiful university city with this loverly central square.
And Cathedral
With an altar reputed to have 600kg of gold decoration
Where did you get that hat?
Further east again and these are part of the complete circle of walls at Avila where we stopped for a looksee and some lunch.
Now it had started to get really hot.....
A typical Spanish countryside/motorway scene. Desert soil with olive and stunted pine trees. Banguptodate motorway network courtesy of EU funding.
Pushing on we arrive in Segovia with it's famous Roman aqueduct
and the pic you've seen before. Of me holding up the traffic
Castle built by Henry iv. Just a tad before Walt took the Mickey
Southwest now over the Gredos mountains to our next stop in an English owned farmhouse B&B near Candeleda. POSADA RINCON DE ALARDOS: Turismo rural en Gredos (El Raso - Candeleda) y La Vera del Tiétar / Your country hotel B&B in Spain
The car at the top of the Puerta del Pico
With the view down the other side to Arenas and twisting alongside over the mountains the extraordinary Roman road. Cobbled and drained and in as good a condition as the day it was laid.
Towards our last stop now and northwards with an overnight in Palencia. Notable for it's large population of storks.
Approaching the southern foothills of the Picos you see in the distance what appears to be a bank of fog. Turns out to be bare limestone mountains
And another stop for food (getting this Steve?) in Riano has us mesmerized by this beautiful lake
And it's bridge, on the road to Leon
Turns out to be a reservoir built by Franco against strong local opposition since the old town of Riano is submerged somewhere beneath the waters.
Prologue...
Leaving home on 7th aug and an overnight in the PremierLodge at Bromsgrove we caught the Plymouth to Santander ferry arriving on Monday 9th to hot and humid but overcast skies. A three hour trip along the north coast of Spain saw us overnighting in Ribadeo. Tuesday on the road early and using mainly N roads took us over the hills to near VillaGarcia and the nice hotel Pazo O Rial Pazo O Rial - Vilagarca - Pontevedra
Tearing myself away from the pool long enough to take another...
A couple of relaxing days here and some exploring of the local coastline..
Mussel farming on an industrial scale
landed by converted trawlers. 12tons at a time.
While the locals utilize low tide to gather whelks and razor shells
Heading south again this is part of the huge fortifications at Valenca just across the border into Portugal
And pushing on we reached Porto. This, the view from our hotel balcony
And the mirror image shot of the hotel from the bridge. Handy phone box..
The same scene at night. (note to self...stop getting over romantic)
Good perspective shot of the tramlines atop the bridge
And of the riverfront with me hanging on for grim death. Not good at heights.
No visit to Porto is complete without a small degustation
And a mandatory visit to a shoeshop. Bumped into this strangly familiar figure
Onwards and upwards. Back into Spain and across country to Salamanca.
Beautiful university city with this loverly central square.
And Cathedral
With an altar reputed to have 600kg of gold decoration
Where did you get that hat?
Further east again and these are part of the complete circle of walls at Avila where we stopped for a looksee and some lunch.
Now it had started to get really hot.....
A typical Spanish countryside/motorway scene. Desert soil with olive and stunted pine trees. Banguptodate motorway network courtesy of EU funding.
Pushing on we arrive in Segovia with it's famous Roman aqueduct
and the pic you've seen before. Of me holding up the traffic
Castle built by Henry iv. Just a tad before Walt took the Mickey
Southwest now over the Gredos mountains to our next stop in an English owned farmhouse B&B near Candeleda. POSADA RINCON DE ALARDOS: Turismo rural en Gredos (El Raso - Candeleda) y La Vera del Tiétar / Your country hotel B&B in Spain
The car at the top of the Puerta del Pico
With the view down the other side to Arenas and twisting alongside over the mountains the extraordinary Roman road. Cobbled and drained and in as good a condition as the day it was laid.
Towards our last stop now and northwards with an overnight in Palencia. Notable for it's large population of storks.
Approaching the southern foothills of the Picos you see in the distance what appears to be a bank of fog. Turns out to be bare limestone mountains
And another stop for food (getting this Steve?) in Riano has us mesmerized by this beautiful lake
And it's bridge, on the road to Leon
Turns out to be a reservoir built by Franco against strong local opposition since the old town of Riano is submerged somewhere beneath the waters.
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