DECEMBER'S DAWDLE SOUTH

We left Langdale after the thaw had set in and planned to visit my aunt in York on the way down to Sheffield only to hear very sadly that she had passed away. However we called on the family on the Saturday and relived many happier memories before a safe final leg home.

I spent a day sorting out the van ready for my departure on Tuesday and added in my old Moroccan gas bottles, a single sleeping bag and the new EcoFlow River2 power pack/inverter that had arrived sooner than expected.

 

An oil and filter change plus ancillary belt on the Monday threw up no surprises and I am grateful to Maddy and her team at Autohaus Dolby for continuing good service. Thus I have 10,000 miles before further work is required having recently also changed air and fuel filters. I have two each of these as spares and 6l of oil plus a filter stored onboard should I encounter poor quality fuel or sandstorms later in the trip.

No such dramas were encountered on my way to Portsmouth where I arrived in plenty of time for the late evening sailing. I took a walk round the neighbourhood opposite the ferry terminal in search of aspirin I'd forgotten to pick up and was somewhat unnerved by the slightly rough and ready environment.

We were loaded and away on time and the route out of Portsmouth was as fascinating as ever and left time to grab a late meal in the Commodore Lounge as I had paid for the pass. My cabin was fine and I slept well but the following day whilst the sea appeared calm there was in fact a huge swell and the vessel rolled and pitched more than you might expect. Thus after breakfast and a walk round I retired to my cabin and largely slept through the crossing, as we arrived at Santander things had calmed down so I enjoyed a good breakfast but didn't feel I had had my £85 worth so probably wouldn't take that option again..

Down on the car deck I spotted an old T3 in the next lane who had been directed to park far too close to the larger van in front. During the crossing both had come in to contact and he had two fist sized holes in his windscreen caused by the other van's bike rack. The crew had tied down these and other vehicles after the event and I felt really sorry for the guy as he would be unlikely to get a replacement screen before New Year and would need a serviced site for the wait. Leaving him to fill out forms with one of the ship's officers I left counting my blessings and was through immigration and customs in minutes with the sat nav soon having me on the road south.

With almost a week to get to Marvao I was in no rush and stopped mid afternoon on an aire in Saldana, took a walk round the village, did some food shopping and picked up a Lycamobile SIM card with 100Gb for 15 euros to stick in my spare phone to avoid paying the post Brexit roaming fee.

After an afternoon nap I woke to see a large peacock standing on the table outside who was clearly used to being fed by vanners and hoped he would not appear at first light even though with Spain being an hour different that would not be until 08.30.

Next day after a good night's sleep I visited the spectacular remains of a large Roman villa at nearby Olmeda and enjoyed the many well preserved mosaics and outlines of the various rooms all housed under a vast protective roof.

 

Further south at Fromista which is a popular stop on the Camino de Santiago I visited the very well preserved romanesque church of San Martin and had lunch at a small cafe who's menu del dia was very much hearty local cooking. Medina de Rio Seco was my next stop with it's main street in the old centre lined by shops whose upper storeys were supported by huge timber pillars. The Christmas lights added to an enchanting scene and I was very moved by the sight of a large group of excited old ladies all trooping in to the sports centre for a Christmas meal.

 A couple of interesting castles on my way south included one where all that remained was a huge circular keep that was in a state of collapse situated above a church that had been stabilised following similar issues.

At Medina Del Campo the main attraction is the huge brick built Castle Mota whose ground floor and ramparts I could visit - the guided tour of other floors began late afternoon and as always I was keen to avoid driving after dark.

 

 

Arriving on a very cold, grey and damp afternoon at Madrigal de Las Altas Torres I parked in the rather desolate aire with a thick fog reducing visibility. However I donned my superwarm down jacket and walked the perimeter of this rather lovely town that once had over 60 towers of which 20 or so remain. In the eerie light and empty streets it was very mystical and would be worth another visit in warm sunshine. The heater soon had the van warmed up on my return and I slept well waking to yet more fog.

As I approached Bejar though the clouds rolled back and blue skies appeared as I drove through the Sierra Francia to arrive on the aire at La Albueca a mountain village with a maze of old streets and traditional buildings. There was time to do a walk through the pine woods to an excellent viewpoint before returning to the village which was much busier. This turned out to be due to the switching on of the Christmas lights which transformed the main square and delighted the crowds. Unfortunately although sponsored by Ferrero Rocher there were no freebies being given out, probably no bad thing as our two weeks in Langdale had been a little indulgent. 

 

It was a cold night but all my window insulation paid off and the morning sun soon got to work as I descended roads with icy patches in the shade and stopped for diesel. Just along from the garage a car was being winched from a ditch but the two occupants seemed unharmed and down on the plain everything had warmed up.

Coria in Extremadura had another historic centre and some very fine walls but being a Monday most of the public buildings were closed, however just walking round in warm sun under impossibly blue skies was more than enjoyable. Another hour or so saw me crossing the Tagus on a spectacular Roman bridge near Alcantara before pulling in to Carbajo right on the Spanish/Portuguese border. This tiny village had provided an excellent aire (even though the EHU was off) and I enjoyed a short walk round the 3 streets before returning to sit in the sun and admire a striking mural on a municipal building across the road. A Polish couple who I thought might be staying drove off as I think they were hoping for power to heat their van - the Eber is probably the single best piece of kit I have and friends in Derbyshire have just installed one to keep their RV warm. The new SIM wanted to pick up the Portuguese network but as I had not activated roaming before leaving Spain (which technically I hadn't) I couldn't fire up so reverted to using my UK allowance and paying the post Brexit £3 - perhaps I could send the bill to Boris or Nigel....

I picked up bread and a few bits in Valencia D'Alcantara before taking familiar roads full of very happy memories across the old border point and on in to the Alentejo. As I had made good time I nipped up to Marvao and surprised Joao at work in the shop before walking the sun soaked walls as eagles soared above the cliffs. I then realised I had forgotten to activate the Lyca roaming so nipped back to Valencia before finally turning up at the delightful Camping Asseiceira, my base for about a fortnight.

After a quick catch up with Gary I filled up with water, grabbed a pitch that would get full sun and allow me to keep an eye on the house and gate and then offloaded the bikes and other bits and bobs.

Gary and Joao headed off on the Thursday leaving me the two dogs and an assortment of cats to keep an eye on, the locals were harvesting what has apparently been a bumper olive crop and I enjoyed walking the back lanes passing traditional old farmhouses with even more seeming empty as the older generation pass away but younger descendants migrate to the cities or even abroad for work.

 

Down at Beira the station looked as amazing as ever but still lacks a meaningful post closure role although the rail bike set up and small hotel are trying hard. Whilst sat in the sun at Bernardo's cafe a couple approached me and began asking questions in Portuguese so of course I feigned ignorance at which point she switched to English. She and her husband were visiting the station to take photos and videos as he was planning to create a replica model railway based on the place. They also wanted to find locals with memories of its heyday and had been told of a 90 year old with white hair who used the cafe ....... thanks.

I drove over to Portalegre on the Friday to stock up with food and was disappointed to find that the Bricomarche DIY store had no 907 Campingaz cylinders in stock. Fortunately I am on EHU so it's not vital but again availability is something of a nuisance.

So a quiet Christmas weekend was spent with the dogs being walked twice a day and the sun warm enough for afternoons sat in the sun planning my onward journey. The van got a good clean out thanks to a handy Henry and some elbow grease.

Joao returned on Thursday after a successful trip to see family and I restocked at the Pingo Doce in Castello de Vide before yesterday doing a 40 mile ride out to the Barragem at Povoa and back through Beira and Bernardo's once more. Joao took the dogs with him for the weekend so I had a lie in this morning and have been busy with booking the ticket to Tangier (£214 one way) and compiling a handy reckoner for currency conversions from the pound and euro to dirhams, the Mauritanian Ouiguiga and the Central African Franc as used in Senegal.

Printing off these documents and updating the blog has given me a chance to try the EcoFlow River 2 which is a clever piece of kit and will allow me to preserve the van's leisure battery, provide additional power storage and be a useful portable power source for 12v DC, 13 amp AC and twin USB A ports.

So with luck my next post in a week or two will be from Morocco - I am heading more or less straight to Algeciras on Friday and Saturday and will then head steadily south as Dakar is some 2500 miles away and things will only get hotter as the New Year moves on.

So wishing everyone a very Happy New Year : remember 'life is short so keep it sweet'...............

Flix ere.

A NOVEMBER TO REMEMBER

 As expected the van passed its MOT with no issues or advisories and Autohaus Dolby had sourced and fitted an OEM starter motor - the old one was the original and after 22 years might I thought be about to expire - the only time I needed recovery in the old van was when the SM failed so thank you Maddison and the team.

I packed up for a solo trip of five weeks and headed down to Church Stretton which allows overnight parking for vans. This set me up for catching the Heart of Wales Line train down to Swansea next day - it's a lovely route but notoriously unreliable but the train manager assured me that this one would go all the way to Swansea and return as she was on it both ways. Thus 3 and a bit hours through the familiar scenery of mid and south Wales on a sunny Autumn day passed very enjoyably with time for a pie and a pint in Swansea before I headed back. On the way down the northbound train was running late so as we couldn't enter the single track token controlled section the TM announced we would be waiting at Llanwrtyd Wells long enough to walk in to town for the shop which a few of us did.

By the time we reached Llandrindod Wells the train was empty but a rather unruly drunk boarded and the TM asked if she could sit next to me as a precaution. He stumbled off at Knighton and the rather eerie train carried on towards Shrewsbury with just myself as a passenger.

After calling on my brother in Bishop's Castle I stocked up in Newtown for a spell at Llangurrig where I sat out a few wet days. I tried to ride up to the nearby bothy but my chain kept slipping so I returned to base just before the heavens opened.

After a night in Brecon for badminton I collected a fully overhauled bike from Jason at Biped Cycles : £650 covered a new rear wheel, block, chain and chainring plus bottom bracket bearings and rear pads, I use the bike a lot so after two years this seemed reasonable enough. I joined friends in Sennybridge for a meal at the Shoemakers before heading down to Swansea to look at various options for a new laptop. Two nights at Kidwelly Quay gave me a superb ride in bright sunshine through Pembrey, Burry Port and along to Swansea. Later I walked the shore path and had the stunning spectacle of four marsh ponies careering across the muddy flats, ploughing up the river and then heading towards me arriving in a flurry of sweat and sea water - they were just being inquisitive and perhaps, although in vain, hoping for a carrot or two.

 

I moved on intending to spend a night on a small aire north of Llantrisant so arrived at Ali and Amy's smallholding reached by some rather tight lanes. It was a quiet spot and handily placed for a visit to the Museum of Rural Life at St Fagan's the next day. This is mainly a collection of various old buildings from around Wales and is well worth a visit. It was a bright sunny day and I enjoyed  revisiting the place after perhaps 30 years. Friendly and informative staff were sat tending open fires in the older buildings and work was under way to open the latest attraction - an old pub. I also visited the castle and gardens which had not been available last time which add to an already worthwhile attraction.

 

Back at the aire I decided to stay on and had a chat with the owners about my previous life and their hopes for the set up - access for larger vans is tricky but otherwise it is lovely spot I stayed on four nights. I visited the Royal Mint at Llantrisant which was within walking distance but felt it to be less absorbing than St Fagans. Their displays and exhibitions were interesting but access to the production areas was limited and understandably subject to strict security. On my return I passed a local curiosity - tucked away in a wooded valley a 'pagan' site consisted of an unusual rock protusion and some carved faces.

During some torrential rain the next day I headed in to Cardiff to the Fenix shop for a new head torch and rear bike light and to check out the John Lewis IT department where the staff seemed ill informed and disinterested. I also endured the delights of the NCP parking app, yet another modern day frustration.

On the Friday I headed up to the Whistle Inn just along from the UNESCO WH site of Blaenavon where the pub offers somewhat dishevelled camping high up in the hills. With no usable facilities other than water and a manhole cover I was grateful for the van's off grid capabilities as the Eber purred away on a damp and chilly evening. A couple from a van with not even a pop top looked cold and uncomfortable, not helped by them running out of gas the next morning. He came over to borrow a spanner but did not have a spare cylinder and hadn't realised that his size of Calor is no longer available.

As it was a fresh but sunny day I followed the cycle routes down the Clydach gorge with a stunning array of autumn colours to the canal that took me via the Goytre Wharf cafe to Ponytpool where I picked up the cycle track towards Abersychan. Here I rang Crad's son who lives nearby and was soon introduced to their delightful first son Henry who was an absolute charmer. George and Teri have taken on a fair old project with their large house but seemed very positive about everything. Back at the pub after almost fifty miles I was pleased with how much better the bike felt and enjoyed a hot shower and cosy van with good TV reception.

 

On the Sunday I moved on to the Promenade at Brecon for another quiet night in Brecon prior to the first of two dental appointments so presented myself on the Monday morning for a surprisingly quick extraction after which I headed to a friend's empty house at Talybont - they were away visiting family in Queensland and had offered their drive as a park up : much appreciated.

The following day I returned to Brecon to meet up with Pete and Nina who were on a tour of Wales in their new Ducato and we enjoyed a walk round Brecon, lunch at the excellent tapas bar - The Hop Inn - before later that evening going to the pics to see the rather lengthy Killers Of  The Flower Moon. Another energetic badminton session was followed by a quick call in at Sennybridge for post before I tucked away at the Usk reservoir with time to walk the perimeter path. It was a quiet spot although another van arrived at midnight, faffed about noisily and then drove off to the far side of the dam - cheers pal.

My plan to catch the HOWL train from Llandovery to Llandrindod was thwarted by cancellations so I drove to Cynghordy instead and completed a circular walk that took in the impressive viaduct. On my way back I got talking to a mother and son who manage a herd of 350 Saanen milking goats with the milk going to a cheese maker at Abergavenny. The goats seemed content to be housed year round and were quietly inquisitive as the son proudly gave me a tour of their 60 bay milking parlour. I moved on to the Sugar Loaf where the eponymous next station down is usually identified as the least used station in the UK. The car park for the short walk up to the summit with good views looks a good spot to tuck away some time. On the Sunday I headed down to my old haunts in the Swansea valley enjoying coffee with former neighbours and a good catch up with a fellow smallholder after almost 5 years. Great to see his kids now young adults and on their way in life.

After a walk round his fields and woods I returned to Brecon as a second dental appointment loomed for the Monday.

 

This did not go quite as well as the first - a wisdom tooth came out with ease but the final extraction took 90 minutes, involved some gruesome procedures and left both myself and the dentist somewhat shell shocked. I retreated to Talybont for two nights and cycled the canal out to Abergavenny the following day feeling a bit roughed up.

A covid booster jab on the Wednesday plus some anti malarials ordered online via Boots saw me as prepared as possible for the forthcoming jaunt to West Africa but after the long drive to Sheffield on Thursday I felt a bit rough and had an early night.

On Friday we packed up the van for our trip to Cumbria and headed off for Skipton via York where we visited my aunt who is now in care permanently and my uncle who is resting at home exhausted after four years of looking after her in the family home. Their son Michael is proving to be an absolute rock but clearly has a lot on his plate. Skipton main car park had perhaps 20 vans spread around and the town was busy on a crisp Friday night but we enjoyed a good meal in the Two Sisters Bar opposite the castle and enjoyed the Saturday market before a big Tesco shop and the run to Langdale.

 

As always the lodge was immaculately presented and we unpacked and settled in before Penny arrived on the Sunday. Whilst booking a table for midweek at the Stove restaurant I realised I had mislaid my bank card and after a search of the lodge and van worked out that it was last seen back at Tesco's - fortunately I eventually made contact with the store to confirm it was safely with Customer Service.

Thus late on Sunday evening I enjoyed a fast drive on empty roads in a lightly laden van, parked up overnight at Gargrave station and arrived bright and early at CS only to find they didn't open until 8 - thus a meal deal and Top Gear on IPlayer filled two hours before I retrieved my card and was back by 10am. We walked locally and dined well in the Stove restaurant which has at last managed to recruit staff and chefs and provides a good range of menu options.

On Tuesday Tony from Blackburn arrived early on a bright morning and the four of us set off over to Little Langdale stopping at Dale End Farm where hot drinks and cakes are available under a covered area with an honesty box. Passing through Tilberthwaite via the lovely Slater's bridge we went our separate ways at Tilberthwaite Gill as the girls returned via Hodge Close and Colwith to Skelwith Bridge and we climbed alongside the Gill to head south to wards Coniston before swinging north for an easy ascent of Wetherlam with stunningly clear views across to Ingleborough, Pendle Hill, Heysham power station and the fells to the north, some with a dusting of snow. Our route continued via Prison Band to Swirl How with a return via Wet Side Edge and down in to Greenburn. The last hour back past Dale End by head torch was great fun and concluded a 13 mile walk in perfect conditions.

Wednesday saw a walk over Loughrigg to Ambleside on a chilly day with the bus back and after an indulgent session in the spa and super hot pool with an outdoor section Penny left on Thursday giving us time to enjoy a swim before Marcus and Sandra arrived on the Friday with an excellent curry.

 

We woke to an inch or so of snow on Saturday morning and were mesmerised by the further 8 inches that fell in the next few hours bringing most of South Cumbria to a halt. I had drained the van water but forgot to open the various sink and shower taps so put up all the window insulation and left both the Eber and electric heater blasting away for a few hours. The lodge cleaning teams were unable to get home that night and various guests were trapped on site with new arrivals unable to get beyond Windermere. We walked out to Colwith Bridge and round to Skelwith Bridge via the converted byre at Park House with hot drinks and cakes available. Stove were able to honour our booking so we all enjoyed another excellent meal and took in the magic of 9 inches of snow that had settled vertically in the absence of any wind. The roads were impassable all day so Marcus and Sandra stayed a third night but got away and home safely this morning leaving us a final few milder and wetter days that should see the white stuff on its way.

 

We return to Sheffield on Saturday, the van has an oil change booked for a week today and a week tomorrow I should be on the ferry to Santander so with luck my next post will be from a warmer and sunnier Portugal.......

More pix ear...