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.