In and Out and In and Up in Portugal

 

In Trujillo I walked from the parking by the old bull ring in to the historic centre with its huge main square dominated by both the church and, high above, the castle or alcazaba The Iglesia San Martin was stunning both inside and out as was the castle which also boasted remarkable views around the largely flat surrounding countryside. Pigeons were taking prime nesting spots in the old walls and a warm breeze blew on yet another cloudless day.

 In Caceres I recognised the aire tucked away near the older centre and walked up to the maze of streets that surround the numerous traditional buildings before spending a quiet night alongside a few other vans. The following morning I walked round to the nearest laundrette but had to wait a while as a lady had requisitioned all the machines for a vast pile of linen. Once mine was done I returned to the van to put it all away and then walked back in to the centre once more. A small restaurant with a sunny terrace provided me with an excellent menu del dia which I enjoyed at leisure before a second quiet night.

As I'd not been able to grab a large machine yesterday I took a second load round only to find the same lady with a similar huge load in progress, however she let me use one of the machines but seemed reluctant to give up the dryer.

A large Carrefour supermarket gave me the chance to stock up with plenty of good food and other items before I headed towards the Portuguese border hoping that there would be no Covid hassle. En route I filled up with diesel as it is considerably cheaper than Portugal at around £1.20 a litre and used a car wash to clean 8 weeks of dust off the van and bikes.

There was nobody at the border and within minutes I was taking the familiar and exceedingly narrow short cut through Gallegos to Santo Antonio Das Areias where Camping Asseiceira looked as welcoming as ever.

It is three years since I have been here and it was wonderful to see Gary looking well and the site still immaculate and unspoilt. I noticed new walking path signs in the area and that more old houses had been restored which Gary said was down to a push to encourage tourism and tempt younger people back to the area.

Over the next few days we caught up on news, visited his project to convert a former olive oil factory in to a new home and I was introduced to a long term resident who deals in cryptocurrency and an English guy who has been staying a while. Otherwise a few vans turned up for various nights but it was quiet - very few English winter visitors have made the trip but he had had a lot of Portuguese 'staycationers' over the previous summers, which I guess may bode well for enticing people to consider relocating to the emptier rural parts of the country.

I enjoyed various bike rides on the network of quiet lanes and rural tracks returning to the old station at Beira where a new business hub has been built as part of the repopulation drive.

Whilst giving my old bike a good clean and service I noticed that the front brake lever was hardly working so headed off to Portalegre in search of a replacement. However I was tempted by the availability of new bikes in the shop and took a couple out for a test spin. Realising how decrepit the old Cube felt I decided to forget repairs and asked the guy to prepare a Scott Scale carbon fibre hardtail with a 1x12 set up, 29'' tubeless wheels and hybrid SPD pedals Thus an hour later and a few bob lighter I left with a new machine to enjoy - an early birthday present or a late one given that over the last two years I had found it impossible to source the right bike in the UK

Back at the site I transferred various accessories and mounts across which did away with the shiny new look - thus I hope reducing the possibility of theft - and then stripped the old Cube of anything useful including the almost new tyre (which will fit Mandy's bike), the newish caliper and rear brake lever, all those small bolts and screws that are easily lost and then put the various bits of metal in the recycling bins and the frame in  another. It has been a well used bike across many countries and covered thousands of miles - many in tough conditions but like my old T4 van had just about reached the end of its useful life. Fond memories have just made me look that old girl up - still on the road, 353,000 miles on the clock, passing its MOTs regularly but only 8,000 miles in the four years since I sold her on - what a contrast to the stellar mileage I put on - 240,000 in 12 years! Do the math - it's a factor of 10.....

 

 

 

Anyway I tested the new wheels on a ride out to Castello De Vide passing an old friends former smallholding and heading out to the Povoa reservoir where numerous storks were nesting. The aire has been refurbished but remains closed for now and unusually there were no vans dotted around the shoreline, either a sign that the local police are moving people on or that visitors have yet to return in the usual numbers and possibly a combination of both.

As well as new footpath signs there are a bewildering number of mountain bike routes signed but basically they all follow the tangle of tracks and trails and for me it was reassuring to know that the vast majority are open for use enabling me to link various options up using the Satmap GPS to create some memorable rides. 

Back on site Gary and I tested and charged a pair of AGM leisure batteries that Russ had left following an upgrade and we decided they were in better condition than Gary's existing LB in his van so we will replace that one in due course.

In the background I have been monitoring the situation regarding a sea crossing to Morocco as by late March my post Brexit 90 day limit is up but to date the ports are still closed so I may have to return to the UK within a month. As Mandy is able to join me next week  we will probably spend a week at Marvao, two weeks looping up through Spain and then cross France quickly for a short ferry hop home.

The possible plan to get a ferry to Italy, cross Greece quickly and then spend three months in Turkey is somewhat hampered by the delays obtaining the 3 different PCR tests required despite my fully vaccinated status so I think I will be more than grateful for this winter trip and look forward to longer ones in the near future as Covid recedes and measures ease later in the year.

Thus after ten days at Marvao I decided on a short trip away heading via the Douro to the Sierra D'Estrella, Portugal's highest mountain range.

A quiet aire on the southern fringe of the park saw me adjacent to a Dutch family whose two toddlers seemed to be enjoying the adventure - the sight of them playing with buckets and spades on a pile of gravel reminded me of a photo I took on my first visit to Morocco of two small kids doing exactly the same and looking just as content - do we sometimes provide too much in the way of devices and gadgets to our youngsters...

Round at Loriga the village had installed a new aire which was really only accessible for smaller vans so I had it to myself. A group of local men were attacking a huge pile of tree trunks with a chain saw and tractor powered log splitter but called a halt soon after I arrived to enjoy beer, bread and cooked chicken in the warm sun.

 

I set off to explore the village passing a classic old Beetle before spotting a sign for a marked route up in to the surrounding mountains that reached an RAF memorial. I set off and climbed steeply on a track that then ended and became a footpath across the boulder strewn mountainside. It was hard work but I was determined to get there as had the local villagers who in 1944 had struggled up there to the scene of a crashed British Maritime Reconnaissance plane, a Lockheed Hudson, that had been en route from Gibraltar to London. The six airmen perished and their graves are still carefully maintained in the local cemetery - although bizarrely according to local archives three were destroyed by a 'mental patient' in 1972  and had to be replaced. The site is marked by a simple cross and no wreckage remains - local tungsten miners and charcoal burners had carried the remaining metal away to be repurposed in an area where even outside of war times were hard and materials in short supply.

My intention the next day was to visit the highest village in Portugal, Sabugueiro but judging by the numbers of cars heading that way it was a popular Sunday afternoon out. Thus I dropped down a side road and parked up in a small village lower down where a walk along a water channel took me in to the hills before leaving the waterway and contouring round the slopes before returning through pine woodland. The intriguing processionary caterpillars had hatched and I came across many of the ponderous lines of these creatures following  their leader across the ground.

 

 

Towards dusk I reached Sabugueiro which was now deserted and settled in for a quiet night by a chapel in a small square. Unfortunately the bin lorry came round at 5 the next morning which gave me the idea to get going and watch the sunrise from Torre, Portugal's highest mountain. It was a good drive on empty roads as the skies lightened and in temperatures around zero I was rewarded with a spectacular photo opportunity. After breakfast I began the long twisting descent through the Estrella National Park and by late morning was crossing back in to Spain. I stopped at Ciudad Rodrigo to walk the city walls with their superb views - outside a fair was setting up whilst within in the main square a remarkable transformation was taking place ; vast amounts of timber were being used to erect tiered seating and sturdy walls to turn the square in to a bull ring for the following weekend's carnival.

 

 It was a huge amount of work and I guess the place will be packed out. I'd only parked at the aire but as I arrived I met a couple from Northern Ireland in a large old Mercedes self converted bus who were looking for a property to buy in Portugal - he was a real character having served in the British Army, spent years in the Merchant Navy, then oil rigs around the world and most recently several years on the Stena Irish Sea ferries. I was also intrigued by a young Spanish guy camping out of the back of his estate car - he carefully set up a folding table with cloth and cutlery and then produced a stove and began cooking  - good to see this way of life appealing to so many characters and with such different approaches.

Between Bejar and Hervas I parked up at the old station of Banos de Montemayor, famed for its Roman thermal springs and followed the VV del Plata north to Bejar itself before returning to spend a hot afternoon in the sun. The following day I took the same VV south passing through Hervas to reach the trail end some 15 miles away. The old station did for another night and I fetched a couple of buckets of water from the spring to top up my tank. 

Today I passed through Plasencia where at last I found a Campingas outlet in a garden centre - several others promised by the locator app had not even existed. At £20 it is much cheaper than the UK and I expect a cylinder to last 10 days or so which is all hot water, cooking, washing up and the overnight fridge use. By staying off grid and avoiding campsites my total cost so far in 8 weeks away has been the £15 spent very early on at an aire with hook up for 3 nights - cheap living.

From the visitor centre for the Monfrague National Park I enjoyed another VV 12 miles each way that followed the old Madrid to Valencia D'Alcantara railway which has been superceded by a newer line that runs nearby. It was a good surface and passed through tree dotted grazing land with healthy looking cattle - both Spain and Portugal are seeing a drought and farmers are feeding their stock which is unusual in winter, in contrast to the UK feeding is normally only required in the dry parched summer months. In contrast to the storms back home I have had one afternoon of showers in the last 8 weeks...

This evening I am parked up in the square of Relvas which sits below Monsanto regarded as one of Portugal's prettiest villages. I walked up earlier on a cloudy afternoon which wasn't the best for photographs but was an improvement on my last visit in 2013 when according to this blog I had visited in stormy weather and there were trees down and tiles off roofs. The blog also described my previous visit to the Estrella around the same time  when the summit was shrouded in thick fog and snow lay on the roadside - no wonder I didn't recognise it. After 17 years on the road and so many amazing adventures I guess it's inevitable that I forget about some of the places I have visited but as the Estrella proved return visits are always different and can be an improvement on the first occasion, although the opposite can also be true.

 

Anyway that's everything up to date - shopping and laundry in Portalegre will precede my return to Marvao where I hope to borrow the vacuum cleaner and give the van a good clean out before my trip to Lisbon.

 A few pics here....

East to the Med then inland to the Centre

 As I pulled in to the aire at Cretas amongst olive trees I realised we had stayed there a couple of years ago en route to Barcelona but not actually ridden from there. The old town was full of beautiful stone buildings, cool arched walkways and was attractively lit at night.

I set off along the Via Verde heading north for a couple of hours noticing a transformation from pines to olives and almonds in the surrounding scenery. It was warm by day but again nights were frosty.

 

The VV also headed south with the lofty tops of the NP dels Ports looming and an isolated top with a ruined chapel caught my eye for a possible walk. The old stations were mostly abandoned although one did have a cafe based in an old railway carriage but it only opens in the summer. One other station also had a closed cafe but its wifi was still working allowing me to do a bit of planning whilst I enjoyed the last of the oranges from Burgos. The following morning as I prepared to leave a tractor turned up with another plus trailer followed by a 4x4 which contained a film crew. They were here to record the first tractor with its olive harvesting attachment - basically a large fan unfolded around the base of the tree and then two jaws gripped it and shook it violently to dislodge the ripe olives. It was fascinating to watch and the small crew took various clips, did interviews and launched a small drone for aerial shots.

 

I moved on to a huge monastery below the ruined chapel I had seen and enjoyed the 90 minute walk up steep paths for a panoramic view before dropping in to Tortosa where the aire was well organised but located under a rather noisy bridge. It was almost full but by tucking away beside a larger French van I was well shielded from the traffic.

The next day I cycled north up the VV de Zaffran to reach the old station with its wifi, again passing through a number of tunnels and crossing various rivers on lofty viaducts - it was a very enjoyable section and also passed a large weir that diverts water from the Ebro in to a huge network of canals that irrigate the rice paddies of the delta. Orange and lemon groves were full of fruit about to be picked and there were a number of spring flowers out in the warm sun.

A long but flat ride, initially along an irrigation canal and then following the Ebro River finally brought me out on the coast of the Med - the Ebro actually rises quite near Santander so had been following a pretty similar route to me over the last few weeks. The sea was calm and in the lagoons behind and on the flooded rice fields a range of birds and waterfowl were dabbling in the waters.

 

Back at Tortosa I found a laundrette and supermarket before heading out to the delta again for a stay on another busy aire on the south side of the river. I guess as it was the coast and warmer the increase in numbers was to be expected but again there were very few UK vehicles. I rode out to the coast and took a number of long sandy tracks along the shore line to reach the enclosed lagoon at the north, home to hundreds of flamingoes. It was flat easy cycling and the miles soon added up - 40/50 a day being my comfortable average.

The following day I returned to the coast, followed a sandy track and treated myself to a day on the beach where at one point a large tractor turned up to dredge the outlet from the irrigation channel so that the fields could dry out a little for planting.

Moving on I climbed high in to the PN dels Ports to the summit of Monte Cova arriving at the same time as two Spanish cyclists who shared the remarkable views before they shot off downhill. I fixed the GoPro to the screen and followed them with the camera set to speed up the descent making for an entertaining clip. Hidden corners were still quite icy but the cyclists had descended safely as I passed them and turned inland to Morella.

The aire is across the valley from the walled town and castle so has a good vantage point and being a small van I could park away at the end of the terrace with enough room for a small private 'garden' - thus out came the solar panel and chair for a couple of hours.

 

I walked in to town the next day passing the remains of a three tiered aquaduct that had brought water in for many years from a distant spring. The lofty castle was reached by a series of narrow streets and had a bull ring within its lower walls. The various levels and battlements culminated in a substantial courtyard at the top with the main keep and made for a very worthwhile visit. Down in the town I chose a small but smart restaurant for lunch and worked out that only the second Covid dose and booster Q codes actually enable you to enter premises in Spain.

After a quiet night I got up early to catch the sun rising over the town before heading to Viafame where another castle loomed over the town. A young German lad was touring in his BMW estate car with a roof tent and had a slide out kitchen with stove and cool box in the boot - he'd also made a hot water system by mounting a section of black painted plastic 6'' pipe horizontally on his roof rack with a filler cap and spout - ingenious..

The aire at Segorbe was no more than parking along a road by the railway station but it was quiet enough and allowed me to pick up the VV de Ojos Negros north that ran to Teruel and beyond and passed through more almond orchards and empty landscapes.

The location for the village of Alcala de Jucar was spectacular - set deep in a limestone valley and overlooked by a beautiful castle it made for an enjoyable half day. The steep streets beneath the castle have many cave houses set deep in to the rock - ideal for winter warmth and summer cooling - and there is one incorporated in to the castle as well which was fascinating.

 

The village of Lezuza west of Albacete was my base for two nights - the aire was a large old dusty football pitch with plenty of space and no other occupants. From the village a 40 mile mountain bike route was signed so I took a photo of the board, translated the route on to my GPS and set off for a memorable ride through empty farmland passing many uninhabited dwellings and not seeing a sole. The route used various tracks and trails and offered expansive views before returning me to the quiet parking once more. I used the facilities to fill with water and deal with the bathroom before loading the bikes on again and spending a comfortable night with the heating in use again as inland was much cooler at night.

A few miles away I parked at an old station to ride a length of the VV D'Alcaraz which skirts the mountain range of the same name before pulling up at a rather small aire in Riopar alongside a Dutch van. The following day I took a drive through the Sierra D'Alcaraz following a very quiet minor road and then another through Bogarra and Ayna. Whilst stopping for lunch on the forest road down to Molinicos the Dutch guy turned up on his scooter and we enjoyed a good chat over coffee in the sun. I stayed the night in Molinicos which was the start of a good walk up in the hills on a hot day with a ruined village towards the end providing a snapshot of a lost way of life.

Heading inland again I stopped above Ruidera in an aire amongst pine trees by the Penarroya reservoir with a dramatic castle overlooking the flat water. It was a lovely spot with a good sunset.

The wetland bird reserve of the Tablas de Daimiel is suffering from a lowering water table caused by agricultural boreholes so whilst much reduced in area it still attracts a wide variety of birdlife which could be seen from the various walks that crossed the reserve on duckboards. At dusk the birds were very vocal but it soon became a very peaceful place to spend the night with just one other van parked nearby.

A stunning drive through the Sierra de Cabaneros brought me to an unusual aire - it was fairly new, fully fenced in and watched over by CCTV. Payment for water, waste or electricity plus a nightly fee would have been around £10 but as I had no need for these services I pushed on eventually parking at the old station in Aldenueva de Barbarroya for, you've guessed it, another VV. With the rest of the afternoon still available I knocked out 20 odd miles up to Calera y Chozas before returning for a quiet night. On the Saturday I headed south to the final station before a long tunnel under the Sierra de Guadelupe which is closed off although a Camino Natural (rural track) does carry on over the Puerto de San Vicente to the monastery at Guadelupe. Back at A de B a party was starting across the line at a house and a few local kids turned up to drink a few beers right next to me but all was well and it was quiet by late evening.

 

On arriving at Logrosan I realised it was another aire I had used before and indeed we had cycled the VV before as I recognised the huge solar thermal power station and long concrete canal structure as I headed south. Storks were nesting on the poles and pylons, cranes in their hundreds were prowling the fields, buzzards and kites floated overhead and I saw three otters cross the path ahead of me as I returned in the late afternoon to find three other vans pulled in amongst the trees - all UK plates. One had managed to damage his awning so they were all busy trying to repair it so I left them to it and created some very successful chickpea and onion burgers for tea.

Today I have moved on to Trujillo for one or two nights and expect to be at my friend Gary's small campsite near Marvao in Portugal by Wednesday. I've not seen him for 3 years so it will be a good catch up after which I will look at the options for crossing to Morocco by late February. After 6 weeks in Spain the Brexit clock is slowly counting down and I will need to focus on my options.

Anyway an update from Portugal next week will follow - meanwhile click here for more pics.

SEA, SUN, SAND AND SNOW

After gratefully receiving my Covid booster jab in mid December I joined friends for the Badminton Club Christmas meal near Brecon after spending a couple of days near Crickhowell on a simple site with no facilities but an EHU. From here I had taken the canal down to Pontypool and then returned via the old railway line cycle track to Blaenafon and its industrial heritage before dropping back via the Clydach Gorge. As my digital Covid pass updated more quickly than I had expected it to I decided to look at options for travelling abroad and decided to book a sailing to Santander from Portsmouth to avoid France which was restricting UK travellers. I also booked a decent cabin so the fare was some £700 one way as it was peak time but I figured I'd be spending at least £100 a week just to sit still in the UK.

Thus I had to nip back to Sheffield for some extra bits and pieces and Mandy's bike in the hope that she will be able to join me eventually. On my return south I had to deviate back to Brecon as my new style EHIC card had arrived - this is a rather provocative item in my opinion as it rather pushes the Union Jack in its design. I joined Crad and family for another excellent takeaway from the village owned Shoemaker's Arms and touched base with his elder lad who is off to seek fame and fortune in London once more.

On my way over to the New Forest I called at Portishead where an old friend is enjoying converting a very nice LWB transit in to a camper - he had made good progress with insulating and lining and was now considering cabinet and power options.

Near Ringwood I arrived at the beautiful woodland site we had used in the summer and paid for my 8 day stay in advance as I wished effectively to isolate from the general public so as to minimise any risk of Covid that would curtail my plans. Tucked away amongst the pines there was little solar but the new battery fitted recently seemed to cope OK. I cycled out most days including one over to Nomansland for an outside pub lunch in the unseasonably mild weather. Unfortunately on my return with 12 miles to go and an hour of daylight left I tore my rear tyre on a flint to the extent that even a new tube wouldn't last. I limped to a near deserted car park and approached two ladies who had just finished litter picking and one very kindly agreed to run me home after I had explained my predicament. I gave her friend one of my cards by way of good faith and locked the bike to a sturdy rail. Sarah explained their work on the way back and was delighted that the New Forest District Council had cleared up fly tipping I reported online on a Sunday by Monday afternoon - they are responsive due to the possible impact on wildlife. She dropped me at the end of the track and I hope to repay her kindness by joining her group for a day on my return. I nipped back for the bike that evening which gave the battery a quick top up.

The following day I struggled to fit my spare tyre due to the cold weather so nipped in to Ringwood where a friendly motorcycle dealer used his airline to pop the tyre on tightly. I picked up fuel for my genny as well and returned to the peaceful spot - a pair of deer slid past at dusk but otherwise nothing stirred. I ran the genny that night to ensure everything was fully topped up before my sailing - it is a silent runner and runs about 4/5 hours on a couple of litres of petrol powering everything if high demand appliances are used at different times. A ride along the old railway track to Lymington was lovely and I considered that if my Europe plan stalled I would go over to the IoW.

 

However nothing untoward occured so on the Monday I swopped my Calor gas cylinders for the 3 Campinggaz ones I had collected from Jan and Ian and left them tucked behind the site owner's barn for future collection before heading round to Portsmouth. In Fareham I pulled in to a large Tesco car park with good 4G coverage and began to complete the rest of the Spanish Travel Health Form. You can complete it in advance with your sailing details but can only apply for the Covid Q code with your UK Certificate 48 hours before arrival in Spain - with a 36 hour sailing this leaves a tight timeframe. Anyway after some effort all was done and I received the email with my code, downloaded it and then printed everything off as a back up. The printer doesn't see much use but is invaluable for things like this - as it runs off a small plug in 75w inverter it can be used at any time.

Later that evening I slid between two larger outfits on the dockside and slept well, excited at the prospect of getting away for the first time in over two years. We were all loaded by 9am with no paperwork or other issues and after a brief delay whilst 3 tugs eased a container ship out of our way we were off down the Solent passing our two aircraft carriers with their 24 hour police boat patrols, the historic dockyards and of course the ever impressive Spinnaker tower.

I explored this the Brittany Ferries newest vessel and took a much needed shower in my neat little cabin. I enjoyed a good breakfast before standing out on deck as the IoW slid by but as we left its shelter the wind and waves picked up and by mid afternoon the outside decks had been closed for safety reasons. The crossing became so unpleasant that I retired to my cabin to go to bed and watch the telly trying to avoid repeats of both sit coms and my breakfast. For the next 18 hours the boat rolled violently as huge (9m apparently) cross waves crashed against the sides of the hull making the whole boat shake ominously.

I emerged around lunchtime on the Wednesday with zero appetite but enjoyed the Picos D'Europa appear on the horizon before we slid in to Santander in calm seas with people sunbathing and swimming on the beaches. We were soon unloaded and for some reason I was waved past the long queue and was soon on the road out and heading towards the Cantabrian mountains for an aire some 30 miles away. Unfortunately at about 4,500' the tiny mountain road was blocked by snow requiring a somewhat nerve jangling multi point turn above a very sheer drop. So Plan B was a night in Lierganes on the aire by the station which gave me the idea to catch a train back in to Santander to see more of a city that most people just transit through. The £5 return ticket gave me a 40 minute journey in to the centre passing the shipyard where two of the other BF vessels I have sailed on were getting their winter overhaul. It was hot and sunny and I was tempted by the small shuttle ferry across the bay to Somo for a good view of Santander's waterfront and an excellent lunch. On my return I walked out to the headland passing sunbathers and swimmers before arriving at a small marine park where a seal appeared glued to an almost vertical rock face, completely oblivious to me and the waves that washed up to him.

 

From Lierganes I took the main road over the mountains that was open and turned down to Perdura at the Embalse de Ebro. At the old station parking was offered for £5 a night including EHU which given the cold nights seemed a good idea so I paid for 3 when the caretaker arrived and wandered in to the village to find a shop - however only a small butchers and bakers continue to trade there but it gave me the basics and over the next couple of days I cycled this section of the Santander Mediterrano Via Verde a planned cycle route on the old railway that will one day cross Northern Spain over some 700 miles. The original line was intended to remove the need for freight to travel right round the Iberian Peninsula but when all but 24 miles was completed the project was shelved as it was felt it would be uneconomic given the arrival of container shipping. The 4 mile Engana tunnel nearby was finished but track never laid and its eventual reopening will be a major step in the final completion of the VV plan.

I moved on to Ona which had a huge monastery and some very pretty Christmas lights as well as the VV south towards Burgos and an excellent walk in to the limestone mountains above the town. At a high pond perhaps 40 vultures were gathered around the muddy water but soon took flight as I arrived. I was glad to have the 1:25,000 maps on my Satmap Active 20 as although well out of date for urban areas and new major roads they do show all the mountain tracks and trails if not the actual routes suggested as walks.

Burgos was my next destination as I needed a launderette and found one near the aire with free wifi so enjoyed the warmth and catch up as my wash was done. The aire was also the site of a weekly market and 10 kilos of oranges set me back 5 euros : about £4. The following day I cycled along the river to admire and enter the impressive cathedral before picking up the VV heading south from the old station. The cuttings still held a hard frost but on passing through a tunnel south facing slopes were warm and sunny. On leaving Burgos I called at a huge Carrefour for a large shop and treated myself to a new bluetooth speaker which will enhance the music, Spotify and BBC IPlayer downloads I have brought along.

In the Sierra de La Demanda another aire - no more than a flat parking area with no facilities provided a spot for two nights as I again took the VV around the Embalse de Uzquiza and returned via the quiet roads - it was a Saturday so the local hunters had been dashing about in their 4x4's with trailers of dogs taking tracks high in to the snow capped mountains. The nights were very cold but the Eber managed very well running all night with the new leisure battery receiving enough solar by day to keep everything in order.

 

At Hontoria del Pinar my initial plan was to do more of the SMVV but signs for the Canon del Rio Lobos caught my eye and the following day I set off on 15 miles of superb single track that followed the limestone gorge south under towering crags, crossing dry fords and the odd set of stepping stones, a few bridges and some sections of walkway before I emerged at an amazing chapel surrounding by lofty cliffs with vultures soaring. A steady climb out of the gorge brought me on to the plateau before I picked up the VV for a return to base and another very cold night. The following day I took the VV through the 50,000 acre pine forest where at one time the line had been used to export the timbers and a gantry crane was still standing at the highest point of the line. I was also intrigued to see that manual signals made by Westinghouse in Chippenham over a hundred years ago were still in working order.

A beautiful parking spot by a ruined chapel at Calatanazor gave me the chance to walk in to a village I'd visited once before in 2014 - whilst the traditional buildings, quaint streets and unusual chimneys are unchanged the castle has had some work done and it is now possible to reach the top of the keep for some amazing views. A friendly Alsation adopted me and came right back to the van presenting a range of sticks to be thrown.

The urban aire in Calatayud promised slightly milder overnight temperatures and I took a walk round admiring the ornate towers of the local churches and climbing up to the castle overlooking the town. The old town is a warren of tiny streets and I met a small dumper truck delivering buckets of oak logs to the tiny houses as storks nesting high above clattered their beaks noisily. Many of the larger buildings seemed to be collapsing and as most people now live on the outskirts in flats with parking and modern utilities easily available I wonder how long the old centres will survive.

 

Daroca further on faced similar issues although seemed more sure of its future with the buildings better maintained and more fully occupied, all sheltering under the 14 towers that dot the 4km long walls. I walked the open sections under a hot sun  before moving on to Cretas near Teruel that allegedly had a Campinggaz supplier which proved inaccurate as the location was just waste ground. I stayed on the aire anyway only to be woken early by what I presumed was scaffolding being thrown around early next morning. Once the sun was up around 08.30 so was I, only to find the weekly market carrying on around me! Nobody seemed to mind and I hadn't been sold so all was well.

A CEPSA filling station yielded two cylinders of the elusive gas at half the UK cost and with diesel 25% cheaper than home I was good to go once more so headed up in to the Sierra de Gudar stopping at the best preserved fort in Aragon at Mora de Rubielos. The chilly ticket seller seemed pleased to see me and I enjoyed a couple of hours exploring the various rooms and buildings and the recreations of various mediaeval weaponry in the extensive structure. On my way north I got distracted by a side road that would take me a different way so climbed high before descending only to find that the village road (and the only one at that) had just been newly concreted so had to retrace my steps and continue the original way to Monteagudo Del Castillo. Here whilst water and the WC drop were located by the small playing field the actual overnight spots were dotted around the village and were I felt intrusive so I dropped back to a nearby alternative at El Pobo high on an open plain and nicely located on the edge of the tiny village. The adjacent models of prehistoric animals made for quiet if unusual company and after dark I walked in to the deserted village for a look round. The one bar was open and had a good fire going so I stopped for a beer before returning to the van under a superb moon and starry sky.

 

Moving on through Cantavieja and Mirambel, both beautiful old villages with traditional stone houses, narrow streets and dominant castles I eventually pulled up on a rather scruffy aire at Alcaniz. The town is overlooked by its old castle which is now a top hotel or Parador which I walked up to for its remarkable views. Affluent Spanish couples were enjoying the evening sun and opportunity to pose and at £75 a night we might even be tempted one day. La  Fresenada was a real treat with its  ruined chapel on one rocky outcrop and a castle on another, then more stunning mountain roads took me over to Valderrobres where the parking down by the river was perfect with the clear waters reflecting the old stone bridge and houses. I walked up to the church and castle before deciding to take advantage of the free city wifi and update the blog. Unfortunately after two hours work the wifi had crashed and nothing had been saved so especially for you I have just done it all again here in Tortosa so please enjoy and have a look at  the additional pictures here - perhaps a few too many but it has been a few weeks since my last post, lots has been happening and your evenings may well still be long.

 

Early Winter Excitement

Over the last few days of the late autumn fine weather I had planned to catch a Heart of Wales line train from Llandovery to Swansea but it was cancelled so I headed off round the Llyn Brianne valley only to find that road closed due to a bridge replacement. The long diversion round through Llanwrytyd took me through Abergwesyn and over the excellent Devil's Staircase. As the road through to Tregaron was also closed I came down to the Llyn Brianne from the north without a soul in sight and parked high above the reservoir for a peaceful night.

 

The following morning I cycled in to Moel Prysgau bothy where all was well although deep brash on the top track made for a tedious mile or so of progress. The bothy was in good order : new barriers, some tactical felling by NRW, a concerted effort to ensure that the barriers are locked and regular visits by the MOs seems to have eliminated many of our misuse problems. NRW are also replacing all padlocks and issuing numbered security keys to authorised personnel so that should help further.

 

A night at Teifi Pools gave me the opportunity to walk in to Claerddu bothy, managed by Elan Valley Trust who rebuilt Lluest Cwm Bach for us almost ten years ago. As Claerddu is now looking a bit tired with graffiti and an accumulation of rubbish the Wales MBA team are in the process of arranging a spring clean next year - in the meantime we hope that EVT will install a barrier and liase with the local rural crime teams as this combined approach has achieved good results elsewhere.

On my way north to Sheffield I called in at the home of one of our longer standing MBA volunteers who was at the end of his battle with pancreatic cancer, it was good to talk with him, go over some photos that the team had sent me and remember the many good times, it is sad to report that he passed away within a fortnight  : 'Dangerous' - one of the good ones.

We called briefly in York to see my aunt, uncle and cousin before managing an unexpected rendezvous at Scotch Corner with Mandy's brother heading down to Sheffield to visit family. From there we crossed the Pennines and in a thick fog followed the old Coal Road from Garsdale Head Station over to Dent Station which at 1150' ASL is the highest station in England but still some 200' lower than Corrour in Scotland.

I had stayed in the station car park over the summer whilst tackling the Pennine Bridleway and took a leaflet for the Snow Huts, hence our arrival at this remarkable place high above, and four miles from, Dent village.

The single storey building sat just yards from the line and provided 2 superb holiday lets. We were in Hut One near to where the old signal box would have stood and soon had the place toasty warm with fuel provided for both stoves, underfloor heating and plenty of hot water. Almost immediately the first passenger train announced its arrival with a whistle and the bright  carriages slowly slid by. Later freight trains carrying timber and aggregate passed in each direction but the snug and well appointed building was sealed against them and the strong winds blowing.

The next day we explored the station and its surroundings - the old station as with most on this the Settle to Carlisle Line has also been preserved and turned in to holiday accommodation but the station master's house is privately owned. The guy behind the Dent project, Robin Hughes, has written an excellent book about his restoration and the hut even entertained Michael Portillo during one of his Great Railway Journeys. Robin had interests in New Zealand before this scheme and is now developing a retirement village in Windsor but still returns to Dent and its isolation from the phone and internet. We caught the train down to Skipton for market day and enjoyed cold but bright weather - again I had passed through here on the PBW earlier in the year

Sunday saw us walk down to Dent and enjoy a good lunch in the cafe by the small visitor centre which had a sunny patio. The final pull up from Cowgill left us ready for a cosy night in with a good sunset and moon.

We caught the train to Kirkby Stepen for the Monday market, lovely just to be able to walk to the platform in two minutes but at KS it is a good 40 minutes walk in to the town where the market was modest to put it kindly. Back at the station a guy got off the northbound train and struggled with a full barrel of beer over the footbridge before loading it in to the boot of his small car - no idea.

 

 

 

Tuesday was a day walking above the track via the PBW and down to Blea Moor tunnel before another ascent from Cowgill whilst on the Wednesday we did a circuit from Dent to Carlisle, around the Cumbrian Coast passing St Bees Head and Sellafield to Barrow in Furness, across to Carnforth and finally a return via High Bentham to Settle and back to Dent - all the trains and connections ran to time and it was to quote a phrase 'a grand day out'...

 

 

 

Our final day was wet and wild but we took the train down to Settle, walked up on to Castlebergh Crags for the views over the town and then enjoyed the Museum of Craven Life in the Grade 1 listed Folly. The 3 Peaks Cycle Shop did a good lunch at a remarkable price before we got the train back up to Horton in Ribblesdale and jumped off to visit the impressive Ribblehead Viaduct in less than favourable conditions. However it underlined how stoic the several thousand navvies and their families must have been to work and live up there in the shanty towns for many years.

The Station Inn provided a warm room and cold beer whilst we waited for our train back and a lovely final evening in the hut - the strong wind meant the bedside stove burnt rather too strongly leaving us sweltering.

 

The Fat Lamb at Ravenstonedale has free hard pitches for four vans and on a cold windy night we enjoyed excellent food, despite the actual presentation, surrounded by motoring memorabilia as the pub hosts many classic car rallies and owners meetings.

Our annual (Covid permitting) fortnight in Langdale began with a large food shop in Penrith before we arrived at the lodge and took off for a swim in the stylish pool.

Our friend Penny arrived for a few days on the Sunday so we walked in to Ambleside over Loughrigg Fell and were amazed to see a mountain biking couple with the mum pulling a trailer containing a toddler descending the rough track.

Over at Ullswater we caught the ferry from Pooley Bridge and returned via the shore path on a fresh but sunny day and were rewarded with the sight of a pair of red squirrrels chasing around a line of pine trees.
 

The Drunken Duck provided an excellent lunch but we would have preferred just a snack or sandwiches and returned having passed the house where my grandfather had spent many contented years of his retirement.

An indulgent evening in the spa finished off her stay and as she left on the Thursday other friends were heading north from Bristol.

 

 

 

 

A windy day with low cloud on the Friday kept us off the hills but we enjoyed exploring the old slate workings of Tilberthwaite descending deep in to an old quarry and then up at the Betsy Crag mine daring each other to cross the single span slate bridge in windy conditions. After returning via Tilberthwaite Ghyll we dropped in to the Three Shires pub before returning after dark using head torches.

 

 

Storm Arwen blew through overnight and just as Tony from Blackburn arrived to join us with tales of fallen trees and the Estate Landrover being crushed all power in the area ceased.

Our plan was a day walk anyway and we set off up the slope of Silver How with the sun on our backs. As we ascended we reached the snow line and began to find the going tricky, particularly once we reached the ridge and felt the full force of the northerly wind. It was bitterly cold and hard to stay upright but after a couple of hours hard going we reached Stickle Tarn where conditions were ferocious. Jan took a nasty tumble as we descended the steep track with verglas making for cautious progress.

 

Once below the snow and out of the wind we stopped for lunch in the sun before reaching Dungeon Ghyll where all the lights were still out. A steady return along the Great Langdale Valley brought us back to the lodge where eveything was still off and the staff had no idea of a likely reconnection time.

Fortunately we all had head torches, there was still hot water in the tanks and I had come up this year in the camper so was able to provide additional torches, power banks and cook the excellent food that Sue had provided on the gas cooker. Marcus and Sandra had joined us so we enjoyed a memorable evening after which we retired to the van grateful for the diesel heater and the following morning produced a cooked breakfast for all. As we were all somewhat battered by Saturday's walk we took an easy stroll round the estate and were amazed at the number and size of trees that had been blown over - apart from the Landrover there was no significant damage to any lodges or buildings despite some very close shaves. A game of Monopoly entertained us but with the power still off the lodge got a bit too cold for comfort so the five of us piled in to the van for a cosy evening of quizzes, crosswords and hot soup and rolls. The estate restaurant had sourced a small generator and was trying to provide drinks for other lodge guests but many had left or been deterred from arriving. Large amounts of smoked salmon, cheese and other goodies were also being given out as all the chillers and fridges were failing.

On the Monday our guests packed up just as the power was restored so we spent the morning tidying up, changing beds and then went for another walk round to assess the damage. The groundsmen had been hard at work clearing the roads but some of the hung up trees would require specialist skills and judging by the widespread damage across a huge area the tree surgeons will be busy for weeks.

 

With pool and other facilities yet to come back on stream we enjoyed the comfortable lodge, finished the game of Monopoly and walked in to Chapel Stile to admire the old church and reflect on the local lads who had perished in the two world wars. The Burlington Slate works have suspended their quarrying and concentrated on crushing the huge mountains of waste in to a usable aggregate for paths and weed suppression and I noticed a considerable reduction in the once extensive deposits. The on site washing machine saw to our laundry - always handy to get it done and dried in the winter months.

A bus in to Ambleside gave us the chance to get some new walking boots and enjoy an excellent veggie lunch in the small Ghandi's cafe before walking through to Rydal and back over to Elterwater. The back lane was blocked in several places and these would have to be removed before a crane could be brought in to support a monster pine that lay across the roof of a large property.

On the Thursday we took the back lane to Little Langdale and passed around another monster pine that had taken out the telephone poles and would have toppled just a few hours after we walked that way the previous Friday. A path climbed up on to Lingmoor Fell with views south to Blackpool Tower across Morecambe Bay and south east to looming Pendle. After squeezing through The Needle we dropped in to the Great Langdale campsite before a return to base and a long awaited swim.

 

On our last day we took a circuitous route across to Chesters at Skelwith Bridge where we ate a delicious veggie lunch outside before returning to the Brimstone Spa for a final indulgent night in the various heat and steam rooms and the magical pool which reaches outside through sliding doors. I always hugely appreciate our good fortune in staying here and it is certainly a different experience from van life.

 A very soggy Saturday hastened our departure and we drove north to enjoy the entertaining Keswick Pencil Museum with its history of the local graphite mining, links to the SOE in WW2 and the Bond movies as well as a history of the manufacturing now relocated to Workington on the coast. The large art deco factory still stands and will I hope soon be repurposed for perhaps affordable housing, so vital for the area's young people.

In sleet and strong winds we headed over to Penrith for a night with Marcus and Sandra - their new barn coversion adding to an already comfortable house. We both enjoyed a good tour of his extensive model railway layout and Sandra's excellent cooking. As usual we kipped in the van with the heater keeping us warm and dry, sleeping well in the quiet location.

After a good breakfast Marcus and I had some fun knocking up a Go Pro video with the camera mounted on various locos and carriages before reluctantly we started our journey south after 3 very successful and varied weeks away.

I have returned to mid Wales sitting out Storm Barra en route and dealing with some paperwork relating to the new AED sourced for the Wales Mountain Bothies Team. We hope of course that it will never be used but as most of our volunteers are long in the tooth if not hair it seems a prudent purchase.

In reality it will sit for much of the year in a volunteer's house so may come in handy far from the bothy scene.

I am waiting for my boster jab in 48 hours time which will two weeks later perhaps permit my escape down to Spain and eventually Portugal but almost a fortnight needs to elapse before travel and as I have no intention of travelling over the busy Christmas/New Year period will with luck get a Santander bound ferry in mid January.

Anyway watch this space and if you've nothing better to do click this SPACE

 

Autumnal Activities

On a damp Sunday afternoon I drove through the forest to check out Nant Rhys bothy where all was well - touch wood last year's spell of bothy misuse has abated, I guess those who failed to behave responsibly for the common good by respecting Covid restrictions are also less likely to respect the bothy ethos of simple unlocked shelters available to all. The amount of gear and rubbish people leave behind continues to amaze me and is I guess another sign of our buy cheap, use it once society.

Anyway my faith in the vast majority of people was as always restored by the friendship, laughter and generosity of the Wales Area Mountain Bothies Association team of volunteers over the next week at the Nant Syddion bothy work party.

 

This began later that afternoon when I met Martin and his family who had made a special journey up from Swansea to deliver a remarkable array of tools, materials and equipment which we carried down the steep path to the bothy storage area. Two substantial 5.4m joists completed the load after which they set off for home leaving me to enjoy a peaceful night tucked away further up the track.

On Monday morning I swept and sanitised the bothy before removing the various patches of loose plaster on some walls and ceilings before starting to sugar soap and scrub all the walls and ceilings prior to painting. Others arrived sporadically later that day and late Monday night as the fuel shortage had impacted on travel plans and whilst Wales was relatively unaffected those on long drives from as far as Portsmouth and Brighton were understandably reluctant to risk a stranding in rural Wales which has limited availability at the best of times.

Over the next few days gutters were cleared and renewed, walls and ceilings patched and painted, a new front door installed and perhaps most dramatically the two new joists installed by fearless Phil our very competent joiner. With a deadline to accomplish most tasks by the following Saturday we put in many hours with the evenings dedicated to food, drink and reflecting on the memories of the last year or so.

Starting with the completion of the barn roof above the Pennant Valley in Snowdonia in late Spring, sweltering in the heat at Dulyn over the summer, moving on to the post shuttering horrors of Penrhos bothy above Dolgellau and now refreshing Nant Syddion we have as a group achieved a remarkable amount.

So a huge thanks to Tony our Area Organiser and the Maintenance Organisers who put many hours in to ensuring that tools, materials and volunteers all arrived in sufficient numbers and at the appropriate times and locations - fantastic work guys and a privilege to be part of it.

With much of the work done we left Richard to keep an eye on all our gear as we headed off to Newbridge on Wye for our First Aid Training Session at MWMAC. With the mountain road closed we made good progress via main roads and arrived on time for an excellent day with Danny from MediArb - as good a First Aid Trainer as you could ask to meet - 07939669115.

He covered the basics along the lines of DRSABC and added in scenarios and solutions to our specific exposure to working in remote areas as well as allowing plenty of hands on practice with dressings and disturbingly realistic prosthetic limbs. He also extolled the virtues of AED's and hemostatic granules such as Celox in catastrophic bleed control. The advice re crush injuries was also of great interest to our team particularly following the (to some of us) unnerving installation of the joists a day or two earlier.

We headed home with some of the team scurrying around for a few more litres of fuel - I was grateful to have a full tank, 600 mile range and nowhere to get back to anyway - and arrived back long after dark, glad that we had deferred our Area Meeting until the following morning.

At this meeting we decided to purchase upgraded first aid kits in the light of Danny's recommendations and planned our future works. Then it was back to the here and now and with most people due to head off  later that day we sorted out all the kit, loaded up vehicles and said our goodbyes.

A much diminished but still enthusiastic team put the final coats of paint on anything that didn't move and yet again another of our precious buildings was brought up to standard.

I moved on via Llangurig and Lower Chapel spending a memorable night bang beneath the old Severn bridge before collecting a new leisure battery in Bristol and heading down to Frome to fit it the following day before Pete and I enjoyed a sunny ride round Wiltshire including Alfred's Tower and Stourhead. On our return leg we watched as a tree felling nearly went badly wrong at a local church.

Returning to Bristol where Mandy had arrived on the train from Sheffield we stayed on the CAMHC site in the centre at Baltic Wharf as we had tickets for the SS Great Britain the following day. Access was complicated by construction work reinforcing the banks of the Avon but the location of the site gave us an easy walk in to Bristol centre where large numbers were enjoying the spell of fine weather.

 

The SS GB experience is a must do with the enormous vessel cleverly displayed in a floating dock allowing you to get right up close to the spectacular hull, enjoy the recreation of life on board and learn of the remarkable scale and depths of Brunel's achievements in the recent Brunel shed addition.

With much left to see we departed for Portishead, showering and changing en route ready for an evening with friends and an excellent meal at Aqua on the marina. Saturday saw an early departure as were due in Frome by 10am and somewhat annoyingly got caught out by the Bath LEZ scheme which is both poorly signed and administered - it was impossible to check if we had incurred a £9 penalty so paid anyway to avoid this increasing to £60 and more. I am a great supporter of these initiatives but they should be fairly imposed and probably apply to private cars as well - but then of course they are driven by the voters.......

 

Whilst Mandy enjoyed the delights of Frome, Dale, Pete and I tackled a number of tracks and trails over and around the Deverills before a night of pizzas and pints. After a Sunday group walk we departed for another memorable night high up on Win Green at Cranborne Chase and walked the tops on a sunny day admiring the hang gliders soaring overhead.

Later we arrived at our destination for the next 3 nights at a small 'members only' campsite near Ringwood in the New Forest . We were taken along a forest track to a delightful clearing and told to pitch where we liked with water available nearby and settled down at what I would say is the best site I've stayed on in England. We had it to ourselves and could walk or ride straight out in to the Forest as there were no boundaries which heralded the arrival of some ponies the following morning in a vain search for breakfast leftovers.

 

The Forest has endless miles of good cycling which we thoroughly enjoyed over the next couple of days with the autumn colours, ponies, donkeys and pigs adding to the experience. In Brockenhurst we had lunch in a sunny hotel garden and were astounded later in Lyndhurst to see even second hand Ferraris starting at £289k - a disgrace in a world with so much need.

The Lamb Inn at Nomansland did a good meal at lunchtime as we cycled in an area I had last explored forty years ago whilst training as a student nurse at nearby Calmore before returning for a final night at this perfect pitch.

A short run over to Weymouth allowed us to meet Pete and Nina who had brought their RV down from Derbyshire for an MOT and service so we caught up over pizzas in the site's cafe - the Red Barn - after a walk down to the lagoon trapped by the shingle of Chesil Beach.

On the Friday we parked up at the Hardy Monument before cycling the bridle and cycle paths down to Weymouth and then across to Portland where a huge new mould had just arrived by sea at the Sunseeker International boatyard. A steep climb up to the quarries gave good views along Chesil beach before we dropped down to Portland Bill for a look at the lighthouse and resolved one day to stay at the  Pulpit Inn, which allows overnighting in the car park, for a sunset. The long climb back up to the ridge nearly did for us so we moved on to near Honiton and stayed in the Golden Pond Chinese Restaurant car park, a slightly strange experience but convenient enough and very peaceful. By then we had resolved the Hardy conundrum - two Hardys are linked to Dorset, one related to Nelson's demise and later the renowned author.

 

After a very enjoyable spin along the Grand Western Canal from Tiverton to Westleigh, the current limit of restoration, we headed across Exmoor to Lynton for a couple of days taking advantage of the dry ground conditions to be tucked away in the meadow. Greg and Alex have had a successful season with guests in both the annexe and shepherd's hut and we joined them and a friend for a night at the local theatre in the town hall for a clever interpretation of the 'Louisa' incident . This told the story of the heroic hauling, by people and horses, of the Lynmouth lifeboat over Countisbury Hill and down in to Porlock to assist a vessel in distress.

Sunday saw us walk over to the Hunters Inn at Heddon's Mouth for a cream tea having spotted the Lynton and Barnstaple steam train puffing it's way north. That evening we enjoyed an excellent tapas evening at The Oak Room - well worth checking out.

On a rainy Monday we had a quick look round both Lyns before a quick night up on the Mendips at Priddy as a prelude to revisiting the SS GB in Bristol once more to see everything else and walk around the Floating Harbour. A night outside Newport in stormy weather at the Lighthouse Inn was eased by the flood defences providing shelter and in blustery sunshine the following morning we walked along the top looking across to many of the places we had visited in recent days.

 

A night at Talybont broke the journey to Brecon where we dined well at Mike and Claire's house, joined by Crad and Dawn. Badminton and the Bond film in Brecon took us to the weekend where we had booked to stay in the Forest Of Dean on another small site a few miles above Monmouth. This gave us access to the cycle track from Coleford down to Parkend and en route we heard steam whistles in the valley below. These belonged to a steam roller and traction engine that were heading to Parkend to join in the Covid delayed 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Forest of Dean Heritage Railway. It was a great atmosphere and their achievements were due to that same level of generosity, enthusiasm and determination to get things done as we enjoy amongst the bothy volunteers. A lovely variety of tracks and trails took us up to Cinderford and back round to the site for a quiet night before a similar ride on Sunday where we heard but didn't see the wild boar. Wetter weather on Monday saw us walking over to Clearwell and its privately owned castle with a warming pint in the cosy pub much appreciated before a better day on Tuesday encouraged us to cycle down to Monmouth, take the trail along the river to Symonds Yat and then climb steeply to Yat Rock for its remarkable views of the meandering Wye.

Finally we returned to Brecon for another visit and fitted in a group spin round the Usk reservoir above Trecastle before returning to Sheffield for a charity event which went very well.

I have now returned south again to fit the door wiring loom to the van, change the fuel filter, upgrade headlamp bulbs and get the diesel heater serviced as with luck and Covid booster permitting I will be heading to Portugal in a little over a month. Yesterday I explored a corner of the Beacons new to me - the Clydach gorge looking stunning in Autumn colours and after a night in Sennybridge tonight head off in to mid Wales for the weekend.

 

 A plethora of piccies sit here...

September Surprises

The car park of the Sycamore Inn between New Mills and Hayfield provided an enormous, well sheltered camping spot from which to tackle the remaining sections of the Pennine Bridle Way - the pub ask that you have a drink or meal and their food was excellent and served by delightful staff.

I set off towards Buxton but on a badly eroded ascending gully met three idiots on ebikes careering down the narrow path, one just missed me, I jumped out of the way for the second but the third slammed in to my front wheel. On expressing the opinion that they should be more considerate towards other users and slow down I received an Anglo Saxon tirade after which they shot off. At the top of the push I discovered that the latter genius had knocked my wheel well out of shape - cheers guys.

Thanks to having disc brakes I was able to ride it though and continued south on a good mix of tracks, trails and minor roads. As the southern sections of the PBW are well known to me I decided to pick up the Monsal trail instead and head down towards Bakewell and then over to Bamford from where my digital railcard enabled me to get a ticket for the train back to New Mills and the short ride back along the Sett Valley Trail for a good meal in the pub.

The following day I headed north to Broadbottom and took the Trans Pennine Trail back through Penistone in to Sheffield stopping en route at a great little snack bar in a converted horse box. As Mandy had an unexpected few days extra free she drove us both back over for another good meal and quiet night at The Sycamore.

 

The helpful landlord allowed us to leave her car there and we skirted Manchester to park up at the Ship Inn at Downholland on the Leeds to Liverpool Canal for a couple of days good riding using the canal, the old railway lines and coastal cycle paths to explore the area. Up at Southport we cycled to the end of the pier where an ice cream van in an old Citroen van wasn't quite what it seemed - look at the wheels.

 

That morning we had had trouble unlocking a recently bought D lock that secured both bikes so we returned it to Halfords and bought a sturdy padlock locally from the most disorganised hardware store before returning for a well earned pint in the canal side pub garden.

The canal took us south towards Bootle where a large terrapin sunbathing on a raft of reeds provided interest and amusement before we followed a trail towards Liverpool. Unfortunately my derailleur had not been running right since, on reflection, the meeting with the ebike and decided to fail. I removed it and shortened the chain to give me a rideable gear for the flat terrain and we headed out to Crosby to see the art installation 'Another Place' which was very impressive.

As the tide receded we walked the two mile stretch of beach that contains a 100 of these statues before returning to base along the old railway line.

 

A bright idea developed to avoid tedious driving and parking in Liverpool - again using our railcard we took the commuter train in to the city from Formby which had free secure parking (and no 'No Overnighting' signs incidentally) and for a few quid each were dropped at Moorfields Station just a few minutes walk from the waterfront. We decided to take the Mersey ferry which now carries few commuters and instead has rebranded itself as a docks tour boat and enjoyed the views of a graceful cruise ship, the Liver building and the new museum as well as the drama of a very smart chopper making numerous landings for scenes in the next series of the BBC's Silent Witness.

 

Across at Birkenhead we disembarked for a couple of hours there peering in to the Uboat museum and enjoying a Thai meal in the cafe before catching the ferry back which took us past the shipyards and returned with good views across to the city's two cathedrals.

The train had us back to the van in time to get round Manchester to New Mills before rush hour which I then sat out for a couple of hours and had a swift journey across to the cheap and basic site at Northrop near Flint which enabled me to wash the bike, fill up with water and clean the bathroom.

A steady run down to Coed y Brenin north of Dolgellau, passed Llyn Celyn which was very low, and I collected a key to give me access in to the forest for our work party at Penrhos bothy.

Here the security team from Alfa were being assisted by our Area Organiser to remove the shuttering and padlocks that had been necessary to keep Covidiots out of the place last year after some lockdown vandalism. The bothy is dark at the best of times but a year of closure had seen mould grow on the walls and windows, a layer of dust and debris accumulate on most surfaces and the place looking a bit run down with some damage to windows and internal doors.

 

Thus a list was made of the cleaning, repair and decorating materials and equipment we would need and I headed off in to Dolgellau to get them leaving Tony to sweep out. The builders and farmers merchants between them provided the bulk of our needs and I returned to spray all walls, ceilings and painted surfaces with Jeyes fluid before we called it a day and left the doors and windows open to get things dried out.

So as at Dulyn bothy in August we spent the next few days washing the surfaces with sugar soap to prepare for painting, doing the actual painting , starting upstairs, and repairing the damaged windows and doors using the skills and tools of Chris and Martin, the latter having fetched in a remarkable array of equipment all the way from Swansea.

Slowly the place brightened up, the walls shone, new glazing sparkled and the floors gleamed although slightly unsettled weather meant we were working around it with regard to external glossing.Three of us were occupying our vans and two were tenting giving the bothy time to air and the odd walker dropped by to admire the work done. By the Monday we had really made a difference so I decided to head off and return to Brecon to play badminton for the first time in two years, staying in the town centre car park I have used on and off for 15 years.

I called at Lower Chapel to assess the bike and managed to straighten out the wheel using the bike rack as a mount and a small screwdriver to identify the points of distortion. I then ordered a new derailleur and chain but as delivery was delayed turned my attention to replacing a failed brake light bulb that required some dismantling of the van wardrobe shelving to gain access. I then decided to head off  back to Brecon and visit the new Y Gaer library and museum. This project had overrun and gone well over budget and in my opinion there was little to show for it with a museum that lacked the sophistication of the many others I have visited this last year. However it is early days for the site and certainly the library will be popular with children and families.

Neither the cinema nor theatre were open so I treated myself to an excellent pizza instead and slept well in the quiet corner.

On Sunday from above Talgarth I walked over to the small bothy in the Black Mountains where apart from a small amount of rubbish all was well although as the stove lacked a regulator it popped rather dramatically. There had been a rave further down the valley a couple of weeks previously but I don't think they had got as far as our tiny hut.

 

Gliders were taking advantage of the thermals and a northerly wind as I returned and then drove round to Hay on Wye for a night in the main car park alongside a couple of other vans.

On the Monday I dropped a note through the door where I hoped the friend I cycled round Nepal with for 6 weeks in 1987 still lived and then enjoyed a good look round the enchanting town. Hay Castle is being restored at long last and I walked down the Wye watching various canoeists on the slow moving water.

Dave made contact and came to find me - he plays table tennis on Mondays and invited me to tag along so somewhat unexpectedly I ended up in the same theatre space that in recent years I had given HUBB presentations at Clyro Court. Later we returned to Hay and the Blue Boar Inn and enjoyed a long session of catching up having not been in touch for almost twenty years.

As I left next morning I noted an issue with my windows so decided to investigate later and returned to Lower Chapel to fit the now arrived bike parts. This was fairly straightforward and I began to inspect the van's wiring loom where it passes through bellows in the crook of the door. An alarming electrical fizz could be heard so I disconnected the battery, removed door and dash trims and managed to expose the loom and unpick the outer covering.

Of the maybe twenty wires that link window, mirror and central locking switches or motors four were severed, and eight had breaks in the insulation. Thus I carefully bared the wires for rejoining with connectors, taped up the damaged insulation and carefully returned everything to find all well for now.

Next day I was meeting a friend at Talybont who'd just come back from a cracking trip round Ireland and suggested to Jan that she could take her paddle board from there back to Brecon. Crad had enjoyed a memorable trip and Jan managed to reach Brecon before later that evening we went down to badminton to meet the crowd I'd last seen two years ago. We played a shortened session and only had a quick pint as Jan and Ian were off next morning to London for the Chelsea Flower Show.

Next morning they left early and I fed and watered the various animals before returning to the issue of the van wiring - whilst this van is lovely and really comfortable I did prefer the simplicity of my previous one with manual doors, mirrors and windows. I looked online for a replacement loom but figured second hand ones would be heading the same way so contacted TPS who supply OEM parts to VW. They said there was only one left in the UK at the VW central parts warehouse in Milton Keynes and after that was gone it would be a discontinued item so I asked to buy it only to be told that they can only supply to the trade.

Thus I rang the VW commercial van centre in Swansea and spoke to the parts manager - remarkably after twelve years he recognised my name and said 'you're the guy who shipped a van to New Zealand....'. In fact I'd had a spare key supplied by them and on the day of heading to Southampton to get the van loaded in to a container after our Brecon Beast Mountain Bike event had discovered that it had been wrongly coded and wouldn't overcome the immobiliser so had had to head down there in something of a panic to get it done properly. Anyway after a chat he said he'd happily order the loom and pass it on to me at cost price and I hope a friend from Swansea will bring it up to our forthcoming work party next week.

Yesterday I visited the bothy in the Elan valley as part of a catch up with my brother - the reservoir was the lowest I've seen it so we were able to collect bottles and cans from the shore to add to the few removed from the bothy and then enjoyed a light lunch at the excellent Penbont Tearooms half way round the dams.

My final night in Brecon linked the experiences of the last week in a neat way as I attended a fund raising dinner in the Brecon Guildhall organised by the Nepali families of Gurkha soldiers who have a long association with the town. Singing, dancing, music and superb Nepali cooking made for a memorable evening with generous bids at the auction, a successful raffle and  great company.

So I'm now at Llangurig for one night before heading to Nant Syddion bothy where a group of us will spend a week getting the place back on track - it has been a bit neglected in recent years and seen some abuse so we hope to work our magic again. There is a hitch on fuel availability which may affect people's journeys and the closure of the Cwmystwyth road will mean longer journeys for those stalwarts coming from the south. This will also add to our journey times next Saturday for our First Aid Training session near Builth but I'm sure our loyal and resourceful team will overcome the hiccups.

Piccies here

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