A detour to Monfrague National Park

Did I say we were heading to Salamanca? Well, there we were heading along the motorway in that direction and we saw a sign for Monfrague National Park, this is an area we visited in June of last year and enjoyed very much so on the spur of the moment we decided to go there again.

It was raining again so for the rest of the day we were confined to the van, but the next morning the sky cleared and we headed out in the van to the visitor centre for the park to pick up some local information for a day in the area. After a cup of coffee we headed to our first Mirador (viewpoint) where we saw our first vultures who were flying despite the strong winds.

We then moved further into the park where we parked up,had lunch then walked up to the castle and viewing platform atop one of the high points of the area. On the way up we saw vultures nesting in the rocks and at the top we were treated to an ariel display by the vultures who would occasionally out of curiosity fly down closer and have a look at us (maybe checking we were still alive and not edible???) We spent quite a long time just sitting watching their elegant soaring on the thermals and admiring the spectacular view across the park.

At one time we climbed the narrow stairs to the top of the castle but the wind was just too strong so had to come back down to the more sheltered viewing areas. 

Last time we visited the park the vultures shared  the sky with the Spanish Imperial eagles but now in October they have the place to themselves as the Eagles are off seeking winter sun in Africa.

We were lucky to have good weather as we discovered later that other areas in southern Portugal and Spain had violent, destructive storms and flooding, it seems we moved northward in the nick of time!

If you look close-up you can see the vultures perched on the rock ledges - well camouflaged!

Trials and tribulations but all ok in the end!

The day started out well, we got away early on a cold but dry morning, we planned to travel 80 miles to a campsite on a lakeside. But when we arrived the place was closed, probably for the winter, the gates had been sealed shut with cable ties, even though the information we had said the site was open all year. So we put our heads together and decided to head on for another 80 miles to a camperstop at Don Benito, near to the start of our last Via Verde, but when we arrived it had been closed off for a Hallowe'en festivity - we had nowhere to go, our chemical toilet needed emptying and we were running out of water! Not only that but the Sat Nav lost its voice and refused to speak! In the end we moved the barrier which stopped us going onto the camperstop to access the service facilities (emptying the toilet being top priority - or we would literally have nowhere to 'go'!) before we headed off in search of somewhere to wild camp.

We went back to the town of Villanueva de Serena and the start of Via Verde No 10: Vegas del Guidiana, we found the 'perfect' stop, a large car park by McDonalds and opposite a Carrefour supermarket. It wasn't the best of choices, it was definitely a bit noisy, but it would do for one night!

Friday morning and we set out on our last Via Verde of the trip and it turned out to be worth the hassle of the previous day's journey. The surface of the trail was mainly good tarmac, it was flat and we passed through wetlands with loads of interesting birds including Grey Heron which must have been five foot tall! 

The old stations we came across were deserted and derelict, just a memory of their former glory. The picnic areas were neglected with overflowing rubbish bins, it seems the funding for the maintenance of these tracks has long run out. But it didn't detract from our enjoyment of the trail and luckily the weather stayed sunny and warm for the best part.

In the evening we treated ourselves to a McDonald's with a Mcflurry to follow, then we went and stocked up for our last few days in the supermarket- what an exciting evening!

Another (noisy) night wild camping and we were off to Salamanca - and another step towards the port of Bilbao.

Footnote: Some of you may know we are in fact back home by now (13th Nov) but as I wrote these posts whilst we were away I decided just to carry on posting every few days! Trouble is it makes me want to go back.......

Via Verde de Sierra revisited....

During the night we had torrential rain and the forecast was for more but the sky cleared and it stayed dry all day for another wonderful day on the Via verde de Sierra with its 30 tunnels and the nature reserve with soaring vultures. We never fail to be enchanted by the safe cycling along deserted trails surrounded by stunning countryside, the warmth of the Autumn sunshine on our backs as we pootle along. Lyndsay, our daughter, said the other day 'aren't you bored of cycling?' Well, the answer has to be definitely 'No!' There is always something different to see along our route, the pleasure of finding a little village with a Bar to find for a coffee and researching and finding all the different Vias Verdes has given us a very different trip with a sense of purpose.

Once again we were able to cycle the complete length of the trail starting at each end ( I think that means we cycled it four times in all?) staying this time on the Camperstop at the old railway station Olvera (only 7€ a night with electric hookup and water)

We didn't regret coming back and revisiting this particular Via Verde and we were lucky with the weather as the next morning the rain was coming down in torrents.

 

We packed up in the rain and headed to another Via Verde located south of Córdoba (La Campina). There are no camperstops anywhere near it so we headed to a village (Fuencubierta) about halfway on its length where it intersected a road and hoped to find somewhere to wild camp, which we eventually did, by a picnic area on the trail, under the shade of an enormous eucalyptus tree. With plenty of daylight hours left we headed south on the trail, once again discovering quite different scenery - more olive groves with haciendas perched high on the hilltops.





The trail was quite stony, slowing our progress so we only did 13 miles - bringing our total mileage on our bikes this trip to 620 miles or 1000 km!! Just to put
that into perspective- we have cycled the equivalent distance of the entire length of Spain from top to bottom - Yikes!!!

Wednesday morning and we set out on the Via Verde La Campina heading north towards Córdoba, the trail was quite stony with a few tarmac stretches, we were surrounded on this journey by vast fields which would be used in the summer for cereal or sunflower crops.

Along the way we stopped for coffee in a bar along the way, enjoying the Spanish atmosphere of the bar with the village elders excitedly playing dominos at the back. I didn't know dominoes could be so much fun!

There were some lovely views along the way, the distant town of Almodovar with its castle perched high on the hilltop.

So we ended up spending two nights wild camping completely undisturbed. Time to move on again......

A visit to the city of Seville.....

After two days at Camping Aldea at El Rocio we headed to Seville and a camperstop next to the river and the port. It was very difficult to find as our Sat Nav didn't quite take us there and we ended up in Keith's worst nightmare - lost in the city! Luckily perseverance paid off and with more luck than judgement we found it. It was early in the day so we were able to head into the city on foot, arriving at the Reales Alcazares (Royal palace) after a 20 minute walk. The palace is still the official residence of the current royal family and reflects its Moorish history with a wealth of wonderful decorations with glazed ceramic tiles, the buildings and the gardens are magnificent with an amazing attention to detail.

After stopping for coffee at the Plaza de Espana, we then headed away from the Royal park and residence to the cathedral, passing the Torre del Oro on our way - a Moorish defence tower built in the twelfth century which was once covered in golden tiles

The Cathedral is the largest Gothic temple in the world being built in the twelfth century on the site of the Mosque when the city was under the Moors. The mausoleum, legend has it, houses the remains of Christoper Columbus

The city was alive with people enjoying a day out in the city, there are literally hundreds of bars and restaurants to chose from (although maybe one too many Starbucks!) 

But you know, at heart we are country bumpkins and couldn't wait to get away from the hustle bustle (traffic and fumes) of the city and get back out on the cycle trail again, so the next day we headed back to Puerto Serrano at the end of our favourite Via Verde de Sierra ( well it was almost on our way.....)

The Wild, Wild West....

So where to next? After another of our regular planning meetings we decided to head south again to a campsite on the edge of the Donana National Park, the site being at a town called El Rocio. When we arrived we asked the receptionist about cycling in the area and were told 'this is horse country, the roads are sand and not suitable for cycling'. This we discovered for ourselves is true - the town of El Rocio is like the Wild West - all the roads are compacted sand and every house or building has a rail outside for tying up your horse. 

The town has a very different atmosphere to the typical Spanish town, for one thing it was much quieter because there was less traffic and what traffic there was travelled slowly on the sand roads (apart from the odd maniac who didn't care about the suspension on his car!) 

The church in the town is a magnificent white building built in 1969. It houses a famous sixteenth century statue of the Virgin Mary which is believed by many to have miraculous healing properties, every year at the end of May, one million pilgrims come to the town when the statue is ceremoniously carried through the streets. It must be an amazing sight - so many people making the pilgrimage to this small town!

The Donana National Park is Europe's most important wetland and ' constitutes a mosaic of ecosystems housing a unique biodiversity'. It provides a habitat for thousands of European and African birds, some in danger of extinction. We were able to explore the area on the roads (fortunately there are quite a few tarmac roads as well as the sand roads!) and we had a last visit of this trip to a wonderful sandy beach before we start a steady journey northward towards our boat trip home from Bilbao on 5th November. 

Travelling to this area wasn't on our original agenda but we are glad we made the detour to visit such an unusual area.

The fantastic baroque decoration surrounding the statue of the Virgin Mary  which overlooks the alter 

The Silver tabernacle