We enjoyed our European trip in a motorhome two years ago so much, we returned again, travelling from our hire pick-up in Mannheim, Germany, to Spain bound for the Iberian Peninsula. 

It took time to get used to the right-hand side of the road but we arrived safe at our camp in Ladenfeld. We then stayed at the Port of Nancy for €16.00 (power/showers), which has a beautiful city centre and a fabulous World Heritage-listed square, Place Stanislas, considered one of the most magnificent in Europe. Built pre-1750, it is surrounded by gilt embossed railings, has huge entrance gates and includes the theatre, Opera House, Fine Arts museum and City Hall. South towards Dijon, we stayed at Fontaine-Francaise – a delightful camp beside the canal, where we dined on local cured ham, market fresh salads with seasonal berries for dessert.

Port of Nancy, city square

THIRSTY WORK

After touring the Nuits-St-Georges, we took the Great Wine Route, which passes through many Burgundian wine villages – Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault – before free camping in the middle of Beaune. It makes me thirsty just thinking of these classic wines native to these regions, in fact, in Beaune, every second property was either a restaurant or a wine cellar! The Hotel-Dieu is the town’s centrepiece. The hospital founded in 1443 has a roof covered in diamonds of variegated tiles, in green, sienna, black and yellow. It was wonderful to wander through ancient, narrow cobbled streets and sunny squares dotted with cafes. Southwards, we stayed at Bellerive-sur-Allier on the banks of the Allier River, before travelling to the Auvergne. Clermont-Ferrand is a huge metropolis, set in a valley and surrounded by wooded, grassy dormant volcanoes. Originally a huge manufacturing centre (Michelin Tyres are made here), nowadays it is very different with wide avenues and old factories converted into shopping malls. We went to the top of the Puy de Dome (1465m) on a funicular railway from where we enjoyed views as far east as Mont Blanc. A short stop in picturesque Orcival with its huge Romanesque church, complete with creepy crypt and on to Salers. This would have to be one of the prettiest towns in France, perched on a hilltop with a core of 16th Century stone buildings. The winding and hilly roads of the Auvergne are a bit of a challenge, but we coped well and found a free campsite in Naussac, a quiet little village perched high in the hills.

Hotel-Dieu

MOUNTAIN MAGIC

From Naussac, we steadily drove to Montauban for two nights the Tarn River, at €8 per night. The old city centre, built in 1144 from local pink brick, has a great feel. Like many of the southern French cities, its main feature is the Place Nationale, a magnificent central square, completely rebuilt after a fire in the 17th Century. The Old Bridge built in 1335 is still standing and used daily by traffic – a monument to those who created one of the richest cities in the south west.

Toulouse is a city of cosmopolitan charms and the city centre is traffic free. We caught the red bus on a two hour tour of the city, through the old town, past beautiful gardens and through the suburbs with their well-maintained Renaissance town houses. The Aerospaciale Centre is well worth a visit – it was the former manufacturing base for the Concorde. It is now owned by Airbus, and is used to make the Airbus A380 and the new version out soon, the A480. It was then off to Lourdes, where we joined the queue for the grotto (Catholic shine). The two Basilicas were amazing, with well kept, beautiful stained glass windows and a great aura of peace and tranquillity from the outside throngs. After a traditional Pyrenees meal of duck and veal, we wandered back to our campsite about 9.30pm – it was still daylight, and the snow-capped peaks of the Pyrenees were beckoning to us in the distance. Despite the warm weather and clear skies, there was hardly any traffic on the roads, apart from cyclists practising for the Pyrenees leg of the Tour de France. The villages of Saint-Savin and Argeles-Gazost had pretty much closed down after the end of the winter season so we went to the top of the Col du Tourmalet, the highest crossing in the range. At 2115 metres, it offered an interesting and focussed drive round hairpin bends and steep inclines, with fantastic views from many look-out points. We stopped at the top to be met with herds of wild alpacas roaming across the road before the long descent through the 3km Aragnouet tunnel into Spain. 

Top of the Pyrenees

HOLA AMIGOES

Zaragoza is a huge, spread out city but we walked around the centre. Logrono is more a stately town, few monuments, but well kept, beautiful squares and narrow streets. Next morning we were off to Burgos. Constructed in 1221, the UNESCO World Heritage-listed cathedral looms large over the city with its twin towers and fancy spires. The tomb of local hero El Cid is hanging from one of the interior walls. The city itself is guarded with monumental gates and accessed by two bridges. The pleasant campsite at Boradilla, a few kilometres outside of Madrid has convenient access to both bus and train services right into the centre of the city (about one hour). 

Sunday is market day in Madrid –  El Rastro – famous all over the world and probably one of the largest. You’ll find the usual market stuff, like clothes, jewellery, flamenco records and household goods, and, of course, it was absolutely crowded. Tradition dictates that no food is allowed to be sold in these markets but there are numerous bistros and cafes dotted around the side streets. On day two here we returned to Madrid – catching the Red Bus hop on/hop off tour to catch the City’s major attractions; magnificent buildings, The Royal Palace, Plaza Mayor, The Prado, and the parks and gardens made it a delight. The Prado was worth queueing for. We lunched in the Sol Square before to our camp. It has to be said that the public transport services in and around Madrid are first rate – clean, clear to understand and frequent. The cities of Valladolid and Leon are delightful, clean and open places with manicured gardens and parks. The buildings in the centre are bright and well maintained capped at 8-10 storeys high, so the sun can always get through to the streets. Northwards, we settled in a ski resort at Pajares, in the green and rugged mountains. The buildings and seasonal ski runs were closed but the views were spectacular. As sole campers, our night’s peace was disturbed only by the howling wolf or bear. Diesel cost between €1.02 and €1.08 since crossing the border. 

Entrance to Leon

OCEAN VIEWS

On to the beautiful city of A Coruna in the northwest corner of Spain. Here, motorway driving gives way to spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the rugged ranges on the other. We drove into our free camp right underneath the World Heritage-listed Torre de Hercules lighthouse, a short bus ride into the city. A Coruna is where, in 1588, the doomed Spanish Armada set sail only to be beaten by Sir Francis Drake, who then tried to capture the city, but was seen off by a local woman who is now a heroine. We entered the walls of the Old Town. Little plazas, old churches and cobbled lanes make this a wonderful place to wander through. In one street we saw a jamon (ham) shop where hams are hung for years after being smoked – the older they are, the more expensive. We called into Santiago de Compostela. There is a pilgrimage path from the Pyrenees to Santiago through many villages displaying a “Camino de Santiago” sign, used by 200,000 pilgrims a year since the 11th century and ends at the Cathedral. 

Unfortunately the cathedral, built between 1075 and 1211, is not in good condition and the frontage, including one of the spires is shrouded in scaffolding, but it is magnificent inside. A short trip later we ended up at the small resort of Sanxenxo, in a caravan park overlooking the bay on a perfect summer afternoon and booked in for two nights. Next day we waved goodbye to Spain but we knew we still had many exciting adventures ahead of us.

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Written: Fri 01 Sept 2017
Printed: September, 2017
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