Sunday 8th September Last night the wind continued until past midnight, when it passed the baton to the rain who put in a sterling effort over the next 12 hours, finally breasting the tape at noon. As the clouds went off to claim their medal the sun came out to play the National Anthem (well … Continue reading Carmargue Safari

Saturday September 7th There was a fresh breeze against us as we drove along the coast to the 13th century town of Aigues Mortes (which translates as Stagnant Water – lovely!)  Charlemagne (him again!) had granted this part of the coast to the Benedictine monks in 791 where they built up a thriving salt business … Continue reading Aigues Mortes

Friday September 6th Wendy and I have the sand between our toes on the humongous beach at Gruissan and Narbonne Plage, 44 years after the last time we were here. Back in the glorious summer of 1980, Wendy and I, Chris and Ginny, Sue and Trev, John and Sandra, and Max squeezed in to three … Continue reading “We’ve been coming here for 44 years!”

Wednesday and Thursday 4th and 5th September  The medieval walled town of Carcassonne sits on a small hill overlooking the Aude like something out of a Shrek film. Its roots that go back to before the romans, and it has been steeped in history ever since. In the 8th Century the city was in the … Continue reading A Tale of Two Cities

Wednesday 4th September Drizzle! It always sounds worse in the camper van, but it was drizzling persistently as Bryn and I tried to find a patch of green where he could have a run. The best we could find was a small copse of trees surrounded by light industrial units and car storage compounds (I … Continue reading Adieu Andorra! Bonjour France!

Tuesday 3rd September Well, the Spanish weather gods were certainly unhappy with the thought of us leaving Spain so soon after arriving! They threw thunderbolts and cried torrential tears which continued all morning. It was too wet to drive safely so I made do with catching up on a bit of blogging and then joined … Continue reading Andorra

Monday 2nd September Wendy never misses a chance to get the Kärcher out! Waving a fond farewell to Torla we turned our vans south as we followed the river Ara down the valley, we were heading for the N260. A road supposed to be the prettiest in Europe and recommended to us by Grahame who … Continue reading The N260 – Probably Europe’s Prettiest Road?

Sunday 1st September Camping Rio d’Ara is nestled at the top of a valley surrounded by high peaks, just outside the pretty village of Torla on the banks of the river Ara. We are just on the edge of the Parque Nacional de Ordessa y Monte Perido from which vehicles are banned. If you want … Continue reading A Walk in the Park

Saturday 31st August On the last day of meteorological summer, the first autumnal mists were slowly burning off as we left Pamplona behind and headed west to Jaca, a town described as ‘the pearl of the Pyrenees’. We managed to squeeze into the last two spots in the car park by the citadel. The citadel … Continue reading A Pearl and a White Elephant

Friday 30th August Camping Ezcabar is the nearest campsite to Pamplona and, although it is a good way outside the city, there is a lovely cycle path that follows the river and takes us right into the centre. Bryn has not been in his chariot for over a year. Will he remember it as the … Continue reading Pedalling to Pamplona