Day 80 Sunday 20 May
Mist on the mountain tops so we wait a while to see what’ll happen. What happens is that a older British man from nearby wanders over to chat. We’ve met several like this and it‘s always the man, not the woman. He wants to talk. When not talking, he’s not listening, just waiting to talk again. I find out that they’ve been to Provence for 10 years, that Chelsea won the cup although Giggsy claims that his free kick etc. etc. etc. I did point out that we had just come from an area where we saw no Brits for three days and how good it was. Heather thought this a bit lacking in tact but it was like water off a duck’s back. I’m as sociable as the next man, as long as the next man is Hannibal Lecter but these people are so tediously boring.
Virtually no let up in rain today. The local village, Potes looks as if it would be very attractive if it wasn’t for all the tourist tat, so we just buy bread. Time to catch up on computer stuff, photos and blog.
Day 81 Monday 21 May
We’re aware of time running short and we still want to visit the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, so having visited the Picos but not seen them and with apparently little chance of the weather changing, we decide to try to find somewhere out of the clouds. We aim to get to lower ground to the east away from the Atlantic coast and spend most of the day covering the ground towards Bilbao, but inland. The Picos will have to be another trip.
We head for another protected area, also in the Wildlife Spain book, which has been absolutely invaluable in providing some sort of structure, if not direction, to our travels. It’s the Parque Natural de Valderejo, a small valley ringed with limestone cliffs/mountains.
It will leave us with only about 40 miles to drive to Bilbao.
Day 82 Tuesday 22 May
A beautiful valley almost ringed by limestone and another impressive info. Centre - with some info. Buy a map and off we go, mist then hot sun today and a very varied walk, through Beech woods, across open limestone, pine woods, along a river swollen by the rain, an abandoned village, meadows, vultures wheeling in and out of the mist and an incredibly narrow gorge past the meadow. All this in about 6 kilometres. The gorge turns at right angles so the approach looks as if there’s no way through, but of course there is even though the river is squeezed at one point to about 3 feet wide. On the return we stop at the church in the village abandoned in 1960 and are surprised to see some impressive wall paintings still surviving. An excellent last walk.
Heather has wanted to see a waterfall and near Valderejo is the highest in the Iberian Peninsular with a 300 metre drop. Having left Valderejo in hot sunshine, in the 10 mile trip we climb into thick cloud but decide to go anyway. This turns out to be the last country walk, about 2 kms to the precipice where we can hear the waterfall but no more. There’s a coach party of oldies making their way down and we exchange glum looks but most continue on, where they will see nothing.
Day 83 Wednesday 23 May
Into Bilbao on the metro to see the city but specifically to visit the Guggenheim Museum. Don’t understand why it’s called a museum though as it’s really an art gallery. The building is just as stunning as we expected. Clad with titanium panels, hardly a straight line in the place, lots of light and a cost of $100 million. What a pity about the contents. It’s a collection of crap, beautifully displayed in a magnificent building.
Bilbao itself has a feel very different from anywhere else we’ve been. It’s very lively and stylish and has an atmosphere of things happening. Difficult to put a finger on, but it’s just different. Heather says “a living city rather than a tourist one”.
Day 84 Thursday 24 May
Did our big pre getting home supermarket shop, wine, various food, wine, stuff for the journey, wine. Heather estimates 5 hours for this with me dithering over the selection but it takes us just over an hour. For the first shop ! Then H gets some clothes, then another Eroski. Back to the campsite for a rest prior to the journey back into Bilbao on the metro for the evening paseo and a special last night dinner. My 3 euro collapsible umbrella is collapsing in ways never intended but has just lasted out the time. It’s a damp paseo but a very good restaurant noted as special in our guide book, and amazingly still in existence. We’ve found that many guide book restaurants have disappeared since publication although you would think custom would increase a bit and keep them going.
Day 85 Friday 25 May
Hot sunny morning mocks us as we leave for the ferry.
Some Stats
Average drive 60 miles a day
4700 miles at 29.5 mpg
A great trip - would we go back to Spain ?
Yes - but when ?
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