Roady's Roamings

We drove to the aire near Combarro, for an urgent stop at the service point for water etc. Parked up and walked to Combarro an old fishing village with a number of horreos, food storage buildings on stilts lining the shore. The village itself is well worth a visit, steep narrow streets built on and into the rocks.

Fisterra or Finisterra, depending on whether you are Spanish of Galician. Is the end point of the Camino de Compostela. Here the pilgrims would burn their smelly socks,and watch the Sun go down, to signify the end of that part of thier life. The practice continues to this day by the number of fire pits on the headland. There is a working light house and a very nice, if somewhat expensive bar and hotel. We bought a bottle of wine and sat and watch the sun go down in the comfort of the bar mezzanine. A quick walk back to the  van parked in the aire on the clifftop.

Stopped at the aire at Milladorio on the night of the 30th October. The following morning we took the bus to the centre of Santiago de Compostela, €1.5 each. The bus station is on the edge of the old city and the famous cathedral. The old part is narrow streets opening up into some very  large squares especialy around the cathedral. The inside of the cathedral is something to behold. An vast array of gold columns and statues. There are 2 very large incense burners that can be swung from the ceiling.  These were used to mask the smell from the pilgrims. A wander around the streets and back the the bus station for the trip back to the van. Then off to the final point of the Camino de Compostela, Fisterra, or Finisterra.

A nice quiet aire on the harbour right next to a sandy cove. Free aire, water possible from a modified beach shower! A couple of nice walks exploring yet more deserted sandy coves in the area.

We stayed at Camping los Cantiles, a cosy site on the cliffs above Luarca. The walk into town was pleasant allong quiet roads with a great view of the harbour on the way down and a magnificent cemetery.  The town is very quiet at this time of year with a mix of modern buildings and public spaces with a number of old and occasional dilapidated ones, but they did not detract from a very pleasant experience.

The walk of the bear. 31 km of cycle or hiking track allong a disused mining train track. The main route, and the one we cycled, from Entrago, where we stayed at the aire, to Tuñon with a separate branch up to Ricabo joining at Caranga de Abajo. The aire is right on the end of thr route with a rudimentary service point but there are public toilets and a shower for €2. The cycle trip was excellent, some spectacular views and may tunnels, some lit, which was very welcome. From Entrago the 20 km to Tuñon is all downhill, but of course the return is all up hill. The gradient is not too steep, but peddaling continuously for 20 km is pretty monotonous. About half way there is some substantial fences and a viewing point, this is the bear enclosure. I only got a photo of a bears behind on the way down but a better view on the way back.

We stayed at the motorhome aire on the west of the town, an automated access site with all facilities. €3 for the night, water etc charged extra. Once again a clifftop walk into the town, but this time with a wall and a proper path, no problems with Jeannet this time. The town itself was well worth a visit, the harbour extends up the river into the town centre, with well kept buildings and public areas. Some of the concrete blocks that protect the harbour wall have been painted as a form of art installation called the Cubes of Memory.

Fuenta De is a mountain, with a cable car or Telefèrico. An amazing trip on the cablecar, not as frightening as it looks from the ground. The views from the top are truly stunning with many walks from the cablecar station. If we had arrived eirlier we may have walked down, but it we took the return trip. Stopped the night at La Viorna near Potes, very quiet campsite with good facilities.

Stopped at the motorhome aire Las Hazas. Very rural location with the sounds of cockerels and donkeys and the smell of sweet hay, and a view of  a monestary. We walked into Cobreces allong the cliff top path, much to the dislike of Jeannette, my amusement in her predicament didn't help. The town was not that interesting but the walk was spectacular.

Paleolithic cave art. There are a number of caves here with art in them 2 are accessible by the public at the amazing rate of €3 per adult. A real bargain. The caves are dimly lit, cold and slippery underfoot, warm clothes and good footwear recommended. The tour is guided by very knowledgeable guides but unfortunately only in Spanish. We were lucky that an American couple had a translator with them, so we listened in. A fantastic experience, the Altamera Caves are closed to the public and only replicas on display, here you see the real thing, but maybe not for much longer. Unfortunately no photgraphs.

Stopped at the aire but decided not to spend the night, we only came here as this is an interesting place. The old part of the town is medieval in its appearance with a large church and several buildings of a similar age allong the main street. The town is a tourist attraction with organised bus trips and quit busy even though it is a Friday and out of season. Not our sort of place but nice.

The aire here way by thr railway station, mixed parking and motorhome service point. Part of the carpark was cordoned off but the were plenty of spaces until 3 tour busses arrived. The town has a very nice tree lined promenade beside the river with resteraunts and shops but he centre of the town is further towards the 'Roman Bridge' and old mill. Very tidy and the houses are very nicely maintained in the local style. The mill has a bronze statue of a naked man beside it. This is apparently fish man of Liérganes. A cryptid. A good walk around and back to the van for the night.

Stayed at the aire on P1 carpark. Usual service point for motorhomes. We walked into the town, very quiet. The old part is nice but small and the harbour was picturesque.  Very little going on as was out of season.  Back to the van for a quiet night. Next stop Liérganes.

The campsite, Le Bord de Mer, is situated in Erromardie about 2 km from SJdL. Very nice site very close to the beach as the name would imply. We stayed at the nearby campsite Ferme de Erromardie 3 years ago and liked the place very much.  We are not disappointed this time. We intended to stop for 3 nights but extended to 5 nights due to a dental problem causing great pain. A trip to the doctors and dentist and a prescription to the pharmacy seems to have sorted things out. Any more problems and it's back home.

A 1 night stopover to break the journey and see if it is worth visiting at some future date. The aire was a usual Campingcar Park with motorhome service point. We cycled into the town for a look around. A very small town with most shops and restaurants within 2 streets of the sea front. Nice to visit but the beach is the main attraction and very little else.

A very pretty village with a 10th century  church. The rest of the village seems untouched from about the same time. The main road through the town is no closed to traffic making sightseeing a pleasure. The aire is on the East side of town causing a long detour as we approached from the West. Stopping the night here €5 but no facilities.

Stopped at the "Campingcar Park" aire outside the town and walked in via the riverside path. Rather a long way 1.5 hours each way. Very quite as it was a Sunday. We decided it was worth another day here. The following day we cycled in along the same path, a lot quicker and saved our feet for a better look around. There are some beautiful old half timbered buildings, some of them make you wonder how they are still standing. Very nice modern area around the harbour and marina. We stopped for leisurely lunch and cycled back. Good day.

We parked at the Aire near the centre of town, not nice. Very small and busy, just part of the town car park. Change of plan. Quick look around the town and off to the carpark at the Alignments. The Alignment of megaliths is a wonder to behold, thousands of large stones in several parallel lines running for hundreds of metres. Photographs cannot do it justice. You have to be there to appreciate the spectacle. Unfortunately the visitors centre was closed and there is a lot of building work going on. New car parks etc. Should be good when they are finished. A very late lunch in the van and back along the coast to White Sands Aire for the night.

We parked at the Aire by the football stadium and walked into town. Fantastic place, beautiful walk along the river and down to a very picturesque harbour. Many old mills along the river with all sorts of water control sluices in varying states of repair. Back to the aire for the night. Carnac tomorrow.

We went to the Aire at the old station quite near to the centre of the town. It was market day and therefor quite busy. The main attraction here is the old fortifications inside the harbour Ville Close. Very impressive fortified town with an almost complete ramparts walk. There are also many small shops within the walls. Unfortunately a lot of them are souvenir shops. We took in the market on the walk back but, after lunch in the van, decided that it was not worth an overnight and pressed on to Port Aven.

Beautiful little town that has hardly changed since medieval times. Granite stone houses and cobbled streets. Really picture postcard. A very enjoyable walk around but not worth a whole day. So although we filled with water at the motorhome service point we didn't stop the night, but headed for Quimper.

No suitable Aires, so it's a campsite for a couple of night, Domain de l'Orangerie We need to get the batteries fully charged on mains hookup and there is a bit of clothes washing to do. Nice site 2 km walk or cycle to the centre os Quimper. We walked it as the mention of cobbled streets on a bike brings tears to the eyes. The old part of Quimper is very nice, cobbled streets, quaint shops and restaurants. We had lunch at a Ceperie, Crêperie Ty-Ru. Gallettes, a crepe made from Buckwheat, Salmon for Jeannette and Camembert and Serrano ham for me and the obligatory pichè of white wine.

Traveled here first thing to get a day looking around.  Nice little marina and harbour, with the usual restaurants along the front. We walked up to the Fort and batteries up above the harbour,  they are not well preserved,  overgrown and especially the battery as it is little more than 3 collapsed walls. The walk was worth it with an exelent view of the marina.

We arrived at the aire mid afternoon. The weather was deteriorating all the time, rain and eventually fog. Very little to do or see in this weather so the rest of the day was spent in the van. Monday saw some improvement,  at least for the early part of the day, so a wander around the alignment of megaliths, just near the entrance to the aire, a ruined house on the headland nearby and then down into the town and harbour. Very picturesque. About 5 pm the weather closed in so back to the van for the night with showers. Morgat in the morning.

Arrived at Paimpol after the rampart walk at Dinan. The Aire is near the town centre an due to a problem with the access barrier it's free. Including mains hook up. We walked into the town on the afternoon. Not very exciting, the small area around the marina is pleasant and the usual nice shops and restaurants, but outside of that area and hence the walk in is a bit drab and industrial. There is a lot of building work going on do I would expect things to improve in the near future.

Due to the rain we postponed the rampart walk until Saturday morning. Well worth it. Although it is not complete as the ramparts have been built over and some parts demolished to build roads etc. Most of the walk is poorly signposted but that seems to be the French way. Off to Paimpol tomorrow.

The weather was not looking good for a cycle to St Malo. So we moved to Dinan. The aire under the bridge is very expensive up to 7 pm then it seem to be free. The charges for the parking is rather complex, €0.50 for 30 minutes for the first 2 hours and then €0.80 for 30 mins thereafter. We stopped at the free aire in Lanvalley,  this a 11 minutes cycle ride to the old centre of Dinan. The town itself is very charming with many medieval building and streets, with the accompanying bars and restaurants and many small shops. The weather broke and we had a wet cycle back to the van.

We cycled to Cancale today, a 27 km round trip. The port at Cancale is famous for it Oyster farming. So we had to try them. 12 oysters for €6 ready shucked with half a lemon. Delicious. The return trip was via Point de Grouin. A view point but not that exciting.

Our first real campsite in France this trip. It's also a fortnight since we left home so quite a bit of washing to do but with the big washing and drying machines on these sites it only takes an hour. The site is very near the beach so a wander along that filled in the wait. Rain due this evening, so planning for the next few days this evening.