Day 41 - Riberduero to Embalse de La Cuerda del Pozo

 Waking to sunshine and cuckoos, definitely spring now. Really hard to leave with the sun shining so we take our time doing all the necessary tasks when you are taking advantage of staying at a campsite. 

A little later than we should leave we hot the road but only for a couple of miles to the limestone castle in the adjacent village of Penafiel. On paper this is a walkable distance but being at the top of a high hill the drive is very welcome. 

The castle is unlike any other we’ve seen. It sits along a narrow ridge and to do this had to be built long and narrow. It’s almost ship like with one tower in the centre like a giant funnel. It’s also unlike any other in that the only way to visit it is on a Spanish speaking guided tour and on a ticket that includes seeing the ‘wine museum’ that is housed within the castle walls (€6.60). We tack onto a tour but are unable to keep up with the Spanish, so wander at the tail end of the group enjoying the sunshine and trying to work out what bit is what. It is immaculate and it feels like the connection to the wine industry is the reason for that as it’s a pretty impressive wine showcase but also the views are incredible! We can work out where we walked yesterday and see miles in all directions even back to the snow covered sierras.






 When the tour finished it is siesta time so if we want to see the wine museum we have to return at 4pm… we’re not that bothered so we hit the road with a few pauses on the way to look at the castle from the ground. 

We are a bit undecided about what is next. We were thinking that we would head to Burgos but don’t want to dilute the experience of Segovia with another city and it’s gloriously sunny so we decide to head north into the countryside and I spot a potential park up a couple of hours away by a reservoir which sounds ideal. 

We head off on national roads but they have a green line beside them. This is undoubtedly wine country with vineyards and bodegas in every direction. 

I noticed a slower but scenic looking road we could divert onto and we leave to pick it up at Omar … what a winner!! No sooner are we off the main road than we are beside a river and under an interesting looking castle. There’s an empty car park beside it so we park up and head up the hill. The castle is s steep climb but worth the effort. It’s a huge contrast to this morning. No tour, no fee, totally unmanned and with written info (in Spanish) that explains some of the history. It has lots of walkways and feels safe to clamber around and was great fun. 





Back on the ground and the river and the bridge look lovely too… lots of good looking walking here, definitely one to return too. It even has a stork on the church roof which always makes me happy!



The green road that I chose heads into the Canon del Rio Lobos Natural Park. Yet another that it an unknown but is stunning, running alongside a sheer cliff face and a green banked river. We divert to the car parks for a ground level view then climb up to what is probably the best mirador I have  ever visited. The views are incredible in about 270 degrees with cliffs, rivers and distant mountains - stunning!




A minor road takes us through some mountain villages then crosses the main road until we are in sight of our reservoir stop. 


Just south of Molinos de Duero at ‘Playa de Pila’ a recreational space where the only two other cars leave shortly after we arrive. It is absolutely tranquil and no noise other than birdsong as the sun sets whilst we picnic.




I don’t think our sleep will be disturbed tonight…



Miles so far: 2379

Steps today: 9420

Overnight:’Wildcamp’  Playa de Pina , free



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Spain Day 5 - San Sebastián to Pamplona

Image
Bright sunshine to wake to at last! Off to Pamplona. Mostly motorway but we moved to the smaller road for the last 20 mins or so. Blue skies and snow capped mountains visible as we climbed. Stunning roadside mirador opportunity where we also got our first view of circling vultures and saw trees filled with nests of processionary moth caterpillars high in the pines.  Finally got a chance to make a brief visit to a bigger supermarket and fill up the fridge and the fuel tank just before we reached the city. The aire here is very new, on the outskirts of town next to the fire station, but only a short walk away from the centre (with a glass lift to save the climb). Google wasn’t happy with the address but got us near enough to follow the signs. It’s the first time that we’ve seen lots of English vans, mostly returning from winters on the ‘costas’. It’s nice to chat about their recommendations and experiences. The aire seems to be somewhere that young people hang around and smoke weed w...
Read more

Ready to go!

Image
Seems a long time since we were heading back from Scotland and talking about avoiding some of the British winter and taking the van to Spain, but nine months later we are about to hit the road.  The last couple of weeks have been filled with packing and re-packing to make the most compact version of everything. With a vague idea that we might keep going for six weeks and temperatures that could easily stretch from single figures to 30+ deciding what is needed is a challenge! Ten years on I’m still managing to find tiny mods that add space (like the magnetic knife rack holding little metal boxes) …and adding more fairy lights. The long ferry journey will be a new experience. Graham lacks 'sea legs' so it remains to be seem how crossing the Bay of Biscay will go. Particularly as they’ve brought the sailing forward tonight due to impending high winds! There’s also the added complication of having to have some things in a bag to take to the cabin …this destroys my van organisation...
Read more