Brian and Jackie Cross: Leon, on to the ferry from Bilbao and home

Friday 19 April 2019

Leon, on to the ferry from Bilbao and home - Days 192 to 199

Big flower pot and small Jackie in Leon

I’m writing on the ferry, but whether it’ll get posted on the ferry is a matter for debate, there is WiFi but it’s very, very slow....

We left Portugal for Spain, a two hour journey to Leon but with the time difference three hours, to a busy Aire, with nine spaces, on a Friday. We should have left earlier....

We arrived in good time, to find nine spaces appear to have officially expanded to 21 so we were fine, though we were van number 12! (Aire location: 42°36'16.5"N 5°35'06.3"W) (Aire facilities with photos: click here then on item 82 in list) Better go and look at the city then, though having lost an hour, showered and had lunch we were in sleepy siesta time, so we’ll just wander.

Art in Leon

It’s a compact old town, an easy walk from the Aire, I guess that’s why it’s popular. Feeling slightly demob happy, in our last city before home, we did ice cream and beer, before back to Ted for dinner. What we hadn’t realised that the Friday before Easter was the start of Semana Santa, Holy Week, so we wandered back into town to see the first parade. Much like all the others we’ve seen, only without the fireworks. All of a sudden it’s light so late and groups and families just come out, and drift about, chatting, it’s lovely.

Casa Botines in Leon, designed by Gaudi

First parade for Santa Semana in Leon

Woke to a gentle day, walk along the river, into town, bit more of a look around before stopping for lunch, though this was harder than we expected as we are normally a good hour before the locals, but not today, the city was heaving and outside tables in high demand as it went from jolly chilly, 7 degrees when we got up, to t-shirt and sunburnt nose weather in what felt like fractions of a second. We did manage a great table in a buzzing plaza, fabulous for watching the minstrels and stag and hen parties.... a few beers before returning to Ted and to watch carpark mayhem! There were vans arriving, driving round, parking, moving, we hadn’t seen anything like it since early December holiday weekend in Burgos.

From a very busy Aire in Leon to just us in Astudillo Aire

When we woke on Sunday, there were 21 officially parked vans, 29 just parked up in the carpark, all taking a minimum of two car spaces, there were 8 in a nearby carpark and two on the road.... it’s easy to be smug as we were there early enough on Friday to get an official space, but many of the ‘unofficials’ were Spaniards who we assume had all been working on Friday. We had to feel for them, but also for the locals whose entire carpark has been filled with vans of all shapes and sizes. Anyway, our 48 hours were up, so time for the start of the final push to Bilbao.

The lovely old plaza in Astudillo

The castillo and cave houses in Astudillo

Starting off in Fromista, which the lady in the tourist office had circled, but where, for the first time, we hadn’t felt we wanted to stay, the Rough Guide has mentioned the town but said there wasn’t much to see except for restaurants and pilgrims. We had been aware of the Camino de Santiago but like many had assumed it is one route, but it’s not. We saw paths in France, and Portugal, but without doubt this was the busiest area by far, in Leon and along, ‘under ‘ the mountains from Santander and Bilbao.

Astudillo from the castillo

Santillana Aire (L) and the hill with the old fort ruins

Anyway there was another Aire 15 minutes away, albeit in the wrong direction, and I’d already been saying Bilbao seemed to be getting further away, so we headed there. It felt like a much nicer space with more to see in the village and right by the football pitch, where there was even a match! Not that I paid it any attention, but Brian went to have a look. (Aire location: 42°11'22.2"N 4°18'00.3"W) (Aire facilities with photos: click here then on item 83 in list)

Walking back from our hill walk with the approaching rain clouds. We parked on the right, away from the other motorhomes, but later two other vans parked right up next to us - and with all this other parking space. Why?

The lovely old Santillana de Mar centre

Two hours to Santillana del Mar, which actually wasn’t by the sea, but we wanted to get there before the rain, which was forecast at 14.00. (Aire location: 43°23'10.8"N 4°06'02.7"W) (Aire facilities with photos: click here then on item 84 in list) We arrived at 12.00 and rather than have lunch, we yomped up the local viewpoint to have a look round. Could see the snowy Picos mountains in the distance, B had wanted to go walking, commented it was hard to believe that it would be raining within an hour... back to Ted for lunch. First the wind blew up, and then at 14.02 it poured down, and continued for 12 hours! However we knew it was coming so were quite prepared. We think it’s the third time we’ve been van bound in 6 1\2 months, so not bad really. Unlike the couple we’ve just been talking to, also on their first trip away, 2 1/2 weeks of virtually continuous rain..... we are very grateful we had the Housesit when we did!

The old Roman bridge and fabulous scenery in Liergranes

A very pregnant cat is coaxed to Big Ted with cat biscuits

One more night away, our last Aire, closer to Santander than Bilbao, but all carefully planned, Mercadona, fuel and lunch before the port. Perhaps being away before Easter really begins isn’t such a bad thing.... kids playing football till 22.45.... (Aire location: 43°20'41.6"N 3°44'28.6"W) (Aire facilities with photos: click here then on item 85 in list)

One night on the ferry where I barely slept, I was worried about Ted falling over, not overboard, just over, but he was still upright in the morning, and hopefully he won’t be too splashed with salty sea water, though he will still be getting a shower before going to storage. A night near Portsmouth tonight (campsite location: 50°50'38.2"N 1°14'48.4"W) (Campsite facilities with photos: click here then on item 87 in list), and then nip up to Alvechurch....