As she wanted to go “the pretty way” the as the crow flies, 60 miles became 2 hours and 85 miles, no doubt not helped by following a major road that did not exist on either our 1 year old map or the GPS and ended up at an new unfinished airport that was not there?
Got to the place and my word it's impressive, pictures tell everything I think. Took a picnic which also helped and with only €3 to get into the castle, plus diesel, not an expensive day.
Day started by going to the market and getting 10 kgs of oranges to take back with us and then off we went.
The castle is over 1,000 m at it's tallest point (why would I mention any other point?) with a narrow road for most of the way and then 98 steps, on a notice board, to the top. Sopped for coffee before we started, circumnavigated the castle first and then, picnic and the assent.
Drive back was left to the GPS and we ended up more or less going back the same way.
Into town where we have found a nice café / bar where we get two small beers and two tapas which Tricia eats, varies between, tuna, egg and black pudding on bread, she eats them all. Back for boules and doms, I win the first, she the second and by the time that is finished along with dinner we are sitting outside in 26°C, drinking red wine and it's getting dark at 10 o'clock, bed.
Friday 17th June 2011, final washing and some packing hoping for a lazy day on Saturday.
No walks, no cycles as by the time we have finished we are knackered.
Up to town, same pub and same result, same games and bed.
Saturday 18th June 2011, BP and “lazy” day not!
Packing and cleaning all day, quick boules, and then final night dinner in the town, fantastic, same Pizza place and superb food and a nice bottle of house red. Rolled back foe some doms, her and then bed with the plan of a 7 o'clock wake up and gone by 8:30 am.
Sunday 19th June 2011, bye, bye, BP, hello Mendigorria.
Left on time after getting out the evening before and parking on the road, thing is that you pay the day before, they read your electric meter at 5pm and as soon as that's over, “everything” goes back on electric, and we had the A/C on most of the evening, going to bed at less than 26°C was a God's send.
A mere 350 uneventful miles later, she ate like there was no tomorrow (so what's new?) and we are safely tucked up in Mendigorria, on a slight slant, but it's only for the one night.
Had a bit of a fright as the landing legs would not extend. Tricia had just put the slideout out and it had drained the batteries? I think they are finished as although we have 4 we have never actually used them as leisure batteries as we have always been on mains power and they are not balanced (2 x 110 AH and 2 x 85 AH), you live and learn I guess. Dinner was assorted tapas. i.e. everything we had bits of left. So it was chicken drumsticks, pizza, fish fingers and salad, not too bad, or a few red wines or five. Doms, me, finish my book and then a 10° off horizontal bed.
Monday 20th June 2011, Mendigorria and she's freezing to death, she says.
OK, she's still in bed but it's 8 am so I'm up, it's 17°C and she's mentioning something about a penguin?
Plan is to stooge about until chucking out time, 11 am, but judging by the Spanish last night, that's just ignored but I think we will be on our way about then for the 130 mile run to Brittany Ferries in Bilbao for about 4 pm. Just going to reverse straight off the pitch and turn back up the calle we came down on. Hopefully we can get parked at the port in a place where we can get the slide out a bit, maybe a table and chairs? There is, supposedly a restaurant, toilets and showers there, be nice if true and open.
The site guys started to water the grass so before we had to cross too many water pipes we decided to go, 11 am a bit earlier than we originally intended but just take our times. Filled up with €1.24/litre diesel and 130 uneventful mikes later we are parked, with only one lorry, in the car park of the port. Everything is shut.
Well when I say “uneventful”, there was a point when we stopped for some lunch when we got a bit worried. We had been hearing lots of stories of people being made to stop, by the passenger in large cars using hammers to break your lights and then robbed. We made slight preparations, .22 mm air gun, bag of 720 gram boules, catapult and an assortment of marbles, one can of Mace and a water pistol filled with home made chilli spray, oh, and a baseball bat, thought we had covered most angles. As we had parked up the “eastern” looking guy, reasonably dressed came up and walked round the rig, giving it a good looking at. Then in the restaurant we see him again and he looks like he's been there a long time as his table is full of half empty 2 litre bottles of water and varies sweet wrappers. We we are thinking he is a “spotter” and phones ahead to his associates of likely candidates, paranoid I know. So I gets up and points my Nokia at him and take his picture, he's up like a shot and outside and stays out there smoking, until we leave, all weapons are suddenly at hand. Really need not have worried because the motorway was so busy and full, no one, short of the real uniformed Police could have stopped anybody. Back to the car park at Bilbao.
Two hours later and there is about half a dozen Brits complaining about how difficult it was to find the place, so we all get our chairs and tables out and take in the sun. A couple of the passengers also told us that they had been informed via mobile that the ferry may not sail, where was our communication via CCC? Mind I would have just worried all the way there. Spanish guy appears and tells us that we can check in now and then be in our lanes, with all the paperwork done, ready to board in the morning. One Brit guy who had just put his stabilisers down etc. starts complaining to me that he has just set up and why should he move? “Well just stay there then, mate!”
Front of our lane, table out, food out, B&W out, sun out, bliss.
Small motorhome arrives right next to us and I go and see if our extended wing mirrors are in his way. “Will you be OK there?” “Oh, you're a Sunderland lads then, south of the river I would guess?” Bloody hell that was very clever and more to the point spot on. “So how did you figure that one ?” “I married a girl from there”. So here we have Mike and Gwen. She was one year younger than me and we went to the same school and liver about two streets away in Thorney Close, Sunderland, small world indeed! So they joined us for more beer and wine informing us that they now lived in Hartlepool, poor buggers. Many wines (some spilled by yours truly) and beers later and it's midnight and time for bed. Me up at about 7 am and at 8 am they looked like they were starting loading, as the car loading park was now more that half full. No sign from Mike and Gwen so I decided to give them a knock. A pair of weary ladies eyes appeared at the and then lots of banging and shouting as they panicked to get up and out. Turns out they still had another hour but who's to know”
Now we, other than that lorry, were the first ones to arrive yesterday, who was dead last on, yep, us!
So I drive up this very steep ramp and then it was indicated that I turn round at the back of the ship (very tight!) and then form a queue pointing the other way, this ship was not RORO. The plan the next day was that the ramp would be lowered again and I was parked so I could drive straight off, but a bit too close to it in order to get the rig straight I thought, worry about that when the time comes, yeah right, lets start worrying now. Or it could have been, all the stuff in front of us drives off, (last again) and we have then to circumnavigate the ship to get back to the ramp and off.
On check in we were given our room keys so it was straight there and unpack and out again just in time to get the last “English” breakfast and for £10 was very good value. Booked dinner which made me laugh and summed up Brits. Now the ship is on GMT so we all put our watches back one hour giving us an extra hour in the day. Now most Brits, when booking dinner, tend to go for 7:30 pm to 8pm, it's the normal thing. Brittany have two sittings, 6:30 pm and 9 pm, probably figuring that 6:30 pm is really 7:30 pm and would fit in with our body clocks for that day, er no.
Rather large queue former at noon when you could book your dinner table. I'm standing off to the front of the queue deciding whether to join it now or wait and for nearly every passenger I hear; “Table for two for 7:30 pm thank you”. “Sorry Sir, first sitting is 6:30 pm and we need to fill that first”. “Table for two for 7:30 pm thank you”, through slightly tighter lips. Same reply with “We could put you on a waiting list for 7:30 pm?” "All right then, we'll do that”. (?!) They simply could not change their eating patterns as 6:30 pm was “far too early” although in reality it was correct for their body clock.
I gets to the to the front of the queue and ask for two at the first sitting and we are in! Turns out later Tricia got seasick and we had to cancel.
Watched “The King's Speech” with Colin Firth, no he was in it silly and we both really enjoyed it. Bed after some soup and sandwiches, she wasn’t that ill and bed.
Next morning, just coffee and we pack and the ship arrives, on time, 9:30 am in Portsmouth. We do have to go down the ramp and I persuade the guy behind me in a original green VW camper, who is going straight to Glastonbury BTW, to get in front and I will then be able to get the room I need, and it worked fine.
A3, M25, M23 and A264 and we are home.
That's it folks, until next season beginning.............................who knows?
John and Tricia Swinhoe signing off for now.
Packing up |
All ready for the off to El Molino |
Last night, scene fron Star Wars? |
Last night dinner |
Last night, Star Wars at night |
On the A23 to Mendigorria |
Parked next to our pitch last year! |
Mendigorria to Bilbao |
Mendigorria to Bilbao |
Mendigorria to Bilbao |
Mendigorria to Bilbao |
Er, anyone here? |
Let's get comfy then |
More comfy? |
Parked up on board Cap Finistair |
Bye, bye, season three? |
First in line and last on |
But first off! |