Motorhome & Caravan holiday Blog

It was a good job that Ingrid suggested packing up yesterday afternoon as there was more rain overnight and we woke to more thunder and rain. We left at 10am and headed down the N634 to San Vicente de Barquera and then on to the A8 motorway in the direction of Oviedo and Gijon. The A8 motorway runs along the coast and at times we were close to the beach and at other times we were further away, we ran alongside the Picos de Europe mountains which were spectacular. We went through several tunnels, some over a mile in length, and the motorway in places was a little rough. As we needed to top up with groceries we pulled off the motorway at Gijon and went to Lidl less than a kilometre away, shopped and then returned to the motorway. Throughout the journey we had a mixture of weather from heavy rain, light drizzle and dry partially blue skies. We turned off the motorway onto the N632 and followed the signs and the satnav to Cudillero and down a local road AS317 to the campsite. We checked in at 12.40 and were allocated a large grassy pitch. We had a quick coffee in the campsite bar and then got set up and just after I had the awning erected it started to rain.

We had some lunch and then during the afternoon we had some heavy rain showers. During the afternoon the sky brightened for a bit and it stopped raining so we went for a walk to the beach that was 1.4km away. After about half a kilometre the road started to wind steeply downhill and we decided it was a bit too steep for us to climb back up so we made the most of the view and then headed back to the campsite and just as we got back the rain started again. So we settled down to read and update this blog and we will try the campsite restaurant this evening.

Today’s route

Playing the flute

A lazy day at the campsite reading and pottering and we had the remains of yesterday’s bbq for dinner. No rain today and we saw some sunshine but it was mainly a grey day again. During the afternoon our neighbour gave us an impromptu concert on the flute. All nine occupants of this section of the site are British and all are a friendly crowd.

Looking at the preferred route of the satnav it wanted us to go to Logrono and then by motorway to Bilbao and along the coastal motorway to Comillas. It did offer a couple of alternative routes and on checking on Google maps we selected an alternative with a couple of variations for a picturesque trip. As a result, we left Entrerobles at 9.20 and as we were ready to leave so early we had to open the gates to leave the campsite. We went down the new road and joined the SO820 heading west through the forest and past the lake that we visited last year. We drove through the various villages with their red sandstone houses, there were a few more storks on their nests but still not as many as in 2017. The road number changes to the CL117 as we changed provinces and we continued through forest and small villages, many of the villages had timber yards for processing the wood cut from the forests. We then joined the N234 and headed towards Burgos and then we joined the A1 motorway and we stopped at the first services for coffee.

We re-joined the A1 and continued to Burgos and then around the ring road and on to the N627. All the roads on this trip were light with traffic and what there was was moving comfortably at the 90 or 100kmh speed limit and so that was fine for us, this section of the route was through some open fields and also past some overhanging rocks. We then joined the A67 heading north towards the coast. Some of the mountains in the distance still had snow on them in places just like those in Soria. We left the motorway at Torrelavega to refuel at Carrefour, had some lunch and then did some food shopping. There was a 2.1m height restriction on the Carrefour car park and so we had to park in the street outside.

After lunch and shopping we rejoined the A67 and then onto the A8 coastal motorway. The satnav took us off at the correct junction, not like last year, and we continued to the campsite arriving at 2.45pm. The first pitch that we went onto did not have a grey waste disposal point and so we moved to a pitch opposite where we were in 2017. During the evening there was thunder and lightning and later some rain.

We decided that we would change our original plan and leave home early and go direct to Camping Entrerobles and stay for two nights instead of just one. As a result we left home at 8.30am and joined the AP7 and headed towards Valencia around Valencia and on to the A23 in the direction of Teruel. We stopped for coffee at a service area about 30km from Teruel, unfortunately, as it was the first services for some while it was full. Around 30 bikers had stopped for breakfast along with a large number of cars and a few trucks. After 15 minutes of waiting and still no sign of being served we left and continued about 10km further to the next services off the motorway. We were lucky here in that we were served virtually straight away but shortly after we were served the place filled up.

Stopped for coffee

We re-joined the A23 and continued past Teruel and on towards Zaragoza and then turned on to the N234. This was a single carriageway road that was very quiet with little traffic in either direction. We passed through 3 villages all within about 15km and each of them had an unusual church with an ornate tiled bell tower with a spire on the top. Later villages had conventional bell towers. We saw a bar beside the road some distance further on with parking suitable for the motorhome and so we stopped for lunch. We ordered half a chicken with chips and salad for €6.50 and neither of us could finish it all, along with a glass of wine and 2 claras it was an expensive €16.50. Whilst we were there a band started playing and marching from the village towards the bar and they entered the bar and continued playing. They were followed by lots of people in their Sunday finery and we found that it was the villages local fiesta and so again we timed arriving and leaving just right.

Straight roads

We continued along the N234 in the direction of Soria, the landscape changed again and the road became arrow straight but undulating as we rolled across the Spanish plains. Some of the fields were a mass of red poppies, others had olive trees and some were fields of cereal crops. We were both getting bored of the journey by this time with little changing and the straight road. On the outskirts of Soria we filled up with diesel at some 10c a litre cheaper than at home. We followed the N111 in the direction of Logorno on the same route as last year towards the campsite. Unlike last year there were very few storks on the high buildings and even fewer nests.

We arrived at Camping Entrerobles at 4pm, checked in and were told to set up anywhere just like before. We drove around the site and chose a pitch close to where we parked before. Quickly set up and settled down in the 32-degree sunshine with a cold beer.

Today’s route