My first of two now annual trips…2019 Vitara, Portsmouth > Bilbao return for 6 weeks.
Rather later this year as I wanted to see the Moors & Christians festival held in Moraira each June, so had to contend with scorching weather.
The evening BF departure is perfect, the usual awful motorway journey south, but two nights at sea with a nice cabin, lots to do onboard ( or not) then 08:00 arrival and away. Once out of Bilbao I always leave the motorway and head cross country to Valencia before driving down the coast.
One week with my walking groups, out 5 days a week before the close of our walking season end of May , then back NW to the Picos for 9 days on a group holiday. Return over 4 days to the CBlanca , exploring as I go..Avila, Toledo, Alarcon.
Daily pre breakfast swims then morning walks inland before it go too hot. Leisurely drive back to Bilbao, avoiding motorways, finding accommodation in villages or camping if I stumbled across a nice site.
3,250 miles, 51mpg overall…plenty of memories and amazing scenery..castles, hilltop villages, delicious dirt cheap meals… then the reality of the M275/27, A34, M40/42/6.
Next big trip September/october…Santander return, a different area of the Picos, northern coast of Spain then northern Portugal to Porto, returning east to CBlanca for the start of our groups walking seasons in October via Salamanca and other places of interest en route…which I never plan, just wing the route day by day.
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