Spain 2007 - Costa Verde to the Northern Plains

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From the Costa Verde to the Northern Plains
Entering Spain through the industrial town of Irun we parked up at the modern marina at Hondaribbia across the estuary from Hendaye for lunch then drove along the main road to Donostia-San Sebastian which looked smart in the old town centre but in torrential rain having not yet got used to Spanish/Basque road signs we managed to end up heading south on a busy dual carriageway with fast trucks to Tolosa where we turned off for a break and a study of the maps. We took the quiet but attractive road through the hills to Azpetia and the Jesuit shrine of St Ignatius Loyola, a severe building from the outside with a magnificent dark marbled interior. From there we drove back to the coast and after overnighting in more heavy rain at a small but expensive campsite at Itxaspe, drove to Deba a small and deserted resort. Continuing along the coast road we again got lost in the narrow streets of Ondarroa before arriving at Lekeitio, another resort that is probably much more interesting on a hot summer's day!
After another wet night at the campsite at Mendexa we decided that the Costa Verde was living up to its name so headed inland, eventually on a good road after diversions on country lanes due to road closures, to the bypass of Vitoria Gastiez where we had a fright expecting to join a slip road for the motorway but realising just in time that it was in fact a tee junction! After a circuit (or two) of Miranda de Ebro an industrial town with many modern apartment blocks in the middle of a very large flat plain we found a small road marked in green (picturesque) on the Michelin map. After 18 kilometres of potholes and single track we ended up at Haro, just in the Rioja region where the town was buzzing with the build up to a bull fight. While the pageantry and processions through the town were interesting we gave the actual event a miss. On their way to the bullfight	Interior of St Ignatious Loyola Basilica Picadors at Haro
Studying the many guidebooks to Northern Spain and notes from websites we had brought with us, we continued heading south to the walled town of St Domingo de la Calzada on el Camino de Santiago, where there were many walkers, some cyclists and one person with a donkey, (The pilgrims route is frequently marked with a shell symbol and nowadays with modern signs. The Compostela is the certificate earned by walkers completing at least 100km and for cyclists 200km). After watching the many storks nesting on the town walls, we drove south to the large twin monasteries of Yuso and Suso set in the wooded hills of the Sierra de la Demanda nature reserve. There was a small campsite nearby at Berceo mostly small static caravans with elaborate awnings, barbecues, flowers in tubs etc. which we presumed were used as weekend retreats. From there we turned east to Logrono then south to the prehistoric park at Enciso where there were impressive dinosaur footprints in the rocks, the most accessible of more than 5000 in this area. There were a few replica animals but no gift shop cafe or bar as there would be in France, just a children's play area and some informative display boards. Dinosaur at Enciso Driving past many caves in the cliffs surrounding the industrial towns of Arnedo and Autol we took a detour to the town of Falces with a chapel and shrine on the cliffs overlooking the flat plains and eventually arrived at Olite for a peaceful night wild camping outside the cemetery on the edge of the town (we discovered the listed campsite which was all statics the next morning). Olite has a large castle in the old walled town centre with many towers and turrets and is worth a stroll around. There is an old decorated palace now a Parador (state run hotel) Solar panels near Olite	Monastery de Yuso Dinosaur footprints at Enciso Olite Castle and town square Saints on palace façade at Olite
Our zizag route led us past massive banks of solar panels and wind farms to the strange desert region of the La Bárdenas Reales de Navarre and another diversion at Valtierra, following nature park signs on a new road which led us to a deserted theme park and zoo (Sendaviva - possibly open in the afternoons) so we visited another hilltop chapel nearby at the sanctuary of the Virgin del Yugo hoping for more extensive views of the Arizona style rock formations but we were thwarted by heavy rain and a thunderstorm. After driving through large flooded rice? fields we stopped on the bypass of the larger town of Tudela where there were several supermarkets then we headed east through the "desert" then north towards the Pyrenees through ever more mountainous terrain to Sos del Rey Católico and on another narrow winding road to Ruestes, a ruined village with graffiti covered buildings and a hostel on the Camino de Santiago and apparently used for Anarchist party gatherings. Ruestes graffiti covered walls Descending into the valley we arrived at the Embalse de Yesa, a turquoise reservoir surrounded by strange mounds of smooth grey shale. After a night at the campsite near Sigués where there was a huge Belgian registered American RV with additional cars, tents, powerboats and canoes (did they pay just the standard pitch fee?), we drove along the northern side of the lake to the Monasterio de Leyre then on to Lumbier and the Foz (gorge - parking was €2, one of the few times we had to pay while in Spain), impressive cliffs with a path along an old railway track through two tunnels and popular with birdwatchers. Heading north east we climbed into the wooded foothills of the Pyrenees on a good road passing another viewpoint into the deep and inaccessible Foz de Arbayun and on to the Passo las Coronas 950m where there was a picnic site, unfortunately vandalised, with fine views into the Valle de Roncal and the snow capped Pyrenees. After Roncal we took the road to Anso which was good for 4km then followed 6km of potholes with a few concrete post barriers on some of the sharper bends. Luckily we only met two cars. At Anso the village was virtually deserted and the campsite closed so we had a long drive across rough countryside through the narrow Foz de Biniés (wondering whether to stop and wildcamp for the night) and the main road at last where we headed for the nearest campsite which was the excellent Camping Pirineos at Santa Cilia de Jaca. The next morning we drove to Jaca an important administrative centre since Roman times and now a busy town, for some shopping then retraced our route back to the crossroads at Puente la Reina de Jaca turning south on the virtually empty main road towards Huesca. After stopping to look at the large sandstone rocks of Los Mallos we turned off to the village of Loarre and the delightfully situated Camping de Castillo de Loarre pitching among shady olive trees, (welcome now that the weather was hot and sunny for a day or so!) with fine views of the large castle and the extensive plains to the south. After tea we enjoyed an hour's walk up to the castle but found it closed just as we arrived at 7pm	Sanctuary of the Virgin del Yugo Bárdenas Reales de Navarra Foz de Arbayun near Lumbier Los Mallos near Ayerbe View from Castillo de Loarre
Camping Castillo de Loarre	Castillo de Loarre
The next day we decided to drive the short distance to Huesca for a supermarket top-up then to turn north through the Pyrenees as we were finding that travelling west to east was proving to be slow and difficult with narrow winding north-south roads up heavily wooded valleys. We stopped briefly at Biesca where there was a tragedy in August 1996 when 87 people were killed as the campsite was washed away in a flash flood, then a slow but steady climb past the expanding ski resort of el Formigal. Crossing the easy Col du Pourtalet route back into France it was a pleasant drive down to Laruns, pausing at Artouste-Fabrèges where a mountain railway runs to a lake high in the mountains (but it's a full day's trip).
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