Pamplona to Madrid

Tuesday 8^th January: Hendaye – Pamplona – Soria

We were up promptly at 7.30am, had breakfast, got the van ready for the next stage and then drove down to the sea front for another look at this pretty resort.  We set the sat nav for Pamplona which took us on a very scenic route through the Atlantic Pyrenees. We arrived in Pamplona mid-morning.  This town is famous for the annual ‘running of the bulls’ when bulls are let loose and foolish people try to outrun them with the inevitable casualties.  The town is situated high above the river gorge and gives good views but we also loved the narrow streets fronted  by tall buildings.  This was a very different stop from our last one in France.

We bought some bread and onions from the market and then got on our way again taking the fast route to Lograno (centre of the Rioja region) and then onto Soria. We stopped in Lograno for about an hour catching up with e mails (courtesy of Mc Donalds free wifi again) and then took the route on the N111.  This route was very dramatic in parts with impressive rock outcrops rising steeply along the road, we found a picnic area for lunch and were very pleasantly surprised to find the temperature had risen to 17C.  It had been -2C when we had arrived in Pamplona earlier that day. 

We had our first outdoor lunch of the year enjoying the sunshine – it was wonderful.  We arrived in Soria in the fading light.  It was a bigger town than we had expected but it was a useful stopover on our trip south.

Wednesday 9^th January: Soria - Segovia

It was a cold morning.  We were up early as we had parked near a sports centre for the night and wanted to get ourselves out of the way.  We left in the dark and as the skies lightened it became a very pleasant drive as the trees were covered in a hoar frost. We were travelling high and there were a few signs of snow but nothing to bother us and then as we came lower and travelled across the flatter land to Segovia it looked quite arid. 

Segovia has a warm feeling.  The town is built of a warm orange coloured stone and it nestles itself into the hillside. We arrived and parked immediately below a massive aqueduct which is a key feature of this town.  The aqueduct is over 800m long and is built of granite blocks without any cement or mortar. The aqueduct is supported by 166 arches and 120 pillars.  It is said that traffic and environmental factors are taking a toll on this structure but it looks stunning at the moment and I hope they are able to preserve it in its current form. 

Our parking spot only allowed us 2 hours so we set off around the city walls enjoying the buildings.  We passed a large cathedral and headed to the Alcazar (palace).  This turned out to be a fine building but we did not have time to explore it so we headed back to the van along another part of the city wall.  We moved the van and found an ideal parking place at the bottom of the town.  It meant we had an uphill walk back to the Alcazar but it was free and was suitable for stopping in overnight.  We had our lunch and then returned to the Alcazar which contained some beautifully decorated rooms and wonderful views across the gorge. It was raining heavily by the time we finished our tour so we went back to the van where I found I could get internet access so I did some marking for the next five hours.  

Thursday 10th January

The route from Segovia to Madrid was stunning.  We drove upwards from 1000m to 1860m over the Sierra de Guadarrama. The views were fantastic despite it being quite foggy at the top.  The route upwards was through beautiful forest and it must be lovely to walk here in the summer.  

We were unsure where to stay in Madrid.  Street parking would be impractical in a major city and we wanted some security for our bikes. After searching the internet we found a campsite on the outskirts of the town.  It had easy access to the metro and hence centre of Madrid. It was going to cost us about 20 euros but it seemed worth it for the peace of mind and lack of hassle.  We arrived at lunchtime, reception was closed but we were met by someone who would let us in if we gave in our passports.  He spoke no english and our spanish is severely limited but eventually we got in and parked up. We had a coffee  and then armed with guidebooks we walked to the metro and got a train to Opera in the centre of Madrid. We had marked the main places we wanted to see, so we wandered around before heading for the palace. We were fortunate  to find that on Thursday entry to the palace is free after 3pm for EU citizens. The downside was you had to have photographic ID.  Mike had his driving license with him but I had nothing. The lady at information informed me i would have to pay 10 euros but the nice male attendant let me in on my National Trust card!  The palace was truely sumptious - fit for many a Royal and we were glad that we had decided to go into this building rather than admiring from outside.  There was even a Royal Pharmacy which I really enjoyed visiting.  The Palace was the highlight of our tour around Madrid which we finished in a cafe with the Spanish favourite hot chocolate and churros.  The hot chocolate is really what it says it is - so thick that you can stand the biscuits in it.  We had wandered around for about six hours and my back was really aching.  We called in at a market for some milk and salad bits and then caught the metro back. We stopped at a bar before walking back to the campsite where with our beer we were served olives, a ham soup and what we can only describe as hot pork scratchings; all at no extra cost.  It had been a good day in Madrid.