Campervanning
in Europe. Part 4 Spain
Santiago
Trujillo
Seville
Ronda
The Alhambra
The Erratum of Man's History. - Conventional belief is often mistaken.
1478 - The Spanish Inquisition is established. Its aim is to examine the genuineness of the faith of converted Jews.
Route map border to Zaragosa [63 Kb] (This is the map file size, not the distance in kilometers.)
The D934 from the French town of LARUNS to the Spanish border is very scenic, fairly narrow and moderately steep, but is easily negotiable to small campervans. Formalities at the Spanish border were non existent, no one was on the guard post. Numerous shops in the middle of nowhere on the Spanish side testify to the lower prices, on a very limited range of goods now, between Spain and France.
We made it into Spain, just after crossing the border.
The first fuel is about 5 kms from the border, but there is no bank or ATM
until you get to a major town. As fuel is cheaper in Spain you will not want
to cross full, but don't cut it too fine, unless you have some Pesetas handy,
you will need to get to HUESCA to find an ATM or bank.
The Spanish road is rough and pot-holed for a few kilometres after the border, but soon improves to a first class highway. The rain shadow area south of the Pyrenees is in stark contrast to the almost sub-tropical lushness on the French side of the mountains.
You do not have to use any toll ways at all in Spain. There is an excellent choice of main roads many of which are among the finest roads in Europe and some rival the German autobahns in standards of highway engineering. After the comparatively outdated, slow and undersized roads in much of France, (other than toll ways, which we did not use at all) we were amazed at the high standard of main and secondary roads in Spain. Minor back roads are also of a generally good standard much akin to similar small roads elsewhere in Europe, but N & E class designated Spanish roads are notably superior.
Proceeding
south along C136 & N260 via BIESCAS heading for HUESCA,
at PUERTO DE MONREPÓS (Elevation 1262M) on the E07 there is
a sizable parking area for cars and large parking bays for trucks.
Many travellers stop to admire the view and there is a piped spring with excellent fresh water where locals come to fill containers with drinking water. Such springs are scattered along roadsides all over the various mountainous areas of Spain and provide excellent water, a wonderful free resource to be on the watch for. We parked here overnight and enjoyed views back to the Pyrenees.
HESCUA is the first large Spanish town along this relatively remote route. We exchanged excess French Francs at the bank and refueled. If you don't have Spanish currency with you before crossing the border, we suggest you have enough fuel on board to reach Hescua.
Apart from the undoubted rugged landscape beauty of the Pyrenees, we found little of interest over quite a wide area all the way from the border. Perhaps we simply didn't know what to look for, but we would recommend other crossings in preference to this one Hescua is a large semi modern and in our opinion unattractive city of unimaginative architecture and blocks of dreary flats, we did not linger long.
Proceeding south west on N330 E 07 to ZARAGOZA a larger regional city located in featureless boring open countryside, we found that the only attraction of note appeared to be the old Moorish Palace, in another semi modern architectural wilderness of high rise flats and industrial developments. Traffic on the main roads is heavy and parking anywhere near the old palace is difficult.
Routemap Zaragoza - Soria [67 Kb]
We
drove NW along the hectic N232 turning on to N122 through scenic hilly country
towards SORIA, stopping overnight at the parking area at PUERTO
DEL MADERO (1140M elevation) where there is yet another spring, right
on top of the range. So far in the towns we had visited the shopping facilities
were poor with no large modern supermarkets, and the villages along the way
look very poor, run down and lifeless, except for the occasional splashes
of colour from magnificent roses grown in the streets.
13/05/2000 Continuing along N122 to SORIA we encountered the first large modern shopping centre in Spain featuring an "E Leclerc "store. We were astounded to find that the prices of even Spanish made food items were noticeably higher than the identical Spanish items bought in southern France a few days earlier. French produce (cheeses and wines) was also considerably more expensive than in France. It was a general pattern we noted all through Spain, although there are exceptions, as diesel fuel, petrol, and imported spirits such as Scotch whisky are cheaper in Spain, and local Spanish wine is also a good buy.
The currency, the Peseta, seems overvalued at the fixed rate against the Euro, and after concluding our trip and making comparisons with other EEC countries this view was strongly reinforced. Perhaps there has been considerable inflation since the currency was pegged against the Euro, and the similar overvaluation of the Italian Lira against the French Franc, Deutsche Mark, Austrian Shilling and the Pound Sterling was noticeable.With the obvious lower standard of living throughout much of Spain, rural areas in particular, compared to France and Germany, we had expected it to be a much cheaper country. Our general impression was that costs considering food and campsite charges were higher than in the UK, France, Germany, and Austria, but this was offset in our case by cheaper diesel fuel, which being one of our major cost components, meant that overall there probably was not a lot of difference to campervanning costs in other parts of Europe. Fuel prices are regulated and there is no point in shopping around, although there are slight regional variations across the country.
For a different type of holiday, using hotels and more restaurants, or for those holidaying in flats or at resorts, or even buying a holiday house, it may be cheap compared to the UK, where most services and real estate are also very expensive by Australian standards.
The view from the Puerto de Pincas.
Continuing along the N111 towards LOGRONO it is a very scenic route over the PUERTO DE PINCAS (1710M elevation) where we stopped for lunch and to admire the views. This would also be an excellent SONPS as there is yet another spring shortly before the top of the range. After descending the range the road follows the course of the river through scenic gorges.
Route map Soria - Logrono [ 41 Kb]
There are many fly fisherman to be seen trying their luck, along the river. Although we saw hundreds, perhaps thousands of river fisherman all over Spain, we never saw a single fish caught, or any real signs of fish. Too many fishermen and too few fish we think. The towering cliffs and soaring eagles of this delightful almost wilderness like area made us linger often to admire the scenic beauty.
Along route 111, the Iregua River Valley,
South of Pradillo.
We
found a side road leading to TORRECNNIA EN CAMEROS between PRADILLO
and VIGUERA, in a rugged gorge found a campsite, off the minor
road, beside the river. An excellent SONPS, or a place to spend a couple of
days if you wish. Lots of locals come to the place to fish. The entire area
is in a national reserve or "Reserva National de Casa".
Our SONPS beside the Iregua River near Torrecnnia en Cameros.
No one we saw caught any fish, but it was such an idyllic spot to try my wife also went fishing, with a makeshift rod made of a stick, a piece of line she found, a hook made of bent wire, and a piece of bacon rind for bait. No of course she didn't catch anything, but neither did any of the local "Pedros" with much more fancy gear. It was just simple fun in an idyllic setting.
14/05/2000 The side road returns to the N111 after passing through the small village of TORRECNNIA EN CAMEROS and continues along the IREGUA RIVER towards LOGRONO. The rock and cliff formations along N111 are reminiscent of the American desert scenery of Utah, spectacular.
Highly commended area for scenic touring.
Route map Logrono - Villavelayo - Burgos [42 Kb]
We
continued west of LOGRONO on N120 and turned SW on to a minor road
LR113 (Previously numbered C113 on the AA map) before the N120 reaches NÁJERA.
LR113 follows a river through steep valley and gorge country towards VILLAVELAYO,
and along the route there are several large camping sites popular with locals,
and apparently free. Toilets at some sites. We camped for several days in
one of these places a few kilometres east of VILLAVELYO. On the Sunday we
arrived there were a number of campers and day trippers but all left by Sunday
night, and no one else even visited on the Monday. It was so quiet that I
was able to enjoy nude sunbathing, as I am a naturist at heart and enjoy going
naked when ever possible.
Often we would find quiet campsites where we could shower just outside our
van using a saucepan of warm water and a washer, screened behind the van and
by trees from any passing traffic which in the early morning was rare in any
case. So we could wash well without the need to go to camp grounds very often.
This was helped by the generally warm weather, and if need be we would turn
on our diesel powered heater in the van.
Our SONPS at the Iregua River Near VILLAVELAYO.
It was a very nice place, but rather littered, so we spent a couple of hours
and cleaned up all the litter, burnt it in a fireplace and placed the incombustible
remnants and bottles in the large rubbish bin provided at the top of the track
down from the road, that some of the locals had decided to ignore. The peasants
are revolting, just like back home. This area is also in a national reserve
and camping is entirely legal, indicated by signs. There are many SONPS in
the general area and one could spend more time here if you just enjoy lazing
around, fishing (but there really are none to catch) and enjoying a
bit of Spanish red wine for a few days quiet relaxation.
Wine in Spain is often sold in 1 Litre cartons (like milk or fruit juice cartons) and these can be had for around 100 to 130 Pesetas for a delightful range of reds, rose and white styles in any of the supermarkets. Also try the Sangria style of light semi sweet Spanish red wine. No need to pay high prices for wonderful quaffing wine here.While there are many rivers in Spain, and many reservoirs, we found that in most cases it is not possible to actually get access to the water, as it is often surrounded by private land and little thought seems to have been given to providing any public access, outside of the areas I have been describing above, which are in National Reserves. Later in our tour of Spain we found it extremely frustrating to travel through the most spectacular and beautiful countryside, but were unable to get to any of the rivers or lakes, and found in many of the remote areas that touring was not really catered for with any roadside rest places, viewing places, toilets, tables and seats etc. Although we were fully self contained and can manage well with no external facilities, touring in a car may be more difficult for some. However the landscapes in many of the areas we visited were so spectacular that the lack of any provision for the needs of tourists was not such a problem that we would not do it again, or recommend the route to others, provided that these problems are understood, and expectations are not unrealistic.
16/05/2000 From VILLAVELAYO the LR113 continues past several
large reservoirs where again fishing was popular with locals, and on up to
BOBADILLO DE HERREROS. From this small village the BU820 leads from
the LR113 back to N120 and on to BURGOS, a large modern city of high
rise flats, of little appeal, except as a place to get supplies.
Here we discovered that Spanish supermarkets don't sell camping gas, and that not a lot of Spaniards in remote areas speak any English. At the large new Continent department store a young Spanish woman who was obviously a junior manager of the store spoke good English and called over a young female police officer to help with our inquires as to where to get gas. Between them they drew us a sketch map and gave us directions to a camp ground in Burgos, on Avela Vitoria that sells camping gas. Just another example of the helpfulness of the locals, and ease with which linguistic problems can be overcome, which we encountered repeatedly all over Europe.We found camp grounds were the only outlets where you can get Camping Gas in Spain. Around 850 to 1000 Pesetas for a 2.7Kg exchange refill. I suspect the cylinders are refilled locally in many cases in Spain, not that it matters, but it would turn the sellers a tidy profit. Auto service stations sell gas in yet another type of cylinder, orange in colour and about the same size as the UK Calor gas, around 15 Kg, so if you planned to spend a long time, say more than a couple of months, or if from the UK and regularly coming to Spain each year, it would pay to buy one of these, instead of "Camping Gas".
We noted a new brand of supermarket "Alcampo" which is the same chain as the Champion brand in France, they have good prices and a lot of "house brands". Most of which seem good value and are one of the better places to shop for food in Spain
After re-provisioning at Al-Campo in Burgos we followed the N627 to AGUILAR DE CAMPO, except for a couple of unattractive parking areas near Burgos, there are no good stopping or camping places along the N627.
From Aguilar de Campo we followed the P212 to CEVERA DE PISERGA thence
(unintentionally) the C627 which climbs through spectacular rocky gorges to
the PUERTO DE PIEDRASLUENGAS (elevation 1329 M) to PORTES before
finding a modest place to pull off the road for the night, before proceeding
further into the PICOS DE EUROPPA.
Route map Burgos - Portes [76 Kb]
We had intended to take the road (not numbered, but marked as scenic on the AA map) via TRIOLLO and the Embalse de Camporrendondo to GUARDO, thence via LE241 to RIAÑO . However the signs at CEVERADE PISERGA were rather obscure and having started on the wrong road we decided to continue. The road via TRIOLLO to GUARD appears to have been renumbered as P210. It may be a better route, but we also found excellent scenery on the route we followed.
17/05/2000 From PORTES to PANES the N621 passes, alongside
the river, through many kilometres of the most rugged and spectacular gorge
country yet encountered. I became cautious in the use of superlatives in my
travel notes, lest there be no adequate terminology left to better describe
the natural grandeur of areas yet to be encountered as we proceeded to come
across spectacle after spectacle of rugged magnificence that has punctuated
our tour through northern Spain thus far. The lower reaches of the river are
open to fishing, the upper are signed "Acotado de Pesca". There are some parking
areas for picnics and one or two could be used as SONPS.
From PANES to ARRIONDAS the C6312 runs beside kilometres of wild rapids of the RIVER CARES, where salmon fishing is popular. The road is very narrow in parts but widens after ARENAS. While stopping places are sparse there are several nice ones, which although very close to the road would also be good SONPS. The road is not busy and would be very quiet at night, as most of the traffic is from tourists and fisherman, so being close to the road would not be a problem in regard to traffic noise. Highly commended scenic drive and a great place to try your hand at fishing the rapids for a day or two.
Route map Portes - Aveles [72 Kb]
After ARRIONDAS we followed the N632 to GIJÓN and on to AVILÉS, both of which are heavily industrialised modern port cities of no tourist interest to us, and the central areas are best avoided by using the bypass roads.
Proceeding along the N632 to the west we found no suitable stopping places
for many miles. Over some sections of the new N32 there is also the old road
which has been renumbered as N632A which winds through the many deep coastal
valleys which the new N632 traverses on enormous viaducts up to 1000 meters
in span. There are some camp grounds in the area, indicated by signs, but
along the new N632 absolutely nowhere to stop or camp. The old road is much
slower, but a pleasant quiet drive and there may be some SONPS on sections
we did not explore. There seems to be little or no access to the seashore,
and at NAVIA we turned south on C644 back into the mountains and travelled
towards BOAL. We parked along the C644 a few Kms before BOAL where
we were able to pull off the road. The C644 is a scenic road and is very quiet
at night. 
Route map Aviles - Lugo [93 Kb]
Although the N632 & N634 follow the Costa Verde fairly closely, there is no public access to the seaside, that we observed. As is the case throughout Europe private land runs down to the sea and includes the beaches in most places and very scant provision has been made for public access.We had been carefully measuring our fuel consumption and over the most recent 411 Kms we had averaged 12.9 Km/Litre or 34.2 MPG with our 2.5 Liter Ford Transit normally aspirated diesel. This was through a mix of rugged mountain terrain, with a lot of slow climbing, and some highway work at around 100 KPH. We took no special steps to achieve fuel economy, either in preparing the vehicle, or in driving it, and the result was better than I had hoped.
18/05/2000 The small town of BOAL was a delight to stroll through
to find the "panaderia", or bakery, where we obtained fresh bread and small
sweet cupcakes that are a Spanish favourite.
The route along C644 to GRANADAS DE SALIME is scenic and on good roads.
Thence via C630 to LUGO, yet another modern congested city of high
rise flats sprouting up suddenly almost out of nowhere, and no more appealing
than any of the other similar places we have passed through so far in Spain.
Leaving LUGO the N547 is in poor condition to GUNTIN. At the junction
of N547 and N640 we parked overnight beside a river under the shelter of the
highway bridge. A good SONPS. A pleasant place to go fishing, but no fish
here either. There seem to be far more fisherman in Spain than fish.
Route map Lugo - Santiago De Compostella - Pontevedra - Orense [ 121 Kb]
19/05/2000 The N547 continues through pleasant
hilly country towards SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELLA, and there are a number
of SONPS on sections of old road where bends have been altered. Along the
road we saw many pilgrims, with backpacks and the obligatory large wooden
staff, slowly making their way toward the cathedral in Santiago.
Santiago Cathedral.
SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELLA is the most pleasant, best planned and most well to do of the northern Spanish cities we have visited so far. The cathedral and the old town are indeed the architectural gems they are claimed to be. Apart from its significance as a religious centre for those coming here primarily for that, the city has sufficient other interest to be included on any touring itinerary of northern Spain. Although there are numerous pilgrims and large numbers of Spanish tourists, particularly in the precincts of the cathedral and the charming old quarter of small shops and restaurants, there are not a lot of foreign tourists. The city has a two star camp ground and pleasant parks and gardens.
Leaving
Santiago we took the C543 to NOYA (NOIA) an interesting if not very
remarkable scenic drive through hills, where there are numerous SONPS along
the road and an official parking place with a fresh water spring about 4 kms
from NOYA, which is a very pleasant small town with many Spanish tourists,
a nice place to stop and explore.
From Noya we took the C550 to MUROS, because it is marked on the AA map as scenic. While the drive is pleasant, the scenery is not outstanding and is equally as good on the C550 to the south towards PORTO DE SON, which is not marked as scenic on the map.
The Spanish have not reserved the foreshore from private ownership and development, so although there are many rocky coves and sandy beaches, there are very few points of access, except in the villages along the road, where it is extremely crowded. There were no SONPS on C550 north of NOYA, and the road is so narrow hardly even a place to turn or park. We returned to NOYA and took C550 south west towards SANTA EUGÈNIA.
A
few kilometres from NOYA there is an access point to the beach where
some campervans were parked and this would be the only reasonable SONPS in
the area apart from a couple of old road sections. Generally access to the
beaches is as poor as to the north of Noya, and "development" with chalets
or town houses and low rise flats is ruining the area and making access and
scenic appeal worse.
We explored several possible ways of access to the sea and found nothing until we came across a turn off near OLEIROS which led to the COMPLEXO DUNAR DE CORRUBEDO E LAGOAS DE CARREGAL E VIXN (PARQUE NATURAL) where there are high sand dunes and walks of several kilometres on unspoiled coastline. The road leading to it is a minor road not marked on the AA map, there are no signs indicating it at the turn off from the C550, and you may need to ask locals for directions. We found it by accident while searching for a SONPS by exploring any small roads leading from C550 in the direction of the sea.
There
is a very large parking ground with an information board in Spanish only,
but no other facilities, and no water or shade. There are no posted parking
restrictions, and they don';t seem to mind campervans spending the night,
as the local police cruised the area but said nothing to us. The huge coastal
dunes and beach provides a pleasant walk.
Apart from such gems, and perhaps there are more of them, somewhere, the Spanish coastline is unappealing to campervan tourists in our opinion, due to extremely poor access and lack of public facilities and has been substantially ruined, even in this relatively remote area of Spain, by unwise development policy. Various touring guides warn of this in most of southern Spain, and we were disappointed to find the same thing happening in Galatia.
20/05/2000 After a walk in the dunes and along the beach, we
drove back to the main road near OLEIROS and followed CP7304 towards
SANTA EUGINA. There are a number of new highways in the area and the
2000 AA road map was already out of date. Along the new VRG11 highway towards
Santiago, and then E149 towards PONTEVERDA. Signs direct you to the
E1/A9 new toll road, and there is a conspicuous lack of signs indicating that
the free N550 road also goes to PONTEVRDA. Don't
be fooled into thinking the toll road is the only way to go, the N550 is also
a good road and not heavily trafficked. Perhaps they are all taking
the toll road!
From
PONTEVERDA to ORENSE along the N541 there are numerous good
SONPS, particularly shortly after leaving Ponteverda between 80 and 70 kilometres
from Orense. Numerous springs are piped to stone troughs along the road where
there is excellent water, and the hilly countryside is pretty if not spectacular.
From ORENSE the N120 and CV323 lead through scenic hill country with views over the dams on the RIO SIL, a large river running through Orense. The lack of access to the river from the N120 where there are no parking facilities and no access to the river must be as disappointing to the locals as it was to us.
After branching off N120 on to CV323 there are a number of SONPS to be found,
but there is no easy access to the river or dams, although views are spectacular,
and there are several specially constructed viewing points, rare facilities
in Spain. It is a slow drive as the road is steep and winding up to the PUETO
DE ATTO DE CERDERIA (altitude 890 meters) and is popular with local tourists.
The CV323 (shown as an unnumbered black and white road on the AA map, running
beside the EMBALSE DE SAN ESTABAN ) proved to be much longer and more
winding than the map suggests, and it took far longer to drive than expected.
We boondocked overnight just below the PUETO DE ATTO DE CERDERIA
with spectacular views over the river valley to the town of MONTFORTE DE
LEMOS.
21/05/2000 Eventually, after more slow driving, we joined the C536 which offers more excellent views of the dams and mountains. Throughout this area the hills are extremely steep, and the only possible access down to the dams or rivers is by means of very rugged four wheel drive tracks, and even these are few. Numerous roadside spars provide water.
We
followed the C536 to PONFERRADA and then the OLD NV1 south to BENAVENTE.
The old road is in good condition and relatively quiet compared to the new
NV1 expressway which runs parallel. There is an even older, and partly disused
NV1 and near the Km 345 post we found a good SONPS in a pine forest. Finding
any SONPS with shade and a little seclusion is difficult along these roads
and this should not be missed.
Route map Ponferrada - Zamora [78 Kb]
For the past several weeks camping grounds have been few and those we have looked at were of low standard, and we have preferred to camp in roadside SONPS. From SANTIAGO the drive has been spectacular, but that is all one can do, lack of access and facilities precluding staying longer to enjoy the natural beauty.
22/05/2000 After overnight in the pine forest we proceeded on the old
NV1, a quiet drive largely free of traffic, to BENAVENTE. Another unremarkable
city of no interest to us, similar to the others we have quickly passed through
in northern Spain, without stopping for more than fuel and to visit the supermercado.
We turned south on the N630 towards ZAMORA. Passing through many small towns and villages, in undulating farming country, we noted the quietly decrepit appearance of most villages, where seemingly many of the one time inhabitants have left for the cities. Old stone churches dot the landscape, each one adorned with a large storks nest on top of its bell tower. Even the power line towers play host to the storks nests.
The notable feature of these roads was the total lack of parking spots, even lacking places to pull off the road, let alone providing any SONPS.
Route map Zamora - Salamanca - Plascencia- Trujillo [167 Kb]
SALAMANCA provided another supermercado stop and has a huge modern supermarket and department store complex.
We
proceeded SE along N 501 toward AVILA and late in the afternoon found
a SONPS on the old disused road leading over the disused bridge over the
River Tormes, near ENGINAS DE ABAJO. Although busy during the day
the N501 is quiet at night and being only about 15 meters off the road was
not a problem. There are other SONPs in the vicinity, down a at river level
under the road bridge and along the banks of the river.
Since crossing into Spain, in a thousand miles of travel we have not come across a single public toilet on the roadside. The provision of even basic parking or roadside rest areas is also extremely sporadic, occasionally there being a cluster of mediocre facilities, such as a small parking area, perhaps a spar with good water, perhaps a rubbish bin, a little shade if you are lucky, but never toilets, followed by literally hundreds of kilometres with absolutely no facilities at all. One notable exception is that at the top of almost every PUETO, or mountain pass, there will be a reasonably good parking area, often with level ground safely off the road, suitable as a SONPS. It is worth noting as the rule held true so often that you could fairly confidently aim for any "Puerto" on the map, as a probable good stopping place. Camping grounds have been few and those we have seen have been of a low standard, and we have preferred to stop overnight at roadside SONPS .
23/05/2000 After leaving our River Tormes SONPS heading towards AVILA we changed our minds about going to MADRID and at PEÑARANDA DE BRACOMONTE turned SW on to the C610 toward AVERALLO and on in to the Extreemadura Region.
This change of direction reflected our frustration about our tour of Spain. Whilst there was much of natural beauty in places, there were also vast distances lacking anything of interest to us, which combined with the lack of facilities, also made it frustrating. We were undecided if we wanted to spend a lot more of our time here and continue further into the country, or not.
At PIEDRAHITA we joined the N110 westward via the Jerte Rio valley to PLASCENCIA, This is avery pleasant and relatively scenic part of the route through fruit growing country, and the mountains of the SIERRA DE GREDOS provide a welcome scenic relief from the surrounding flat and boring countryside.
Trujillo
Having passed through PLASCENCIA and on to the N360 we made a belated decision to visit TRUJILLO so we turned south on to minor road CC-V-30 to SERRADILLA and then via CC912 to TORREJÓN EL RUBIO and C524 to TRUJILLO.
The minor roads in the Extreemadura region are of a noticeably lower standard
than in the neighbouring Castile De Leon province, but are still good enough
to present no problems for a campervan. The dearth of parking places continued
all day, although we found a spring in the Jerte Valley as we were descending
from PUERTO CASTILLA, and a pleasant well shaded parking spot in an
olive grove on the N630 just before the minor road to SERRADILLA turns
off to the south. A welcome relief as the climate even in March can be extremely
hot and we were encountering temperatures well into the mid 30°C range
during most of the days.
In the town square of Trulillo stands a statue
of the conquistador Cortes.
The small historic town of TRUJILLO is of manageable size and the
tourist office was easy to find and was open when we arrived, having somehow
managed to avoid siesta time, when everything is closed in Spain. The pleasant
assistant spoke a little English and provided us with maps and some brochures
although only in Spanish. We inquired about a campground, but were told that
there were no campgrounds in the town, but that we could park our van anywhere
in town that we liked. By this time we were looking for a proper shower, although
we had been managing fairly well by having shower baths outside the van using
pots full of warm water that we heated on our gas stove. Most of the SONPS
were quiet enough, and sheltered from view with trees to some extent, that
one could do this with adequate privacy without any problem.
We eventually found a spot by a lake in the town, and parked
under a huge Australian River
Gum tree growing on the lake shore, which provided us with some shelter from
the blazing sun. The lake was a popular fishing spot with locals next morning,
but we never saw anyone catch a fish although there were literally dozens
of anglers around the shore, that we could observe. That seemed to be the
general story of fishing in Spain, lots of fishermen, no fish.
TRUJILLO was a delight to visit, an historic gem with an old Moorish
castle, that is being restored, and historic churches, with delightful small
medieval streets to wander. Lots of little bars and cafes cater to the modest
numbers of Spanish tourists, but we saw few foreign tourists. We stayed
by the lake for two nights and enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere of the old
town and its castle.
Route map Trujillo - Merida [35 Kb]
25/05/2000 We continued along NV E 90 to MERIDA , finding not a single parking spot along the 85 kilometres of road. Outside of the town we found our first Spanish camping park. 1650 Pesetas for two and the campervan, for no more than a one star park. There were shaded sites under Australian Gum Trees and gravel sites. No toilet paper provided, no washing machines or dryers, although you would hardly need dryers in this climate most times of year. The showers were typically badly designed with no where to hang cloths or sit. They sold camping gas for 750 Pesetas for a 2.7Kg exchange, the lowest price yet, as we had previously paid 1000 Pesetas earlier in Spain, and the same thing was at least twice the price in the UK.
We rested the afternoon under the welcome shade of the Gum trees, and that of our roll out annex mounted on the side of the vehicle, which we almost always extended when camped in remote SONPS. We had bought two small folding metal framed chairs in the UK, for only about £5 each at Woolworths in Bexley Heath near London, and we often enjoyed sitting outside the van under our awning, and enjoying a glass of wine after a long day on the road, or walking around the various towns and villages we passed through. They were small enough to store folded in our toilet compartment.
Spanish wine, reds whites and sangria styles, is sold in one Litre cartons for around 100 Pesetas in supermarkets and is one of the treats of the country not to be missed. In fact all alcohol is cheap in Spain and this is definitely the place to stock up your van. For example a bottle of average quality Scotch whisky can be bought for the equivalent of about £4, whereas the same brand will cost around £14 in the UK and around £8 in France. It is cheaper well away from the French border and the large supermarcardos have good specials if you want to buy a few bottles for the rest of your trip around Europe, or more to take home to the UK if you are from there. There is no limit, other than what you can carry, on what you can take back to UK, as long as it is not for resale and is for your own consumption. Same goes for wine, so if you are English, stock up here in Spain, it dosen't get any better, although France and Italy also have very nice low priced wine, and if its beer you want, Germany is the best place to buy that. William Lawsons blended Scotch for 995 Pesetas a 700Ml bottle is a fine drop.26/05/2000 We drove into MERIDA a city noted for its Roman ruins and many arched roman bridge (still in use). The town was pleasant and has lots of tourists, lots of atmosphere and it would be a good place to include on your itinerary on any made of touring, but the Roman Ruins wanted 800 Pesetas admission, which puts them in a price level comparable to the Palace of Versailles, so considering that we intended going to Rome, we gave them a miss, and enjoyed all the free sites of the town as we usually do. A city of manageable size with no difficulty to park the camper close to town.
The crowds of European tourists in MERIDA seemed to just savor the Spanish sun, and to revel in getting around in shorts, and along the coast they and the Brits are attracted to the concrete encrusted beach resorts, like Brighton with the sun turned on. To us coming from Australia and accustomed to our glorious unspoiled sandy beaches these aspects of Spain have no appeal, and we did not even bother to visit the coast of southern Spain.
Route map Merida - Seville [72 Kb]
Seville
After
exploring the town we headed south on N630 towards SEVILLE. On entering
the province of ANDALUCIA a notable feature was lots of roadside parking
and plenty of good SONPS through the PARC NATIONAL SIERA ARACENA, and
all the way along the road to within 15 Km of SEVILLE. After driving
into SEVILLE and not finding any signs directing us to camping parks, and
then driving another 15Kms along the road to CADIZ and finding none,
we returned to a marked parking area on the N630 15 Kms north of SEVILLE and
parked overnight.
There are camping parks in Seville, but the surrounding freeway interchanges can be very confusing, and there are no good signs to them, so the quite pleasant roadside parking areas along the N630, with shade, some with tables and seats, and rubbish bins, and with some being a reasonable distance off the road, are a good place to stop unless you are in real need of spending a night in a park. However they abruptly stop 15Km from the city, so don't miss them. The N630 is a very busy road and traffic goes all night, so if you find a SONPS further from Seville, in the National Park, well off the road take it. The one at 15Km is noisy, even though you can get 30 meters off the road.
The streets of SEVILLE are lined with orange trees, which were in full fruit at the time, however they are definitely not a palatable variety of orange, which no doubt explains why the locals leave them to rot in the streets in millions.
27/05/2000 After a noisy night we drove back into SEVILLE and found no difficulty in parking along the river, where there were no fees or time restrictions, and you are within easy walking distance to the centre of interest around the Cathedral area. The city is beautiful, apart from Santiago the only large Spanish city we have seen so far that has any appeal. We found the tourist office easily, got some maps and explored on foot. The cathedral area is crawling with tourists, but as always you explore a little further and they all are left behind. It is 800 Pesetas admission to the cathedral, if you are particularly interested, but our view is that there are thousands of cathedrals and churches all over Europe that are free to enter, and we chose not to. There are nice gardens around the city to enjoy a stroll and shelter from the rather oppressive heat.
Seville Cathedral.
We returned to the van for lunch after spending about 4 hours wandering the city sights, and after lunch decided to try and find the camping park, with the help of the map and some rather vague instructions from the tourist office. There is a park near the Airport, but the freeways are confusing, the signs inconsistent and after spending far too long going round in circles and still being unable to get on to the right road to actually get to the park that we could see, because the entrance was so obscure as to be unable to work out where to exit the maze of freeways,
We decided to go toward GRANADA and visit RONDA on the way instead, but this proved to be just as difficult due to bad signs and complex freeways, and we circled the entire city trying to find the right road. Eventually we decided to take the road to CORDOBA instead, and then go across country to the GRANADA road once we were clear of the city and the roads were simpler to follow. We did this and turned off the CORDOBA road at CARMONA on to the C 339 to MARCHENA.
If, when, something like this happens, don't panic! You are not "lost" just because you can't find the right road, because some moron has not provided a consistent system of signs. Just do something like we did and simplify the problem. If you can navigate all over Europe, through the lonely deserts of central Australia, and through Bangkok traffic jams, and the jungles of Borneo, a few missing Spanish road signs can't cause too much of an insurmountable problem.We never experienced this degree of difficulty in navigation anywhere on our trip, not in London, Paris, Rome, Vienna or Berlin, not even in Bangkok or Riad in Saudi Arabia where we have lived, there has to be something amiss with the Spanish way of placing signs on freeways around Seville.
Route map Seville - Ronda [49 Kb]
After leaving Seville there was again a dearth of parking places and SONPS. After MARCHENA we proceeded south toward MORON DE LA FRONTERA on C339. (There just has to be a clue here about the lack of a logical system of road signs around Seville. They must have been designed by one of the inhabitants of this village!!!)
Near
the river GUADALETE on the road to ALGODONALES we stopped for
the night in a small lay by on the side of the quiet country road overlooking
the river at CORIPE.
The minor C339 road is very quiet at night and there was almost no passing traffic to disturb us, no more than 10 cars did we notice all night, so our close proximity to the road was not a problem, and we enjoyed a pleasant rest and awoke to an excellent view.
28/05/2000 From our vantage point we saw below tunnels and an old railway line where tracks had been removed, and decided to explore the minor road leading down to a parking area. An old railway has been converted into a walking trail from AROS DE FRONTERA via CORIPE to OLVIRA. The long tunnels have been fitted with automatic lights for hikers to pass safely through, and we spent some time exploring along the trail through very picturesque trekking country.
After exploring several of the tunnels we continued on to ZAHARA, a
white hill town in a picture book setting at the start of the PARQUE SIERA
DE GOAZALEMA.
Along the way on A382 near the village of ALGODONALES we
came across a colourful village festival procession and stopped to admire
the costumes and enjoy the atmosphere,
The town of Zahara. From across the Embalse de Zahara, with
the high road to Grazalema on the hills behind
The high road to GRAZALEMA provides spectacular views over the EMBALSEDE
ZAHARA mountain olive groves and serpentine roads.
Sharon at a lookout on the high road CA531 to Grazalema.
There are also more marked walking trails. There are several excellent lookouts
and parking areas along the CA531 that would also make good overnight SONPS,
or a base to walk the trails.
The high road to Grazalema view over the Embalse
de Zahara.
We then took the A372 to UBRIQUE and the MA501 via BENAOJÓN through dry mountain terrain (lacking any good SONPS ) and on to RONDA. Ronda is a large town, well known to tourists for its scenic setting and surrounds. There is a good camping park, by far the best we have come across in Spain, (2000 Pesetas for 2 and camper no electric) close to the town, and the route to it is well sign posted. They sell Camping Gas for 850 Pesetas for a 2.7Kg bottle.
29-30/05/2000 RONDA is a delightful town set on a cliff top, lots of history and atmosphere and is now a tourist hot spot. Pleasant gardens and views, small museums, and some information notices on historic sites in English French and German. One of the highlights of our visit to Spain so far, not to be missed on any campervan tour. We spent several pleasant days exploring the town. There are even a number of discount shops selling a wide assortment of goods, similar to the English "Pound Shops".
Ronda. View from the bridge in the main street.
We bought a pair of wide brimmed straw hats for 50 Pesetas each, great value and very necessary for the strong Spanish sun. A small piece of stick on hook velcro enabled us to attach them to the high ceiling in our van, so they would be out of the way. The van is lined in carpet insulation, to which the "Velcro" hooks attach well.
Sharon outside the bull ring in Ronda, with a new straw hat
Supermarkets are adequate though modest compared to those in larger non tourist towns, and major restocking of your van would be better done elsewhere as prices were noticeably higher in Ronda.
We met another Australian couple on tour in a car and tent, who recommended several areas of southern Spain , and although we did explore them we considered the opinion may have merit and here they are.
- The coastal villages of MOJÁCAR and SAN JOSÉ on the COSTA BLANCA north of CABO DE GATA (grid 40 B 6 in the AA Big Road Atlas of Europe)
- The inland village of MORELLA (grid 37 F 6) and the scenic loop south east of GRANADA through LANJARÓN, ORJIVA & CADIR on the southern side of the SERIANEVADA mountains.
Route map Ronda - Granada [59 Kb]
31/05/2000 We headed NW from Ronda along C431` towards CAMPILOS, dry and fairly boring country, and on to the N342-A382 thence the A333 toward GRANADA, hot travelling at this time of year and no shade for miles, and then a good SONPS, signed P on the highway, but actually off on a side road near about the third turn off towards ANTEQUERA, (before passing the ARCHIDONA turn off) noticeable by the very large gum trees beside a small river. We rested for lunch for several hours during the worst of the heat of the day, before proceeding in the afternoon. This is the only good SONPS from Ronda to Granada, look for the big trees.
After a long hot and boring drive we arrived in GRANADA. The campgrounds were poorly sign posted and difficult to find, and by the time we did it was full. Very small sites, barely room to open a campervans doors, although there was good shade. 2450 Pesetas for two and camper, and showers extra. On the promise of a vacancy we waited outside the campsite until 9 45 PM. With still no vacancy we headed south and up into the hills above LA-ZUBIA a southern suburb of Granada, which is what we should have done in the first place.
The view over Granada from our SONPS above El Zubia.
To
find it look for the LA ZUBIA exit on the southern bypass road or circum-vercation
as it is termed, turn off through the village of El Zubia and then UP, UP,
UP the hill behind the town and into a large pine plantation with many tracks.
Rather a mess in places, rubbish and lots of used condoms in some of the forest
parking places, indicating this is a popular lovers lane area. Follow the
tracks, any one will do, toward the top, where you will find quiet parking
spots and some great views over Granada. The tracks are a bit rough,
very slow going, but are OK for a small campervan. No traffic and only a couple
of cyclists came by in the morning. No facilities or water, but if you just
want to overnight close to Granada to visit the Alhambra and the camping parks
are full it is a very handy location. We spent a quiet night, before setting
off again next morning. It is about 30 minutes drive from this SONPS
to the Alhambra, allowing for a slow decent on the rough tracks down to El
Zubia. Thence go on to the main bypass road and the Alhambra turn off
is extremely well signed.
The Alhambra
I had read a lot of what seems alarmist nonsense on the Internet about
how busy it is at the Alhambra and how you MUST book or have to stand in
line for hours for tickets. We had the camp park owner (where we couldn't
get in) book us in at the Alhambra next day for 11 AM, there is a 500 Peseta
fee for advance booking. In reality you don't need to book at all
provided that you get to the Alhambra EARLY!
The Fortress of the Alhambra.
Europeans are not early risers, nor are most tourists, and as late as 8.45
AM we were able to park for FREE on the roads outside the Alhambra (no time
restrictions) within a couple of hundred meters of the gate. There are large
pay car parks (almost empty at this time of the morning) but just get there
early, and it won't cost you a Peseta to park. At 8.55 AM we could still buy
tickets to enter the Nazarenes Palace at 12.30 PM, and here were NO QUEUES
at all. As we had booked for 11AM we collected our tickets and were immediately
able to enter the Alhambra. The time slot (which you MUST NOT MISS or you
won't get in at all) applies only to visit one section, albeit perhaps the
most spectacular, of the Alhambra, known as the Nazarenes Palace.
From the Alhambra Fortress over Granada.
However be warned, about 9AM the busses start to arrive with tourists, literally in their thousands , and the horror stories of queuing for hours are probably true for those who haven't arrived early enough. It was also 1st of June, and very HOT, so at other more seasonal times of the year it may be even busier and you may need to get there earlier, say about 7.30 AM. However our experience all over Europe is that no where are they early risers, and you can get in to any attraction, easily and hassle free, by being early!
The Alhambra is a huge area (hundreds of acres) of gardens and palaces
and a fortress and you can wander through most of it at leisure, and take
as long as you like. Spectacular and beautiful water features are a highlight
of the architecture and landscaping of the gardens. There are beautiful spots
where you can sit and soak it all up and taking your lunch in a small backpack
and some water to drink is advised. Catering facilities are limited in the
Alhambra and how much better to enjoy a simple cut lunch in a beautiful water
garden setting than to have to queue for perhaps hours for a probably over
priced lunch.
A palace courtyard in the Alhambra
You need at least half a day to see the Alhambra and a full day would be better. We had not realised the magnificent extent of the complex and did not take lunch with us. Fortunately there are places where you can get drinking water from drinking fountains, (some in the gardens inside the fortress) and we were able to replenish our water bottles. After spending about 5 hours we wanted lunch by about 2 PM and returned to our van, but we could easily have lingered much longer in the gardens had we known the score before.
Courtyard of the Nazarenes Palace in the Alhambra.
Your ticket has sections for the Fortress, the Nazarenes Palace, and the
Generalife Palace, of these only the Nazarenes is time critical, and
you can visit the other buildings whenever you want. However, although you
can stay as long as you like in any of these areas, once you leave and return
to the main garden compound, that's it, finished, you don't get a second visit.
The exquisite carved detail of the interior, typified by
this door arch, is a fascinating feature of the Alhambra.
Even within the Nazarenes Palace you can spend as long as you like, although
the traffic is one way and you can't go backwards, so don't rush it, no one
will hurry you. We lingered to take photos and admire the extraordinary detail
of the Moorish architecture, and we took much more time than most of the tourists,
who were probably on a bus tour schedule.
Extensive water features are an important
aspect of the landscaping in the Generaliffe section of the Alhambra.
If you want to take good photos you need to be patient to not have your shots
over cluttered with too many people. Because they come in waves, often with
a guide, you will get good opportunities by just waiting a few minutes.
Ornately carved colonnades surround the courtyard of the
Nazarenes Palace.
The gardens themselves are so extensive and so lush and beautiful that
these alone could occupy well over half a day, even without any special academic
interest to pursue.
We enjoyed a snack we had brought with us
beside this tranquil pool in the alhambra. We wished we had known to bring
a picnic lunch. There are many ideal picnic places in the grounds, but catering
is limited.
Despite the thousands of tourists that visit the Alhambra each day, the grounds
are so extensive that it is still easy to find a quiet and secluded corner
to relax and enjoy your picnic lunch, if you are wise enough to bring one.
Rustic stone arches are found throughout the grounds of the
Alhambra.
The Alhambra is one of the best value must see tourist attractions on a tour of Spain, and it ranks as one of the major highlights of our tour of Europe. It should be on any campervanner's itinerary.
Spain is HOT at this time of year 40°C, and more, and we decided to head
north to try and escape the heat. We had not visited the COSTA DEL SOL
because we had read in several guides that it is mainly a concrete jungle,
Brighton with sunshine. If notably worse in these respects than the north
west coast of Spain, which we considered to be generally over developed and
unattractive, we decided to give it a miss. However the COSTA BLANCA further
east is apparently more appealing.
Apart from the Alhambra we found little of major interest in Granada, although
it does have some other lesser attractions, such as the inevitable cathedral.
Another of the rustic brick arches found throughout
the gardens of the Alhambra.
So
after a late lunch we left Granada on the road to JAÉN the N323
and thence to UBEDA along the N321 through olive grove country. There
are many good SONPS among the olive groves on old road loops running beside
the new highway. We spent the night in one such.
Route map Granada - Ubeda [39 Kb]
Route map Ubeda - Albacete [89 Kb]
2/6/2000 Billions of Olive trees, then dry farming country, make the route from UBEDA to ALBACETE on N322 a long and boring drive. Not a good route to follow, and we recommend you try the roads closer to the coast as this route has nothing in its favour. We only chose it because we were tired of the heat and wanted to go north as quickly as possible, while still heading toward the French border in the vicinity of ANDORA.
Route map Albacete - Teruel [66 Kb]
We
followed N 322 towards REQUENA and turned off to UTIEL just
past LOS ISIDROS to follow the N330 on to TERUEL. The
N330 north of UTIEL passes through spectacular red sandstone gorge
country reminiscent of the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, and there are
plenty of good SONPS. There is a particularly good
SONPS about 3 kilometres south of TRUEL on a river, it is marked with "P"
signs and is near Km 279 marker.
Unfortunately we did not stop here but passed on through TRUEL on the road to ALEPUZ. The road is scenic and steep, and testing for a camper. We were in 2nd gear most of the way and, as it was also hot weather, several times almost overheated in climbing the passes to over 1700 meters.
Route map Teruel - Alcaniz [65 Kb]
After TERUEL there are no good SONPS until you reach pine plantations
where we parked overnight in a pine forest, off on a side track, before reaching
the tiny village of FORTANETE, unmarked on the AA map.
3/6/2000 After passing through ALLEPUZ the road is even more
scenic, again in very rugged gorge country. We headed east toward CANTAVIEJA
but turned north before reaching there, on to the road to VILLARLUENGO
and EJULVE. This area has unusual vertical rock strata and gorges
and is the most spectacular portion of the route, particularly in the area
around CANADA DE BENATANDUZ a very small village (not marked on the
AA map) north of VILLARLUENGO.
Villaluengo. Surrounded by rugged interesting rock strata.
There
are numerous excellent view points and several good SONPS along the road after
CANADA. Most unusual for Spain there are also severalpoints of access
to the RIO PITARQUE for fishing, and one where there is no signed prohibition
on camping. This area is part of the MASTRAZGO PARQUE CULTURAL
and is definitely one of the scenic hot spots on
our tour of Spain so far.
Valley of the Rio Canada.
Several of the small villages have basic tourist accommodation and food in bars for those not self sufficient, and in cooler weather this would be a great hiking area. There are several springs for replenishing water crossing the road between CANADA and VILLARLUENGO, as well as the river further north.
The Organo de Montaro. MASTRAZGO PARQUE CULTURAL
From EJULVE and on to the N211 to ALCAÑIZ the scenery is less gripping, but beyond along the road N420 towards TARRAGONA there are some interesting semi desert landscapes in rugged hill country.
Alcañiz is a good major town to resupply at the supermercado, as it is one of the last major towns you pass on this route out of Spain.
Along
the N420 there are many old road loops that make good SONPS, and it was in
one of these where we camped for the night.
Route map Alcaniz - Lerida [41 Kb]
4/6/2000 The N420, which is marked as scenic on the AA map proved tobe relatively uninspiring after the glories of the CANTAVIEJA - EJULVE road we had travelled yesterday, so we turned north at MÓRA LANOVA on to the N230 towards FLIX and LÉRIDA which proved to be a great scenic area, although not marked in green as scenic on the map. From Lérida we took C1313 to BALAGUER and thence C147 to TREMP.
Route map Lerida - French border [114 Kb]
The
C147 and N260 from TREMP to SORT is a scenic
hot spot with gorges to walk, access to the river NOGUERA PALLARESA
and good free campsites. Yes its
true, parking spots, view areas, they have planted trees in some of the parking
areas, and you can walk the gorge along the old road, where the new
road passes through tunnels. So many of the natural beauty spots in Spain
are so totally lacking in any facilities, other than a road, that you can
do nothing but look in utter frustration, but here they are getting it right.
There is a parking area 10Kms north of LA POBLA DE SEGUR at the southern end of the gorge walk, and another about 14.5Kms south of SORT at the other end of the gorge walk, of about 8-9 Kms return.
There is access to the river about 400 meters north of the tunnel entrance where the northern parking area is, about 14Km south of SORT. There is easy access via a rocky track to shaded campsites a safe level above the river. A track runs beside the river before returning back to the N260 a few hundred meters further north. Rafters running tourist trips use the area to retrieve rafts launched from upriver. Locals fish the rapidly flowing waters.
This area provided one of our best SONPs so far and we stayed two nights so that we could walk the spectacular gorge and enjoy the relaxing atmosphere.
If you should decide to follow this route back in to France via FOS you should do your Spanish shopping and replenish stocks at LÉRIDA or ALCAÑIZ as there are no really large supermarkets in TREMP or SORT, although you can certainly get supplies, but you will pay a bit more for them. Buy any whisky or other spirits for the rest of your trip in Spain, you wont find them as cheap any where else in Europe.
The best supermarkets in Spain are "Continente", "Carefour", "El Champo", they all generally have a good range and prices. "Intermarche" supermarkets, ubiquitous in France are seen only in northern Spain along the Pyrenees and are basically tin sheds, and not in our opinion up to the standard of the other newer chains.6/6/2000 After a two day stop by the river, we proceeded north on the N260 to SORT. There are several campgrounds along the way where you could stay if you wanted to, but with easy access to the river for water, and the availability of the excellent shaded secluded SONPS we found, why pay when you don't have to? Facilities in SORT are basic, there are no large supermarkets, but they have a tourist office, and we found them pleasant and helpful with directions around the town. We bought a few last casks of Spanish wine to take with us.The best buys in Spain are wine, "Continente" have house brand Tinto, Rosso, and Blanco styles in 1 litre cartons for 99-120 Pesetas. Sausages, Spain is a sausage freaks heaven, wide variety and many brands of the same things. Supermarkets often have a great wall of sausages that can be seen from the moon, almost! Olives, the ones in plastic bags are the best buy. Supermarket Paella is usually missing a lot of the authentic ingredients of a really good traditional Paella, and at around 1,000 + Pesetas a Kilo is overpriced. Spanish cheese is relatively expensive and the imported Dutch Edam and Gouda are better value. Vegetables are not always fresh, greens are often wilted, and they try to pre package fruit and vegetables in the supermarkets, be warned, buy only the bulk items you can select yourself, pre packaged usually means "stale"!
We were disappointed that there was not a lot of distinctively Spanish food in the supermarkets, except a few empanadas and paella etc., some of the breads are nice, but are almost the same as the French styles and likewise tend to go stale while you watch.
On the road from Sort we are about to cross the Pyrenees,
back into France.
We proceeded on C147 through SORT and over the PORT DE LABONAIGUA
(elevation 2072 Meters). It had snowed the previous night and this route provided
a spectacular way back in to France. BOSSOST has many tourist shops
selling Spanish souvenirs, and the last petrol station is at LES (113.9
Pts/Litre for diesel). Make sure you fill your fuel
tank, fuel is dearer in France than in Spain. There is a supermarket
catering to the French with mostly alcohol and olives!! All about 10-20% dearer
than at the Continente or Carefour supermarkets in large Spanish towns, but
still cheap to the French.
J Walker Whisky was 1575 PTs, against 1325 in "Carefour", and the ubiquitous cartons of vino de mesa at 99Pts/Ltr all over Spain were no where to be seen. Here the French pay 500-1000 Pts for cheap Spanish wine in 750ml bottles, when they have just as good French wine for 10FF, and just as good Spanish wine for 6FF (or around 150Pts) a bottle at home in France. "Dia" supermercado home brand vino tinto at 99 Pts/Ltr is fine stuff, it comes from Portugal, and there is none better for ten times the price.Wine is priced for fools!