Spain & Portugal Road Trip - Where would you go?
Discussion
Hi Pistonheaders,
I need some advice for a roadtrip to Spain this autumn.
About this time last year I bought a Cayman 718 GTS 4.0 to replace my Ariel Nomad – you probably get the picture. . .
I live on the Surrey-Hampshire border and largely leave the Cayman in the shed. I use a series of motorbikes to get around. On the basis of beating the traffic, manoeuvring round the world class lack of lane discipline in these parts, lack of parking and - if I want to press on just for fun – that I can make the space on a bike, and draw less attention. Contraversial maybe - but owning a Porsche and using it only in the S.E of England is a waste of time in my experience.
So I save the Cayman mainly for driving on the mainland.
What I have in mind this year is ferrying the car to Santander or Bilbao courtesy of Brittany Ferries. Then heading south down the Spain-Portugal border to the Algarve, through Andalucía, up the Med coast, and through Zaragoza and the Pyrenees and back to the Atlantic coast – so essentially an Iberian round trip.
I am thinking of retiring to Portugal or Spain, so the other goal to finding some great driving roads is to look out for some places that could meet the bill.
So all advice and recommendations welcome:
• Point out the roads that will suit the Cayman and lack speed cameras?
• What are the must-see landscapes?
• Where to eat and where to stay?
• Where would you retire to in Spain or Portugal?
I need some advice for a roadtrip to Spain this autumn.
About this time last year I bought a Cayman 718 GTS 4.0 to replace my Ariel Nomad – you probably get the picture. . .
I live on the Surrey-Hampshire border and largely leave the Cayman in the shed. I use a series of motorbikes to get around. On the basis of beating the traffic, manoeuvring round the world class lack of lane discipline in these parts, lack of parking and - if I want to press on just for fun – that I can make the space on a bike, and draw less attention. Contraversial maybe - but owning a Porsche and using it only in the S.E of England is a waste of time in my experience.
So I save the Cayman mainly for driving on the mainland.
What I have in mind this year is ferrying the car to Santander or Bilbao courtesy of Brittany Ferries. Then heading south down the Spain-Portugal border to the Algarve, through Andalucía, up the Med coast, and through Zaragoza and the Pyrenees and back to the Atlantic coast – so essentially an Iberian round trip.
I am thinking of retiring to Portugal or Spain, so the other goal to finding some great driving roads is to look out for some places that could meet the bill.
So all advice and recommendations welcome:
• Point out the roads that will suit the Cayman and lack speed cameras?
• What are the must-see landscapes?
• Where to eat and where to stay?
• Where would you retire to in Spain or Portugal?
sagaris99 said:
On the way down...... Serra da Estrela, arguably one of the greatest driving roads in Europe, free from speed cameras and local plod. Outstanding views and tarmac from start to finish
On the way back up the Pyrenees, Port de la Bonaigua is a must stop,
The driving tour companies regularly do Spain/Portugal, might be worth having a look at their websites and working out what roads/locations fit your itinerary? Or one better, had you thought about signing up to one and going on a trip?
Serra da Estrela sound good and had no idea about the driving tours. Any particular recommendation?On the way back up the Pyrenees, Port de la Bonaigua is a must stop,
The driving tour companies regularly do Spain/Portugal, might be worth having a look at their websites and working out what roads/locations fit your itinerary? Or one better, had you thought about signing up to one and going on a trip?
Edited by sagaris99 on Monday 31st July 23:11
sagaris99 said:
I've done a few Petrolhead Tours and can highly recommend, onky thing that stops me doing more is my bank balance.
Spain, Alps and Pyrenees, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, USA etc - all regular fixtures during a season.
Outstanding trip, amazing roads, scenery and company, brilliantly well organised. Still in post trip blues and got back from the Pyrenees/Alps a month ago.....
I know there's a few others as well, can't speak for experiences on them though - Slaps Adventures, Making Tracks, Podium Tours.
Happy to chat offline about it if needed, don't want to make this entire thread an ad !
I'm going to have a good look at these as this wasn't an angle I was thinking of. Part of me sort of hates organised tours. On the other hand what I miss about the Nomad is the petrolhead camaraderie. We did some great small group tours of Salisbury Plain and longer trips in Wales with Nomad owners from across the country. Needless to say you knew you were going to be spending time with kindred spirits!Spain, Alps and Pyrenees, Ireland, Scotland, Norway, USA etc - all regular fixtures during a season.
Outstanding trip, amazing roads, scenery and company, brilliantly well organised. Still in post trip blues and got back from the Pyrenees/Alps a month ago.....
I know there's a few others as well, can't speak for experiences on them though - Slaps Adventures, Making Tracks, Podium Tours.
Happy to chat offline about it if needed, don't want to make this entire thread an ad !
DickDasterdly said:
I'm going to have a good look at these as this wasn't an angle I was thinking of. Part of me sort of hates organised tours. On the other hand what I miss about the Nomad is the petrolhead camaraderie. We did some great small group tours of Salisbury Plain and longer trips in Wales with Nomad owners from across the country. Needless to say you knew you were going to be spending time with kindred spirits!
Oh boy - this looks good https://slapadventures.com/el-camino/. Shame this year's trip is sold out.CharlesdeGaulle said:
OP - How long have you got for the trip?
I do something similar most years but approaching from the East rather than the North. It is a fabulous trip but if you're not careful it can become all about the journey rather than the journey *and* the destinations. It's tempting to try and cram too much in and thereby reduce the fun of the trip.
Really good point. Probably about 10 days. I know how easy it is to look at the map and not realise the real world distances and delays. Travelling to a new destination every day also sounds fun in the planning, but can end up like hard work, and as you say you see nothing.I do something similar most years but approaching from the East rather than the North. It is a fabulous trip but if you're not careful it can become all about the journey rather than the journey *and* the destinations. It's tempting to try and cram too much in and thereby reduce the fun of the trip.
As a student I drove a leg from Biarritz to Lisbon with some friends in an ancient Citroen. If I recall correctly, there wasn't a mile of motorway. We were navigating using a school atlas brought by an American student who came with us. Apart from pee and petrol stops I drove that dash (more of a meander really) in one go. Despite the effort - which fades in memory, it did have the effect of making me feel that the Iberian peninsular is smaller than it really is.
I think the plan will ideally involve days off driving and site-seeing instead. So intersperse decent mileage staying a couple of days in places.
When you say: "approach from the East" - where do you start your tip and where do you go?
CharlesdeGaulle said:
DickDasterdly said:
Really good point. Probably about 10 days. I know how easy it is to look at the map and not realise the real world distances and delays. Travelling to a new destination every day also sounds fun in the planning, but can end up like hard work, and as you say you see nothing.
As a student I drove a leg from Biarritz to Lisbon with some friends in an ancient Citroen. If I recall correctly, there wasn't a mile of motorway. We were navigating using a school atlas brought by an American student who came with us. Apart from pee and petrol stops I drove that dash (more of a meander really) in one go. Despite the effort - which fades in memory, it did have the effect of making me feel that the Iberian peninsular is smaller than it really is.
I think the plan will ideally involve days off driving and site-seeing instead. So intersperse decent mileage staying a couple of days in places.
When you say: "approach from the East" - where do you start your tip and where do you go?
I live in Luxembourg so usually head to SW France, Bordeaux area, for the first night. If I'm touring I'll take it from there and will include N Spain, if heading direct I'll cut across central Spain, depending on destination. It's a 2000km trip for me so early starts and a long 2 days. Coming back I tend to choose alternative routes so it's more of a circular trip than a there-and-back. As a student I drove a leg from Biarritz to Lisbon with some friends in an ancient Citroen. If I recall correctly, there wasn't a mile of motorway. We were navigating using a school atlas brought by an American student who came with us. Apart from pee and petrol stops I drove that dash (more of a meander really) in one go. Despite the effort - which fades in memory, it did have the effect of making me feel that the Iberian peninsular is smaller than it really is.
I think the plan will ideally involve days off driving and site-seeing instead. So intersperse decent mileage staying a couple of days in places.
When you say: "approach from the East" - where do you start your tip and where do you go?
I am considering retiring to Portugal so I use the trips as recces to see which areas I like. The motorway network in Portugal is now pretty good.
For you, 10 days is absolutely long enough for a great trip but it isn't anywhere near enough to see it all, so I'd recommend targeting specific areas. You might even confine yourself to Spain and make the most of that, with a separate follow-up to see Portugal. Whatever you decide, let us know; you're in for a treat.
Actually it's potentially a triple-purpose trip as I would love to take in the one of the final rounds of the World Superbike who are at Portimão on 1st Oct and Jerez on 15th Oct.
omniflow said:
Snipped out some of the OP - apologies, but those are bits I'm not going to cover in this post.
I have just booked the ferry trips for my 2024 trip doing pretty much the same thing, although we have 37 nights to fit everything in. I've not booked everything yet, but I do have an outline plan and here are my pointers.
Consider the Plymouth ferry too - it's much quicker and is a different experience to the Portsmouth boats. We're doing Plymouth out and Portsmouth back.
On the Portsmouth routes, you can book priority disembarkation if you have a premium cabin. This has only recently been introduced but should make a massive difference, particularly on the homeward leg. It's not available on the Pont Aven, which does the Plymouth route.
We always start in San Sebastian - it's a fabulous place. To stay, both the Sansebay and the Lasala Plaza are fabulous. To eat, just stroll around the old town eating Pintxos - we have our favourite bars, but part of the fun is discovering your own favourites
Logrono is an absolute must visit - try and make over a weekend for maximum fun. To stay, go for the Auriela Place - to eat, see above.
We are then following the coast - Gijon, A. Coruna, Porto, Lisbon. In Lisbon we're staying at the Corpo Santo - which was recommended by someone on here, and is a fabulous hotel. Between Porto and Lisbon there is Nazere - which (at the right time of year) has 100 foot high waves - the highest ever surfed.
I made a conscious choice to skip Santiago De Compostela - we may do this in a year or two as part of a "pilgrimage" on foot.
We're then doing Seville, Cadiz, Granada and somewhere on the coast for a few days - We've never been to any of these places, so that's all discovery.
Then it's Valencia - We've been a few times, but only during Fallas. This time we're going to see the place outside of Festival time. One restaurant I would definitely recommend is called Senia - near the Mercet Central - It's tiny, but the food is awesome. Hotel wise, the Caro is nice.
After that we're heading back to San Sebastian for a 2nd visit, via Zaragoza.
Barcelona is definitely worth a visit. Last time we went we stayed in the Wittmore. Lovely, but a bit pricey. Foodwise, Bar Canate is a 100% unmissable destination. There was another fantastic wine / tapas bar that the hotel recommended, but I can't for the life of me remember the name - I'll see if I can dig it out. We are definitely going to re-visit, but will do it as a separate City break - it was €45 / night to park the car - the same price as Venice.
In the Pyrenees, take a look at https://www.hotelvinasdelarrede.es/ - a lovely hotel run by a lovely couple. It's in the foothills, which may or may not suit your agenda.
As for where to retire to - I'd pick Valencia.
Thanks. More good advice. Ferry from Plymouth is one that I'd dismissed but will take another look at. It's a four hour trip vs. 30 mins for me, so bound to think twice about it.I have just booked the ferry trips for my 2024 trip doing pretty much the same thing, although we have 37 nights to fit everything in. I've not booked everything yet, but I do have an outline plan and here are my pointers.
Consider the Plymouth ferry too - it's much quicker and is a different experience to the Portsmouth boats. We're doing Plymouth out and Portsmouth back.
On the Portsmouth routes, you can book priority disembarkation if you have a premium cabin. This has only recently been introduced but should make a massive difference, particularly on the homeward leg. It's not available on the Pont Aven, which does the Plymouth route.
We always start in San Sebastian - it's a fabulous place. To stay, both the Sansebay and the Lasala Plaza are fabulous. To eat, just stroll around the old town eating Pintxos - we have our favourite bars, but part of the fun is discovering your own favourites
Logrono is an absolute must visit - try and make over a weekend for maximum fun. To stay, go for the Auriela Place - to eat, see above.
We are then following the coast - Gijon, A. Coruna, Porto, Lisbon. In Lisbon we're staying at the Corpo Santo - which was recommended by someone on here, and is a fabulous hotel. Between Porto and Lisbon there is Nazere - which (at the right time of year) has 100 foot high waves - the highest ever surfed.
I made a conscious choice to skip Santiago De Compostela - we may do this in a year or two as part of a "pilgrimage" on foot.
We're then doing Seville, Cadiz, Granada and somewhere on the coast for a few days - We've never been to any of these places, so that's all discovery.
Then it's Valencia - We've been a few times, but only during Fallas. This time we're going to see the place outside of Festival time. One restaurant I would definitely recommend is called Senia - near the Mercet Central - It's tiny, but the food is awesome. Hotel wise, the Caro is nice.
After that we're heading back to San Sebastian for a 2nd visit, via Zaragoza.
Barcelona is definitely worth a visit. Last time we went we stayed in the Wittmore. Lovely, but a bit pricey. Foodwise, Bar Canate is a 100% unmissable destination. There was another fantastic wine / tapas bar that the hotel recommended, but I can't for the life of me remember the name - I'll see if I can dig it out. We are definitely going to re-visit, but will do it as a separate City break - it was €45 / night to park the car - the same price as Venice.
In the Pyrenees, take a look at https://www.hotelvinasdelarrede.es/ - a lovely hotel run by a lovely couple. It's in the foothills, which may or may not suit your agenda.
As for where to retire to - I'd pick Valencia.
OK, ferries booked. The Plymouth out, Portsmouth in formula was a good tip as its just one night in both directions.
I thought I better get on with it as options for late Sept. seemed quite limited. I am quite fond of Brittany Ferries, but viewing options on their websites is hard work. With no other choice than those seats I had to book a 2-berth inside cabin and 4-berth on return. I only used a 2-berth inside cabin once before and said "never again". I'm not normally claustrophobic but it was close in there. I guess we will survive.
Their website claimed there is a 1 night sailing from Portsmouth and I could swear I have done it in the past. Have the boats got slower? When they say 'sailing'? If I wanted to spend two nights on a boat I'm not sure it would be in the Bay of Biscay. . .
Now to hotels. I love luxury hotels but on a budget this year so more suggestions welcome. I've always meant to do the parador thing - although I would guess they are normally towards the higher end?
Having got such good advice I'll do my best to document my trip for posterity and Pistonheads.
I thought I better get on with it as options for late Sept. seemed quite limited. I am quite fond of Brittany Ferries, but viewing options on their websites is hard work. With no other choice than those seats I had to book a 2-berth inside cabin and 4-berth on return. I only used a 2-berth inside cabin once before and said "never again". I'm not normally claustrophobic but it was close in there. I guess we will survive.
Their website claimed there is a 1 night sailing from Portsmouth and I could swear I have done it in the past. Have the boats got slower? When they say 'sailing'? If I wanted to spend two nights on a boat I'm not sure it would be in the Bay of Biscay. . .
Now to hotels. I love luxury hotels but on a budget this year so more suggestions welcome. I've always meant to do the parador thing - although I would guess they are normally towards the higher end?
Having got such good advice I'll do my best to document my trip for posterity and Pistonheads.
Edited by DickDasterdly on Monday 7th August 21:41
Edited by DickDasterdly on Monday 7th August 21:41
Well I picked the brains of fellow Pistonheaders about a road trip to Spain and Portugal, and ended up having the best road trip I’ve ever had in a long motoring and biking career. Not something I expected long after what will come to be seen as the golden age of motoring. Believe me – it lives on on the Iberian peninsula – long after it died in England (I’ll give Scotland and Wales a bit of a pass for now – but the outlook is bad).
I was planning to repay the debt with a day-by-day write up of my trip – on the trip. I got a lot of info from this forum before I left, but couldn’t find out certain things, so having discovered them myself, I thought I really ought to share them.
But as it turned out – the holiday intervened. I wanted to create a video travelogue that I posted daily. I soon discovered that you can do this – or you can have a holiday – but you can’t have both. ‘Er outdoors reminded me of that quite a few times. . .
But I did take a bit of GoPro and drone footage – and as I discovered – too many portrait-format videos for the dreaded Instagram. I’ll post a couple of videos that cover different legs of this journey, but start with a day-by-day set of posts to cover the revelation that was driving around most of Spain and Portugal at the end of September.
I’ll cover subjects like ferries, tolls and toll tags, speed limits, speed cameras, and local policing and driving habits. Which type of Brits take their cars to Spain, what they take and where they take them. In most of Britain we now live largely in a society controlled by anti-car idealogues. And our roads are now way too crowded to enjoy driving on. So If you enjoy driving – go somewhere else and do it while you can. Based on my experience, there is nowhere better on the planet than the Iberian peninsula.
On those lines – something to ponder. In 2,500 miles in Spain and Portugal, I didn’t see a single Spanish or Portuguese-registered sportscar – let alone a supercar. The possible exception was a Triumph Spitfire on the Autovia between Salamanca and Valladolid. That car was one of 4 cars we encountered on the road between those towns when we left Salamanca at 8:00am on a Sunday morning. Four cars in 120km. That’s like encountering 4 cars between Birmingham and Manchester. We have the cars but not the roads. They have the roads but not the cars.
On the other hand, drive for an hour in Surrey and you will see a dozen or two Porsche 911s, there must be thousands registered in the county. I don’t know what people do with them, but whatever it is – it isn’t what they are designed for. It’s just not possible.
The car I took was my Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0. This probably isn’t the place to get into this particular debate, but the trip confirmed what a year of ownership had already demonstrated. The GTS is a practical Grand Tourer that comes alive on country roads. I nearly bought a GT4, but I’m certain the GTS was the right choice for me – and this kind of trip.
The trip had three purposes: 1. to find some good roads and drive them. 2. To try to familiarise ourselves a bit more with Iberia as a possible retirement destination and 3. Take a holiday (not always compatible with no. 1. For ‘er outdoors. . .) .
I was planning to repay the debt with a day-by-day write up of my trip – on the trip. I got a lot of info from this forum before I left, but couldn’t find out certain things, so having discovered them myself, I thought I really ought to share them.
But as it turned out – the holiday intervened. I wanted to create a video travelogue that I posted daily. I soon discovered that you can do this – or you can have a holiday – but you can’t have both. ‘Er outdoors reminded me of that quite a few times. . .
But I did take a bit of GoPro and drone footage – and as I discovered – too many portrait-format videos for the dreaded Instagram. I’ll post a couple of videos that cover different legs of this journey, but start with a day-by-day set of posts to cover the revelation that was driving around most of Spain and Portugal at the end of September.
I’ll cover subjects like ferries, tolls and toll tags, speed limits, speed cameras, and local policing and driving habits. Which type of Brits take their cars to Spain, what they take and where they take them. In most of Britain we now live largely in a society controlled by anti-car idealogues. And our roads are now way too crowded to enjoy driving on. So If you enjoy driving – go somewhere else and do it while you can. Based on my experience, there is nowhere better on the planet than the Iberian peninsula.
On those lines – something to ponder. In 2,500 miles in Spain and Portugal, I didn’t see a single Spanish or Portuguese-registered sportscar – let alone a supercar. The possible exception was a Triumph Spitfire on the Autovia between Salamanca and Valladolid. That car was one of 4 cars we encountered on the road between those towns when we left Salamanca at 8:00am on a Sunday morning. Four cars in 120km. That’s like encountering 4 cars between Birmingham and Manchester. We have the cars but not the roads. They have the roads but not the cars.
On the other hand, drive for an hour in Surrey and you will see a dozen or two Porsche 911s, there must be thousands registered in the county. I don’t know what people do with them, but whatever it is – it isn’t what they are designed for. It’s just not possible.
The car I took was my Porsche Cayman GTS 4.0. This probably isn’t the place to get into this particular debate, but the trip confirmed what a year of ownership had already demonstrated. The GTS is a practical Grand Tourer that comes alive on country roads. I nearly bought a GT4, but I’m certain the GTS was the right choice for me – and this kind of trip.
The trip had three purposes: 1. to find some good roads and drive them. 2. To try to familiarise ourselves a bit more with Iberia as a possible retirement destination and 3. Take a holiday (not always compatible with no. 1. For ‘er outdoors. . .) .
Edited by DickDasterdly on Wednesday 25th October 21:33
So here we go with a bit of that travelogue.
Day 1. Getting to Spain and Ferries
Getting to Spain with your car has got harder. This fits in with a pattern of travelling becoming more and more of a horrible process rather than an adventure. The processing – especially at airports of course – has got more and more time-consuming and painful, and the planes haven’t got any faster. In fact, if you think about it – since the demise of Concorde – they have got slower. I flew from Heathrow to Frankfurt last week. Flight time 1hr 10 mins. Airport processing time: 4 hrs. No. of passport checks in a day: 8. Etc. etc.
As a veteran of several great motorcycling trips with mates to the Pyrenees a few years ago, I found Brittany Ferries website very confusing. Why does it take a 2-night trip from Portsmouth to get to Spain now – when it used to take one? And yet you can come back with a one-night trip.
Brittany Ferries are not forthcoming on this subject. There is much dissatisfaction about this, judging by ‘queue gossip’ at the ports and on board. Rumour has it is a ‘climate emergency’ - related move. Well I’m sure that the rest of the world, building coal-fuelled power stations like they weren’t remotely going out of fashion, will be very relieved to hear about Brittany Ferries initiative.
I have to say, if I wanted a cruise, I don’t think the Bay of Biscay in late September would be what I would look for. Especially as our crossing was so rough that walking about the boat felt actually dangerous at some points.
We did get to Spain with just one night at sea, but it meant getting up very early and driving to Plymouth. As we live 20 minutes from Portsmouth that is a pain. “You can get to Spain in a day – but only if you drive half way there first.”
Santander looked as dreek and grey as Plymouth when we arrived. Mid-morning though is a good time to begin a road trip and the weather soon looked a bit more Spanish. Pistonheaders had recommended Picos de Europa, (To the West of Santander and then turn inland). So that's what we did. This was an ideal first stopover, just 140km from the port. We turned off the motorway as soon as we could and headed back to the coast rocking up at the former fishing village of Commilas.
In my head we were going to drive directly to the seafront, park outside a small seafood restaurant and have lunch. And I wasn’t disappointed – that’s exactly what we did (try doing the same in say Padstow) .
We then proceeded to have one of the best meals I have had in my life, creating Tapas from a mixture of starter courses. The scallops were the best I’ve ever eaten. Fresh and still attached to their shells.
We failed to get the local parking machine to accept our foreign registration and buy a ticket. I have to say the casual vibe of the place obviously misled me a bit as when we returned the few metres from the restaurant we found a parking ticket on the windscreen. The penalty – a hefty €11.31 which I think even the meter guy must have realised they were unlikely to collect.
On then through the Cantabrian mountains to (literally) the end of the mountain road at Fuente Dé. There is a big typically austere-looking Parador here, under the cable car, but we chose to stay at the smaller Alpine Lodge-style Hotel Rebeco over the way. This gave me the perfect opportunity to film 3 TR6s leaving the Parador first thing the next morning. As we were to discover, these are the archetypal Brit drivers exploring Spain’s wonderful and varied northern mountains.
The drive up to Fuente Dé is pretty epic. The road runs initially up a gorge and the bends are very tight. A local utility van driven by the next Carlos Sainz overtaking us on a blind curve had us laughing out loud. Best let him go. The most rewarding part of the road which we did in splendid isolation, is the stretch after the last traffic has melted away after Potes. The last 15km or so up to Fuente Dé are what you came for – or what I did. Sublime mountain roads – always best to climb as every car handles better uphill – and I could let the flat-6 sing which I can’t at home.
Fuente Dé is at about 2,000m, and the cable car take you up nearly another 1,000m. But it does provide a great launch pad for hiking in the peaks. The same weather we enjoyed on the way to Plymouth and that followed us across the Bay of Biscay trailed a front down almost from Scotland to Africa, and the weather was light drizzle, and the following morning about 10 deg. C. It’s worth remembering the mountain climate.
Day 1. Getting to Spain and Ferries
Getting to Spain with your car has got harder. This fits in with a pattern of travelling becoming more and more of a horrible process rather than an adventure. The processing – especially at airports of course – has got more and more time-consuming and painful, and the planes haven’t got any faster. In fact, if you think about it – since the demise of Concorde – they have got slower. I flew from Heathrow to Frankfurt last week. Flight time 1hr 10 mins. Airport processing time: 4 hrs. No. of passport checks in a day: 8. Etc. etc.
As a veteran of several great motorcycling trips with mates to the Pyrenees a few years ago, I found Brittany Ferries website very confusing. Why does it take a 2-night trip from Portsmouth to get to Spain now – when it used to take one? And yet you can come back with a one-night trip.
Brittany Ferries are not forthcoming on this subject. There is much dissatisfaction about this, judging by ‘queue gossip’ at the ports and on board. Rumour has it is a ‘climate emergency’ - related move. Well I’m sure that the rest of the world, building coal-fuelled power stations like they weren’t remotely going out of fashion, will be very relieved to hear about Brittany Ferries initiative.
I have to say, if I wanted a cruise, I don’t think the Bay of Biscay in late September would be what I would look for. Especially as our crossing was so rough that walking about the boat felt actually dangerous at some points.
We did get to Spain with just one night at sea, but it meant getting up very early and driving to Plymouth. As we live 20 minutes from Portsmouth that is a pain. “You can get to Spain in a day – but only if you drive half way there first.”
Santander looked as dreek and grey as Plymouth when we arrived. Mid-morning though is a good time to begin a road trip and the weather soon looked a bit more Spanish. Pistonheaders had recommended Picos de Europa, (To the West of Santander and then turn inland). So that's what we did. This was an ideal first stopover, just 140km from the port. We turned off the motorway as soon as we could and headed back to the coast rocking up at the former fishing village of Commilas.
In my head we were going to drive directly to the seafront, park outside a small seafood restaurant and have lunch. And I wasn’t disappointed – that’s exactly what we did (try doing the same in say Padstow) .
We then proceeded to have one of the best meals I have had in my life, creating Tapas from a mixture of starter courses. The scallops were the best I’ve ever eaten. Fresh and still attached to their shells.
We failed to get the local parking machine to accept our foreign registration and buy a ticket. I have to say the casual vibe of the place obviously misled me a bit as when we returned the few metres from the restaurant we found a parking ticket on the windscreen. The penalty – a hefty €11.31 which I think even the meter guy must have realised they were unlikely to collect.
On then through the Cantabrian mountains to (literally) the end of the mountain road at Fuente Dé. There is a big typically austere-looking Parador here, under the cable car, but we chose to stay at the smaller Alpine Lodge-style Hotel Rebeco over the way. This gave me the perfect opportunity to film 3 TR6s leaving the Parador first thing the next morning. As we were to discover, these are the archetypal Brit drivers exploring Spain’s wonderful and varied northern mountains.
The drive up to Fuente Dé is pretty epic. The road runs initially up a gorge and the bends are very tight. A local utility van driven by the next Carlos Sainz overtaking us on a blind curve had us laughing out loud. Best let him go. The most rewarding part of the road which we did in splendid isolation, is the stretch after the last traffic has melted away after Potes. The last 15km or so up to Fuente Dé are what you came for – or what I did. Sublime mountain roads – always best to climb as every car handles better uphill – and I could let the flat-6 sing which I can’t at home.
Fuente Dé is at about 2,000m, and the cable car take you up nearly another 1,000m. But it does provide a great launch pad for hiking in the peaks. The same weather we enjoyed on the way to Plymouth and that followed us across the Bay of Biscay trailed a front down almost from Scotland to Africa, and the weather was light drizzle, and the following morning about 10 deg. C. It’s worth remembering the mountain climate.
Edited by DickDasterdly on Friday 3rd November 19:38
Skeptisk said:
Colour of your GTS looks similar to your car from wacky races. Nice choice!
Thanks for sharing details of the trip. Something I would love to do at some point.
If you live in the South East in the U.K. it is pretty frustrating owning a car (and increasingly a bike). So few opportunities of using them.
I spent a few years in NZ and the roads there were great. Similar to your description, once I was far enough away from Auckland I could find roads which were nearly empty, but still wide and with reasonable surfaces (I was on a Tuono).
Have you looked into the practicalities of retiring to Spain post Brexit? Or are you lucky enough to have an EU passport?
We always had it in the back of our minds pre Brexit as an option but I am not so sure now. Presumably whilst you are young and health insurance is achievable then it is okay but what if you develop chronic illnesses.
In terms of places to retire, we like Sevilla a lot but I think it would be too hot. Our favourite city is Barcelona but it is a lot more expensive - plus I’m not sure about Catalan. It has taken me long enough to get to where I can with Castilian.
The trip was partly a bit of recce for retirement - we went on through Portugal to the Algarve and round to the Costa de Sol. Brexit hasn't really helped with that, but options are easing up it seems as the Med countries realise that they would still like to patriate some of those UK retirees' money. The funny thing is that I came back thinking I'd like to start a new business - guided tours around Spain and Portugal. That I think would be a great way to 'retire'. Thanks for sharing details of the trip. Something I would love to do at some point.
If you live in the South East in the U.K. it is pretty frustrating owning a car (and increasingly a bike). So few opportunities of using them.
I spent a few years in NZ and the roads there were great. Similar to your description, once I was far enough away from Auckland I could find roads which were nearly empty, but still wide and with reasonable surfaces (I was on a Tuono).
Have you looked into the practicalities of retiring to Spain post Brexit? Or are you lucky enough to have an EU passport?
We always had it in the back of our minds pre Brexit as an option but I am not so sure now. Presumably whilst you are young and health insurance is achievable then it is okay but what if you develop chronic illnesses.
In terms of places to retire, we like Sevilla a lot but I think it would be too hot. Our favourite city is Barcelona but it is a lot more expensive - plus I’m not sure about Catalan. It has taken me long enough to get to where I can with Castilian.
Well that looks like a pretty good analysis @douglasb and like you say - sounds plausible.
Having said that, our return ferry (Monday) left at 2:00pm. We had stayed over in Salamanca in central Spain and had plenty of time to catch the ferry. We had a relaxed drive and arrived in plenty of time - something you really can rely on in Spain.
It arrived in Portsmouth at 5:30 and we were home by 6:30. So the sailing time on the return leg was less than 29 hours. So if a ferry left Portsmouth at say 9:00am, it would arrive in Santander at about 3:00pm (given you 'lose' an hour). This would allow a lot of people to make it well into Spain if they were heading away from the north coast (a lot of people aren't judging by conversations we had.)
I know that wouldn't suit all travellers - but it would suit me well. I quite like the Brittany Ferries operation, but 2 days on board to get out is just too much for me. I get cabin fever after one. If we do it again, I will reluctantly schlepp down to Plymouth to avoid it again.
Having said that, our return ferry (Monday) left at 2:00pm. We had stayed over in Salamanca in central Spain and had plenty of time to catch the ferry. We had a relaxed drive and arrived in plenty of time - something you really can rely on in Spain.
It arrived in Portsmouth at 5:30 and we were home by 6:30. So the sailing time on the return leg was less than 29 hours. So if a ferry left Portsmouth at say 9:00am, it would arrive in Santander at about 3:00pm (given you 'lose' an hour). This would allow a lot of people to make it well into Spain if they were heading away from the north coast (a lot of people aren't judging by conversations we had.)
I know that wouldn't suit all travellers - but it would suit me well. I quite like the Brittany Ferries operation, but 2 days on board to get out is just too much for me. I get cabin fever after one
. If we do it again, I will reluctantly schlepp down to Plymouth to avoid it again.seefarr said:
You can check out my recent "Spain and Portugal in a Cayman" roadtrip while you're waiting! 
Starts about half way down the page:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Starts about half way down the page:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
seefarr said:
omniflow said:
Are we getting any more instalments of the Travelogue?
I, for one, am definitely interested to hear more.
TIA
You can check out my recent "Spain and Portugal in a Cayman" roadtrip while you're waiting! I, for one, am definitely interested to hear more.
TIA
Starts about half way down the page:
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
. As others have suggested, there needs to be a better way of sharing and updating info on roads and eateries in Spain and Portugal. I think there are more tips in your write-up than I found on the whole of PH when planning my trip. Unless of course I couldn't find them. Which brings me back around to. . .I’ll get back to the trip next, but let’s talk toll tags first. As usual the best advice on these on the Interweb was on PH. Shame on me having completed dozens of road trips over decades through pretty much all of Western Europe, I didn’t even know there were toll tag options available for foreigners.
Now of course you could be of the view that the whole point of driving on the Iberian peninsula is to drive anywhere but motorways. However, our format involved 2 nights at all but one stopover. This was to avoid what can feel like a (too much) driving holiday, and gave us at least a day to enjoy where we had gone. To connect up the good bits (great roads bits and beach bits) it made sense to hammer a few miles out on the motorways.
Tolls in right-hand drive cars are a balls ache (less so on right-hand drive bikes. . . ). My prior toy (now for something completely different) to the GTS was an Ariel Nomad. I never took that onto the mainland. ‘Er outdoors was remarkably tolerant of travelling in the old roller skate and we did some great trips to Devon and Wales. But the mainland seemed a step too far partly because of tolls. Not being able to reach the machine means undoing a four-point harness and probably having to get out. If you have ever tried to get in and out of an Ariel quickly and elegantly, you will have a physique like Taylor Swift. I still shudder at the nightmare vision of doing the French tolls as a solo driver in a Nomad. You will be the most unpopular person in France.
Every pull up to the toll machines in a right hooker is a balancing trick. Too far away from the machine and ‘er outdoors has to unbuckle and clamber out of the window to pick a ticket or shove the card into the machine – especially in a sportscar. Too close and you will curb your alloys on the seriously unyielding high concrete curbs. I know – I’ve done it twice.
Not to mention the irritation of seeing local drivers flying through the tolls because they have electronic tags, or being lured into drag races (that you never really meant to have but the locals insist on).
There seemed some close run options, but I went for Ulys from French autoroute operator Vinci in the end. Once I had determined that the charges could be applied directly to my bank (NatWest – yes I know. . .) because apparently not all of them allow you to set the foreign payments up, I went for it. https://ulys.vinci-autoroutes.com/en/ You pay a small fee for the days you are incurring charges plus of course the charges themselves.
The unit itself sticks to the inside of your screen behind the mirror. There isn’t much room there in a 718, and when we got in the car to leave, it had fallen off the screen after I’d installed it a couple of days before. It got a bit of a firmer shove second time around, and as far as I can remember is still there.
Anyway – as far as I can tell – it worked perfectly. To my great surprise, all bar one Spanish motorway we used was toll-free. That was a section we used a couple of times near Estepona on the Costa del Sol.
Portugal though is interesting from a tolls point of view. Unlike in France and Spain it seems that there is no cash/card alternative. It’s a toll tag or nothing. Bad news I suppose if you end up on a Portugues motorway expecting to pay as you go. However, there are no barriers either. Tolls are activated by passing under wireless gantries. These serve no other purpose than to communicate with drivers’ tags and photograph tagless vehicles. I don’t recall seeing another Brit-registered car in Portugal, and I think rental cars usually come with tags, but if you are unprepared, you could probably drive all over Portugal clocking up fines without ever knowing. I say ‘ever’ because perhaps they can catch up with somehow. But to be honest I can’t see how. Anyone been nicked in Portugal for not paying toll fees. . ?
For perspective, our toll fees in Portugal amounted to €44 and in Spain €4.20. So given the miles we did, Portugal motorways seem quite dear and Spain a bit of a bargain.
Now of course you could be of the view that the whole point of driving on the Iberian peninsula is to drive anywhere but motorways. However, our format involved 2 nights at all but one stopover. This was to avoid what can feel like a (too much) driving holiday, and gave us at least a day to enjoy where we had gone. To connect up the good bits (great roads bits and beach bits) it made sense to hammer a few miles out on the motorways.
Tolls in right-hand drive cars are a balls ache (less so on right-hand drive bikes. . . ). My prior toy (now for something completely different) to the GTS was an Ariel Nomad. I never took that onto the mainland. ‘Er outdoors was remarkably tolerant of travelling in the old roller skate and we did some great trips to Devon and Wales. But the mainland seemed a step too far partly because of tolls. Not being able to reach the machine means undoing a four-point harness and probably having to get out. If you have ever tried to get in and out of an Ariel quickly and elegantly, you will have a physique like Taylor Swift. I still shudder at the nightmare vision of doing the French tolls as a solo driver in a Nomad. You will be the most unpopular person in France.
Every pull up to the toll machines in a right hooker is a balancing trick. Too far away from the machine and ‘er outdoors has to unbuckle and clamber out of the window to pick a ticket or shove the card into the machine – especially in a sportscar. Too close and you will curb your alloys on the seriously unyielding high concrete curbs. I know – I’ve done it twice.
Not to mention the irritation of seeing local drivers flying through the tolls because they have electronic tags, or being lured into drag races (that you never really meant to have but the locals insist on).
There seemed some close run options, but I went for Ulys from French autoroute operator Vinci in the end. Once I had determined that the charges could be applied directly to my bank (NatWest – yes I know. . .) because apparently not all of them allow you to set the foreign payments up, I went for it. https://ulys.vinci-autoroutes.com/en/ You pay a small fee for the days you are incurring charges plus of course the charges themselves.
The unit itself sticks to the inside of your screen behind the mirror. There isn’t much room there in a 718, and when we got in the car to leave, it had fallen off the screen after I’d installed it a couple of days before. It got a bit of a firmer shove second time around, and as far as I can remember is still there.
Anyway – as far as I can tell – it worked perfectly. To my great surprise, all bar one Spanish motorway we used was toll-free. That was a section we used a couple of times near Estepona on the Costa del Sol.
Portugal though is interesting from a tolls point of view. Unlike in France and Spain it seems that there is no cash/card alternative. It’s a toll tag or nothing. Bad news I suppose if you end up on a Portugues motorway expecting to pay as you go. However, there are no barriers either. Tolls are activated by passing under wireless gantries. These serve no other purpose than to communicate with drivers’ tags and photograph tagless vehicles. I don’t recall seeing another Brit-registered car in Portugal, and I think rental cars usually come with tags, but if you are unprepared, you could probably drive all over Portugal clocking up fines without ever knowing. I say ‘ever’ because perhaps they can catch up with somehow. But to be honest I can’t see how. Anyone been nicked in Portugal for not paying toll fees. . ?
For perspective, our toll fees in Portugal amounted to €44 and in Spain €4.20. So given the miles we did, Portugal motorways seem quite dear and Spain a bit of a bargain.
ferret50 said:
I have yet to receive a bill for using Portuguese toll motorways. Think the only way you would be caught would be by a traffic plod physical stop....
.
Interesting .
. Makes me feel we got mugged a bit. The Ulys tag did provide peace of mind though. And I should have mentioned, covers France as well as Spain - and you definitley aren't going to get away with toll-free motoring in France. . .Day 3. Fuente Dé to Casa das Penhas Douradas, Manteigas 570km.
(Day 2. Involved both horse riding and hiking in the Picos de Europa The national park here has 60% of the entire Iberian peninsula’s fauna, with deciduous forests reminiscent of our own, but also with wildlife we don’t even have in Hampshire. We didn’t see any brown bears or wolves, but we did see Griffon vultures both in the distance and close-in up on the peaks. There are very few places where you can see these amazing birds with a near 10 foot wingspan. There are a few around the Gorge du Tarn in France where they have been reintroduced, but the vast majority of the European population is in the Spanish mountains. If this is your sort of thing – and it definitely is mine – then it is yet another reason to come to this best kept secret corner of Iberia.)
On the second day in the Picos, we also drove down the mountain a little to the first village – Espinama in search of lunch. Sadly, several of the houses in the village were derelict, and an abandoned farm provided fascinating to explore and a sort of mausoleum to the local farming past.
But we found a small restaurant which opened at 1:30. We wondered around the village to kill time before the restaurant opened and dived through the door at 1:31. No one else walked in for the next half an hour which at first was a bit disconcerting. However, the quality of the local food blew us away – and by the time we left – a couple of hours later, the place was heaving with smartly-dressed locals making a meal of their Saturday lunch.
The other of Iberia’s best kept secrets is Serra de Estrela – or the Star Mountains. Described by Henry Catchpole no less as having “The best roads in the world” I wanted to drive here since watching this video.
This is what inspired me to hunt down the best roads in the Serra Estrella
So that was the next stop on the itinerary. The excellent roads continued as we headed south through the Cantabrian range. Until that is we got to the border between Spanish regions Cantabria and Castille & Leon. At this exact point the road deteriorated sharply and was rough, there were potholes and lots of dust. Aside from the dust, it could have been in the UK. This was in stark contrast to the roads around and up to Fuente Dé. If British roads are your reference then you won’t be able to imagine what the Picos roads are like. The only public roads I have driven on that are comparable are in Germany. The roads of this part of the Picos are ribbons of the kind of smooth black tarmac only found in Britain at a race track.
|https://thumbsnap.com/YPWigBRF[/url]
The CA-184 out of the Picos eventually improved, but was a little too tight and wiggly to provide much fun. We turned onto the CL-287 which opened out a bit and led us to our coffee stop at Cervera de Pisuerga which is a proper northern Spanish small town. The next table in the coffee shop was occupied by a family of parents with teenage son and daughter all dressed head to toe in camo.
While the equivalent British families were at this moment heading to Ikea and a lunch at Nandos, this happy crew had loaded their Toyota Landcruiser with half a dozen shotguns and were headed for the hills for a bit of hunting. Families that shoot together stay together.
This good omen presaged a bit of unsung road that was perhaps my favourite of the whole trip: the P277 southwards to the A67. Hilly rather than mountainous, sparse vegetation leaving great sight lines. Fast straights interspersed with constant radius curves and long sweepers, it probably suited the (oft-accused of being, but debatably) high-geared 718 better than the really twisty stuff.
No amount of Google research let me identify exactly where the Catchpole video was filmed or which were the actual best roads in the Serra de Estrela, but we were about to find out.
But first we had to get there. A little local knowledge would have come in useful when we were directed by our Satnav up a tiny side road off the ‘main’ EN232 that runs into and through Manteigas – the nearest town to our high altitude hotel. The car grounded on the steep turn and several more times as we drove up a single-track cobbled road which seemed to have about a 30% gradient. It was also signposted as a dead-end. Google Maps confirmed this was in fact the way to our hotel. What were we to know? So we soldiered on, grounding and grinding our way upwards. Eventually though we decided that unless all the hotel guests and provisions got there by mountain goat, there had to be another way. Finding it involved reversing down the mountain track for about a half a mile before reaching a precarious point to turn around. We found our way back into Manteigas.
We knew the hotel was above the town somewhere, but with regularly changing and always conflicting directions from the Porsche satnav and Google Maps, we left the town on more tiny roads in about 5 directions. But we always ended up in the centre of the cobbled town (everything is cobbled in and for miles around Manteigas. I think the GTS ride is remarkable supple – but Lord those cobbles were tiring.
In the end we asked a local to point us in the right direction. He gave us the best advice: “Ignore all the satnavs and Google Maps. Just follow the EN232 into the town, through the town, and to your hotel. Now why didn’t the hotel tell us that? (They did – when we got there.) In the end it took us 2 hours to do the actual 12km it would have taken on the EN232 from Manteigas to the hotel. Still now you know.
Our hotel for the next stop was the Casa das Penhas Douradas which has a sister hotel also on the EN232 closer to Manteigas. At first I was unsure about the hotel. Very expensively built by some celebrated architect in a very distinct Scandi-style. After checking-in we walked into the ‘cocktail lounge’ where due to the altitude (about 2,000m. It was late September), a fire was raging alongside the display of vintage cross-country skis.
The guests were all a certain kind of discerning Europeans. Discerning in the sense that they probably scoured the continent for ‘sustainable’ hotels and had enough money to fund their luxury beliefs.
The ski-decked lounge was thus completely silent and when anyone spoke they whispered. I lowered the tone a bit I expect by talking at normal volume, and heartily helping ourselves to the Prosecco. Life’s too short.
The hotel did have the precious and sepulchral atmosphere of a retreat, but our room was fabulous and huge. And the amazing attention to detail in its construction was reflected in the food. In particular the breakfast. It was just fabulous.
We had breakfast early enough for me to go out solo and explore the area a bit in the 718. I’m not really allowed to drive above about 60% with ‘er outdoors in the mountains. This used to irk me, but I seemed to have reached the age where driving ‘briskly’ rather than bonkers on even quiet public roads seems generally a good idea.
But at 9:00 am in the Serra Estrella with absolutely nothing else on the roads I did go a bit bonkers.
I’ll cover that in the next instalment.
(Day 2. Involved both horse riding and hiking in the Picos de Europa The national park here has 60% of the entire Iberian peninsula’s fauna, with deciduous forests reminiscent of our own, but also with wildlife we don’t even have in Hampshire. We didn’t see any brown bears or wolves, but we did see Griffon vultures both in the distance and close-in up on the peaks. There are very few places where you can see these amazing birds with a near 10 foot wingspan. There are a few around the Gorge du Tarn in France where they have been reintroduced, but the vast majority of the European population is in the Spanish mountains. If this is your sort of thing – and it definitely is mine – then it is yet another reason to come to this best kept secret corner of Iberia.)
On the second day in the Picos, we also drove down the mountain a little to the first village – Espinama in search of lunch. Sadly, several of the houses in the village were derelict, and an abandoned farm provided fascinating to explore and a sort of mausoleum to the local farming past.
But we found a small restaurant which opened at 1:30. We wondered around the village to kill time before the restaurant opened and dived through the door at 1:31. No one else walked in for the next half an hour which at first was a bit disconcerting. However, the quality of the local food blew us away – and by the time we left – a couple of hours later, the place was heaving with smartly-dressed locals making a meal of their Saturday lunch.
The other of Iberia’s best kept secrets is Serra de Estrela – or the Star Mountains. Described by Henry Catchpole no less as having “The best roads in the world” I wanted to drive here since watching this video.
This is what inspired me to hunt down the best roads in the Serra Estrella
So that was the next stop on the itinerary. The excellent roads continued as we headed south through the Cantabrian range. Until that is we got to the border between Spanish regions Cantabria and Castille & Leon. At this exact point the road deteriorated sharply and was rough, there were potholes and lots of dust. Aside from the dust, it could have been in the UK. This was in stark contrast to the roads around and up to Fuente Dé. If British roads are your reference then you won’t be able to imagine what the Picos roads are like. The only public roads I have driven on that are comparable are in Germany. The roads of this part of the Picos are ribbons of the kind of smooth black tarmac only found in Britain at a race track.
|https://thumbsnap.com/YPWigBRF[/url]The CA-184 out of the Picos eventually improved, but was a little too tight and wiggly to provide much fun. We turned onto the CL-287 which opened out a bit and led us to our coffee stop at Cervera de Pisuerga which is a proper northern Spanish small town. The next table in the coffee shop was occupied by a family of parents with teenage son and daughter all dressed head to toe in camo.
While the equivalent British families were at this moment heading to Ikea and a lunch at Nandos, this happy crew had loaded their Toyota Landcruiser with half a dozen shotguns and were headed for the hills for a bit of hunting. Families that shoot together stay together.
This good omen presaged a bit of unsung road that was perhaps my favourite of the whole trip: the P277 southwards to the A67. Hilly rather than mountainous, sparse vegetation leaving great sight lines. Fast straights interspersed with constant radius curves and long sweepers, it probably suited the (oft-accused of being, but debatably) high-geared 718 better than the really twisty stuff.
No amount of Google research let me identify exactly where the Catchpole video was filmed or which were the actual best roads in the Serra de Estrela, but we were about to find out.
But first we had to get there. A little local knowledge would have come in useful when we were directed by our Satnav up a tiny side road off the ‘main’ EN232 that runs into and through Manteigas – the nearest town to our high altitude hotel. The car grounded on the steep turn and several more times as we drove up a single-track cobbled road which seemed to have about a 30% gradient. It was also signposted as a dead-end. Google Maps confirmed this was in fact the way to our hotel. What were we to know? So we soldiered on, grounding and grinding our way upwards. Eventually though we decided that unless all the hotel guests and provisions got there by mountain goat, there had to be another way. Finding it involved reversing down the mountain track for about a half a mile before reaching a precarious point to turn around. We found our way back into Manteigas.
We knew the hotel was above the town somewhere, but with regularly changing and always conflicting directions from the Porsche satnav and Google Maps, we left the town on more tiny roads in about 5 directions. But we always ended up in the centre of the cobbled town (everything is cobbled in and for miles around Manteigas. I think the GTS ride is remarkable supple – but Lord those cobbles were tiring.
In the end we asked a local to point us in the right direction. He gave us the best advice: “Ignore all the satnavs and Google Maps. Just follow the EN232 into the town, through the town, and to your hotel. Now why didn’t the hotel tell us that? (They did – when we got there.) In the end it took us 2 hours to do the actual 12km it would have taken on the EN232 from Manteigas to the hotel. Still now you know.
Our hotel for the next stop was the Casa das Penhas Douradas which has a sister hotel also on the EN232 closer to Manteigas. At first I was unsure about the hotel. Very expensively built by some celebrated architect in a very distinct Scandi-style. After checking-in we walked into the ‘cocktail lounge’ where due to the altitude (about 2,000m. It was late September), a fire was raging alongside the display of vintage cross-country skis.
The guests were all a certain kind of discerning Europeans. Discerning in the sense that they probably scoured the continent for ‘sustainable’ hotels and had enough money to fund their luxury beliefs.
The ski-decked lounge was thus completely silent and when anyone spoke they whispered. I lowered the tone a bit I expect by talking at normal volume, and heartily helping ourselves to the Prosecco. Life’s too short.
The hotel did have the precious and sepulchral atmosphere of a retreat, but our room was fabulous and huge. And the amazing attention to detail in its construction was reflected in the food. In particular the breakfast. It was just fabulous.
We had breakfast early enough for me to go out solo and explore the area a bit in the 718. I’m not really allowed to drive above about 60% with ‘er outdoors in the mountains. This used to irk me, but I seemed to have reached the age where driving ‘briskly’ rather than bonkers on even quiet public roads seems generally a good idea.
But at 9:00 am in the Serra Estrella with absolutely nothing else on the roads I did go a bit bonkers.
I’ll cover that in the next instalment.
Edited by DickDasterdly on Thursday 23 November 17:48
DangerDoom said:
Great update and great video - looking forward to the next instalment. Have done some extensive research on both the Picos and the Serra de Estrela in preparation for a trip next year. Will be great to see if my desk research matches up with what you find in the field.
Also, as a remarkable coincidence, I have also looked at the same hotel (probably similar criteria with 'good parking' being top of the list.
Surprised about your satnav experience though. From doing this kind of thing a few times I'm in the habit of 'driving' parts of the route on StreetView. Can you pick out the single-track cobbled road you went up? I ask because what I'm seeing seems relatively easy (although it always does until you're in the 'heat of battle' as it were).
So Casa das Penhas is just off the 'main road' (not really 'main' at all, but at least 2-lane) by about half a mile. Both the hotel and the N232 are visible on your map. The problem with getting to the hotel started on entering the cobbled maze that is Manteigas. The issue is that both the car satnav and Google maps want you to shortcut the N232 by cutting off the loops and going straight up the hill. The problem for us started at the entrance to the village which I marked on the map below close to the Hotel de Fabrica. We were sent right here, and even when we back-tracked into Manteigas we kept on getting sent up undriveable tracks straight up the mountain. As you can see from the map, to get to both sister hotels you have to follow the N232 east out of the town, whereas the Casa das Penhas is due west of Manteigas. This is obvious on the map, but was a nightmare on the ground.Also, as a remarkable coincidence, I have also looked at the same hotel (probably similar criteria with 'good parking' being top of the list.
Surprised about your satnav experience though. From doing this kind of thing a few times I'm in the habit of 'driving' parts of the route on StreetView. Can you pick out the single-track cobbled road you went up? I ask because what I'm seeing seems relatively easy (although it always does until you're in the 'heat of battle' as it were).
As M11rph said. Manteigas is quite original and like the rest of the Serra Estrela, not remotely touristy really. Covilhã, has a completely different vibe. A much bigger, bustling, cosmopolitan university town. Contrast is interesting as they aren't that far apart.
Edited by DickDasterdly on Wednesday 22 November 08:17
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