Sensible family daily wagon - Mercedes Benz S211 E500
Discussion
So we arrived at 3pm in Caen (I checked the time on the photo), not 2pm as stated earlier. The drive down the A10 to Bordeaux and beyond was on largely empty roads and progress was relaxed and swift - I was quickly aware of the unplanned benefits of travelling through France on a Sunday evening.
We pushed the drive without in-car media for the children until 7pm ish when we stopped at one of the French autoroute's excellent 'Aire' rest stops. We set up a picnic table with our nibbles whilst the children indulged in the play facilities and were ready to hit the road again after around 45 mins, which is an acceptable time to 'lose' on the journey time. I find that, increasingly, modern technological devices and gadgets bridge the technology gap between this 2003 vehicle and 2019 capabilities. One such example is the microsoft surface that fits securely and snugly into the gap between the front seats - there is a stand that extends out of the back and slots into the edge of the seat back and squab cushion. So two kids films in succession and no sleep (that's a long day for them!) should see us arrive in San Sebastian in harmony... which we did; arrival time was 11.45pm.
Caen to San Sebastian:
SW20 to San Sebastian:
As it transpires, it was a very smooth and successful journey from home and not very taxing. Mrs Bolide certainly enjoyed driving Magnus after our dinner stop when I took some time to catch forty winks. Testament to the S211, the air suspenders make motorway travel a breeze and the low revs of the large capacity V8 is very calming at speed. It's nice and quiet, too, with a light and airy interior which gives a feeling of spaciousness.
We pushed the drive without in-car media for the children until 7pm ish when we stopped at one of the French autoroute's excellent 'Aire' rest stops. We set up a picnic table with our nibbles whilst the children indulged in the play facilities and were ready to hit the road again after around 45 mins, which is an acceptable time to 'lose' on the journey time. I find that, increasingly, modern technological devices and gadgets bridge the technology gap between this 2003 vehicle and 2019 capabilities. One such example is the microsoft surface that fits securely and snugly into the gap between the front seats - there is a stand that extends out of the back and slots into the edge of the seat back and squab cushion. So two kids films in succession and no sleep (that's a long day for them!) should see us arrive in San Sebastian in harmony... which we did; arrival time was 11.45pm.
Caen to San Sebastian:
SW20 to San Sebastian:
As it transpires, it was a very smooth and successful journey from home and not very taxing. Mrs Bolide certainly enjoyed driving Magnus after our dinner stop when I took some time to catch forty winks. Testament to the S211, the air suspenders make motorway travel a breeze and the low revs of the large capacity V8 is very calming at speed. It's nice and quiet, too, with a light and airy interior which gives a feeling of spaciousness.
The place in which we stayed was fantastic, given that we had the flexibility afforded by having travelled in one's own vehicle. Situated on a hill next to San Sebastian, the isolation was welcome and the views indulgent and endless. One night I awoke to a storm only to look out and see many lights much closer than I remember the coastline having been before dusk... the next morning I was discussing this with the hostess and she informed me that these lights belonged to fishing boats! These tough buggers work in all conditions and the bright lights are to attract the sardines.
In addition to the winning formula, there was a restaurant a short walk down the hill run by a few sisters with really good atmosphere, nice food and good wine. The biggest bonus was that the wine was cheaper than water:
We also have a kitchenette in the apartment, so had the opportunity to try some local produce:
Occasionally, we'd head to the beach in Zarautz whilst the boy had some surfing lessons. I somehow managed to misinterpret the parking instructions, allied by the siren-like words of a passing local whilst I furrowed my brows staring at the sign; I thought that the fees were only payable in 'Summer' i.e. from 1st June:
the upshot was a €15 fine. Conveniently, however, the small fine is payable on the spot.
Another convenience that I had ordered in time for this journey, was the Spanish toll tag, in addition to the French one from Emovis, that I have had for a couple of years now. It's the one on the right which says 'ViaT'.
Onto the final evening and on our now customary walk back to the hotel from the local restaurant run by the 'we no longer care if you don't speak Spanish' sisters, we were treated to a blazing sunset. We don't get this in SW20:
and one for the car lovers:
The next day would bring a journey to Bilbao airport, where I would say goodbye to the family and head to Madrid for the Champions' League Final before continuing to a number of destinations on business.
In addition to the winning formula, there was a restaurant a short walk down the hill run by a few sisters with really good atmosphere, nice food and good wine. The biggest bonus was that the wine was cheaper than water:
We also have a kitchenette in the apartment, so had the opportunity to try some local produce:
Occasionally, we'd head to the beach in Zarautz whilst the boy had some surfing lessons. I somehow managed to misinterpret the parking instructions, allied by the siren-like words of a passing local whilst I furrowed my brows staring at the sign; I thought that the fees were only payable in 'Summer' i.e. from 1st June:
the upshot was a €15 fine. Conveniently, however, the small fine is payable on the spot.
Another convenience that I had ordered in time for this journey, was the Spanish toll tag, in addition to the French one from Emovis, that I have had for a couple of years now. It's the one on the right which says 'ViaT'.
Onto the final evening and on our now customary walk back to the hotel from the local restaurant run by the 'we no longer care if you don't speak Spanish' sisters, we were treated to a blazing sunset. We don't get this in SW20:
and one for the car lovers:
The next day would bring a journey to Bilbao airport, where I would say goodbye to the family and head to Madrid for the Champions' League Final before continuing to a number of destinations on business.
Edited by bolidemichael on Sunday 26th January 23:01
The next morning, the car was packed in a leisurely fashion. We had all day to get to Bilbao airport, around seventy miles away so I plugged the destination into the sat nav, with the idea that should we arrive by lunch time, we'd have lunch and pop into the Guggenheim for a browse.
Magnus, however, had other plans. We found ourselves blindly and happily taking a coastal road westwards, through some characterful towns, including Zarautz. Here is the 634 looking out towards Deba, the nearest town and beyond.
We continued on the main road until we were guided off and over through the quite steep hills at Elgoibar; at this point, we noticed a couple of spirited(ly) driven, Dutch-plated Porsches turning into what looked like a secret squirrel inn. It transpired to be a highly rated gastronomic destination:
though, alas, having popped in, they seemed too busy to attend to us immediately and perhaps, a little too much of an adult environment for a relaxed lunch with the young family, so back into the air conditioned car we climbed and headed back down the hill and through the beautiful forest on the quiet road which took us to a little seaside town named Mendexa.
Turning into the road that serviced the seaside, we were quite fortunate to have found a parking space and additionally, a free bench on which to polish off the remaining food that we had bought in the fabulous bakeries and delicatessens in San Sebastien.
Additionally, there seemed to be a meeting of Citroen 2CV enthusiasts at a local cafe, which was both unusual and pleasant to see.
I think that it is one of the great pleasures of a road trip to take a leisurely route, off piste and unplanned, simply encountering local features and enjoying the environment, road and vehicle. Off course, Magnus performed magnificently and the suspension adjustment was handy on both rutted roads and smoother twisty roads. The stiffer settings are very effective at stopping the car and contents from lurching when loaded.
The family was dropped off in good time at Bilbao airport, where I encountered a very confident pair of Liverpool FC fans, one of whom had been to every single European Cup Final in which Liverpool had played!
I returned to the car and plugged in a route to my next destination of Segovia. It was at this point that I realised why we had been taken on such a lovely drive... somehow the option for 'avoid motorways' had been selected! Serendipity or fortune... who knows?
Magnus, however, had other plans. We found ourselves blindly and happily taking a coastal road westwards, through some characterful towns, including Zarautz. Here is the 634 looking out towards Deba, the nearest town and beyond.
We continued on the main road until we were guided off and over through the quite steep hills at Elgoibar; at this point, we noticed a couple of spirited(ly) driven, Dutch-plated Porsches turning into what looked like a secret squirrel inn. It transpired to be a highly rated gastronomic destination:
though, alas, having popped in, they seemed too busy to attend to us immediately and perhaps, a little too much of an adult environment for a relaxed lunch with the young family, so back into the air conditioned car we climbed and headed back down the hill and through the beautiful forest on the quiet road which took us to a little seaside town named Mendexa.
Turning into the road that serviced the seaside, we were quite fortunate to have found a parking space and additionally, a free bench on which to polish off the remaining food that we had bought in the fabulous bakeries and delicatessens in San Sebastien.
Additionally, there seemed to be a meeting of Citroen 2CV enthusiasts at a local cafe, which was both unusual and pleasant to see.
I think that it is one of the great pleasures of a road trip to take a leisurely route, off piste and unplanned, simply encountering local features and enjoying the environment, road and vehicle. Off course, Magnus performed magnificently and the suspension adjustment was handy on both rutted roads and smoother twisty roads. The stiffer settings are very effective at stopping the car and contents from lurching when loaded.
The family was dropped off in good time at Bilbao airport, where I encountered a very confident pair of Liverpool FC fans, one of whom had been to every single European Cup Final in which Liverpool had played!
I returned to the car and plugged in a route to my next destination of Segovia. It was at this point that I realised why we had been taken on such a lovely drive... somehow the option for 'avoid motorways' had been selected! Serendipity or fortune... who knows?
Thanks Tobinen. The caveat is that these posts are perpetually anachronistic, as I set myself the task of playing catch up. At present, I am around six months and two and a half road trips behind the present day! This took place in June, though the weather was rough (and beautiful) for the first couple of days.
tobinen said:
Aha! Which reminds me I need to complete my E39 trip write-up.
That was a sequence of motoring mishaps! It'll be nice to read about the inbetween... do you have an E39 Reader's wives thread?alistair267 said:
Looks like an epic trip. I lived in north west Spain for a while and loved it.
If you’re SW20, I’m not far away in SW16 and also the owner of a German V8 estate, albeit a BMW one. Might be an interesting comparison!
You are a fortunate individual to have had the experience. The trip is only just unfolding...If you’re SW20, I’m not far away in SW16 and also the owner of a German V8 estate, albeit a BMW one. Might be an interesting comparison!
An E61 550i... the connoisseur's choice for sure. I can see this going well; swapping notes, swapping cars, hitting the A3 southbound in the evening on a schoolnight and unleashing hell. Cue middle aged madness!
Jumping into the car having said our goodbyes, it struck me how much more relaxed the drop off and parking is at Bilbao than Gatwick/Heathrow etc. Even at Glasgow 'International', a fee has to be paid for drop off/collection!
Here was the trip computer for the day's pootling... an avg speed of 24mph
and leaving at 1810hrs the planned arrival time was a little later than would have been convenient for dinner:
So it was pedal to the metal time, able-y assisted by a frankly 'loco' driver of a Seat Cupra (or Leon?) estate. I was quite surprised at the speed of the thing and whilst he couldn't match the Merc, he definitely made me work for it. Thankfully, he didn't give up for a while so I benefited from the additional spur and arrival within the range of a single tank of fuel. An arrival time of 2115hrs shaved an entire hour off the GPS time, which isn't a surprise with the COMAND system, but still imbues me with a sense of manliness that Old Spice doesn't.
Anyway... Segovia, it's a very attractive town.
and I enjoyed some nice local cuisine of artichokes and Segovia sucking piglet, to my delight they also had Vichy Catalan behind the bar:
The next day, it was the road to Madrid... a day I dared never to dream of seeing - my club Spurs in the Champions League Final. But before, some time to admire the sights of Segovia and this magnificent aquaduct. What have the Romans ever done for the Segovians?
Here was the trip computer for the day's pootling... an avg speed of 24mph
and leaving at 1810hrs the planned arrival time was a little later than would have been convenient for dinner:
So it was pedal to the metal time, able-y assisted by a frankly 'loco' driver of a Seat Cupra (or Leon?) estate. I was quite surprised at the speed of the thing and whilst he couldn't match the Merc, he definitely made me work for it. Thankfully, he didn't give up for a while so I benefited from the additional spur and arrival within the range of a single tank of fuel. An arrival time of 2115hrs shaved an entire hour off the GPS time, which isn't a surprise with the COMAND system, but still imbues me with a sense of manliness that Old Spice doesn't.
Anyway... Segovia, it's a very attractive town.
and I enjoyed some nice local cuisine of artichokes and Segovia sucking piglet, to my delight they also had Vichy Catalan behind the bar:
The next day, it was the road to Madrid... a day I dared never to dream of seeing - my club Spurs in the Champions League Final. But before, some time to admire the sights of Segovia and this magnificent aquaduct. What have the Romans ever done for the Segovians?
bolidemichael said:
tobinen said:
Aha! Which reminds me I need to complete my E39 trip write-up.
That was a sequence of motoring mishaps! It'll be nice to read about the inbetween... do you have an E39 Reader's wives thread?Segovia looks lovely
Some more photos of beautiful Segovia
The next morning I collected the car from the car park that served this side of the town within the town walls
Saturday brought a very exciting day starting with a short and leisurely one hour drive to Madrid. The road from Bilbao had been littered with UK plated vehicles sporting flags and scarves, of either team playing in the Final.
There were more Liverpool emblazoned vehicles than Spurs'; these hardy fellows are European hardened and also, benefited from the scheduling which gave them a crucial twenty four hours in which to secure travel and accommodation for the Final in Madrid. This is why I stayed in Segovia the previous evening, along with a number of other (loud) fans. This evening's accommodation in Madrid cost me €1,000 for a three bed 'hostel'; in truth, a very respectable and well kept modern establishment with a fantastic bathroom, underground parking and a s
t breakfast where all the money was saved for them.
I set the COMAND for the Estadio Metropolitano, home of Atletico Madrid and venue for the evening's match. I figured that arriving in good time to see the venue and get a feeling for the atmosphere would be entirely appropriate and achievable, having driven myself ergo having the freedom to go where I desired
it was quite busy, though not as marshalled and organised as a British event of such magnitude. Hustling and shouting are still the order of the day.
a comparison shot of the evening
The hostel underground parking was extremely tight. This was taken during the ninth manoeuvre of what must have been a twenty seven point turn to reverse into the available bay. There was a tidy A8 parked in the corner; that would be a nice luxo-barge in which to travel to Madrid, what with the snazzy looking lights and all.
It was an eventful day and ended with a disappointing match with a few highlights including a pitch invader, images supplied for your delectation
do not fear, she was intercepted and ushered to the sidelines; she was clearly an amateur, as any good pair of strikers should know to go down at any hint of contact;
The next day brought some languid strolling around the centre of Madrid looking for somewhere to brunch; we ended with an al fresco place that traded more on their location than their service; there were some interesting sights on the streets in this gentle part of town;
After brunch, I'd be embarking on the next stage of my journey through Spain - next stop, Cuenca.
The next morning I collected the car from the car park that served this side of the town within the town walls
Saturday brought a very exciting day starting with a short and leisurely one hour drive to Madrid. The road from Bilbao had been littered with UK plated vehicles sporting flags and scarves, of either team playing in the Final.
There were more Liverpool emblazoned vehicles than Spurs'; these hardy fellows are European hardened and also, benefited from the scheduling which gave them a crucial twenty four hours in which to secure travel and accommodation for the Final in Madrid. This is why I stayed in Segovia the previous evening, along with a number of other (loud) fans. This evening's accommodation in Madrid cost me €1,000 for a three bed 'hostel'; in truth, a very respectable and well kept modern establishment with a fantastic bathroom, underground parking and a s
t breakfast where all the money was saved for them.I set the COMAND for the Estadio Metropolitano, home of Atletico Madrid and venue for the evening's match. I figured that arriving in good time to see the venue and get a feeling for the atmosphere would be entirely appropriate and achievable, having driven myself ergo having the freedom to go where I desired
it was quite busy, though not as marshalled and organised as a British event of such magnitude. Hustling and shouting are still the order of the day.
a comparison shot of the evening
The hostel underground parking was extremely tight. This was taken during the ninth manoeuvre of what must have been a twenty seven point turn to reverse into the available bay. There was a tidy A8 parked in the corner; that would be a nice luxo-barge in which to travel to Madrid, what with the snazzy looking lights and all.
It was an eventful day and ended with a disappointing match with a few highlights including a pitch invader, images supplied for your delectation
do not fear, she was intercepted and ushered to the sidelines; she was clearly an amateur, as any good pair of strikers should know to go down at any hint of contact;
The next day brought some languid strolling around the centre of Madrid looking for somewhere to brunch; we ended with an al fresco place that traded more on their location than their service; there were some interesting sights on the streets in this gentle part of town;
After brunch, I'd be embarking on the next stage of my journey through Spain - next stop, Cuenca.
After dropping two disappointed Spurs fans at Madrid airport, the afternoon drive to Cuenca was fast and clear. There was a remarkable part of the drive where the motorway hits a peak and a vista opens up - a great expanse which was reminiscent of travelling thorough the States; some scenery from the spaghetti westerns came to mind. It was apparent that the landscape was changing and I was about to embark on a roadtrip discovering surprising Spain. It's clear that it is quite a large country, on a European scale and the sparseness of population dense towns make it seem larger.
Arriving in outer Cuenca seemed unremarkable and being a Sunday, particularly sleepy. However, my sat nav dialled into the hotel led me ever higher upwards within the town whereupon a secret was revealed to the wilfully naive traveller - a historic town with heritage - what a pleasure!
I find that camera phones have a tendency to widen narrows, but this part of the road required me to breath in, in order to squeeze past!
Eventually I found my way round to the other hill on which the hotel was located, just below a large statue of Jesus. I was impressed by the vista.
There were some UK registered motorcycles in the car park, too. Most of them parked sensibly in the designated area with the exception of this chap, who felt that an expensive (and lovely) H2 made him eligible to park in one of the few car parking spaces.
The hotel, Paradores Cuenca, was quite comfortable.
Here is the menu for you foodies; there's nothing quite like a Closeness Kitchen.
The next day, I would be waking early and taking a drive to Beteta.
Arriving in outer Cuenca seemed unremarkable and being a Sunday, particularly sleepy. However, my sat nav dialled into the hotel led me ever higher upwards within the town whereupon a secret was revealed to the wilfully naive traveller - a historic town with heritage - what a pleasure!
I find that camera phones have a tendency to widen narrows, but this part of the road required me to breath in, in order to squeeze past!
Eventually I found my way round to the other hill on which the hotel was located, just below a large statue of Jesus. I was impressed by the vista.
There were some UK registered motorcycles in the car park, too. Most of them parked sensibly in the designated area with the exception of this chap, who felt that an expensive (and lovely) H2 made him eligible to park in one of the few car parking spaces.
The hotel, Paradores Cuenca, was quite comfortable.
Here is the menu for you foodies; there's nothing quite like a Closeness Kitchen.
The next day, I would be waking early and taking a drive to Beteta.
This transpired to be a fabulous day in Spain - as per usual, I hadn't planned the route, only roughly glanced at the destinations and figured how long it might take. My first appointment was, rather optimistically, at 10am; but first - I awoke to this splendid scene. The W210 was really clean fwiw.
So, Cuenca to Beteta is a rather lovely route - a short stretch on the motorway back to Madrid, the A-40, turning north onto the N-320 (A road), followed by the majority of the drive headed NW on a B road - the CM-210. I was so fired up on an intoxicating mix of caffeine and a determination to not arrive early (a pet hate of mine), that I completely ignored the turn off and arrived about fifteen minutes late. The issue was, that I was headed for Beteta, when in fact it was the nearest town named Puente de Vadillos that I had completely overshot in my enthusiasm.
The road from P de Vadillos to the production plant (and source) for the Natural Mineral Water of Solan de Cabras is a dedicated one for two and a half miles.
This is the sign that greeted me and quite charming in its simplicity, I thought:
Being Spain, they didn't even bat an eyelid at my late arrival, possibly the serenity of the place played a part in their attitude.
Here is a gist of the location:
and what happens in the factory:
It really is in the middle of nowhere:
The mountainous region of Castilla La Mancha:
So after the chat and tour, came a visit back to town for a bite; I managed to get a video of the dedicated road, though my failure to pre-plan means that I didn't have blu-tac in order to secure the phone to the windscreen, which inevitably falls a couple of times! That's in contrast to this earlier video from San Sebastian to Zarautz, for which I had the dutiful and bemused Mrs Bolide with a finger to the screen holding the phone.
As it was before lunch service, there wasn't a menu, just the staff food which was a bean stew - it was proper rustic and very nice indeed, washed down with some beer (don't mind if I do thankyouverymuchindeed).
After a leisurely lunch, it was time to get in the car and head north to Logrono.
As I had a leisurely arrival time for check in and dinner, I could afford to enjoy the drive...
So, Cuenca to Beteta is a rather lovely route - a short stretch on the motorway back to Madrid, the A-40, turning north onto the N-320 (A road), followed by the majority of the drive headed NW on a B road - the CM-210. I was so fired up on an intoxicating mix of caffeine and a determination to not arrive early (a pet hate of mine), that I completely ignored the turn off and arrived about fifteen minutes late. The issue was, that I was headed for Beteta, when in fact it was the nearest town named Puente de Vadillos that I had completely overshot in my enthusiasm.
The road from P de Vadillos to the production plant (and source) for the Natural Mineral Water of Solan de Cabras is a dedicated one for two and a half miles.
This is the sign that greeted me and quite charming in its simplicity, I thought:
Being Spain, they didn't even bat an eyelid at my late arrival, possibly the serenity of the place played a part in their attitude.
Here is a gist of the location:
and what happens in the factory:
It really is in the middle of nowhere:
The mountainous region of Castilla La Mancha:
So after the chat and tour, came a visit back to town for a bite; I managed to get a video of the dedicated road, though my failure to pre-plan means that I didn't have blu-tac in order to secure the phone to the windscreen, which inevitably falls a couple of times! That's in contrast to this earlier video from San Sebastian to Zarautz, for which I had the dutiful and bemused Mrs Bolide with a finger to the screen holding the phone.
As it was before lunch service, there wasn't a menu, just the staff food which was a bean stew - it was proper rustic and very nice indeed, washed down with some beer (don't mind if I do thankyouverymuchindeed).
After a leisurely lunch, it was time to get in the car and head north to Logrono.
As I had a leisurely arrival time for check in and dinner, I could afford to enjoy the drive...
Edited by bolidemichael on Sunday 26th January 23:04
The next part of the journey, to Logrono which was over two hundred miles away, was one of the best driving days that I have enjoyed in a while. The topography was interesting and varied (which surprised me a lot, not having undertaken any form of research into the terrain in this region of Spain), the roads were of good quality tarmac (thank you EU grants) and sparse of traffic. This is exactly the type of road that I had been looking forward to tackling:
The road continued to climb and it was clear that the area was quite remote.
and the single road that ran towards the motorway was remote, challenging and blissful
and as I descended into Poveda de la Sierra, the road meandered along a river valley with long, fast, sweeping bends.
Through Taravilla, the road undulated quite a lot and was cut through the hillside - the tarmac here wasn't great, but the driving was technical and flowing
Once I had descended into the town of Molina de Aragon, I was met by an well preserved hilltop fortress. The photo is ste, but it's there on the hill!
The journey to this stage had taken me around fifty minutes:
I had covered around forty enjoyable miles and a fuel stop and browse was in order. Foreign fuel stations fascinate me as they can offer a real glimpse into the preferences of the local region. I was delighted to see this antique ve-hi-cle out and about
and titillated to see the marketing value of multiple MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez in his home territory
Having traversed the ninety or so miles on the SO-20 'Autovia de Navarra' to Soria, I turned off the motorway once again on the road to Logrono - the first part of which is the is where the landscape really started to alter once again into a wide open basin
Now, the part of the N-111 that runs through the basin and into the hills and river valley on the other side is composed of a series of Roman roads that are very straight, very well sighted and hence, very, very fast. It's one of those roads that essentially draws one into a mission to 'compress the horizon' and my eyes were as far ahead as possible whilst my foot was flat; the power was being transferred through the rear axle and through the Falken FK510-shod rear wheels, they gripped the tarmac and represented the ideal conditions for making progress in this road-locomotive from Sindelfingen.
After having squeezed my eyeballs to the point where they were dry from not having blinked for a stretch of minutes a flat stick, I was unprepared and quite surprised for the next and final part of the characterful drive to Lorgono.
The N-111, having traversed through the region of 'Castilla and Leon' meets the N-111 in the region of La Rioja (of wine producing reknown) and the road begins to undulate once again as it first follows the minor part of the river Iregua until the tributary feeds the major Rio Iregua - the roads becomes laughably twisty.
I had already encountered one 'loco' local driver of a Seat on the way to Segovia and on this occasion, I had a sprightly red Audi A4 (the eighties version!) hanging onto my coat tails for a while. The grip of the car was really tested here and it's certainly no sports car - but the AMG adjustable dampers really do an effective job in the stiffer settings of controlling the weight transfer in the bends; in this softer version of the E Class, the seat bolsters are what would noticeably positively impact the comfort at the limits of grip - but since I drive like this whilst travelling solo, I just support myself on the door and get on with it!
There's essentially seven and a half miles of silliness from Villanueva de Cameros to Torrecilla en Cameros
and upon the descent towards Logrono, this is the surprising town of Torrecilla that I spotted - a beautiful town in a majestic setting which unfortunately the image, lacking depth, doesn't convey - nor the large and prominent statue of JC, arms reached out, overlooking the town
By now, I was made up and ready to arrive at my destination, but this magical route had one more surprise in store for me - a run through a valley of rocky outcrops that made me feel as though I had entered the Valley of the Gods in Utah. As I was to discover later, the entire area used to be a sea, billion of years ago and these rocks are rich in fossils and minerals - hence the quality of the mineral water that I was to sample from the spring the following day.
This was my first glimpse
as then the road began to reveal itself within the landscape and my jaw dropped further:
There was some lovely roadside flora, too
After that, it was a short drive into Logrono - a rather modern looking conurbation with some wide boulevards, reminiscent of smaller American cities with space for vehicles and also, very deep pavements which incorporate ramps that allow access for underground parking to each building. It's an appealing balance of food, wine, architecture and culture.
I didn't sample one of these 'Muy Buenos' tomatoes, which I rather regret now...
Finally, one of the main road as described
What a day that was, Spain is varied and beautiful - heaven for the mid-week driver too as there a not that many cars impeding progress and even less police that give a damn!
The road continued to climb and it was clear that the area was quite remote.
and the single road that ran towards the motorway was remote, challenging and blissful
and as I descended into Poveda de la Sierra, the road meandered along a river valley with long, fast, sweeping bends.
Through Taravilla, the road undulated quite a lot and was cut through the hillside - the tarmac here wasn't great, but the driving was technical and flowing
Once I had descended into the town of Molina de Aragon, I was met by an well preserved hilltop fortress. The photo is s
te, but it's there on the hill!The journey to this stage had taken me around fifty minutes:
I had covered around forty enjoyable miles and a fuel stop and browse was in order. Foreign fuel stations fascinate me as they can offer a real glimpse into the preferences of the local region. I was delighted to see this antique ve-hi-cle out and about
and titillated to see the marketing value of multiple MotoGP Champion Marc Marquez in his home territory
Having traversed the ninety or so miles on the SO-20 'Autovia de Navarra' to Soria, I turned off the motorway once again on the road to Logrono - the first part of which is the is where the landscape really started to alter once again into a wide open basin
Now, the part of the N-111 that runs through the basin and into the hills and river valley on the other side is composed of a series of Roman roads that are very straight, very well sighted and hence, very, very fast. It's one of those roads that essentially draws one into a mission to 'compress the horizon' and my eyes were as far ahead as possible whilst my foot was flat; the power was being transferred through the rear axle and through the Falken FK510-shod rear wheels, they gripped the tarmac and represented the ideal conditions for making progress in this road-locomotive from Sindelfingen.
After having squeezed my eyeballs to the point where they were dry from not having blinked for a stretch of minutes a flat stick, I was unprepared and quite surprised for the next and final part of the characterful drive to Lorgono.
The N-111, having traversed through the region of 'Castilla and Leon' meets the N-111 in the region of La Rioja (of wine producing reknown) and the road begins to undulate once again as it first follows the minor part of the river Iregua until the tributary feeds the major Rio Iregua - the roads becomes laughably twisty.
I had already encountered one 'loco' local driver of a Seat on the way to Segovia and on this occasion, I had a sprightly red Audi A4 (the eighties version!) hanging onto my coat tails for a while. The grip of the car was really tested here and it's certainly no sports car - but the AMG adjustable dampers really do an effective job in the stiffer settings of controlling the weight transfer in the bends; in this softer version of the E Class, the seat bolsters are what would noticeably positively impact the comfort at the limits of grip - but since I drive like this whilst travelling solo, I just support myself on the door and get on with it!
There's essentially seven and a half miles of silliness from Villanueva de Cameros to Torrecilla en Cameros
and upon the descent towards Logrono, this is the surprising town of Torrecilla that I spotted - a beautiful town in a majestic setting which unfortunately the image, lacking depth, doesn't convey - nor the large and prominent statue of JC, arms reached out, overlooking the town
By now, I was made up and ready to arrive at my destination, but this magical route had one more surprise in store for me - a run through a valley of rocky outcrops that made me feel as though I had entered the Valley of the Gods in Utah. As I was to discover later, the entire area used to be a sea, billion of years ago and these rocks are rich in fossils and minerals - hence the quality of the mineral water that I was to sample from the spring the following day.
This was my first glimpse
as then the road began to reveal itself within the landscape and my jaw dropped further:
There was some lovely roadside flora, too
After that, it was a short drive into Logrono - a rather modern looking conurbation with some wide boulevards, reminiscent of smaller American cities with space for vehicles and also, very deep pavements which incorporate ramps that allow access for underground parking to each building. It's an appealing balance of food, wine, architecture and culture.
I didn't sample one of these 'Muy Buenos' tomatoes, which I rather regret now...
Finally, one of the main road as described
What a day that was, Spain is varied and beautiful - heaven for the mid-week driver too as there a not that many cars impeding progress and even less police that give a damn!
Edited by bolidemichael on Friday 7th February 10:08
The next day was spent back amongst the magnificent rocks of La Rioja
and a visit to a water source that was first recorded over one thousand years ago
moving on to a showcase lunch, the view from the restaurant over the vineyards was welcome and highlighted the topography that is conducive to grape production
After lunch, it was back to the hotel to load the car and a swift drive to Madrid in time for dinner, with three adult passengers in tow. One of the passengers remarked how comfortable my car was, whilst sat in the rear. Considering the speeds that I reached on the aforementioned horizon squeezing roman road, that says a lot about the built quality of the S211.
Logrono to Madrid:
We made it in time for dinner, which was in a delicious seafood restaurant and well deserved.
and a visit to a water source that was first recorded over one thousand years ago
moving on to a showcase lunch, the view from the restaurant over the vineyards was welcome and highlighted the topography that is conducive to grape production
After lunch, it was back to the hotel to load the car and a swift drive to Madrid in time for dinner, with three adult passengers in tow. One of the passengers remarked how comfortable my car was, whilst sat in the rear. Considering the speeds that I reached on the aforementioned horizon squeezing roman road, that says a lot about the built quality of the S211.
Logrono to Madrid:
We made it in time for dinner, which was in a delicious seafood restaurant and well deserved.
Edited by bolidemichael on Wednesday 12th February 22:52
The next morning I had a breakfast meeting at 9.30am which finished at 10.30am. By the time I got into the car and plugged in the route, it was 10.40am and I had to be in Barcelona for a 4pm meeting.
There wasn't really any time to hang around and with a series of podcasts streaming (BBC's Mastertapes with John Wilson) and overcast conditions to focus the mind, I just put pedal to the metal and kept my eyes ahead, scanning for any obstructions or comedy policemen behind advertising signs, drinking coffee and munching on doughnuts. Why shouldn't Smokey drive an estate? Once again, the landscape between Madrid and Barcelona was surprising, with quite a bit of climbing and dual carriageways. It was, however, smooth sailing with very light traffic conditions and with some consistent pace, I made it to the car park near the meeting point at 3.55pm. I had beaten the GPS arrival time by just over one hour, justifying the determination to maintain a pace from the start and the car hadn't missed a beat. In fact, the more it has long, swift runs on stretches of motorway - the better it performs.
At the hotel, I was please to find a nice spot in which to tuck away the car
and then headed out for dinner at a charming little place named Caldeni that's obviously in demand, as they won't allow reservations to take the table unless everyone is present! This Ribera del Duero was a spectacular wine.
We went for a stroll and nightcap after and came across this fabulous racing machine in the lobby
There wasn't really any time to hang around and with a series of podcasts streaming (BBC's Mastertapes with John Wilson) and overcast conditions to focus the mind, I just put pedal to the metal and kept my eyes ahead, scanning for any obstructions or comedy policemen behind advertising signs, drinking coffee and munching on doughnuts. Why shouldn't Smokey drive an estate? Once again, the landscape between Madrid and Barcelona was surprising, with quite a bit of climbing and dual carriageways. It was, however, smooth sailing with very light traffic conditions and with some consistent pace, I made it to the car park near the meeting point at 3.55pm. I had beaten the GPS arrival time by just over one hour, justifying the determination to maintain a pace from the start and the car hadn't missed a beat. In fact, the more it has long, swift runs on stretches of motorway - the better it performs.
At the hotel, I was please to find a nice spot in which to tuck away the car
and then headed out for dinner at a charming little place named Caldeni that's obviously in demand, as they won't allow reservations to take the table unless everyone is present! This Ribera del Duero was a spectacular wine.
We went for a stroll and nightcap after and came across this fabulous racing machine in the lobby
The next day was to get as far as I could - to break the back of the journey to Calais, then home. My booking was for the 'Hotel de France', which has hosted race teams competing in Le Mans for decades. However, it wouldn't be until after a leisurely start to the morning, after all, I like to be relaxed and rested for a long day in the saddle.
Just over 600 miles was the distance and I was determined to slot in a couple of sites over the way and arrive in time for dinner. It would require a liberal sprinkling of right foot and minimal stops, but the opportunity to grab a couple of interesting detours are ample motivation for me. It beats a day at my desk.
Any excuse to traverse the wonderfully engineered A75, with its fast sweepers, is a welcome one. There are a few websites which offer a guide to points from which to take in the spectacle of the Norman Foster designed Millau Viaduct. As time was at a premium, I settled for the experience of cruising over it and indulging in the visceral experience of using it for its primary purpose.
I then took a mistaken, but mesmerising, detour towards the Gustav Eiffel designed Garabit Viaduct.
The weather was pretty awful from this point onwards, so it was down to the road to deliver the destination. I was entertained for a duration by a French plated RR SVR, together we covered a great deal of ground in good time. It's nice that, despite not being a performance car, the M113 motor pushes out ample power at higher motorway speeds to maintain a respectable pace among higher powered vehicles. Ultimately, it comes down to how much one wants to tap into all the power and how often - it just isn't that comfortable nor practical for 400+ bhp cars as the closing speed on other vehicles is at warp speed, so the E500 sits within a very nice range of real world useable power.
As I pulled off the autoroute, the rain subsided and a pleasant evening emerged, one in which the air is fresh after a prolonged rainfall. France is full of character, which is why it's such a disappointment that its full of French; however, it was a surprise that lay in store for me before I arrived to my destination.
Welcome to Neuvy-le-Roi, Centre-Val de Loire.
and it was a brief drive to my resting place for the evening, a bit of a mouthful really - Le Chartre sur Le Loir:
and really, not a bad average speed considering a few detours that I took, unwittingly or otherwise.
The hotel bar is very evocative and serve a crisp local chenin blanc; the hotel is English owned, so the bathycolpian redhead at the front desk humoured my French until she couldn't tolerate any more and responded in perfect English. I wish that I have taken her up on the offer to help unload my car; I'm far too dimwitted and earnest.
Just over 600 miles was the distance and I was determined to slot in a couple of sites over the way and arrive in time for dinner. It would require a liberal sprinkling of right foot and minimal stops, but the opportunity to grab a couple of interesting detours are ample motivation for me. It beats a day at my desk.
Any excuse to traverse the wonderfully engineered A75, with its fast sweepers, is a welcome one. There are a few websites which offer a guide to points from which to take in the spectacle of the Norman Foster designed Millau Viaduct. As time was at a premium, I settled for the experience of cruising over it and indulging in the visceral experience of using it for its primary purpose.
I then took a mistaken, but mesmerising, detour towards the Gustav Eiffel designed Garabit Viaduct.
The weather was pretty awful from this point onwards, so it was down to the road to deliver the destination. I was entertained for a duration by a French plated RR SVR, together we covered a great deal of ground in good time. It's nice that, despite not being a performance car, the M113 motor pushes out ample power at higher motorway speeds to maintain a respectable pace among higher powered vehicles. Ultimately, it comes down to how much one wants to tap into all the power and how often - it just isn't that comfortable nor practical for 400+ bhp cars as the closing speed on other vehicles is at warp speed, so the E500 sits within a very nice range of real world useable power.
As I pulled off the autoroute, the rain subsided and a pleasant evening emerged, one in which the air is fresh after a prolonged rainfall. France is full of character, which is why it's such a disappointment that its full of French; however, it was a surprise that lay in store for me before I arrived to my destination.
Welcome to Neuvy-le-Roi, Centre-Val de Loire.
and it was a brief drive to my resting place for the evening, a bit of a mouthful really - Le Chartre sur Le Loir:
and really, not a bad average speed considering a few detours that I took, unwittingly or otherwise.
The hotel bar is very evocative and serve a crisp local chenin blanc; the hotel is English owned, so the bathycolpian redhead at the front desk humoured my French until she couldn't tolerate any more and responded in perfect English. I wish that I have taken her up on the offer to help unload my car; I'm far too dimwitted and earnest.
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