An early continental break.

I have just got back from a 3 week trip to France and Spain. Throughout the trip the weather remained unsettled until the last week when it was bright and warm.

The camp sites we chose, however, all proved to be quite good except the one at El Escorial near Madrid. It was a huge site and very expensive.  I imagine in the height of summer it would be like a tent city.  The picture in the Continental caravanning guide of the site is accurate but you do not get a sense of the scale.  I certainly will not be going back there even though you have some incredible sightseeing possibilities and easy bus access into the heart of Madrid.

Our first site was Camping Le Lidon which was very quiet and was in the heart of a nature reserve, just what we needed to wind down. It was quite remote.   

We moved on to Navarrenx  which was the best site we visited. It was a tidy site with hard standing, water and electric on each pitch and very clean amenities.  It is run by a very helpful English couple.  Navarrenx is a small town nestling in the lee of the Pyrenees.  From there we went into Spain stopping one night in Zaragoza. It has mixed revues in the reports I read and I had mixed feelings about being there. Good for a stopover but I suspect not for a long stay.

We went to El Escorial which I have already mentioned then on to a nice site in Salamanca. The site is not overly large, with flat pitches and a reasonable toilet block.  It has a cycle track into the city but also a good bus service and you can walk if you are feeling energetic. It is about 6kms.  Salamanca is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. Whilst there we had a full day driving excursion to Avila, another must visit city. The  mountains to the west of Salamanca are worth a days drive too..

We returned via Santillana del Mar, revisiting the site after 12 years. The site remains much as it was. I did not notice any development.  It is close to the very delightful village and a wonderful coastline and not too far away for an excursion to the Picos mountains. A rough passage back from Bilbao finished off a memorable holiday.