Day 1 Santa Luzia to Aldeanueva del Camino
It was a wrench to leave my sunny, relaxing life in Santa Luzia for the long drive back to the UK. Especially because I had to pack up all my possessions to make way for the apartment’s lucrative summer occupants. My landlord is storing everything until I get back in September.
It’s hardly rained since I arrived in a rainstorm four months ago at the beginning of February but in a fitting act of symmetricity, the skies darkened and the heavens opened as I thankfully loaded my last bag into the car and collapsed for a farewell toastie, galao and orange juice at my local bar. I’m going to miss all that fresh orange juice.
I didn’t get going until past noon so it was about 5.30 when we finally pulled into Posada Tresmentiras in Aldeaneuva del Camino. No, make that 6.30 because I’d forgotten about the hour’s time difference. The name of my hotel means “three lies”. I’m sure that thereby hangs a tale.
Though I’d only chosen the place because I’d decided to take four days to drive to St Malo and it was reasonably cheap, took dogs and was located a quarter of way along the route, I was delighted with my choice. It would make a great base for visiting Extremadura.
Aldeanueva del Camino is located in rugged hill country. Cattle and paprika are among its typical local products.
The architecture in Extremadura is really distinctive if the bus shelters are anything to go by.
Lottie and I set off up the road for the local restaurant. It was much colder than I was used to and I failed to take proper notice of the massing black clouds and prepare accordingly.
After a three course meal costing just €12 with no tapas in sight, we had to sit through a huge thunderstorm and power cut before we could venture out. Luckily some other guests from the hotel were at the same restaurant and gave us a lift back. Chris and Angie own a place near Silves in Portugal and were doing much the same trip as me with their little dog.
Day 2 – Aldeanueva del Camino to La Puebla de Arganzón
The rooms at Tresmentiras are really comfortable and open onto grounds complete with a small swimming pool. I had breakfast and would happily have spent the day exploring and relaxing but the open road was beckoning.
I was starting to flag, then the landscape suddenly changed and became more craggy. I’d hit Basque Country. France and the north coast of Spain were in easy reach and I got my second wind.
The drive seemed a bit more of a slog today, though it’s always enthralling to see the storks and other massive birds of prey wheeling overhead along the route.
Tonight’s stopover is in the pretty one-horse town of La Puebla de Arganzón. It proved a lucky choice, even though – again – I booked it only because it’s exactly half way along the route to St Malo.
There’s a lovely riverside walk, much to Lottie’s delight.
The hotel bar didn’t start serving food until 8 pm so I wandered round the village. It has a station, Padel court, doctor’s surgery, pharmacy, bank, school and three bars including the hotel bar. Not a shop in sight and hardly any people in the streets. But there is a colossal and very gorgeous church made out of the local honey-coloured stone.
By the time I got back to the hotel bar, things were really humming. A huge selection of tapas was laid out under the glass counter and the square was rapidly filling with customers served by two of the village bars. Determined little boys were kicking a ball around, oblivious to everyone else. So this was where everyone was.
I just about managed a plate of tapas and a beer before collapsing into bed.
Day 3 – La Puebla de Arganzón to Saintes
The person in charge of my hotel asked me warily last night if I’d be wanting breakfast before 9 am. I reassured her I wouldn’t but actually was up early and ended up having coffee at one of the other cafes and then more coffee at my hotel at 9. They were all a bit bleary-eyed and the lovely square was still strewn with last-night’s rubbish.
I felt I was a bit dismissive about the town and probably hadn’t done it justice, so I asked ChatGPT to comb the Internet and write a blog post. You can see it here.
Lottie’s pre-return to the UK vet examination was showing in my Google calendar for 11.30 am at Miranda de Ebro. I decided to get there early to give myself time to park and find the vet. Just as well: Google calendar had automatically adjusted my 10.30 appointment to 11.30 because my time zone is set to Greenwich.
Miranda de Ebro is a big industrial town without many parking spaces on a Saturday morning, so I was mightily relieved when Lottie had reluctantly swallowed her worm pill and we were on our way.
The drive wasn’t very eventful, except for the fact that the weather was bizarrely getting better as we went north.
Tonight’s stay is at an Ibis hotel. Not all the Ibis hotels are good, but when they get it right, they transform a corner of a by-pass near a motorway into a reliably comfortable overnight spot. The food is usually better than average too.
The icing on the cake tonight was a field behind the hotel full of rabbits. I counted at least 50
The field itself was a bed of thyme and the scent lingered long afterwards on my sandals. In a moment of weakness, I let Lottie check out a rabbit hole. In my defence, she had been in the car all day.
Day 4 – Saintes to St Malo
It was so comfortable and relaxing at the Ibis, I didn’t get moving until about 9 am. Lottie and I went to check on the bunnies again, and there were still several hopping round the meadow. By keeping it grazed, a greater variety of plants can survive, including some unusual ones.
The Ibis also has a couple of charging bays. Hotels that don’t offer this service when electric cars become the norm will go out of business. We have a long way to go though: at the moment it would be virtually impossible to drive an electric car conveniently from Portugal to the UK.
After another four-hour leg – the shortest of the whole trip – I was in St Malo. It had certainly changed since I was last there in February. All the bars and restaurants were open and the streets were thronged. Everything had a pleasant summery, seaside feel and the saltwater swimming pool was in use.
In February, dogs were allowed to go everywhere but now I had to scramble over to a more inaccessible beach to give Lottie the seaside dip she deserved after four days in the car.
My hotel was much quirkier and less comfortable than the Saintes Ibis, but it had the attraction of the biggest dog I’ve ever seen. I doubt it could stand – I certainly never saw it walking.
Day 5 – St Malo to Newbury
After some discussion, I reluctantly decided it was best to stay near Portsmouth tonight and head due north for Derbyshire tomorrow morning instead of taking a long detour to Leyton to see Leon and Lily and meet the gorgeous Marcel.
Marcel has effortlessly taken over the household.
Everything went smoothly at the ferry check-in. I got there much earlier than I needed to. I’d booked a kennel for Lottie, thinking it would be on deck. Instead it was down in the bilges near the car. It would have been much better to leave her in the car.
This proved all too true a few hours later when dog-owners were allowed access to the car deck. Lottie was standing furiously glaring at me at the door to the kennel area, having forced her way bodily out through the bottom of the barred door.
Just to prove her point, she’d shredded her lead, collapsible water bowl and harness in a rage-fuelled spree of destruction. She must have been roaming freely around the car deck and outside among the lifeboats for hours. I put her back in the car and she settled down in relief.
Day 6 – Newbury to Holloway
Last night it was but a short drive to my strategically placed overnight stay in Newbury Tot. As I was driving there, I was racking my brains to remember what Newbury Bypass was famous for. As soon as I could, I looked it up here.
Of course! Swampy and the tree-huggers protesting against the felling of the trees to make way for the bypass.
The Travelodge stood on a litter-strewn scrubby plot otherwise occupied only by a Shell petrol station and a McDonalds. I didn’t care: the room only cost £44 per night and was exceedingly comfortable.
