Welcome back. What a Summer it has been! We have been back in Ireland since you last heard from me at the end of July and as well as home and personal maintenance, more importantly we’ve had time to catch up with family and friends. I’m not sure where the last 7 weeks have gone but we blinked and now we are in the process of preparing Tigín our camper for her next adventure. Our initial destination is a part of the world we last explored on foot for 6 weeks in the Spring and early Summer of 2016. Any guesses?
Those of you who have followed my travels on this blog and Instagram will know that I’m of course referring to Northern Spain. On Friday night after hubby finishes his day job we will be loading up Tigín and making a B-line for Rosslare, Co. Wexford, in the South East corner of Ireland, to catch our late night ferry to Bilbao in Spain. The ferry is a mammoth thirty one hours through the Bay of Biscay which witnesses some of the fiercest weather conditions of the entire Atlantic Ocean. I’ll have everything crossed that we will get lucky and not encounter anything more than a bobble on the sea surface as my sea-legs are shaky at best.
For now the to do lists are overwhelming as the clock ticks down to our departure, but once we drive out of the front garden all the chaos will be behind us and we can relax into the next few months on the road. We would love to have you along for the journey as we explore the hidden and not so hidden gems of the Iberian Peninsula. We have no set itinerary and if anyone has suggestions or recommendations please don’t hesitate to reach out and let me know. There will be no blog on Saturday as we will be on the high seas but expect the normal Tuesday and Saturday upload schedule to resume from next week.
Great to hear you’re off again and the adventures that await!
Enjoy the journey, it really is a lovely crossing from Wexford
and I promise you will feel nothing, just relax and chill.
Looking forward to your blog starting up again!
Anne
Thanks Anne, from your lips to the weather gods ears. Hope our paths will cross soon.
Northern Spain! Oh my gosh, I’d love to go with you (wouldn’t that be fun if Tim and I meet up with you on a leg of one of your adventures?). I know Rick Steeves has a segment on northern Spain and there’s an article I read about places to go, will see if I can track it down. Some day in the future, I want to pick your brain on where you go because it’s totally on my bucket list to travel there! Buen viaje!
Love,
Robert
We would love to have you both along for the next chapter in our joint adventures, let us know when and where and we’ll be there. Thanks for the great suggestions, I’ve just bookmarked the Rick Steve’s website.
Glad to see you all back on the road again! I’m feeling thatb’travellers pani’ too, as I look at another 3 months or so in India and perhaps Europe, starting in November.
I love Spain – it’s one of my favorite places to go motorcycle riding, and one of the few places I’ve ever been where I’ve said to myself, “I could actually live here”.
Dont miss the mountain roads headed from Barcelona to Andorra. Andorra is interesting, but rather commercialized. Take some time to ride thru the Pyrenees which are beautiful
Consider going on North from Andorra into France – the tallest peaks in the Ptranees are around 11k feet I believe, so they’re not particularly difficult ult. And Spain spent a great deal of the money they got when joining thebEU on roads, so their roads are imcredible.
As a motorcycle rider, I’m always looking for mountain roads, so come back down from the Pyranees and DO NOT MISS AL BARRICIN. That town is perhaps the best preserved medieval place I have ever seen in my life, and the views are simply stunning.
When you go South, Cordoba is nice – should you find yourselves there, i will send my friends Alba and Jorge to meet you. Continue South, and go to the coast which is lovely, and more laid back than the coast in the Baecelona area. If you’re interested, catch the ferry at Rock of Gibraltar, come out in Morocco, and Fez is a day or so ride further South. Wander up the coast of Portugal and enjoy Porto.
Every 20 miles across Spain, there will be a large put topping of rocks with a village on it, the food will be fabulous, and the people warm amd friendly. I do find that it helps alot to speak Spanish
Keep is all updates and enjoy the adventure!
Thanks for all the great recommendations Elaine. I’m pinning them here now as I read. We’ve loved our previous visits to this region, so looking forward to taking our time and hang out a bit, getting to explore at a more leisurely pace.
Hi Catherine,
Looking forward to reading about your next adventure and all it entails. Funny, we were just both wondering what you guys are up to and when you will be back on the continent. Safe travels, and hoping for a smooth crossing!
Heidi
Thanks Heidi, hope you’ve had a good Summer, looking forward to catching up on your adventures too.