We left our place near Villanueva del Rey just after 10am, after saying farewell to our hosts when they turned up to clean the place for their next guests. What a lovely family they have been!
We enjoyed another easy, slow drive to Sotoserrano some 400kms away (about 240 miles) with a couple of stops along the way for coffee & lunch which was very nice. We passed through some stunning countryside which got slightly greener the further north & west we drove.
These Storks will nest anywhere! These were in the middle of a small roundabout on the EX111 next to the Hotel Trajanao about an hour into our journey!
Most of the roads were new to us apart from about 40 minutes spent on the E803 from Plasencia to Béjar which we have been on before when we drove from Mérida further south, to Salamanca, further north when we were here in September / October 2024.
We stopped in Béjar for some supplies and then turned off the main road to reach our destination at Sotoserrano. What a beautiful area & how nice to once again find ourselves surrounded by proper mountains! The main difference to Santa Maria de la Alameda where we stayed when we first got to Spain, was it being almost 30 degrees warmer in these new mountains!
A welcome crate of cherries in the fridge – usually it’s a bottle water so this was a nice surprise!
One website says the area of Sotoserrano includes “a blend of historical landmarks, natural landscapes, and cultural sites. Situated within the Sierra de Francia Natural Park and the Reserva de la Biosfera de las Sierras de Béjar y Francia, the area is characterized by its traditional Spanish village life and diverse ecosystems. The region is notable for its unique river confluence and rich biodiversity, offering varied points of interest for exploration.”
Indeed, it was a bit strange going to bed with the sound of a stream outside the window when we had been staying somewhere so dry previously – it reminded me of being at home near our river and for the briefest of moments, I thought it would be nice to be home already… this thought didn’t last long though!
The house in Sotoserrano is nice – a bit dark but nice and cool inside. It has a road running out of town just outside which we are not used to but, fortunately, it’s not that busy… the first morning I think I counted about 5 cars pass by between 8-9am but then that was a Sunday!
Those distant mountains still have a bit of snow on them – amazing since it’s been 30-odd degrees for weeks!
We spent our only full day in the mountains with a little walk around the village which was very nice, especially seeing all the locals sitting outside the cafe in the small centre – we thought this would definitely be somewhere we could return to in future…
After the stroll around town, we were going to head off to the river to see what we could see but notice the Guardia Civil had the main road blocked off and a few people were stood around, staring down hill, waiting for something… we guessed there must be a bike race on, especially when a number of support vehicles shot past followed by some motorcycles too – there was nothing for it but to wait and see what occurred… Pete sat in the shade & I took some snaps and sure enough, a small group of cyclists went past in about 10 seconds… it was then another good 20 mins until the last support vehicle came through and told the local bobbies they could open the road. It reminded us of the Tour de France when it went through Yorkshire – a lot of hanging about for a very brief view of the cyclists themselves! I hope the good people of Newcastleton are not expecting too much when the tour comes through the village next year! 🤣🤣
We finally made it down to the river once the road reopened and followed this with a nice drive up a different mountain… all very nice… before heading back for some lunch on the balcony listening to the different birds surrounding us (Serin, Backcap, Greater-Spotted Woodpecker and the usual House Sparrow, Greenfinch, Blue Tit, Blackbirds & Robins) and watching a Red Start catch flies…
Around Sotoserrano – Pete is stood on the Roman bridge
Down by the River Alagón
Top Left = Redstart; Left T/B = A turtle! / Purple Loosestrife;
Bottom = Water Frog
Whilst down at the river, we also saw what the Merlin app identified as a “Zitting Cisticola” which I thought must surely be a made up name and AI having a laugh, but apparently it’s a thing… well, a bird not a thing! – that looks like this (photo nicked off the Net) & is also known as the Fan-Tailed Warbler… so now you know!
Out & About in Sotoserrano
Early evening, we actually got the massive thunderstorm I have been waiting weeks for hurrah! Although the lightening was nothing exciting, we still sat out on the balcony whilst the rain lashed it down & the thunder rolled around the mountains…
… it’s the first rain we had seen for about a month.
On Monday morning, we set off to Castro Urdiales, our overnight stop before catching the ferry back to Bilbao on Tuesday afternoon. The journey was long but good – we stopped a few times, enjoyed the changing countryside from Mountains to plains and back to Mountains again with the added bonus of a blue sea at the end too.
Some of the sights from our journey from Sotoserrano to Bilbao
The hotel we booked (B&B Hotels – bit like the Premier Inn) was nice, clean and comfy and gave us the opportunity to watch Spain not beat Cabo Verde 🤣 despite having enough chances… that goalie from CV was amazing 😮. We then had a walk into town for some food and then a reasonably early night.
The beach at Castro Urdiales on the Atlantic Coast;
Top Right – Iglesia de Santa Maria de la Asunción
We were up early (for us anyway!) on Tuesday (16th) and had a nice breakfast at the hotel before getting back in the car for the short journey (about 10 miles) to the ferry port in Bilbao.
We had a few hours to spare but it all went quite quickly… it reminded us of the last time we got this ferry back from Spain when we had parked behind our old neighbours! No such luck this time around (hope you are well Tim & Helen & enjoying retirement?!).
The ferry… And away… from Spain again ☹️
Pics on Right (Top & Bottom) = A long distance view of Castro Urdiales!
We enjoyed a last bit of sunshine whilst on the boat & Pete got his knees sunburnt 🤣🤣🤣 All that sun we have safely enjoyed this holiday and he goes and gets sunburnt for the first time on the way home!
We played it safe with dinner on the boat this time opting for a nice steak with mash (although it was called something French on the menu! 🤣), a good nights sleep and then 12 hours to kill until we docked back at Portsmouth on Wednesday 17th June – our friend Jane Fleet’s 70th Birthday (many happy returns again Jane F! Hope to see you soon to celebrate 🥳).
It took forever to disembark the boat for some reason… fortunately, we had the England match on the radio so it could have been worse! We also managed to get to our overnight stop, check in & get the telly on in time to see Rashford’s goal before the end of the 2nd half, which was great!
On Thursday (18th), we set out on the final 340 mile journey back to the Scottish Borders with plenty of stops along the way for coffee, snacks and dinner, plus a shop so we could take it easy this weekend. The journey was fine except for the torrential rain the nearer to Scotland we got!
The house was fine, the mini started first time and one of our lovely neighbours had cut our grass for us (how kind is that when we hadn’t asked!?)…
The weather wasn’t great yesterday (raining) so it gave us a chance to get the house tidied, unpacking sorted and washing done. It was sad to watch Scotland lose their 2nd World Cup match last night but they didn’t play well… let’s hope England get another win and a guaranteed place in the next round.
Today (20th) the sun has been out. It’s nothing like as hot as it is apparently down Sarf but it is a nice temperature and, although we had a little rain shower earlier, this afternoon & evening there is not a cloud in the sky which bodes well for tomorrow too. It also gave us a chance to spend some time tidying the garden which we will continue tomorrow… all in all, it’s very nice to be back home!
That’s all folks – TTFN xxx
All the gubbins… 
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