18 July – A beautiful clear hot day. We drove inland from Pamplona gently rising up a series of valleys. This is beautiful farming country (mainly wheat). The Pyrenees were looming getting closer and we could see snow on the higher peaks. We found a camp well up in the mountains. Fortunately it had a great swimming pool as it was a very hot day. We are positioned to cross back into France for the Tour de France.

19 July – Another great day. We drove up a great valley higher into the Pyrenees past stunning alpine villages and ski resorts. We crossed into France at the Col du Pourtalet and down the other side to the road up the Col d’Aubisque. As soon as we were on the road there were campervans parked at every available point to see the Tour de France. We drove to the top of the Col (1709m) where there were a large number of campervans parked in the hotel carpark and adjacent paddock. What a sight. We managed to find a park. Almost the last. This is 28 hours before the tour goes thru!!
There are beautiful views in every direction. There are cows with loud bells, donkeys and horses just wandering around.
We sat for about 3 hours just watching the activities. People were parking where they could on the side of the road, some in campervans and many pitching tents. The Tour comes back thru here in the reverse direction in two days time so many will stay.
There were many amateurs cycling over the Col in both directions. Some were just individuals, but there were also some large organized groups. Everyone co-operates very well. Nobody is organizing it, but people have parked in the minimum of space and left room to exit.
The temperature has dropped and it will be a cool night.

20 July – Lazy start to the day as the “Tour” is not due thru until 3:45pm. We went for a walk up a hill to try and get cell phone coverage. Walked back and realized that many groups were already staking their positions to watch. We sorted out a good spot and Val sat guard while I went back to “Lefty” for chairs, sun umbrella, books and water. We were in position at 10:45am for the “Tour” 5 hours later!!
We just sat and took in the atmosphere. People everywhere, writing on the road, cycling up and down the road, barbequing, and generally having a ball. We did not read our books at all. They were handing out free chalk so Val wrote: “Go Kiwi”, “NZ” and “Kaiapoi NZ” on the road. At one stage we saw two All Black flags riding up the road to the Col. They heard our call and returned later for a chat. A couple from Tauranga. Around 2:30 a large procession of the sponsor’s vehicles went up the road. (le caravanne). It was like a Christmas parade of floats. They were throwing stuff to the crowd – tee shirts, caps, sweets, water, etc. We both ended up with hats and some washing powder!
About and hour later we heard the helicopters and saw the first sign of the cyclists preceded by two motorcycle cops. There was a breakaway group of 5 including Lance Armstrong. We were at a steep part of the road about 150m from the summit. They went passed in a flash!
A chase group came thru about 8 minutes later and the main peloton passed, at a more leisurely pace, 10 minutes after that. It was all over! 10 minutes later the road was open again.
We went back to “Lefty” and had a cup of coffee as the mist arrived before joining the slow parade of campervans descending into the valley. Eventually we drove thru to Lourdes and finding the “Aires” full, ended up in a camping ground.

21 July – We woke to steady drizzle and decide not to pay the 20 odd euros to visit St Bernadette’s Grotto as neither of us needed a cure for anything at this stage. The 230kms drive to St Emilion, about 30kms from Bordeaux right in the heart of the vineyards was thru farm country, mainly corn fields. We had pre-booked this camp months ago as we thought all camps in this area would be full with the “Tour” and the French school holidays. Wrong! The camp is half empty and very expensive. Oh well, you can’t win them all!!
We shopped on our way and exchanged our gas bottle. This has lasted since we left France over 7 weeks ago. Not bad considering we have been away from camps and off power for almost half this time.

22 July – A late start to the day which was cool and cloudy. After some domestic duties we cycled thru the vineyards to St Emilion. This is a beautiful medieval town based on the wine trade from the area. There is a large church in the town which has only it’s spire above ground. The body of the church is underground. (do not know why!) We took a tour on a mini train around some of the Chateaux (vineyards)
Eventually we succumbed to temptation and had a glass of wine (turned into two) and a cheese board watching the end of an exciting stage of the “tour” on TV.
When we returned to our camp, fortified by the wine, we complained about the cost of our stay and we were immediately handed 20 euros.

23 July – Off to Bordeaux. We parked in a school bus park, the locals said it would be OK, and caught the tram into town. Spent a couple of hours walking around the town and found most of the major attractions. Most of the buildings were badly discoloured stone but there were some beautiful churches and public buildings. We had a nice lunch at a café and found the finish line etc for the stage of the “Tour”. We walked to the 350m point and as the barriers were not full sat for a while. As the barriers filled we staked our spot at about 2.45. (Cyclists due at 5.15). The atmosphere and the entertainment were great so the time passed quickly. The whole peloton were basically together as they passed us. The sprinters were on our side of the road and flashed passed so quickly that you could not even identify anyone. They were within a foot of us. We later found out that Julian Dean (the only Kiwi) was leading the charge. The whole thing was over in 15 minutes and we caught the tram back to “Lefty” (which had not been towed or clamped!!)

24 July – We had planned to go back into Bordeaux for the individual time trial but as it was going to take 6 hours just to pass one point we reconsidered and stayed at our camp at St Emilion. We hopped on the bikes and cycled thru the vineyards, chateaux, and villages in this area for about 25kms. Stunningly beautiful!!!
Back to the camp for a leisurely afternoon around the pool.

7 July – Drove to the “Carrefour”, the big supermarket chain in Spain and France, and did a huge shop up including an electric fan and a light to use outside. It was very hot last night. When we tried to drive back out of the supermarket car park we found that all the exits were height restricted. Eventually the ‘police’ (really security) were called and the entry road was blocked so than we could exit. It was hard to imagine we were the first camper van to have this problem!
Our planned stop for the night was at an “Aires” at Boiro just over the road from a nice beach. When we arrived all the spaces were taken but a kind Spaniard shifted his camper so we had some space. After a swim we watched the second half of the Spain/Germany semi final. When Spain scored the crowd went wild (could be a good name of a TV sports programme). The celebrations went well into the night. One bloke insisted using the Spanish flag as a cloak to “bull fight” passing cars. The final should be a hoot!

8 July - We woke to a huge electrical storm followed by torrential rain. It all cleared very quickly but the temperatures dropped and it has been cooler all day.
We had a lunch break at Santiago and walked around the old town including the Cathedral where many Spaniards walk to as a pilgrimage for mass. The queues were huge to get in, so Val and I decided to leave it for the faithful.
We drove up to the coast on the northwest corner of Spain to A Coruna. We found the “Aires” and rode our bikes back to the city along 7kms of great cycle way. The city (236,000) has a great water frontage with a tramcar connecting the several beaches.

9 July – A sea fog came in overnight but soon dispersed. We drove thru some nice country and ended up at Viveiro, a fishing town with some nice beaches and a great esplanade. We had a swim in the afternoon and rode our bikes over the river and around to the fishing port. On the way we discovered the old town. We will stay another night and explore this tomorrow. There seems to be a fiesta up in hills on as somebody is letting off exploding rockets.

10 July – After our usual Saturday clear up and camper checks we walked back over the old bridge to the old town square. A fascinating area as it was not “touristy” at all. After lunch we went back to the beach for a swim and sunbathe with lots of local families enjoying the beach. We rode along the esplanade and have now explored the whole town. We have done some research and have decided that we will miss the running of the bulls in Pamplona but will try and see a mountain stage of the Tour de France in the Pyrenees.

11 July – A good drive out of Viveiro following the coast east to Luarca. Our camp was at the top of the cliffs about 2 kms out of the town. We walked around the town which had a beautiful fishing harbour with lots of cafes. We walked a further 2kms to several beaches where we had a swim.
We watched the football world cup final with a mixture of Spanish and Dutch people at the camp restaurant and bar. A great atmosphere!

12 July – We drove the E70 motorway 150kms between Luarca and Llanes. What a road!! 4 lanes all the way. There are viaducts over every valley and tunnels thru every hill. The result is a sweeping smooth road that hardly goes up or down.
The camp that we are in is again on the cliff tops with an interesting town in one direction and a great beach in the other.
The town is set around a great harbour but the entrance to the harbour is blocked at the moment by a temporary dam and they are completely rebuilding the whole harbour. Not sure why however!! We walked down to yet another great beach for a swim.

13 July – We drove to Santander (186,000) in light rain. The country side is very green. This coast is called the Costa Verda. This is because of the vegetation rather than the colour of the sea.
We parked in a stadium car park, off loaded the bikes, and followed a cycleway passed a series of crowed beaches to the city centre. (4 kms). After a walk around the shops, mostly closed for siesta, we rode back to “Lefty”. We walked to the closest beach for a swim and a cool off.
We are in an “Aires” tonight about 30kms out of Santander in the country. A heavy drizzle has set in.

14 July – We drove to Bilbao (350,000) a huge city where the only claim to fame is a Guggenheim Museum. We drove thru some spaghetti junctions and did not even find the centre of the city before we bailed out to our overnight planned stop at an “Aires” at Bermeo. This is another fishing port but has no beach and is wherefore not a tourist town at all. We walked down to the town (20,000) for tapas and a wine for lunch. It was still cloudy and cool so we went back to “Lefty” for a siesta. We are parked beside a small park and kids playground. At about 6pm all the grandparents brought their grandchildren to the park. Eventually the parents arrived to pick them up. Typically, everyone lives in apartments therefore time in the park is very welcome. The whole town would fit into a corner of Hagley Park. We wandered down to the town square at about 8.45pm to find it packed with children, parents and grandparents. Children and toddlers played, parents and grandparents drank at the many cafes (wine or coffee) or just wandered up and down talking. All very sociable. Nobody went home until at least 9.30pm. A real eye opener!! We are in the heart of the Basque country. They say that there are physical differences between these people and the rest of Spain. The only differences we could see were that they were all incredibility short. Perhaps I am related to Basque people? The men also wear the largest berets I have ever seen.

15 July – We followed the windy coastal road to San Sebastian. This is a real posh town (181,000) with great buildings, parks and beaches which we cycled around. Our planned overnight was at a camp in Hondarriba but the camp was on a cliff so we headed across the border back into France where we found a nice camp. We had a cooling dip in the camp swimming pool.

16 July – Overcast lazy day. Val did a wash and we walked down to the local beaches and town. The sea beach is a real surfies beach with many surfers and surf schools. The sea did not look inviting with a lot of sea weed.

17 July - It rained in the night and drizzled on our drive up to Pamplona thru 11 tunnels! (the longest being 3kms) We found a park on the outskirts of the town and rode our bikes into the centre. The running of the bulls finished three days ago but all the barriers are still up so we were able to trace the route that the bulls run thru the old city to the bull ring. An interesting sign on a lamppost was that: “if you fall over, wait until the entire herd of bulls has passed before you get up!”
We found the camp and had another great bike ride along a track following a beautiful river. Our internet is playing up again but we will use the camps computer to upload this.

30 June – Celebrated our half way point by giving “Lefty” a thorough clean outside. We used some toll roads to get over the “25th of April Bridge” across the Lisbon harbour and out of the city of Lisbon. The bridge was a spectacular 3km suspension bridge, the longest when it was built. We struck more sea fog when we got to the coast. Lunch was at the seaside resort of Nazare. This was like a Portugal version of Brighton (UK) complete with a cable car up the cliff. The waterfront that had little old grannies sitting under sun umbrellas, dressed in a strange aprons and a funny scarves on their heads, with signs advertising rental holiday apartments. We hope that’s what they were advertising anyway.
We stopped at a camp at San Pedro de Moel. This was a cliff top town with a beach. The architecture was very different. It had houses that had a slightly Swiss chalet look. The camp had a great swimming pool with a hydro slide.

1 July – We decide to bypass the coast up to Porto and go inland to the Rio Douro. This is a river that runs from Porto up east into the mountains to the Spanish border. The river is a series of dams and locks and is navigable over the entire length. Our camp was right on the river about 50kms inland. This is a beautiful spot which reminded us a bit of the Muskoka lakes in Canada. Several large passenger boats went up/down the river.

2 July – The road back to the coast took us into a motorway around Porto. Unfortunately we ran into a traffic jam on this motorway and we took 45 minutes to travel 3kms. Porto is the same size as ChCh but for some reason everyone was travelling down the same 4 laned motorway. Eventually we cleared Porto and drove up the coast to Rio Alto. The camp was right on the beach which was very rugged, a bit like Woodend. Between the camp and the beach was a golf course. To get to the beach from the camp there were 2 tunnels under the fairways. Very unusual!! The day was overcast and we had an electrical storm with rain in the evening.

3 July – The day dawned without a cloud in the sky. We drove up the coast to where we stopped and off loaded the bikes and rode into the centre of Viana do Costelo. We arrived just as a parade was starting. There were 4 or 5 bands. 1 drum, 2 accordion but the highlight for me was a pipe and drum band. All the players were dressed in beautifully made black uniforms with intricate gold embroidery. The band paraded up the town and played in the square. This was followed by folk dancing all in traditional costumes. We sat at a cafe and had lunch and enjoyed the entertainment.

We drove on to a camp at the mouth of the Rio Minho which is the Portugal/Spain border. There is a river beach and a sea beach within 100m of the camp.

4 July – After a huge washing we rode into the village of Caminha, about 5kms on a cycle away around the water front. The main square was great with some stalls selling handcrafts and many locals enjoying Sunday morning coffee and a read of the paper at several outdoor cafes. When it cooled down a bit we went back to the beach.

We shouted ourselves a meal at a local restaurante. I had sardines. Much bigger than the tinned version (200mm). They had to be eaten carefully as they were not even gutted!! Very tasty though.

5 July – We followed the Rio Minho to the bridge at the border into Spain.
Portugal has been great with really friendly people. It seems less sophisticated than Spain in a good sort of way.
The drive into Spain was thru lovely countryside and eventually around some huge heavily populated bays. We have camped at Aldan. There were two great beaches down the hill. The water is crystal clear and warm. We are back to the ladies beach dress code of Spain!! This place is so nice that we have decided to stay another day.

6 July – Back down the hill to the other beach. It was even nicer if possible. The routine is to go to the beach in the morning, return to “Lefty” by 1300, sit in the shade when it’s really hot (32 degrees), and return to the beach at around 1630.
The beaches are a bit like the Able Tasman but with more people.
We have run out of everything so we will have to have a big shop up tomorrow.