{"id":391,"date":"2018-10-06T09:07:20","date_gmt":"2018-10-06T09:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=391"},"modified":"2026-08-18T09:20:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T09:20:28","slug":"euro-travellers-2018-06","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/?p=391","title":{"rendered":"EURO-TRAVELLERS 2018. 06"},"content":{"rendered":"

6 PLACENSIA AND MONFRAGUE AGAIN AND PIORNAL<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today is Sunday but I’m a bit behind.\u00a0 On Friday morning we walked on the disused railway that runs more or less parallel to the new one behind the campsite.\u00a0 Actually, I guess it’s the other way round. The new track was laid near the old one (but with less severe bends).<\/p>\n

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The walking track – another EU funded project? – goes for 14 kms.\u00a0 Super-smooth surface.\u00a0 Would be excellent for the bikes but they remain firmly wedged in the back of the car.\u00a0 The wild flowers are amazing. I counted 80 different species in four miles and I bet I missed lots.<\/p>\n

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We also had a conversation with a couple of nightingales – them and my phone’s bird-song app, that is (although this is apparently frowned on by aficionados!!).\u00a0 But there were too many leaves on the trees to see anything other than occasional flutterings that just might have been them.\u00a0 Little undistinguished blighters.\u00a0 I gave up after a quarter of an hour.\u00a0 But just along the path we disturbed a couple of bigger birds later identified by our birding guide as nightjars.\u00a0 Never seen them before. And, it’s true to say, that at a distance of about three metres they were so well camouflaged on the ground beside trees that they were invisible until they moved.\u00a0 I suppose ground-nesting birds need that skill.<\/p>\n

We were going on an afternoon guided tour of the park so we stopped at the Restaurant Montfrague (the campsite eaterie) for lunch.\u00a0 There were three large tables of locals – 52 in total and us.\u00a0 We have discovered that, en-masse, Spaniards are a bit like Italians and, possibly, Greeks.\u00a0 They all talk AT each other – all at the same time and, because there were so many of them on each table, the decibel level was “substantial”!\u00a0 And it rose progressively with their consumption of wine and beer.\u00a0 The tables seemed to be in competition with one another in respect of their noisiness.\u00a0 Clearly all having a great time.\u00a0 We were waiting for the dancing to start – but it didn’t!<\/p>\n

Our afternoon guide, Valentin, was a really nice and well-informed guy.\u00a0 We shared the trip with Andr\u00e9 and Henneke – fellow campers.\u00a0 Valentin showed us all three types of vultures (Griffin, Egyptian and Black).\u00a0 I didn’t know that the collective noun for a group of vultures flying is a “kettle”.\u00a0 While on the ground it’s a “committee” and when feeding on a carcass it’s a “wake”.\u00a0 So there you have the full run down on vultures!<\/p>\n

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Griffon Vulture.<\/span><\/p>\n

We also saw Black Kites on nest or just perched.<\/p>\n

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And (at considerable distance through his telescope) Black Storks and Imperial Eagles on nests and a couple of red deer stags.<\/p>\n

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We discovered that the taking of photos on our phones through the scope was a bit of a skill that we hadn’t completely mastered!\u00a0 We ended the trip with a picnic under a holm oak in lovely open country just outside the park.\u00a0 The best bit of the afternoon for Glenda!<\/p>\n

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This trip has been accompanied by “water problems”.\u00a0 First the rain and the water-logged North coast campsite.\u00a0 Then the “caravan island” situation in Salamanca.\u00a0 Now our site in Placensia develops a massive water leak.\u00a0 Unknown to us, because we were out, there were some massive excavations and repairs made.\u00a0 The water was switched off for an hour while we were in the park.\u00a0 Again, un-beknown to us, the water was a nasty yellow-brown colour when it was switched back on.\u00a0 But it was unseen in our water tank.\u00a0 We pumped it into the caravan and over a period of a few minutes the filter (bran new as we left home) got progressively blocked until no water could get through.\u00a0 Lots of desperate fiddling by me and Michael (of Perth\/Norway fame) late at night didn’t solve the problem.\u00a0 Eventually, the following morning, I cleaned everything up especially the seals, removed the filter cartridge and got everything working again – albeit with unfiltered water!<\/p>\n

The campsite was very sorry.\u00a0 Can’t do anything till Monday.\u00a0 Nearest camping shop is C\u00e1ceres or Salamanca.<\/p>\n

On Saturday morning we went into Plasencia for an explore.\u00a0 The city was established in early times because of it’s strategic location on the Ruta de la Plata – the Silver Route.\u00a0 This ancient commercial and pilgrimage route linked Seville in the South with Gij\u00f3n in the North.\u00a0 It’s now reincarnated as the Autovia (A66) motorway!<\/p>\n

Parking was easy and free – just like Devon or more or less anywhere in the UK.\u00a0 NOT!\u00a0 In the historic centre there is a lovely square – lots of clothes shops, cafes etc..\u00a0 After an hour or two we chanced on the remains of an old Roman viaduct – the Acueducto de San Ant\u00f3n.\u00a0 (To be fair, most Roman remains are going to be “old”.)<\/p>\n

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At its base there is a little park laid out for youngsters to learn road signs and traffic behaviour (which, incidentally, in the real world of grown up Spanish drivers, we have found to be almost exemplary.\u00a0 Very little sign of bad or inconsiderate driving!)<\/p>\n

Afterwards, we headed up the Jerte valley past the first campsite we had looked at.\u00a0 We stopped for lunch at Restaurant Regina???\u00a0 Our first mistake restaurant-wise.\u00a0 Over-priced and under-qualitied.<\/p>\n

Moving on, we branched off into the hills on the north side of the river.\u00a0 We found an odd collection of statues on the roadside at the Mirador del Valle on the CC-51 near El Torno.\u00a0 These commemorate the “Forgotten of the Spanish Civil War”.<\/p>\n

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Then the clouds engulfed us so we retreated to the Carrefour in Placensia to stock up on essentials.\u00a0 Fruit and milk were allowed but my chocolate had to be put back!<\/p>\n

Having decided to wait for a new filter (to be delivered on Wednesday), on Sunday we decided to head back to the Jerte Valley again.\u00a0 But this time via the mountain road.\u00a0 Some 30 kms of twisting, spiralling, hair-pinning, single-track “road” from Jaraiz de la Vera to Valdastillas via Paser\u00f3n de La Vera and Piornal.\u00a0 The first problem was finding the road out of Jaraiz – an apparently deserted town.\u00a0 Mrs sat nav (religiously followed by John) had us in the tiny back streets of town – and by tiny, I mean width of car plus 10 cms in places – hence “religiously” – a lot of praying.\u00a0 And after three different approaches, just as we did get to the (possibly) right road up the hill we were met by half of the town’s inhabitants blocking the road.\u00a0 They were waiting for a procession of all the other residents coming down the road we were trying to get up.\u00a0 That’s why the town seemed so quiet.\u00a0 “John, I’ve told you THREE times, the road we want branches off the main road AFTER the town…”\u00a0 OK, so the map isn’t wrong!<\/p>\n

With little difficulty, we get to Paser\u00f3n.\u00a0 But suddenly we are in the pedestrianised middle of the village having ignored the “residents only” sign.\u00a0 Well, I can’t read Spanish AND steer!\u00a0 A hasty retreat was made.\u00a0 The next section of the road was amazing.\u00a0 Up and up.\u00a0 Round and round.\u00a0 Backwards and forwards.\u00a0 Above the tree-line we went.\u00a0 Mainly acceptable road surface with occasional terrible bits – but the biggest potential problem was the lack of passing places and the total lack of verge in places.\u00a0 Luckily, traffic was almost equally absent.\u00a0 We met just two cars while we were moving plus a couple while we were stopped at a view point.\u00a0 “We’re not bringing the caravan up here, Barry!”<\/p>\n

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Viewpoint on the way to Piornal<\/span><\/p>\n

Stupendous views apparently, but I spent most of the time watching for on-coming Spaniards.<\/p>\n

Piornal, at nearly 1,200 metres altitude, is the highest village in Extramadura.\u00a0 \u00a0It also has the lowest number possible of open restaurants – zero.\u00a0 But it does have a campsite!!!\u00a0 Astoundingly, it looked almost full.\u00a0 Maybe the vans had been there for 10 years or more – deserted by their terrified owners who had decided that a one way trip up the mountain was enough!<\/p>\n

However, we discovered that there was a motorway-quality, two-lane road down the other side into the Jerte Valley.\u00a0 A lot more EU funding I suspect.\u00a0 But at least that explained things campsite-wise.<\/p>\n

All the restaurants in the valley were packed to overflowing with coach-loads of Spaniards out en-masse for their noisy Sunday lunches.\u00a0 Give up.\u00a0 We’ll eat back at base later.<\/p>\n

On the way home, we had a walk on a path by a reservoir that Glenda had spotted the previous day.\u00a0 Another super-smooth path which went a lot further than we did.\u00a0 Masses of flowers (over 60 species spotted!) – there was a real alpine meadow feel to the place.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sharing our walk with the locals!<\/p>\n

Dinner on the terrace as the sun started to set.\u00a0 Lovely.<\/p>\n

It’s now Monday – so I’ll stop this now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

6 PLACENSIA AND MONFRAGUE AGAIN AND PIORNAL Today is Sunday but I’m a bit behind.\u00a0 On Friday morning we walked on the disused railway that runs more or less parallel to the new one behind the campsite.\u00a0 Actually, I guess… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-portugal-2018"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=391"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8107,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/391\/revisions\/8107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tappstravels.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}