The wet weather continued into the weekend but with the six nations on TV at the bar, entertainment was available both days!

Monday we visited Vejer again, this time with Paul and Andrea – their first visit to El Calife – taking the bus from Conil to Vejer. It turned out Monday was some kind of “festive” holiday so a revised bus timetable was in place. Fortunately, our preferred buses were operating and we enjoyed another fab afternoon at this Moroccan restaurant.

Tuesday was the first dry day after a spell of wet weather and this was perfect for drying and taking down the awning. We BBQ’d with Paul and Andrea before our final quiz. A reasonable effort but no prizes this week.

An early start on Wednesday morning for what should have been an un-eventful drive North, turned out to be anything but. On the motorway near Cadiz, we heard an unfamiliar noise from the caravan and some passing workmen were gesturing at us to pull over onto the hard shoulder.

There we discovered the Jockey wheel had dropped and the tyre, wheel and rim were destroyed. We tidied up as best we could and headed off on our way again as fast as possible. Anyone familiar with Spanish motorways will know the hard shoulders aren’t much safer than our very own “smart” motorways! They are not wide enough for a large car and caravan!

Our next problem was Seville and the demonstrating farmers. The motorways south and north of Seville were blocked and this cost us a delay of several hours. Bang on two o’clock however, the protestors and tractors retreated back to the countryside for lunch and a siesta and that was the end of our hold-ups.

We arrived at Camping Olimpia, Salamanca about 7:30pm and ate at the campsite. Once we had located a new jockey wheel the following morning (Caravanas Sitmon near Salamanca were very helpful), we drove the short distance to Camping El Astral at Tordesillas. A wet afternoon curtailed our plans to walk into town.

Friday we drove to Santander and spent the afternoon at Virgen del Mar. The weather was glorious and we wiled away an hour or two at the local bar there. The campsite – Camping Virgen del mar – is very convenient for the Santander ferry but we felt didn’t justify the top tier ACSI price of 27 Euros. Cold water only at the washbasins, tight pitches and a dodgy electricity supply!

Our ferry departed Santander on time and we were blessed with another smooth crossing, arriving at Portsmouth on Sunday evening at 20:00. We were close to first off the boat and were pitched up at Morn Hill Caravan Club site before 21:00. An uneventful drive back to East Devon and a week of very wet weather awaited our arrival home.

Arriving back from Olvera last Sunday, we were ready for a few days of rest. Afternoon sherry at Richard and Jennifer’s was followed by our customary Sunday dinner at the Camping La Rosaleda restaurant.

Monday morning, Richard and I headed off to the local co-operative for some provisions – they sell everything from fruit and veg, sherry (in industrial quantities) to farm equipment and seeds.

My haul was 3l of sherry for the princely sum of 11.99 and some packets of seeds. About half the price of the UK but large quantities.

Monday evening was another care in the community meal with Flamenco dancing!

Wednesday evening was Quiz night and a respectable fourth place with a “could and should do better…”

Still, that’s prizes on two out of three quiz nights. Hmm, don’t look too closely at the “rough notes” as that was a failed guess of mine…

El Natutico at the Port of Conil re-opened this week and we managed lunch there on Thursday. As good as ever with fantastic views across the port but the weather was somewhat cloudy, in advance of the “named” storm Karlotta. The waitress was amused by us having written our order on the paper mat…

Andalusia is in the grip of a serious drought so the storm will bring welcome rain (up to 50mm in 24 hours) and unwelcome wind. Wind gusts overnight on Thursday and into Friday were in excess of 100km/h but we saw no signs of any damage around the campsite. A trip to Joe’s favourite DIY store (“Leroy Merlin”) on Friday afternoon was followed by a Bolivian themed meal in the restauarant.

Peanut soup followed by meat and sausage stew with chips was actually quite nice. First time I’ve tried peanut soup and it tasted remarkably good!

With just a few days left here and further inclement weather in the forecast, we will take a couple of days packing up and then head north on Wednesday. The farmers in Spain are also protesting which might make for an interesting journey.

After a less than early start to Thursday morning (8 Jan), we loaded the bikes onto Nellie and were on our way before lunchtime. Just.

We drove for around 90 minutes until we reached the town of Puerto Serrano and parked the campervan in the station car park next to a couple of other motorhomes.

The station at Puerto Serrano has never seen a train arrive or depart but it lies on the historically proposed Jerez to Almargen railway route. This route was studied at the beginning of the 19th century in order that it might energise the economic fortunes of the Sierra.

The works began under the dictatorship of Primo de Rivera but were never completed and it was abandoned in the early 1960s. In fact, in 1962, the World bank recommended that Spain should not continue with the construction of new railway lines. Much of the track route and infrastructure was constructed, but no track was laid.

In the 1990s, the section between Puerto Serrano and Olvera was revitalised as a Via Verde and several of the stations were renovated; namely Puerto Serrano, Coripe and Olvera. It is quite possibly the most beautiful Via Verde in Spain.

Our journey started at the station of Puerto Serrano and a short return section from Puerto Serrano to Coripe.

The Via Verde is around 36.5km long and the first stage would be an easy 30km or so.

There are 30 tunnels on the Via Verde but two are unsafe and closed. This meant we had a total of 56 tunnels to traverse. The first closed tunnel is just a short distance away from Puerto Serrano and the diversion is a steep drop into the valley and back up again. Apart from that it was an easy trip to Coripe and back.

The countryside is varied and essentially stunning; we encountered goats in the road, sheep, dogs, horses, black birds of prey and a lot of cattle.

Click on any of the photos below to see a high resolution.

We had a short break in Coripe – Joe enjoyed a beer and Moe an ice cream before the trip back to Puerto Serrano.

The parking at Puerto Serrano is not an official Aire. There is fresh water available and a bar / restaurant with toilets – when open. We had a peaceful nights rest before attempting the remainder of the Via Verde.

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Friday morning and left the station of Puerto Serrano for the town of Coripe. There is an aire in Coripe for five vans and we decided we’d explore the remainder of the via verde from this location.

This five van aire, provided by the municipality of Coripe has flat, purpose built pitches each with it’s own supply of fresh water and grey / black waste disposal. Perfect for our 1 day stay. Not everything about this aire is perfect – the availability of picnic benches on the same site attracts local kids and teenagers in the evenings so it can be a bit noisy. It’s also 3km away from Coripe station – down a very steep road – we’d have to save some battery for this part of the return journey.

Our route to Coripe station took us down a steep mountain road with views across the valley towards the viaduct over which the vi verde makes its ascent into the station.

The via verde to Olvera is a steady ascent all the way from Puerto Serrano and it would take us at least twice as long on the outward journey to Olvera than the return.

A few kilometres from Coripa is the Penon de Zaframagon and a visitor centre which we have been recommended to visit – apparently it’s well worth the two Euros. One day it will actually be open!

Here at Zaframagon, in an area of less than half a square kilometre, is the largest colony of Griffin Vultures in Andalusia and one of the largest in Spain.

We continued our journey to Olvera, a stop for a picnic at the now abandoned and not-restored station of Navalagrulla and finally arrived at the beautiful station of Olvera. Complete with a hotel, restaurant and railway-car themed accommodation.

The abandoned stations of Navalagrulla:

Onwards to the end of the line at Olvera:

Arriving back at the van early evening, Joe enjoying a well-deserved glass of Rioja.

* * * * *

We decided to head into Olvera on Saturday and stay at Camping Pueblo Blanco – located a few kms outside of this old town. After two days in the saddle, it was time to find somewhere with a proper shower! In the morning, we walked into Coripe for a coffee and then set off to the campsite, arriving just after lunchtime.

Some pictures from the town of Coripe:

* * * * *

The campsite near to Olvera is located some three kilometres from the edge of the town and another couple to the old town where the church, castle and tourist office are located.

By the time we had walked in, looked around the Olvera monuments, failed spectacularly to find a taxi home, we had over 10 miles clocked on the fitbits and were somewhat exhausted. This was supposed to be a quiet day!

Pictures from the town of Olvera, Spain, 2024: