Rather optimistically, we had planned to visit some of the “Bodegas” on Monday morning prior to the 120 mile trip to the port of Santander. This wasn’t the best planning we had made on this trip as many of the wineries didn’t open until 09:30 and we needed to be rolling by 11:15. The Rioja wines were also expensive (well it’s all relative compared to blighty) but they were sufficiently priced to really need a prior wine tasting and we just didn’t have the time.

So we left Haro on time but with no wine additions.

The drive to Santander was not exactly un-eventful because once in the Bilbao area, we were diverted through the most spectacular roads and tunnels which hadn’t previously shown up on the satnav – which, after all is only some 6 months old. At one point, we were suspended hundreds of feet in the air on a kind of horse-shoe sticking out of the mountain. Moe exclaimed “Oh, look at the view”. I nearly stopped the car and abandoned it on the spot. Am not good with heights!

The ferry left on time and dinner on-board was excellent. Up to the standard of your best cruise ship.

Goodbye Santander

Our arrival into Portsmouth was delayed by 2 hours because another Brittany ferries ship was berthed at our dock and we had to wait for its departure, complete with its “cargo” of veterans making the pilgrimage to the 70 year D-Day celebrations.

We arrived home early in the evening, thus concluding this trip.

An early start on the Sunday with the intention to leave shortly after the main gates opened – probably the coolest gates we have seen – since they use ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) to open and close the barriers for the car.

Reception and high tech gates at Camping Begur

The ever helpful campsite staff had withdrawn a moveable post to allow us to manoeuvre the caravan off the pitch a little easier. They were on-hand to open barriers for us before the ANPR and wished us a safe journey.
The journey was smooth and uneventful, covering around 400 miles in some seven to eight hours, arriving later in the afternoon at Haro.

Camping Haro

We found a nice pitch but after discovering the electrical hook-up lacked an earth grounding, we unwound all of our cables to reach a nearby electrical cabinet. Maybe we are paranoid but I put great faith in our mains tester and after all, electricity has an earth cable for a reason… At least that’s what my Physics degree taught me!

Haro has some beautifully restored “Bodegas” (wineries) which we intended on visiting the following morning. The town itself is a little “scruffy” in places but we enjoyed a beer or two outside one of the cafes and then dined in a local Tapas bar.

Saturday is preparation day and we had cleaned and cleared up by early afternoon. We spent a little time taking a few photos of the campsite.

Shower block at Camping Begur

Camping Begur swimming pools

That left us with a few hours in which to visit Tamariu. About a 1 hour walk down to the beautiful cove and beach but at least an extra half an hour to walk back up again.

Harbour at Tamariu

The hills remain steep around here!