La Isla and Gobiendes

Wednesday:-

We arrived in La Isla on Tuesday and found our hotel which was by the beach. On Wednesday morning we walked up to the headland and found the trenches, now restored, a sobering reminder of the Civil War. Then in the afternoon we went to Gobiendes to visit the pre Romanesque church.

Santiago de Gobiendes is only open on the first Wednesday of the month from 2.00pm and you have to either phone or arrive at the nearby Sueve Museum before then. The guided tour was very interesting and this is a good place to visit, just off the Camino del Norte.

Following the suggestion made by the guide we then walked from Gobiendes to Obayu and back along a lovely forest track. This leads to a waterfall and 'fuente' (fountain) and in Gobiendes itself also passes the walk around the local hórreos.

The beach and hotel at La Isla

The trenches on the headland

The church at Gobiendes

The waterfall at Obayu

Hórreo at Gobiendes

Spain 2016

After nearly 5 weeks in N Spain we are now home again. Our plans to walk or take the car various places of interest along the northern Caminos were added to and we have visited some amazing places. Once our photos are sorted we will add posts along the Camino del Norte, the Ruta do Mar, the Camino Primitivo and also the mountain area around Cangas del Narcea. This last is not on the Camino but in the national park. Finally we visited the Picos de Europa and the lakes at Covadonga before returning to Santander via Cabezon de la Sal.

Watch this space!

Our first night was spent at Cóbreces in the little hotel (left in photo) near the church.

It is opposite the steep track where the Camino comes into the village

Plans and packing

Plans for this year are going well, but we are still working on packing etc. at present we are taking the same kit as for last year plus and extra set of clothes (trousers, shirt, socks, fleece) so as to keep our packing to a minimum. Weight is not an issue but we will still pack most of our gear into our rucksacks and then add a small 'overnight' bag each for the extra clothes and to use on the ferry. This means we will have 3 complete sets of clothes each, plus extra underwear and socks. We will also take a light shower jacket each as well as our ponchos - this is partly for an extra layer if evenings are cool rather than for walking in.

It feels slightly strange to be taking the car and needing to check road directions from the ferry to our first stop. Looking for places to visit we have found several 'off the Camino' but easily accessible by car so this will be a mix of sightseeing and Camino walking. Day 1 we will stay overnight in Cobreces before moving on to La Isla for 3 nights. Here we have found a nearby church and museum as well as wanting to walk from La Vega to La Isla. Then we move on to a casa rural near Luarca, again to walk part of the Camino.

So back to the planning and practise walking. At least the weather is improving here and still has plenty of time to improve in Spain too before we go.

Walking Around New Year to Easter

We have been mostly road walking during the winter but are beginning to get 'off road' again. The old railway provided some walking and the field tracks were drying out.

Over Easter we have been walking around Dartmoor at Becky Falls, Haytor and Parke. The moor itself seemed very dry but Parke was extremely wet after further weekend rain. All good practise, especially the climb up by the falls!

New Year, new plans

Having walked the Camino de Santiago several times we plan this year to return to N Spain with a car. We want to visit places on the Camino which we missed previously. Then we can walk either sections of the Camino or other footpaths in the area. Places we hope to see are Mondoñedo, Britoña, Puerto de Palo and part of the Hospitales route. Then to other places including the lakes above Covadonga.

This is all much later in the year so as ever.....watch this space.

Hills walks around Ledbury

The walk from the town led through the woods above the church. At the top of the track there was a ruined stable dating from the days of stage coaches, which would have been used for the trace horses needed to make the climb up the hill.

Another good walk was on the Malverns, where the track climbed to give views back to the ancient hill-fort as well as across into Wales.

Ledbury

Having spent a week near Ledbury we walked into town and also some of the local footpaths on the hills.

Ledbury itself is an interesting place with many lovely old buildings, including the Market Hall and the old houses on the cobbled street leading to the church.

The Market Hall (top-left).
Cobbled street (top-right and left)
The building on the right was the last of the buildings in the old 'shambles' and was moved to its current location, on the cobbled street, to preserve it.

Dartmoor Walk

On a beautiful day we walked a circular route from Ilsington. Starting from the Carpenter's Arms the route leads downhill at first, then steeply uphill to give good views back to the village. A further downhill section leads through the woods and across a stream before crossing the road and going uphill again to give a view across to Bovey Tracey and then Haytor. A further downhill section re-crosses the road before the final climb back up through the woods and into Ilsington past the village shop. Then we enjoyed lunch in the Carpenter's Arms.

The directions for the route are very clear and more can be found at Visit Dartmoor, and we also carried our OS map to check our route as we walked.

The track uphill and the view back to Ilsington

A muddy section

Looking back at the stile and stepping stones

Hilltop views:-
towards Bovey Tracey (L)
and Haytor (R)

Ancient signpost

Final uphill track through the woods

Cerne Abbas

Walking in the UK this year had been mainly over old ground in preparation for walking in Spain. However we have recently been to Cerne Abbas and walked the tracks above and around the Giant. From the tracks it is impossible to see the figure cut into the hillside, but there is a good view from across the valley.

Our time in Spain is recorded at Camino 2015 and covers the route from Ribadeo westwards to San Andrés de Teixido and then on the Camino Inglés (for the second time) from Ferrol to Santiago de Compostela. Next year we are thinking of walks in Asturias and maybe near Lugo (Galicia) but taking a car to travel between major points for accomodation. Meanwhile we will continue to record interesting walks here as well as plans for places to walk in Spain.

Dyrham Park

Although we have been walking regularly many of the walks have been over old ground. In September however we visited Dyrham Park, a National Trust estate near Bath. The deer wander freely through the estate park and the walks along the hill tops are excellent viewing places. From the hill top near the house it is possible to see the Severn Bridge, on a clear day. Our interests were mainly in the deer and the hillfort. We also visited the formal garden (deer proof fencing) and the church where there is a brass memorial to Sir Morys Russell (1401) and his wife Isabel (1415).

This is a place well worth visiting for the walks and there is a regular shuttle bus from the car park down the drive to the house for those who do not feel able to walk the distance.

Summer walks

Walking this summer has taken us to Wells, where the Cathedral has a walled garden. The figures on the west front of the Cathedral are reminiscent of Santiago.

Then a walk up Cheddar Gorge, which has to be on the road, returning by the same route. Walking on the sand dunes was good training too as it seemed that for every step forward we slipped half a step back.

Our most energetic walk was the walk on Brean Head (twice) doing the circular route on the second occasion. The steps to the start are so steep that they zig-zag up the hill. Then a good walk out to the headland, down past the old fort and back round to descend finally by a track back to the car park.

Steam engines

Another day of industrial history.

The old railway line between Buckfastleigh and Totnes is preserved and runs mostly steam, but also some historic diesel, engines. On the half hour journey it passes along the banks of the River Dart, stops at Staverton station and then goes on to Totnes (Littlehempston). The train is not allowed onto the main line so there is a footbridge over the Dart and a path into town past the Totnes main-line station with the alternative of a longer walk along the river bank to the lower end of the town. We have walked the longer route several times but time and the weather led us to walk the direct route this time so our photos are all of the trains.

The little tank engine was pulling our train. At the end of the ride it is shunted round to the opposite end of the train for the return journey, with the engine travelling backwards. On this occasion its water tanks needed refilling before the return journey. The two old angines in the yard are awaiting restoration at the railway works, which restores engines for other preservation societies - boilers, wheels etc - so helping to keep our steam heritage alive and working.