roemin around

Fishing again before breakfast and this time I did manage to catch just one trout. We had to leave site before lunch and called at the Chatsworth farm shop and then went to see Clare and Jack in Derby on the way home.

We had a night away in Barlow, Derbyshire at a site with both trout and coarse fishing lakes. Fished for the evening on one of the trout lakes without catching anything.

We are back in Croft after a 2150 miles round trip of Spain including a diversion to have a KFC on the M42 before we got home. Only about 1000 photos to sort out this trip. A few more facts - the best exchange rate on the credit card was €1.41 = £1, diesel only cost about 90p per litre. We stayed in 17 locations/sites/cabins during the 46 days we were away, from the 'all singing and dancing' Playa Bara on the Costa Dorado to the car park at the Monastery of Montserrat. The cheapest site we stayed at (and also the best facilities) was Park Playa Bara  where we stayed 6 nights for just £65. The most expensive was El Escorial near Madrid where we paid £96 for 3 nights at  peak rate for the Mayday long weekend (but £13 for one additional day which wasn't a holiday). We used ACSI sites quite a lot paying £12 per night on average. Coffee with milk was typically €2 - €2.5 (about £1.50) and a 3 course Menu del Dia, with wine, was typically  £8 - £1...

We called in to see my cousin Barbara at Oakhampton on the way home. We left just before lunch but the M5 was stop/go and by mid afternoon we were still only a few miles north of Bristol. It looked like it may be a nice afternoon so we decided to break the journey and have stopped at Malvern Hills CC site for the night. It's a big site with a CC&C site next door and every other van seemed to have 3 or 4 dogs. One motorhome by us just discharged 5 greyhounds. It appears there us a dog show at Malvern showground. It is a nice evening but quite breezy and it's getting a bit cool now at 7pm. Will be watching first English TV for 45 days after the burgers and salad.

Arrived back in UK this afternoon after a bumpy crossing overnight from Santander. The Pont Aven was late arriving due to storms in UK earlier in the week so if was full speed overnight. However it was dry and sunny and we came back through the Ouessant channel, which also saved some time, so we were in the UK on time. Spent the last of the Euros in the on-board shop and we are now overnighting in a pub car park (a Britstop) on the edge of Dartmoor with the wind howling. It's good to be back!

We spent the last day en route to the ferry following part of the Camino de Santiago trail. At Sant Vincent we walked up to the old church and ruined hostel that is in on trail. There were quite a few pilgrims around town on both occasions we were in the town. Then in Comillas we went and looked round El Capricio which is a house designed by Gaudi in his typically elaborate style. Also in Comillas there is a Hermitage on the hill overlooking the beach and on the Camino. Nearby is another less grand Gaudi enhanced residence. This one has an entrance, to the grounds, with three gates. A wide gate for carriages, a narrow gate for people and a round hole for birds to fly through. We finally stopped at a Carrefour to stock up with more wine before joining the queue at the ferry terminal in Santander. It was late arriving.