Back Home!

We're back home now, after travelling up from London today. The journey from London to Glasgow was uneventful, and took about four and a half hours. After a quick change, we took the next local train to Gourock to get back home.

Including the 516 miles clocked up in the rental car, we estimate that we've travelled overland about 2930 miles in total, during the past two weeks.  It does make you appreciate the speed of air travel, but going overland  was certainly a great way to see the world!

It's back to work next week for us, but it also marks the start of the planning process for next year's adventure, wherever that may take us.

Hope you've enjoyed reading!

Bye for now,  Andrew & Christine :-)

Arrival at Glasgow Central

Journey's end at Fort Matilda, Greenock

London

We're back in London tonight, after a lengthy train journey from Montpellier. We started at 0824hrs with a northbound TGV Duplex from Perpignan, changing at Lille Europe to catch a Eurostar to London. The Duplex is a double-deck version of the French TGV.  The seats on the lower deck (where we were seated) are closer to track level, and thus the sensation of travelling at speed is much greater from this position. As expected, progress through France was swift, and after changing to the Eurostar, we arrived in London at 1430hrs.

After checking into our hotel, we visited a couple of bars in the Marylebone area.  Firstly, the delightful Coco Momo on Paddington Street, and then the more traditionally styled Duke of Wellington on Crawford Street.  Marylebone is a pleasant area in which to ramble - a safe, welcoming neighbourhood with lots of pretty shops and nice restaurants, many offering ethnic cuisines.

We're eating in at our hotel tonight. It's been a very long day travelling and we don't feel much like going out again this evening.  Our train to Glasgow tomorrow is at 1030hrs.

Our Eurostar, on arrival at St Pancras

Montpellier

That's us back in Montpellier again for a night stop, prior to catching the TGV back to Lille, and the Eurostar back to London.  It's hot and sunny again in Montpellier - temperature 29 degrees.

We started fairly early this morning in Camprodon - a last minute sortie into the village for some souvenirs before setting off about 1030hrs.  Our route took us over the Col d'Ares (4960ft) which was shrouded in fog and low cloud. The border is passed unceramoniously and we descend into the Tech Valley in France.

The cloud quickly lifts as we descend further into the valley.  There are some pretty French towns en route, such as Prats-de-Mollo la Preste and Arles-sur-Tech.  There is perhaps not much to offer, apart from their scenic value, but if we had the chance, we'd gladly stop and explore.  Time is against us however, as we need to return the rental car by 1600hrs in Montpellier. 

The temperature rises as we get to the bottom of the valley, and it's time to turn on the air conditioning!  Just after Céret, we get caught in a traffic jam. This is effectively the queue to join the A9, both north and southbound, or the bypass into Perpignan. It's a classic case of bad road design, and after an hour in slow moving traffic, we eventually join the autoroute.

Once on the A9, progress is swift. The French speed limit (in dry conditions) is 130km/h which means that the 105 miles to Montepellier is achieved in about 90 minutes. The traffic was fortunately less dense than the journey southbound, ten days ago. 

We arrived in Montpellier at 1530hrs, after stopping for a comfort break at the beautiful Catalan Village services, outside Perpignan (a bit like a mini-Gretna, just across the border).  The rental car was returned at the station without fuss, and we headed for our hotel to check-in.  We took a brief walk up into the old town before returning to the hotel for a few welcome cold beers in the outdoor bar.

The TGV tomorrow is at 0827hrs, so it won't be a late one!

The C38 towards Col d'Ares

The foggy border at Col d'Ares - welcome to France!

Prats-de-Mollo la Preste

Stuck in traffic outside Céret - a last look at the Pyrenees before joining the A9

Our hotel in Montpellier - the Holiday Inn

Montpellier tomorrow...

This is our last night in the Pyrenees, and also the last night in Spain. Tomorrow, it's back to Montpellier to return the rental car.

Instead of heading back to Figueres to pick-up the motorway, we'll take a more direct route.  The C38 from Camprodon will take us over the French border at Col d'Ares, and then down the Tech Valley to join the motorway close to Perpignan. It should take about three and half hours to get back.

Vall de Núria

Today, we visited the Vall de Núria and took a trip on the mountain rack railway. Known locally as the Cremallera (rack), the railway uses normal adhesion working on the more level parts of the railway, and switches to a rack system for the steeper sections.

The railway starts at Ribes de Freser, which is small town about 45 minutes' drive from where we were staying. The line climbs up the valley stopping briefly at Queralbs, before continuing to the terminus at Vall de Núria. It's about 8 miles long and takes about 35 minutes each way.

At this time of year, the train is packed with day trippers, tagging along for the ride, and wanting to spend a few hours in the mountains. The train tags along at relatively slow speed for the first few miles before slowing down briefly to pick up the rack rail. From thereon, its a fairly noticeable, stiff climb for the remainder of the journey. The views from the train are magnificant - if you're heading up the valley, sit on the right side for the best views. Those seated on the left get little more than cliffs and a rockface for most of the journey!

Once at Vall de Nuria (6400ft), there is a ski resort, and a large hotel and sanctuary.  The hotel offers accommodation to skiers and hikers, and anyone wanting to get away from it all.  Whilst the surroundings are very beautiful, it is rather isolated, and you'd need to be quite dedicated to outdoor activities to want to stay there for any length of time.  At €21 return per person, the railway back down to Ribes de Freser is not exactly cheap, if you want to touch base with civilisation!

Heading up towards Vall de Núria

The terminus at Vall de Núria

The rack rail

Vall de Núria

Camprodon

A lazy day today - quite sunny with temperatures around 21 degrees. We walked upstream towards Llanars, taking a back road which offered nice views of the valley. Amongst the flora and fauna, we noticed some reptiles crawling about in the undergrowth and managed to get some photographs.

We've been quite disappointed by the food offered by our hotel. Like the hotel down at the coast, we've opted for a half-board service, but the food doesn't appear to be anything near as authentic. The menu options are somewhat basic, and the portions on the small side.

The menu is printed entirely in Catalan, with no Castilian and this does present a slight language barrier. To help identify the dishes, we undertake a nightly routine of asking the waiting staff to explain each of the options. Although they don't really speak much French or English, it seems to be marginally easier for them to translate into French, being so close to the border. I then translate into English, and verify with a bit of Castilian in return (if my knowledge of the vocabulary stretches that far). The waiting staff are absolute gems, and their patience with the whole process is very much appreciated!

This translation process, which is absolutely no fault of the waiting staff, does lead to some unexpected dishes being served to us! For example, we were described a 'platter' of potatoes, ham, egg and sausage. In our minds, we visualised this to be tortilla, local Catalan sausages and dried hams. In reality, the dish transpired to be none other than sausage, egg, bacon and chips, complete with a squirt of brown sauce at the side of plate!  I'd like to meet the person who thought this would be a good idea for a menu...

Last night, Christine had a pork dish, but there was as much bone, fat and gristle as there was actual meat. My own dish consisted of a few slices of processed ham, a cherry tomato and garlic sausage on toast speared together by a cocktail stick. Served at the side was a small egg omelette. Curiously, the other (mainly elderly) residents of the hotel seem to be completely unphased by the sub-standard food?

So, to top up our calorie intake, we make a daily pilgrimage to the local supermercado at the far end of the town. We're able to purchase local hams, sausages, cheeses, olives and breads which are sufficient to make a wholesome 'starter' in our room prior to dinner. All washed down with a nice glass of Catalan red wine :-)

Somewhat irritatingly, the hotel actually offers a far more extensive menu for non-residents. However, since we've prepaid for the half-board service, this menu is not presented to us. As I've said before, we can't fault the service - it's been fantastic and everyone is so nice. Just a shame that the food is not up to scratch.

Llanars

Local reptile...

Hotel Camprodon

Camprodon

Pyrenees again...

It was a much nicer day today - sunny and a few degrees warmer. We couldn't help but return to Vallter 2000 again to take advantage of the views and clear mountain air. The secret is to arrive there before the afternoon, as the skies are usually clearer in the morning. But after midday, cumulus clouds bubble up from the valleys below, obscuring the mountain peaks.

Because of the clear conditions, I decided to take the gondola to Les Marmotes café, situated at an altitude of 8300ft. Christine wasn't keen on the gondola idea, preferring instead to ramble on the slopes further down, until I returned.

The gondolas are presumably much busier during the winter season, but there was still a surprisingly large number of passengers today - hikers and folk like myself, just wanting to admire the views. It took about 20 minutes to reach the café, which is itself about 1000ft short of the summits. Up here, there are no trees, and the only signs of growth are grasses, and plants resembling thrift which can tolerate the dry, sandy soil conditions.

Once at the top, the terrain is rocky and the geology looks very much composed of granite, schist and shale. It is possible to see all the way down the valley to Camprodon, and only then do you realise exactly how high 8300ft really is! The French border is literally only a few hundred yards away at the summit. After taking some photos and camcorder footage, it was time to return back to the bottom station.

We headed back down the valley and then took the C38 up towards Molló and the French border. On the local TV channels, we had seen an advert for a wildlife park in the area, but unfortunately we couldn't find it! So instead, we drove through the village to explore. Molló has quaint, narrow little streets, only just wide enough to accommodate a car. However, there is not much to see except the beautiful Romanesque church, so we decided to head back to Camprodon.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest, so don't expect too much of an update :-) We will drive to Ribes de Freser on Wednesday to take a ride on the mountain railway to Núria.

On the way up...

The Pyrenees, from 8300ft

Looking west

Molló

Vallter 2000

This morning, we awoke to the sound of the Sunday market in the plaça outside the hotel. There was a huge selection of fresh fruit and veg, seafood and meats, and the market seemed very popular with both the locals and tourists. Like yesterday, the day trippers arrived in droves, and by mid-morning, the narrow streets were fairly congested.

The weather was slightly brighter today, no rain, and temperatures around 17 degrees. To escape the crowds, we drove up the valley from Camprodon. We passed through a number of smaller mountain villages further up the valley - Llanars, Villalonga de Ter and Setcases. They are all much quieter than Camprodon, although still manage to attract a fair number of visitors. Available parking spaces are few and far between.

The road carries on to Vallter 2000, a ski and winter sports centre set high in the Pyrenees at the top of the valley. It's about 20km from Camprodon, but the journey took about 45 minutes since the road started to narrow and featured lots of hairpin bends. Although there is no snow at this time of year, there are still plenty of visitors - hikers, and families using the horseriding and dry ski facilities. The visitor centre and car park are set at an altitude of 7200ft, which is just above the tree line.

We decided to go for a short ramble up the mountain side, although the views were obscured at times by cumulus clouds rolling up the valley. The air is thinner - over 20% less oxygen than at sea level, so we were somewhat slower than normal when climbing. The beginnings of a headache also set in because of the altitude. We climbed for about half an hour, clearing another 500ft, before deciding to turn back. Snowbuntings could be seen on the mountain slopes.

Tomorrow, depending on the weather, we might head to Ribes de Freser, to take the mountain railway to Núria.

Setcases

The slopes of the Pyrenees, at Vallter 2000

Llanars

Camprodon

We arrived in Camprodon today, after a two hour drive from the coast. The journey took us through the town of Figueres, birthplace of artist Salvador Dalí. There is a museum, dedicated to his work, but we didn't stop. The town is a difficult little place to negotiate, completely devoid of direction signs in the town centre. Once we were back on course following the N260 to Olot, the road climbs higher into the Pyrenean foothills. The scenery changes - the hills become steeper and greener, and the countryside no longer looks dry and parched.

Camprodon is situated at an elevation of 3000ft, well beneath the tree-line but feeling very much like a mountain village. The climate here is different to that on the coast. It's noticeably cooler at only 15 degrees, and its clear from the state of the ground and the local rivers, that there has been considerable rainfall recently.

The town is initially busy today with other Spanish tourists. The local shops are very popular and there is a noticeable abundance of charcouterie butchers, selling dried hams and sausages. By mid-afternoon though, most of the shops have closed, and the tourists have dispersed.

Our hotel dates from 1906, and although the rooms have been tastefully modernised, they still retain their original character. Downstairs, there is a restaurant, ballroom, and a small bar. The bar is not a lively place - more of a rest room for some of the older Spanish residents. If you're looking for something with a bit more atmosphere, the tapas bar next door is a lot more appealing. At the back of the hotel, there is a terrace overlooking the River Ter, and a bridge to the private gardens and swimming pool.

We don't have much planned tomorrow - perhaps a short drive further up the Vall de Ter, to visit some of the local villages.

Our internet connection is provided free by the local ajuntament, but is rationed at 20Mb per day. So, we will only post a few of our best photos every day on the blog, and upload the remainder to Picasa, when we get back to Montpellier on Thursday :-)

Camprodon

Back to normal

Very windy last night - the Tramuntana blowing down from France has cooled the temperatures down to about 25 degrees today.  As you can see from the photos, the beach is back in business again despite the slightly cooler weather.

It's our last night in Llançà - tomorrow we head into the mountains for five nights, in the village of Camprodon. The route will firstly take us inland to the town of Figueres, before climbing into foothills of the Pyrenees. It's not far - about 50 miles, and should only take about two hours.

Platja de Grifeu

The Cap de Creus in the late afternoon sun

Thunderstorms...

Some thunderstorms ambled down from the Pyrenees this afternoon. The deteriorating weather brought a swift end to the beach party :-O

Heavy rain shower over Llançà...

...and one empty beach

Llançà

It's a little cooler this afternoon. There is a stronger breeze blowing down from the north, and we can see there is quite a bit of cloud towards Perpignan. Last night, a thunderstorm passed overhead during our evening meal and we had to retreat inside. There is only so much protection a pine tree can offer!

The restaurant has open air seating round the back of the hotel, on a terrace overlooking the sea. We've used it every night except Monday when it was raining in the evening.

We've paid for a half-board service, so it's basically breakfast and lunch, or breakfast and dinner.  The breakfast is a buffet, offering a selection of cereals, pastries, cold meats, breads and cheeses. The lunch and dinner menus, for guests who have the half-board package, are the same, although they change every day. The menu consists of a full three-course meal, with three options for each course.

So far, we've had Pesto Pappardelle, Serrano Ham & Melon, and a Goat Cheese & Walnut Salad for starters. There was also another curious dish of creamed mashed potatoes, with crisped Serrano, topped with a very lightly poached (slightly undercooked?) egg. It was actually a lot nicer than it sounds.

The main courses are all typically Spanish.  On Monday, it was Poussin served on a bed of flavoured white rice, very much like a risotto.  We also had Fideuà  which is a Valencian paella made with pasta instead of rice.  And last night, we opted for Arroz Negro, a paella dish coloured with squid ink to give the rice a distinctive black appearance.  The paella dishes included a variety of seafoods such a mussels, prawns, squid and octopus.  All of the mains are ceremoniously wheeled up to your table on a trolley, and then served by your waiter onto separate plates.

Dessert courses tend to be light and simplistic, such as sorbet, cheesecake, ice cream etc. It's all that's needed, since the mains and starters are quite filling.

Terrace outside the hotel

Colera & Cap de Creus

Another hot day today with the temperature around 30 degrees. The Costa Brava fortunately has a very gentle sea breeze which provides some relief from the heat during the afternoon.  A quick walk into Llançà this morning, and then out in the car.

We drove up to Colera, a small town wedged in a ravine in the coastline.  Whilst the back streets are nice enough, the promenade and beach area is a bit tired, with graffiti plastered over the exterior of a run down hostel building. We didn't stay long, so it was back into the car and then back to Llançà, to find the road to the Cap de Creus.

The cape is the most easterly point on the Iberian peninsula. It also has national park status protecting both the plant and animal life. The plan was to drive down to Cadaqués, a picturesque seaside town on the coast. But it seemed that most of Catalonia had the same idea and we ended up in a slow moving queue of traffic for about 45 minutes. Once inside the town, all the car parks were full and the local police were directing traffic away from town.  With no knowledge of the local car parks, we decided to turn around and head back, which lots of others were also doing.  It was a nice drive, but the town itself will need to wait for another time :-)

Colera

Our Ford Ka...

Driving across the Cap de Creus

Llançà

There were some electrical storms in the distance towards Barcelona during the night, but they never reached here. By morning, the light rain had cleared and I managed to capture the sunrise about 0630. After breakfast, we walked along the coastal path into the port of Llançà. It's a small town, but busy with the usual chaotic and congested streets, typical of many Spanish towns. There is an old town further up the hill which we've yet to explore. After buying some souvenirs, we headed back for some lunch.

The sun hits our balcony in the morning, but after lunchtime it passes overhead. It's not a bad thing, since there is no temptation to sit for hours in strong sunshine. The room is also kept pleasantly cool in the afternoon.

This afternoon we walked back up the coastal road towards Colera and Portbou. Whilst there isn't anything up there apart from villas and apartments, it does provide a nice view over the bay looking south. In the distance, we can see the Cap de Creus with the town of El Port de la Selva. On the other side of the peninsula, although out of view, is the Bay of Roses.

Tomorrow, we plan to take the car out and head up to Colera, and then out to the Cap de Creus, to explore the seaside town of Cadaqués.

Looking north from the balcony

Looking towards Llançà in the evening

Sunrise

Our hotel

Llançà

The Catalan Highway

Woof!! This is the Costa Brava at its best - 30 miles north of the touristic pap you'll find in any holiday brochure! We're staying in Llançà - a small fishing town set within a bay, right at the end of the Pyrenees mountain range. Sunshine and 30 degree temperatures this afternoon have given way to cloudy skies and, believe it or not, some rain. But it makes little difference to the holiday atmosphere.

We picked up our rental car this morning in Montpellier - a silver Ford Ka... with air conditioning :-) After heading out onto the autoroute, it took about three hours to reach our destination. We're in the middle of the French school holidays so the traffic was a little heavy. But apart from a two-lane section outside Perpignan, things moved pretty quickly. We passed Sete and L'Étang de Thau where TV chef Rick Stein and his crew ended up in their French Odyssey canal journey. It's quicker to grasp the geography of the area by looking at a map, than for me to explain.

The Languedoc-Roussillon region of France (vineyards on both sides of the motorway as far as the eye can see) gives way to the Spanish border at Col du Perthus. Whilst the traffic is slowed to 50 kph at the frontier, noone is remotely interested apart from a couple of Guardia Civil casually watching the proceedings. No passports are required and the traffic moves on south without stopping.

We're over the Pyrenees now, albeit only reaching an altitude of 1200ft. After another 20 minutes, we leave the A7 and settle up the tolls. The journey from Montpellier has cost about 18 Euros - which can be paid either in cash or by credit card on the exit slip road. A further 20 minutes on the N260 takes us to Llançà. Our hotel is just north of the town, in a small bay graced with a sandy beach. There are no Brits here - only Spanish and French, perhaps escaping from the vast areas of their respective countries that are not fortunate enough to have a seaside nearby.

The hotel is classically Spanish - you won't find any luxuries here such as lifts, TVs, radios or air conditioning, but the staff are friendly and the service is fantastic. Rooms are spacious and clean, with a massive balcony looking out over the sea. The hotel boasts a beautiful terrace overlooking the beach - photos can be found in the Picasa link at the top of the page.

Heading south on the A9

El Frontera...

Welcome to Spain

Montpellier

Today started off early with an 8am check-in for the Eurostar. There are similarities with an airport check-in but the whole process is a lot slicker from beginning to end. Although everyone needs to pass their baggage and themselves through x-ray machines, there's none of the 'liquids and gels' silliness that is found in all of the UK's airports. It's my first visit to St Pancras since it became the new Eurostar terminal. By cleverly and discretely building the terminal within the station undercroft, passengers emerge onto the platforms by escalators from below. None of the grandeur of the original 1840 trainshed has been lost in the process.

It takes just twenty minutes for everyone to board, and then the train leaves. After leaving the station, the train enters a fairly lengthy new tunnel under the east of London emerging close to the QE2 Crossing. A quick stop at Ebbsfleet to uplift, and we're on our way again, entering the Channel Tunnel just 35 minutes after leaving the capital. The tunnel passage is pretty uneventful and 20 minutes later, the train emerges into the French countryside close to Calais.

We leave the Eurostar at Lille and after a short break, board a southbound TGV destined ultimately for Perpignan. Many passengers come and go during the five hour journey as the train calls at busy hubs such as Charles de Gaulle airport, Disneyland Paris, Lyon and Nimes. The landscape also changes over the course of the journey - the flat green arable countryside of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais gives way to vineyards and olive trees as the train reaches the south of France. France is a huge country and we are grateful for the TGV - covering the same distance by car would take over 12 hours, and that's without stops.

Montpellier is glorious, and all things typically Mediterranean. Its a relatively modest town - plenty to offer but without the overpowering pretentiousness of the Riviera towns further east. It's about 30 degrees and sunny, and not likely to be much different tomorrow. Our hotel is the Holiday Inn, which is a short-walk from the station. The building dates from the beginning of the last century and retains a lot of its original features, including the open cage elevator in the stairway atrium. Somewhat disappointingly, the restaurant is not open at weekends. So, with tiredness setting in after two long days travelling, and little time to suss out the best eating places, we resorted to fast food!

Tomorrow, we pick up the hired car at the station, and head down the A9 towards the Spanish border. Let's hope it's air conditioned...

Trams in Montpellier

Place de la Comédie, Montpellier

London

Day 1, and we arrived in London by mid-afternoon, after travelling on the 1040 Virgin Trains service from Glasgow. The train to London was a Pendolino, one of Virgin Trains' 9-car tilting units which are deployed on most West Coast Main Line services. Four and a half hours after leaving Glasgow, the train arrives in the centre of London - a journey time which now rivals most competing airlines when considering the transfer times from the city centre to the airport. Cocooned in a sound-proofed, air conditioned carriage, the journey is fast and efficient - a definite sign of progress. However, one can't help thinking back to the 1980s when British Rail's APT regularly managed end to end journey times of four hours and fifteen minutes. Incidentally, the last surviving APT now sits neglected in a siding outside Crewe station - blink and you'll miss it as your Pendolino flashes by...

Using a Weekend First upgrade, travellers can take advantage of the business class accommodation at weekends, for a £15 surcharge per head. Gone is the glamour and prestige of first class travel, although the extra seat width and legroom, free Wi-Fi, and complimentary refreshments certainly make it a worth while deal.

Tonight, we dined in Trader Vic's, a Polynesian restaurant located in the basement of The Hilton on Park Lane. The restaurant offers tasty, well-presented food in quiet, ambient surroundings. The interior decor is stylised like an giant tropical beach hut although the lack of windows detracts slightly from the atmosphere. Whilst the service is a little on the slow side to kick-off, the staff are very attentive once the food is actually on your table.

There's not much time in London for sightseeing, or anything else for that matter - check-in tomorrow for the Eurostar is at 0800hrs...

Ready to go - our Pendolino at Glasgow Central

On board the Pendolino