León to Tui - 2nd November to the 12th November On waking up in León to beautiful sunshine, it was time for the first run of the trip. That way I got to have a look around the old Royal City and maybe shake off a beer or two which have been consumed to date. The run along the river didnt unearth too much, and the city appeared quite unremarkable. However a quick detour uncovered a lovely hotel, of which pictures are attached. The hotel was the old monastery founded around the 16th Century. I always thought monks were not allowed to own too much, clearly the church can own as lavish a building as it likes! Its a rather impressive example of Spanish Renaissance style (thats what the book says anyway). I did accidentally wander ... read more

Well, almost everything was packed, most of the necessary plans had been made, and nearly all bits of equipment had been purchased and the journey was officially underway. The starters flag was raised at the parent's house in Newborough, north Cambridgeshire, and as dusk settled on a slightly chilly but dry October evening, surely nothing could go wrong? WRONG! The lovely van, home for 12 months, with the German build quality, the 'bullitproof' Mercedes Sprinter engine, that's what could go wrong. The good news, it's wasn't my fault! The bad news, I have no idea what goes on under the bonnet! So when the van failed to start when we arrived at the overnight stopover in Brampton Caravan Park, it meant a night was spent on the slant outside the wardens hut, and it was not ... read more