This year we had planned a long van trip to Spain which would focus on a much smaller region, so involve much less driving and more chilling than last year’s trip. We had planned a couple of routes, from a book that Harriet gave us for Christmas, around the Rioja region. However, the weather, as we write this, is looking a pretty awful in that area and so we might just head for the sun, wherever that might be.

We have had a request for a blog, so we will do one, although it may not be every day as we are planning to relax a bit more on this trip.

After researching the weather we ended up at Tordesillas as it seemed to have a reasonable campsite to use as a base for the first few days. Little did we know that it was where our holiday novel, The Last Queen, was set, which just made it all the more exciting.

After doing lots of culture, we headed for the Rioja region, where we did some wine tasting. Then to the mountains, bit of a drive but well worth it. The final part of the journey was chilling on beaches. However the weather was STILL unsettled, or so the forecasts said, so we decided to come home two days early. This cost us an extra £6, so not to bad. We did then get 2 nights in Santander which was well worth it.

Lessons from this trip? We think it is to have a planand an aim. The first 2 parts of the trip were mapped out for us from the book , which worked well. We should probably have planned the mountain and beach plans more. Changes for the van? Perhaps a better outside table, don’t bother with the bbq and citronella candles for bloody flies and mossies.