2025 September: Lumbier to Elciego

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I wake in the night to the sound of thunder yet again, and see more blue/white flashes. Then the spattering starts and within less than a minute the rain is pelting down again, harder than yesterday evening, so loud it wakes Mr C… he complains! I lie and listen to its rhythmic patterns of flashes, thunder and the constant pelting of rain. I must have drifted off to sleep as the next thing is its morning. Everything here on the aire de camping cars at Lumbier is very still and very wet, the walnut tree is dripping and everything is sodden under foot.

The temperature has dropped by 19 degrees to 13°C (32°C yesterday) and is feeling cold! Mr C. walks to the Panaderia close to the area de servicio para autocaravanas in Lumbier and buys two, still warm baguettes. After breakfast we plan our route and leave Lumbier on NA-150, back to Junc.35 and the wind turbine blades stored on the ground. Taking A-21, a good dual-carriageway to Pamplona, A-15 around the city and, being Sunday is not too busy. Onto A-12 all the way to Logroño, about 90km, a long but easy drive. Onto N-232a a smaller road and not so good but pleasant as we enter La Rioja with its acres and acres of vines in straight and well-groomed rows, their black grapes hanging in huge bunches where they had not yet been picked. At Laguardia we take A-3210 to Elciego, our favourite area in La Rioja and home of the largest number of wine tasting caverns in one place! We find the moho parking area Area de Aparcamiento de Autocaravanas, ( close to Valdelana Winery and park up, there about six of us here: German, French, Dutch, us (UK) and Spanish… a sure sign that people seek this place from all over Europe! We walk up to Bouza (the winery next to the parking area. It advertises well but has always been closed when we have visited. Today it is open… that is a marvel but… there are NO staff! We wander round, eventaully Mr C sees two women in the dining room area, they are moving furniture and appear to be preparing for the evening meals. He asks, in Spanish, if we can taste and buy wine, the reply is Si but followed by nothing, basically ignoring us. This is the second time we have tried to buy wine at Bouza and failed, there will not be a third attempt.

We walk back down the hill and up the hill on the other side towards the town, passing the enormous Iglesia de San Andrés with its back wall (that overhangs the road) falling away… the gap now about one inch at the top. Arriving at Plaza Mayor we find the restaurant La Florida where we go for lunch.

Inside it is just the same, the same welcoming host who seats us at (the same) table, and even the same menu (which is fine as it was excellent last year). The same mural of Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam with the two fingers of God and Adam almost touching, God giving Adam the spark of life… like good food!

For starters, we both have Patatas La Rioja for starters, I have cod and Mr C. has tuna for the main, and egg custard with local honey for dessert, served with a 500ml carafe of Valdelana red wine. The food is good but my cod is under-cooked and last year the meal included a whole bottle of wine (not 500ml carafe). Last year the meal cost €17 each, this year €24 each (September 2025), definitely not such good value. We wander around the town enjoying the ambiance and walk back to Valdelana to taste and buy wine, but it is closed on Sunday afternoon. As the bar in the square has opened again we decide to go back to Hymer and rest and walk back to the square this evening to drink wine with the locals. All the best laid plans and all that… it starts to rain about 6.00pm and by 7.00pm it is heavy and set in for the evening, everywhere is deserted so we close the blinds, read and journal and have a night in!

Motorhome Trek Lumbier to Elciego

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