2025 September: Vinya Els Vilars to Refugio el Pajar
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Cooler again this morning but perfectly clear, another hot day ahead at at the aire de camping cars or area de servicio para autocaravanas at the wine producer Vinya Els Vilars.
I inspect the bites are from mosquitoes, they are very swollen and sore, after living in Canada we are both very attuned to bites and wonder if they are tiger mosquitoes (although neither of us has seen one). Or maybe some nasty little biting thing, whatever… they are very sore. I wear a sock on that foot to protect them from the sun. Ah the madness of the British: ‘one sock off and the other sock on’… the nursery rhyme cry of John’s mother:
‘Diddle diddle dumpling my son John, went to bed with his trousers on, one shoe off the other shoe on, diddle diddle dumpling my son John…
We service Hymer, filling the water and emptying the tanks and leave Vinya Els Vilars about 11.30, waving a sad goodbye to our remaining friends. First on LV-2001, a small road to Mollerussa, a medium sized town where we fill with diesel at Petropix (the cheapest filling stations in Spain at €122.9/litre in September 2025). Then to Mercadona for a largish food shop: milk, meats, cheese, vegetables, salad and of course… wine: 6 Fidencio and 6 El Coto (both red), plus serano and lomo €179 in total. It is 1.30pm by this time but decide to press on and look for an Aire on A-22 to eat lunch (we don’t pass one). First A-2 to Lleida and then onto A-22 a good fast dual carriageway road across the high Sierra.
The landscape changes quite dramatically as we climb: pale yellow dirt with olive trees and maise/sweetcorn (not an apple tree in sight). Olive trees sit in rows on ancient walled terraces up the steep hillside and, for us the there are some serious steep hills to climb with huge yellow brown boulders rising ‘science fiction-like’ from the ground. We pass Binéfar and see the magnificent Monzon Castile prominent in the south on a high point all of its own that rises from the flat ground all around. The pointed hills of Barbastro (last stayed there in 2022… or maybe 2018) rise distinctively and then we start our descent, down and down again to Angüés. Onto N-240 which was being upgraded when we came to Agüero last year. It looks finished now but not yet in use. To Quicena where we have a good view of the Mallos at Riglos and Agüero. We turn off N-240 onto HU-330 a narrow country road with poor surface that takes us all the way to Castilsabás, turning up the steep hill towards the village we find Refugio el Pajar. We enter through a narrow stone gateway on the left, onto a wonderful plateau ringed by a low stone wall with fabulous views across the Sierra from Monzon Castile in the east round to the Riglos in the north towards and high Sierra in the west. There are 6 pitches, one taken and two vehicles are in the process of leaving. We park up overlooking the valley and in the heat of the day at 29°C. Venessa, the owner who lives in the one-story-house (a Casa with rooms) welcomes us. We park up, back to the sun facing the fabulous view towards the Riglos and have lunch… a little late at 3.30pm but we are on Spanish time!
It is very hot, about 31°C in the shade, Mr C. pulls the awning out and we sit in the shade, our neighbour, a German called Frank comes and introduces himself, he speaks excellent English and we chat about our respective journeys, he from Hamburg and us from Lancaster (which he knows). Because we had a late lunch, wine time and supper come sooner… Crèmant de Bourgoyne with hummus and salmon pâte together with baguette (gluten free for me as Mercadona now sell GF and lactose free products). Later, as it darkens, we come in and enjoy jamon with salad and fresh melon for dessert. It is still very hot but the setting sun brings another fabulous sunset and the promise of cooler air
Motorhome Trek Vinya Els Vilars to Refugio el Pajar
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Day 2 at Refugio el Pajar
Another perfectly clear day at Refugio el Pajar, my phone tells me that it is 17°C now, I know it will soon be in the mid twenties… it is! We shower in the spotlessly clean facilities, the window open and from the shower cubicle a view west over the mountains. After breakfast I give the hymer a good sweep out, Mr C. walks up the hill to the end of the village of Castilsabás, not very far and a dead end, uphill all the way in the increasing heat. He brings back some good photographs: blue sky, yellow dirt with green olive trees and scrub, so typical of the High Sierra. Half way up the town is a fig tree, the ground under it is peppered with ripe figs, no-one bothers to pick them. In the afternoon the temperature is up to 31°C again, our German neighbours go out in their small truck for the afternoon.
Mr C. walks along the road to the Ermita del Viñedo (it also contains the Tourist Information office) it is an interesting building but closed, the heat is intense. It reminds me that only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun. En route he walks past La fuente de la reunión (the Meeting Spring or Fountain) — photos below — the former spring and water supply. There are many things like these former water supplies that the casual traveller will never find but they were once vital ingredients in the lives of the people.
A plaque on the column describes the history saying that the column was built in 1929 and became a central gathering point for the town’s people. The women would wash the clothes in the adjacent lavoir and horses would be watered here. After decades of neglect the local residents restored the fountain and other facilities as a reminder of how harsh life was and as a tribute to former inhabitants. It also reminds us of the central place that water has in our lives.
As motorhome travellers we can certainly testify to that sentiment when we look back at our exit from Portugal at the start of the Covid lockdown when the water taps were locked off and we struggled to find sources of water.
(I stay at Refugio de Pajar, it is silent apart from the gently wind blowing under the awning, I rest and journal and the day seems to slip effortlessly by. We open some lovely cold Viognier and drink it with baguette and hummus. Later, I make paella for tea with the chicken and anchovies that we bought yesterday from Mercadona and we sit out till dark.
