17°C when we wake at Plasencia. We drink coffee, shower in the new facilities at the old campsite and have breakfast outside. Already the sun is up and it is going to be very hot again. We service the camper: fill with water and empty the grey water and toilet cassette… this is now Rule No. 1: Always empty the toilet cassette when there is a septic area and always fill with fresh water when there is a tap. This way we know we are self-sufficient for three days (maybe four if we can use other toilets) and won’t be stuck with a full toilet cassette like we were at Mérida.

We drive back through Monfragüe National Park to Salto del Gitano, the deep rocky gorge where we saw all the griffin vultures yesterday. We spend some time here with binoculars and spotting scope, together with other twitchers. The birds (griffin and black vultures) are magnificent, very big yet so graceful as they launch off the rocks into thin air and glide up and up effortlessly on the thermals.

We continue on to the next stop and turn uphill on the EX-208 towards Torrejón el Rubio. At Mirador el Pliegue there is a great view over the Tajo river after it has passed through the hydro-electric dam. Next, we stop at La Tajadilla where there are possibly eagles, but we do not see any but there are black vultures and griffin vultures. We continue along the Ruta del Mirador de la Tajadilla. Past the hydro-electric station on the River Tietar, we climb the road to the next stop at Mirador la Malavuelt.

Here, there are good bird lookouts over the River Tiétar with many black vultures circling over the rocky gorge, some griffin vultures and some red kite. At La Bascula there were griffin and black vultures but they were flying very high above the rocky ridge over the reservoir. Our final stop in the national Park was La Higuerilla. Here we did not see any raptors but there were aquatic birds such as stork, cormorant and Egrets.

From Monfragüe National Park we take the EX-A1 back towards Plasencia (having done a complete circle of the National Park, onto the E-803 past Plasencia and we turn north towards Béjar. Up into the Sierra de Gredos mountains where we climb to 1186m at Puerto de Vallejara. We take the SA-102 to Piedrahita. We cross into the Province of Castilla y León and the small town of Piedrahita. We find the Area Autocaravanas on the edge of the town behind the Piscina, only three spaces and somewhat sloping, so we park on the completely flat ground behind the swimming pool and watch the sun set. It is deserted and silent.

I am lying in bed, it is very dark on a deserted car park behind the swimming baths. I am drifting off to sleep. I feel the camper move, imperceptibly, not a big movement but something, or someone is moving against the side of it… maybe an intruder? I know the camper doors are locked but not sure about the lockers doors on the outside. I lie still and listen. No sound, I must have imagined it. But… there it is again, a movement, imperceptible, a nothingness but definitely a movement.

I wake Mr C. he grunts as he objects to having to surface from a deep sleep. ‘Listen!’ I say. He listens…nothing. There is definitely something or someone out there I say. We listen… and there is that movement again. It’s no good, one of us has to investigate and Mr C. is drifting off to sleep again. I get up and open the blind just a crack… it is dark and there is nothing to see. I am in my nightie… but carefully and slowly I unlock the door hoping not to disturb the intruder (how ridiculous… that I don’t want to disturb the intruder). I open the door and look out. A black cat sticks its tail in the air and walks away!! So that was the intruder. I go back to bed and sleep…

Our Hymer motorhome trip to Roman and Moorish Sites in Spain

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Keywords: Motorhome, Hymer, B544, Premiumline, Spain, Motorhome trip Europe, camping car europe, camping car tour