2024 September: France and Spain  – Agüero to Txingudi

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It is a little warmer when we wake in Agüero, 8°C today! After breakfast I walk up the hill three peregrine falcons soar over the Mallos, small with angled wings and narrow tails, what a sight… they are very unusual to see. We use the shower, a bit basic and well-used but plenty of hot water, then breakfast and make preparations to leave, emptying the grey water and filling with fresh water.

There is no toilet cassette emptying here as the water/effluent goes straight into the river. It is important not to put chemical toilet deodoriser (‘blue’ as we call it) down the drain as it will pollute the river. It is very hard to leave this place, watching the griffin vultures soaring high above the Mallos on the thermals, they make it like Narnia a magical place with a mystery all of its own. We leave along the narrow bendy road, 5km down the mountain side to the A-132. Through Murillo de Gállego past Mallos de Riglos (where we stayed in 2018) and along the side of the Rio Gállego weavings it way along the deep gorge below the huge Mallos.

We follow the gorge to the reservoir (very low) Embalse de la Peňa and climb the side of the mountain, the road cut through tunnels in the rocky mountain side through Bailo to Puente la Reina de Jaca. Here we turn west onto N-240 crossing from Aragon to Navarre at Embalse de Yesa and over the high Sierra onto A-21. This is a good fast dual carriage that climbs over the mountains, across the Sierra and down, down again around steep bends with speed limits of 40kph (definitely needed for the big trucks and us) all the way to Pamplona. At Pamplona we take the ring road around the city, very busy with lots of junctions but we follow the signs for A-15 all the way to Andoain, Hernani and San Sebastian. Here we take GI-20 to a very large intersection and the GI-636 ring road around the city towards Irun (as in March 2020 when escaping during Covid).

Leaving at Bentak we follow the road to the huge shopping centre at Txingudi and follow the ‘Motorhome emptying’ signs to Parking Jaizubia. Here we find the locked, secure parking next to the shopping centre. Using the (already downloaded) App, P-verde (P-green) we enter through the barrier and park up (car park style) next to about 20 other motorhomes at around 4.45pm.

San Sebastian is not recommended as safe for motorhomes (many break-ins), secure/locked parking seems the best option. The cost is €17/night without electric and €22 with electric (there are toilets/showers also but these are extra), but fast internet access is included.

We settle in and walk 100m to Alcampo in the Txingudi (jingudi) shopping centre and fill the fridge with supplies: milk, bread, fruit/vegetables, cheese, ham, meat and wine. Later we cook mushroom and lomo omelette and have an early night.

Photos from –  Agüero to Txingudi

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