Canfranc Estacíon

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AroundCanfranc Estacíon

Motorhome Journey –  Canfranc Estacíon

Another hot day looms but the air temperature is somewhat lower, in the low twenties when we get up rising to 27°C outside and later 33°C. We spend the morning cleaning Hymer inside and the front outside. It looks a whole lot better. Most of last night’s mohos leave and more arrive. There are actually two motorhome parking areas here at Canfranc Estacíon, the ‘official’ aire, for which you pay €9 for 24 hours, although the email is not as clearly worded as one would like; plus an additional parking area that has car-sized spaces, but is in fact occupied by a row of motorhomes and camper vans. This second area has no electricity available and no water or disposal points, however there is a constant stream of vehicles from this area visiting the facilities on the paid site. While we are sat outside we never cease to be surprised by the things other motorhome users do, such as putting buckets under their grey water outlet and regularly carrying the water to the disposal point. Their vehicle has a built-in tank so why don’t they use it then drive over the disposal point and empty once?

Others fill many small plastic bottles with water and take them back to their vehicles, to us it seems normal to fill our built-in water tank ( it holds 110 litres) then use that, Europe does have drinkable water.

There are 5 UK registered mohos parked on the Aire which is unusual in this isolated area (the two UK mohos next to us talk a LOT!). Again, many dogs… too many dogs, some mohos have two or three dogs, not all on leads and many yapping at each other. We’ve never seen so many dogs as we have this trip, noisy yapping dogs!

Later Mr C. walks to the Al Campo supermarket, he takes a shopping bag and I wonder why he needs a bag…! I soon find out as he returns with all sorts of goodies: beer, fizz, fruit… all very necessary when sitting out in a hot part of Spain. In the afternoon we draw the blinds and rest inside, sitting or lying still is the only way to pass the time and not overheat!  It is very hard to keep cool, even under the trees when the air temperature is in the mid-thirties.

Lazily, we sit in the shade under the tall pine trees, he sketches and I read. Briefly the griffin vultures soar over the mountains in the east but do not return. As the afternoon passes the next raft of mohos arrive, by 6.00 pm the site is full. Sitting in the shade of Hymer we open fizz (cava) and enjoy the relative cool (still about 30°C) as the sun moves around and the heat of the day passes. Much later we eat beefburgers with potato cubes and tomatoes, it is relatively cool and almost mosquito-free so can enjoy the rest of the evening outside.

The following morning we are woken just after 7.00am by the sound of helicopters flying overhead, the chop-chop-chop of the rotary blades seem to cut the still mountain air. We drink coffee in bed.

Mr Google tells us that the helicopters are taking materials to the mountain top for ongoing work on at the Col. They look like they are aiming towards the peak of Collarada (2886 m), or perhaps somewhere along the rocky trail to the top… yes there is a trail up there to a lake (Barranco de Ip) and, surprisingly a refuge (Refugio de Ip), although reviews say the Refuge is in a poor state of repairs. Perhaps this is where the helicopter is heading.

Later, breakfast then we sort out the recycled bottles, paper and plastic. Over coffee we plan out route for the next few days, likely going to Ainsa (last there in 2018), a nice town with a good big parking area although not much tree shade. Heavy rain is forecast tomorrow so perhaps it won’t be quite so important. The afternoon is intensely hot (in the mid-thirties again), we sit quietly inside, same temperature inside as out as we read, rest and read some more. The sun starts to drop behind the mountain late afternoon; although the temperature does not drop until later in the evening, at least we are out of the intense glare of the sun. Time to open wine, sit and enjoy the aspect and the view, more mohos arrive, about 20 are here overnight.

Cheese and ham omelette for tea with fresh peaches after. Later the temperature drops to 24°C, pleasant and feeling cooler.