Tuesday 6th May 2025.
We got off to a slow start this morning trying to track down a fuel station that according to the sat nav was on a road that didn’t exist. When we eventually found it we were able to fill up with diesel. LPG and AdBlu all at very cheap prices, so the effort was worth it.
The journey here to Ponferrada was a very attractive scenic route through mountains with deep gorges, rivers way below us and on occasion a large dam or two. The road went across valleys on long viaducts and on occasion through tunnels, all with a maximum speed of 90k.
When we reached Ponferrada the sat nav took us straight through the centre of the city with narrow one way streets and loads of traffic I was quite pleased when we emerged on the opposite side in the old part of the city.
Ponferrada is surrounded by mountains and has the river Sil running through it, it is the last major town on the French Route of the Camino de Santiago before it reaches Santiago de Compostella, and as such provides accommodation for pilgrims such as the hostel above.
This castle was originally built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century but following the dissolution of the Knights Templar the property passed into the hands of the Catholic Monarchs. It is a notable example of medieval military architecture with an enclosure of over 8,000 square metres of robust walls, defensive towers and a complex system of courtyards and internal outbuildings.
I know we have only been in Spain a few days but we had forgotten how everything shuts from about 12.30pm until 4.30 pm , we usually wander around the places we visit mid afternoon, but everything is shut and hardly a soul to be seen.
If anyone wanted to invade Spain they would meet very little resistance during these hours😊
taraabit 