Spectacular hidden gems - Full time Van Life Northern Spain

we have made it to spain and it's raining it's boring right in spain it's mainly on the plane but this isn't the plane this is somewhere pretty spectacular we can't wait to show you if you've been following our adventures you might be expecting to see us in portugal right now after beetling our way across france with a chicken no chickens allowed thanks for coming if you didn't watch that episode it's definitely worth a look we arrived on time into portugal only to find that we were a week early so this week we head to northern spain and indulge in some of the of the beaten track destinations that we newbies love to explore these magical locations made all the more splendid by the weather stick around to the end to find out if portugal is ready for us to return we're the newbies a family of travellers with big dreams i'm tara this is john and this year we were joined by our little boy crusoe 2020 sent the world for a loop and it sent us on a journey not wanting to waste a single minute or second of it we embraced van life and traveled to over 20 countries in europe in our self-converted campervan with the arrival of crusoe into the world our priorities remain the same to make every moment matter to take this little family around the world and to teach our children about huge horizons a life full of opportunity and adventure around every corner we've made it 200 meters so far this morning it's taking us a while to get going but we're going yes girls someone's ready to sleep yeah we are off to spain spain again again yeah we've been in amarante for the past week or so waiting to sign some documents on a particularly exciting piece of land that we're looking at here yeah we have got a mega project brewing in portugal and we're very excited but our meetings have all been delayed and so we are going to go make the most of our time quite right so we can't give any updates on what we're doing in portugal this week but we can say we are off to a mountain right now that has been basically dug to nothing by the romans a long time ago so cool it looks amazing off we go off we go on with the show see whether we can get more than 200 meters now okay so we haven't got the very best weather but that is what we've come to see las vegas it is a particularly interesting mountain hopefully we'll get some clear skies to have a look at him one of my favorite things about traveling with crusoe is his little face when we arrived somewhere new and he peeps out of his car seat desperately trying to look out the window almost knowing that we must be somewhere new and wanting to see where we are anyway we have arrived at las malunas the weather has not been kind to us what do you reckon my love we need to find somewhere else to park can we do should we have some lunch first have some lunch first and then [Music] [Music] we're ready sunshine reggae we're going for a walk over in that direction crusoe's getting very excited and you're not going to believe a single word of what we say next about how this mountain was formed i know but it's totally true and it's awesomely epic it's very cool and you won't believe us because your facts are rubbish that's true but this time it's completely true [Music] there's a sign is there any english oh yes there is so the lavender trail is a beautiful route through the interior of the medullas roman gold mine last minute we're in the village right yeah okay so this is the center de las vallinas is the route that takes you through the mines themselves okay that's the one that we should do isn't it which way do we go follow me my darling i know the way do you have concerns nice [Music] that's [Music] so anyway should we tell you about this place yeah do do tell us so this place is recommended to us by a very very kind follower of ours whose name is [Music] uber we're not saying that right but you know who you are thanks so very much for sharing those pdfs with us um back to tara okay so back to this place this used to be a hill just a normal hill the romans came here and mined for gold one of the biggest and most important gold mines in the euro in the roman empire and they mined it to the point where the mountains have eroded to look like they do today which is so cool man because basically the romans dug an entire mountain away super cool and and think about that like they didn't have any diggers did it all by hand this is amazing isn't it remarkable the opencast mine or ruiner montiem which means wrecking of mountains was the most spectacular exploitation technique used by the romans at las medulas and is pretty remarkable when you consider we're talking about 2 000 years ago before the advent of diggers and heavy machinery using a network of galleries and pits which they progressively filled with water they saturated the lower parts of the network until they collapsed to expose the gold rich layers deeper in the mountainside the results are truly extraordinary they've basically removed a mountain incredible whilst wandering through the canyons is spectacular the mountain's features are best viewed from above and so we set off on a steep hike through chestnut forests in the pouring rain to a viewpoint several hundred meters above us look at that tree that is amazing i think that that's nearly as old as my dad surely not i mean they must be hundreds of years old if not older they are remarkable you know what that reminds me of you remember the scene in flash gordon when they've got that tree trunk and everybody's got to stick their hand in in the tree trunk i haven't watched flash gordon and if they get they get stung they die it's a dare or a bet that's that tree [Music] we've moved prusso because he needs some sleep but he's way too busy looking at everything come on little man [Music] has finally gone to sleep just as it started to rain he's all right actually a really great day to be walking through a canyon like this i can imagine when the sun's shining it can get super hot down here yeah we are enjoying a bit of cool actually it's been really really hot and humid and practical so this is a nice bit of respect isn't it and there's something really nice about walking in the rain when it's warm enough to do so yeah that's true quite liberated climbing to a viewpoint i don't think we're going to see much of you on account of the weather and chris is well heavy man [Music] it's quite steep [Music] down the side of them isn't it beautiful it's lovely it reminds me it doesn't speak of clean air that's exactly what i was going to say clean air it's like in finland you know only without the reindeers eating it all [Music] well it's a pretty spectacular view even though it's pouring with rain you can't see very much but i imagine on a clear day it must be truly jaw-dropping isn't that remarkable so worth coming up here even in the rain because as you're walking through the mountains you don't really get a sense of it you've got to see it from that viewpoint it is unbelievably beautiful it's a it's a really steep climb but very very worth it yeah um and even if it takes a couple of sit downs on the way up do come up because that view is spectacular it really is incredible let's get this baby back down he is starting to shiver i was just having a mum moment and worrying about cruiser who you can see clearly is absolutely fine thinking your poor little chap is probably cold then i remembered at eight weeks old you was on the isle of lewis running around in a hail storm yeah on some neolithic stones yeah exactly he must be thinking these raindrops are comparatively about six degrees warmer and falling quite softly on my face rather than flying at me and icy like bullets thank you very much uber [Music] um or dame for that recommendation it was absolutely fantastic hike i really really enjoyed it even though we did get a little bit wet soaked but it was beautiful really really cool as john says so we're back in the van and we're headed to a riverside spot where we're gonna park up for the night we hope anyway we'll have a look if the if the ground is a little bit soggy there perhaps we don't go on it's all right doesn't it yeah bad at all lovely we're going to call it a day make some soup yeah get warm and dry warm and dry look at this [Music] it's that kind of weather i do wish we had some nice fresh bread though yeah me too in amongst all the adventuring the thing we love and enjoy most is being able to come back to the van at the end of the day and spend time together as a family it's starting to feel like home now after a month of living in the van full time the space feels familiar and we've got to know safari and how we fit into it with crusoe meals around the table together are becoming a family tradition that we know will stay with us no matter where we go but we love that they're starting now in this van on this journey so that's the end of another wonderful day on the road we found a great park up spot here um next to the river and we'll be spending the evening peacefully probably crusoe that's all dependent on you not sure what we're going to do tomorrow what we'll probably do is have another look at ubrax pdf and see what other tips and advice they've got for us um in this region of portugal and spain yeah morning crew so why is it still so dark i don't know it's seven o'clock in the morning man the day's half over we still don't know what we're gonna do today i think we go see those bills i think we have a cup of coffee first are you making i'm making crusoe what are you gonna do hey there we go my dime uh your sight force all ride that was probably one of my favorite park ups ever if we didn't have a thousand and one things we wanted to see i think we stay another night we're off we are gonna drive about three hours today which i know seems a bit bonkers and we should really slow things down but it's actually really handy for crusoe to sleep on the road so we are making our way towards a series of 60 60 yeah 60 mils that basically are running down the side of a mountain the rain continued to fall and this made our drive all the more interesting with moody clouds hanging low across beautiful tree-covered mountains a stark contrast from the east of spain we'd driven through just a couple of weeks ago well that's good timing the little dude's just woken up and we are about 15 minutes from the mills yeah so looking forward to getting there and getting out and going for a walk let's see somebody's house no there is your destination is on the left she's lying it's on the right i'd say right i'd go right i think we're going walking up there lovely how exciting we're getting wet again aren't we we're getting wet again today we're going to be a little bit more organized i think and get out our rain jackets why at least for chris though okay crusoe do you want a rain jacket um let's get you a little bit more prepared than we were yesterday shall we here we go yeah we're english crusoe it's fine we're used to the rain weekend isn't it [Laughter] yeah oh dear right what's the deal the deal is we've got a circular route going on four kilometers really and um we go up and then back down again nice okay which way [Music] i'm away i think we found the first one [Music] the muy knows to follow on edu picon are a series of 57 old stone mills that date back to the 17th century with the oldest mill dated at 1702 they're grouped into two sets the follow-on area is home to 36 of the mills using the falon river and the remaining 21 are those of the pikon they cascade their way down the hillside guided by the little canal stream that tumbles gently through them built of stone and marked by their stone masons with a series of inscriptions names initials and crosses intended to protect this beautiful place they were restored in the 90s and have since been declared a site of cultural interest in spain [Music] this is honestly one of the most enchanting places i've been to even with the weather it's just beautiful isn't it these little mills are so sweet and this tiny little stream that's kind of running and that's all they've captured as john says i don't know it's just and the vegetation is just so pretty there's these beautiful purple flowers everywhere and soft ferns and heather it's lovely isn't it i feel like i'm in some kind of fairy tale hillside you know what's amazing 67 mills running off a piece of water that big that's it isn't it so small and humble here coming out of the sky that's where it is because you know in spain the rain falls only on the plane i think it was mainly on the plane yeah can we put that into a percentage can we put that into a percentage number what percentage of rain falls only on the plane in spain none because if it's like 99 i think we're pretty much done by half past four [Laughter] what i love about this pathway that we're walking on right now is that it hasn't been laid down for tourists it's quite clearly and very obviously an ancient roadway that was used with the mills so the most likely cause for that over there we think we remember from pompeii will have been a horse and cart and these will have been the cartwheel tracks that will have cut their way through or beam cut four cartwheel tracks that's so cool isn't it so that it comes easily down there wow and if you think about the route it needed to come over some rocks almost certainly been carved out especially for a horse and cart [Music] [Music] sometimes thing out in weather like this feels a little bit crazy because it is wet and there's no one else here so we are the only people who thought yeah right it's raining we'll go and have a look anyway it's a really good lesson yeah we're english that's what life's like but it's a really good lesson i think in remembering that every minute and second is precious even the rainy ones and take it from me there is something truly therapeutic and magical about standing in nature when it's raining and listening to the water softly dripping off the leaves yeah does something to yourself i recommend going out standing in the rain somewhere quiet the next time you can it's good for you [Applause] come on then i think it's time we're going to investigate whether or not they've hacked the hot chocolate that's a good idea that is a good idea right is everybody dry everybody's dry everybody's dry all drying oh wait who is the biggest legend in this man well crusoe might challenge you on that one but i'd give it to cruz but hot chocolate anybody hot chocolate it is it sounds like a great idea so you'll note i'm making the hot chocolate rather than johnny that's how we had hot chocolate it was in scotland and john didn't stir it first that's true very sweetly pointed out and gave john instructions i still don't trust him though so it's my talk anyway your hot chocolate's really love i'll just put it over here shall i thanks very much busy day today but i thoroughly enjoyed that i think i did there was something just really magical about wandering around those mills in the rain we have cozied up in the van finished the hot chocolate and are about to have a little bit to eat before we call it a day tomorrow i think we're going to drive just a little bit further north in spain to bayonne i think it's called bayona castles ruins coastal roads sunshine hopefully sunshine hopefully sunshine see you tomorrow see you tomorrow it looks like we might be leaving the only sunny space in all of northern spain yeah i hope not i hope not too i've got wet jeans on from yesterday i won't dry out so damp and socky this morning have a look at the back of the van even the stuff that didn't get wet is damp anyway the sun is shining this morning [Music] what do you think that sign means on the road that's a great sign look i see something [Music] it's pretty otherworldly up here isn't it more horses there must be wild horses what a beautiful road we've we've managed to find first thing in the morning absolutely stunning we're heading up to where are we heading bayonya but instead of going up the coastal road we've taken a road that is literally running parallel but about five or six kilometers inland we can see the sea over in that direction but we're going over some some quite um quite pleasant mountains pleasant that sounds a bit but we're going over some really beautiful mountains through some forests um i think we've got to the very very top right now look wow look at that oh my goodness look at that view oh my goodness check that out wow what a what an absolute privilege to have driven that this morning beautiful absolutely beautiful and the solar panels are pretty happy too so why have the newbies come all the way up to bionya well apart from anything else it's been a really lovely drive up here and i can't wait to do the drive back down the coast road as well but more importantly and quite excitingly there's a castle here and a port the port is what we've come to see the reason for that is on march the 1st 1493 the pinter one of the ships from columbus's voyage to the new world returned to europe and arrived in this port here making this town the the first port to receive news that there was actually something on the other side of the ocean america [Music] i mean imagine sailing across that ocean from a new world and you've got land high you've got land in sight and you're in the pinter and you're like okay you're far out but you can see the land you're probably a day away from that actually mooring up or dropping anchor the excitement on board that vessel must have been epic and i imagined quite a lot of relief yeah yeah you know you riddled with scurvy knackered sunburned exhausted and just like we did it we did it i can't wait to sit for it and tell everybody and eat in orange yeah amazing wow there is nothing we love more than an epic adventure story and surely those of the early maritime explorers are some of the greatest travels of discovery ever taken in the history of our world our time in bayonet ended with a wonder through the old town streets and a spot of tapas before we made our way back in the direction of portugal hopefully this time to sign some papers and be on our way east towards france and from there who knows hit that subscribe button and turn on those notifications we would love to have you along for the journey [Music] you

Channel: TheNewbys

Views: 19,416

Keywords: van life spain, van life spain 2021, northern spain, northern spain road trip, northern spain travel, las medulas de leon, las medulas, van life europe, van life family, vanlife, vanlife diaries, the newbys, thenewbys, family van conversion, van life europe tour, van life europe after brexit, best travel couple, best travel family, bucket list family, full time van life, off the beaten track spain, van life couple, van life UK, spain in a camper van, Europe road trip, muinos

Id: N2UctZC5u6Y

Length: 26min 57sec (1617 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 19 2021