Saturday 24 March 2018

Ricote

We finally arrive under blue skies at Murcia, do some shopping, walking & washing...


A trundle up to Ricote (bet that's a surprise then!) and soon we are soaking it up


Back in the land of proper walks



A reminder of why we love this lifestyle so much..


OK be happy but here's a convincing insect sting to slow you down son!


Not cruel fate but actually a very pleasant stay together is what ensues after the In Laws arrive having changed their plans a little and enjoying Ricote so much


Breakfast etiquette Mansfield style!


Market day looms and that ever present roast chicken Van Man..


The hillside goat herd make an appearance down in the village







Nina's folks take to the walking big style and join us most days for treks we thought they would struggle with but accomplish admirably


One such walk takes the curious ladies in to the cemetery to nosy around at how its done over here





These are stores we think re enforced with concrete









Down the steep valley lies Ojos..


and a very nice 'little' cafe we often visit


Barely enough headroom in the cafe under the owner's flat







So typical this shot of a local on his bike in the lemon groves with his Mutt



Another day another gruelling hilltop walk but they loved it!


Back at base some rain is brewing
(not sure which one is Bill's Mothers)😀

















Friday 16 March 2018

Cortes y Graena



It seems the best of the weather lies in and around Murcia so we set off in foul weather to get there


Turbulent skies and very windy conditions play havoc with street furniture
We saw numerous lorries and vans stuck in mud in the fields and side roads


Cortes y Graena and atop the dam for a couple of nights. How we didn't get blown off it the first night  I don't know!



Somewhat different to the 35 deg heat of last spring


The roads here are spattered with the rocks brought down in the overnight rains and we do our best to clear the larger ones from the tarmac on a big walk the next day


The walls left after excavation look really dodgy to me having seen the landslide at Pomarao last year


Undercut nicely by erosion and made of thick rubble/clay


Not a place to hang around in....


Dry stone walling Spanish style



We escaped this lot thankfully



La Peza, the nearest village, proved to be a big hit at lunchtime where we found a very nice bar doing 'Walkers Food'