Platinum Member digger Posted February 5 Platinum Member Share Posted February 5 Hi everyone, I expect u r all getting ready like me, its not long now. Ignacio said it may be cold in the mountains so I thought I'd get one of these. I have a passenger now though ,so he will have to go in the back! 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 Only a few days now until some of us will be heading to Portsmouth to board the ferry to Spain and my preparations are almost complete. I had been looking forward to the ferry trip down to Spain, a whole day and two evenings to chat with fellow Jeepers, swap stories and generally get excited about the trip. But looking at the recent wind speeds in the Bay of Biscay I'm not so sure now, I think it may be more like a scene from The Perfect Storm. 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 14 Share Posted April 14 We’re on our way… 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member doodle Posted April 15 Platinum Member Share Posted April 15 Im jealous. Really wanted to make it. Enjoy everyone 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member TimC Posted April 15 Platinum Member Share Posted April 15 Me too . Off to a good start, hope the crossing isn't too choppy. Keep posting the pics Terry. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Rassy39 Posted April 15 Platinum Member Share Posted April 15 Very jealous, look forward to the updates Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member JimC Posted April 15 Platinum Member Share Posted April 15 39 minutes ago, Rassy39 said: Very jealous, look forward to the updates Yes very much looking forward to the updates. How is the Bay of Biscay behaving? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Crossing was a bit choppy first thing this morning. But surprisingly once we turned the corner around Brittany into the Bay of Biscay it became a lot smoother. Everyone looking forward to the 5.45am wake up call ready to disembark tomorrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted April 15 Platinum Member Share Posted April 15 I hope you all have a really good time. Post pics when you can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 No off-roading today, but we’ve made it to San Sebastián and found some Pinxtos! 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member JimC Posted April 16 Platinum Member Share Posted April 16 You guys and girls have a great time and make us all back in Blighty jealous. Please do keep the posts and photos coming Have a great time, and it was really difficult to only type 'jealous' once in this post. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Rassy39 Posted April 16 Platinum Member Share Posted April 16 Actually you have typed it twice 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member JimC Posted April 16 Platinum Member Share Posted April 16 26 minutes ago, Rassy39 said: Actually you have typed it twice DOH! Just goes to show how jealous I am 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 A challenging day on the trip today, first I had lose nuts on one of my wheel spacers… Then outlet friends from Portugal found out why they should have bought a Jeep… But after two hours they were finally pulled back down that track. In fairness they had a problem with four wheel drive that caused the issue. While they were off fixing it we took a sneaky Jeep only team shot… A bit later things got serious and some extreme recovery was required… The picture doesn’t do it justice. The Jeep was being held up by a matted web of brambles and beyond that we estimated it was a 2-300 foot drop. Two winches, both with one other Jeep strapped to the back of them to try and hold them back and eventually we were able to get the Jeep was out. Amazingly, no damage and the Jeep was driven out of the mountains. It was a long day and even after resorting to the motorway we did not arrive at our hotel until about 9.30pm. At this point we had an even more serious issue, how to find a restaurant that could seat fourteen when everywhere else was closing! Luckily Ignacio worked some magic and that is where we are sitting as I post this… Roll on tomorrow! 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member V Posted April 18 Platinum Member Share Posted April 18 Is Phil OK? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 2 hours ago, V said: Is Phil OK? Yes, absolutely. I would not have posted anything otherwise. Impressively he was able to drive his Jeep down the mountain after it was recovered. It was his co-driver driving when it happened, but Phil was in with him. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 18 Share Posted April 18 A less dramatic day today, but not completely without a few ‘interesting’ moments. The day started very wet and after we left Bilbao and headed into the mountains we soon found ourselves in the clouds. Not great for the views, but it brought out some English eccentricity in some of the party… Eventually we found ourselves on the only track that looked to bring us down off the mountain. Towards the bottom of this was a very slippery section with a deep gully to one side. Ignacio was leading and found himself in that gully and needed to be winched back before he could escape. Stupidly I then went down and strayed too close to that side of the track. Whatever I did I kept finding myself getting closer and closer to the gully… Ultimately I too dropped in it and needed to be winched back up the slope until I could get out. The only way out was too stay well left and keep one wheel on the grassy section, as skilfully demonstrated by Daniel… By the time we were all down this section and the steep rocky decline that followed, it was past 3pm and time for a late trail lunch… We continued on and the weather continued to improve. There were a fair few wrong turns requiring tight turns or lengthy reversing and quite a few animal encounters… But we saved the best until last, with the weather getting better and better, the last trail of the day rewarded us with some absolutely spectacular views… Another fantastic days Jeeping. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member TimC Posted April 19 Platinum Member Share Posted April 19 Awesome! Keep ‘em coming 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Raakhee Posted April 19 Platinum Member Share Posted April 19 Looks like everyone is having a good adventure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 20 Share Posted April 20 The last two days have been absolutely spectacular. We have been blessed with some non-English weather to the extent that there has even been some exposed flesh amongst the party - though we have had some odd looks from the locals still wrapped up in several layers and a nice warm coat! Sadly, yesterday we had to bid a find farewell to our Portuguese friends as it proved impossible to get their four wheel drive repaired. We started yesterday with a pre-commencement trail repair by changing a drive shaft U-Joint, it seemed a lot more sensible to delay the start for a short while rather than having a to make the repair once on the trail. But Mike and Richard made short work of it… Once underway we spent the first hour or so in some wooded areas, but relatively early on we had the second issue with wheel spacer nuts coming lose, despite being loctited when fitted… Nuts retightened, it wasn’t long before we were back underway and gaining serious altitude. The views really were spectacular and as is so often the case the pictures really don’t do them anywhere close to justice. But of course a great view can only be enhanced with a Jeep in the foreground… And of course we had to have the obligatory team shot, this one with everyone in it, thanks to the use of a well placed rock to balance a phone on… We drove on through stunning scenery to one of our more humble hotels on the trip. Whilst humble it was no less inviting and comfortable than all the others we were staying in. Our guest house was in a small village in the mountains, so we ate dinner there. We were treated to a stunning 3 course meal for just €18 per person. Local delicacies included: beans with chorizo; asparagus; trout with ham; and Spanish rice pudding. Everyone had a great evening… When most of the group retired to bed, Ignacio, Paco and I made a sneaky trip to the bar for a quick after dinner drink. It proved a good decision, as a chat with one of the locals resulted in a tip for an addition to our route for Saturday. We made an earlier start this morning and immediately climbed further into the mountains. The trail was truly amazing and rewarded us with yet more amazing scenery … We even managed to get high enough to come across some late season unmelted snow… We continued on our way driving on some amazing trails, around mountain passes and encountering a fair few local animals… Even the sections where we are on tarmac are fabulous… But it isn’t all driving. We have found time to enjoy some of the local culture and man-made sights… The day ended with another amazing meal at a restaurant booked for us by Pedro, clearly a man of impeccable taste. The food was amazing and unsurprisingly everyone had yet another fabulous evening… It really does seem that by this stage our merry band has jelled into a great team. Even though the forecast says the best of the weather is behind us now, I find it hard to imagine that dampening our spirits. 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member TimC Posted April 21 Platinum Member Share Posted April 21 Amazing, thanks for posting all the pics and updates Terry. Looks like this ought to become and annual event 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member JimC Posted April 21 Platinum Member Share Posted April 21 13 minutes ago, TimC said: Amazing, thanks for posting all the pics and updates Terry. Looks like this ought to become and annual event If only and totally agree. Maybe JeepTrek could take this on? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 21 Share Posted April 21 30 minutes ago, TimC said: Amazing, thanks for posting all the pics and updates Terry. Looks like this ought to become and annual event 17 minutes ago, JimC said: If only and totally agree. Maybe JeepTrek could take this on? There has been some vague mention of a Portugal trip next year! I’ll put some pictures up from today a bit later. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKTJ Posted April 22 Share Posted April 22 (edited) One of the challenges of trying to keep a daily record is it really stretches my limited vocabulary, but that notwithstanding, yesterday was another amazing day. At the start of the day we were in the tail end of the Pico Europa mountain and the views did not disappoint… We weren’t able to get a great picture of them, but we were also treated to a display of vultures and eagles soaring on the thermals in the mountains. At one point there must have been half a dozen vultures circling above us. The Mountain views are great, but even on tarmac section the area is amazing. I particularly like it when we drive through some of the villages, the roads are so narrow that at points it feels like we are driving through people’s porches… The majority of people are lovely, though I’m sure it helps that we have native Spanish speakers with us. After one wrong turn one family let us use their garage to turn around in. A number of us have been discussing how surprising it is that we know nobody who has ever been to this part of Spain, it really is a hidden gem. The ferry is not cheap, but once here everything is very reasonably priced. Speaking of which, all the places we have stayed have been very nice but last night was particularly grand. I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise as anywhere with “Palacio” in the name must be good. There was a decent view too… The hotel was close to the port city of Aviedo, where Ignacio has some good friends. His friends very kindly gave us a tour of the historic buildings of the city, the origins of which date back over 1,000 years. We then had dinner in a fantastic restaurant, which when he visited the King of Spain had eaten at. But it was no fancy expensive place, rather a very traditional venue packed with locals watching the football… A fantastic end to another wonderful day. Edited April 22 by UKTJ 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum Member Wildjeeper62 Posted April 22 Platinum Member Share Posted April 22 Superb Pictures and comments Terry ! Well done and Thank you! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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