A really good quiet night – no neighbours. There was a large friendly dog that adopted us for a bit, then he exchanged some barks with some neighbouring dogs, after which he had a lie down outside for a while. We were pleased to hear no more barking in the night, and he popped by again in the morning to check on Sophie clearing up the litter around the parking area, and to say good bye.

Today would be mostly driving, because the potential places en route that we could have visited on our journey Eastwards had inconvenient parking, ie too far for us to walk, and that was Coria and then the large town of Plasencia.

The drive between these two towns was very flat, but pleasant, and taking Back Roads Spain’s advice, we stuck to the minor road which ran more or less parallel with the motorway. Much more relaxing.

We’d left our previous overnight spot without even having had a coffee, with the intention of stopping for a break en route. This is more often than not a mistake, as we very rarely see a suitable spot to stop. By 11:30 I could feel that caffeine and chocolate biscuits were required immediately and so I was able to regain my composure with these essentials, parked by the entrance to a field.

After a whole week without seeing a Lidl, we went to town in their big shiny shop in Plasencia. Having made space in our tiny freezer, I convinced Sophie we could squeeze four tubs of ice cream in rather than the customary two. It’s been a tough few days without ice-cream before bed. Sophie dutifully filled the trolley with all the sensible stuff like fruit and vegetables, whilst I spent my time researching the cava, red wine, chocolate biscuits, and pastries. We pushed the overflowing trolley to the van, then wondered where it would all go, but we managed, as always.

From Plasencia we were continuing East, up towards a more mountainous region. The guide book said to go to Garganta la Olla, which we did, and after visiting their well-known waterfall and interesting rock formations below, we carried on, with me now considering our overnighting options.

Just further along the road we pulled in to check out the mirador/viewing spot to see if Sophie could get a decent shot of the village. I’d been scouring Park4night up ahead for any potential stops, but then noticed that there was a parking sign here implying there was a parking area above the mirador. Using Google Maps I could see a decent flat area that could be suitable for motorhomes. So we headed there, decided to stay, and created a new Park4night.

Temperatures are around 20C, and it’s quite warm in the van. We’re expecting another quiet night and no neighbours.