Tuesday 12th March: Burgos then Monfrague

 Burgos is a one-nighter, and we’ve stayed here before. It’s pleasant enough, set in a park by a river, but the site is rather run-down. As we had arrived early, we were able to sit out for an hour in the warm sun and then walk by the river: a good wind-down after the drive. 

Burgos is 2,800 feet above sea level so, despite the warm sun on our arrival, there was an overnight frost. It soon warmed up as we got under way. Our destination is Monfrague. This isn’t a town, but a national park containing a peaceful campsite. We stayed here some 10 years ago and, by chance, bagged the very same pitch overlooking a sheep field.

It could almost pass for a piece of England, but many of the trees are cork oaks and there are some unusual birds like the azure winged magpie. These travel in large flocks and appear late afternoon. This is one close-up:

The park visitor centre next to the campsite, all free, provides information on the wildlife to be found in the park - some of it in English, even more helpfully. The extensive nature trail outside carries on with more info boards. The animals and birds don’t generally stay around to be ID’d  but we enjoyed some pretty flowers, for example this little orchid:

The  views are spectacular too, looking towards the still snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Walking back to our pitch, we spot another resident of the area – the stork. Their nests are found on pylons, poles and masts everywhere. They’re really numerous, and present all year round. Goodness knows what the birth rate is like in this area!

We shop in the nearest small town of Plasencia, and then go on to the focal point of the park – the Salto de Gitano, the Gypsy’s Leap. This is a rocky defile in the river Tajo, on its way to the sea at Lisbon, Portugal.

The far cliff is home to hundreds of vultures, more visible in the next photo:

Close-up, with a bigger lens, these are seen to be griffon vultures with a wingspan of around 10 feet. There’s also a  slightly larger resident in the park, the black vulture but we didn’t any today. 

Next stop a hermitage and 12^th century castle ruins dating back to the Moorish occupation. Thankfully, as the day has turned warm, we can drive most of the way up. It’s not as amazingly impressive as we imagined, particularly with the modern chapel tacked on the end. 

However, the views are spectacular, looking down over the Tajo, and Jane with binoculars in hand:

To finish, a view towards the other direction, unfortunately blocked by two cheesy faces. We rarely allow ourselves the indulgence of a selfie – you can perhaps appreciate why!

We’ve had a really super relaxing time here at Monfrague and tomorrow it’s into the hectic tourist world of Seville.