Stony tracks through the Rioja Alta

As I've mentioned before, we don't simply wander off into Europe and mooch about. With apps like Campercontact, Park for Night and ACSI's various websites, it would be perfectly possible to meander and just see what turns up. I don't think I could do it. I am an inveterate planner, so married to scheduling that the part of my job that most people would have hated - timetabling an entire college curriculum - I actually looked forward to. So, it will come as no surprise that we left home with an itinerary that looked like this.

We don't always stick to it, but it provides a shape to our journey and identifies interesting things we might do. One thing I look for are places to stay next to 'via verde'. In recent decades Spain has converted thousands of kilometres of disused railway tracks into cycleways. The one we had spied out this time was the 'Ruta Verde del Oja-Tiron'. The route connects a cluster of wine villages in the Rioja Alta, south of Haro. Camping Rioja near Castañares de Rioja was less than a kilometre from the trail. So when the garage in Logroño was unable to repair the van straightaway, with the site less than thirty miles away we had a ready made plan of how to fill the time. 

Camping Rioja is not ACSI listed, the nightly price of €28 seemed expensive, especially as the facilities, though all perfectly functional were old fashioned. Like many campsites in Spain and Italy outside of tourist hotspots, the places consist of static caravans mainly. As many city dwellers live in apartments in southern Europe, owning a static caravan somewhere in the countryside is popular. Extended families arrive for the weekend, enjoying the opportunity to live outside and have a meal together. Unlike the bungalows on wheels you get in the UK, statics here tend to be based on ancient unwanted touring vans with shed-like DIY extensions built-on that resemble up-scale pigeon lofts.

We got the impression that British tourists were unusual, or indeed foreigners generally. We were the only motorhome for the first night, though a Dutch campervan arrived earlier today.

Our first venture into the cycle track was a bit hard going, The surface was loose gravel and somewhat bumpy. The countryside was attractive though, a mixture of vineyards and patches of mixed woodland. The Rioja vines tend to be grown taller than most, old looking gnarled stems with shoots up to head height. The harvest must be due to start within days as each vine is laden with succulent looking purple grapes.

After lunch we tried a different route. This time heading into the nearby wine town of Casalarreina, then onwards to Cihuri, which has an old Roman bridge apparently. The via verde follows the valleys of the rivers Oji and Tiron, both tributaries of the nearby Ebro.

This afternoon's jaunt was altogether more enjoyable. The track itself was in better condition which makes for a more relaxing ride. Casalarreina has some significant monuments, a large 16th century monastery, some Baroque palaces and the remnants of the town walls.

Beyond the town the cycleway meanders alongside the river, through mixed woodland which looked hauntingly beautiful in the golden autumnal light.

After a few kilometres you arrive at the village of Cihuri. It's a much more modest place than Casalarreina, but has an engaging lively atmosphere. Large allotment plots surround the village's southern outskirts. It seems like a place where people still value the land, somewhere dwelt within rather than occupied,. but not old fashioned or backward looking.

Beyond the village a side road leads to the small Roman bridge. The abutments are original, but the central arch span was rebuilt in the thirteenth century. The arch is the giveaway, it's slightly pointed. Romans preferred round ones. I really like landscapes that tell a story of continuous settlement. Political history concerns change primarily, but landscape tells the story of what stayed the same, of continuity as well as development. That feels pleasing and unexpectedly reassuring.

This afternoon's ride provided an unexpected bonus too, we came across a really excellent free motorhome aire on the outskirts of Casalarreina. I think we will move there tomorrow, now we have used the laundry we don't need a campsite. It will save €28, and with a €400 repair bill looming any windfall is welcome.