Thursday 19th January 2017

Today was generally speaking not too good a day. It was extremely cold in the night. We kept the campervan's boiler running on a very low setting during the night to protect it from possible frost damage. In the morning the van was covered in frost and we only then discovered that there were electrical hook up points at the aire which we could have used to run our electric heater in the night and kept ourselves really warm! Anyway we managed to unfreeze the fresh water tap at the aire and filled our tank. We set off north going through wild country up onto the planalto. 

We stopped in a wild and desolate area for a cup of tea.

There were a few oaks around and someone had been harvesting the cork.

A smallish dog turned up from nowhere. It was very interested in us but wouldn't come near. It was wearing a collar. Maybe it "belonged" to a goat herder? We headed on to the nearby village of Castelo Rodrigo where our guide book indicated that there was a garage selling LPG. When we got there we found that they had run out of gas. The garage woman was very apologetic.

Owing to the very cold weather we have been experiencing we were quite concerned not to have been able to take on LPG as planned so we decided to head on north to Braganca, a further 148 kilometres, where our guidebook suggested that there was another LPG outlet. Before too long we approached the Duoro valley.

We crossed and recrossed the Duoro several times. This valley is a major wine growing area. We also crossed from Beira Alta region into Tras os Montes (Beyond the Mountains) region. 

Anyway after a very long journey which we had not intended to make in the first place we arrived at the LPG outlet in Braganca only to find it closed - permanently by the look of it. We moved on the short distance to the city aire where we are parked tonight next to a French and a British van. We are at 650 metres above sea level but thankfully the fierce cold of the last few nights has gone and we think our gas should last until tomorrow.

Just uphill from the aire is the old town of Braganca. 

Today we traveled 135 miles (217 kilometres) - about 100 miles more than we intended to. We are at N41.80386 W6.74594

We visited Braganca previously in October 2015 and if anyone is interested please see below:- 

Thursday 29th October

Today we travelled north to the city of Braganca. Some of the journey was along the banks of the river Douro. We parked at the municipal Aire close to the old Citadel. We had come 71 miles (114 kilometres).

We walked uphill from the Aire to the Citadel - great autumn colours.

We entered the Citadel through this gate.

Inside the walls you are immediately confronted by the castle.

We went into the church, churches seem to be unlocked in Portugal, it has an unusual painted wooden ceiling.

Here's the front of the church.

This is the Council Chamber next to the church.

We took a walk around the Citadel walls.

There are some great views down from the walls.

Inside the Citadel is this old sculpture of a pig. I think that it may have been associated with some pre Christian religious cult.

The pole coming out of the pig's back is apparently some kind of medieval pillory. All very symbolic.

We went out for a meal this evening. I asked for grilled lamb and got lumps of barely cooked fat and bone. I stupidly ate some of it. The proprietor of the restaurant asked me how my food was and I told her I didn't like it. Ann's food was just about edible. We said we didn't want any pudding but they brought us some anyway - Ann managed to eat a little of it but I couldn't face it.