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Even colder this morning, the temperature was below zero when we went to bed with double blankets, but when we get up it's another clear, sunny day. We leave Palencia, a gem of a stopover, and join the A62 north towards Santander and the elephant park we saw last year.
The temperature varies between 2 and 7 for the first hour and white tyre marks indicate that the road has recently been salted. We pass high sandstone rock formations and a patchwork of colours on the plains, new green grass, old yellow grass and brown soil. We comment that it is like driving over a never ending Goss Moor. All the time in the distance are the snow covered peaks of Sierra de Pena Labra, highest of which is 2136m.
For a lunch stop we leave the motorway and detour into Aguillar de Campoo where there is a service point as we did not want to waste time waiting for the one in Palencia. Approaching the town there are large, granite rocks poking out of the ground. After 'Goss Moor' these must be our Roche Rocks.
Ali walks back to the town, which is decorated in red garlands for a fete, and buys chorizo and bacon pasties for lunch. By now it is 15C. We service the van and continue towards Santander, climbing towards more snow capped peaks. There are some lovely, coloured rock escarpments, deep valleys, rivers, tunnels and fields full of horses or cattle.
Last year as we approached Cabarceno we were diverted by roadworks and contraflows. Now the road has recently been finished, Snoopy doesn't have a clue where he is and we miss the exit, meaning w have to go five miles to the next and come back with him bonging and suggesting 'turn right' bong-bong-bong 'turn left' 'at the roundabout...'
All in good time we arrive and drive past the elephant park, and see a few of them before pulling into the camperstop with the gauge showing 17C.
The lake is as beautiful as last year with birds floating across the water. There is a beautiful sunset, during which a tree full of white birds, we think egrets, fly in a cloud around the lake and back to the tree four or five times.
We learn our ferry has been cancelled and rescheduled for Wednesday 10th, then we learn it will be a 33 hour crossing instead of 22 so we reschedule to do a channel ferry instead, which means driving up through France to be at Cherbourg on Thursday evening.
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