AP-66

We did a runner today, taking advantage of Mr L's meteorological knowledge and headed for the rain shadow. We left Avin early and covered over 200 miles, arriving in Zamora this afternoon.

When the idea was mooted I asked if it would not be a very long way, to go around the Picos... The answer that I received was that we were going through, not around. Neither of us suspected the real truth until on the Autopista we reached a 10 kilometre long crawl lane, by which time I think that we were approaching 800 metres elevation. We were going over, more or less.

We topped out at over 1,350 metres, the highest either of us has ever been with the ground still under our feet.

It was the drive of a lifetime and I can only begin to imagine how it would be in better weather.

True to prediction, when we emerged from the final tunnel, the rain stopped. The weather improved progressively during the long boring plateau drive.

This is not the best snap that I took as we drove through the mountains but it is the one that I like the best. There will be more, and a better write-up, in the blog as soon as it can be managed