We rose at 08:00 after the usual camp sleep, i.e. not a good one. It was a cool start, mainly cloudy but with a few promising blue patches. We had no breakfast so I freewheeled back to Potes but at 09:10 only the bars were open, so I called into one for coffee and a pastry in the hope that a supermarket would open at 09:30. One did, but the choices on offer were not tempting, while the other remained firmly closed. Spanish shops, bars and restaurants generally don’t advertise their opening times, I suppose they just don’t want to commit themselves. I bought a few items then returned to the campsite for my second breakfast and Christine’s first. All this faffing about meant we didn’t get away until 11:15.
Fuente Dé wasn’t far away but at 3300 ft it was uphill all the way. We stopped for a picnic at Espinam, a lively little village with dogs frollicking, cats patrolling and old men pottering around with aid of walking sticks. Grey rock rose into the low cloud as we approached the end of the road at Fuente Dé, arriving at 14:30. Despite the poor visibility there were plenty of motorists and coach parties, bet it’s busy in summer. We’d wanted to go up in the cable car for a closer look at the mountains, but there was no point in the mist. We debated whether to continue or stay the night in the hope of better weather tomorrow, opting for the latter as we really wanted to go up in the cable car and mid-afternoon was late for setting off over the mountain track.
We pitched our tent at the campsite, the weather now rather cold with occasional drizzle. After our camp dinner we warmed up in the hotel and I drank Damm Estrella pils, which was pleasantly malty and the best beer I’d had so far in Spain.