Author: Richard

Which means a new Calendar is on its way. They arrived today and now I have to work out who deserves one!

A great day today despite the weather forecast. The changeable conditions made for some great light, and combined with getting the tide timings right, I was able to get some shots with which I am very happy.

I re-visited Portizuelo beach for the third time while Karen packed…for the first time there were a few people about – in fact a group of photographers, but they were just leaving as I arrived. A friendly little red trawler obligingly sailed back and forth too!

The we drove eastwards, and stopped at a beach called Mexota, which I had just stumbled on during my research. What a great find. It has one huge Shark’s fin of a rock that divides the beach in two.

Finally we crossed from Asturias into Galicia, and on to As Cathedrais. A much more famous and popular location, it is one hell of a lot easier to find than almost anywhere else we have been. A (very) high tide meant we could not get below cliff top, but that is in the plan for tomorrow.

We have moved on to Luarca, further west along the coast. Not as pretty as Cudillero.

There are a couple of superb rock formations nearby though, and we managed to find the totally un-signposted beaches to access them. Low tides are important to be able to get the best views, so we visited a couple of times to get it right. Hardly saw anyone at either visit to either beach.

A short way off the coast is very rural, and quite medieval in places.We’ve also been inland a bit to see an abandoned village – it was a long way and frankly a bit small when we got there. The drive was great though, and some spectacular views to be had.

Our hotel is a converted house of an “indiano” – a guy who made it rich in South America, and then came home to show off! It’s a bit ostentatious for us (there is suit of armour in reception), however, we do seem to be the only guests! It’s only 800m from one of the above beaches, which helps.

Further west tomorrow..

Hi, we’re in the not very well known province of Asturias in Northern Spain.

Currently ensconced in the pretty little fishing village of Cudillero, we are on a mission to seek out the  stunningly beautiful, off the beaten track, not well signposted and totally deserted beaches. 

The weather today was not great, but we avoided the worst showers in our little car. Karen stayed in the car at the lighthouse on the headland, but through the rain we could see the rock stacks we were aiming for. Playa de Silencio was not too hard to find, and the road was ok too. Steep steps down and some super cliff and beach scenery.

Our second objective – Gueirua –  was a bit more difficult to pin down, we eventually found a sign that was only visible from one direction, and at the first attempt we thought the “track” was not passable – eventually though we tried it and although steep, rocky, twisty and slippery it came to an abrupt end above a sheer cliff at a so-called car park.

The beach though – wow! – super rock formations, and miles of them, all to ourselves. 

Forecast for tomorrow looking better, more beaches to locate!

I have finished thinking and have settled on a selection of what I think are my best photos from our trip to Patagonia and the Atacama. You can find them under the Travels album. I hope you enjoy them, and please feel free to leave me some comments.

All arrived safely at home, with many happy memories to share. I’m working on a proper gallery of all the best images I took whilst away, and will then start on a book to tell the whole “story” of the trip. 

Thanks for reading, and come back in the future as I hope to update the blog and the site (albeit infrequently in all likelihood).

Had a quiet couple of days now. First the transfer to Santiago and on to the Vineyard where we are staying. On arrival we checked into our room (called Pinot Noir) , had a superb lunch (with lovely wine) then did not very much, followed by a superb dinner (with lovely wine), where we were the only 2 people in the dining room. 

After breakfast we went for a long-ish stroll (a bit longer than we thought because the “map” is representational rather than to scale!). The route markers are wine bottle shaped as you can see. We passed on lunch, but in the afternoon went to the Bodega for a tour and some wine-tasting. A very impressive piece of architecture. Then another great meal (with lovely wine).

Some fool suggested that he might get up a 6 am to take some pictures of the milky way, and his words were taken at face value, resulting in being shaken awake at the appointed time. Not too bad, but a) you can’t see overhead power lines when it’s 6am, and b) there were a few high clouds. Might try again tomorrow morning.

And then after breakfast, another walk to a slightly abandoned lookout, and the return via a totally abandoned path – resulting in many scratched legs and arms. Just chilling this afternoon at the moment.

We head home tomorrow! I think we might try some wine with dinner.

Up before dawn to don our cold weather gear, as we hit the road at 6am, for the drive to 4,300 m to see the Tatio Geysers. It was -8 degrees when we reached the top, just as first light was breaking. It’s the best time to see the geysers, as the air pressure is lower and the steam rises higher. The geysers don’t “spurt” like others, but constantly throw steam columns into the air. Quite a magical place. 

Breakfast was provided for us up at the geysers, before we headed down with a few wildlife spotting opportunities on the way.

This afternoon (after a bit of a rest and some lunch) we went for a bike ride! Not too far, as it is pretty hot still. A super ice-cream – mine was flavoured with a type of local cactus – and a bit of shopping before heading back to the hotel and a swim.

We have to pack tonight before another early start for the transfer back to the airport and on to our last location. Casa Atacama has been great to us.

Today’s tour took us up to the Altiplano – the high plateau above the Atacama salt flats. At the lowest starting point we were already higher than any mountain in the UK, and at the highest we were over 4,000m, which puts us about half way up Mt Everest. We didn’t really suffer from the altitude, apart from a very slight shortness of breath.

So what did we see? A variety of flora at various altitudes, and also fauna – vicuna, foxes, rheas, some rare aquatic birds, a hawk and a teeny tiny little mouse. Mainly though we saw Volcanoes – a whole string of them that make up part of the Andes. Then there were a couple of lagoons, with fabulously coloured water and lined by salt and highly coloured rocks. 

Another lovely day, rounded off by photos at the crossing of the Tropico de Capricornio.