We've just said goodbye to Andy, Rosey, Em and Splendid, our trusty hire car, who are all headed up towards France. The reason we've had to jump ship is that the cheapest flight from Spain to our friends in Sheffield goes from Madrid.

So, to enjoy our last couple of nights with the family in Spain we chose a little mountain town just north of the capital, called Cercedilla. We arrived from Granada, and after struggling to negotiate the price of a couple of rooms in our best Spanish, we set off to explore.

Like the black bears in the surrounding forest, this pretty little town seemed to have already settled into hibernation for the winter. The streets were cold, dark and quiet, but we found comfort in a friendly tapas restaurant. It was so good that we ate there two nights in a row! On our second attempt, Aidan accidentally ordered a pigs ear soup... In stubbornness he crunched most of it down, and claimed to enjoy it. Meanwhile everyone else was satisfied with a cautious nibble.

From the amount of seriously decked out hikers we saw roaming around town, we figured that the surrounding wilderness would be good for a bit of hiking. With Andy leading the way, we set off one morning for a beautiful stroll beneath the orange and yellow autumn trees. As we climbed further and further up the mountain, it started to rain.. Eventually we turned around and a few minutes later it became apparent that we were a little underprepared. As we raced home, the rain grew heavier, and by the time we reached our hotel, we were so soaked and shivering that it took the rest of the day to dry off and thaw out!

Just as we were leaving Cercedilla, the weather cleared up. There were a lot more people out and about and the deserted, gloomy atmosphere that we had originally seen was transformed into a cheerful, bustling and beautiful mountain village. Hopefully the weather stays cheerful for our stay in Segovia over the next few days!