Bright sunshine again this morning as a herd of cows with bells is driven past the van down to the lakeside.

Grete comes back from walking Cleo and reports that the elephants are out of bed, so we all head up the path for a look. It is a truly magnificent scene as we look down into the valley forming the park. There is a flat, grassy valley floor, with pools and a small oasis. On the far side a huge rock escarpment rises up perhaps 300 feet, from which eagles and buzzards fly. In the valley there are buffalo, antelope and elephants. With the bright sunshine it is an authentic impression of an African scene. We watch, enchanted by the elephants slowly walking around grazing and drinking from the water-holes or throwing dust over their backs. A couple climb up the 'foothills' where their colour is matched perfectly to the rocks making them almost invisible. After an hour and a half we know we must leave and move on. Hard to believe the aire is free and we have seen this without paying the entrance fee to the safari park.

There is even a free service point we use before setting off at 12:50. As we drive through the village all the cafes and restaurants are open and full.

We join the motorway towards Bilbao but take a short detour to Laredo for shopping, lunch and fuel. There are 100 miles to go to a passion we have picked out where we plan to have a meal to say goodbye to Spain. The A-8 climbs and falls, and twists and turns through tunnels and over viaducts. It is really pretty and we see more snow on the mountains. We leave the Picos behind and start to see the Pyrenees, much more volcanic looking with conical mountains and jagged dog-tooth ridges.

Our plans change when we reach the restaurant. There is a huge party in full swing, with people dressed in their best clothes, most with glass in hand. Music blares out and five coaches are parked each with a bored looking driver. Obviously there's no chance of parking here and having a quiet dinner, so we go to another passion 7 miles away. At first it looks like it's being knocked down, but when we drive up beside it we find the restaurant around the back. Stumped again, they are fully booked for the night but the owner says we can stay at the bottom end where the work and renovation is being done.

It's getting dark and we've had a long day, so the flat concrete yard will be fine and Ali cooks spag-bol, and we go all extravagant with two bottles of wine. The first 85 cents, the second a higher class wine at 99!