Wow. I can't believe it. This will be my FIRST post on the ALL SPAIN FORUM in.... 10-years!?!?! Amazing. Apparently the software got updated on the server-side and now everything(?) works again. Incredible.

So, here you have it! Last early-August, I took a Monday-Friday SOLO-trip to Ponferrada in the Province of León. I only chose Ponferrada, really, because I couldn't find affordable, appropriate accommodations anywhere else, and yet I wanted to be in this region in Spain to escape the summer year.

[Ponferrada Castle]


Well, there was NO escape from the summer heat. I think, at that point, Spain was going through its SECOND (of 5?!), unbearable heat wave.

Ponferrada is a small city, but a city, nevertheless. I tend to chose small towns for my summer SOLO trips, one with few bars, few hotels, one gasoline station, a couple stores, and quite secluded, so as to truly rest from the hustle-and-bustle of the city. Again, there was no escape from that this year.

I took an air-conditioned room in the 3-star Hotel El Castillo, which was just about 100 meters from the famous Ponferrada Castle. The room was nice enough, perfectly located, and had there was a HUGE, municipal (free) parking lot for cars and campers about 400 meters away.

The Old Town of Ponferrada is quite nice. I visited the castle on a blistering afternoon because I was sightseeing around/outside Ponferrada in the early mornings to beat-the-heat. I saw most of the town at (pre)sunrise during my daily power-walks and then again later in the evening, spending EVERY afternoon in the cool comfort of my hotel room with views of the mountains outside of the city.

Nearby towns/located visited included: Molinaseca, "Las Medulas" (very cool!), Villafranca del Bierzo, Priaranza del Bierzo, and had a MOST BEAUTIFUL, mountain drive to Cangas del Narcea in Asturias. WOW, that last one was possibly the highlight of the whole trip, not because of the cute town that it was, but for the 2-hour mountain/valley drive there and a different mountain/valley drive back. Cangas del Narcea WAS nice, but is a small city and, like Ponferrada, once you get outside the old town, it's not very nice. However, it's nestled in tree-covered mountains, so that made it worth it.

The trip FROM Madrid to Ponferrada was also a highlight. I left Madrid at about 7am and stopped at the following recommended places (by a Spanish YouTuber) along the way, which included: Arévalo Castle, La Mota del Marqués, Urueña. None of the three disappointed. These are all small-ish towns, easy to park and easy to walk to all places.

Thanks for reading and feel free to comment.

Saludos, MadridMan
(wow, it feels weird, BUT GOOD, to write that again! )