So in Bermejales, whilst we were lazing around between the shade and sunshine, splitting our time between our camp, the lake and the pool (oh such tough decisions), we decided one day we'd take off around the lake for a walk to find a quiet spot to read. After about an hour however, Andy plucks up with "Hey, why don't we walk around the whole lake?". So off we went. We hadn't planned to be going off for a proper walk, but what was the worse that could happen?
Now, don't get us wrong, it's a beautiful walk with some amazing scenery. There's the dam at the top, and some huge storm drain infrastructure that's quite a sight to see, not to mention miles (and miles and miles and miles) of shady pine forests, all between the stunning backdrop of mountains that you get in a lot of Spain and the blue of the lake.
However, it's one hell of a long way. Longer than it looks, and we're pretty sure longer than they tell you. There are lots of hidden coves, which are great, but maybe not so great when they add another hour to your trip, it's 40+ degrees out and you've run out of water, which is pretty likely when there are hardly any places where you can refill.There is plenty of shade which is a real plus, and almost alien to us after coming through La Mancha.
We had an amazing time, and if you're tempted and feeling up to a challenge then go for it, but on a hot day it's a real slog as it is so far, and on the southern tip there's a pretty boring (and seemingly unavoidable) detour through a town with a steep and unsatisfying climb. But hey, we did it, so you don't have to now, right? We took photos for you and everything.
Archie had a great time obviously, rushing off into the water and running up behind us taking our ankles out with a stick in his mouth. His love affair with pinecones has reached new heights and as we collapsed back at camp just after sunset, having had no water for at least 2 hours, he was still running around with pinecones like we'd just got up.
I'm making this sound like we were miserable. We weren't. Let me be clear. WE HAD FUN. Just tired, hot, hurty feet fun... And the feeling of seeing the campsite beach as we came around the last cove? Indescribable.