Ruidera.

So, rolled up in Ruidera Monday pm. We chose it accidentally by aiming for a patch of water which was on our route. Travelling gets hot and Betty needs a swim to cool her down,  so we often try to aim to park up by water.

Ruidera, as it turns out, it's a hidden jewel. in Spain's crown. It's small, unspoilt, friendly and a holiday destination for Spanish people.

When we arrived we found that the lake next to which we had decided to park has a river area sort of running through it, or at least it is a source of water for a river (technical geographical term?). Consequently,  the lake has a 'beach' area, complete with life guard, and a 'rio' area, which had two mini waterfalls and some deeper pool areas caused by the pressure of the water digging into the rocks. It's just lovely.

The first day we arrived we went for a swim and took Betty too (dogs not allowed on beach but ok in river). The second day we managed to cram in more activity than we have in the whole of the rest of the holiday, day went like this:

Get up, swim, walk, breakfast, pedalo, swim, lunch, siesta (me), swim (Lady R), walk, horse riding, swim, bed.

And the photos:

 Falling asleep on the table after a long swim.

 Pedalo!

 Swimming from the pedalo - Ruidera's answer to the biathlon.

Lunch (starters): bacon, egg and sausage in a non-breakfast combo / salt cod, potatoes and nuts in an non-anything combo.

Menu featuring 'Gachas manchegas', for which the Internet provided the interesting translation of 'porridge stain'. Am sure it was much more appetising than its name implies, although neither of us were keen to try, funnily enough..

El caballo.

They allocated our caballos with an unexpected accuracy. Mine was uber-enthusiastic to the extreme of being pushy..walking with its nose up the bum of the one in front (not that I ever do that, you understand), whilst the Lady R's couldn't really see the point of all the exercise and decided to spend as much time in stillness as he was able. Consequently we were met by the alternating instructions:

'hold her back'

'give him a kick, get him moving'

Ruidera's river area. When the water is blue the stone is eroded and there is a little pool. 

Tomorrow we move on. Refreshed, happy and heading towards France. Yipeeeeeee