Camping Cobijo is near the town of Vinuesa and situated amongst a veritable forest of pine trees. It is impossibly big and spread out, giving room to over 500 pitches scattered around the many acres of space.
In fact, finding a pitch is a little like a cross between playing a game of Tetris and Jenga at the same time. It is all open and none of it is cordoned off by neatly trimmed hedges, nor numbered in any way. If you need electricity then find an open spot next to the power boxes… The instructions are as simple as that!
Although we seem to have a similar form of aural solitude as compared to Bubulcus and Bolotas the vibe is very different. We share this whole place with just a handful of local Spanish folk, equally hidden amongst the pine trees. A solo dude in a Quecha tent, a couple in a van and a few folks taking up station in their semi-permanent caravan. It all has a certain charm…
Nearby is the village of Vinuesa, about a half hour’s stroll down the valley. It seems to cater for the skiing fraternity with many bars, clubs and cafés scattered through the historic stone-walled streets.
The bakery serves a simple selection of rather good baguettes and a coffee on a terrace at the roadside is most welcome as the logging trucks thunder by indifferently.
The charm here is mostly felt by the silence and solitude. I can’t speak for how this place would be during the busy summer months!
There is (quite a large) a restaurant just within the main gate which had a modest trade, mainly due to the time of year, although a large bus load of hikers were deposited on the parking lot one morning. No doubt aiming to put a few dozen kilometres under their boots before lunchtime.
This area is lovely in itself, offering lonely roads winding from vista to vista and the Pyrenees mountain range beckoning nearby.
It is far from the hustle and bustle of city life and if you avoid the summer holidays can offer a couple of days of peace and quiet. Just watch out for the wandering sheep coming through…
