The Stats

So, now the dust has settled it's time for some tour stats.

Ginny and I spent 31 nights away from home. Together we covered a total of 4,560 miles (7,296 km).

Ginny took on board 83.16 gallons (378 litres) of fuel, at a cost of £473 (€530). She averaged 55.1mpg (12.12mpl).

Ferry, hotel and food costs for the month totalled £1,837 (€2056). Beer costs or indeed pints/glasses supped, were not recorded.

I managed to catch 1 bumble bee down the side of my visor, whilst Ginny brought home a Spanish butterfly!

That wraps up the 2019 Wild Hogs tour. Don't forget to check out the photos on flickr and make a note of the next tour, already well along in the planning stage;

https://whblink2020.blogspot.com

Now my attention turns to my next trip, a solo effort, to Austria on August 7th. Make sure you follow the blog;

https://ndtea.blogspot.com

Thanks folks.

Don Quixote signing off.

Back in Blighty

Not sure what the problem was with the ship but we didn't buy the currents thing. We were even later docking than they had said, so it was gone 16:30 by the time we rolled out of the bowels of the ship.

Sanch and I said our goodbyes, before firing up the bikes, with a handshake and a man hug and a promise to keep each other updated on our progress via whatsapp. Sanch had another night on the road, whereas I'd be back in my own bed for the first time in a month.

As usual, we were directed to UK border control. Unusually, all bikers were directed to remove their crash helmets, even those with flip style, like Sanch and I.  There's nothing like consistency and this IS nothing like it. In May, Paul and I came back from Le Mans and didn't have to take the helmets off!

It was 16:45 as I left the docks, 2.5 hours after our timetabled arrival time. I arrived home at 18:38. I'd wound Ginny up to 70mph and set the cruise. It was the fastest she'd been in a month. As expected, the M25 was heaving and I needed to filter on several occasions, which slowed me down a fair bit, especially when coming up against the prime filter blocker, the Land Rover Discovery!

Catherine was waiting for me when I got home and helped me carry in my luggage. I was really pleased to see her after so long, despite us having had a few phone calls, there's nothing better than a big hug.

For me the tour is over. All that remains is for me to post some tour stats and to bore the pants off Catherine by making her sit through 500+ photos!

Don & Sanch, Over & Out

The final stretch

I had a lie in today, till 8am. Not as if we had anywhere to ride to, being stuck, as we are, in the Atlantic/Channel.

Once dressed I walked down to the bar area.  I knew I'd find Sanch there. He'd already had a coffee and croissant but was more than up for a full English.

We were due to dock at 14:15 but we've been told there will be a 90 minutes delay due to adverse currents! We reckon the captain let the little Spanish bod at Bilbao fill the ship up instead of doing it himself, consequently he's short of diesel. As every biker knows, the only way to guarantee a full tank is to fill it yourself. 

The delay means I'll now hit the M25 at rush hour. Thanks Brittany Ferries. 

Now what to do to kill the next 5 hours!

The Last Supper

Two baldy bikers do fine dining.

Our end of tour dinner was a bit more up market than most of the grub we've stuffed our faces with. We decided we'd try the proper restaurant, for which you have to book. There are 3 different priced menus. We chose the cheapest (£21.75) which gives 2 courses. Either starter or pud, plus the main. 5 choices of main, 2 fish, beef, lamb & veggie. I can't eat beef, don't eat fish out, so opted for the lamb, Sanch the beef. I don't know how this equates but Sanch had 4 pieces of steak and some veg, whilst I had a bowl with some cous cous, a tiny portion of pulled lamb and some shredded cucumber on top. Sanch had had asparagus soup to start but I opted for profiteroles for pud. The pud, I have to say, did go some way to making up for the minuscule main portion and the way the waitress poured the chocolate sauce, well, got me all of a quiver!

Whilst we were dining, not by a window, a pod of dolphins came to play. I'd seen a couple of whales earlier but we didn't see these. After dinner we made for the bar and were lucky enough to see dolphins leaping in the ship's wake. I saw some more and another whale as I waited for the sunset. Sanch was on his 6th pint by then.

It's dusk now and almost bedtime.

What's the rush?

We left at 10:00 for what should have been a leisurely ride to Bilbao. 7 miles up the only coast road and the road was closed! In situations like this, Tomtom can either shrug and simply find a new route or throw a complete bloody wobbler. No prizes for guessing which it was. We spent about 90 minutes, heading this way, then that, before we finally got on something approaching a direct route.  Very frustrating, to say the least.

That wasn't the end of things either. Some of the junctions were so complicated it was hard to see which road to take, " bear left, then keep right, then bear right". Inevitably we missed one or two. 

As we approached Bilbao, we had one further incident. I went right, Sanch went left. Luckily for me, I had chosen correctly, whilst Sanch went sailing above me. I was convinced he'd probably arrive at the ferry before me but no, on this occasion I arrived first. I waited before the booths, for about 5 minutes, before I saw Sanch's hi-viz jacket hone into view. The last few yards on Spanish soil were, thankfully, uneventful and we are now just about ready for a beer, as we steam out of harbour.

Bilbao harbour wall

Day 30 Part 2

Somehow Sanch got in front of me. What a conundrum.  When I'm in front, the old git can't keep up. When he's in front, I can't catch him! Explain that.

 Tomtom screwed me, so he was already fuelling up at the second stop when I arrived. From there it was 11km to the hotel. It's up on the hillside, west end of the town. We have a room that does have a sea view, just.

We went down town, walked along the seafront (the beach was packed) and then took the funicular up the hillside. What a view from the top.

The beach, San Sebastian 

What a view

Back at beach level, we found a bar and had some food and beer. Not necessarily in that order. Our final evening meal on Spanish soil. 

Tomorrow we have a 3 hour or so ride to Bilbao. Then it's 24 hours on a ferry. The tour is nearly over. ☹

Day 30

The day started bright and sunny and we could see the surrounding mountains in all their glory for the first time. 

A couple of miles up the road was our first fuel stop of the day. Back on the road, we rode through Lourdes and I was praying that the good Lord would help Sanch find a way to go faster through the twisty stuff, after I waited 3 minutes for him earlier, with just 9 miles covered. 🤣 Subsequent discussion showed Tomtom had steered him wrong somehow. 

Stopped for a coffee and Sanch's own fuel stop. Cafe au lait without the lait! So we got a tiny cup with chantilly cream on top. What a joke.

Next stop will probably be our fuel stop on the outskirts of San Sebastian.

Luz SS

We took a walk around the town. There's some interesting bits in the old town and plenty of stuff related to the Tour de France. There's a plaque (2 actually) marking km 0 and in the pavement, hand prints from previous winners of the Tourmalet stage.

Having walked around a bit, during which it stopped raining, it was beer time. We had one, then made for Pizzeria Christine, where we had our 3rd pizza of the tour, though Sanch went for calzone this time. 

After dinner Sanch got ready for bed and I went out to walk up the hill by the hotel to the Chateau Sainte Marie. It's dark in the valley now, so time for bed. Tomorrow we ride to San Sebastian, back in Spain, our last full day on the Iberian peninsula. 

Chateau Sainte Marie

What a shit day

Every tour we have at least one day like today.  The thunderstorm in the night should have been a clue.  It was tipping it down when we woke, tipping it down when we left Tarascon, tipping it down on the ride, all 6 hours and tipping it down when we arrived at Luz Saint -Saveur.

We fuelled up right away and made our way to the Prehistoric park. It didn't open till 10am. Given the weather, we decided it wasn't worth waiting 30 mins, so we hit the road. 

It wasn't long before we were climbing some very twisty and very steep roads, not unlike those Sanch moaned about yesterday, except these were narrow too. I could hear him in my mind, cursing. I have to admit, they were extra challenging in the wet and was glad myself, when we got back on a wider, smooth carriageway. 

This is the Pyrenees though, so you are not far from a twist and a climb and so it was, we were up and down for mile after mile.  Check out the D44 road on google maps.

In the heat of this tour we've sought sanctuary and a drink, in petrol stations. We had no such need today though. Just as well, because those were pretty rare. A call of nature was required though, so I stopped at a supermarket, only to find it closed for lunch. We pressed on to a petrol station 10 miles up the road. Unbelievably, that too was closed. There was nothing left but to nip behind a bush, with the usual pallava where waterproofs are concerned. 

Pretty fed up by now, we pressed on.  In this last stint we had both our high point, literally and our low point. The high was riding a couple of sections of the TDF (Tour de France) course, particularly the Col du Tourmalet, which took us to 2115 metres, into the clouds and to our low point, 10.5 degrees. Brrr!

As I write, Sanch is freshening and probably warming up. It is still raining and the cloud is obscuring the mountains around us. Like I said, what a shit day.

Rain, rain, rain.

Tarascon sur Ariege

At Tarascon, we're in a B&B. Luckily they speak some English and I have enough of my schoolboy French to make myself understood. It's a bit weird having to go through the living room, whilst the family are all watching tv, to go out but as the lady said, it is their home, not a hotel. I'm half expecting to sit down to brekkie with them all tomorrow!

We popped out, had a quick look round, then found a bar and something to eat. There's a castle tower ovetlooking the town and the river. I walked up, whilst Sanch went back to the room.

River Arierge & Castle Tower

Tomorrow we head further west through the Pyrenees but the plan is to start with a local prehistoric park, where I believe there are some cave paintings. Likelihood is it will rain. I wonder who will put on waterproofs?

Tarascon from the tower 

Proceed with caution

Add copious amounts of rain water to twisty bends and things can get interesting, so one needs to be cautious, at least until you find the grip level. There were some tricky bends but Ginny never got out of shape.  I'd stuck her in rain mode, which softens the suspension and dulls the power delivery and with all her other rider aids, I was unlikely to have a drama.

By the time we got within 20 miles of Tarascon, the roads were dry again and it was time to stop and put the waterproofs away.

Those 20 miles were interesting. Very tight, steep bends, bumpy straights and the odd car/tractor hazard around the next bend. There was a quicker way to Tarascon but I like interesting. Sanch was not happy. He hates bumpy twisty roads. I can't understand how he's done 50k miles when he only seems to like smooth straight roads. Rest assured the arguments/abuse will continue 😁

Thunderbolt and lightning

Not quite. Had just reached the bottom of a massive mountain road and arrived in a town, which minutes earlier had been a small patch of buildings in the valley, to be greeted by raindrops. Bloody big ones and lots of them.  We pulled over to shelter until it passed over. There were a few flashes of lightning and claps of thunder and quite a deluge for a while. Looking at the way we were heading, I thought it unlikely it would stop any time soon, so took the decision to don the waterproofs. It seems Sanch would happily have got wet, from the abuse I've had but still put his on! And so we carried on. 

tbc.

Day 28

Started the day by watching the bull run in Pamplona, on the telly.  Not quite as exciting as yesterday, i.e. not quite the carnage. The bulls seemed a bit more docile today. Yesterday one was full of attitude.

A nice 25 mile ride on twisties. My new app tells me my maximum lean angle was 54 degrees. Sanch has no stats for that section. What the app didn't say was, I waited 4 minutes for Sanch to catch up, though the big girl's blouse reckoned he stopped to do up his jacket, as he was cold! I too stopped, to record for posterity, Ginny's 10k moment.

We made another stop later, so Sanch could buy some corn plasters, then continued on to Andorra, where we've stopped for fries, coffee, wee and free wifi at McDs. 

From here we have about a 2 hour ride, to get to our hotel in Tarascon sur Ariege. Up in the Pyrenees somewhere. 

Dry at the moment but very grey skies. We had about 10 spots down the valley but that's all.

Ripoll

Had a walk through the old town and up to the monastery. To be honest, there isn't too much to see, least not what we've seen.

Found a bar and had a couple of pints of  Moritz Epidor, which happens to be 7.2%. On an empty stomach, that wasn't great for me. We moved on and had something to eat. Sanch had 3 more glasses of Moritz original, whilst I had water.

It rained for a bit whilst we were at the bar but soon the ground was dry again.

There's no aircon in the room, so both windows are wide open. Only problem, some dozy bollix fell asleep with light on, so we now have an assortment of flying bugs to keep us company for the night!

Tomorrow we head for Tarascon sur Ariege, in France.

Been here before

Up the coast from Tossa a fair few miles, there sits Santi Marti Roman Forum.  We planned to visit but having ridden past a burger king just half a mile down the road, with the promise of an ice cold drink, the question was asked. Forum in the heat or food in aircon? We chose the latter. We're probably all Romaned out now anyway.

A snack and that welcome drink and we took to the road again but not for long. A glance down at my dash showed the check oil level  warning was showing. I've checked it a few times on the trip but not for a few days. Out came the oil and a couple of hundred mls added. That did the trick. We stopped again on a flat surface and added a bit more. The level would now seem to be ok for the time being.

The last bit of the journey, we were shadowed by a massive black cloud. It was clearly peeing down somewhere but luckily for us, we kept turning away from it. 

We arrived at our hotel in Ripoll, dead on check in time. They have let us store the bikes in their private garage, so no worries on that score. Mind you, they were in the street in Barcelona. 

Once freshened up, we'll take a walk into town, if I can drag myself away from the ladies world cup final.

Day 27

It's day 27 and things are getting smelly. Despite several t-shirt washes and copious amounts of Febreze, these hot days in the saddle, are beginning to take their toll. The last two days have been particularly humid, so we are dripping wet, after just a couple of hours. If we get caught in a shower, we shan't be getting the waterproofs out but the travel wash!

I'd set us up to take the coast road to our fuel stop in Tossa de Mar, with a waypoint in Malgrat de Mar, last visited in 1969. I wanted to get a photo of the town sign, it was my first holiday abroad at 9 years old but after driving around a few times, gave up. Not even sure it was Malgrat, though I thought I recognised one bit, where the road goes under the railway. The coast road didn't turn out how I expected, so we probably wasted our time. Still, we arrived in Tossa and fuelled up. I could see the castle up on the cliff overlooking the beach, so that's not changed. 😁

Montjuic Hill

We took the funicular up Montjuic Hill. Handily, it runs from a metro station right by our hotel. Not so handily, it only goes halfway up the hill. There's a cable car, that then goes via the mirador (viewpoint), up to the castle, at €12.70 a return ticket.  We'll walk thanks! 

We walked as far as the mirador, took some snaps (one with  Dudley's bandana) then walked back down to the funicular. It was very humid and I said I thought it might rain.  Sanch had no opinion either way.

Dudley & Don Quixote

Montjuic Hill 

By now Sanch was ready for his refuelling stop. Right by the exit to the metro was a bar, so we popped in there for a drink. Sanch ordered the usual 'dos cerveza grande'. What arrived was more than we bargained for, 2 steins! Well this is a stag destination.

Checking the menu, we decided to eat there as well and moved to a dining, rather than drinking table, just in time as it turned out, as it started to rain. 😁

Having eaten we were sitting chatting when suddenly a group of women on a hen do pointed at Sanch and said 'you'. Well, you can imagine, he thought his luck was in and Christmas had come early. As it turned out, the bride to be, had to complete certain tasks and one, apparently, was to arm wrestle a sad looking old bloke! So, Sanch  duly obliged, even letting her win, second time 😀 For his troubles he got a home made 'flower' pinned to him. 

No chance of a kiss?

And that's about it from Barcelona.  Tomorrow we will head up the coast as far as Tossa de Mar, our fuel stop, then start to head back towards the Pyrenees once more.

Brutal

The word came instantly to me as we battled through insane temperatures .

We'd set off before 9am, at a cool 17 degrees, climbing higher into the Pyrenees. The views were stunning and the mountains high, some with pockets of snow still on them. Our first stop, for fuel was after about 2 hours and according to Sanch 120 miles of twisty roads.  There were a lot, it's true, most on decent surfaces. That amount of twisty roads is tiring though and barely gives any time to look at the view. One wants to admire the view, not become part of it!

Wow!

If the first part of this 237 mile trip was tiring, the second was worse. The roads were lovely and sweeping, often alongside a river or lake (we saw people rafting and canoeing) but as we dropped altitude the temperature went crazy. Ginny's on board temp guage registered 41.5 degrees, the most I've seen on the move.  And it felt every bit of it.

A cool 36.5C at fuel stop

We needed to stop for a drink and snack, simply to find some respite from the heat. The run in to Barcelona saw the temperature drop to a more sensible 33 but nevertheless, by the time we reached our hotel, we were dripping wet.

Plan is to freshen up, then get the funicular up Montjuic Hill. 

Dinner

After 2 beers we wandered down the rest of the main street. We ended up right back where we started though, for dinner, as there is a distinct lack of places to eat. The population of Castejon, Sanch informs me, is 731. A good few were in the bar. 

We watched some people parachuting from the mountain. Must be quite a thrill drifting down on a warm breeze like tonight. A while later they arrived in town in their land rover, chutes on the roofrack.

Tomorrow we have a long riding day, to Barcelona, so we are leaving  the Pyrenees and going back to the seaside.  

We are in the final straight now. This time next week we'll be in the bay of biscay. ☹

Beer O'clock

We got up one half of the main  street before the call of alcohol proved too much. Well, it is 29 degrees. 

View from the end of the street

View down the street

Estrella Galicia

Day 25

Another hot one. Quite a long ride today, with two fuel stops. We've ridden to the edge of the Pyrenees on a combination of roads. Up in the mountains, we were just getting to enjoy the twisty stuff when the surface changed to one of the bumpiest we've encountered. As a result speeds have to drop. Not only because the straight bits bounce you all over the shop but also because you can't have the same confidence in the front grip going into bends. Every now and then there would be a smooth bend to get our hopes up but it would immediately revert to bumpy again. We had something like 20km of that.

Arrived at the Plaza Hotel in Castejon de Sos about 15:15. Once again we have been presented with more than one room. Rather than a suite though, this is more like a second bedroom with a single bed.

Freshened up, the heat finally got to me and I nodded off. Woke up to loads of abuse from the old fella. Probably gasping for a beer. I know though, that he also had a nap, coz I heard him snoring. He's so full of shit! 

We're going to pop out now and check the town out.

Adios Zaragoza

So much for Sanch needing a hostelry nearer the hotel. As we spent our last evening in Zaragoza and with the old fella's batteries recharged, it was back to the Irish bar. He's developed a taste for Paulaner wiessebier.

A couple of pints and we were on the search for some food again. One place we fancied had a queue, another, only 3 tables not occupied but all reserved. We walked for a bit further and spotted a place with space inside. We dived in and ordered the only thing we could easily identify on the menu, caesar salad. Our waitress, a cute little thing, was like a figure out of Polly Pocket (girls toy), as she was only about 4 inches taller standing, than me seated. The salad was tasty but quite pricey. Compared with other salads we've had it was tiny. Just as well we had the nut mix back in the Irish bar.

As we (read I) ready to put the lights out, about 23:30, it is still 29 degrees. Judging by the news, it is hotter than usual, just like other parts of Europe. 

Tomorrow we are heading a bit further north and east, up onto the edge of the Pyrenees, to a place called Castejon de Sos. I have no info on the place. Will give you the lowdown tomorrow. One thing's for sure, there'll be no let up in the weather. 😎

The idea for the blog title

https://youtu.be/Es-oOK_Wyt4

Z Day Sightseeing Pt 2

After lunch we went to check out the Puente de Piedra, which spans the river Ebro. I figured this would be the best place to get a decent shot of the Basillica.  The bridge dates from 1401 - 1440, though it has seen some rebuilding due to flood damage and has also survived 2 sieges by Napoleon's army in 1808 and 1809.

Sure enough, over the bridge, you get the best Basillica pic. 

Bridge & Basillica 

By now we were feeling the effects of walking around in the heat, so decided to head back to the hotel for our own siesta and freshen up. My backside was very sweaty and I had on light coloured shorts, not a good combo. 

When we got back at the hotel, I discovered just how bad, as the colour (pink) had run from my pants, so I now have some pink and beige shorts! Thing is, I only ever wash my stuff at 30 degrees and it's 37 outside. My butt cheeks have, effectively, been washing my pants in 37 degree sweat! I jumped in the shower, to cool off and wash the pink off my arse. Maybe, in hindsight, I should have gone commando.

Sanch has had a snooze, whilst I've written this. When he wakes, he'll wash and will then be ready for his beer and dinner. We'll try and find somewhere nearer the hotel tonight, as the old fella was flagging a bit in the heat earlier.

Z Day 2 Sightseeing

Made our way to the Museo del Theatro de Caesaraugusta. Bought a ticket for all the Roman museums. €7 for me, free for old gits!

Most of the theatre is actually outside the museum building under a huge canopy.  An exhibition describes what bits are what and what it would have looked like back in the day. It's very well presented.

Teatro panorama

Sanch needed a coffee before we moved on to the Museo de las Termas Publicas de Caesaraugusta, just across the square. There was a short film, in Spanish, before we had a look around. There's not really much of the baths left to see that is original but still it's interesting.

Another short walk away, was the Museo del Foro de Caesaraugusta. There's nothing to see at ground level but down a few flights of stairs, there are foundations of the forum and porticos to be seen. There is also a large intact piece of the sewage system and you can walk in the sewer.

In the sewer 

Across the square is the massive Basillica del Pilar. We had a scoot around inside half of it, the other half is gated off by 2 large wooden gates, before returning to the square.

By this time, it was about siesta time, which also makes it Sanch's lunch time, so we found a cafe and sat down in the shade. It is currently 36 degrees. 

Apologies

To those who rely on emails to indicate I've updated the blog, apologies. I have been using blogger pro, which does not send the update emails. You may have quite a bit of catching up to do.

Z Day 1 Sightseeing

Freshened up then hit the road in 36 degrees. Mad dogs!

Sussed out our first stop for tomorrow, the Roman Theatre museum. Similar to that in Lisbon. 

From their we walked back to and popped inside the Basillica de Santa Engracia.

As mass was about to start, we beat a hasty retreat and went a few blocks along to the Puerta del Carmen.

This gate is the last remaining piece of the old Zaragoza city wall and survived the assault from Napoleon's army. You can see rifle and cannon damage on the front.

Our next stop was the Irish bar. This one was definitely better than that in Ronda and even got the thumbs up from Sanch. A couple of pints and we were on the search for some food. There's not much near the hotel but we found a Telepizza near the Puerta de Carmen.

Back at the hotel now and prepping for bed. It's 11:20pm and still 29 degrees. 

Zaragoza

Riding day today. No stops, apart from fuel and lunch. We did pass through some nice towns on the way but it's not easy to find the time to stop ad-hoc, when you have a couple of hundred miles to cover.

We had the usual wrong turns, caused by bloody roadworks and a few near misses. One from a bird that was nearly hit by a truck and in taking avoiding action just missed me, another when some clown was overtaking a lorry and I had to brake and swerve to avoid him in my lane and finally, when a woman nearly pulled out in front of me, again necessitating the use of the brake.

We arrived in Zaragoza just after 3pm. It is 35 or so. Hogs' own Michael Fish said we would hit a thunderstorm.  Did we bollix!

We are here for 2 nights, so tomorrow is sightseeing day. A bit of research required. 

McDs Menu

McDs was closer by a few paces. Full of kids. We had a menu meal, which is the burger, chips and drink combo.

Afterwards, Sanch was ready for bed, it was gone 7:30pm 🤣, so we didn't go back to the bar. I wanted to check out the Segovia Devil, a brass statue up the hill we rode in on, Sanch wanted the quickest way to the land of nod! He went his way, I went mine.

Brochure pic 

I found the Devil and took some snaps. It looks a bit like Shrek, taking a selfie. I then had a walk to see the city wall and through a nice park, before going back to the room. Lucky for me Sanch hadn't nodded off, as he had the only key to the room.

It's dark now, so time for my bed. Sanch has been snoring away for about a hour. Bless!

Tomorrow we're off to Zaragoza.

Milestones

This tour I have seen all the 6s, 7s, 8s and 7, 8 & 9000 miles clock up. This afternoon Ginny and I clocked up 3k since leaving home.

Fan bloody tastic!

Walked to the top of aquaduct, then down to the square. Took some snaps and walked up to the Cathedral. More snaps. Back down to a bar, in the shadow of the aquaduct. 30 degrees. Doesn't get much better than this.

View from the bar.

Sanch spied McDs & BK next to the bar, so junk food for dinner.

As promised

A few snaps of the aquaduct.

Arrived Segovia.

Another good ride from Toledo to here in Segovia. Hotel is up the hillside and sits on a square, with the post office sorting office one side and a bar the other. A step up in quality from the last couple of nights. They have their own garage but there is a motos bay in the square, so we'll save the €19, thank you.

View of the square 

As we came down the other side of the hill and round a bend, we were presented with the sight of the stunning Roman aquaduct. Once freshened up, we'll take a walk down. Pics to follow.

Roads

I take my helmet off to the Spanish authorities and their road builders. They are certainly not shy at spending money on their infrastructure, unlike in the UK. Almost 3k miles up and no sign of a pothole. Granted, not every piece of tarmac has been smooth but the autovia up to Toledo is just incredible. Mile after mile of super, super, smooth black tarmac. I barely felt a bump the whole time we were on it. How they get it so smooth is beyond me. Three cheers for Spanish road builders. Hip, hip!

Roman Toledo

Stopped off in Toledo to pay a visit to what remains of its Circus Romano. There are still bits of the stands to be seen, now encompassed in a nice park.

La Mancha

We really are men of La Mancha today, as we make our way to the regional capital, Toledo.

Flickr Update

You should now, hopefully, have access to the photos I've posted to flickr. You will need to be on the web version of the blog and scroll down to the photo of Don Q & Sancho P on their steeds. Click that photo and it should take you to the tour album on flickr. Currently 149 photos.

Thanks for your patience.

When 9 ain't enough

Three dead moggies on the ride today. In fact, moggies easily lead the road kill league table for this trip, having taken over from the early leaders, badgers. 

Staggered

Day 21 started much the same as the previous few, temperature in the low 20s and a mixture of fast sweepers and tight twisties, as we climbed yet another mountain. The spectacular views just keep coming. Accompanying us on the first part of the journey was the smell of olives. Unsurprisingly, as we rode through another 70 miles of olive trees, until we reached Cazorla at the foot of the steep mountain climb.  I'm staggered by the numbers involved and the area covered. I'd like to guess Spain is the world's leading olive/oil producing country. 

Tomtom threw us another curved ball in Cazorla. Indicating a faster route through the town, which I duly took, it then totally lost the plot, culminating in us riding down what I think was a one way street, against the traffic. Only a couple of cars were on it, luckily and neither  abused us, so either it wasn't one way or they were just too shocked, being confronted by over 300kgs of big red beemer.

Up the mountain I took the following photo, hoping it shows the extent of the olive groves. Zoom in on all the spotty fields.

Arrived at our hotel in Manzanares just after 15:00. It's a bit like last night's, alongside a main road/motorway, a way outside the town. No English spoken, as far as I can gleen from check in. We can have dinner here and beer of course, so it'll do. Hopefully the breakfast experience will be better than this morning's. 

Coffee, juice and half a toasted baguette with butter and jam! When I asked about queso y jamon, was told no. Another waiter did give us some slices of cheese though. Hard to argue when you don't speak the lingo and they, I suspect, choose not to speak English. I wouldn't stay there again.

Nearly beer time.

Dinner

Went down for dinner at 8pm. Told it was half past. Waited until 8:40. Menu all in Spanish. Found a special Sunday menu. Translated and chose what we'd have. Guy says no, not today, despite it saying Domingo 30th.  Away he goes and brings noches menu, so we gather other was lunch. 

Sanch had cod again, me chicken escalope. Sliced into mine to discover if wasn't cooked properly, so back it went.

Pudding was from a different menu again. Cheesecake for Sanch, cheesecake with honey for me. Waitress came back. Can't have cheesecake but bizarrely, can have it with honey!

Barely any English spoken here, so does make it difficult. Oh for a babel fish! 

(“The Babel fish is small, yellow and leech-like, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe. It feeds on brainwave energy received not from its own carrier but from those around it.)

We head further north tomorrow. We'll still be basking in scorching sunshine by the looks of it.  Long may it continue. 

Dozy Bollix x 50,000

Sanch had calculated that he would hit 50k miles on his Shadslow today, so wanted to stop and take a picture for posterity. No problem.

Well it shouldn't have been. I thought he would just pull over when it happened and take the snap. Oh no.

As we passed through a village, he toots to indicate he going to turn round. As we have just seen some wall art, of which he is partial, I assume it is for that.

Rather than turn in the road, I take a turning where I can see a roundabout a few metres away, Sanch is turning back up the road.

I make it back to the road and head to the wall art. No sign of him. I ride a bit further. Still no sign. By now I'm thinking he's taken his photo and gone ahead of me. I don't catch him up, so then think he must be behind. I stop at a fuel station off the motorway and msg him. Just as I finish, I hear his exhaust note go by, so I give chase and we are re-united for the remaining miles to the hotel.

On reaching the hotel, the question was, how did we get separated? Turns out, the dozy bollix saw he was close to the 50k, so decided to turn around and cover the last mile or two on the wide road we were on and where he could pull over, rather than wait for it to just click over! Irish logic!

Bin art

Two trees

Another hot but interesting riding day.  We have ridden north today, to the top of the world almost, or so it seemed. After a quick blast east to Almunecar, we got on a sweeping road, which as we got higher, got twistier and twistier. It was a hard enough ride for us, let alone the many cyclists we saw pushing hard up the inclines. 

In Olivar we had to stop whilst a large group of runners crossed the road. A policeman told me, whilst we waited, it was a race. Rather them than me in 30 degrees. 

At the top of the mountain, the views were just incredible. There are no places to stop to take it in though and the next bend keeps you focused on tarmac, rather than the vistas. I did stop once though. As I rounded a bend, there on the road in front of me, was a brown snake, about 80cm long I estimate. As I stopped, it slithered off, at great speed, into the verge. 

It seems that for most of today's ride we have been riding through olive groves.  We must have passed millions of them and we are still surrounded by them. Just like the quintas in Portugal or the Spanish wine houses, there are olive estates. I've never seen anything like it before.

Plenty of olive trees but the trees (threes) in the title, were, firstly, a Uk plated Triumph Rocket III and secondly, the three minutes I waited for Sanch near the bottom of the mountain. 

Once I get in a rhythm and am focused on the job in hand, I may as well be on my own. Sanch has his own pace through the twisty stuff and enjoys it just as much, it's just slower than mine. Fair play though, the Shadslow isn't really suited to those sorts of roads, so he does ok.

In fact he does more than ok, as he clocked up 50,000 miles on today's trip, though that carries it's own back story.

End of Day 19

Walked down to the seafront, about 15 minutes, in 34 degrees. Mad! Found a bar for an Alhambra beer, then checked on google for best places to eat near us. Happened to be a German place 2 doors down. Staff were German and most of the clientele were German too. Turns out, they were there to watch the German ladies v Sweden in World Cup quater final. Unfortunately, Sweden won. Incidentally, I sussed what our hosts 'team meeting' was about. Holland v Italy in another ladies quarter final. Really!

2 more beers, to wash down gyros for me and pork schnitzel for Sanch. Sanch not keen on uphill walk back to the hotel, so search was on for a taxi rank. Non found. Sanch was buying tobacco for his daughter and asked the shopkeeper where we could get a taxi. The guy took out his phone and called one for us. Gent.  3 minutes later we were in the cab and a few more later at the hotel, €7.50 lighter for the 1.5km experience.

It is now 21:30 and Sanch is already in bed and snoring away. Creature of habit. It's not like we've had a long riding day.

Tomorrow we start the trek back up through Spain. We have about 205km to go, to La Carchel, which appears to be just a hotel and fuel station in the middle of nowhere.

We passed the half way point in mileage, 2145 miles for me, a few days back now and we'll be two thirds through the length of the tour tomorrow evening too. Seems to be flying by.

I checked Ginny's oil level again today. Still OK, so not sure where 1 ltr every 800 miles came from.

Till tomorrow.

Arrived in Torrox Costa

Fuelled up, pay first place (I hate them) then had a short ride to our hotel. Run by a Dutch couple, so suitably laid back. They wanted to know what time we were arriving, as apparently they were having a staff meeting. Huh? Seems to be only the two of them, Saskia & Vince. Maybe it was just their time for sexsh!

We're in the garden, under a huge rubber plant/tree, chilling out with some beer and snacks from the self service bar. It's all got a bit too much for the old fella though.

Poor old soul

Later we'll take a stroll down the seafront in search of dinner. My 24 hour fast ended at brekkie, so I'm monitoring how I'm feeling in case the reflux issue resurfaces.

Ayrton Cepsa

Left Ronda with less fuss than our arrival and were soon on some nice sweeping roads, at our usual steady 80kph. That's plenty fast enough to be economical and allow time to  see what is around us. It does frustrate the locals though.

Now, Sanch can be pretty slow at times (I've seen grannies on mobility scooters quicker) but I doubt even he was expecting some would be racing driver, to overtake him in a petrol tanker! Not content with the Shadslow, he thought he'd take Ginny as well. Slight problem, there was a coach approaching from the opposite direction. Discretion being the better part of valour, I rolled off the throttle to give Ayrton the space to get back in. A bit of a crazy move to say the least. 

Our first stop is at Fuente de los 100 caños. A huge concrete fountain basically, with 100 outlet pipes (not counted) fed by spring water. We nearly ended up in someone's garden, as tomtom told us to turn right into their driveway but we were soon on track again. What looked like being another off road adventure though turned out ok, as the road, surprisingly, turned from gravel to concrete, albeit with some steep sections. Whilst we are here, a couple of guys have arrived in vans loaded with 5 litre bottles and are filling them, despite signs saying water quality can't be guaranteed. I guess they know though. I've topped up the hyperkewl. 

We have a fuel stop before we reach our digs in Torrox Costa. Should be a short riding day.

Fuente de los 100 caños

Ronda

Arrived here in Ronda. Another good ride until we hit the usual road closure tomtom shenanigans. Managed to suss alternative though, after 2 circuits of housing estate. 

Almost had an incident by the hotel though, rode up onto the pedestrian area, to see 'road' hotel is located on, full of dining tables. Stopped, put foot down onto slippery bloody marble! Could have been interesting. 

Back to the cobbled street we just stopped on the roundabout and I went to hotel, where manager directed me to the garage. It's another pay to park but honestly have no idea where we'd leave them otherwise. Inside, the manager has an immaculate Seat 600L. And it's very secure, as he needs to unlock the lift to go down to the garage.

Off out to do some sightseeing and get Sanch a beer. I'm off beer and food for today at least.

Fantastico

What a brilliant ride that was, from Ubrique to Zahara. Twisty as hell with huge mountain climbs and descents. Some billiard table smooth (as a high percentage of Spain's roads are), some bumpy as f*ck. The bonus though, these incredible vistas. Around almost every corner, you want to stop and take a photo but there isn't space to stop, nor in a lot of cases, anything to stop you going over the edge!

Note the road waiting for us

At the end of the CA9104 is a beautiful little village, Zahara, perched on a hill and overlooking the most gorgeous turquoise lake. It's a view to die for.

We've nabbed a parking space, after negotiating the tiny cobble streets (cobbles?, nae problem pal) and are now at a cafe in the square. 

Next stop is Ronda. That will have to go some to be Zahara.

Note: if some pics look strangely squashed, you'll need to click on them to get their full magnificence. 

Day 18

Not a good night. Suffered for stuffing myself on buffet, more indigestion/reflux. No brekkie.

Tomtom started our day by taking us along the coast road, over the narrowest cobbled bridge and through the massive oil/petrol storage tanks! Then, however, it took us up some glorious fast sweeping roads and then on into the mountains, where we we treated to some superb vistas.

Stopped for fuel and drink in a village called Ubrique. Got another stop before we get to Ronda. Hotting up nicely, high 20s. Just like home 😀

Brits

Popped up the road to take some better snaps of the rock and get a couple of beers in. What a deflating experience. Bar full of east enders, brummies, etc. Barely heard any english speakers for two weeks.  Come to the costas and we may as well have been in Chatham. Can't wait to move up country. 

Back at the hotel we indulged in the buffet dinner, as the bar didn't have any fish for fish 'n' chips! Luckily for Sanch the buffet had fish. It was like groundhog day watching Sanch, as the second plate he had, looked exactly the same as the first, piles of fish with chips.

When we left the restaurant we split. I went to the room, Sanch to get some water. A bit later I'm checking the phone and I see a message, "let me in". Bearing in mind the old sod has his own keycard, I remind him of our room number (323) and that he has a key. After a few minutes, he enters the room. He says he's been banging on the door for me to let him in, as the key didn't work..... of room 223!  Now if I hada € for every time he's called me dozy bollix this trip, the dozy bollix!

Now time for bed. Sanch already snoring, seconds after his head hit the pillow . Disco booming out downstairs but I'm feeling tired, so don't expect it'll take long for me to go off.

Tomorrow we head into the hills, to Ronda. 

Found in hotel 'library'

The Rock

Checked in the hotel. As before, furthest room from the lifts but it is a suite, not just a room and has a double aspect and balcony.

Bikes are safely tucked away in the basement car park. It costs but better than leaving on the street.

Getting here from Tarifa was yet another adventure. Unfortunately for us, tomtom doesn't understand some of  these roundabouts. Turn left on the roundabout she says, ok, except it is more a junction where you have to turn right and loop across the main carriageway.  We got there in the end but then ended up on an excursion into the hills. I thought we were done with twisty roads for now. It definitely wasn't the route I was expecting, so I assume tomtom settings took over. The highlight though, the storks nesting on all the electricity pylons. They really are quite funny.

It's a tad cooler here than it was up coast, 24 degrees. Very pleasant. The middle of country is seeing 40 degrees. We'll be heading that way in a few days.

This morning's yoghurt 😁