Spanish Figary & Other Stories

[HobbesOnTour]

Spanish Figary and other Stories…… (A Chris de Burgh reference!)

The catch-up

For anyone reading this, this adventure is a follow on from The Big, Big Trip. While the old one was posted "live" my focus is different here and this is being written up from notes taken at the time. It's not "live" from the road. I have, however, decided to write it as if it were.

I'll post updates when I can and I'm happy to answer most questions so fire away if you have any.

I don't think you need to have read the first Travelogue to follow this one but I will make references to that earlier trip. That's not me bragging or boasting - it's just the reality that this is one big, big trip for me.

I'm not sure how useful this will be to anyone planning a bike tour in Spain except for providing examples of what not to do!

I am blessed to have the time to wander freely and enough experience (and a go anywhere bike) to not be fazed by too many things.

There has been no preparation, no planning worth anything done for this trip - I am travelling effectively blind. I've discovered that I really like this method of travel.
Perhaps I'll visit a place that you're familiar with and ignore a major attraction. Maybe I'll choose one direction over another for the seemingly dumbest of reasons. Remember, I'm travelling blind and choosing to be that way, I'm riding my own tour that is less about "conventional" touring and more about uncovering a country and finding a place to live - you ride yours.

My "plan" such as it is, is to follow the route of Don Quixote by reading the book and doing my best to recreate his journey. I'm told, all in, that that's about 2500km. After that, I think it's about time I check in at home (wherever that may be) so will head north, hopefully hitting Germany, Holland and then on to Ireland. By then I hope to have a destination in Spain to return to.

I will say that Spain is wonderful for the bike tourist. Simply fantastic! So varied, so interesting and with fabulous food and coffee. However, it has been harder, much harder than I expected. Somewhere in the back of my mind I had decided that after the heat of México, the rain of Guatemala, the mountains of Colombia that Spain would be easy. It is not. But it's worth it.

Since I now have a bit of time, I've played around with the layout. You can read about how far, high high and how hot I traveled before seeing the stats. This data will now appear at the end of the day, not the start.

Each day will have a direct link to my Strava record for that day. I have no interest in cycling data but there will be a whole load more photos! And a map!
Anyone can get a Strava account free of charge and view the pictures.
Each day will only be made available to accompany this Travelogue so there'll be no jumping ahead!

I think it would be a gross abuse of the CC servers to fill them up with pictures of all the towns that I get to visit and while I could include them on Strava some pictures will need a context (and a location).
I will do some experimentation on the best way to provide this, most likely a link to a Google Photos album.

Since this is new I thought it would be an idea to bridge the old trip and the new and bring any new readers up to speed on myself and my gear.

I had decided to dump my Exped tent in Ecuador and buy a new one in Spain. I dislike the tent greatly and after an attack of ants the footprint and my own groundsheet addition have holes as does one of the internal mesh doors.

The "extra" groundsheet I had been using. Eaten through by killer Colombian ants!

The "regular" groundsheet of the tent. Fecked! By those self same feckin' Colombian ants!

My mesh door. Eaten by those feckin' ants! I consider myself very lucky to have awoken when I did otherwise I was in a spot of bother!

​

However, in researching flights (and being reluctant to book a flight from Quito while still in Colombia just in case of border issues) I discovered that given the extra purchase of baggage for an economy flight the difference between it and a promotional Business Class fare (with ample included baggage and a no-hassle-with-baggage-over-the-limit policy) was approximately what I expected to pay for a tent. The Exped will live on and I had a very comfortable flight!

I replaced the cassette and chain on Roccado in Quito.
The front wheel has been on since México, the rear changed for a second hand one in Colombia. Cheapy front brakes replaced the Deore ones I added before I left. Excessive sweat and the lack of cable protectors lead to abrasions on the top tube and Roccado now boasts an eccentric colour scheme since Colombia. He's also been welded (Colombia) and is as good as new.

The mighty, mighty Roccado. A quarter of a century old, the runt of the litter, but the greatest of travelling companions.

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[Spoiler Alert!] When I was attacked in Ipiales the bike landed on the left (non drive) side and my Trangia set got a bit bent. The two halves no longer fit as well together. Still functional, but not perfect.
Ipiales also saw the zip on my Arkel handlebar bag give up the ghost. It's now held in place with some elastic cord. Asking a few luggage repair places in Quito didn't help. Arkel will replace the zip - for a fee but I need an address for that!

I do not travel light!

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Sometime after Medellín my charging system stopped working. The light works fine but the usb charger was dead. Not particularly concerned I didn't pay too much attention as it could be a wiring issue (I have a spare), a connection issue (I have spares) or the usb port itself - I hope not, I've no spare.
Getting Roccado ready for the boxing I realised a slight cost to my decision to run the light cable (from hub to front light) through my rack. Yes, it certainly helped protect the cable but since there's no easy way to disconnect cable from light and the connectors are soldered on the other end of the wire the cable needed to be snipped to remove the rack.
Son use a coaxial cable so I'll need a specialist to hook both up again (like in Charleston) but in the meantime, using a new cable I have my USB charging back.

Due to the loss of my Google account I've lost whatever (little) research I had managed to do. I'll be arriving in Spain with not much more than an Osmand map where the Pueblos Más Bonitos are marked and whatever bike routes, mainly Camino routes, I have been able to download. It's actually quite exciting looking at a blank map and starting to fill it in! Best of all, in Spain, I'll be able to use Cycle Travel my favourite route planner again.

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Speaking of electronics, Gizmo has started to act strange. It can take two or three attempts to load a route before I can see it. Since I was in Ecuador I wasn't too worried - Ecuadorian maps are often commented on as being problematic. However, the problems continue in Spain. If I had access to good WiFi I'd do a hard reset but since I don't I'll just use the other one. The wonky one is the unit I bought when in CDMX, which was replaced when I arrived in Colombia due to the damaged back. I repaired the back myself and have continued to use it.

My point and shoot camera has been acting up and seems to be losing clarity. My new phone, bought in Ipiales, seems to have either a poor camera or some kind of defect. It can be slow to focus, sometimes throws up just coloured lines and is particularly poor in dull conditions.

Physically, my back, especially my tailbone, has been acting up a bit. I'm hoping that that's down to a few days downtime, sleeping on concrete in Quito and a general change of routine. It was a problem in my back that nearly put paid to this adventure all that time ago so I'm being particularly careful.

I also have an app for the Vias Verdes of Spain, old railway lines converted to recreational use. I'll try and hit a few of these as well.

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And there we have it - an up to date picture of the condition of bike and gear and yours truly.


Oh, mentally, I'm beyond excited to hit the road!


Enjoy!

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Madrid

Sunday I'm in love (with apologies to The Cure)

By rights I shouldn't be feeling this good.
After two and a half years on the road on the far side of the road I'm "home". Surely the hangover is going to kick in any moment now?
But I'm not home - it just feels like it.
That probably needs to be teased out but for now I find myself a little bemused that a large city that I have spent exactly one weekend in before now can feel so familiar, so comfortable.
I guess I'm a European. Europe is home. I'm home.

One of the first things I did was eat! After 6 months in Colombia where food is viewed as fuel, where seasoning is an extravagance to arrive in a place where food is to be savoured and enjoyed, where it's lubrication for social time was, quite simply, beautiful.

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It's certainly different from the Big Big Trip. It's nothing like a US city - I can walk everywhere! It's both strikingly similar to cities in Latin America, especially México, and yet so, so different.
There's something in the air here. It fills my lungs then seeps into my blood and travels through me, filling me.

The gloomy, cold, wet weather could not put me off. Madrid is a beautiful place filled with beautiful things and beautiful people. There's a wonderful lived-in elegance that charms me - and makes me feel very scruffy and inadequate! ​

My first night had me arriving at the campground in cold, dark, damp weather then racing off to a supermarket. Oh! The joy! I loaded up with meats and cheese and peppers and bread and Rioja and had a feast in my tent. Sitting on my chair in the tent with the rain falling down on the fly in the darkness I was like a King of old - astride my throne and inviting gout to visit me!

And I thought I had left Oso on the other side of the ocean!

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My first full day was a lost day. Jet lag had me awake in my tent until almost dawn. A lazy afternoon walking around the suburb of Barajas most famous for the airport.
Clean, neat, ordered it was very, very different to most of my last two years. Yet, there was something so familiar. It wasn't just the language which I'm understanding and communicating in.

A street like this is fuel to my explorer engine. I can't help looking at the bareness of the trees and seeing an invitation to return. Or maybe even to stay!

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There are two worlds merging around me and my own perspectives and perceptions are major influences.
For example, Parks and Plazas are, for me, "American" features but now I've arrived in the country that brought those to the New World.

There are wonderful spaces outdoors to explore

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I got a sim card for my phone and not a lot else was accomplished. I'd hate to be rushing around doing this, doing that. A little time to adjust, to find equilibrium is no harm at all.

I found a bar/restaurant and grazed from the tapas menu with a large "Copa de vino Tinto". It's hard to describe just how pleasurable it was. Chorizo in cider, morcilla (black pudding / blood sausage) and crusty, fresh bread that had flavour and texture. The best bread in a couple of years.
Sitting at the bar I was able to chat with the staff and even though I'm an alien I felt perfectly comfortable and at home.
It was a clean, modern place with high tech equipment, such a jump in standards to what I have become accustomed to but the warmth from the staff was the link between the old world and the new.

I'm captivated by the buildings. There's an elegance to them, but also a huge amount of individuality that speaks to me.

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The campground itself, while pretty basic, was friendly. Arriving and desperately needing a ciggie one of the staff kindly obliged. The other guests were silent and non-communicative, a bit of culture shock! I watched amused, as two or three adults led a group of about 20 pre-teen kids in setting up some tents for an overnighter - the excitement was palpable.

It's a densely populated place!

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Madrid, itself?
Ah! What can I say?

The Plaza Mayor

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First of all there was a cleanliness and order that was a borderline shock to my system. Almost no chaos!

Then there's an elegance that is stunning to me. The buildings, the trees, the people.

As something of a philistine I really appreciate the vision of those that can add subtle detail to a building and add such ...... atmosphere

There is a lot, and I mean a LOT of graffiti on Spanish walls. A lot of it is political in nature, there is a lot of tagging but there are also some fine examples of more conventional art.

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To be continued.......

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Madrid


Sunday I'm in love (with apologies to The Cure) Part II

My first day in Madrid I arrived on the Metro and as I climbed the stairs to street level and got my first glimpse of the buildings towering over me I was overcome with an excitement that I hope I can tap into until my dying day. If ever there was an urge to explore this was it.

There was no plan - just walk. So I did. I walked all over, recognising some places from before, discovering "new" places all for myself.

This was my first view (in years) of the centre of Madrid. Climbing up the stairs from the Metro station my heart started skipping and a wave of excitement washed over me.

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A sign in a restaurant that simply stated "open later" spoke so much to the urgency of time and schedule. Similarly, people, especially couples and groups walking slowly, force the traveller to either engage in focused overtaking manoeuvres or ….. adapt. Spain, it seems, is not for rushing.
I ate calamari with bread and wine. I had a café con leche, I had a bocadillo with bacon, a feast for my belly to match the feast my eyes were enjoying.

Elegance. I half expected to get a hand on my shoulder and be told that I was lowering the tone of the place!

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Even in the frigid air people were sitting out, chatting. There were tourists but not too many and while I hit some of the touristy spots, more by accident than design, my favourite places were the narrow streets where I was lost wandering around.

I want to know what's down there, over the hill

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The next day I took the bike (Sunday) and enjoyed the experience. Madrid, apparently, isn't as bike unfriendly as I was led to believe. I could explore further visiting huge parks that are respected and used.
In the cold, fresh weather they were almost nude missing a rich coating of leaves.

There is no shortage of Parks and Plazas or just areas with lots of plants. Even in the frigid, damp air they are getting use and calming, interesting places to visit. In warmer weather, places to dally.

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I won't blabber on about it but I ❤ Madrid. The only negative was that it was cold and very, very bare. So many trees without a coat, so many shrubs without colour.
I took that as an invitation to return!

Even in the cold Mother Nature could put on a show!

It seems that wherever I look there is an interesting building, tower or spire to draw me along......

People live here!

Which way to go?

Still following spires on the other side of the world!

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In truth, I very nearly stopped this figary before I started. Perhaps the city itself, perhaps after so long on the road the itch to settle down for a while was agitated but I did sit down and work out a plan for staying here.

Then I went back to the campground and set about getting organised for hitting the road! Ha! Plans!

The Don & Sancho. The start of a new adventure!

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Madrid: The Photo Album

https://photos.app.goo.gl/r3Edv6j3Vc7wWmoZ7

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 1 Monday, March 28 2022

On the hunt for the Don

It's good when the Touring Gods smile upon us. It's even better when the sun does the same! According to the weather forecast on my phone today would be warmer and the sun would make an appearance. A good omen for hitting the road. One of the very friendly men in the campground though, suggested rain was forecast.

Bare and cold but the sun was shining and leaving Madrid was a whole lot easier than I had expected

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The clocks have jumped forward too, so the sun was late rising. In fact, I had popped awake at about 3:30 am, excited and anticipating hitting the road, so the late light really made little difference - I was already awake and eager. I got up when it was bright enough to function, made coffee and started sorting out the chaos that had been strewn about inside my tent.

I haven't cycled in these conditions for a while and needed to readjust what went where. That done it was a matter of drying out the tent - dew had left it soaking.

It really didn't take too long to be out in the countryside

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Then a chat with an English guy in a Camper van and I was ready to hit the road. But to where?

I am spoiled for choice. I really, really am! There are wonderful roads to everywhere! I had decided to loop Madrid and camp up in a campground on the other side of the city. Then I'd hop on a short "Via Verde", some backroads and arrive in Toledo in a couple of days. From there I'd pick up the trail of Don Quixote. I'd made contact with the campsite through WhatsApp yesterday to check they were open and took tents, then asked what it cost and if the restaurant was open. This morning a reply which consisted of just the website URL. Feck that! Not going to such an uncommunicative place. Toledo it is!

Very, very pleasant reintroduction to this bike touring lark

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I had searched (on the old phone) about cycling in Madrid and I recall not being encouraged by what I read. Perhaps I misunderstood, perhaps it's out of date but I left Madrid on a series of interconnecting cycle paths that were an absolute pleasure to ride planned on my favourite planner CycleTravel.
I detoured when it suggested I cross under a dodgy looking underpass but used Osmand to see a cycle route that looped around to bring me to the same spot. It also had the advantage of bringing me past a suburb where I could find a coffee and a bite to eat.

Ha! Where's that rain?

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Then I was out in the country, following a río through a park with friendly folk and chattering, singing birds. Within 50km I was on the backroads! Stopped for a photo three old men stopped for a friendly chat. They took it in turns to heft the bike. Some things never change!

Once out of the city with its roundabouts and traffic lights cycling became easier. Then I had the public space, shared respectfully between cyclists, pedestrians, dogs and kids. Then I moved on to a dedicated cycling path beside a main road, easy, safe, fast and a tad less stimulating. Then I was on back roads in the adventure zone!

And out into the country we go!

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Patches of mud livened things up - the weather is going to be important for a while - and although the road was away over there I could still pick out the sounds of traffic on the wind. I had rabbits and hares and singing birds for company and olive trees to listen to my singing. They looked old before I started singing before anyone comments!

A bit dull...... but speedy

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There was something so, so familiar about this cycling yet so, so different from anything recent. I haven't been in this part of Spain before but it was like I had been. I felt comfortable, safe and excited to explore. The only downside was the number of irritating black flies that seemed to descend on me if I stopped or even slowed down.

A very pleasant park. In my head the dream was to sit and read my book and connect what I was seeing with what I was reading. The reality is that it was bloody cold!

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My first town was San Martín de la Vega, a town that left me unimpressed on arrival. For a start, everything seemed closed. There were very, very few people around. A pretty church was closed. I have become so used to arriving and being overwhelmed with the life, the chaos, the activity and seeking out the relative tranquility of the Plaza that this was ..... unexpected and disappointing.

Sigh. With little comfort from sitting and reading I had to ride.

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Ready to set off I resisted that urge and instead headed for a now invisible spire that I had spotted on the way into town but couldn't be the one on the pretty church.
And that's where the magic happened. Bumbling along trying to respect the one way system on the narrow streets I got to see the real town away from the big road running through it.

Today's a longish day. I need to hurry. Feck that!

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To be continued........

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 1 Monday, March 28 2022

On the hunt for the Don Part II

Not bad cycling at all!

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They didn't build straight streets in the Spain gone by. I angled this way and that. They kept their streets narrow too so I weaved from one side to another to get the full perspective. And they built beautiful churches.
They also have ruins! Lots of ruins! I'm not talking old castles, just "normal" buildings fallen into disrepair.
I found them captivating. Unexpected. Real. A living history right there beside a perfectly functional building. I spent far too much time wandering around but couldn't help it, finding an open shop and buying some meat, cheese and bread and eating opposite the church.

I may not be terribly high but the views can be interesting

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Leaving town was a bit tricky since the "road" was a bit rough but I managed. Nothing like a bit of adventure to aid the digestion! This was a cross country trek through interesting landscapes that were not flat. I was enjoying it but was also conscious of the long day I had and I wasn't too disappointed to hit a big main road and put the foot down.

I seemed to alternate between big roads and adventure roads. And where's that rain?

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Another empty town sidetracked me for a while and left me feeling a bit ..... empty. Stopped, it's not exactly warm and that is taking getting used to. With no café open and no people around I feel a bit weird. This will take getting used to. The Plaza here was open and empty. Very, very empty. For me, Plazas represent the beating heart of the community so a Plaza like this suggests death. This is all familiar yet is going to take a lot of getting used to.

I was finding it hard to believe that I had started in such a big city

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I was making decent time on the big road and considered ignoring Gizmo when he directed me off road but I'm glad I listened. Asphalt turned to gravel, then to sand and occasionally mud but in return I got to see Toledo rising up, Krakatoa-like in front of me. Toledo has an unmistakably Medieval skyline and looking at that rising up over a muddy, sandy, gravelly track was far more authentic than anything the big road could deliver.

Great fun through great country

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I could stop and savour it whenever I liked, so I did - frequently. I even got held up by medieval traffic - a farmer and his goats! He encouraged me to cycle past but I was in no hurry.

On the "medieval road" to Toledo. Excitement is off the charts.

It's something I remember vividly from my Camino trip - towns looming up in the distance. Then I was seeing the same sights as pilgrims had seen for hundreds of years. I find it incredibly exciting.

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Seemingly from nowhere I was at the city walls. Yep! It has walls! And a castle! And gates! And everything that could fire up the imagination on a block of wood. Under a bit of time pressure I didn't go in but did explore a little on the outside. Not for the first time in my biking career I imagined myself astride a horse - an illusion shattered by several steep hills!

This bridge wasn't just old....... it felt old!

Spain really does try to deliver the authentic experience! Medieval traffic jam!

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Toledo looks amazing! I can't wait to explore, but first out to the campground and get settled.

OK, the roundabout is pretty new but arriving to a city with city walls and gates to enter? On my first day? The Touring Gods are beaming down on me! I'm still the luckiest fecker on two wheels

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Osuna Campground, Madrid to Toledo 114 km Total KM 114
Min meters 462, Max Meters 730
Total Climb 703, Total Descent 802
Min Temp 09 Max Temp 28 Ave Temp 20

See the (approximate) CycleTravel Route here:

See the Strava Pictures here:

The towns along the way
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FZeeLvZPHFTdgvr99
https://photos.app.goo.gl/b4BnPRScfHmUrbfK7

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Days 2-4 March 29-31 Toledo

Holy Toledo, Batman!

Toledo is overwhelming.
I think it would be reasonable to expect myself to be a bit jaded of "exploring" by now but from the moment I could make out some kind of a castle looming out of the hill that Toledo has been built on my blood has been pumping.

The excitement inspired by this view yesterday was not misplaced!

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I missed the hourly bus from the campground and was facing into the boring 3km walk back to town less than optimistically. As I walked past the bus stop a bus pulled up. "Are you going to the city centre?", I asked, more in hope than expectation since the bus was facing the wrong way. "SÍ", was the friendly reply. Spain. The land of mañana. Bus timetables are an outline, not a schedule!

The old Royal Palace. Visible from miles away

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We went away from the town, looped around and came back in again past the campground. Hopping out at the old town I just had to walk back and enter through a small gate I had spotted. I stepped into another world.

The Cathedral. Opulent. And horrible. I'm an outsider with that attitude biut something really, really rubbed me up the wrong way.

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To say that Toledo is old is to say that a bike is a combination of frame, wheels, pedals and chain. It's true but it misses out the feelings that can be inspired..
Toledo is old. More importantly, it feels old.

Toledo is a place especially suited for those with imagination. Imagination is the big, ancient, metal key, the city is the heavy lock and when the two combine an imaginary door swings open surprisingly easily to a magical place.

Surrounded by history, ancient buildings and with a head filled with images of knights I still get stuck admiring a tree! There's always a tree!

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In my first hour wandering, staring, standing still, gawping, gazing and googly-eyed I managed to move approximately 500 meters from that magical gate. I go up the Andes faster!
I've a map in my ass pocket and it can stay there. I've no interest in it right now. My wandering was simple - go uphill. I'll be glad of the descent later when I'm tired.

Streets are twisty, narrow and tall. Spires are everywhere but I quickly lose them

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My usual method of following the steeples is banjaxed! Streets are too narrow and buildings too high to see them until I get to a more open space - and then I can see them in all directions! At junctions even choosing the uphill option isn't simple as two of the four will be uphill and both will have their attractions. There is not a single uninteresting street in Toledo old town and many that are so interesting they deserve to be traversed in both directions.

See what I mean about spires? There must be something wrong with me - I'll track the spire down and then be disgusted by what's inside the building

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It's incredibly quiet and most people are in hiding. A few random tourists amble around. I have entire streets, alleys and little, tiny plazas to myself. Not an ounce of loneliness because this is what the explorer craves - space to explore. The thought did occur to me that at a different time these streets could be thronged with tourists. I wasn't missing them!
The buildings, the doors, the churches are filling my empty space. The odd tourist shop barely registers. Most of them are closed in any case.

It's difficult to describe how interesting these streets are. There is so much to see, the modern beside the ancient, the restored side by side with the ruin. Lots of great doors! And barely a soul to disturb me.

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The buildings are old and new, original and restored. They all emit character and atmosphere into this world within a world. Had I a Geiger counter I'm sure it would have been off the scale. Medieval radiation.

Bare, barren and brown but if I squint I'm a time traveller

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And there's the trees! So often bare, branches hacked off, naked, amputated stumps exposed, nude sculptures of nature against cold, hard stone. In a few months with more sun, more warmth, these will come to life, Mother Nature raising her two fingers in defiance to ourselves and our attempts to control her. There's not many so that only drew focus to the few there were.

One of many, many, many churches.

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I cut down a little alley to a closed off tiny square. Some workmen are carrying out renovations on a building exposing the original brickwork normally hidden by a more modern finish. How old is this building? I have no idea but right there in front of my eyes is some workmanship that is several hundred years old or more. The guys are using a jackhammer but there were no jackhammers when this was built. There's plumbing today and running fresh water. I don't have to look up for slops when I'm walking down these little alleys but if I stop and close my eyes ......
Magic.

The Cathedral. It had been like a quest of old to find the place, catching glimpses of the spire from time to time but being diverted by twisty streets and distracted by ..... just about anything really. To build something like that in a place like this is genuinely amazing.

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There's the odd car and van driving around. Nothing too big - they won't fit. The binmen use customised vans like miniatures of the ones everywhere else. I quite like the disturbance. There's something to be said for preserving the old, the ancient, yet living with it and in it. Cars parked against an ancient building speak to the contrasts, where we've come from and where we're going. For some reason the old and the new just works. One striking example is a modern escalator that will whip me up or down behind ancient walls. In some places it would be tacky. Here? It just works.


There's a stimulating view on every corner and often more than one. Taking a photo is difficult. Streets are narrow so perspective suffers. Narrow streets with high buildings cast dark shadows and patches of unbearable brightness float up high even though the sun is hidden behind thick, gloomy clouds. And there are just so many shots to take.


It didn't take long to realise that Toledo deserves more time than I'd originally planned. I'd the idea of a quick look then diving into Don Quixote. I haven't started the book yet since my current one by Martha Gellhorn is not one to be sped through and now I'm really glad that I haven't. If ever there was a city for opening an old book and sinking into its metaphorical pages (on a kindle) it's Toledo, a town full of history and character.

My favourite building - the Post Office. Yes! You post a letter in the mouth of a lion! What a fanTASTIC system! Inspired to send some postcards I forgot that I have not a single address! F**k You, Google!

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To be continued......

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Days 2-4 March 29-31 Toledo

Holy Toledo, Batman! Part II

A man on the street, a hawker for a restaurant, molests me like the other few tourists wandering around. He's selling a set menu for €10 Euros and not being spoiled for choice I wander in. I recoil at his suggestion to sit in the back with all the other tourists, plonking myself down at a high table beside the bar counter. I have to argue to remain there.
Seizing a menu for the locals I have to hold on to it as he tries to tell me "no, no no" while trying to pull it out of my fingers but he eventually relents. This menu doesn't speak to me so much as sing to me! From nowhere it seems, I can understand the words in front of me! Feck his set menu - I had a selection of tapas served by an overworked but totally in control and surprisingly pleasant woman. The local conversations going on all around me just added to the flavours.

I'm doing this all in Spanish, asking questions, understanding answers. It's opening doors that before scared me and kept me quiet like a mouse. My Spanish is nowhere near fluent but I can communicate and that feels so good! Especially when it gets me such delicious food.

Toledo is not a town for a bike! I barely fitted down there, turning sideways!

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Outside the hawker is having to work hard, varying his approach to locals and visitors - there's not many of the visitors. Typically, the Spanish set menus have been excellent value in my experience but today I wanted more than just food. I wanted an experience. I went out and had one. In Spanish!

I passed a day wandering the maze of little streets, over, back, up and down. I doubled back by accident at times but at no stage was I bored. I stopped to take a photo for a family and met uncountable friendly dogs.

Things can get a bit higgeldy piggeldy!

​

It was interesting in other ways too. The Cathedral which so inspired me from a distance repelled me when I stuck my head around the door. For a start, there's an entry fee (only a small public area for locals to pray is free), then there's just the grandeur, that seemed contrived to impress and intimidate. It genuinely is amazing that a Cathedral in the middle of a fortified city that is almost all stone can be so affluent inside but, for me, amazement quickly became revulsion. On the other hand, the Post Office was aesthetically pleasing for adults and great fun for kids!

Amidst all the stone a bright, vivid, chaotic corner of Nature. I loved it for its untidiness!

​

I did stop off at a health centre to enquire about a COVID booster shot to be told of another clinic in the new town where it might be possible. Out with Google maps and I barrelled off with a destination in mind for the first time all day. Then I stopped. I'd no passport with me. I'd need that. Tomorrow! And back to the exploration.

I love the doors!

​

The next day was a little less medieval magic and more 21st century efficiency. I got my COVID shot (free of charge) even though there will be problems registering it - my vaccination situation is hardly typical. As I said to the nice lady expressing concern about the documentation I'd rather the boost and worry about the papers later.

There's not a lot of street art in the old town but those medieval vandals left their mark!

​

I treated myself to a delicious, but simple dinner in a locals kind of place. My own half bottle of wine to wash everything down. The touristy places (the ones that are open) just don't speak to me. I don't want an English menu with pictures. I want to be surprised, or guess. And learn. Toledo taught me about migas - breadcrumbs. Sound boring? With onion, Spanish jamon (ham) and seasoning a very tasty bit of food.
I am (normally) the most unadventurous eater in the world. Not anymore!

One of the few touristy shop open. Yep. You can buy your own armour, swords and lances. Swords I can understand. Even armour - if ou have the space it'll make an interesting decoration. But a feckin' lance? Whoi needs one of those??? Other stores had kids swords, made from wood. I was so, so tempted to get one to strap on the bike!

Sometimes I'd pop out somewhere and get a view of the skyline

There's not many trees.........

​

On a whim, I decided to take an extra day, figuring that after the shot a bit of a rest would be no bad thing. I got to patch up the tent and my panniers as best I could. The repairs to the groundsheet were necessary (after the Colombian Mountain ants!) because the tape was peeling off. My "new" panniers, not the Classics, are showing far more signs of wear and tear. Lesson learned! Stick with the Classics. I also took advantage of the relative dryness to reorganise my packing system, something that I couldn't do properly in Madrid due to the rain and wet ground.

It gets well lit up at night! This is actually looking from the old town across the river - to another castle!

​

Now I was ready to shadow the Don!

Toledo 0 km Total KM 114


Toledo Outside
https://photos.app.goo.gl/SLXx3R9HdsKcm7Bx5

Toledo All
https://photos.app.goo.gl/RwBmVznpZ5btfprp9

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 5 Fri April 1

On the road with Sancho

I hadn't been terribly impressed with the campground in Toledo. It was certainly busy, filled with campervans and my pitch was on very hard, bare earth in a corner. I was lucky! I had earth!
Of course bare clay meant that millions of ants were living under and all around me! There was a time when such a thought would have horrified me and I'd have tossed and turned all night with phantom ants crawling all over me but my attitude to ants (and other beasties) has changed somewhere along my journey. Live and let live is the motto now. Check for likely nests and don't bother them.

There was a restaurant but very limited and no shop which was unfortunate because of the location a few Kms outside of town. And it had a long steep drive to get out!

It's not easy to leave Toledo but one advantage is the fantastic view she gives. I'll be back!

​

I took a bit of time packing up and then Toledo itself slowed me down as I had to circle around about half of it, always climbing. There's a shortage of campgrounds in these parts and I'm hoping to pitch my tent in a campervan area further down the road.

I set off in great form - there's nothing like a Medieval City to fire up the juices. Toledo was magical and I'll be back. If there was anything lingering in the back of my mind about Madrid, any doubts about going forward Toledo turned out to be the antidote. A total surprise, a wonderful, charming surprise and a timely reminder that wonders are everywhere. Enthusiastic is what I was!

Time for a new travelling companion! Here's Sancho! Often the Don is featured (as here) and poor Sancho Panza is a footnote. I tend to root for the underdog

​

* Don't get too attached to Sancho! I thought he was made of wood. In fact, he was porcelain - I'll save you the distress of just how I discovered that little fact!

There was a bit of traffic on the narrow roads but all respectful and only the constant climbing was a bother.


It didn't take too long until CT was pulling me off the road and onto some proper roads! My kind of roads!

From now on I'm going to try to follow the route of the great Don Quixote. If you have a look you'll see a few versions of "official" routes for bikes, cars and motorcycles. My goal is different! I'm going to read the book and go where he goes! What could be simpler than that?
This was out in the country touring. Rolling plains, big fields and no-one around. Don Country! Very enjoyable.

Gnarly old olive trees, gravel "road" and the only souls were in my imagination!

​

Namboca was my first biggish town and of course, I hit it when it was empty! I felt a bit more comfortable than previously and started to enjoy poking around. The silence can be a bit unsettling, though. There isn't a sound. No TVs. No radios. No fights. No passions. No snoring! A lot of the doors have curtains over them, presumably to keep out the dust.

A bigger road was in front of me but since a newish motorway has been built I had this pretty much too myself as well! I can't be complaining.

You know what a big, empty road looks like. Do you know what a Don Quixote road looks like? Now you do!

​

I was enjoying the countryside and the fact that other than the roads and a few power lines not a lot has changed since the Don came this way but then on the horizon there appeared a portal directly back to the Don's time.

Almonocid de Toledo looms out of the ground like only a Spanish town can and I'm pretty sure that its skyline hasn't changed much in the intervening time. For the full, immersive experience I hopped off the main road and like Toledo, I approached as if on a horse.

Carlsberg don't do the approaches to Spanish towns....... But if they did......

​

Fan-Bloody-Tastic! This isn't seeing a town, this is feeling a town.

Unfortunately, everything was closed and no-one was around! It's not particularly big and since the castle (ruins) are up a steep hill I set off again after a picnic on a bench. About the only human in town, an old man, came over for a chat. The usual. Where was I from. Going to Santiago? I'm sure he thought I was a loon because I was grinning the whole time. Here I am in a little town chatting to a local in his language. So simple. So unbelievably satisfying!

Don Country! I heartily recommend it!

​

Mascarque was more interesting down the road. At least here the castle was in the town. Unfortunately, it's private.

Then on down the big road to Mora, an important town in the olive business. It was starting to come back to life after Siesta but I wanted to keep on rolling.

In. My. Element.

​

The landscape had changed subtley, becoming hillier and there were more varieties of colour, especially as the sun was sinking.

Vianueva de Bogas was the next village. Small and quiet but after here I was on smaller, more interesting roads all the way to Tembleque. Now, this is where I started to get a bit unsettled since it was long past the Siesta time and the town was still deathly quiet.

Ha! I call this a "big road" The only big thing was the view!

​

I set off on the last leg back on a proper road with the sun casting my shadow well in front of me. I arrived in Villacañas and headed for the campervan area. Oh dear! This wasn't going to work! Just an open, exposed and dusty area beside the railway lines. I wasn't going to feel comfy nor safe here. Booking didn't have a lot of options so I hit a couple of hotels but they were full. Frankly, I was surprised. I could see no reason why they would be full. In the end I reverted to Booking and had no choice but to pay a hefty price for what turned out to be a chalet amongst a block of them on the edge of town. Even that was awkward as I had to pick up the keys at a restaurant in the centre of town.

With such an empty landscape I could start to understand the Don's pretty active imagination

​

I took a wander around town later but it was deathly quiet. These Spanish towns are feeling very strange to me. I've become used to noise and life everywhere and at every time but here? Nada. And this a Friday night! There is a bit of culture shock.

A fortuitous pole on the side of the road gave me one of my favourite selfies ever!

​

Toledo to Villacañas 89 km Total KM 203
Min Meters 450, Max Meters 815
Total Climb 777, Total Descent 528
Min Temp 07 Max Temp 35 Ave Temp 16

Cycle Travel Route here

Strava here

Towns Along the way

https://photos.app.goo.gl/KGz1iRaR9yTTyycS9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jJ3TTn8A7Bsb8CnWA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/nJCNEZ8jECuwbRbX9
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UKLGnBPxEL65pror5
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KahsQrL9Ct6HCBRj7

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 6 Sat April 02

Goin' Underground

Setting off after a bit of underground exploration an I'm straight out into the country! Don't let the sunshine and blue skies fool you - warm it ain't!

​

I was able to make breakfast and coffee outside before I left. I also decided to investigate the town a little, to give it a second chance. My arrival last night had been late and a bit stressful. But no. Villacañas was pretty uninspiring.

Except that it has a wonderfully preserved set of underground houses! I set off to explore.

I was enjoying myself but..... couldn't help jumping forward in my mind to harvest time!

​

Now I know next to nothing about Spanish culture, have a very limited grasp of the geography and a smidgen of the history so it was a complete surprise to discover that people lived underground here (and in several other places) until quite recently. Hell, if you want to you can stay in some of these places! Not me! I'd love to spend the night in a lighthouse but under ground? No thanks!

Unfortunately, a reservation is required to get a guided tour and yours truly had no reservation. But I am lucky! And my arrival happened to be as one group was leaving but before the next group arrived. The result? A quick and personal tour for €1! He even let me wander around on my own when the new group arrived and they were getting organised.

There's not a lot going on but the colours stimulated me and away to the right is an old building. Spain is littered with these, old homesteads that speak of the past. I feel a real sense of history as I travel

​

I found it fascinating. This part of the world can face weather extremes from very cold in winter to baking heat in the summer. Underground living was a cheap way for farm labourers to make their own homes. I couldn't do it but it was interesting to see how they lived.

I set off on rough, rural roads through bare fields of vines. The morning chill was wearing off but the early part of the day felt bare. I recall thinking that I must come back for the autumn when the vines are full of juicy grapes.

There are times I'm glad that I have a gps!

​

The village of Villa de Don Fadrique barely slowed me down and I continued on through what seemed barren land. It wasn't. It just hadn't kicked into life yet. It may well seem odd that this is remarkable but I've been in a part of the world where there are really only two seasons - wet and not wet. This was "different" and, therefore, interesting. I also had a very visual explanation for all the curtains in front of doors - there are a lot of dusty fields.

Perhaps boring for some but armed with a bike that'll go anywhere and a bit of imagination......

​

The village of Quero continued with the barren theme - it seemed interminably asleep, waiting for someone to wake it up and then I was on proper, dusty backroads.

It was great cycling, the countryside drew me along if not exactly inspiring. I imagined plodding along here on a horse (or a donkey as Sancho had) and could understand the need for imagination to make it through, mentally intact!

There's a lot of roadshots today because..... there wasn't much else to see! But what great roads!

​

Here's the thing: While I am following the route of Don Quixote I do not see myself as a modern day equivalent. He's calamitous, to be sure, has a vivid imagination but in truth, I'm finding it hard to like the character. The book is turning out to be a tad more violent than I expected and the Don a tad less likeable. Sancho's my man.

Looking down on Campi de Criptana (not bike tourist friendly!). I can get lost for ages just looking at the details of the town, how higgeldy piggeldy they can be. Then I go into the own and get literally lost for ages!

​

I think everyone knows the story of Don Quixote mistaking windmills for giants and attacking them. Tilting at windmills. What's possibly less well known is the exact location of these windmills. In fact, quite a few places lay claim to them. One of them is Campi de Criptana and I arrived there to quite the tourist trap. The windmills are pretty though. The town itself is steep and narrow with lots of cobbles. Loaded bike tourists beware! I had been hoping to avail of their Campervan area but it was nothing other than a car park. And exposed. In a place with lots of windmills. Not exactly tent friendly!

Spying these dragons I armed myself and attacked!

​

I continued on.

I think I spent more time admiring a large industrial building on the far side of town than I did the windmills! It had a huge, bright and very unusual mural that grew clearer as I approached. I can't quite say what it is depicting but I love the effort made to brighten up an otherwise ugly building. The world's worst bike tourist strikes again!

Now, this I loved! I'm leaving one of the most visited towns in Spain, home to a scene famous around the world and feeling meh but a bright, childish mural on an ugly building plasters a ginormous smile on my face! The duplicate eyes are weird, I have no idea what it's supposed to represent but it roars originality. This is the kind of thing I love about this wandering around - I have no idea what I'm going to find!

​

Now it was getting late and I was on more backroads. I hit the quiet town of Pedro Muñoz and set about finding a hotel room. I found one much cheaper than last night. Roccado in a store room and a friendly bar tender.
It's a good thing he was friendly since I felt extremely uncomfortable at the bar!
I'd showered and changed into my long pants but the bar counter had lights underneath it that exposed the ill effects of hand washing my trousers across a couple of continents. They looked manky! I ate well and cheaply and savoured a young Rioja or two.

I think I'm getting good at this selfie thing! Seriously, though after so long of days being almost equal length as I approached the equator (plus the inadvisability of being out after dark) I am loving the stretch in the evenings and feeling no anxiety as the sun sinks. It's cold though!

Villacañas to Pedro Muñoz 66 km Total KM 269
Min Meters 660, Max Meters 774
Total Climb 422, Total Descent 423
Min Temp 07 Max Temp 25 Ave Temp 15

CycleTravel Here

Strava Here

The Towns Along the Way
Villacañas: https://photos.app.goo.gl/KahsQrL9Ct6HCBRj7
Villa de Don Fadrique https://photos.app.goo.gl/BXcVjzkivbX8LNcC7
Quero https://photos.app.goo.gl/ujxbsQb3xy15TxGW9
Campo de Criptana https://photos.app.goo.gl/TjuzJgvTYgeQ4U8k9
Pedro Munoz https://photos.app.goo.gl/Ba9KD5hdaeqdnvsLA

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 7 Sunday April 03

Time for Plan B

I had gone to bed last night in a very doubtful state of mind planning on letting a night's sleep filter out the chaff.
My problem was relatively simple: I wasn't particularly enjoying myself, or to describe it more accurately I felt like I was leaving a dining room with a whole lot of dishes untouched.

It's cold. Very cold, despite the blue skies and sunshine. I like to stop, to savour, to soak but if I do I freeze. I'm not stopping and I'm leaving too much behind "on the table".
I'm pretty sure the temperature is why so many places are so dead. Perhaps I'm wrong but I'd expect a bit more life when it doesn't take being wrapped up like the Michelin man to walk down the street. I enjoy having a town to myself - for a while - but I also want to see it live. And breathe. I want to feel it. And I'm feeling little other than cold.

Heading off in the morning. It's lovely, it really is but it's not warm. There's a hefty wind that will chill me as soon as I stop. The blue and white colour scheme of the cottage is very common in these parts. I love it! My old rugby colours

​

And I was unprepared. Very unprepared. Normally, I can get a kick out of that but I have underestimated a few things about my idea to follow the route of the Don.

Firstly, I'm really enjoying the book (once the first chapter or two was out of the way) and since I'm already on the road I really should be keeping up. But, I don't want to rush the reading and the notion I had of stopping along the road or in a Plaza and reading a chapter or two remains just a notion - I'll freeze! I pass through huge expanses of area and towns with not a soul to be seen, never mind chat to and engage in a bit of conversation about the Don and his hapless sidekick.

Secondly, I need something bigger to work off than just a map on a phone. I need a proper map, a place to put notes and link the two together. Then I'll want to use that map to figure out where to go and how to go.
I'm pretty sure Cervantes never anticipated the importance of his book or that people hundreds of years hence would plot the route his hero took. To say that in places it's vague is an understatement and while specific places are mentioned it was also a bit of a surprise to me to realise that the book doesn't record just one trip! Last night I read that the Don, injured and sick, returned home to recover. This morning he set off again! A true and faithful recreation of the route is going to require a whole lot of doubling back and jumping forward again.

Finally, it really was the height of arrogance to presume that I could just pick up the book, retrace the ride and make observations as I went along!

Basically, I'm not doing the book justice and I'm not doing the country justice. I was half serious about trying to spin a book out of this but this half-assed way is most certainly not going to work.

To some it might b a dead straight, boring road but for me there's a wonderful tree and a ruined cottage to whisper tales as I cycle along

​

There's another part too. The "touring" part is lacking as well. Accommodation is expensive, camping options are few (places that do exist are closed) and wild camping is not an option in such open country. It wouldn't be that different at a warmer time either and I gather that this place can bake in the summer. Autumn would be optimum, I think.
I think it's a great idea for getting a feel for a place - a criss-crossing, roundabout, up, down and around tour. Just not right now. I also think it would be better as a joint enterprise, not a solo one.

History of all kinds is scattered around. I have no idea what the top photo was but I passed a very pleasant few minutes speculating

​

So I got up this morning and said feck it - time for Plan B.
Plan B involved heading for the heat! My poor body is in shock at the sustained cold it's suffering!
I decided to head for the southern Med. Maybe not the coast but close to it. Depending on how things are when I get there I can turn south for more warmth or north for a more manageable experience.

Now that I had a plan, leaving was the problem. I had to wait to pay so had a coffee and loaded up the bike. Then another coffee and a chat with the waiter who was a bit gobsmacked at my travels.
It's a bit weird in that I'm not sure how to answer the question "where are you coming from?" which is the same as "where are you from?"
One guy complimented my Spanish when I told him I'd been here two weeks!
Everyone is confused with my direction when I tell them I'm cycling to Ireland.
It seems like bragging if I tell them that I've been on the road two and a half years. One guy was a bit sneery suggesting that Ireland to Spain in that time was a bit ..... Slow.

After Tomelloso Cycle Travel put me on backroads and the Touring Gods made them special

​

Eventually I set off on a CycleTravel route that would bring me towards Almería. I know nothing of Almería. As is my habit these days it was not an early departure, being after 11 am.

Tomelloso would be the first big town and I was hoping that on a Sunday I might see some life! Lord knows there was little enough on the road! I was on a proper road all the way then would be going cross country after Tomelloso.

Tomelloso did not disappoint. A lovely, big town with a Plaza that had life! And people! And open places! It even had some kind of a MTB race that was either starting or finishing there. A kid's playground was busy, terraces were full of people wrapped up enjoying the sunshine. This was more like it. Except ....... There was something missing. As it turned out, it was people! As I took a little wander down side streets that were empty I realised that for the size of the town only a teeny tiny fraction of folk were actually out and about. Where is everyone else?

Passing through the country in the top photo was breathtaking! Someone once said to me "Blue & Green should never be seen" as a critique of my dress sense. She can feck right off! The trees, scattered randomly in the bottom photo intrigued me. There was no-one around to ask about them.

​

With a strong breeze blowing on the only terrace with seating I decided to move on but got sidetracked to a sunny terrace on a sheltered side street. Stopped, an older man approached and asked my destination. Hmmmm. A toughie. I didn't actually have one. "Somewhere warmer", I replied with a laugh to which he assumed I meant Seville and proceeded to give me very detailed directions to get out of town and onto the highway to Seville! Definitely his heart was in the right place and I had no intention of interrupting him even though he went on and on giving instructions all the way to the city - several hundreds of Kms away! Finished, I explained that I preferred small roads over highways and nodded happily when he said that they were very slow and meant visiting lots of towns. "Exactly!", I said, beaming that we understood each other. Except we didn't! For him, that was far too slow! Better to take the big roads and go fast.

I was glad to order a coffee. A woman served me but a man came out to chat about the bike. And my trip. And Mexicans. It was a very pleasant conversation and I found it easy enough to understand and answer as the conversation drifted from places and people to perceptions and politics.
When I was leaving he came out with a pastry for me for my journey. Ah, Sundays!

On a day like today Roccado, my go anywhere, do anything steed really comes into his own.

​

Leaving town proved more difficult when an underpass was flooded. I wasn't even tempted to try cycling through. The wind had passed through a razor blade factory and its contents were cutting at my exposed skin - there was no way I was going to risk getting wet. I looped a bit, took another road and would rejoin my planned one later.

I don't know if it was the life in the town or the random act of kindness but I was soon out in the middle of nowhere in agricultural land and in absolutely great form! Gravel became earth became sand became tractor tracks across a field became exposed rock and then back to gravel again but it was great fun. The country looked spectacular in the bright sun and it seemed like I had it all to myself.
The towns may be full of historical buildings but the countryside has its fair share too. Mostly ruins.

Plan B? Is that an admission of failure? On this road? Hell NO!

​

I rejoined a proper road and a roadie pulled in beside me for a chat. I was conscious of us riding two abreast and holding up traffic on the road (traffic is very reluctant to pass) but not a feck was given by the local.

Ruidera was next up, small and quiet but it had a campground. A closed campground!
I parked up at a bench to eat - I was starving - and another roadie pulled up for a chat. He confirmed my research that there was another campground a few Kms along the road and it was definitely open - he'd just cycled past it. He also gave me a weather forecast - snow is on the way! Inspired by my haphazard wanderings he told me that he had a dream to visit South America.

Trees! There are stories there, I am in no doubt. No-one around to tell me so I'll just make up my own

​

I had a lovely ride along a lake on twisty, turny roads that had cycle lanes on both sides that were smooth as a baby's bottom. Very pleasant moving along, but cold if I stopped. I was keeping an eye open for a likely stealth spot but with a lake on one side and a cliff on the other there was no chance.

My disappointment at leaving the backroads didn't last long

​

The campground was exposed, cold but friendly. A very pleasant lady checked me in. I set about pitching the tent, had a shower and wrapped up well. It's cold! Whereas Toledo seemed to have been set up mainly for Campervans, this was more of a traditional campground but there are no facilities for carless campers such as a picnic table. Thank feck for my chair! I set up the Trangia and cooked a simple dinner, discovering that the liter carton of vino tinto (now a staple) had leaked again (!) and quickly retired to the warmth of my tent.

At least I'm camping again and heading for somewhere warmer!

Riding along the lake. Beautiful but bloody cold!

​

Pedro Muñoz to Lagunas de Ruidera 73 km Total KM 342
Min Meters 652, Max Meters 877
Total Climb 511, Total Descent 328
Min Temp 10 Max Temp 25 Ave Temp 17

CycleTravel Here

Strava here:

The Towns Along the Way
Tomelloso: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aov8nt5R1fACFmK86
Ruidera: https://photos.app.goo.gl/uxq5HbVLCFdHBFTJA

 

[Gillstay]

The intriguing trees your seeing are Evergreen Oaks and may even be the edible version. Quercus ilex and I think edulis but a long time since I have had to recall the full name.

 

[HobbesOnTour]

The intriguing trees your seeing are Evergreen Oaks and may even be the edible version. Quercus ilex and I think edulis but a long time since I have had to recall the full name.

Thanks!
I know not much about these things but that doesn't really hinder my enjoyment of them. The quantity of these beauties suggested that they provided some function and from a quick read it seems that the acorns are used to feed animals. Given that acorn fed jamon is popular I think found their purpose!
Thanks again

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 8 Mon April 04

Plan B didn't last long!

I slept right through the windy night and it was nearly 9 am when I woke up! Ordinarily I'd be a bit annoyed at myself but given the temperature I figured I hadn't wasted any of the day. I got up and was relieved to see no snow but it sure felt cold enough and the sky was a heavily pregnant grey. I brewed up some coffee while packing up and decided to skip breakfast. Couscous with fruit and nuts is a favourite camping breakfast of mine but I'm still not in the mood for eating in the morning.

I packed up and set off, having decided to get to Ossa de Montiel for some food. It wasn't that far away ....... Or so it seemed.

The Spanish flag is prominent in most places. Certainly on the town hall, randomly on someone's house and usually on any kind of a monument. Look at that sky!

​

Gizmo was reading 4C, Google was telling me it felt like -2C and for once myself and Google were in agreement. It was the wind that did it. I was well wrapped even donning a balaclava and my gloves. I needed them! The road was quiet, interesting but hard work. Where yesterday I was cruising easily at 20kmh today it was a struggle to hit 15. Trying not to sweat my speed dropped to about 13 kmh. It was going to be a long day!

On leaving the campground the road along the lake lost the bike lanes but there was minimal traffic so it was hardly a problem for me.

​

I had decided to head to a "rest spot" on a Via Verde where I hoped to be able to stealth camp. Well, less of the stealth and more of the "who-else-is-loco-enough-to-be-out-in-this-weather" type of camping. As I slowly advanced on Ossa I was starting to think again.

The little church of the little settlement in the previous picture

​

I pulled in at the Cave of Montesinos (from an as yet unread part of the book). An information building was closed, a quick walk revealed nothing so I continued on. Arriving in Ossa I was very much in need of a warm drink and some food. But nothing was available. Nada. Zilch! On a hunch I headed out on a main road, found a filling station and located a coffee. Back into town, into a supermarket where I was treated with the utmost of suspicion while I bought some ingredients for brunch. I headed off again. With a new destination.

I am really liking the local colour schemes

​

Over my coffee I'd had a look online and saw the forecast for tomorrow - as cold but wet. Not ideal for wild camping. I'd also spied a cheap (for Spain) room on Booking in a "Pueblo mas Bonito" (a category of especially pretty towns in Spain. I have them all marked off on Osmand and will try to hit as many as possible). It's a bit out of my way (as if I have a real destination) but it's reachable. I should also reconsider my plan to head north on the Via Verde - the wind is shocking!

At the Cave of Montesinos. Featured in the book there's some kind of interpretive centre (closed) and damned if I could find the cave!

​

I declined the option of backroads today. It was too cold, too windy and I was already going too slow for my liking. The "main" road it was, with its traffic at the rate of about one vehicle every ten minutes! The wind was the issue. Blasting it was, diagonally across me and slowing me right down, at times threatening to blow me off the road. As the road twisted and turned it veered from helping me along to hindering me. The one articulated truck that passed me (oh! I'm in a different world!) nearly had me spinning in a mini tornado that it created - no fault of the driver as he'd overtaken me on the far side of the road.

There's one thing about this part of Spain - the roads are straight! Very straight! And long! On a warmer day I'd have really enjoyed this. I was travelling through farming country with a pretty impressive range of colours but today my focus was on making progress - enough to keep me warm, not enough to have me overheating. Stopping was out of the question since I froze if I did. That was a particular shame as the straight run to Villahermosa was dominated by the church seemingly positioned at the end of the road. It would have made an interesting series of shots as I got closer moving from a distinct blur to ever increasing clarity but it was just too damn cold! Even looking too intently caused my eyes to water and my cheeks to freeze with the resulting tears! I may have said it before but approaching a Spanish town is pretty alluring in my world and the approach to Villahermosa was particularly alluring given that the church dominated the horizon and seemed to be the end of the road.

The church in Villahermosa. I had seen it from miles away, growing larger and clearer in the icy air. I have hardly any pictures from the road so cold was it.

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Of course, it wasn't. I had to meander through some streets to find it, actually losing sight of the spire as I did so. Pretty amazing, that! I could see it from miles away but lost it as I closed in! I'm feckin' hopeless!


Of course, the Plaza, like the town was dead. I was the only human. Hell, I was the only living thing - it's not like there were any dogs or cats out and about. After a few photos some people left a café that had seemed closed. I hightailed it over just as a man was leaving. Grumpy fecker that he was he growled a "No" to my excited question if they were open. He meant "No", or "NO!" but it sounded like "hhhNo", a deeply guttaral (and disgusted) negative response that started deep in his throat - all the better to get some force into it! He didn't so much as look at me.

Semana Santa. I should have paid more attention

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I set off again and for a few Kms I had a direct and ferocious tailwind. On a warmer day it would have been exhilarating but I needed to keep pedalling to keep warm. Flying into Fuenllana I was able to maintain 25kmh along the main Street thanks to the wind. I meandered off in search of the church and found myself really admiring the little town. Booking had nowhere to stay here and I saw nothing so booked the cheapy place I'd spotted in Villanueva de Los Infantes while doing my best to shelter from the wind in a little Plaza. The only human I'd seen in the town came over to tell me there was a space behind the Plaza where I was welcome to shelter which I thought was very kind.
(He returned a few minutes later, apologising for bothering me but to tell me that I really was most welcome to shelter around the back. I checked it out and it turned out to be an indoor municipal sports area. Had I not just made a reservation I think I had a place to sleep!)

Clearly, the Don is important for tourism and lots of places will sticka picture or statue of him outside. Rarely Sancho, though. Poor Sancho

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I wandered the mazey little streets really getting a feel for the place despite the fact that I was the only person around. There was a wonderful view across farmland towards Villanueva de Los Infantes.

Looking for the church I met another man who had been chasing his lost hat (the wind!) and dropped his keys. I called him back and handed over his keys and made an instant friend! He walked me to the church (it's a convent and I'd already been there) but showed me the "open" door to push to let me in. Then he walked me to to the street to take me to "Infantes" (as the locals call it). He couldn't have been kinder.
Sneaking into the church I was charmed by its simplicity. White walls, wooden beams above and a simple, clear altar. My kind of church. For a little town with nothing going on it left a very warm impression on me on such a cold, inhospitable day.

There's two roads in this photo, both heading to Los Infantes. I was so cold, I, unusually, took the main one

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Onwards to Infantes with a crosswind. It was a relief to arrive in the Plaza a little after 5pm and see the optimistic sign of a smoker outside a café! Coffee!! Yaaaaay! I had two and set off for my Booking reservation.

Hmmmmm. A room in someone's house. Basic, a little odd but it's home! A hot shower, a lot of clothes and off out to explore.

Villanueava de los Infantes, a Pueblo Más Bonito. It was indeed pretty but of far more importance it had an open café and coffee!!

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Lagunas de Ruidera to Los Infantantes 58 km Total KM 400
Min Meters 818, Max Meters 957
Total Climb 756, Total Descent 692
Min Temp 03 Max Temp 17 Ave Temp 06

CycleTravel Here
Strava Here

The Town along the way
Villahermosa: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4kkbmgGLBGDnznoe6

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 09 Tues April 5 Snowed in in Villanueva de los Infantes

Thank feck I wasn't camping!

I gave the town a good going over last night walking from end to end and side to side. Walking was the key - it was bloody cold! An interesting town with lots of interesting buildings, it drew me along. A huge, huge church (visible from miles away) was at the centre and really dominated the town. I couldn't really fault the townspeople for not being out and about in these temperatures so I was pretty much alone for a lot of my explorations.

An interesting, but bare, Plaza on the far side of town with a little church (Ermita). Empty, cold and without another soul it was lacking life.

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I ate a menu del Día (three courses, great value) in a café on the Plaza before retiring to my odd little AirBnB.
It's a room in someone's house, the bed is single, small and lumpy and the room is cold. And every little noise is heard. There are other guests too, Ukrainians, I believe.

The impressive church in Los Infantes. Huge, it's visible for miles. Again and again, approaching Spanish towns my mind wanders back to the time when people travelled on foot, on horseback and what an impression such an imposing building must have had.

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I woke up early enough and stayed in bed trying to stay warm. Eventually I gave up the fight and started to get dressed. As I put on my clothes the snow started to fall.

My infatuation with doors has carried over from the Latin world. Original or not, I know not, but I find them very impressive and as well as being full of detail they are full of history. I am particularly amused to see modern locks, intercoms and the like attached. The old and the new.

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Fall is such a lazy word.
In the US "Fall" suggests leaves falling to the ground, a gentle image (although the reality can be quite different)
In this case "fall" is more like a torrent, a deluge.
It was pelting down and the ground was becoming white before my eyes. I didn't like the look of this at all!
Within half an hour there was a healthy, white carpet on the ground. I dug into my panniers and ate some tortilla wraps and when I was finished had decided that I was going nowhere today!

Amidst all the restored, gleaming buildings there are always others, sometimes ruins, that seem more real. I like the weather-beaten, the worn-with-age, the barely-hanging-on.

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This time yesterday I had been heading to a wildcamp. Thank feck I changed my plans!

I went looking for someone to talk to, found them, paid up and returned to the room donning all my warm clothes. Internet was poor so I had an unsettling and slightly frustrating day reading my book as the snow just built up and up.
Late in the afternoon it stopped almost as suddenly as it started, leaving a good half meter of snow on the ground. This is not what I was expecting in Spain!

I do like the "Juliet" balconies, these accompanied here with gates for livestock

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Later, hungry and bored I set out to explore.

The first thing was the total stillness and silence. I thought it was just good insulation in the house but no - not a sound was heard except for me crunching, slipping and swearing as I made my way along.
There had been no snowploughs anywhere, the only clearing being done by the odd car. A family was having great fun in the Plaza making snowballs and I ate in the same place as last night. Cold! And my feet were soaked too!

A Plaza near to where I was staying - before the snow! I can't help but feel that I am missing something when these places are so empty. That's why I've left the route of the Don. I'm looking for a bit of life.

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There was no point in taking anything other than the most direct route home so I did, the horrible thought dawning on me that I may be stuck here tomorrow too!
Please, please, no more snow!

That same Plaza the next day! Ignoring the slushy, brown road it was beautiful but already my feet were wet and getting cold. My runners were not bought with snow in mind!

The deserted Plaza. Cold, very cold, wet feet and only one place open to eat before returning to a cold room and uncomfortable bed it was time to focus on the positives - I wasn't in a tent on the side of a Via Verde

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It's funny how things work out.
April 5 is the anniversary of the death of my father. He's been a constant companion on this trip as I've gone places he never got to go. I had been looking forward to riding on the anniversary of his death - a chance to celebrate life - on this trip but COVID had me locked down in Aporo (México) in 2020, Mexico City in 2021 and now snowed in in Spain in 2022. In Spain of all places!
I think he'd have appreciated the humour in the situation 😀

A family playing in the Plaza. A snowman was made, snowballs thrown, screams and laughter filled the silent, muffled Plaza.

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Villanueva de los Infantes

 

[HobbesOnTour]

Day 10 Wednesday, April 6

Titanic Water

There was no snow clearing done in this town! From what I could see no more snow had fallen overnight and the forecast suggested that there would be no more today. Still, though, I was reluctant to get back on the road. I'd diverted off my "planned" route to get here and now I was ambivalent about where to go. Directly south was into the mountains. It was also into a headwind. A headwind that was cutting. And I had no idea what the road conditions would be like. However, staying was going to be another uncomfortable, cold, lost day. What kind of a feckin' adventurer am I? I packed up and slithered off.

The morning after the snow of the day before. Cold and very, very wet.

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As far as the Plaza. I needed coffee! The Plaza wasn't silent today. It was filled with the sound of water. Water falling from overworking or blocked gutters. Water rushing along the sides of the streets. Water everywhere!

It's not often I do this but today I came to a junction on the edge of town and took the biggest, widest and cleanest road that I could see. There were some reasonably sized towns along the way. I was off and into a different world. The fact that I was generally heading north and away from where I thought I wanted to go gave me no pause. Priorities change.

This simple sight thrilled me! Palm trees in the snow! And a road that would leave the snow behind

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One of my first sights was of Palm trees (my favourites), surrounded by snow and in a flat, seemingly barren and bitterly cold landscape. So, so different to how I've seen these beauties in the past. I was highly amused and quite thrilled! Mother Nature can still throw a curveball.

The road will win no awards in the Bike Touring Review of the year. It was painfully straight, it was bitterly cold, a cross wind trying to slice me into pieces, my eyes watering and my toes, the only part of me to really get cold.
It had one advantage, though. It was relatively flat so I had good views and that meant that I could actually see where the snow stopped …… and where colour came back, with something of a vengeance as if to say "Snow, you may have won the battle but you're not winning the war!".

Waaahaaaay! Coming to the end of the snow!

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I came across a lake that was both beautiful and horrifying. At its best, in the sun, it was the most beautiful Mediterranean Blue, flanked with fields of green or rich, red, fertile soil - a declaration of vivid life in the frigid cold. It was inviting me in and so alluring it looked under the shining sun the idea didn't seem so dumb. At its horrifying worst, when the sun disappeared, it adopted a steely, frigid, threatening, grey face and could have been used to shoot scenes from "Titanic". Deadly water!

Bloody Cold!!!!

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I arrived into the town of La Salona and tracked down the incredibly impressive church. It amuses me how something so big, so prominent and visible for miles on my approach can be lost once I get close!
The only place I could find that was open was an Irish Pub! Normally I avoid the places like the plague but I was in need of caffeine. As luck would have it, my host from last night was in there along with his pretty Brazilian wife and the Ukrainian couple. It's a very small world at times!

Not an award winning Bike Touring road but a road that went from barren to bountiful

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Again, I was frustrated by my visit to a reasonably sized Spanish town. And it's not the fault of the town. It's just too damn cold to explore it in the way I want to. Other than the Irish Pub nowhere else was open so no-one was around. It's frustrating moving on because I feel like I'm leaving so much behind. The buildings, the parks, the Plazas I can see but I don't get to see how these are used and the relationships between the people and them.

The magical lake - in the sunshine. Ordinarily, I'd pass a lot of time soaking it up. Not today! When the sun disappeared behind a cloud the whole scene became chilling

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I wasn't making great progress with the wind and the cold and using the cheapest filter on Booking I found a room in a small place next to the next big town. I knew I had daylight if I wanted to go further but there were no camping options anywhere within reach and I didn't fancy trying to find a wildcamp from the main road in this landscape. I booked it and set off.

It's hard to believe that this is the same country as earlier (and it's not like I was covering a great distance!) Red soil, green trees, a blue lake and a pretty impressive sky. It looks lovely - it was feckin' freezing!

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For a few minutes I had a wonderful tail wind that had me flying, then I turned and slowed as the wind sliced (and slice is the absolutely correct verb!) across me. I'd left the last of the snow behind me before La Salona and now farmers had decorated the land with crops of green and yellow or a rich red soil, ploughed and waiting for more colour. It was incredibly pleasant and a bit of a shock to my senses after the barrenness of this morning. A timely reminder too of just how interesting travel can be.

You're going to get sick of these shots! I love it! Cycling through history! The old and the new side by side. There must be a million and one stories of life and love, of toil and success or failure from these places that are empty now. The people who lived here - did they move up in the world or were they driven from their home?

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I arrived into Membrilla in bright sunshine and sailed past the Booking place looking to get my bearings and explore a little. I'm so glad to have Gizmo! These towns are like mazes and with my appalling sense of direction I'd soon be lost.

La Salona. That spire had drawn me along the frigid road but as is the way in these parts actually getting to it can be trickier than it seems!

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I went back to my reservation - less a room and more of a mini apartment - to be greeted by a very pleasant older guy. I was having a problem locating the exact address until a head popped out a window opposite. "Are you the cyclist?" he called out to me astride Roccado and I resisted the urge to be a smartass (I'm growing up! )

I had a shower, changed clothes and went awandering.

A beautiful, sunny, dry day in Membrilla. Not bitter, but pleasant to walk around. Two worlds in one day, accessible on a humble bike

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Not many around and I only came across one café that was open. It looked far too fancy for me so I did a big shop - I have a kitchen (of sorts) and returned to cook a spectacular meal that was washed down with a lovely Ramon Bilbao Rioja. I had left the snow behind!

Los Infantantes to Membrilla 46 km Total KM 446
Min Meters 656, Max Meters 897
Total Climb 158, Total Descent 406
Min Temp 08 Max Temp 29 Ave Temp 15

Cycle Travel Here
Strava Here

The Towns Along the Way
La Salona
Membrilla