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Cycle Tour 2025 - Western Europe and East/Southern Africa

Home Page > Bicycle Touring > Cycle Tour 2025: Western Europe and East/Southern Africa > Part 1



Part 1 - Southern Spain

Our flight from Perth to Barcelona via Singapore and, briefly, Milan, was pretty enjoyable actually. This flight landed in Milan for an hour to allow passengers to get off and some got on for Barcelona as well. We have noticed that after the unexpected turbulence incident on a Singapore air flight last year resulting in a death and many injuries, the service onboard has become even more professional, which you would not have thought possible as Singapore air crew are always amazing. The seatbelt sign will often remain on for a very long time and people seem to stay seated more. Also, the drink sizes, including coffee, are larger, I guess because they want to limit the drinks service. The crew are also very quick to order people to get back in their seats if they try to get up when the seat belt sign is on and will issue reminders over the speaker system. These are all good things in our view! We have one complimentary lounge pass per year but decided not to use it in Singapore in order to reserve it for later in the trip. We had a 5 hour lay over in Singapore but found a snooze area in terminal 2 which we had not known about before and was perfect. We were able to rest a bit. There are a number of flights a day from Perth to Singapore but we prefer getting an early afternoon flight and having a longer layover in Singapore. More relaxing.

We arrived in Barcelona at 09:00. Border security gave us three months without asking any questions. We leave Europe in three weeks to Morocco actually and will then return. The airport is a lot like Perth, small and friendly! Two airport personnel actually approached us to ask if our bikes had arrived safely which was a first! We had our luggage pretty quickly and went outside to put the bikes together. It was a bit fresh but no rain. As is usual, this happens in the first open area we come to which is also the smokers' area. Even though it was a huge area, of course on three occasions people came to smoke RIGHT next to us which makes you need to keep all your gear in your sight line as usually they seemed a bit weird. Maybe we were just something to look at? It all went smoothly and we had a brilliant 10 km to our hotel, all on cycleways. We just whipped through an airport parking area and left via a bicycle tunnel under the freeway and popped out onto a cycleway. One of our best rides out of an aiport. Barcelona has very good, wide pedestrian and cyclepaths, very easy to get around. Our hotel is in Viladecans, outside the metro area and we were able to check in right away, at 13:30. Very helpful receptionist, we were able to store our bikes in the luggage storage. There is a McDonalds and Aldi a few 100m away and we took a walk there for coffee and food. We were asleep by 17:00 and slept for 12 hours.

Barcelona has multiday tourist travel passes, and there is a 48 hour one, which suited us, we bought two at the airport. It's called HolaBarcelona and cost 18 EUR each (it's a bit less if you register on the app and then collect at a vending machine but it is still a physical card so did not seem much point). I asked the lady at the info desk where I bought them about using them on buses as we have a busroute outside our hotel. She said you could, but when we got on the bus this morning the driver said we couldn't. The buses coming passed our hotel are all AMB buses (yellow). The card refers to TMB buses and when we got into the city we saw these and they are red. So clearly the card is for use on buses in the metro area only, however you can take the train into the city, Rodalies de Catalunya is the train line. There is a station in Viladecans which was nearly a 2 km walk from our hotel but it is all flat and easy to get around. We could have caught the bus for 2 EUR 50. Barcelona Sant is the main city station and then you can get metros to your heart's content. We were impressed with the pubic transport, particularly the metros which are clean and bright. We did a fair bit of walking to start as we had a couple of outdoor stores to go to to pick up some orders and have a look. The city was fairly quiet mainly, being February, that is until we got to the environs of the Sagrada Familia where there were many, but it was still easy to walk around and get a nice view of the place ie. no jostling for position. We took a metro and got off at the station which is right there, my priority was using the ladies room which I could do at the Burger King which appeared as we left the metro station. Mike waited on the sidewalk. As I came out of the Burger King, bam, there was the basilica in all it's glory right behind Mike. "Nice view for you while you waited!" I said. It is remarkable on many levels. We appreciated seeing it. There is a supermarket right next to it and we bought a delicious BIG pizza for 10 EUR at the deli for lunch. Then we walked up some steps at the entrance to a little park overlooked by apartment buildings from where we had a view of the basilica and ate it sitting on a bench. The apartments certainly looked fairly humble to have earned the right to such an amazing view!

We took the metro to the harbour and saw the Columbus Column and went to the Maritime Museum which was impressive, the building as well as the contents, and you could also go to the harbour to get onto a hundred year old schooner which gave you a bit of a feel for the whole thing. I feel that I should know more about Spanish history than I do, religion and the sea are the two things that come to mind. Barcelona is in Catalunya which is considered autonomous to Spain and has a different language. Lots to learn. We were home after 19:00, pretty tired, but we enjoyed Barcelona. It is clean, organised and interesting.





Cold and damp today, very light rain. We got going pretty late, around 10:30. We headed off by train to Jom Big Wall, a mountaineering and outdoor store. It is amazing how crammed full of stuff these tiny stores can be, and Jom (we assume) knew where everything was. We have had a poor experience with one of our orders. We decided to replace our Petzl Tikka head torches for this trip. They had both become a bit tempermental and we decided to try Silva head torches. We had placed an order with a store in Barcelona for a few things and part of that was two Silva head torches, however there was only one available so we ordered the other from elsewhere. This head torch has been sitting awaiting collection in a post locker about 200 m from our hotel since Tuesday, however the delivery agent has yet to text/e-mail us the code to unlock the locker and collect it, despite multiple e-mails from us and the store. So we finally gave up and purchased another Petzl head torch today. The order sitting waiting will eventually be returned to the store and they will refund us. First world problem. But hell annoying all the same.

We would recommend the HolaBarcelona card. The metro is a pleasure and we used trains and trams today too. We walked down Pg. de Gracia and La Ramba (towards the coast). We admired the buildings and Gaudi architecture. It was pretty busy. We went to the Merkat de la Boqueria, amazing fresh produce ready to eat in such inventive ways, but sooooo busy. After this we were sort of dreading the Gothic Quarter, but it was quiet. Maybe the teeny walkways are no good for tour groups? Or maybe not enough shops? We loved it. There were some great places offering locally designed and produced items and art galleries with wonderful artwork. The Basilica de Santa Maria Del Pi was so huge and solid set crammed up against these narrow roadways and buildings. Then you pop out into Jaciment del Born, a HUGE metal and glass structure housing the remains of a vast settlement which stood here in the 1600's. You walk around the edge of a viewing platform looking down into the dwellings. This was such an unexpected surprise and a highlight of Barcelona for us. The entire space was a great experience. We took the train from nearby Estacio de Franca which was a beautiful old building and got off again at Pg. de Gracia for a purchase, and espresso (good coffee in Barcelona) and then took the Rodalies de Catalunya again back to Viladecans. We really enjoyed the day!



No rain this morning when we got going at 10:00. The route began at our hotel on cyclepaths and we soon hit the river route which was a good quality hard sand surface. We followed on a slight uphill into the hills. The route was popular with cyclists given that it was a Saturday morning and the weather was okay. We left the river after 20 km. It was raining lightly by then.

We were on a road for a little while and turned off it onto a farm road which was sometimes very steep but lovely to ride, views of rural life. The rain grew steadily heavier and when we reached the small village of Ullastrell we took shelter under cover while we put on wet weather gear. We were soaked by then but still warm. A HUGE locust took a liking to my bike and twice tried to hitch a ride out of this mess, I had to prise him off my frame with a stick. He was pretty heavy, you could understand why people eat them./p>

By the time we reached Terrassa we were very wet and the road to it had been busy and quick downhill in the wet. Highlight of the day was a lovely man who pulled up next to us in his car and handed us a large punnet of strawberries, saying, "For you!". So kind! We stopped for espresso (Judith) in the hopes of an energy boost (Judith!). We bought some food for tonight at Carrefour. Actually the weather improved in Terrassa and the rain got lighter and lighter until it stopped altogether. We had a longish climb up to Talamanca. I found the climb really hard. It was a good gradient on a great road and not busy. I just seemed to have no energy, until the point where I started feeling sick. We put it down to not the right food today. Difficult thing to eat when it is pouring with rain. Still no excuses, we've been here before. Anyway, we were finally at the top, at 870 m the Col de Estenalles. Quite a climb first day out! This area is geographically impressive with huge globular rock formations. Many people come here to hike or enjoy the views. It was beautiful and so was the downhill. Mike had picked out a good bush camp just off the road. It was dark by the time we chose a place to pitch the tent, and pretty chilly, but thankfully no rain. We had a shower anyway. The strawberries for dessert never tasted so good!


A very good sleep last night. We got up in the dark at 06:45 and as usual, first day out of the tent, it took us over 2 hours to pack up, eat brekky and be on our way. You can never believe that after a few weeks you will be doing it in 90 min. The ride was beautiful this morning with views of a mountain range that remained in our line of sight all day. There was no wind at all and a hot air balloon floated above it all, it did not seem to move. We were on really good, mainly quiet roads all day, except for one really rocky farm track. We saw many road cyclists today and they were very friendly. The skies were a bit overcast to start but cleared beautifully to blue skies.

We stopped for an early lunch at Manresa and ate in the lovely square which sat beneath the cathedral. There were two artists with their easels set up, painting pictures of it. After this we had a long climb and then descent into Igualada, where we shopped for food for this evening and picked up water. We still had some way to go at 15:30 so guessed it would be another late one. The days are short still so there is time pressure in February which you would not have in July! There was still quite a bit of climbing to do and then we were hunting for a bush camp. We had turned onto an even quieter road by now, surrounded by fields. As a rural scene it was lovely, however did not offer up much in the way of a bush camp. Mike spotted a good spot just up above the road and we could push the bikes up there one at time. It was nearly 18:30 by now and the sun was setting. We were pretty cold and got the tent up and had unpacked the bikes. We were chatting quietly to each other as we did these things. Suddenly I saw an old man walking on the other side of the road. He was sort of checking around in the grass by the roadside. We sat down so as not draw attenton and then had to sit there for 10 minutes while he walked slowly down the road and then back up and passed us. At one stage we thought he might come up to where we were, but eventually he left. It was pretty unexpected.


A great day's riding today. The first 20 km went by quickly, through pretty farmland and we took morning coffee at a small petanque park at the start of a village. We had another rest at E'spluga de Francoli. After this we started our long climb up to the Coll de la Mola, at 1010 m. The climb was long with quite a few tight and long switchbacks. It took about 2 hours to climb the 11 km but we enjoyed it. The weather was good, although there was a slight headwind near the top. The road was very quiet with only a handful of vehicles passing either way. We saw a couple of road bikers. The views were beautiful from the climb, right back to the valley below.

After the Coll we flew downhill to Prades and as we were very hungry, headed to the local supermarket. The village seemed very quiet and the supermarket and bakery were closed as is the custom here from midday to 17:15 and 18:00. It was only 14:30. We ate what we had left, salami and chocolate granola and picked up water at the fountain and kept cruising down to Cornadella de Montsant which seemed bigger and we could buy food at the petrol station, they even baked their own bread.

We kept dropping downhill and turned off onto a road where we found a good campspot behind a rocky outcrop cut off from the road. We were so happy to end our day at 17:00 wich gave us some time in the daylight to sit and eat outside the tent. It had been very cold on the Coll and dropping down it, but tonight at this campspot it is the warmest night we have had.


It was so quiet you could hear the bells toll the hour from the nearby village throughout the night. We were on the road at 08:30 again and the first part of the day was great, very scenic, amazing mountain views. There was a slight headwind, first of the trip. We missed our turn off to la Figuera by about 1.5 km uphill and had to turn back, the mountain pass we were on just felt right.The little road to the hilltop village of la Figuera was sealed but really steep in sections and we climbed very quickly. It took around an hour to get to the top and we walked in some parts. We so enjoy these quiet roads and having it all to ourselves. We filled up our water bottles at the village fountain and had an amazing descent down into Garcia on the otherside. Not one car passed us the whole way, a couple came up the hill towards us. It is so quiet.

In Garcia we looked at the forward plan and decided to buy a bit of food in Mora. The plan was to do the climb out of Mora, descending to the next village and then joining a railtrail which we were quite excited about. The other option was to get to Mora and beyond following a busier road which had a good shoulder. Our route took us onto this road for a bit just leaving Garcia. Spain has a road rule for drivers to be 1.5 m clear of a cyclist when passing and so far every motorist has followed this.Even on a quiet mountain pass, their first step is to slow down behind you and if safe, they pass you at this distance. There are no cars zooming up your tail only to race by you close enough for to you feel the breeze. It makes you feel very safe on the roads here. So even though we were happy riding in the shoulder, the cars will still want to leave the 1.5 m gap as they pass you, which creates diifficulties for them on a fast road. For this reason we will probably avoid these roads. Anyway, we turned off the road and then had to push our bikes up a steep incline up onto the actual rail bridge. By this I mean, not a pedestrian or cyclepath, but the place by the side of the train tracks with the large angular aggregate strewn all over. It felt a bit weird, but was only a short distance to cross the river and then we steep down another incline on the other side.

It was a lovely ride along the river to Mora where we shopped at Eurospar. It was a pretty miserable day by now, very windy and dark with clouds. No rain however. We were expecting this steep climb on a cycle route out of Mora but we unprepared for what followed. In the end it took over 2 hours to get to the top, 550 m ascent over 6 km. We often had to push our bikes for long distances. The surface was mainly very rocky. It was beautiful up there as we gained height from the town below, however our arms and shoulders won't be talking to us tomorrow, pushing uphill gives them quite the workout. We reached the top after 17:00 and could camp easily right there in an area adjacent to a hiking path. The winds have grown much harder now. It was a jam packed day!


The wind blew hard all night and it was pretty windy this morning too. Cold with it, probably thanks in part to wind chill. We wore longs to ride in. That debacle of a cycle route continued downhill this morning and was pretty rough first thing. The sky was blue which filled us with happiness as we knew we could replenish our dwindling battery stocks with Solly. We headed for the town down the hill, Gandesa. It had a sun filled park and a supermarket a few hundred metres away. Our priority for the day was Solar Power! Mike got Solly number 1 and Solly number 2 set up facing the sun and away they went. I took a short walk to the supermarket and got a few things. Gandesa was tiny, old and spotlessly clean. You could see how people even kept boarded up properties clean and things were being improved all over the place. Catalunyans seem a very proud people. On this trip we have brought two solar panels and two small and one medium battery pack. The two small ones each contain two full charges for a mobile phone. They were both flat now, the batteries that is. We sat in the sun with Solly's working for over an hour and then set off.

Out of the town we were on good gravel roads through farmlands until we hit a rail trail, here called Via Verde, which we would spend the rest of the day on. It was a beautiful day and the air was really clear, all the surrounding hills and mountains stood out. Still a slight head wind though. The Via Verde exceeded our expectations. It is either sealed, or covered by fine loose gravel, or very good unsealed path. It was such a great route, mentally very relaxing, tracking gently upwards at a steady, low gradient, then downwards at same gradient, then up again. It was impeccably kept and recently cleared. There were a number of tunnels, mostly unlit and some quite long, so we were grateful for our lights. There were also high via ducts. As always we were amazed by the effort of railway companies to build these things. We stopped twice more for an hour each time to put the Solly's to work. The small batteries are now nearly fully recharged, which is a load off. The Via Verde has many benches and picnic areas as well dirt bins along the way and the old railway station buildings are still there, in ruins.

We wanted to camp along the rail trail as there were many good spots to camp and stopped around 17:00 at one with a great view over the valley.


Coldest night yet, some ice even covered one of our bear containers. Yes, we still carry one each even though obviously there are no bears here. They are too useful to leave at home. Especially as stools to perch on. Mike went to light the stove as usual to get water on the boil, but nothing happened. We have been using a Primus Omnilite stove for the last two long distance hikes we have done. It's a multi-fuel stove, like our MSR stoves have been, we use either whitegas or petrol. Mainly petrol. We had some teething problems to start but after that no issues. Mike had fully serviced the stove before we left and had also purchased a maintenance kit for the stove and the pump so really, we thought all bases were covered. Mike tried some things to get it going to no avail, so we decided to hit the road and stop later to sort it out. Off we went, cold morning, no brekky or, more importantly COFFEE. Grrrrr. We continued along the rail trail for about 10 km before stopping again at a picnic bench at an old train station. Mike went all in with the stove, took it to pieces and used the maintenance kit to replace everything that could be replaced, as well as cleaning all sorts of parts. The final step was replacing a tiny blue o-ring on one part. The brand new o-ring broke just like that. Useless. Without that part in working order, the fuel just leaked out of the pipe before getting to the stove. Such a tiny o-ring you would not be able to find anywhere, we are sure of that, and we have no opportunity to buy another maintenance kit or stove even unless we go to a city particularly to do that. We decided to park the conversation til later.

There was a deviation on the rail trail right near the end at the terminus in Valdealgorf. So we followed a pretty sealed path through farmlands. We sat and ate some snacks there and pondered our options, both route and new stove. We are avoiding minor roads where we can, that is, those of the goat track variety, as we have been on some unrideable ones. Howver, we would take the one which hopped across to Castelseras as this was much shorter than the road option and all downhill. We climbed out of Valdealgorf on a steep little concrete track and then crossed the road to the track. It led through farmland and the first 3 km were proper downhill extreme stuff. Super steep on a rocky surface. We had to walk a lot of it. It was disillusioning when the track slowly morphed into part of a freshly plowed field and we were walking again. Things improved eventually and we could ride the last few km's on hardpacked dirt.

Castelseras had two tiny stores and we went to both trying to decided which had the best options. Neither had a bakery so I asked a lady in the street who had freshly baked baguettes in a bag where she got them from. She directed me there but it was closed. Being 12:30 both shops were also closing within the hour so I hurried back. Between the two I got enough food to keep us going. The people were all very friendly and helpful. Even though they know you cannot understand them they will just talk and talk to you. We went to a park to sit and eat and there was a climbing wall and a padel tennis court there. More importantly Mike found a working power socket, so in 90 min, all our batteries and phones were fully charged. Yippee! Mike found a hostel in a nearby town (which we were passing through about 200 km away) and we booked in there for two nights, Sunday and Monday and then ordered a new stove, this time a Primus Omnifuel to be delivered to us there.

We felt pretty rejuventated by all of this and set off on a lovely, quiet, but main road towards Torrevelilla. We saw flocks of sheep for the first time. We picked up water there. We are impressed by all the bicycle signage, including maps and distance markers on these routes. The roads are also very quiet. We had a climb up to before La Ginebrosa (a beautiful village) and then raced down the hill. We had great views of a far off valley. We found a campspot just off a mountain bike track.


First morning temperatures below freezing and we felt quite chilly overnight. We felt a little "sad-face" to have to get going without some nice hot oats and a hot coffee. So we just ignored our morning wake up and stayed in bed for an extra 30 min. We were still on the road earlier than usual after munching a few biscuits. We had only 6 km, mostly downhill to the village of Aguaviva. It was a pretty chilly 6 km, but the day looked good with a lot of blue sky. We bought the freshest bread which is baked at the village of La Ginebrosa which we rode through last night and freshly baked biscuits. Also espresso coffees. The village was as always, neat, clean and well-preserved. We sat at a tiny rest area and ate a good breakfast. We only got going around 10:00.

First up was a climb on a sealed minor road which was a big climb, but fairly graded with a few switchbacks. We dropped down into the surprise of the day, a beautiful dam called Santolea. After this we continued climbing as we rode around the dam, with lovely views. Then we dropped down again into Las Ceuvas de Canart, a very picturesque village with interesting ruins and our first proper drinking fountain. It had three continuous streams and all the water flowed through a large stone bath. We filled up with water and took a long lunch break.

There was a very tough climb out of the little village, with steep inclines of up to 13% that took a toll on our legs. We felt pretty tired. We climbed right to the top of the the plateau where Mike was greeted by two barking sheep dogs which were soon called to order by the shepherd. They were guarding a flock of sheep. It was quite a contrast riding on the plateau, as we had grown used to the high cliffs and boulders on the route today. We liked being up high. There was forest interspersed with farmland and we still climbed gently. Eventually, after dropping down and then climbing again, we found a good camp spot. Pretty tired today. 1 600 m ascent in under 60 km, solid effort!


It started raining gently around 05:00 and we woke to a fine drizzle and misty conditions. Very cold! The mist meant we had no view as we sailed downhill, nor as we climbed uphill after that. We reached the high point of Puerto de Majalines at 1 450 m. The area we rode through today is a European Geopark and when the views did arrive they were very impressive. Our brake pads have worn very quickly on this trip, and looking at them on a rest break Mike decided to change our front ones as soon as possible. We leant our bikes against a tree and he changed both sets of brake pads.We have never had to do this on a trip before, we always start the trip on new brake pads. They must just have worn quickly. It was absolutely freezing at this point.

We stopped to shop at a supermarket in beautiful Aliaga. The access to the village seems carved out of the surrounding rock, which overhangs the road in places and there is a beautiful river. The surrounding hills are magnificent with their rocky folds. We climbed out of the village and before long had crossed into the next Commune, Teruel. All of a sudden the rocky mountains were behind us and in front lay flat farmlands in all directions. Quite the transformation! The weather had improved slightly in that it was no longer raining, but still really cold. The temperature did not rise above 5 degrees all day. Lucky us, we had a small tailwind!

We planned to camp about 10 km passed El Pobo, and stopped before the town at a little recreation area/park where we thought there would be water. We sat on a bench undercover near a fireplace. In Spain people cook outdoors in fireplaces, not electric or gas barbeques. We even saw some teenage boys doing this the other day at a park. It was 16:30 by now and cold. We just wanted to be inside. It seemed like a nice place to camp, and doing some research we discovered it was actually a camping area for an annual music festival. No shower tonight, too cold for that. It has been nice getting into the tent a few hours earlier than usual. Todays total ascent was 1 238m. We are looking forward to our rest day!


It started snowing in the early hours, not flakes or anything, just fine snow, but enough to cover the tent and cloak the fields around and turn the hills white. We like the sound of snow on the tent, it is quieter than rain and easier to deal with in small doses. Our little campsite was perfect as we had the picnic table and benches undercover which feels like a real luxury when you pack up. The tent was pretty iced over which meant some scraping off of the white stuff before we could pack it away. We rugged up for the ride as it was around 2 below. We had a couple of climbs but much less climbing than usual and the last 20 km would be all downhill to the town on a rail trail. We rode first through El Pobo which was still fast asleep and after our first climb and descent we left the snow behind. The world did look beautiful, all coovered in white, such a change. We saw some cows and a flock of sheep today.

The route seemed to have paleantology connections as it was called "The Dinosaur Road". On researching this there is actually a dinosaur themepark in Teruel as many fossils have been found in this area. We were pleased with our route today, quiet roads as usual, didn't really seem to make a difference being Sunday, the roads aways seem super quiet. We took off our wet weather gear for the second climb but put it on afterward. It was very cold but not wet like yesterday and we looked forward to our hot shower tonight! We hit the rail trail, and it was all downhill from there, lucky us! The surface was not as good as our previous rail trail, but still fine. What was weird were the red clay cuttings that the trail passed through. The clay had started to be washed away through winter and was starting to crumble onto the trail, leaving red clay mud puddles all over.

As the rail trail by passes Teruel we turned off it down a very steep dirt path and then up the other side in a steep climb. At the top though we had great views of the city, our first since Barcelona. We made our way to the laundrette which smelt wonderful. As it was around 14:30 we had time to do our laundry before hotel check in at 16:00. A lovely lady was in charge to help, although the machines are brilliant and all instructions were given in English as well. As we found on our hike in the Alps last year, the machines self-dispense washing detergent which is so convenient. It was so warm inside. I managed to ask the lady if we could change out of our cycling clothes in the back room and she understood and agreed but came in with me to warn me about her little dog. It was a chihauhau wrapped up in many blankets and just it's head sticking out on the couch. It gave a little bark when it realised I was a stranger, but did nothing else. I guess it was trapped by its' blankets. When I was finished I told Mike to watch for the little dog, but when he came out he said he hadn't seen it!

While the washing was being done I set off to a nearby restaurant desperate for an espresso. All washing down and dried we set off for the hotel. Slight issue as my off the bikes pants are still too tight to be on the bike pants so I could hardly get my leg over. Took a few tries. Awkward. Our little hotel is in a lovely solid building by the square. The reception appears to be the residence of the manager or owner, so you buzz to get in and he comes to the door. The stairways and internal floors are stone. It's lovely. The hot shower was spectacular. We went to the bakery round the corner for something to eat. It is lovely to be inside.



We picked a good day to rest in Teruel as it poured with rain most of the day! We received both Amazon orders - our new stove and a few packs of brake pads. That worked out very well with them delivered to us at the hotel. We like Teruel very much, the decorative tilework on the buildings is beautiful. We ate well too!

Leaving the hotel at 10:00, blue skies promised a good day. It was partly cloudy but the sun poked out now and then. Leaving Teruel was as easy as arriving, on a good bike path and a little downhill. We decided on a shorter day as one always has a late start leaving a hotel and also we wanted to camp in the forest after the climb of the day. Mike had looked at our route as far as Algeciras (near Gibraltar, where we leave Spain for Morocco) and worked it out to be about 1 000 km. Even though we had done almost 600 km until now, the amount of climbing we have done to date (over 11 000 m) will be the same over the longer distance, meaning the next 1 000 km should be easier overall. Hooray! The route thus far has amazed and impressed us but the amount of climbing on a daily basis has meant we have not covered as much distance as we would like. Distance is not everything, but we have 90 days in Europe and would like to complete our route here as far as possible.

After dropping down a bit, we had a view of the valley below with farms. There was an open area near some ruined farm buildings and we decided the camp there, even through it was not yet 16:00, so quite early. It was a nice place to camp.


We had a windy night with some light rain, but today's weather, although very cloudy was dry until late afternoon. The climbs on the route were good, nothing too taxing, although there were a couple of dirt road sections which were slower and more difficult.

We had a couple of really twisty descents which were great and we are also seeing more deer, usually in pairs. One ran along the siding right over Mike's head until it leapt down onto the road and dashed off. The area we rode through was covered in fruit orchards, with many fruit trees in pale pink blossom. Many petals were strewn over the road due to the wind. The villages we rode through were a bit different too, mostly not as charming with buildings built right into the clay cliffs. We ate an early lunch at a viewing point looking out over a deep valley. We are so enjoying being able to make tea and coffee when we take a break!

Our route crossed a river at Landete, but the bridge was out due to flood. Luckily we could cross the river further on, from a farm track, as there was a small bridge which was intact. This meant we had over 10 km on dirt tracks which were not always good quality and pretty slow, down to Garaballa, where we picked up water and ate again. We then had a climb back to our planned route. It was raining a bit and the road climbed up into a lovely pine forest. There were some emergency workers on the road and the reason was a large truck which was lying turned onto its' side in the road. Not long after this we decided to camp after turning into the forest down a dirt track. The rain looks like hanging around for a while.


Wow, it really poured down all night! We were pretty worried about how wet we would be today, but in the end we needn't have worried, it only rained lightly and often not at all. Last night in bed Mike heard a growl/shriek near the tent. We had noticed a lot of evidence of digging around the forest and figured it must be a wild pig. We got going in pretty good time, full wet weather gear and even our leggings on underneath rain pants. It wasn't cold but pretty miserable with a strong wind. The roads today were the busiest we have had. We dropped down into Mira and popped into the bakery for bread and a sweet treat. The Spanish bakeries are every bit as good as the French. So many bread varieties and teatime treats, even in such a small village. We were full of optimism for the day as it wasn't raining and on paper we had only 800 m of climbing. Much of the day was along rural roads through fruit orchards and vineyards. The landscape seemed much flatter than a week ago. We stopped to make tea and enjoyed our sweet treat in a park in Camporrobles. As I said yesterday, the villages lack the charm of Catalunya. We are now in Valencia, the area which had a lot of flooding earlier in the year.

After about 32 km of pleasant riding we hit a gravel road which was good condition, but as is often the case with these things, the slightest change in gradient results in deterioration of the surface. So as the road headed downhill, it grew very steep, rocky, muddy and rutted from washouts. Difficult riding to pick a line and stay on it. The road was to end up crossing a river via a bridge and then climbing up the other side. It was very difficult riding when hitting wet, clay patches which just sucked onto the tyres and absorbed all your effort, particularly on steep climbs. It was raining lightly but we had to take off our rain jackets as we grew hot with the effort. Mike saw a wild pig racing across the road. We felt happy when the vineyards returned as we knew that we were getting to the pointy end.

Eventually we reached the high point where we could stay on a sealed road all the way to the main road and then ride along the main road which was so easy! It was an interesting spot with a huge building which looked a bit like a cathedral or very large house. There were other buildings nearby, the complex had a feel of a religious order or some religious institution. We could go inside the building into a courtyard, stepping through an old wooden doorway. We had no idea what went on in there. There were beautiful decorative tiles on the walls. We could fill up with water as there were many fountains. There were also many well-fed cats who came to greet us when we stopped for something to eat.

As we passed by a high point on the road with some pine trees we could ride in on a small track and camp there. We were pleased with our ride, if it hadn't been for the slow riding on the unsealed road we would easily have ridden much further.


Easy ride all day today, which was a change from our usual! Also, it did not rain all night or all day. We had a very direct rote into Albacete, where we hoped to be able to charge up our batteries (literally) as Solly has been out of action for ages and there is no sign of the sun. We stopped early on for bread which we ate at a village later on. We rode through farmlands all day. We reached Albacete at about 50 km, cycling in on a service road which ran alongside the Autovia.

Albacete is full of bikepaths so easy to get around. We headed to where there was a Lidl and Maccas close together, hoping to be able to charge the batteries at Maccas, but they did not offer any charging facilities. I shopped at Lidl and we sat in a nearby park. We were able to pick up water but no power. After Albacete we joined a fabulous rail trail which we remained on for the rest of the day. It was quite breezy and the surrounding farmland was quite stark. The rail trail had picnic spots where the old train stations were and the surface was very good. There were many bunny rabbits around and also at one point a large flock of doves which just flew off in all directions. We picked a sheltered camp spot under a tree.


We had a good ride along the rail trail, stopping at 25 km for tea and something to eat. The sun even came out and Solly made an appearance! It was so good. The rail trail surface was fine and we were the only ones on it! It was a constant uphill for 42 km at a low gradient, followed by 13 km downhill. In total we rode around 55 km to Alcaraz and we were aware of getting there in good time as the supermarket closed at 14:00 and opened after 17:00. We had to leave the rail trail to get into Alcaraz and after the town we were also off the trail for a few kilometres. Alcaraz is a hilltop village with a ruined fort and the modern main street was also way up on the hill so we had a steep climb up there but made it 30 min prior to closing time. We had to pick up food for two days as tomorrow is Sunday so most shops are closed.

The gravel trail after Alcaraz was a bit rough and ready and we passed a few herds of what looked like young bulls. Then we were on the main road for a few km's before we could rejoin the rail trail. By now the weather was definitely turning, there was a srong southerly wind and it felt warm and not good. The rain had started lightly and we wore wet weather gear. The rain grew harder and harder and we spotted the abandoned train station of Villapalacios just as it grew really bad. The roof was still good and spanned what used to be a large indoor area as well as a big verandah where we thought we could set up the tent. It was 16:00 by now and a strong storm came over, blasting air and rain right through the massive old station building. It was unrideable. We decided to make our home here for the night. How lucky that a shelter should come along at exactly the right time! By 18:00 most of the rain was over, but the surrounding farmlands were flooded. We hope the water subsides by tomorrow.


We were grateful for the old train station as it provided shelter from the rain. In the early hours the wind dropped and it grew very still. It felt a bit of a chore to be getting up, it was cold and damp and when it was time to leave, still raining gently. The rail trail was wet and although the surface was good gravel, it was fine and tended to be very sticky, slowing our progress. We stopped after 20 km for tea and something to eat and the rain was stop/start. We were cold.

As the trail started tending downhill (felt like ages) the scenery changed and we saw some people out walking on the trail, the first people we have seen for ages! The surrounding countryside was rolling hills which were absolutely covered right to the tippy top by olive trees planted all in lines. We liked the way it felt here. Town of the day was Arroyo del Ojanca where we saw chickens being grilled at a stall by the roadside. We stopped and sat in the park nearby. The sun came out, Solly's worked happily and we ate grilled chicken ked and chips. Delicious!

We had a climb out of the town towards Linares. It was not too steep and a few km's long. The weather had been pretty good but started to rain towards the top. We put on wet weather gear. We really did not want to arrive at a campspot soaking wet and also the area we had planned to camp was in farmland and bushcamping was hard to come by. It's worth mentioning here that there aren't actually any formal campsites around. We might only have seen 2 on the entire trip so far and they did not appear open. So we stopped for the day at only 15:15, but had a nice afternoon in the tent. Our campspot is along a small service road which runs alongside the main road, out of sight of the road.


We made our way straight for Linares today. The route was good and the views were of never-ending olive groves. You can see the smoke from the oil pressing plants for ages and there are a few of these plants dotting the landscape. You can sometimes smell the olives as you ride through certain spots. Our route took us over a dam wall and the sluice gate was open, releasing a lot of water. The olive groves are in clay soils and we notice a lot of standing water from all of this rain.Unfortunately we are still have diifficulty with our stove. The previous Primus stove we used hiking we had used white gas or petrol in and it had worked fine, sometimes a bit fussy, but okay. We were happy with it. White gas is always a preference as it burns much cleaner and the additives in petrol can accumulate in the stove workings. Now with the new stove, Mike is constantly having to clean it, after every use. Mainly this means using a tiny poking wire to clean the jet and prevent blockages, but even so, the stove is not working perfectly.

We got to Linares after riding 60 km and Mike went to various hardware stores and petrol stations trying to get some white gas. In Australia we buy shellite which readily available, in the US, we would buy Coleman Fuel or white gas/Primus fuel, in every country white gas has diffent names. In the Netherlands it is wasbenzin and in France, essence-C, in South Africa we called it benzine. Anyway, no one had any idea about it here. It is is called becina blanca, or it can be called solvent. Everyone was mystified. We have done some research on the matter and it seems that in Spain there are strict regulations around fuel and we will not be able to purchase this. Besides which, having that fuel in Europe may help our stove function better, but good luck with those choices in Africa. We sat in a teeny park and ate lunch and tried not to think about it.

On the way out of town we stopped at a petrol station and at that time the weather hit, hard rain hammered us as we rode out of town. We ended up on a quiet road and passed through another village with a petrol station. The bloke was so helpful. Spandiards do not see language as a barrier to communication, they will keep talking to you in the hope that eventually you can come to an understanding. I had wondered if maybe the fuel we had bought in Barcelona was a bad batch, it's not impossible. This small rural petrol station actually had the forecourt given over to diesel pumps and the 95 petrol pump was by the office. When Mike spoke about "pura gasolina" the bloke was like, "Si, si, pura!". But he didn't understand the level of pure that we were talking about. Anyway, Mike chucked out the quarter bottle of petrol we had in our fuel bottle and we bought a litre of this petrol. It was funny as when we first showed him our fuel bottle he was miming drinking from a bottle and shaking his head. We assured him we were not drinking it. Anyway, after this pleasant interlude we headed off. We now had amazing views of a mountain range ahead of us dusted in white snow.

We passed through another village and followed the road as it crossed the river. Over the river there was a track off which followed the river and we went along it. We found a small, flat clearing above the river and unpacked, happy to camp there. We were just watching the water move lazily along when we suddenly noticed it was picking up speed. We took a depth bearing from some chains and rings around a plasic pump pipe and watched for a while. The water level was about 2 m below where we were. After about 15 minutes the water had risen substantially. We thought back to the dam we had seen earlier and wondered where the water was coming from and why it was rising so quicky. We decided we had to find somewhere further from the river to camp. Along the track was a gravel area which looked good so we partially packed he bikes and wheeled along there. As we got there a bloke drove by in a work van so Mike said hello and asked if he thought it was alright to camp there. He just laughed. It didn't seem a problem. After we had set up the tent and were inside a further three cars came passed, all friendly and slowing way down to avoid puddles. We poked our heads out and waved to them. It rained off and on all nght.


We woke to find that a small stream of water had curled it's way under our tent during the night and the vestibules were quite muddy. We had a break in the rain and decided to get going early and breakfast along the way. We stopped at the first village we came to and went to the little park area with benches and tables. The stove seemed not to want to work at all when Mike primed it, there was just a small candle flame which went out. He turned it off and then suddenly there was a puff of black soot and ... I was going to say out jumped a genie, but actually the stove just started working. This sealed the deal, we are going to go back to MSR (the brand we have used for nearly 30 years). We placed an order for an MSR XGK stove, which we have used before. It will burn petrol faultlessly. I guess we tried something new and have discovered it has big limitations if you are limited with fuel choices.

We enjoyed our route into Jaen. It was quite uphill, but nice quiet roads. In Jaen we spent a lovely two hours sitting in a sunny area next to a huge Decathlon store, drying out the tent and many other things. We ate a great lunch and set off from the town around 13:30. Boy, the way out was UP! So steep climbing all the way out through the centre of town. But we made it out and onto another rail trail. It was very windy on the rail trail which sat quite high up, the olive groves stretching across hills and valleys as far as you could see. Unfortunately we had a strong head wind which gusted and about 24 km of slight uphill to the high point of the rail trail. The surface and infrastructure were brilliant. There were picnic areas regularly spaced and special bike bridges built over busy roads. It was impressive and we saw a few cyclists.

We had a few downpours along the way and have learnt that these are short-lived and blow over. However, around 17:30 one hit with a vengeance. We had noticed very black clouds to our right and thought we would have missed the worst of a storm however got hit by a hailstorm which caused us to pull over, luckily right at a picnic spot where we could pitch the tent. We did not like the thunder and lightening or the heavy rain that followed, but we were okay in our tent.


Lots of rain last night and the clay ground really absorbs a lot of it, then sticks in thick layers to the soles of your shoes. It was so good having a picnic table and bench this morning. Mike decided yesterday to buy a butane gas cyclinder (900 ml, hiking stove gas canister) and try this with our Primus stove. MSR has only lately brought out a multi-fuel stove that can run on butane, so we have never used a butane cylinder. Also they seem to limit you as in remote areas you often can't get them. Long distance hikers often use them with their hiking stoves and then get stuck when they can't get hold of one. Anyhow, given our current fuel issues, we gave it a go and we were very impressed. Firstly, the 900 ml container at 450 g is lighter than 900 ml of petrol in a fuel bottle. Then you don't have to prime it, you just turn it on and light it. It burns perfectly every time and you just switch it off when you are done. It boils water (which is the only cooking we do) super quickly. Then you just pack it away. Certainly the priming of a liquid fuel stove is the fiddly bit and then when you ignite the fuel it flames up a lot and some people find this a bit risky and uncertain. Mike has 30 years of experience with liquid fuel stoves so understands their workings, but he found the gas cartridge super convenient. We will see how long it lasts. Also we can cook with it in the tent vestibule with ventilation and it really warms up the place!

As has been the daily rhythm, mornings are overcast but with no rain and little wind, nice to get going in the morning. We had another 86 km to go on our rail trail which was a happy thought. Of the three rail trails or via verde we have ridden, this olive oil one (aceite) is the best. The surface is mostly sealed, the views of the "Spanish oilfields" outstanding and all the time you are higher than the surrounding farmland. Also if you needed to go into a town that is easy as the trail goes to each one so you don't have to go off route to get to a town. We loved it. Andalucia, which is the name of this province is really beautiful and so interesting with all the olive groves.

So it was good to get back on the rail trail which was downhill for a while before the inevitable slight uphill, accompanied by a strong headwind. We didn't really mind it. We took regular breaks and met an American couple walking by. The live in Montana and were quick to say that they had not voted for Trump! They said of course when travelling overseas everyone hears their accents and so they feel the first thing they should say is that they did not vote for him. Strange times. It was nice to chat to them, they travelled to Tasmania last year and are to go back this year.

We got to Lucena around 14:30 where we bought food for two days. The weather is going to be very bad tomorrow with heavy rain and high winds so we plan to take the day off if we can find a nice place to camp out of the way. It is never easy to have a rest day in the bush, you need enough food, water and then also a good place where you can be out of the public eye. There is very little bush around here even, they grow olive trees in every spot. Spain is the world's largest producer, the next largest, Greece produces half the quantity. Even just looking at the size of the manor houses on these olive grove estates you can see it is a lucrative business. It started to rain in Lucena and we put on wet weather gear as we ate lunch in the Lidl carpark. We had around 25 km left to ride and it was downhill and quick. We had expected to have to go further but just as the trail ended there was a deserted train station with some gravel areas running in open ground near the train line. It seemed a good place to camp, especially the gravel being dry and not clay! Also, generally a train line would not be in a place which will flood. It was raining heavily by now so we made the choice to camp here. It seems anonymous. There is nothing around except a huge field of solar panels. While we were putting up the tent a goods train came by but it was pretty quiet and pretty short.


We had a restful day off in our tent, nice to be warm and dry and we ate well. There was a lot of rain and also strong winds which we were glad to avoid. There were also many slugs which we could not avoid as they happily slid into our (mainly my) vestibules and climbed onto our things. We could eat brekky outside this morning before setting off. First town of Puente Genil was only a couple of k's away and a crazy town full of cobbled one-way streets at very steep gradients, luckily down for us. Spain is a master of one-way streets by the way, it seems in these small villages more streets are one-way than two-way. After running the gauntlet we escaped only to have to climb up a steep hill to leave.

We made tea in a small park in a village we passed through. Many of the parks we stop at are not the way we would usually picture a park. Most Spanish parks are devoid of grass or any greenery really. They will just be a little triangle of unused land which is paved, maybe a water fountain and some flower beds, but ALWAYS exercise equipment. Now, we have this sort of thing in Perth too, you will come across say 4 or 5 stationary machines in public places where people on their daily walk can do some pedalling, or lift themsevles up and down, or exercise their arms by pushing two upright paddles together across their chests. I am not explaining this well, but you get my drift. Spain takes this to the next level. At even the most remote picnic site that you literally have to ride a bike to or walk to for many kilometres on a rail trail, there will be a group of these machines. Even though you probably have no use for them having got to the spot under your own steam. In towns and cities they are everywhere, at every little park and rest area. They are all in good working order and look new, accompanied interestingly, by lengthy written instructions on how to use each machine. In Perth we have pictures to describe how to use them. It seems a major health initiative by the various municipalities and we do see people use them, old men mainly. Good on them! So we enjoyed our tea break and stayed away from the exercise machines.

We stopped shortly after to shop and happily bought a chicken pie and ate it. It had been raining again but the sun came out and we sat on a bench. It was a day when we regularly passed through towns and villages and at the next one I went in search of a water fountain to fill up our bottles. There was a large municipal building with 5 elderly men standing outside having a chat. One was even using an exercise machine. He was doing a strengthening exercise which looked like he was trying to unscrew a large tap. I tried to use the water fountain but the men shook their heads and gestured I should go inside. When I did I noticed two large rooms full of elderly men, one was a games room and one a bar. I wasn't sure where to find water so I walked out. One of the men then took me inside and into the bar where he asked the lady behind the bar to help me with water. She smiled and filled up a glass for me. I tried to explain that we had bottles to full. When she found out I needed bottles filled she said no. I thought I might use the toilet as I left, but the ladies toilet was locked. Strictly men-only on a Friday then. While cycling through the town we saw a water fountain randomly on a sidewalk and filled up. You have to keep your eyes open for them! It's much easier in a small village with a central square.

The whole day was spent going uphill in steep sections and then downhill again. We had a lot of climbing in total, the final push coming over 5 km after Algamitas. As we pulled into Algamitas the skies were black and it started raining. On the advice of a local pub patron who yelled at us from the sidewalk drinking spot, we sat under a building overhang as the rain came thundering down. Mike could see on the weatherapp tht there was a big thunder storm on the way, but it might take an hour to arrive and we could be at our campsite by then. The rain had stopped so we set off. About halfway up a hailstorm arrived so we quickly put on all our wet weather gear. The hailstones lashing our faces, I soon stopped again. I cannot ride into a hailstorm, it is too painful on exposed skin. Anyhow, the hail stopped and heavy rain fell and slowly stopped then started again. By the time we got to the top where we step our camp by an old water tank, we were soaked. This seems the story of this trip so far. We start everyday dry and end soaked. It is always good to get into the tent, out of wet gear and into dry clothes. No shower tonight again, too cold. We have two difficult but beautiful climbing days ahead in the mountains before we reach Gibraltar (optional) and Algeciras (compulsory, we have a hotel booked for 2 nights and we take the ferry from there to Ceuta and enter Morocco).


Sunny day all day today which felt like such a luxury! Everything dried out. We decided to leave camp without brekky and eat on the way so that we could maximise Solly time. It is quite a challenge keeping our phones and batteries charged when it rains everyday. We had a good 10 km downhill stint to start the day and had breakfast in the first town we came to after about 15 km. We sat on a bench in the sun and left after 10:00 after buying some supplies from the local supermarket.

From there we had a big climb of around 600 m. The views were good, the scenery of very green pastures. No more olive trees. There were a few other cyclists and motorcyclists out and about on a sunny Saturday. After the climb came another 10 km descent and then a few up's an down's until the final climb. The roads were pretty busy and many people were taking advantage of the sunshine to get out into nature. We had a liedown near a cave from which a massive stream of water poured. It was a tourist attraction. We were trying to get motivated for the final 20 km and 600 m climb. This climb was really beautiful but super steep in places and we were tired. We are always amazed by these villages that you climb up to on steep roads. They are built right on the top of the hill.

Cortes de la Frontera was at the top of the climb and there was a festival on the go with children but also adults dressed up in amazing costumes. We filled up with water and had a Coke to drink and then heded downhill to where we thought we could camp. It did not work out so we kept going, taking a gravel track along to see what came of it. There was an area we could camp. It was a long day and tiring, but we were pleased.


We had brekky in the tent as it was raining off and on and would be wet later too. We set off back along the gravel track we had taken to our campspot and wore wet weather gear. As soon as we turned left onto the road we were on the first of two big climbs of the day. This one was 450 m. The sky had blue patches and we wondered had we overdressed, but soon it was drizzing and later raining so that we were very wet by the time we reached the top of the climb. We had a few clear views of the valley below, but it was mainly pretty miserable. The area seems to be made up of small rural properties, hobby farming mainly, a couple of cows, a herd of goats. No more Spanish oilfields. Mike is a gaiter convert, by this I mean that instead of wearing rain booties over his cycling boots, under his rain pants, he wears gaiters. Hiking gaiters. They keep the water out of his boots and his feet dry. I had our remaining pair of booties, but had ordered a pair of gaiters to Algerciras as booties are more suited to clipless pedals. I had found once that part of the bootie had caught on one of the spikes on my platform pedal. Anyway, this is background to what happened at the top of the climb. Mike had pulled off the road and we were going to put our rain hoods on for the descent. I came to a stop and couldn't put my foot down as it was attached to my pedal by the booty, came to a standstill and fell over. Hit the bitumen hard on the back of my right hip. How ridiculous, ending up getting injured because you want dry feet. We dropped down a steep, twisty descent into a village where we stopped at the park to have tea. Boy, sore back! Caused pain in my right leg too so climbing up and down the steps to a bench was difficult. Popped two ibuprofen and had some hot, sweet coffee. Mike and I had a look at the avairies at the park which had the sweetest birds with tiny chicks. There were geese with tiny yellow and black fluffy babies. Very cute. Completely restored me!

We continued downhill and then started the second climb. At the top of that one, we zoomed downhill again. We turned off the road we were on to descend down into a river valley on a bouncy farm track. Downhill all the way. Orange orchards and I think avocado farms abounded. We started getting a bit worried as we sinking into this valley with a very big river running wide and muddy through the centre. It would be just our luck that the camino (farm road) was closed. We were hungry and the rain had stopped so we stopped to eat. A man drove down a long farm track nearby and we got interested, hoping he would drive down the road in the same direction as us and not return so we could relax. Turned out he was only driving down to open the farm gate. Then two cars came along, driving the same way as us. We watched them go. About 10 minutes later one came back. Oh boy. Mike started to stress, contemplating where our day would end up if we had to go back the way we had come. Wouldn't be so easy! In fact, it would have been an absolute nightmare. Just behind us was supposed to be a road and causeway over the river, but the river had totally swamped both of them, taking a bridge with it. Nothing for it than to get back on our bikes and keep going. We still had about 8 km to go. The road ended up with many potholes filled with water to dodge but we came out the other end unscathed and relieved. Whoo hoo!

We sat on a bench and thought back to a sign we had seen just when I fell off my bike, it said "Algerciras 68 km". At that stage we had done 11 km and it seemed mad not to go straight to Algerciras, however of course that distance was for cars using the main arterials. Now, sitting on the bench, the weather improved, 23 km to go to our campsite, we got to thinking: "Why not? Let's just go straight to Algeciras now, score a third night in the hotel and forget about cycling round the Rock of Gibraltar in the pouring rain tomorrow?". Mike had checked the weather forecast for Monday and it looked brutal. Certainly not the weather for rounding a rock at the coast. He worked it out and it was about 50 km to the hotel, a bit more climbing, but the weather looked okay and we would be on a dedicated cycleway for much of the route as the EV 8 (long distance cycle route) headed that way. So, decision made, I popped two more ibuprofen and off we went.

We took a few breaks and we enjoyed the ride, mostly. The cycleway was a highlight, it was divided from the road by concrete barrier. Algerciras however is notoriously, well, impossible to cycle into or out of. Basically you need to cross a river and their are only two bridges, one is the motorway, with a confusing cyclepath that goes along partway and then abandons you to the actual motorway. Considering the number of road bikers out for their Sunday afternoon ride on the EV 8, perhaps some people do ride on the motorway, however you would not want to bet on that route coming into a city you have never been in a country you have three weeks of experience at. So Mike located the only other possible bridge crossing which he planned our route towards. This is a really small road bridge out in hobby farm territory. In fact, the ride into Algeciras went like this: we cut through some bushland, up and down some hills, dropping down towards the large port, Gibraltar clearly to our left, and then you just take a massive loop out again all around the city, til you cross the tiny bridge and then approach the whole place from the other direction. It was nuts and added on about 10 km to what would have been the shortest route. For some of the time we were dodging potholes again through an industrial area. You get the arse-end and then you get the route into Algeciras. We are only pleased we decided to do this all in one go today to avoid the weather tomorrow. It is the oddest thing as you would think that a lovely bike ride along the foreshore from Algeciras to Gibraltar would be just the thing on a balmy spring day. Probably security has something to do with it, ports and military bases etc. Arriving in Algerciras the overwhelming scent is orange blossom. It is beautiful! We were very happy to arrive at our hotel around 18:30. My back was fine by then.