7th May 2013 – Home to Portsmouth and the Santander Ferry.
We had an uneventful journey to Portsmouth and, despite a hold-up on the M1 near Luton, we made the docks in plenty of time. The weather was kind to us too with sunshine and temperatures of around 21C. The ship was pretty much what we expected with fairly small but perfectly adequate cabins, Butlins type entertainment and good but expensive food. The crossing was pretty bumpy overnight and took almost exactly 24 hours which seemed to drag rather although it did give us the opportunity to meet with some nice people including a couple who live not far from us at Cranwell in Lincolnshire.
8th May 2013 – Ferry to Camargo, Spain.
We were pretty much last off of the ferry this evening having been parked nose in at a dead end and then blocked in by around 70 more bikes, still, it didn’t matter as we only had 7.5 miles to go to get to the Hosteria we had booked. This was a two-star Hosteria which, although hard to find as it was tucked away down a side street, turned out to be very nice, with good clean rooms and an even better restaurant (a 5 course meal with a bottle of wine for two worked out to 45 Euros). If anyone is ever looking for somewhere to stay close to Santander we would definitely recommend it.
9th May 2013 – Camargo to Tudela de Duero.
It was bucketing with rain when we woke this morning and as the forecast was for it to last all day today and tomorrow we abandoned plan ‘A’ which was to ride West through the Picos mountains so we headed South instead. It rained most of the day finally stopping late afternoon but at least we’ve now moved away from the weather front (we hope). As we had nowhere booked to stay we started to look for accommodation at around 16:00 first stopping at a Hotel attached to a Bodega. Once we found out that this was going to cost 129 Euros we moved on and we’re now staying in a one-star ‘Hostal Rural’ at 40 Euros. It’s clean, reasonably comfortable and has it’s own restaurant which also looks very reasonably priced so that will suit us fine.
10th May 2013 – Tudela de Duero to Los Yebenes.
It was cold and grey when we left this morning but at least it was dry! When I’d been researching this trip I found some information which suggested we should at least drive through to towns of Segovia and Avila, both of which were described as historic towns with castles. Unfortunately they have made a number of changes to the roads in this area since our map was printed and, as a result, we ended up on an Autovia (Motorway) for most of the run to Segovia. It was a good road without too much traffic but I’m sure there must have been a prettier route but never mind. Segovia turned out to be a very pretty small city with not only a castle but a monastery too. There were lots of people about and very limited parking so we had a good drive around without stopping (which was a pity but….). From there we moved on to Avila which turned out to be a much bigger city with what appeared to be a very large walled city within it. Unfortunately we couldn’t work out how to get in to the walled city so, having seen as much as could from the bike we gave up and moved on again. From there we took a very pretty N road to Toledo, a bigger city still with lots of historic sites and even more tourists which made it impossible to find somewhere to park so, once again, we had a good drive around the city and left. The weather improved dramatically the further south we rode and it’s now sunny with temperatures of around 86F (hoorah) it’s just a pity we still had the linings in our riding suits ! We’ve now found ourselves a two-star Hostal in a very quaint little town called Los Yebenes. The owner had originally said that we could park the bike in their store room but unfortunately it wouldn’t go safely over the step to get in to it so he arranged for us to park in the Chef’s garage a short way down the road; how’s that for service ? We have also been sharing some English lessons (colours, fruits etc) with some local children so, all in all it seems we’ve turned up trumps.
11th May – Los Yebenes to Osana.
We definitely did turn up trumps last night. We ate in the in-house restaurant and, on the recommendation of the waiter, had one of the most unusual soups we have ever come across, it was made with some beans, cheese, lots and lots of garlic and was served bubbling hot with an egg broken in to it so that the soup cooked the egg. Definitely unusual but also very tasty. That was followed by the speciality of the house which turned out to be venison stew, again very tasty. After dinner we took a stroll around the town and found that this very small town had four bars within about 500 metres of one another and all of them were busy. Our room was on the first floor and we decided that, as there was some kind of patio or flat roof outside the window we would keep it closed. It’s a good job we did too as we had the very wet nose of a big black Labrador poking through it as we got ready to leave this morning! When we left it was in warm sunshine and it got hotter as the day went on with the temperature gauge on the bike reading 86C by late afternoon. Our route today took us on a mixture of roads, some ‘N’ roads through some very pleasant countryside, some Motorway (not quite so pleasant) and one very, very twisty, narrow road through a Natural Park that we found en-route. We had decided to make our way to Osana as I’d found some information on the internet that said it had a number of historic sites as well as hotels/hostals one of which had private parking. By some miracle we found the one with parking on our drive through and were now ensconced in a fairly small but comfortable room and the bike is safely tucked up in the interior courtyard. We’ve taken a walk through part of the town and found some of the historic sites but there are lots of them and they appear to be very spread out so we won’t be seeing all of them. We also discovered on our arrival that the town has a bullring and there is a bullfight on this evening. After some discussion we’ve decided to stay away as, although it would be an experience, we’re fairly convinced we wouldn’t like what we saw so it will be a case of eating here at the hostal and having quiet drink afterwards I think.
12th May 2013 – Osana to Gibraltar.
It’s safe to say that today really didn’t go to plan at all. The plan had been to take some of the pretty roads to Gibraltar via the hillside town of Ronda and all was going well until we reached the small town of Coripe where we started to see people dressed in traditional costume. We then came around a corner to find the road full with people and tractor-drawn floats all decorated for some sort of festival. The Civil Guard who were on duty waved us through telling us to be careful and the crowd parted to let us through with much cheering and waving. Once we’d got past the throng of people, horses and tractors we came across a narrow, cobbled bridge which was quickly followed by a ‘Road Closed’ sign. There were two local Police officers on duty here and they told us that there had been a landslide on the road we wanted to take and that we really should be turning around and going back but they didn’t advise it because of the parade. So what to do?? They had a debate between them and finally agreed that the trike could probably make the alternative route they were going to suggest and they arranged for us to follow a young lady in car who was going to show us the way. It turned out that this alternative route was actually an old railway line which is now used as a cycling/walking route and from which motorized vehicles are usually banned. After 5km of unmade very, very dusty roads the young lady she stopped and told us we should turn left but be careful as the road was twisty. She was right, it was twisty and it turned out it was also taking us in a slightly different direction than the one wanted. Once we’d worked out where we were we decided to give Ronda a miss for today and call in there on our way back so we stopped for some lunch instead. That’s where the local Police turned up for their lunch-break and one of them spent some time talking to us about bikes and then said that if we could wait a while he would show us the route we needed as he was going in that direction. We decided to pass on his offer as we had visions of travelling at speed under a police escort which definitely wasn’t in the plan. We finally arrived on Gibraltar late this afternoon and found a hotel where we could park right outside the door to reception, it’s not cheap and a bit grotty to boot but at least we’re in the middle of town. Once we’d settled in we walked to the main square where we had been told we could find lots of restaurants which was true if you consider Burger King, Pizza Hut and McDonalds to be restaurants! I’m not really sure what I expected of Gibraltar but it certainly wasn’t Basildon on steroids which is the only way I can describe it (sorry if this offends anyone but that’s the way I see it). Once we’d had a quick drink we took a fairly expensive taxi trip around the Rock which was worth doing but not particularly good value as it was a pretty cursory tour. We then went out to eat only to find that a number of the restaurants had already closed so we ended up eating pub-grub in a British style boozer, once again, not what we’d planned but it did give us the opportunity to meet the three Swedish guys who have their Choppers parked outside the hotel so it can’t all be bad.
13th May 2013 – Gibraltar to Alhambra, Granada.
It was grey, cloudy and windy when we left Gibraltar this morning but we decided it was still worth going to visit Ronda. We took one of the smaller roads North East which still had some good views despite the cloud but, from time to time it was very, very windy and somewhat uncomfortable in places. We reached Ronda by lunchtime and discovered that it was rather less dramatic than we had expected (we’d been led to believe that it was a Spanish version of Rocamadour in France but that wasn’t the case) and that it was also stuffed to the gunnels with tourists and tour buses so any idea we had had of stopping here for lunch were quickly revised. From Ronda we continued East towards Granada knowing that we wanted to see the Alhambra Palace, the only difficulty we had was that we didn’t know exactly where it was in relation to the city. Luckily it was well signposted and we’ve managed to get in to a nice, reasonably priced hotel right opposite the entrance to the Palace and we’re staying here for two nights so that we can go and see the Palace tomorrow.
14th May 2013 – Alhambra Palace.
We arrived at the Palace entrance at 09:15 this morning and it was a good job we did, as we hadn’t realised that ticket numbers to the main palace are limited and entry times allocated, our entry time being set at 12:00. As we had plenty of time we started by visiting the gardens and some of the other buildings that make up the complex before making our way to the main palace in time for our self-guided tour. The Palace itself is a little smaller than I had expected but well worth the visit as the architecture and decoration is really rather special. The entry fee was also, I feel, very good value at 13.5 Euros per person. Once we’d finished out tour we made our way back to our hotel for some lunch and a lazy afternoon before trying the Paella in the hotel restaurant this evening, and very nice it was too.
15th May 2013 – Granada to El Palaces Nr Zurgena (Marion & Barry’s home).
We left reasonably early this morning as we’d decided that the hotel breakfast was just too big and we stopped en-route instead. We had a reasonable run along some more minor roads and made another stop for lunch before finding our way to Marion & Barry’s house which is tucked away in a small village outside of Zurgena. We arrived at around 14:00 and were just settling down to a drink by the poolside (even though it was mostly cloudy and windy) when Marion & Barry’s friends Mike & Linda arrived for a short visit. The rest of the day was spent catching up and eating a very nice dinner in, thanks Marion.
16th May 2013 – El Palaces.
As Marion wasn’t feeling too well this morning (she assures us it wasn’t us having an effect on her already) Barry took us in to Zurgena to do a few bits of shopping and to see the town which although very small has a all the facilities you would want. Barry also pointed out a number of areas that had been badly affected by the floods in the area last September and it was evident that it had caused severe disruption with the entire town being cut off and the authorities using bulldozers to cut out temporary roads. Thankfully Marion & Barry’s home wasn’t affected but from the photos we’ve seen it was very close! One the way back home Barry took us to “The Pink House” where he could pick up a newspaper and what a strange place it is. It can best be described as a massive junk shop that sells a bit of everything, has a small café (our morning coffee stop) and which sells cars, campers, caravans from it’s forecourt. Although the morning had been sunny (but windy again too) the afternoon turned cloudy and decidedly cool so we stayed indoors whilst Barry cooked us a whole chicken in his barbeque which although outside is under cover. Another very fine meal, thank you.
17th May 2013 – El Palaces.
It was my turn to feel groggy this morning. I had one of the headaches that have been troubling me on and off for a while but it soon went after I took some of my magic pills. After a slightly later start than expected we drove through the local countryside (including the dry river beds) and down to the coast at Mojacar where Mike & Linda live. We had planned on calling on them for coffee but as they were out we went further along the coast and had lunch in a beachside restaurant. There are two distinct parts of Mojacar, the old town a very pretty place which is perched up on the hillside, and the waterfront area which is largely made up of apartments, restaurants, shops etc. and which is rather smaller and less like Benidorm than I had expected. This along with its very nice beach explains why it’s a popular holiday destination although anyone staying here right now would likely be disappointed with the weather as it’s been very windy and mostly cloudy again. As Marion & Barry were expecting more guests this afternoon (old school friends of Barry’s who were coming to stay for a day or two) we went home via a Supermarket to await their arrival. John & Mick duly arrived mid-afternoon and we all spent a very enjoyable afternoon getting to know one another before settling down to another very nice home-cooked meal.
18th May 2013 – El Palaces.
It was sunny, windy and cool again this morning and as John had arranged to go to view an apartment in Mojacar this morning Barry and Mick went with him and Marion, Graham and I decided to stay at home a mooch about looking at some old ‘photos whilst we did and, you know they say it’s a small world, well it turns out that Marion used to work with a girl I was close to at school and she was able to find some photos of her which was really interesting for me. The rest of the team arrived home during the afternoon having had a disappointing morning as it turned out that they couldn’t get hold of the keys for the apartment viewing. A little later in the afternoon John decided to go for a walk and I decided to join him. This seemed like a good idea at the time but I hadn’t realised when he asked if I was okay to take the walk to town at around 5km that this was one way and we then had to walk around the same distance (different route) to get back!! I hadn’t realised that what he called a walk would be at what I called marching pace either !! I wasn’t really prepared for such a long walk as, apart from my bike boots, I only had a pair of slip-on sandals with me and they’re not ideal for walking along stony dry riverbeds. It was also still sunny and windy and I hadn’t thought to put any sun screen on (it didn’t seem warm enough) so by the time I got back I’d about had it and I had a nice rosy glow! I still enjoyed the walk though, thanks John. We were presented with another fabulous meal this evening and spent a very pleasant evening indulging in a few bottles of wine.
19th May 2013 – El Palaces.
It was warm, sunny and breezy when we surfaced this morning and, as we had lunch booked out, we had a lazy morning after a late night. Lunch had been booked for us at a mountainside restaurant where they have a jam session twice a month. We arrived at 14:00 and were sat at an outside table where we could enjoy the music whilst we ate and, as you would expect, some of the singers/players were better than others but we had a very enjoyable time. From our lunch stop we headed back in to Mojacar where we called in on Mike and Linda for coffee before making our way back arriving home at about 20:00.
20th May 2013 – El Palaces.
It was cloudy and quite grey first thing but improved somewhat as the day went on. John and Mick were due to leave today and as John had managed to re-arrange his apartment viewing they were on their way by mid-morning. Shortly after they left the rest of us went in to town as Marion and Barry had to run some errands. It was then back to base for lunch by the pool (it was finally a bit warmer) followed by an hour or so sitting outside chatting. After another very nice home-cooked meal we sat in and watched a DVD before retiring.
21st May 2013 – El Palaces.
We were woken overnight by some very heavy rain and it was still very wet when we got up with the rain finally stopping at around 17:00. Despite the rain we took a drive down to and quite a way along the coast before stopping at a very nice, very popular waterfront restaurant for lunch. From there we continued further along the coast before heading back via the major roads with a stop for coffee on the way.
22nd May 2013 El palaces to Teruel.
We left Marion and Barry’s this morning after a very pleasant breakfast by the pool and stated to make our way home. The first part of our journey was, out of necessity, on Motorway but we had intended taking to more minor roads quite quickly. Unfortunately this didn’t happen as it seems that when new roads are built here to old ones are completely obliterated so there is little alternative. We stopped for lunch at the end of the new motorway and, having been served some badly cooked chicken, wished we hadn’t. From there we found some more interesting roads through some quite pretty valleys, the only problem was that the valley walls were funnelling the wind somewhat and it got quite uncomfortable in places. We had thought we might make it to Zaragoza tonight but it turned out not to be and, as it was getting late, we pulled in to Teruel and after a bit of faffing around found some slightly strange accommodation which appears to be half hotel and half apartments but which did have a garage for the bike. It turns out that this is a university town so it’s quite modern and full of students which is fine but we ended up eating in a music bar and having a traditional Spanish student meal – cheeseburger and chips!!
23rd May 2013 – Teruel to Oleron Ste Marie, France.
It was cold and windy when we left this morning, it did get warmer as the day went on but unfortunately the wind just got worse and worse and was decidedly dangerous in places with us hanging on for dear life and trucks being blown all over the road – not nice at all. Some of the roads we took would undoubtedly have been quite pretty had the weather been better but this was not a journey either of us enjoyed. We reached the Pyrenees mid-afternoon and entered the 11km tunnel which forms the border under bright-ish skies and strong winds and came out the other side in lighter winds and belting rain !! We’d both had enough by that time and I soon spotted a roadside hotel in a small village just outside Oleron which was displaying a “Relais Motard” sign (motorcycle friendly) so we decided to stop here. On seeing us arrive the owner (we think) came out to meet us and told us to park in their garage next to their car and once we were settled he made us a very welcome cup of coffee. Dinner was taken in the hotel restaurant before we both crashed out after a very uncomfortable, tiring day.
24th May 2013 – Oleron Ste Marie to Perigeaux.
It was, thankfully, less windy today but we did encounter some heavy showers throughout the day (sunshine holiday my foot!). As usual we decided to take the smaller ‘N’ roads to take us northwards but this turned out to be a bit of a mistake as it took forever to get anywhere. We’d just got wet for the umpteenth time when we saw a restaurant and stopped for lunch, that turned out to be a mistake too as we ended up with a tough old piece of meat and chips each and worst of all that and some coffees cost 25 Euros! We arrived at Perigeaux late afternoon just as everyone was heading home, and started to look for somewhere to stay. The centre of town was really busy with chaotic traffic so we decided to look for somewhere on the outskirts which has ended up being a Campanile quite close to the motorway – oh well!
25th May 2013 – Perigeaux to Pont Audemer.
We bit the bullet last night and booked ourselves on to a ferry leaving Le Havre for Portsmouth on Sunday lunchtime (about a week earlier than we had intended but the weather means it really isn’t worth staying to go sight seeing) this means we have a fair mileage to do today to get within striking distance but never mind. We left early this morning to get a jump on the traffic which was fine except that it was pretty cold when we left (in fact the read out on the bike didn’t rise above 50/10C all morning). The first part of our journey was on a very pleasant ‘N’ road which was almost traffic free so we were able to make good progress. We stopped for breakfast just after it started to rain for the first time (of many) and pitched up at a rest stop where the young lady was just opening up. After a quick break we continued on to Angouleme where we picked up the Peage and headed north. We’d covered over 400 miles in total today before we dropped off of the motorway in to a very pleasant little town with a tourist office that was open. As there were no hotels in the town the young lady provided us with information on a couple of nearby hotels and made special mention of one around 16km away which she said was very nice and she was right, it was very nice but also very expensive as it was a “Relais Silence” (an upmarket Spa) set in an old building on a small island in the river Risle. As we’d planned on being over here a week or so longer we still had some cash left so decided to stay and blow the cost. We were given the choice of a number of rooms (rates starting at 182 Euros per night) and were given a free upgrade to a slightly better/larger room which was very nice thank you! The restaurant in the hotel offered a number of set menus and we were treated to a very nice seven-course meal (if you include the amuse bouche that is) and a very nice bottle of wine to keep it company. It may have cost a fortune but after the last few days we felt like we deserved it.
26th May 2013 – Port Audemer to Wickenby.
We left the hotel at around 09:30 this morning after a very nice if expensive breakfast as we wanted to leave ourselves plenty of time to check-in for the ferry as, having been unable to print our tickets, we weren’t sure what the procedure would be. As it was this caused no problem at all and we were at the docks with time to spare. We met up with another group of UK riders who had also experienced some pretty grotty weather for their holiday and we stood swapping stories with them until the boat arrived. We were loaded first and sat ourselves at the front of the vessel (a catamaran) for our four-hour crossing which was totally uneventful. It seems that today was a good day to book to come home as the ferry was only about a quarter full and actually left 15 minutes early as everyone who was booked was on board. As we were first on we had expected to be last off of the ferry but we were pretty much first again and were on the road by 15:00. Unusually the roads in the UK were also quite quiet (I guess a lot of people had got to where they were going and weren’t going home until Monday it being a Bank Holiday) and with two short fuel stops we made it home by 19:00, almost exactly four hours after we disembarked.
Overall this hasn’t been one of our best trips and is the only one we can remember that we have cut short and that was all down to the weather which seems to be causing issues right across Europe at the moment. There have been parts of the trip which we have very much enjoyed e.g. staying with Marion and Barry and some which we definitely haven’t e.g. Gibraltar and the rotten windy weather but were home now safe and sound and starting to think about where our next trip might take us.
Total mileage in excess of 2700.