Day 19 Duenas to Lerma

Day 19 Duenas to Lerma. 90.70 kms cycled. 5.11 hours cycling. 50.58 km/h max speed. 17.46 km/h average speed. Weather – fine, sunny and cold in the morning with a westerly wind in the afternoon.

What a difference a day can make. After what was basically a downer of a day for me the previous day, it was a totally different story today.
After a great meal the previous night, a good sleep and waking to sunshine for the first time in about 10 days, I instantly felt my spirits rise.
So much so, that I knew that it was going to be a good day – and it was. With the terrain changing over the course of the day from flat open acreage planted with wheat to valleys and gorges, the kilometres just seemed to fly by.
And with a solid westerly at my back for the final 40kms, I was pretty pleased with the 90kms I clocked up for the day.
I constantly find myself immersed in the history of the country that I am travelling through and find it amazing that every town – no matter how big or small – has a HUGE church as its central point.
Some towns I have cycled through so far would struggle to have 30 or 40 houses, but always boast a huge church that would have been built in the middle ages – some in better repair than others.
On two occasions today I came across shepherds herding their sheep along the road. And on both occasions I stopped to have a chat with them. No-one understood what was being said, but it was fun talking with them anyway.
The second shepherd was carrying a small radio that he used to listen to while watching over his sheep. I pointed it out and it was clear that it wasn’t working properly.
So next thing I knew we were both sitting by the side of the road surrounded by sheep, trying to work out why his radio wasn’t working. I think it was flat batteries, but he seemed appreciative of my efforts anyway.
That encounter gave me an extra boost, and a ‘how good is this feeling’. As I said earlier, what a difference a day can make!!!!!
Anyway, after criss-crossing the countryside to avoid a series of major highways, I finally got onto the road heading west that I will be on for a couple of days.
And right on cue, the wind picked up from the west and I had a great armchair ride for the final 40 kilometres into Lerma, an extremely historic and important town for the Spanish.
It is one of the few towns that I have come across that has literature for tourists in English, so I will read up tonight and do a bit of sightseeing in the morning before hitting the road again.

captions. Pic 1: Another town with a huge church as its central point. Pic 2: Wide open plains. Pic 3: The first shepherd. Pic 4: The second shepherd that I tried to help fix his radio. Pics 5&6 Lerma

Day 18 Medina to Duenas

Day 18 Medina to Duenas. 51.95kms cycled. 3.34 hours cycling. 42.16 km/h max speed. 14.51 km/h average speed. Weather – cold, wet and windy throughout.

I’m told it’s not normal for this time of year, but by gee am I getting sick of the freezing, wet and windy weather this part of Spain is experiencing at the moment.

 Basically it makes touring on a bicycle incredibly more difficult than it already is!

 After it rained again all night I knew I was in for a tough day, and believe me I was right.

  From the time I set out from Medina – after initially contemplating having the day off – I am the first to admit that I struggled.

  Not only was it constantly raining and bitterly cold, but I was riding straight into a persistent headwind. Not, I must admit, as strong as the headwinds I encountered in Portugal, but strong enough to make every turn of the pedal an effort.

  The result was a painful countdown of the kilometres, with my goal of making Cevico de la Torre – a 70km trip for the day – looking more and more of a pipedream the longer the day went on.

  Into the bargain I copped my second flat tyre in 3 days just out of Ampudia, which didn’t help improve my outlook on things.

  In the end I called it quits in Duenas, a historic town that is basically too cold and wet to explore.

  Unfortunately the smaller towns in Spain don’t have camping grounds, so I enquired at the Tourisimo office for directions to a suitable hostel.

  The result was the best tghing that happened all day, with my accommodation for the night a near brand new B&B just out of town for just 25 Euros complete with pay TV – no broadband unfortunately – which enabled me to watch the Madrid Tennis Open on live TV.

  So there you have it, what was a pretty ordinary day that finished on a bright note, and with some hope that the weather may start to improve tomorrow.

After repairing the flat tyre in Ampudia, I was in desperate need of a good meal, so went into the only restaurant in town.

  But wouldn’t you know it, it was siesta closing time and I was too late, it seemed. My pleadings for some sort of food must have hit a chord with the lady however, as she reluctantly agreed to get some soup.

  Great, I thought, but you should have seen what turned up. It must have been a local specialty, because it was basically a bowl full of hot, ground up animal fat. And into the bargain it tasted disgusting.

  After forcing myself to eat about half, I gave up and just ate the dry bread that came with it. If I didn’t know better I would say I was set up, but anyway the whole exercise cost 8 Euros, which was just as bad as the so-called soup.

caption. The only picture I took all day - repairing a flat tyre. It was too wet for any other pics.

Day 17 Castronuevo to Medina

Day 17. Castronuevo to Medina. 54.19kms cycled. 3.20 hours cycling. 37.30km/h max speed. 16.20 average speed. Weather – cold and wet.


After such a big day yesterday I didn’t need any rocking to sleep, but was still woken by torrential rain that pelted down on my little tent all night.
It was therefore a wet and late start to the day’s cycling and, frankly, it didn’t get much better.
The biting cold in combination with persistent showers and downpours made the going tough and to be truthful not very enjoyable.
As a result I decided to call a halt to proceedings after 54 kilometres at Medina, a good choice as it turned out.
With no campground in town I tracked down a nice hostel for just 20 Euros with internet included, so I couldn’t be happier. Into the bargain it is another fascinating town to explore which I have been doing for the past couple of hours.
As it is only 6 degrees outside there are few people around, so I felt as though I had the town to myself to explore.
Unfortunately I have looked at the weather forecast for the next few days and it doesn’t look like improving quickly so it looks like I will have to get used to riding in the rain!
What is that saying about the rain on the plain in Spain ... it's certainly very applicable at the moment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

captions: Pic 1: A dramatic sunset at Castronuevo Pic 2: The road ahead. Pic 3 & 4: Medina. Pic 5: Have a look at how the old buildings were made.

Day 16 Miranda do Duoro (Portugal) to Castronuevo (Spain)

Day 16. Miranda do Duoro (Portugal) to Castronuevo (Spain). 100.95 kms cycled. 5.50 hours cycling. 51.12 km/h max speed. 17.25 km/h average speed. Weather – overcast and cold, but I fortunately managed to stay clear of showers in the area.

 Well, what a day it has been. After enjoying a very, very cold night in the comfort of what was a lovely residencial at Miranda do Duoro, I finally hit the road at 9am for what proved to be a big and eventful day.

  After battling big hills throughout Portugal, my first introduction to Spain was an incredibly steep 6km climb from the dam at the bottom of the gorge separating the two countries, to the top on the Spanish side.

  For the next 30km or so it was undulating country, fairly similar to that on the Portuguese side but with a distinct Spanish feel to the buildings and few small towns I passed through.

  After my bad experience with major roads back at Beja in Portugal, I have since tried to avoid roads marked in dark red on the map. So it was with some trepidation that I noticed there was about a 12 km section marked in dark red leading into Zamora, my planned destination for the day.

  Anyway, I rode on with all going well until the yellow road on the map joined up with the red road.

  It was there that I ran into trouble. There were signs on the entrance to the road that very clearly showed that bicycles, pedestrians and animals were not allowed to enter.

  So what to do? Luckily there was a petrol station nearby and I thought it was my lucky day when the attendant spoke English. But it was his explanation of the situation that didn’t impress.

  No, he said, bicycles weren’t allowed and the quickest way for me to get to Zamora was to go back the way I came and to “go the other way”.

  All well and good, but that was a detour of about 25 km, which I wasn’t keen to make. In the end I had no choice and went the long, long way, finally arriving in Zamora just after 2pm just as everything was shutting down for the mid-afternoon siesta.

  With nothing open, and unable to find the camping ground, in the end I decided to ride on until I could find a suitable wild camp site.

  And what a great move it was. A fierce wind had sprung up and unlike in Portugal, it was directly at my back and I was flying. Basically I was being pushed along the open plain roads at about 30km/h with very little effort, so just decided to hang on for the ride.

  In the end I just knew it was too good to be true, because you guessed it I copped my first flat tyre. But as luck would have it, the flat tyre occurred just as I was entering the town of Castronuevo.

  As I pulled up outside the local bar, two locals directed me around the corner to what turned out to be the local blacksmith. And I nicer bloke you couldn’t want to meet anywhere.

  While we didn’t speak the same language, bike riding is an international language and it was clear that he had had a lot to do with bikes.

  Before I knew it he had taken charge of the situation, had the old tube out, a new tube in and I was ready to be back on my way. A quick happy snap and thankyous all around and I was off again.

  By this time I had done close to 100km for the day and had had enough so found a great wild camping spot down the road where I set up camp for the night.

The terrain has completely changed now that I am in Spain. The area I am now in is wide open plains, with huge acreages of wheat planted.

  From what I can see on the map the next couple of days should be much the same, so hopefully the weather cooperates and I can continue to clock up the kilometres.


captions. Top pic: My final look at Portugal from the dam wall between Portugal and Spain. Pic 2: One of many small churches in villages along the way. Pic 3: Zamora - too big and busy for me!! Pic 4: There are solar panel electricity farms everywhere. Pic 5: All the old buildings in this part of Spain are made of straw and mud - and obviously don't last as well as the stone buildings in Portugal. Pic 6: My blacksmith tyre changing mate. Pic 7: The wide open expanses of this part of the country.

Day 15 Sightseeing in Miranda do Duoro

What another beautiful little town Miranda do Douro is. Situated on the border with Spain in northern Portugal, Miranda do Duoro is a town full of history.
I only just wish they would provide history details at the different historic sites all around town in English, so I could be all the more learned about that history!!
Anyway, visually it is a beautiful town, with many narrow laneways, a historic cathedral, roman remains and much, much more.
As it has been bitterly cold, I did not spend a huge amount of time wandering around, choosing instead to put my feet up at the hotel preparing and resting up for the next leg of my trip across northern Spain.
With the weather forecast for the next week bleak indeed, it sounds as though it is going to be a wet and cold introduction to Spain.
At least I won’t have the same huge hills to climb as I did in Portugal for the first few days at least, so riding - as long as there is no wind or hopefully a tailwind - will be much easier than it was over the past 2 weeks.
Anyway, short and sweet today, not much else to report.
I am told internet connections are not so easy to find in Spain, so I don’t know how regular my blog postings will be for the next 10 or so days, but I will certainly update the site as often as possible.
Happy cycling!!!!!!!!!!!

captions. Top 4 pics various pics from around the old Miranda do Douro town. Pic 5: The view from town looking down to the Spanish border. Have a look at the road up the left side, that is the climb into Spain!!!! Pic 6: A different angle of the spectacualr gorge between Portugal and Spain.

Day 14 Lagoaca to Miranda do Duoro

Day 14. Lagoaca to Miranda do Duoro. 64.57 Klms cycled. 4.08 hours cycling. 53.21 km/h max speed. 15.56 km/h average speed. Weather – cold throughout with heavy rain early followed by overcast conditions.

Well, I have made it. After a total of 751 kilometres I have completed phase one of my across Europe adventure and cycled from the south to the north of Portugal from Faro to Miranda do Duoro.
I must admit I feel a sense of achievement, because Portugal was much, much tougher than I had expected.
While I had read that it was a country of hills, nothing could have prepared me for the reality!! Throw in tough mid-30s heat for the first couple of days, three days of horrendous headwinds while cycling through central Portugal’s mountainous region and torrential rain over the final two days and I have had just about everything thrown at me.
But all that said, Portugal is an incredibly beautiful country and there is only one way to see it as I have discovered …. from the seat of a bicycle.
The country has an incredibly diverse landscape, mostly quiet roads, great food and very reasonable prices. Its small size means you can cycle beside the sea and the mountains easily in just a couple of weeks of touring.
The rustic landscape is nothing short of amazing and the roads are a cyclist’s dream. You have to work very hard at times in the mountainous areas with grades of 10 percent and more, but long descents often follow on near perfect roads and hardly any traffic.
Highlights for me were the Unesco world heritage town of Evora with its Roman temple, aquaduct, cathedral and multitude of other historic monuments and Sabugal, a real hidden gem full of history.
Another highlight was the ease of finding free internet. Just about every town of reasonable size has internet available at the local Tourisimo office or library and many towns also have Municipal-run campgrounds that are very cheap.
Also, on the couple of occasions I decided to stay at a hostel, the most I paid was just 31 Euro for bed and breakfast – value indeed.

My final day saw me wake up to torrential rain and a decision to make – should I sit tight and wait for the rain to stop or should I just press on.
In the end I guess I did both. After eating breakfast and generally getting my panniers organised, I lay down and promptly went to sleep for about an hour.
When I woke the heavy rain had eased somewhat so I decided to put on the wet weather gear and get going.
It proved to be the right move, because after 30 minutes or so the clouds had lifted and while still incredibly cold, at least it wasn’t raining.
With the threat of rain never far away though, I decided to get to Miranda do Duoro asap. With the help of a tailwind, I covered the 64 kilometres in good time.
What a difference a tailwind makes, after battling 3 days of headwinds earlier in the trip.
Anyway, after arriving in Miranda do Duoro I discovered the camp ground was closed for some unknown reason, so booked into a residencial for 2 nights to prepare for the next leg of the trip – Spain.

No photos today, I am afraid. It was all cycling and no sightseeing. I will be having a look around Miranda do Duoro tomorrow, so that should be interesting

Day 13 Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo to Lagoaco

Day 13 Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo to Lagoaco. 70.61 kms cycled. 4.57 hours cycling. 47.49km/h max speed. 14.22km/h average speed. Weather – cold and overcast in the morning. Wet and miserable in the afternoon.

There is no doubt that I have been blown away by the beautiful scenery in Portugal, but the area I travelled through today was by far the most stunning.

  Particularly in the morning before the rain set in, I found myself stopping at just about every turn to either take a photograph or just marvel at the magnificent scenery.

  In particular the area from Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, where I spent the night, to Freixo de Espado a Cinto is just stunning. The majority of the area is a national park that has the Duoro River – the boundary between Portugal and Spain – as the focal point.

  As you descend from the plateau down to the river after leaving Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, the views of the river and the valley are just breathtaking.

 Despite having a dream downhill run, I stopping a number of times and couldn’t help but wonder at the tenacity of local farmers who still tend olive groves on the incredibly steep slopes.

  After reaching the bottom of the valley, the road follows the river for about 20 kilometres and once again the scenery is amazing. Unfortunately it was a grey and overcast morning, so I was not seeing the area at its best, but second best was still very impressive!!

  After leaving the river behind the road climbed and climbed until I finally reached Freixo de Espada a Cinto where I explored the old town before tucking into a huge meal of, your guessed it, pork!!

  All the mum and pop restaurants in the smaller towns have a lunch special and you can just about be certain that the one and only choice is pork. Fortunately this one was a bit better than some others I have been served and it was huge, which was certainly what I was looking for.

  When you cycle over such tough terrain for 4 and 5 hours per day it’s amazing how much food you go through. And the trade-off? I have gone down a notch in my belt after 2 weeks cycling.

  Anyway, as I left the restaurant after a very enjoyable lunch complete with a jug of the local wine, down came the rain. After contemplating what to do I decided to press on to Miranda Do Douro, a solid 88 kms – and too far to travel in one day tomorrow - and many big, big hills down the road.

  It probably proved to be the wrong decision as the rain just got heavier and heavier. While I had all my wet weather gear on, I was climbing very tough hills, so was sweating heavily, so was basically wet on the inside and out.

  In the end I pulled into a disbanded farmhouse to get into some dry clothes and to wait for the rain to subside. Fortunately it did after about one hour and I am writing this about 20klms further down the road in the tent ….. with the rain pouring down again.

  Hopefully the rain eases overnight and I can get to Miranda do Douro tomorrow without too many hassles.

captions. First 3 pics: the scenery coming down into the Duoro River valley was stunning. pIcs 4 & 5. The Duoro River Pic 6. The view from the top of an old castle tower in small town along the way

PS. I have just read this back and it is pretty long. If you don’t want me to write so much, just let me know. I guess on the other hand if you are enjoying my ramblings also let me know. I am certainly enjoying writing about the trip each day and hope everyone is enjoying reading it just as much.