Anecdotal Tripe To add to the lessons learned from my first trip: 1. Bungees linked together and stretched out between trees make an excellent washing line, assuming you had enough bungees. Never a problem for me, I always have an absurd amount - I could string a line across the Millau bridge. 2. Petrol is 30% cheaper in Spain. OK, so on the thimble sized petrol tanks on most bikes it is not going to realise considerable financial gain but by the same token it's hardly worth filling up in France just before you cross the border. Fuel prices seemed consistently [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday 29th July - Bilbao, The Picos, Santander The Guggenheim is an amazing building but I had to agree with the consensus that debated whether its content was worthy of its surroundings. That's partly because I don't really get gargantuan ultra modern sculptures, those more refined would probably disagree. As a basic sort of chap. for me art is about pictures on canvas, or other media and for that I generally do prefer modern art. So the top floor of the Guggenheim held most interest but even that was dwarfed by the architectural genius of the building itself. As amazing [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday 28th July - San Sebastian - Bilbao After mucho milos (I'm picking up this Spanish lark already) the last couple of days, I had always planned today to be an easy, lazy day, but that was no excuse for taking the autoroute the 100km or so short hop to Bilbao. I studied the map afterwards (yes I know somewhat arse about face) and noticed the coastal road. Sure enough it even warranted a mention in Lonely planet. Wally. Still I have to say that it was by far the most scenic and interesting autoroute I have ever been on. The [View Full Entry]

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Monday 27th July - Back to Spain, San Sebastian This was more like it - the hotel in San Sebastian that is. I am sat up writing this in a bed so large there is a walkie talkie on each side for contacting your bedfellow - should you be so lucky enough to have one that is. The Spanish tourist offices had come up trumps, both here and in Barcelona, so on that basis I could only but recommend them. I had struggled to find anything decent for under 200 sovs searching the internet with a budget that was half that [View Full Entry]

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Sunday 26th July - Riding the Cols of the Pyrenees I was Col'd out. I loved riding these Cols so selected the “interesting” mountain pass route over the Pyrenees and into France, for a brief overnight sojourn there, travelling back across the border again to Northern Spain tomorrow. It was more interesting than the dull ride through the plains of central Spain and more importantly not as sun baked. And what a brilliant ride. If there was a prize for best biking road ever the N260 would have to be in the top 5. Stupendously good fun - awesome views and [View Full Entry]

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Saturday 25th July - Olot and the lower Pyrenees Somone upstairs had finally turned the heating down and so I swapped plans and set off on the bike around 10am. It was a deliciously cool 22C and even by midday had only reached mid-twenties. I felt like I had my own personal AC unit. Perfect conditions for riding a bike - especially without full luggage on a range of cols. What a mega f*cking day! First leg was to ride out to Sant Joan de Abasses - brilliant road, Col de Joubert I think and I yabadaba-dooed out loud in my [View Full Entry]

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Friday 24th July - Barcelona - Central Catalonia Barcelona traffic was pretty dire so I was hoping this trip up to Parc Guell with me sat melting in the heat would be worth it. Was it? No. And worse I had to lug all the bungeed luggage round the park, due to the constant threat of theft of anything not bolted down. So I absolutely fried. The trousers were designed to be summer trousers so what muppet in the Hein Gericke design department decided on black as a color? Call me a philistine but I just didn't see the appeal in [View Full Entry]

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Thursday 23rd July - Barcelona It had definitely been a wise move to give up pontificating what next and just get a hotel. I felt infinitely better this morning. There was however no solution to the Morocco problem - even with a clear and air conditioned head. Still at least now I could reason that quite quickly. I had up to 7 days left and I estimated that 4 days of that would be flat out riding in elevated temperatures. All for 3 days in Morocco - it was a crazy notion and I quickly abandoned it. After the initial pangs [View Full Entry]

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Tuesday 21st July - Mt Canigou There was another way to make it up Canigou. There was a dirt track Col that ran up towards a refuge at Marailles that shaved a couple of hours off the hike to a more manageable 8 hours. But the track was not suitable for non 4x4 cars or for road bikes. Well the beemer should be fine - but I was unsure of my abilities. Actually it was quite good fun - it was basically a sandy track, deeper at the edges on the hairpin corners, with a mixture of rutted track (but dry) [View Full Entry]

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Wednesday 22nd July - Vernet to Barcelona Two or more hours had gone by and no matter how many times I looked at it - I'd well and truly f*cked it up. I was at the docks in the Transmediterranea ferry terminal, using an internet terminal coupled with my PDF lonely planet guides and maps of Europe and Morocco. It had been hellishlly hot getting here and I struggled to keep myself hydrated. My camelbak had been errantly left in Cath's fridge whilst I watched Harry being Robin Hood in his end of year play before setting off on a rain [View Full Entry]

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