Biking in Spain

Just in case you are wondering what I am doing in the rain on my bike, I have just finished the Camino de Santiago across the north of Spain. I started in San Jean Pied de Port in France and together with my brother we cycled around 800kms to Santiago de Compostela.

This is the climb up from Sant Jean in France to Roncesvalle in Spain. We climbed 1200m over 26kms. It rained on and off for the first 10 days and then we had brilliant sun for our arrival in Santiago de Compostela.

I got back three days ago and now this afternoon I am setting off to do another five days biking on the Via de la Plata starting in Monasterio north of Seville with my daughter and friends. We started this route last September.

So when I get back I'll get the Via de la Plata blog up to date and then write about my experiences on the Camino de Santiago or Camino Francés as it's also called.

I haven't mentioned it before but I did 6 days trekking in Patagonia in Argentina in January and I'll be writing about that too. Thank you very much for your patience in waiting for replies on  Gomarbella blog and Facebook. I'll be back in business from 24th May onwards. Must go and pack a puncture repair outfit. Where are my cycle clips? See you soon. Mike

VDLP Almaden de la Plata

Shayne on the long hot road from Castilblanco

Castilblanco to Almaden de la Plata 30kms 
Day 3

Monday 19th September 2011

Martha the owner of Hospederia de la Plata was up at 7am to make breakfast for us before she did
the school run with her two daughters. She chatted as she cooked us a hot breakfast. With 16 kilometres on asphalt coming up Martha told us that we would be passing the enormous finca belonging to José Ortega Cano the bullfighter. Still a controversial case, the Guardia Civil's report established he had been driving too fast in  the accident I mentioned yesterday and was three times over the legal alcohol limit.  A well known personality, once married to the legendary singer Rocio Jurado  he is an important figure locally. With powerful friends would justice be done we wondered?

By 7.20am we were walking through the dark village. A few bars were open. Men nursed coffees or their first drink of the day. We headed towards the cool glow in the east then swung north walking in single file. Wearing a white shirt I walked ahead on the narrow verge and then as the day lightened, Shayne wearing a red shirt walked in front I timed us against the kilometre posts. We were walking at a steady 5km an hour. We passed the imposing entrance to the bull fighter's ranch Finca Dehesa Yerbabuena   Take a break, click through and you'll see the great man, glimpse his fighting bulls and his imposing spread. Take note of the countryside for your Camino!

After three steady hours on the black road, the last hour really dragged. The hard asphalt was relentless, the soles of my feet hurt. We leapfrogged an Italian couple  few times. She was in her fifties, the man in his seventies. She strode ahead, waited for him and then set off again when he caught up. Ahead of us on the highest point on the SE 185 road we could see a gigantic antenna, part of a regional communications project. Hours later we would peer back to find it and and marvel at how far we had walked

Not a moment too soon we turned off at the entrance to the Parque Nacional de los Berrocales. A taxi pulled up next to us. The Germans got out, they looked fresh. They had started the morning by posting excess baggage back to Germany from the Castilblanco post office and then hired a taxi to carry them over the 16 long kilometres of asphalt. They must have seen Shayne and I looking sideways at each other. Pilgrims in taxis? They explained that they had already walked the Camino Frances, some 870km and felt they had earned the right to travel in a taxi when they felt like it. New pilgrims ourselves, Shayne and I did not argue with them. It gave us something to talk about during what was now an endless winding walk through the redbarked national cork oak forest.  

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We walked from far beyond the horizon

Almaden de la Plata - great little village

 We passed the Casa Forestal and a garaged yellow fire truck. A lake appeared down to our right, it looked tempting. We checked out the long abandoned buildings of the Pueblo de los Berrocales. The day was hot. Ahead of us we could see a low range of hills. It was the Cerro del Calvario marking 27.5km along our route. We laboured up a climb of 130 metres on a steep, stony  track. From the lookout at the top we had a first glimpse of Almaden de la Plata below us. Looking back we could see coloured shirts on the track we had just come up. They were cyclists. Suddenly they were upon us, three sweating, muscular young men on mountain bikes. They would be in Santiago de Compostela in five days. Before nightfall they would have cycled 170kms. Shayne and I looked at each again.

Our descent into Almaden de la Plata was slow, the track was rough and our feet hurt. We startled two enormous fat hogs who leapt from their cooling mud bath. We found Hostal el Romeral easily. It was locked. Shayne rang the number on the door and José appeared from around the corner. He gave us the keys to the hostal and said he would be back in the morning. Our downstairs room on the corner was cooled by a welcome through breeze.  It was a large bedroom with an equally large bathroom and the water was hot and plentiful. We were happy and very satisfied with our performance, after showering we changed, rested and then set out to check on the village.

Meet the Germans

We found the German couple in one of the plazas in Almadena de la Plata, a village we were becoming very fond of. They had walked into the village, asked for the albergue and an elderly man had offered them a bedroom in his house for a few euros. We chatted to them before dining at Casa Concha. The meat is highly recommended, we had barbecued secreto and ribs. I'm not a great pork eater but even allowing for my hunger this was the best tasting pork I have had in Spain. It had been a long, hot, tiring day and to accompany our dinner we rehydrated with ice cold beers and ice filled glasses of Patcharan. We were in bed by 10.30pm. There was no traffic at all in the village and it was a very silent night with the gentle breeze blowing softly on our faces all night long.

Back to Guillena to Castilblanco Day 2

Via de la Plata Guillena to Castilblanco

Via de la Plata  Guillena to Castilblanco Day 2

Sunday 18th September 2011

Shayne - our track stretching away.

With our backpacks ready to go upstairs we were breakfasting on the terrace by 8.30am. I was carrying oat flakes to bulk out my  coffee and roll breakfast and asked Patricia for cold milk, a bowl and a spoon. I got hot milk, a large cup and a teaspoon. We spoke to the cyclists from the day before as they prepared their bikes. Cycling 70kms a day, they were aiming to arrive in Salamanca the following Saturday. Halfway through the day depending on where they had got to, they would phone ahead to reserve accommodation.

The German pilgrims from the day before made an appearance on the breakfast terrace and sat at the next table. Shayne is a fluent German speaker and we were relieved to learn that when the woman hadn't felt well enough to continue in the relentless heat,  her husband had walked back to Santiponce to get a taxi which had leapfrogged them on to Guillena. They were going to take three weeks to reach Santiago de Compostela.

Laden with enormous tortilla rolls prepared and wrapped in the Hotel Francés kitchen we set off at 9.30. Crossing the Huelva river on the town outskirts we headed north on the A 464. The yellow arrows had disappeared. A kindly motorist, perhaps sensing our uncertainty, stopped and pointed us towards a Polígono in the distance from where our path would leave the road. Overhead microlight planes circled.

Easy walking under the cork oaks

It was a relief to leave the road and walk through olive groves and fruit tree plantations. For an hour we climbed steadily, breathing deeply and purifying ourselves physically and mentally. Saturday cyclists passed us on our track, calling out friendly greetings and warning us of how many more of the group were still to come. The signs had picked up again and we praised the local association of Friends of the Camino for their good work. It was getting hotter but from our experiences of the day before we had decided to remain hydrated and drink at regular intervals and most certainly before we got thirsty. The olive groves gave way to Mediterranean pines and oak trees.

Mike - map and communications check.

We stopped to eat our giant carbohydrate packed Hostal Frances bocadillos near a tall Milario, a mile stone marked Camino de Santiago - Via de la Plata. I put a stone on for my good friend Philip. Despite the heat we were going strongly and after leaving our dusty country road and joining the A 8002, we built up speed walking on the narrow asphalt verge. Once, approaching a sharp curve we had to step smartly into the ditch when two cars approached each other both well over the speed limit. After our blissful earlier 7km stroll through the olive groves and oak forests this stretch was not so enjoyable. Two kilometres before Castilblanco we were able to walk safely on a parallel side road.

Our hostal Hospedería de la Plata was practically at the entrance to  Castilblanco. From the outside it looked definitely more upmarket than the previous night's accommodation. In our planning, Shayne had researched hostals along the route before we set off and I had made the reservations.

On entry I was greeted by name which I liked, perhaps there weren't too many other father and daughter pilgrims arriving that day? Of course we had a celebratory cold beer before going up to our room. Reading the day's newspaper I was struck by a photo of the Guardia Civil taking measurements on a section of road we had just walked along. In a sensational accident which gripped Spain four months earlier, the Spanish rancher and bullfighter José Ortega Cano had been returning to his nearby ranch at night and collided with an oncoming car, killing the other driver. Our barman explained that the accident had taken place at Km 28 on the approaches to the urbanisation La Colina just outside Castilblanco at the very spot where we had jumped off the road.

The Pilgrim on our hostal wall. 

Our room  was very comfortable as hostals go in Spain, excellent value in fact. In the groove now, we showered, washed our smalls and hung them near the window discreetly to dry and went downstairs again for more beers mixed with 7 Up and delicious barbecued chicken wings from the Hospederia  de la Plata's chalked menu.  There is a TV in every good bar in Spain and we watched Julia Roberts in My Best Friend's Wedding. The temperature had dropped by 7pm so we walked into Castilblanco. After looking  around an photographic exhibition of churches in the village theatre we chatted to the curator who was sitting outside on a bench fanning herself. Near the square we found an ultramarinos  to buy more Aquarius and water for the next day. We calculated we were needing half a litre of liquid every thirty minutes walking in the late September heat of the middle day.

Before returning to the Hospederia de la Plata hostal we checked out our exit from Castillblanco so that we could find our pilgrims' way easily in the dark of the morning. Our friendly barman Eduardo  had advised an early start for the next day's 30km stretch. It turned out to be excellent advice.

Keeping up the tradition established two nights earlier in Seville, we had a very large glass of Pilgrims Pacharán with ice as a night cap before retiring. The night was cool and peaceful and we slept like tops.

Castilblanco to Almaden de la Plata  Day 3
Back: Via de la Plata Seville to Guillena Day 1

Via de la Plata Seville to Guillena

Via de la Plata Seville to Guillena Day 1

Saturday 17th September 2011

The Giralda Tower behind us.

Seville to Guillena 22.3kms.  After having our pilgrims' passports stamped in the Giralda cathedral we set off. I had printed Google maps of the location of our hostals along our route and memorised that to get out of Seville we needed to cross the Guadalquivir river twice then turn right and follow the river. In this picture you can see the towers of the Giralda cathedral in the distance behind Shayne.

It was a short walk to cross the Puente de Isabel III bridge and in Calle San Jorge we were happy to find our first viera. After that we simply looked out for yellow arrows, there were plenty of them, in fact the signing on the first day was excellent. We followed Calle Castilla north as far as the Calle Odiel bridge over our second river crossing and just over the river, dropped down to walk north again along river path next to the Guadalquivir.

It was a Saturday morning and there were lots of cyclists and walkers out along the river path, we were feeling very bright, shiny and new and so were very happy to be wished - ¡Buen Camino! by a passing cyclist - less than an hour into our walk. Across the river to our right we could  see the 1992 Expo buildings, to our left, the litter, junk and debris of abandoned buildings that mark the outskirts of so many towns and cities in Spain. We swung away from the Guadalquivir and debated having our first coffee stop at a rural paintball and shooting range but decided it wasn't a restful place to  stop and definitely not in keeping with our pilgrims' mission. We were pleased to leave the rattle of small arms fire behind us. We were now out in dry rolling farm lands with dried sunflower heads on wizened stalks and cotton plants on either side of our gravel road. A baby rabbit hopped in a dried out ditch, easy prey to any predators.

Reaching Santiponce 11kms along the road we stopped off at the first filling station at the town entrance to stock up on cold Aquarius and top up water bottles. I had seen the Ruinas Romanas de Italica marked on our Euroski guide but hadn't planned to stop off. I'm very glad we did. The custodian kindly locked our backpacks in his office and with nothing more than a waterbottle in our hands we virtually floated around the immaculately preserved ruins. From the highest point we were able to peer into the heat haze towards where we thought Guillena was. This is a great place to take an hour's break.Immediately opposite Italica's entrance is a lovely shady little venta. Shayne and I had a cooling gazpacho soup, ideal for the hot walking conditions before setting off again. She pointed out two other pilgrims, Germans. The man had a large beer glass in front of him. We wondered how he could drink and walk in that heat.

A few hundred metres past Santiponce's industrial site with only a narrow verge to walk on and a white line between us and passing traffic, we crossed under the A65, Autovia de la Plata then turned left to begin the four hour walk along a dirt road through the rolling, shadeless brown fields that lay between us and Guillena. Two days ago on Easter Saturday returning from a trip to Las Minas de Rio Tinto with my grandson, I stopped to take this photo of a seemingly peaceful scene marking the beginning of the long trek to Guillena. On that first hot day five months earlier, under those same eucalyptus trees we had witnessed a group of low life, unshaven, beer bottle holding young men obviously up to no good with five skeletal looking greyhounds. In other circumstances we might have intervened but I was grateful  that Shayne could contain her anger long enough to move on along our track without bloodshed. To win our campaign, we had to lose  this battle.

An hour into this stretch we saw the German woman sitting in the shade of a water tower. We could see two packs, there was no sign of the man. Had he collapsed? She waved us cheerily past. Perhaps he was having a nap behind the tower. We peered back but couldn't see him. Should we go back? She had not called for help. We went on.

Our rural track could well have been a Roman road, almost 4kms without a bend before we got to the first shade under canes in the Arroyo de los Molinos which after the summer was virtually dry. On the rare occasions that the water level reaches the still  visible high water marks it would be impossible to cross, needing a return to the A65. With Guillena visible in the distance, we had another 3.5km to walk still in a straight line and under the burning sun. Somewhere along that unbending road on the first day we became pilgrims. There was one more river crossing to make, the Arroyo del Rivera de Huelva. By 5pm we were in the outskirts of a baking hot,  absolutely deserted village.

 We had booked the night in the Hostal Frances. The bar downstairs was open and we sank two cold beers each almost without talking. The TV showed temperatures of 35º for our area, we could well believe it. Patricia took us up to our room. The only window opened onto an interior passage. It smelled as if a smoker had just left. My daughter simply shook her head. "I can't breathe here," she said. Patricia gave us a room at the front. It had a window overlooking the still empty street outside. In comparison to the other room, this wasa view of the Caribbean. We washed our smalls and hung them over the window sill to dry. A siesta was  calling.

Shayne and I were up and out again by 7pm. The heat was abating and passersby were starting to fill the street. We walked back down to a pharmacy we had seen on the way in to buy ointment and plasters for a blister. Speaking through an intercom from the pavement we could see the pharmacist at the end of a small square tunnel behind thick protective glass. Was Guillena full of drug addicts or serial pharmacy robbers I wondered?  Back to the Hostal Frances for more rehydrating beers and dinner and then a large Patcherán with ice out on the terrace. Five cyclists arrived. We watched with interest as they unpacked their gear on the street in front of us and then wheeled their bikes into a back  room. Our dinner cost around €7.00 each. We were in bed by 10.30, it had been a long day.

The street in front of the Hostal was now alive with pedestrians, cars and scooters. Diners were arriving at the restaurant below us. The good villagers of Guillena had emerged from behind their shutters to enjoy the cool of the long evening. It was going to be a noisy night but we were grateful for the fresh air and pleased that our washing hung out over the window sill over the entrance to the hostal was already dry for the next day.

Back: Starting the Via de la Plata in Seville
Via de la Plata  Guillena to Castilblanco Day 2

Road Trip to Munich!

Hotel Riscal in Murcia

DAY 1 - Friday 30th March

Our plan for today was to reach Castellon. It took us 9 hours to make the trip. Following the National highway with exception of the new carretera de peaje (toll road) between Torremolinos and Sierra Nevada which is well worth your money as it cuts off half an hour from your trip.

We stopped off for a quick bite to eat at a brightly coloured hotel called Hotel Riscal, found in the province of Murcia at the entrance of Llorca. My parents always stop at this hotel for lunch on their many trips back and forth from Munich and are always pleased with the service and quality of food. You can't miss the hotel as its looks like it dropped out of Legoland boasting a fun and quirky design. We enjoyed a lovely lunch, my mother and I opting for a salad and my father for the three course meal, although I happily volunteered to take his dessert a yummy natilla casera, hmmmmm! Fed and watered we continued our way to Castellon continuing on the National Highway, and found our way to our hotel for the night, Hotel Bag, a three star hotel, clean, comfortable and relatively easy to find.

DAY 2 - Saturday 31st of March

Before continuing, we stopped by to visit some family friends, friends of my parents whom I hadn’t seen since I was 12 years old. They live in Benicassim a 10 minute car ride from our hotel. It was wonderful to see them again and to share a couple of hours in their company. They have the luxury of spending their time between Madrid and the Azahar Coast and have a fabulous apartment which looks out to the beach and sea, making you feel as if you're hovering above the Mediterranean.

Cycle path along Benicassim Paseo Marítimo

In the light of day the first thing I noticed about Benicassim was that all along the beach and paseo maritimo there’s an extra path dedicated to bike riders. Now if you’ve been to Germany or any Nordic country you will know that this is the norm, but it’s the first time I’ve seen it in Spain. With the wonderful weather we enjoy along the coast it’s a shame that other towns haven’t picked up on this healthy and environmentally friendly idea. One of the most famous things that Benicassim is known for is the FIB - Benicàssim's International Festival, Spain’s biggest festival. It's definitely a place I want to re-visit and spend more quality time in.

At noon we said our goodbyes and continued on our way via the National 340 towards the carreterra de peaje in the direction of Tarragona, skirting Barcelona via Gerona, Costa Brava and eventually arriving at the Spanish/French Border. Last stop for reasonably priced gasoline is La Jonquera, so make sure to stop there. We continued through the South of France until Lyon, Bron where we stayed at a Novotel Hotel. In total (stops included) the trip took us almost 11 hours, after which we all gratefully nodded off before facing the last part of our journey!

DAY 3 - Sunday 1st of April

Novotel Hotel in Bron, Lyon

I tend to judge a hotel by what it has to offer at breakfast and this ticked almost all my essential needs:

-Fresh orange juice (check)

- A large assortment of bread, muffins and croissants (check)

- Good coffee (check)

Good tea (check ) and impressed as this is where they usually find their downfall.

-Generous spread of hot food (fail)

Four out of five, not bad, adding to that the service was good, hotel rooms fresh and clean and they offer reasonable prices, I would certainly recommend this hotel if you are going on a similar trip.

Our next stretch of tarmac was Lyon- Zurich via Geneva, Lausanne, Bern to Zurich. If you're planning to go through Switzerland, keep in mind that upon entering you are required to buy a ticket for roughly 35 Euros which lasts the entire year in order, to use their highways. The highways in Switzerland are marked in green whereas in the rest of Europe they are marked in blue.

Lake Zürich

We stopped for lunch at Tibits found in the center of Zurich next to the Opera and close to the lake. Whenever in town we always make a point of eating a meal here as its our favourite vegetarian restaurant. Set out in a buffet style you choose from various international vegetarian dishes, pile it all on your plate and then pay the weight of your culinary delights! If you do have a chance to eat here (I hear one has opened in London) make sure to try their lemonade with crushed ice, they mix in some ginger and its simply devine. Taking advantage of the sunshine and before heading off direction Munich, we took a stroll around the lake, taking in its serene beauty and the impressive architecture surrounding it. It seems like most of Zurich had the same idea!

Snow topped peaks in Austria

Zurich – Munich (4hours) via Bregenz Austria, alongside Lake Constance. This was the last hurdle and also offered the most beautiful views, I must admit I did nod off a couple of times but when I did wake up the scenery had a beautiful tranquility to it and was framed for the most part of the journey by snow topped peaks. We arrived in Munich (my 2nd home) at around 9pm and now I have a week's holiday to enjoy! Happy Easter!

Three day escape to Sierra Nevada!

Natalia and friends on the Sierra Nevada slopes

Hi there Nat online: It’s fast becoming tradition to head up and enjoy the snow every time my birthday comes around. It’s the best way I can think of to celebrate my birthday, enjoying a sport which makes you feel so alive. One of the best things about living in Marbella, is that on the 22^nd of March I was enjoying the sunshine and warm weather, and on the 23rd I was strapping on my board and surfing down the mountain, beach and snow a mere two hours away from each other!

Our trip consisted of three full days of snowboarding from Friday to Sunday. Arriving Thursday night and leaving Sunday afternoon. Usually we stay in a hotel, I’ve stayed at the Hotel Melia (there are two), Hotel Kenia and Hotel Monachil and we have always enjoyed our stay, however this year, because we were more people and our budgets were tighter we decided to rent an apartment. For three nights it cost 514 Euros, which is pretty good, especially when your dividing it between 6! There are plenty of websites in which you can find somewhere to rent just make sure that its not located too far away from the ski lifts, or you’ll have a long and heavy walk ahead of you, which is the worst especially when your going back home after a long day of skiing.

You’ll find plenty of good places to stop for lunch or have a hearty dinner, my personal favourite is La Antorcha, they specialize in carne a la piedra (steak which you cook yourself on a hot stone) and they bring plenty of appetizers before your main dish. If your not in the mood for meat there's also a new sushi restaurant called Kotobuki, which opened up this season, and was recommended to us by several people. If you like to go out and party stop by Hipodromo or Soho, their right next to each other and both have a great atmosphere!

If you’ve read my earlier post back in December you’ll remember that I’m big on getting classes, for my own and other's safety. I always go back to Escuela Tecnica Ski/Snow Carlos Ollmedo here the instructors are great, professional and super friendly. They also have close ties to a shop called White World where you can buy or rent gear at reasonable prices. Over the years I’ve bought almost all my things there.

If your thinking of going up before the season ends, don't leave if for too long, it’s been one of worst years for snow, and in some spots it’s lying thin, we were lucky because it actually snowed on Saturday and the temperatures went down on Sunday. So make sure to check the weather forecast ahead of time! Have fun and be safe!

Starting the Via de la Plata in Seville

The Start of our Adventure!

In September 2011 my daughter Shayne and I started out from Seville on the Via de la Plata. Ahead of us lay 978kms of walking northwards through Spain towards Santiago de Compostela.  Every good pilgrim needs credentials before setting out so we had contacted the Amigos de la Asociación de la Via de la Plata in Seville.  As we were arriving in Seville after their closing time, they told us that the Albergue Triana Backpackers,  Calle Rodrigo de Triana, 69, 41010 Sevilla or the Hotel Simon Calle García de Vinuesa, 19 Casco Antiguo, 41001 Seville could supply our credentials over weekends and when they were closed.

Shayne and I had decided to use hostels rather than albergues and because Hotel Simon could give us a comfortable first night's sleep as well as supply our pilgrims credentials we decided to stay there for our first night's stay in Seville. We had travelled up from Marbella by bus and arrived at the Prado de San Sebastian bus station in the south of Sevilla. Two minutes walk from the Estación de Autobuses Prado de San Sebastian is the Plaza transport interchange. We climbed aboard the super smart T1 tram  and glided at walking pace towards the Giralda Cathedral. There is a T1 stop at Archivo de las Indias and the next and last T1 stop on the short journey is Plaza Nueva. Hotel Simon is halfway between the two. I suggest getting off at the Archivo de las Indias stop, just before the Giralda and walking along the left hand pavement in the direction of  travel until you intersect with Calle García de Vinuesa just after the Giralda. You could easily walk from the Prado de San Sebastian bus station to the Hotel Simon but it'll be your last chance to travel with your pack on the floor and for less than €2 it's well worth it!

If you are arriving by plane and taking the Sevilla airport bus into the centre of the city, you'll also get off at the Prado de San Sebastian bus station and follow the same route as we did on the comfortable T1 tram.

Seville's Giralda Cathedral by night.

At the Hotel Simon we were given the first room on the left on the ground floor and for a bit of fun laid our packs out ceremoniously on the beds. It was getting on in the evening and time for carb loading. We walked up behind the Giralda cathedral through the still crowded streets and stylish Sevillanos to a pizzeria I had eaten at before. If you would like to treat yourself to good food in pleasant surroundings before setting off and you are staying at nearby Hotel Simon then Restaurante Pizzeria San Marco will be a good choice. It's not more than five minutes from the hotel, tucked away behind the Giralda in Calle Mesón del Moro, 6, 41004 Sevilla Tel:  954 21 43 90.  With lots of little side rooms and an attentive staff, we had a tasty, filling meal finished off with cold beers. Shayne suggested a glass of Pacharan. Sharing the start of such an adventure with my daughter was a very special experience and made it a memorable evening. The traffic rumbling past our window on the cobbled street outside did nothing to disturb our sleep.

Where we got our first Credentials Stamp

The next morning as we checked out we were pleased to learn that by staying at the Hotel Simon and collecting our credentials there we were being given a special "Pilgrim's Discount." Paying €2 each for our credentials at the reception desk we had to state if were travelling on foot, by bicycle or on horseback. Our receptionist suggested we went to the Giralda Cathedral to get the first  stamp in our pilgrim's passport.

We left our packs in our room and walked around the corner to wait with the other early morning worshippers at the  Avda Constitución side entrance to the cathedral. The security guard that you see on the left of the photo taken inside the cathedral told us to wait until the end of the mass and then kindly took us into an inner room through the black door that you see to the right of the cathedral explaining to the priest that we wanted our credentials stamped. The priest did so and wished us ¡Buen camino!

978km to go!

Our route out of Sevilla took us past the Hotel  Simon again and after picking up our packs from our room we stopped to pose in front of the door. It was a lovely day, already warming slightly but we were fresh, happy and we were off! If you'd like any information about travelling into Seville or need suggestions,  write to me in the comments box in the blog below. We'll be back on the Via de la Plata  in May 2012 and I'll be happy to pass on my experiences so far. The link below will take you with us on Day One as far as Guillena.

Day One Seville to Guillena

Parking in La Linea

 Kristin wrote in to ask about parking in Benahavis and Puerto Banus and also in La Linea before she crossed the border on  foot into Gibraltar. I needed to go back to check on the now non existent left luggage lockers in La Linea bus station which had mysteriously disappeared since I last wrote about them in 2009 so because my wife and I were in Los Barrios on Saturday morning, we  drove down to check out the parking garages near the frontier with Gibraltar at the same time.


You are absolutely right in your planning Kristin, there is no need to take a car on a day's excursion into Gibraltar.  It's much simpler to take a taxi or bus from the border. Crossing the frontier out of Spain from La Linea on foot is half the fun of visiting Gibraltar. If you are lucky, a plane might just be landing or taking off. The line of cars and walkers always wait good naturedly in the sun and it seems to take ages before the plane's engines are run up before take off but as soon as the plane is in the air, or taxied back to Gibraltar airport,  the barriers on both sides lift and the visitors surge forward across the runway. 

Don't expect to see Gibraltar on any of the road signs on the A7 coastal road, La Linea is clearly signposted though. Whether you drop down to La Linea coming from the Malaga side or approach it from the Cadíz side of the  peninsular head for the big Avenida del Ejército which runs across La Linea, connecting the Mediterranean side of the Rock with Algeciras Bay, one block back from the border.  

There are lots and lots of pay and display parking places along this avenue, be generous with your time allocation so that you don't have to suddenly cut short your visit whilst in Gibraltar. The tariffs on the pay and display machines work out at a little more than €1.00 an hour. (2012) If you'd like to come back to a cooler car in the summer, make for the two entrances to the Focona under ground parking garage in La Linea. We always use the entrance seen in the picture above which is right next to the big roundabout half way along on the Gibraltar side of Avenida del Ejército. 

If you are using a GPS, just set it on Avenida del Ejército.  The Focona Parking Garage could not give me a street number for this entrance, but you'll easily pick up the blue signs for the public parking garage. The roundabout is big enough for you to do a couple of rounds without anyone noticing whilst you pick out the entrance.  At the same point there are actually two separate entrances to two different garages. The bigger one is Parking Focona to the right, on the left is the entrance to Parking Constitución. I can't remember ever using this last one.


Parking Focona also has another entrance, Avenida 20 de Abril, 11300, La Linea de la Concepción. A hint, if you are doing an online bus ticket booking or setting the address in your GPS, you may need to put in Concepción de la Linea.  Who said life is straightforward? This second entrance is easiest found using your GPS. It will come up on Google Maps though. It's an enormous garage with lots of space, it does fill up during the summer.


Please note tariffs change over the years, please write in to me with the latest costs if you see it changed. 

There is an automatic payment machine or if you don't have change, a ticket office just inside. Leave all your belongings in the car boot out of sight. I always give this advice no matter where you park your car in Spain.


The Focona garage is also where Gomarbella hire cars are picked up and returned in La Linea. The car hire offices are  just outside the parking garage in La Linea on the pedestrian approach to the border.  When picking up a car, after flying into Gibraltar, cross the border, do the formalities in the car hire office and then drop into the garage to pick up your car.

As promised Kristin, I've dedicated this page to you!  I hope you and your husband have a really good visit to Puerto Banus and Benahavis and a great day out in Gibraltar.

Dogs on Buses in Spain

Lona wrote in from Copenhagen to say that she was planning to bring her dog on her next visit and she wondered if it was possible to take dogs on trains and buses.  On her last two visits she stayed in La Cala and used the buses and train  from Fuengirola several times but had never seen any dogs. "Do they allow dogs to travel on buses?" Lona asked "Mine is not a small one but a large poodle."

I contacted the Avanza Bus company right away to ask them then wrote back to Lona saying that the only dogs or animals allowed to travel on buses are guide dogs for the blind and the owner will need to show proof that the animal is a guide dog!  All other animals have to travel in the compartment under the bus.

Lona and I compared notes about dogs in Germany and Denmark. In both countries dogs welcome almost everywhere and restaurant owners often actually put down bowls of water for visiting dogs, something which never happens in Spain.  I told her that once at Düsseldorf airport when I was flying home once, I looked down the row of check in desks and saw four German women dog owners checking their pets in for a flight.

Although Lona was not really eager to rent a car and drive herself she said she would consider it. I couldn't resist asking her to please remember the great carhire options available from Malaga airport at www.gomarbella.com and anywhere else in Spain!

Lona is not alone in wondering about travelling with her pet on a Costa del Sol bus. On the Avanza bus website I saw another traveller had written in saying: "I have a 6kg dog and I don't really want it to travel in the luggage compartment under the bus. Can it not sit between my feet?"

Avanza Bus wrote back to say that the dog could travel but it would have to be in a proper pet travelling cage and only in the luggage compartment. In addition she would need to fill in a form thirty minutes before the bus left declaring herself as the person responsible for the animal and accepting that the bus company was in no way responsible for anything that might happen to the dog.

Avanza Bus also explained that their company was dedicated to transporting regular passengers by road and according to current law, only guide dogs are authorised to travel in the passenger compartments and should be on a lead. The guide dogs should also have their papers in order!

If anyone is interested in more information about why dogs can't travel on buses on the Costa del Sol, I recommend checking out the following Spanish law: (Ley 23/1998, de 21 de diciembre).

Sorry about that Lona, I don't like to think of dogs and their owners being separated for long!

PS: Would you put the precious dog in the photo above into a dark noisy luggage compartment under a bus for any length of time?

Holiday Taxis or Taxi Transfer from Malaga Airport

Just before switching off my computer on Sunday night an email came in, "Question about Malaga Airport Transfer." Gail from Vancouver had booked a taxi transfer to Fuengirola, paid the deposit and been given a booking number. When she tried to phone the number given, it was out of service and no one was answering her emails. She was leaving to go the airport at 6am the next morning. Vancouver is 9 hours behind Spain so I could reply to Gail and still have time to check in the morning and contact her again before she left Canada.

Gomarbella offers a transfer service from Malaga airport through Holiday Taxis based in the UK and I was so anxious that Gail should start her holiday in Malaga by being met correctly at Malaga airport by the taxi transfer service that I didn't spot in her email she had called her company 'Taxi Transfer.' I had no notification of anyone booking a transfer for Tuesday 24th. I was concerned that the phone number Gail had received was wrong and nobody had answered her emails and I replied to her immediately promising to check for her, copying our email to the Gomarbella associate 'Holiday Taxis'. She wrote back immediately saying how relieved she was that I had replied and thanking me for my promise of help.

At 9am on Monday, 8am in the UK, with still some hours to go before Gail flew out of Vancouver, I phoned Holiday Taxis in Brighton and explained to Katia who answered my call, what had happened. She had no record of a booking on her system under Gail's name but spotted in my email from the previous evening that Gail had mentioned Taxi Transfers whereas our association was Holiday Taxis!

Problem solved! I wrote back to Gail in Canada, who was hopefully still asleep, pointing this out to her. A couple of hours later on Monday morning, I got an email from Gail thanking me for my emails and promise of help. Just before she flew out she had received a confirmation from her company saying she would be met at Malaga airport. Gail had also visited the Gomarbella website and liked it. Hopefully the next time she flies, she will use our holiday taxi transfer service!

Later that morning I got another call from Holiday Taxis who work with Gomarbella.They were checking that everything had worked out smoothly for Gail. I appreciated the fact that I was able to communicate easily with them, my emails were answered promptly and I had no difficulty in calling them by phone. As I write, Gail will be at Malaga airport collecting her luggage. Have a great holiday Gail!

PS: You'll find the Holiday Taxi booking form on any page on the www.gomarbella.com site just above the car rental booking form.

Day trip to Sierra Nevada!

Natalia online:  I missed the opening, but I managed to get up there this past Saturday. We had an early morning start, and once we had packed our gear into the car we were on the road! We took the new motorway between Antequera and Malaga AP- 46 which cut off roughly 30mins from our trip! Dani drives faster than most so we made it in 1 hour and a half, however for most people it should take roughly 2 hours.

We parked in the underground parking which you will see on you right just before entering the village, its usually quite difficult to find parking on the street, so I recommend heading directly to the underground parking, for 7 hours we paid 15 Euros.

Having changed we quickly made our way to buy our forfaits (ski passes), and thanks to our early start we beat the long lines! Each forfait costs 43Euros but you need to keep in mind that at the end of your ski day you give the cards back and they reimburse you 3 Euros per pass.

On my first few days back on the slopes, I always like to have an instructer to re-fresh and hone my snowboarding skills. My teacher is called Pedro, he's been my instructer since last year and he's awesome! He works at Escuela Tecnica Ski-Snow Carlos Olmedo, if your new or like me like to re-fresh your skills then I highly recomend this ski/snow school. Everyone is very friendly and incredibly professional. You can have a one-on-one class or make your own little group, if your of similar level and not more than 4! For one hour they charge 44 Euros, which is money well spent especially if it's your first time snowboarding or skiing. You should always have a professional teaching you so that you don't hurt yourself or others!

Being a Saturday the slopes quickly filled up, it's important to keep your eyes open for any rogue skiiers! The weather was great, snow somewhat thin on some parts but overall good, being of a soft and powdery texture. The ski lifts close at 4:45 pm, in order to again, beat the long line of cars going down the mountain we left at 4pm, if not your trip back to Marbella is likely to take up to an hour more.

Overall our day in Sierra Nevada was fantastic, we had a wonderful time and we're already planning to go again in January, but this time for a couple of days. I'll post more info on where we stay and where we eat next time, so keep in touch!

Los Boliches Station for Wheelchairs

Christine who teaches flamenco for Scope, wrote in on the Gomarbella Facebook Page to say she was thinking of bringing a group of disabled dance students to Fuengirola in 2012. Scope is a charity which (in Scope's words) has a vision of a world where disabled people have the same opportunities to fulfil their life ambitions as non-disabled people.

Christine asked me specifically about the Los Boliches train stop, wanting to know if the station was accessible to people in wheelchairs or with limited mobility. Her Scope students would stay near Los Boliches which is also the closest train stop to the Fuengirola fair ground on the train line from Malaga to Fuengirola.

Having said a couple of years ago that the elevated train stop was wheelchair friendly I wanted to take another look at it, deciding to park the car in the Fuengirola feria grounds, walk to Fuengirola train station, take the C1 train to Los Boliches train stop and then walk back to the fairgrounds, looking at the route all the way from the point of view of a wheelchair user.

From the Fuengirola feria grounds (recinto ferial de Fuengirola) I turned right out into Avda. Jesús Santos Rein which took me directly to the main Fuengirola train station. I stayed on the right hand pavement all the way. All the kerbs and crossings have ramps and there are no obstacles at all for wheelchairs. It took me 15 minutes at a reasonable walking speed. There's a lift from the pavement to the underground ticket office and another lift to the platform. I asked the Renfe ticket agent if he thought the ramp at Los Boliches was really wheelchair friendly and he told me cheerily, "You need strong shoulders!"

The Fuengirola to Malaga train service every 20 minutes is fantastic, you don't really even need to check the train timetable, if you've just missed a train, don't fuss, by the time you've got your ticket and taken the escalator down to the platform, the next train's waiting for you. The trains leave Fuengirola train station on the hour, at 20 and 40 minutes past and then on the hour again. The ride to Los Boliches is incredibly smooth and took only 2 minutes.

As the train pulled out I saw that it had one special platform level access and exit door situated in the middle. Access to the rest of the train needs a step up but this central access door would offer a very smooth entry or exit for a wheelchair user.

A pleasant yellow safety jacketed woman was cleaning the station and I asked her about the ramp. She said I had just missed a wheelchair user descending from the earlier train. "It's steep" she said "but you can do it." I would say that descending is no problem, some braking help needed but ascending would need team work as in a helper. The ramps themselves have black non slip strips, handy for the rainy day that it was. At the bottom of the ramp on the sea side of the station, I found the only obstacle, not impassable, roots had lifted the paving slabs which would give a wheelchair or wheeled suitcase a bit of a bump.

From Los Boliches train station back to the Fuengirola feria grounds to pick up the car it took me 10 minutes at a reasonable walking speed. There are lots of shops and cafeterias along the route and no obstacles at all. The enormous feria ground is completely flat and easily negotiable.

I hope we'll be seeing your dancers watching flamenco at the Fuengirola feria next year Christine. Thanks very much for writing in and keep up the good work.

Sierra Nevada Opening!

On the 26th of November Sierra Nevada is opening its slopes, I can't wait! I didn't believe my boyfriend Dani when he called me on the way to Malaga to report that he could see a snowy tipped Sierra Nevada. I quickly checked it out on their website, where you can indeed see it covered in snow via their webcam, check it out here.

For those of you who don't know, as well as beautiful weather, beach, and a great nightlife we sun worshipers can also enjoy a winter wonderland a mer two and a half hour drive away! Driving past Malaga, onwards to Granada and then watch out for the exit to Sierra Nevada! Most of the time you won't need chains on your wheels when driving up the mountain, however keep an eye on the weather forecast on the off chance that you might need them during the months of January and February.

From the 26th of November till the 2nd of December the daily ski passes for adults (forfaits) will cost you only 36Euros, from the 3rd of Dec to the 23rd of Dec they cost 40Euros (low season) and then from the 24th of Dec to the 8th of Jan, which is high season, they go up to 44Euros. During January, February and March the prices waver between high and low season so make sure to check that out in advance.

I'll keep you all updated on where to eat, stay, and where to rent you gear once I get up there! Watch this space...

Flamenco at the Fuengirola Feria

David Pleasance wrote on the Gomarbella Facebook page:

Hi, we are arriving in Malaga on 10th October and staying in La Carihuela for 3 nights. I believe there is an annual "Feria" taking place between 6th -12th and being huge fans (aficionados) of flamenco we would welcome information about this feria as I am sure there must be plenty of things going on. I have searched the internet and surprisingly can not find any kind of agenda or indeed much at all about what sounds like a wonderful event. Can you help us with any information, and indeed anything to do with "real" Flamenco in the area? We will have a car and are prepared to travel wherever. As a matter of fact, when we leave the Costa del Sol on Thursday 13th we are heading to Jerez de la Frontera to feed our flamenco hunger further. Any advice or information would be hugely appreciated. Thanks & regards.

I wrote back to David:

Hi David, I think you are looking for the Fuengirola feria, it fits the dates you mentioned. The afternoon from 2 to 6 is a good time to visit and for the evening action any time from 9pm through to the early hours the next day. You'll find flamenco every night in the casetas.

The feria in Fuengirola which runs from 6 to 12 October, the Nerja feria from 7th - 12th October followed by the smaller Ojén feria and the San Pedro de Alcantará feria from 17- 23 October are the last four ferias for the year in Andalucia.

If you are looking for flamenco festivals, you would look for a festival de cante not baile. These flamenco dedicated events generally take place in the summer as they run from 11pm to 6am. Here's a good link to a dedicated flamenco site, showing regularly updated flamenco events and you might like to plan your next visit to fit in with their calendar.

Jerez de la Frontera is a great place for flamenco of course and I am sure you'll see some top dancers even though it is slightly out of season.

I hope that helps David, have a great time and enjoy your visit.

PS: I'm showing you the shapely street dancers in the photo above to give you an idea of the vibrant international atmosphere at the Fuengirola feria. The real flamenco takes place inside the casetas!

Mountain Bike Training in Marbella

At the end of September my daughter Shayne and I walked for five days north starting from Sevilla towards Santiago de Compostela on the Via de la Plata route. It was a fantastic experience and we'll be back on the trail in 2012 in the spring. We aim to do another 10 stages but this time on bikes. After the summer we'll start walking again.It was with two wheels in mind that I emailed Marbella Rent a Bike to ask about off road mountain bike training classes. I wanted to get some expert advice on what bike to buy and get some classes under my belt before setting off next year. It took no time at all to get the first session set up with trainer Hugo Gomez of Marbella Rent a Bike.

Mountain Bike Training One: Hugo and I met at Los Pinos de Aloha Golf just opposite Aloha Golf and went over the bike that he had brought me, gears, brakes and so on. That's Hugo on the right in case you were wondering. We set off, just the two of us. I've driven through the Los Naranjos and La Quinta area hundreds of times but never really noticed all the hills until that first mountain bike ride. Hugo was very encouraging and the hour and a half session starting first on asphalt ended with a Tour de France Pyrenees type climb on a dirt road before plunging back down to Aloha Golf.
Mountain Bike Training Two: This was high tech. Hugo sorted me out with a chest heart monitor belt linked to a Garmin orienteering device on my handlebars and we set off. I've walked all the hills and mountains you can see around Marbella but on this ride when I did manage to lift my head I found us on the west side of the Istan lake on a track I had never seen before. Hugo is a master at getting his students out of their comfort zones and in no time at all I found myself back at Aloha Golf. That evening he sent me a readout of our 14km route through the hills.Extra conditioning: I went our with Hugo for an afternoon run along the Paseo Maritimo from Victor's Beach all the way to Princess Playa at the other end. Normally I would walk for a good section but there was no stopping until our turn around and we finished with a sprint over the last hundred metres. I was well pleased with my performance and discovered some new leg muscles.
Mountain Bike Training Three: Waterbottle filled with an electrolytic drink, we set off on our bikes earlier this week. My use of the 18 gears is getting better and I'm better at selecting the right gear sometime before I need it. Again our route took off uphill and I'm aiming now to find a comfortable pedalling rythmn.

It'll take me a while to build up strength in my legs and cardiovascular capacity but I'm getting into it. This class was just under 19kms in two hours but I have to say most of it was uphill. Some way along the track I topped up my water bottle from clear mountain stream. Careering downhill I experimented with braking, two fingers on the back brake and one on the front. (These are hydraulic brakes...) Hugo is pushing me to use no brakes at all on some stretches but I still have memories of sensational crashes as a a teenager. Maybe next time. Anytime now expect to see me in lycra cycling pants. My Christmas wish list is growing.

Mountain Bike Training Four: I met Hugo at Manola Santana's Raquet's Club on the Istán road. Yesterday's session was on the road, all the way to Istán . In a car, you don't really notice the hills. On a bike you are constantly shifting gears. With Hugo do all rides start by going uphill straightaway? Sign up for a mountain or road bike training course and find out for yourself! I enjoyed the road bike, it reminded me of cycling 10kms to school. Each time expert bike trainer Hugo Gomes sets new goals. On this bike ride I couldn't use the granny plate (the lowest front plate gear). I managed without it. My condition is building. I was able to drink going uphill instead of waiting for a level stretch of road. For me this is progress. I couldn't have done this ride without having put in the previous three bike rides. I was impressed with the distance that overtaking cars left us on the winding road. On the way down we built up speed. I felt like Miguel Indurain on the Tour de España. In front I could see Hugo legs pumping as we hit the downhill straights and acted on the urge to catch him. (I didn't, but was pleased with myself for having the energy and desire to try.) After each route Hugo emails me my Garmin print out. I send it on to my daughter and brother. We'll all be riding together next year. Next mountain and road bike training session we are off to Benahavis.

Mountain Bike Training Five: Road bike to Benahavis. We met at 4.30pm at Los Pinos in front of Aloha Golf and hit the back roads past La Quinta golf course. Five hundred metres up the Ronda road just past the motorway we turned off to Benahavis. There are two killing hills along this leg. Dropping down to the Benahavis river was exhilarating if not scary. Hugo was in a pushing mode, stay above 10km/h, no granny plate. We rode up into the centre of Benahavis, turned around and coasted back down to the river. On the long straight to the A7 coast road we attacked a lone cyclist, sweeping past him only to be overtaken again when my legs wouldn't go as fast as my heart. Hugo explained the advantages of staying in his wind shadow. Great, if you can just keep up with him... On the A7 highway I tucked in behind him, we pushed past Guadalmina, San Pedro and detoured through Puerto Banus. My calves were just starting to sieze up. A swig of electrolyte drink and I was off again. The steep climb up from Aloha College to the top of the rise was a challenge after 34kms. I just managed it using the granny plate and my last reserves of energy. A good ride. Bring it on next week Hugo!

Mountain Bike Training Six Big mistake of mine telling Hugo last week to bring it on because today he did. Using his best carrot and stick technique he told me even before we mounted up that he had done our mountain bike route earlier in the day with a younger girl. Of course I was going to push for it after that.

We started off by going straight uphill, my concentration at first was erratic and I muffed gear changes on the first uphill stretches sometimes finding myself sideways on the road having lifted the front wheel off the ground or the rear wheel spurting gravel and not going anywhere. Hugo showed me how to hang back low over the saddle (more weight on the rear wheel) and lean forward over the front wheel (keeping it down). Yes, the road was that steep and rough. We climbed and climbed. I sucked on an energy gel supplement. I remember seeing a helicopter landing pad next to the track. I was back in the groove with the gears.

Without stopping we turned for the descent. Flying down the gravel road I found myself spending less time on the brakes. If I could just stay on the bike I would be back at the van without much more strain. Suddenly Hugo turned right. This wasn't the way home! Now we were on a track used by goats and washed out by the rain. More rocks than track and it was a steeper descent than I had ever done. On my own I would have walked down holding the bike for balance. Now I was flying downhill over rocks and gullies desperately looking for the route ahead. I found it was more manageable to go fast than slowly. We were heading straight for the river. Did I say two fingers on the hydraulic brakes in an earlier mountain bike session? This time I was pulling with five fingers trying to stay in control. Suddenly I found myself in a shady treed tunnel next to the river below El Madroñal. Hugo was carrying his bike ahead through the knee high water. I followed him through. After my long uphill strain followed by a headlong descent losing all my hard earned height in minutes and then finding myself in a strongly flowing river I had definitely moved out of my comfort zone. One more wade through a tributary of the dam in the river and we were back on the asphalt heading through La Quinta back to our starting point at Los Pinos de Aloha.

My next aim said Hugo is to get well up out of the saddle going downhill almost standing up to lessen strain on the knees. I was pleased to learn that overall, despite the wobbly start to the ride I was making progress. If you zoom in on the Garmin route you'll see the track descending towards the river, losing lots of height very quickly. Hugo if this is a "moderate" route according to the GPS, please spare me the "difficult"route until next year. Next week I´ll be adding some video here of today's mountain bike training session.

Road Bike Training Seven Today's session started out from Manolo Santana's Raquets Club. We were on road bikes. It was another warm sunny December mid afternoon. "No Granny plate up the climb up under the motorway" said Hugo "and keep the speed above 10km/h." It's a tough way to start out, one km on the level, hardly time to warm up and then a steep curving climb but I did it. Perhaps I did dip under 10km/h but after that it was a pleasure. I could remember a lot of the route from before.

It helps a lot to know when to expect the top of a climb and conserve energy or when to put the pedal down. I enjoyed the climb to Istan. This time instead of stopping short of the village we rode through and climbed up towards the polideportivo. The challenge was to keep the pedals turning up a very steep clime but I muffed a gear change and had to stop mid climb. It was a relief to turn back and push towards the coast. I found myself pedalling where I would have coasted before and enjoyed the downhill rush of wind and the pace.

Here's Hugo's comment emailed after the lesson together with today's route: "This was your best lesson so far, I felt like you were fighting to keep up, that brought you good results, your condition is improving a lot too. You had a overall time of 1.19h which is about 20 min quicker than last time." I must be getting stronger!

Mountain Bike Training Eight I knew today was going to be different, I had got an email from Hugo the day before: "Good morning Mike, today's route is short but challenging, we're going to train your speed and endurance as well as your mind!" He added some advice about what to eat before our ride.

To visualise our mountain bike training course, imagine a whip. The lash forms three loops back towards the handle. The loops are all uphill and the handle is an all too short roller coaster downhill ride on a gravelled surface. One circuit is 2.5kms and you do it again and again and again and ...... Hugo is the guy holding the whip. On the first untimed recognition lap, I could see where the mind training came in. How many times was I going to go around? I didn't like to ask.

I learned a lot, getting up out of the saddle and pedalling on rocky rises and gradients which I would have pushed my bike over a month ago. I cycled round curves rather than coasted round them. The gear changes came easily. I went wide on curves then cut in. On the downhills I put my faith in the knobbly mountain bike tyre treads and hit 44 km/h as a top speed by staying off the brakes. Hugo was in front of me, behind me, waiting round bends and laying down obstacles for me to navigate and respond to. He was cracking the whip and encouraging me in equal measures. I saw the AP7 motorway far below me, then the Istan lake, then the motorway. One minute's rest between laps. Once I was given two minutes. Filling up at the gas station on the way home I found myself unsteady on my feet. By the time I had got back, I had my route and lap times waiting on my computer. Lap 1, 8:58, Lap 2, 9:23 Lap 3 10:48, Lap 4: 9:29, Lap 5, 9:42, Lap 6: 9:15. Here's a video of my last lap. Please remember I had been around 7 times before... Overall training time 57:37. I'm very pleased with my progress.

Mountain Bike Training Nine Agility. I thought I had nothing left to learn about staying on my bike but Hugo had me back up in the hills riding over log bridges, washed out rocky stream crossing, keeping my balance on paths with deep gullies on either side. I practised braking techniques, riding at speed downhill on gravelled roads then braking sharply, maintaining a straight line and also sliding the back wheel. I did this lesson at the end of January after getting back from 6 days trekking in Patagonia.  Since then  I've bought my bike, from Hugo of course. It's a Scott Aspect 20 if you are interested.


Lesson 10 The last  50 km mountain and road ride with Hugo is coming up soon.  Since I started my bike lessons back in October, I've been trekking in Patagonia and have been preparing to ride the Camino de Santiago with my brother starting from Sant Jean Pied de Port in France starting on 28th April. It's about 850kms. Then I'm back on the  road on the Via de Plata with my daughter Shayne doing another 5 days on bikes, starting from where we left off in Monasterio. Hugo, I'll be back for Lesson Ten, hopefully a lot fitter than when we first started! Thanks for everything so far!