On Wednesday we headed out 11 miles to the nearby town Navalpino not realising we had to cycle up a mountain and down the other side to get there! Once there we found a very typical Spanish bar where we could have a coffee, enjoying the unspoilt atmosphere, the gabble of the locals in the background (as well as the TV set up on the wall!). Outside there was a fruit and veg stall where we bought some juicy mandarins and some tomatoes, he also gave us some over-ripe pears and a red pepper which was nice!
We found a bench in the village centre where we could stop and eat our lunch and some of the fruit we had just bought. The locals all stare at you but will always return your greeting if you say 'Hola', they are not unfriendly, just not used to strangers!
Some of you may wonder why we chose to go to all these out of the way places. We love the empty (and wide) back roads which take you out to the middle of nowhere, the smell of the hot pines on the air, the Eagles circling above on the thermals and the Azur magpies with their beautiful blue wings squawking across the road as you disturb them cycling by, but most of all we love the blue skies, the sunshine and the heat. The less visited National Parks of Spain are their hidden treasures away from the hustle bustle tourist resorts of the coasts, a haven for bird watchers and nature lovers. When you're out on the trails you can really enjoy the tranquility of the open countryside.
In the dead of night the only sound is perhaps a dog or two barking in the distance and the clanging of the bells on the sheep nearby. Even the church bells are silenced until 7am!
The 8 o'clock church bell is our waking alarm, we have a cup of tea and decide what to do for the day - usually breakfast, pack up a picnic and head out on our bikes. When we get back to the site we will maybe have a swim in the pool before our showers and evening meal. Sometimes we meet other people and will share a cup of tea or glass of wine and exchange motor home stories, meeting fellow travellers and exchanging experiences is all part of the pleasure of our trips. Some of the people we meet we still keep in touch with and will maybe meet again.
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| Keith gave his bike a rest and went out for a run! |
We stayed at Mirador de Cabaneros for 5 nights but there always comes a point when we feel we have done all the exploring of an area we want to do and so we have a 'Planning meeting' and work out where to go next. This time it's to another Via Verde further South in Andalusia with an overnight stop on a campsite to break the journey.
We feel sad to leave, the little personal touches such as flowers and little baskets of herbs in the toilet block and meeting some new friends -Ian and Sue, make us feel more at home than a lot of places, but once again it's time to move on to pastures (and cycling trails) new!
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