With Christmas over now and only that long slog through the cold weather of January to look forward to we planned a late booking family trip for winter sun on the Portuguese Island of Madeira. I had been suffering with a bad dose of the flu and still feeling quite ill so didn’t think I’d be hiking any Levada trails this time or even out riding motorcycles, but as the week progressed in the milder climate I started to feel a little better and while out walking with Hayley I came across a few bike rental shops and the thought of escaping for the day started to cross my mind. A few years ago while on the island, I hooked up with a guy named Steve who runs Madeira Motorcycle Tours and had a lot of fun back then but this time didn’t really fancy a guided tour as such, preferring to do my own thing with a solo ride instead.
By Saturday morning I was soon chatting to Diogo of Vive MadeiraVive Madeira Motorcycle Rental based opposite our hotel and had my eye on a couple of his bikes. I did think of taking the Tenere 700 out for the day but found it quite top heavy. Another option was the Suzuki VStrom 800 DE in bright yellow that looked quite nice but I really did fancy a go on the new F800 GS, and did the deal for 85 euro days rental including insurance and extras with a full tank of fuel (to be brimmed on return). The rental included top box, smart phone holder, helmet gloves and jacket, so that was that, I was soon off out for a ride a quick visit to the hotel to grab a jumper, some water and download the MRA route planning software on to my phone I had soon plotted a few waypoints to take me up in to the mountains over ‘Monte’ and beyond.
It took me a while to navigate my way out of the capital Funchal but after a while recognised those famous tobogganists ahead and took care to avoid colliding with them as I pointed the GS along that extremely steep and straight road up the mountain on the outskirts of the city before taking a left at the top across the switchbacks up higher in to the forested section. Some excellent twisties up there and my congested ears started popping with altitude and almost immediately I started to feel a little better with the warm sun on my back as I started to get used to the smooth F800 engine. Quite a bit different to the boxer this in line twin having a nice growl about it, but the biggest shock to me was suspension and regular telescopic forks. I’d been so used to the telelever suspension it took a while to get used to fork dive again, especially as I braked hard to take some of the snake like bends. The roads around the island are mostly smooth tarmac with very few pot holes but in many parts steep gradients and tight bends that had me shifting my hips to flick the smaller GS through those chicane like sections.
After Monte my route took me up the R103 towards the small village of Ribeiro Frio and kept winding through some amazing forested scenery with wonderful views down and across the valley. I stopped for a short break at the viewpoint Miradouro do Cabouca and decided to head on toward Santana overlooking the North East coastline and gradually descended down to the town after a long straight section. There are some of the traditional ‘A’ framed straw roofed houses painted bright red and blue as you pass through, but I just kept on going and decided to ride on along the coastal road R211 to Sao Vicente. Here I got a little lost and headed back up the mountain again in a kind of loop around, but didn’t mind because the roads and scenery were amazing.
At one point I came across an old single track tunnel and had to wait at lights for oncoming vehicles to come past. Madeira has a network of many tunnels some as old as the Levada irrigation system, and some quite long to serve a modern road system. Eventually I found my way riding into the pretty fishing village of Seixal then turned around to head along the coastal road again with a huge cliff edge on one side and the sea on the other. This part of the island is ideal for surfers and the sea was crashing over the road forcing me to anticipate the surf as I passed the narrowest stretch to avoid getting drenched.
After Sao Vicente I stopped briefly to plot some waypoints to avoid the main VE4 road across the interior. I wanted to ride the mountain section inland from Sao Vicente but ended up riding along the long 3km tunnel before realising my error so turned off up toward the mountain near Gingas. I spotted signs for a restaurant / cafe and eventually found it halfway up a long mountain road. The owner and his wife welcomed me in and served me a nice coffee with cream as I listened to the sound of dogs barking at each other across the valley.
While riding I came across a few dogs that shot out of side entrances or farm tracks to chase me as I passed by, quite alarming at times so I had to take care and get ready to avoid them taking a chunk out of my trouser leg! By now I was feeling quite cool, riding the mountains the temperature gauge showing around 14 degrees up high. I took the R228 as it climbed up then started a descent down through along the Estrada Regional 228 and passed the Valley View Hotel situated in a great location as its name suggests a stunning view. I stopped at a Miradour for a few minutes to take in the view of the lush green mountainside and terraced farmland. Madeira really is a pretty island, crammed with vegetation growing on the fertile volcanic soil.
By now it was past 5pm so I took a nice steady ride back toward Sao Martinho to drop the GS off as agreed after a brief fuel stop. Great days ride and Diogo and his colleague Pedro were waiting to check the bike back in was keen to find out where I had ridden. I signed my name on the ‘testimonial’ wall and said farewell. Highly recommend Vive Madeira motorcycle rental, great service and good advice. Hopefully I’ll rent a bike from them again some day soon!
As previously mentioned, Tim has recently taken delivery of a brand-new Royal Enfield Himalayan 410 and was keen to test the new bike on 'green lanes' in and around Snowdonia. Over a lunchtime chat the idea of a weekend camping trip came up as an option but I haven't put camping gear on a bike since 2017 and never with my current GS. To be honest I did think those days were over for me now, but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea of freedom of adventure again, as long as we could find a camp site near a town with access to a pub for a good meal and a few beers within short staggering distance back. I once stayed at the very good Cae Du camp site just outside Beddgelert so despite the expensive tariff £35.00 a night for a tent pitch seemed normal for these parts these days we both booked the two nights - Friday/Saturday. The weather forecast looked favourable prior to booking so I planned and shared a few suitable routes with Tim, leaving me to gather together and find all of my camping gear, check tent/tent pegs, gas canisters for my mini-cooker, sleeping bag etc so by Thursday night had the bike packed and ready to go.
I met up with Tim in Craven Arms after a misty ride over Clee Hill, then on for a brew and sandwich stop at Tuffins Cafe in Churchstoke. Eventually we managed to pair our intercom units with a little bit of patience, mine being Sena and Tim has the Cardo system yet pleasantly surprised by the excellent audio quality btetween the two. The planned route took us through the lanes toward Oswestry and then on to Lake Vyrnwy. Tim had never ridden around the reservoir before, famed for feeding water to Liverpool so we went off route across the top of the dam to the cafe. By now the temperature was rising with glorious sunshine so we sat inside in the shade to enjoy a scone with jam and cream. Afterwards a bit more tech' tinkering, I'd recently had a new action camera; Insta 360 and early birthday present from Helen so now had the chance to mount the 'selfie stick' to the bike and make a few experimental recordings around the lake.
I had ridden the mountain road between Vyrnwy and Bala quite a few times over the years, ideal to test the Enfield and us both to record our journey along the narrow road. We stopped at the usual cattle grid to enjoy the scenery and met a fellow biker who also owns a Himalayan a nice chap who was running in his new Triumph 400. I really enjoyed following Tim, the sound of that single cylinder engine quite unusual these days a real sound of yesteryear. The bike was coping well loaded with all of that camp gear despite being 25bhp. The chosen route into Snowdonia meant more twisty narrow lanes yet I found myself enjoying the slower pace than I'm used to these days, never more than 55mph plodding along nicely around 40-45mph admiring the scenery all around, it really was quite relaxing.
From Vyrnwy to Bala across the mountain
After a bit of confusion on entry to the camp site our tent pitch was quite a challenge for me since I couldn't remember exactly how to assemble the tent, mistakenly unclipping the inner tent from the waterproof outer. Thankfully Tim the camping pro' came to my rescue but the next challenge was stuffing the camp bed 'cot' inside the tent since its seemed a little too large with this tent and was a struggle at first despite opening both doors.
Trying to keep my lightweight Helinox chair stable in soft earth was a challenge too, having me fall backwards like a right clown as soon as I tried to sit down, leaving me to dig the legs out of the turf. Hmm, what an ordeal, a sweaty start made me wonder if this camping lark really suited me now. Never mind at least it wasn't raining, and nothing a few beers and a fine meal at the Prince Llewelyn pub wouldn't fix. A really good day riding on some fine roads. I'm used to riding in Mid-Wales but forget how amazingly different the scenery of Snowdonia is in comparison. We hadn't ridden far today, yet it seemed to me like another part of Europe altogether.
Not the best nights sleep I have to say rolling around in my constrictive sleeping bag like some demented cocooned caterpillar, making me feel as if I was suspended in some failed cryogenic state on board that space ship 'Nostromo' from the Alien film. I think Tim had a better night sleep than I in his posher tent, and roused me by promising to saddle up and ride in to town to obtain supplies. He soon arrived back with the most essential of camping items; a big block of lard, eggs and bread rolls and soon we fired up our camping stoves each frying up bacon, eggs, sausage, black pudding and mushrooms all washed down with a brew of tea and coffee.
Eventually, we managed to ride away in the direction of Llanberis after rigging up our cameras, obviously leaving the luggage behind we were soon winding our way through the valleys and villages with quite a misty start this morning.
It seemed we'd picked a bad day to ride the Llanberis Pass though, we were passing slow moving MAMIL's cycling up the pass during the local Triathlon event. Never mind I thought I'll put the wind up 'em with my super long selfie stick and almost 'skewered' one poor chap as I rounded a bend. I found it quite amusing and sensed Tim did too while chatting over the comms. The slower pace was ideal while still 'running in' the Himalayan helping me keep control of my stick thus avoiding later retrieval from within some lycra clad body part.
The Llanberis pass was great with a short stop near the top we turned south back toward Llyn Cwellyn lake then east along the B4418 toward Pen-y-Groes. A fantastic ride some of which I caught on film (below), I thoroughly enjoyed this section passing by a huge quarry before joining the A487 South and then on to the B4411 to the seaside town of Cricieth. Another quieter narrow road and by now the temperature had risen we decided to stop at a cafe for a brew and spotted another superb cream tea option, this time a gloriously cherry filled scone to take my fancy.
While snacking on cream teas I found Tim's t-shirt quite ironic. A quote from the Micheal Caine movie 'Get Carter'. The hard man about town, yet us a couple of 'rufty tufty' bikers camping and eating scones with cream and jam like a couple of grannies on a coach trip! After our stop we soon snaked our way back toward Beddgelert and to the campsite and it seemed Tim was now on a mission having hit a 'running in threshold' mileage on the 'Himalayan' he was now chasing me down through the twisties. Great fun!
At 60 odd miles in total we arrived back quite early ready for a wash and brush up, change of clothes (Note. the shower at this site was really good and hot) we were ready to head into town for ice-cream and beers but not before hearing tales told by the camp site groundsman of his recent motorcycling trip in India, also on a Royal Enfield it seems. It sounded fantastic apart from the bit about how he'd fell off a few times in busy Delhi traffic. He left me wondering if he really did handle that bike better than he did his petrol strimmer because I was now concerned our bikes would receive a good 'peppering' of stones and grass and had visions of Tim touching up chipped tank paint on his new bike. Our evening was spent in the pub sat outside drinking beer with a good curry rice and chips before taking the dark road back to our tents. By now I'd sussed a few things out in the tent, re-arranged my bed and found somewhere convenient to stash my torch, but why-oh-why do tent and sleeping bag zippers always seem to jam up in the dark? Agghh, FFS!
So there I am lay there with alcohol still dulling my senses and I hear the gentle sound of rain drops on my tent, how nice I thought .. until the deluge came midway through the night. One starts to wonder if this tent really is as waterproof as it claims but I figured it was best to leave that thought until the morning. By then the rain was starting and stopping periodically and quite a downpour each time so there was only one option to figure out how to dismantle the bed and break camp while remaining under covers. No chance of us cooking breakfast this morning so I strategically packed the gear away all without getting too wet leaving the final act of packing the wet tent on the bike just after changing into bike gear before pulling it down. Not too bad I thought, maybe listening to round the world travellers explain how they do this kind of stuff on past episodes of the Adventure Rider Radio podcast really has paid off. I must say I was quite pleased with myself, but not quite ready to tackle the Mongolian Steppe just yet!
We discussed route options over the intercom. The route home was out West toward the seaside town of Tywyn after paying 50p each to cross the Penmaenpool wooden toll bridge near Dolgellau (when I finally found it after several turnarounds) before cutting back East along the Aberdovey estuary toward Machynlleth. I have to say I was pleased with our choice to stick to the planned route despite the constant rain. We were both wearing laminate Rukka gear and other Gore Tex kit so pressing on meant we were riding through some interesting lanes on the way to Tywyn and having a lot of fun before stopping at the cafe along the seafront for a full breakfast with hot mugs of tea. At this point we were both still quite dry, the cafe perfect for a warm up before heading off again and pulling over a mile or so down the road to grab a photo looking out across that bleak bay.
Our ride back home took us up to the fantastic Llyn Clywedog reservoir near Llanidloes after climbing up and over the mighty B4518 the Bryn Y Fan road. The rain hitting us quite hard by now as we topped out and stopped at the reservoir to grab our selfie and a picture of the Himalayan (above). By now I was constantly fighting to keep my glasses from steaming up but eventually we came down into Rhayader and had a brief coffee stop at Crossgates before heading back home via a slightly drier Leominster.
A fun weekend I must say, and I'm pleased I finally got to go camping on the bike again. Riding with Tim and the Himalayan gave me chance to slow down a bit on this one, and really enjoy the scenery even in the rain!
With a Friday off work in lieu of the previous bank-holiday, I plotted a route for a ride down into Hampshire. Our family had a cottage booked for the week near Mitton in the new Forest so ideal for me to take a scenic country ride down through Malmesbury and Devizes and across Salisbury Plain. I'm not so familiar with Wiltshire, and realise I must come down here and explore some more in the future but with this sunny day I just kept on rolling on through the wonderful countryside and along those military roads across the plain. I didn't see any tanks today, and probably glad I didn't really I reckon they would seem quite intimidating as that turret rotates tracking my GS as target practice!
I stopped in a quiet village I found on the outskirts but no phone signal so I had no idea where I was so decided to park up on the village hall car park enjoying this peaceful setting while eating my packed lunch before moving on to take a look at Old Sarum Castle that overlooks Salisbury with a great view of the cathedral spire in the distance. The castle itself is interesting, mostly ruins with the remains of the fortified mound and castle moat and later superb riding through the forest avoiding cattle and ponies and enjoying the view. The cottage wasn't an easy find since the given postcode isn't really GPS accurate, but luckily Helen guided me in over the phone passing through the nearby ford to park the GS up near the ponies. Really great to meet the neighbours too; Gloucester 'Old Spot' pigs in the field behind were quite amusing and inquisitive, and really do like to eat just any scraps of food. In the evening we all went out for a meal in Lyndhurst and took a wander around Ferrari garage forecourt, each selecting the car of our choice should those elusive lottery numbers come up.
For Saturday I had a loose plan and route for a circular ride through the forest to visit the Sammy Miller Motorcycle Museum in New Milton. I mentioned my plans to Helen, Gordon and Hayley and was surprised to discover they were interested in coming along too, so we all took the short car ride down to what turned out to be a great morning enjoyed by us all. I'd known about the legendary Sammy Miller MBE for a long time and always wished to visit the museum but had no idea it would be so good. There are 500 classic machines restored by Sammy and his associates to an impeccable standard. There are so many machines to marvel at, not withstanding the Norton race machines, Rickman trials bikes and some real oddities I'd never heard of before like the three cylinder 248cc Radial Redrup. If you are ever near New Milton area and haven't been here before you must pay a visit .. it's superb!
While walking around the museum I heard the roar of a machine startup up and looking out of the glass atrium window saw two elderly engineers revving a classic racing machine. We headed outside and realised one of the chaps was the man himself 'Sammy' actually test riding the 1939 A.J.S. V four super charged 500cc. The first bike to lap at over 100mph during the Ulster GP 1939. Amazing to see him taking turns lapping the car park with everyone watching on open-mouthed.
A short video ‘walk around’ the museum.
Sammy riding the AJS
Hayley (my daughter) found it hysterical to see Sammy 'hooning' around at 91 years of age, as she commented 'he's older than my Grandad!' Afterwards Helen coaxed him out of his workshop for a chat and a picture, and what a nice guy he is too, very proud to tell us a few facts about the bike and how the AJS's technology came 45 years before the Japanese bikes! So pleased to have met Sammy, and I'll definitely come back down for another look. Gordon (my father-in-law) really enjoyed it here too, and I must say thanks to him for my very smart Sammy Miller Museum polo shirt. Afterwards we headed out to visit Milford on Sea and then on to Lymington before returning to the cottage with a Fish and Chip tea for all, a few drinks and a fun evening playing our latest addiction: Monopoly Deal!
An early start on Sunday since I'd have to head off back home for work on Monday we all decided to visit the Portsmouth Historical dockyard. I'd been here before with my two kids but missed out on visiting HMS Warrior and the Mary Rose last time. Today we got aboard the Warrior - the first iron hulled warship, a real game changer at that time. Fascinating to discover they built it from drawing board to launch in less than two years. It was good to get close to the Mary Rose at last too, the King Henry VIII warship I'd seen raised while televised back on the 1980's, with a later harbour tour allowing us to get close to the HMS Elizabeth (air-craft carrier) and HMS Prince of Wales currently docked. Looking out across the deck Helen did notice a couple who were past competitors on the TV show 'Race across the World' too!
I set off for my reverse ride home around 5.30 pm and once I realised Sunday evenings are perfect to pass directly through quiet towns at this time e.g. Marlborough instead of using the congested motorways and A34 around them I arrived back about 9pm after a pleasant cool but dry ride back. What an excellent weekend trip with Sammy Millers Motorcycle Museum and meeting Sammy the real highlight for me!
I've enjoyed quite a few rides this summer, mostly with the Kidderminster Advanced Bikers on regular free ride Sunday's into Herefordshire (the Honey Cafe) and across the border into Wales to the bikers cafe at Crossgates. One night after work myself and Tim had a pleasant ride to one of the Cotswold bike meets at the Lower Lode Inn, Tewkesbury. A great charity event in aid of Air Ambulance and some real classics on display. Tim had just taken delivery of his new Royal Enfield Himalayan and was enjoying running in keen to seek out as many lanes between work and the pub, we must have crossed the M5 half a dozen times as we snaked down narrow lanes on the way.
Later in the month myself and Rob arranged a fun Sunday run around the lanes in Herefordshire skirting around the Brecons and on to Abergavenny before returning back near Hay on Wye. An enjoyable route I'd ridden many times before, but not for a few years stopping at Skenfrith Castle, then on through Pontrilas to ride some of those narrow lanes looping back around via the A479 and Bronllys. Unfortunately I didn't take many pics on this one, we were both happy to keep riding along some memorable roads on the B4521 (the Old Ross Road). Great scenery to look at on the way, so look forward to the next ride as we must try and fit in another one as Autumn approaches. Always good to ride these parts when the leaves turn a golden brown.
Saturday morning we both opted for a lie in and met for a late breakfast after packing the bike kit in preparation for the cabin since it's not possible to revisit the car deck while at sea. I was very slow packing today but Rob was really on the ball waiting patiently for me wearing his helmet in the shade under a tree after he'd kindly checked us out of the hotel. I hoped he wasn't just keen to get home but I don't think so! I then realised we were really cutting it fine to make the last check-in. I needed to get my act together and as we set off on our last short ride in Spain we encountered a fine mist of rain that clogged up the visor. I'd chosen a route to avoid the autopista allowing us to sample the headland and bay in to Santander port from the eastern side but I can't say I saw much of it. On the way we did see a car suddenly change direction though, with no indicators that had us really alarmed for a while while on these wet roads. In the end we arrived with a good 20 mins to spare and while tying down the bike on the fairly new ferry 'The Salamanca' we met a chap on his first trip riding solo on his Triumph Bonneville. Nice chap who almost didn't believe us this was our first experience of rain. He'd been near Ainsa the week before us and got soaked day after day, then later while in the Picos he was soaked again. After unpacking for the night and finding the cabin, Rob spotted the beer and Tapas bar and after organising ourself in this bigger 4 berth cabin room we both ate well and then crashed asleep for 2 hours. The evening meal followed hors d'oeuvres followed by Beef skewers with baked potato. Sunday was a day of relaxation, just eating and drinking and after Rob had bought a pack of cards continued to teach me how to play Whist a game I'd never had the chance to play, confusing at first for me but a lot of fun. We disembarked in Portsmouth harbour quite late into the evening, and the ride home was pretty much the reverse through Marlborough save a huge diversion around Birdlip hill due to the road works. We said our farewells over the intercom on the A449 near where we'd started our adventure ,and I rolled into my garage at 9:43pm having covered 1558 miles in total.
A cabin with a view !
Again an excellent adventure, and good to tour with Rob this year and get him back into riding distances again while he enjoys riding that smart looking Triumph Tiger. The daily route distances were just about right and so pleased we experienced good weather while having fun in the mountains and along that wonderful N-260. Those off-road sections were a real bonus. I can't wait for the next one now!
The ferry crossing from Santander would leave on Saturday afternoon so Friday would be all about getting onto the Cantabrian coast for the night via the most interesting route. Neither of us enjoy motorway (autopista) riding so today we started the day heading South West to look at the Bardenas Reales National Park before tracking North West, with close to 240 miles to cover. Rob and I met up at 8am for a really nice breakfast and I managed to order some bacon and eggs to complement the buffet with a brew of tea. Bikes packed and on the road at 9am the temperature already rising to 28 degrees as we dog-legged through the little town of Sadaba getting a little lost at first riding down back streets before picking up a few rough unpaved lanes into barren farmland and across what Rob described over the intercom as reminding him of 'the Paddy Fields in Vietnam'. The fields looked desert like and flooded with water with small shoots of plants growing. We were now riding off road again along a farm-track between them, and I recall looking ahead to see a great long ridgeway in the distance.
We became a little disoriented in the fields trying to find the entrance to the park, we could make out farm buildings in the distance but struggled to navigate since the Navigator wanted to take us deeper into farmland I was concerned we would meet with a dead end like yesterday. Rob following behind had spotted what looked like a road so we ignored the GPS and made it back onto the black top before spotting a sign to the park on the left. Bardenas Reales is know as the 'Badlands' a desert like area due to the climate around the Pyrenees and warm weather south loses out on rain fall so over the centuries has created a great wasteland with interesting rock formations. We were well and truly riding on gravel now leading out as far as the eye could see as the park opened out into a great desert like expanse and the heat rose over 30 degrees. I was pleased to be wearing my cool mesh jacket and back protector again today but could feel the sweat running down my back using all of my concentration for these gravelly roads. Eventually we settled into the ride stood up again while glancing down at the speedo I remember hitting 50 mph with Rob following some distance behind. After about an hour of riding on gravel we stopped in a shady area under a tree near some animal pens and goats for a much needed drink and rest before Rob led us out of the park.
We picked up the NA-134 near Funes (Navarra) the road was a real mixture of sweeping fast bends and straights and near the town of San Adrián I was tempted to look for a lunch stop but we agreed to continue on and find something nearer the road. Each town and village seemed to be high up on hillsides either side of the main road as as we came up and over a hill I missed a cafe on the left that I'm sure I recognised from a previous trip with Mark, Peter and Lindsay in 2012, but chose to continue on finding a small roadside cafe that looked open but sadly after parking up on the shaded side of the building wasn't serving food it seems. We rode on disappointed and just as I was thinking 'McDonalds, there had to be a McDonalds you can't escape 'em' we came through a town with a cafe and thankfully the young lad who was learning English at school invited us to take a seat and his mother would cook. The lad tried to convey the menu options as best as he could and seemed keen we eat a 3 course meal, but myself and Rob recognised macaroni and cheese as an option so soon after we were tucking into large plate each with a cool drink to escape from the heat. We watched with amusement as the lads mother used a mop handle to bash against the air-con unit to increase its fan power for us and we both changed into shorts using the cafes facilities.
Crossing into the small region of Álava now, I'd originally planned a lunch option in the big city of Vitoria Gasteiz, but not realising it would be too late due to the time we had spent navigating around Bardenas Reales and consuming that belly full of pasta earlier on we just continued straight through the city and out along the A-624 toward Basque country where the scenery turned even more green and lush. The riding now quite fast as we crossed into Cantabria and 'green Spain' joining the CA-153 near La Matanza heading due north toward the coast. I can't recall where we stopped for fuel but remember a toilet block behind with a nice view across the valley. By now the weather became much cooler with grey clouds brooding in the distance. Still wearing my mesh jacket and Rob without waterproof liners we decided to press on and hope the rain didn't come. During the steady climb into the forested Cantabrian mountains we experienced a slight drizzle, and on one section of a valley we needed to take care as the surface changed to dark brown silty mud for a while near Trebuesto.
I could now smell the sea as the Navigator had me turn off on to the autopista 8 heading west for a few junctions. By now I couldn't see Rob behind but hoped he was using his phone based MRA Navigator. The route would have taken us through the seaside town of Laredo but realising this meant a lengthy ride I chose to stay on the autopista for a few more junctions. I called Rob up on the phone to explain but he was all fine so we both met up soon after in the car park of Hotel Olimpo overlooking Isla Playa (near the beach) a pretty headland resort. A good clean hotel with a large balcony and view of the beach and gardens. We dined at the restaurant, early for Spain around 7pm and the first seated at the window overlooking the ocean and shared some fantastic Scallops in garlic sauce to start, and I followed this with what I thought would be a small plate of lamb so we were both amazed to see me served an actual leg of tender lamb instead. We followed dinner with a walk outside in the gardens while reflecting on a fantastic adventure we'd had over the last 10 days.
While researching for Thursdays route I came across the Hotel Parador Sos del Rey Católico recommended in a book by motorcycle traveller Duncan Gough. Also I found a great little route in another book 'Motorcycles Routes of Western Europe' by Toby Ballantine starting from Ainsa along the 'Valle de Hecho' passing very close to the same Parador I had booked two rooms for the night. After a good breakfast and early 8am start we followed the N-260 west then took the 260a at Fiscal for a wonderful cool twisty ride up in to the mountains before stopping for a 'banana break' on the descent in the sleepy town of Gavin. By now we had learned our lesson and packed sufficient sustenance in the form of bananas and bags of nuts to ensure we would last a long day without fading toward the end.
In the city of Jaca we discovered the A-1205 road was blocked and realised I had lost Rob behind as I followed the most obvious alternative road off a roundabout so decided to return back to lookout for him. Thankfully he'd taken the same road so we reviewed our next options over the intercom. I killed some waypoints and continued along the N-240 before the Navigator led us up a lane to get back on the original 1205 route toward the waypoint after a small village. Next came a slightly wrong turn along very rutty gravelly farm track, at first I found it quite daunting so switched the GS bike mode to Enduro to soften the suspension and calm the throttle and soon started to feel more comfortable standing up on the pegs and started to have a little fun on the loose stuff.
My decision to leave the top heavy 6kg top-box at home for this trip in favour of a lighter roll bag strapped to the tail had already made the bikes handling lighter and easier, so by now it was paying real dividends as the lane became even more choppy. At one point in a muddy rut the bike was 'zigging' while I went 'zagging' and I nearly lost it completely. I relaxed my grip on the bars to let the bike go where it wanted to, and kept my hips in line to get the bike back under my control again. Rob was doing better than I. Although a 17 inch wheel on the Tiger wasn't ideal, his experience riding around the farm in his younger days plus the Africa Twin day he'd been on last year made light work of it for him I think. All we had to do was keep our distance to avoid flying gravel and stones and at times reached a good speed.
Eventually the track came to a dead end at a field of crops so we took a short break before turning the bikes around and retracing back the way we came. I was getting more confident now, steering while stood up pushing down on the pegs and keeping the weight over the front wheel, however, as we gingerly travelled along this forested ridge next to a narrow stream three huge raptors flew by from the right, so close to my head I nearly lost all control. Each bird had a huge wingspan and later after some research I'm now fairly sure they were 'Spanish Imperial Eagles'. Their wingspan must have been over 5 feet and I was so shocked I sat back down on the seat shut the throttle off and watched as they gracefully disappeared into the woods to my left. I did wonder if 'Gandalf' had summoned those Eagles to carry us back up the lonely mountain! Near the farmhouse we soon found the HUV-V-2102 (H for Huesca) leading us out at a gentle pace along the sublime 'Valle de Hecho' following along the ridge before parking near the church/chapel in the quiet little town of Hecho (Echo). At the end of a narrow cobbled street between old stone buildings we found a tiny cafe serving food. We both went for the excellent chicken sandwich and ice-cream to follow, sat outside in our shorts calming down after all of that unplanned off-road excitement. We both agreed it had been a fun morning with the added bonus of a perfect lunch stop too!
Mid-afternoon we briefly crossed into the region of Navarre diverting onto the the NA-137 passing through a huge gorge opening into a wide plain with sweeping bends, and then all of a sudden onto a washboard potholed road I remembered from Duncan Gough's description in his book. We then passed through dry arid plains before taking the incredibly twisty and bumpy forested road that went on for miles before winding up into Sos del ray Católico to our Parador hotel for the night. I'm sure I lost some tooth fillings on that road as we crossed back into Aragon again.
A luxury stay tonight I thought as we parked the bikes right near the entrance by ornate flower pots. Well worth the extra cost this Parador described as: "A classic Aragonese manor house. It is within the town walls, which has been declared a Historic-Artistic Site. Its large windows offer you spectacular views of the mountains surrounding the town." By now after riding in the late afternoon heat and sweating cobs unloading the panniers all I could think of was; did my room have working air-con? Thankfully it did so after a cool shower and hour or so relaxing in the luxury room looking out at the fantastic view I met up with Rob an hour before our dinner reservation for a wander.
After a walk up hill in to the town through the narrow streets I seemed to lose my bearings and almost got lost after passing the cathedral but with Rob's help soon made our dining experience in the hotel restaurant on time. Tonight we would be amongst quite a few fellow Brits drinking beers on the terrace before being seated inside near the window. Rob went for the Thistle soup and I had the Iberian ham croquettes to start. We both enjoyed the Cod au Gratin with a glass of wine to reflect on a wonderful day tackling a good mix of terrain, us both having a lot of fun along the way.
