Picos & Costa Verde - 2018

Saturday 30th June Quite a lot of rain in the night with intermittent peals of thunder. We woke to more rain & very damp, humid conditions. It was the first really wet morning we’d had, so it wasn’t surprising that mustering enthusiasm was difficult. It wasn’t helped by a rather miserable, surly woman serving desayuno in the cafeteria. Repeatedly burning & scraping the toast it seemed, only added to her woes. Some people really do need to be in a different job! So, we left Camping Deva Gijón in drying conditions and made our way east along a quite beautiful section of the N-632. Rolling hills & valleys. Stunning views  The road into Villaviciosa was particularly memorable; almost sub tropical. A must do again route.  We stopped in the town for coffee & snacks at a wonderful bakery. Then continued on the N-632, through the hills & valleys to Ribadesella     Not far on the map, but slow going due to the terrain. Enjoyable though. K...

Friday 28th June This was always going to be the hardest day of the tour. The original plan was to leave all the gear at a hotel, ride out of Oviedo & ascend the Angliru, the peak of which is around 25 miles to the southwest of the city. Return to the hotel & rest. Slight modification to that now though: Return to the hotel, pick up the gear & cycle another 20 miles to a campsite near Gijón. Two reasons for this: camping is preferred & there isn’t a sight near Oviedo; it gives us (them 🤭) less to do in the remaining days as we pick along the coast back to Santander.  Anyway, the intrepid three set off to face their demons at around 9am, whilst I took another nap before gathering myself together & bolting my legs on for the ride northeast to the Gijón campsite. I was going to take it VERY easy 😁 Getting into Oviedo had been one thing. Getting out on the right road, quite another. I think I went round in circles in the city centre a few times before picking my w...

Thursday 28th June After a makeshift breakfast on the site at Lluarca, we were packed and on our way by 9.30, heading east & picking our way along the old coast road. It proved to be bloody hard going IMO, dropping into coastal inlets & then up and out of them again.  First stop for coffee: There was very little respite from the repetitive nature of the terrain all the way to Aviles, though there were some great views along the way: I’m not ashamed to say that by lunchtime, at around 45 miles, my legs were shot. I actually felt hungry! Not a good sign. So, we did what the Spanish do and went to McDonald’s in Aviles for lunch.  The Chicken burger, etc, hit the spot, but didn’t completely fix the legs. The ride south, after lunch was laboured in my part, though the other guys seemed well enough. A long & steady climb about 15 miles before Oviedo just about did for the legs for the day, so by the time we threaded our way into the city centre and got to the Hotel Blue ...

I didn’t think much to Vilalba. A really dull town with not much to recommend it. The hotel there was comfortable enough & decent value, though the breakfast was woeful, even at €2.50!  We set off at 9am in cool, overcast conditions & headed NE towards the coast on the N-634. On a predominately straight & easy gradient, we made good time initially. We rode into rain  after about an hour & this coincided with a significant downhill run which I bizarrely found quite invigorating as we got a cold soaking. We pushed on past Mondonedo & Lourenza, as the rain began to abate, but we were getting increasingly in need of refreshments as the miles ticked by. After about 35 miles, we were nearly at the coast &  Barreiros provided a great roadside cafe for coffee & tortilla.  Afterwards, Alex set off and immediately went the wrong way around a roundabout & had to be shouted back. Still, we made it safely onto the old coastal main road and continue...

Tuesday 26th June Woke to grey skies & a certain dampness in the air. We set about breaking camp in quiet contemplation, mixed with a little wind 😬 Today we were heading northeast on the first leg of our return journey & anticipated some tough climbing, with the profile for the day looking quite punchy.  A quick breakfast in the campsite bar, then we were on our way & soon into the first climb of the day out of Santiago, past it’s airport. Initially sticking to the main N-634 & N-547 on a rolling route, we had a stop for second breakfast (A necessity for Alex in particular): We headed off into the countryside & navigated across predominantly single lane, very rural roads to Corredoiras, then Presaras & Guitiriz. We stopped in a fantastic little village restaurant near here & had the fixed menu del dia. What a experience: cured ham & salad starter, chicken & fried potatoes, desert, digestive, coffee & as much drink as we wanted - €9 each. Mem...

Monday 25th June A day off the bikes (well except for our OCD companion - who’s gonna ride everyday for the rest of his life), so a leisurely start, with a bit of forward route planning over a breakfast coffee & croissant.  Fun Boy Three then ambled into the city centre, taking second breakfast en route, before walking around the old centre. Full of architectural delights & shops selling tat.  Fortunately, it also has the best tapas bar bar (sic) none; Bar La Tita (no - not a titty bar 🙄) So, we had a wander round for a while, then a bit of Tita, then another wander. Met Kev. Did the tourist Choo Choo around the city & almost stayed awake😉.  Then more wandering & a big bit of Tita (magnificent racciones). A fantastic artisan cornet to finish & a taxi ride back to the campsite.  Beer, blog, bed. Big un tomorrow again. 

Another big day. Sarria to Santiago de Compostela with barely an inch of flatness on the entire route. And the temperature was, once again, going to soar beyond 30 degs.  We rolled out of the campsite about 8.45 & down into Sarria for a spot of desayuno. Then west on the Comino & straight into the first of the climbing. A staged climb of a few hundred metres before a lovely fast tree lined decent to the lakes beside Portomarin: Continuing on for several miles after Portomarín, on yet another staged climb through pretty countryside, we eventually stopped for a bit of light refreshment. Then more uphill on a sawtooth profiled route along the Comino. We were on narrow roads for much of this section, mixing it with lots of walkers. It was also getting much hotter. I was ready for stopping again by Palas de Rei, but we elected to press on & almost paid the price with dehydration when no opportunity to refill presented itself for several miles afterwards. Kev bailed out off t...

After a basic breakfast at Hostal La Gallega we set off from Cacabelos in beautiful conditions & resumed our journey along the Camino. A lovely run out & through Villafranca del Bierzo & past the Castillo, in front of which flew dozens of Swifts.  We did a few sloping miles & after a while stopped for coffee, only to be greeted by a nice ass........braying at us from the field opposite. Friendly fellow.  Then came a long & increasingly steep climb up to the Alto do Poio, at 1335m. Generally a pleasant experience with increasingly impressive views over the valleys below.  We had lunch at the top of the Alto de Poio. Then came a fantastic descent. Fast, open corners & a well surfaced road for several miles. We shot past Samos & pressed on to our overnight camping ground at Vila de Sarria. Welcomed by four attractive birds (nesting Cranes), after a refreshing Radler we set up camp in the trees & had a bit of R&R.  Later, we strolled i...

The rest day in Leon was welcome I think. A bit of extra sleep & a late breakfast in the Hostal (€3 each & excellent), before generally chilling out & testing the legs a bit......well except for Kev, who went on a bike ride. The rest of us went for a circular walk around the centre, calling in on several bike shops before finding one that had suitable replacement tyres for Alex’s bike as the heavily treaded ones he’d fitted to come away with, were upsetting the bike & unnerving him.  After a bit of sight seeing & a couple of coffee stops, Neil wandered off for a massage 😉 whilst Alex & I returned to the Hostal. He fitted his tyres & I had a siesta.  Later in the afternoon we all met up. Alex & Neil did a bit of culture, visiting the Gaudi museum, whilst Kev & I watched a guy perform the Heimlich Manoeuvre on a 90 year old fella who was gasping his last. Amongst the hysteria, this guy did his thing & freed the obstruction. Good job! I wa...

We all agreed that Wednesday 20th June 2018 was one of the toughest days we’d had on a bike. A combination of factors made it so: The moderately long distance of 78 miles; the heat at around 30 degrees; the terrain; the absence of enough places to stop & refresh; legs that were already very tired; bicycles weighing around 30kg. Nevertheless, we had decided that we needed to get to Leon, rather than have an intermediate camp, so booked a couple of nights in the Hostal Alda Casco Antiguo in the centre of town, near the cathedral.  So, we set off from Osejo de Sajambre at around 9.30 to complete the climb to the top of Puerto del Ponton, at 1280m. It was a glorious morning & a beautiful wooded climb into the heart of the Picos de Europa. Kevin did his usual thing & eventually rode off the front, not to be seen again for about 15 miles. Neil rode smoothly up in his own inimitable style, leaving Alex & I to ease up to the summit, stopping several times to breath in the s...