John Hayes Walks

Day 4 Camino Portugués Tomar to Ansiao

2023-04-28T17:32:00.001+01:00

If the weather had been normal Day 4 on the Camino Portugués would have been fine, more challenging than the first three days but doable. With record breaking temperatures for April, approaching 40 degrees, it was very hard.

The good news is that the team managed to stick together with Robina and Christine both pushing the envelope in terms of there previous off-road experience.

The route was just shy of 50 kms long with around 900m of climb, the hardest day so far. Riding time was around 4.30 mins.

There was an interesting mix of road and off-road cycling with roads totally empty. Although there were some short off-road climbs, the big pass, just after Alvaiázera, was completed entirely on asphalt. Consequently although there was some pushing it didn't amount to much.

The first part of the first leg, a narrow rock strewn stretch of single track above a river wasn't the perfect start and confidence in my navigation took a hit. Things got better when the route widened into a gravelly track before emerging onto a road.

The next leg followed the road from hilltop village to hilltop village with the route clearly designed to make sure everyone got a share of the Camino action. We were now following a route which had little in common with my GPS but the signs were excellent. Apart from occasional stretches of cobbles the surface was fast and comfortable.

Leaving the road just north of Ceras the Camino split into two. The anticipated option climbed a near vertical wall of loose soil and gravel, which the information board said could be challenging (to walkers) while the longer alternative took us through a nicely scented eucalyptus forest to Areias. We chose the Areias option, most of which was off-road until we finally emerged into some sustained asphalt at the junction with the main E110.

From the E110 we headed north along an empty road to Cortica where, instead of doing the obvious thing and continuing to Alvaiázera, it turned right and followed a tiny road, usually cobbled with walls either side, through a series of half empty small villages.

We stopped at Alvaiázera for an excellent lunch (9€ each) before tackling the day's big climb which thankfully followed a road. Over the pass and anticipating an easy run down to Ansiao there was again a sting in the tail with the route vering off into a combination of steep and treacherous gravel tracks. The only compensation was that the route headed predominantly downhill.

Ansiao is a staging post for pilgrims but doesn't appear to have much going for it apart from that. We're staying in the municipal auberge, brand new and comfortable. My only complaint was that, after a very hot day, the shower had only one temperature, very hot.

Day 3 Camino Portugués Santarém to Tomar

2023-04-26T21:17:00.007+01:00

Day 3 makes the transition from a landscape dominated by the River Tagus and its huge and intensively farmed flood plain, to something much more mountainous and, from a cycling perspective, challenging.

First the metrics. Theoretically today's route was 62 km with climbs and descents of 330m. Because I missed a couple of turns, and we had to retrace our steps, we ended up cycling 72 km with a riding time of just under 5 hours.

Despite their electric MTBs, Christine and Robina are very cautious about "mixed surface" cycling. The bikes are horribly heavy and a fall could be serious. Today we came up with alternative routes to avoid what looked like the dodgy bits. In practice this meant that they stuck to the roads which are very quiet but occasionally cobbled.

We split the route into three sections: the first to Azinhaga, mid morning coffee destination; the second to Vila Nova da Barquinha, where we stopped for lunch; and the third, the final section into Tomar. Golegã looked the nicest place, with the biggest choice of cafes and restaurants but it would have been too late to stop there for coffee and too early for lunch.

The first leg followed the River Tagus although you didn't get to see it that much. Constant irrigation and heavy agricultural traffic meant that the path was rutted in places but I think Robina and Christine could have got through. The route was mixed, going from shady wooded lanes into huge open fields growing peas, potatoes, and maize. It's a long leg and coffee didn't come a moment too soon.

We parted company, after 7 km of cobbles, at Golegã, and Mike and I headed into what we thought was an off-road stretch with Christine and Robina sticking with the road. We should have stayed together because it was a great surface all the way to Vila Nova da Barquinha.

The only thing Vila Nova da Barquinha had going for it was lunch. Christine found a place full of locals and we were rewarded with something very cheap, wholesome but not exactly vegetarian.

The last leg was tough with a lot of climbing along a gravely surface through a eucalyptus forest. I enjoyed it but it was very hot and for the first time on the trip we had to do some sustained pushing. At the top of the pass there was a handily placed water hydrant which we shared with a couple of friendly pilgrims from Slovenia. So while we should have stuck together for the first two legs it was a good job Christine and Robina stayed on the road on the third.

Tomar is the biggest place we've stayed at so far, the magnificent Templar castle overlooking a town full of bars and restaurants. We finished the day with another amazingly priced dinner consisting of various types of crustaceans and lovely slightly fizzy Portugués white wine.

Day 2 Villa Franca de Xira to Santarém

2023-04-25T21:00:00.002+01:00

Today's ride was a hot slog on mainly gravel tracks through the flat river plain north east to Santarém. Walking this stretch must be soul destroying, a huge flat agricultural landscape very reminiscent of the Fens in the east of England.

First the metrics. The route was 54 kms with 140 metres of climb and 51 metres of descent. All the climb was at the end involving a very steep pull up to the town of Santarém. Moving time was just under 4 hours.

The big lesson for today was not taking the route too seriously. If we had followed the Camino we would have had to navigate three railway stations and after yesterday's experience with the lifts this was something we wanted to avoid. It did involve a bit more road cycling that might otherwise have been the case, including a 4 km stretch with bumper to bumper lorries, but after we had made it to Azambuja the railway line was at last behind us. After that we tended to be very close to the route (yards away) but not necessarily on it and to be honest even the pilgrims were involved in route rationalisation.

After Azambuja the landscape became seriously agricultural - super productive with nearly all the fields irrigated. We think the main crop was tomatoes, at a very early stage but fields and fields of them. In the middle of this ocean of agriculture was Vallada, a small village on the side of the River Tejo and clearly a pilgrim staging point. We stopped there for lunch and given the number of restaurants and cafes we chose well. It's a national holiday today and the locals were out on the beach while we enjoyed a salad and what we think were local shrimps.

Vallada was the perfect place to stop as it left just 20 kms (more fields of tomatoes) before Santarém, some shade and a beer.

We're still getting into the swing of things and spent the best part of an hour this morning waiting for a replacement charger for Robina's bike. By the time we had consumed our beers, showered and washed our clothes the "golden hour" was well underway. We still managed a tour of the Santarém ramparts at the end of the prominotory facing east with amazing views of the River Tejo both to the north and south. I suspect we have a bit more agriculture scenery to cross before finally escaping the river and heading into the mountains.

Day 1 Camino Portugués- Lisbon to Vila Franca de Xira

2023-04-24T21:14:00.005+01:00

Day 1 was much better than I was anticipating. There was a lot of the urban sprawl you would expect around a capital city: the mix of new development and the dereliction associated with property waiting to be built; but there was also lots of quiet cycling through wide open countryside.

Day 1, starting at the bike hire shop and finishing at Vila Franca de Xira, involved 45 Kms of cycling with just 150m of climb and descent. According to Strava our average moving speed was just under 12km per hour, which makes sense give how much of the route was off-road. There was only one hill but it was a horrible one, just on the other side of an underpass south of Vialonga, and too steep to cycle with fully laden unpowered bikes. Christine and Robina sailed up it. The weather by way has been warm, verging on hot, we're experiencing at heat wave in April.

There was only one section of sustained mixed traffic cycling, a nasty busy road just to the east of Sobralinho, and apart from that the route sharing was with people including some pilgrims. There was a surprising amount of rough trail which would have been treacherous if things weren't so dry.

Some important lessons from the first day.

The decision, forced on me by majority rule, to go to Vila Franca de Xira rather than on to Santarém was the right one. Vila Franca de Xira has nothing to commend it but trying to get all the way to Santarém would have been a big mistake. If you're hiring bikes they take a bit of getting used to and there's always some fiddling about at the bike hire shop. All of this takes time so not being too ambitious on the first day was the right thing to do.

Secondly, ignore the Camino when you're cycling out of Lisbon. Lisbon is getting more cycle friendly but it's still an intimidating place to start a trip from. Finding your way out from the cathedral, where the Camino starts, involves lots of hills and a complex one-way system. The simpler way out is the harbour side cycle way which joins the Camino about 5km to the east of the town.

Thirdly it's important to remember that the Camino was designed for walkers not cyclists. It's OK for the route to take walkers the wrong way down a one way street but that's not always so good when you're on a bike. My route already missed the worst of the offending sections but ignoring the waymarks is sometimes necessary.

Highlights of today were the beautiful wild flowers, hedge high, all purples and yellows on the stretch between Bobadela and Vialonga. Also, for Christine and the other 2 carnivores, the unexpectedly good lunch in a simple village cafe: oxtail stew with proper home made chips and a bit of salad. €10 with fizzy water and coffee. I made do with a cheesy omelette and the same chips, but so far Portugal isn't great for vegetarians.

The biggest challenge of the day was getting the bikes through the station at Alverca do Ribatejo, to get from one side of the railway line to other. Getting massive electric MTBs in the lifts was tough to say the least.

Day 0 Camino Portuguese

2023-04-23T20:37:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow we set off on a 28 day tour of Northern Portugal and a bit of Northwest Spain. The plan is to cycle the Camino Portuguese Central up to Porto and then onto Santiago del Compestalla, turning round and then heading and back to Porto along the coastal variant of the Camino. After that we'll return along the coast all the way back to Lisbon (taking the Eurovelo along a route I've done before so can vouch for).

I see "we" because as well as Christine, wife and partner on many previous adventures, Mike and Robina will also be making the trip. The four of us cycled across Spain last year on the Camino el Cid and that was such a success that we've decided to attempt an even more ambitious trip in Portugal.

The pandemic already feels distant and it's sometimes hard to remember just how awful it was. but, amongst other things, I got out of the habit of blogging. On this trip I'm going to revive it. It's funny but having to say something about a journey made me think harder about what I was experiencing and the experience was better because of that: so I'm looking forward to this trip.

If cycling the Camino Portuguese "works", if it's likely to be attractive to cycling pilgrims, then I'll write the cycling route up in my 6th Cicerone travel guide. This will be a follow up on to my first Cicerone cycling guide which describes the Ruta Via de la Plata.

Although the Camino Portuguese is not a cycling route like a Eurovelo, plenty of people have cycled it and indeed several holiday companies offer self guided itineraries. The route is particularly popular north of Porto as it's just far enough from Santiago del Compestalla to qualify for pilgrim accreditation.

Exploring the route will involve two cyclists (Robina and Christine) on e-mountain bikes, one cyclist (Mike) on a mountain bike and one cyclist (me) on a gravel bike. The intention is to stick with the Camino wherever possible but pre-identify the really nasty bits and find alternatives. It's already apparent that a lot of the route is "off-road" mostly on forest paths wide enough for a vehicle but some single track. There are stretches where the surface is broken and as neither Robina or Christine are mountain biking experts it's these stretches we'll be trying to avoid.

So from tomorrow night you'll be getting the usual daily updates on progress. If these updates suddenly stop, and previous entries are deleted, please assume the worst. The trip wasn't a success!

Munich to Venice - When to Start

2023-04-16T21:33:00.003+01:00

So the idea of walking from Munich to Venice across the Alps has sparked your interest; you've had a look at my blog about how tough it is, and it hasn't put you off; the next question might be "when can I do it?"

Sandwiched between the start and finish of a long winter, the Alpine walking season is short but there does seem to be some debate about how short. Is it two months, July and August, or should you consider a third month, September.

There are four things to think about:

Is it open, or put another way, are the passes clear of snow?

Are the huts (refugios in Italy) open?

What's the risk of bad weather?

How crowded will it be and how easy is it find accommodation?

Long-distance hikers heading south over the Alps need to cross a series of high-level passes. Although the snow will have disappeared from the valleys, and local walkers will be out looking for early signs of spring, in all probability the paths across the passes will be blocked until into July (varies from season to season). So although the huts start to open in June, the hiking season doesn’t really start until July with some risk of blocked passes early in the month.

Mountain walking starts mid-way through Day 3 and finishes on Day 26, so out of the 30 days hiking about 23 are spent in the Alps. Chances are you will stop for three nights in the towns along the route (Hall, Alleghe and Belluno) staying for the rest of the time in mountain huts or small hotels on the passes. The earliest you can start is determined by the snow on the passes and the latest by the availability of accommodation in the mountains towards the end. The last stage of high mountain walking, and perhaps the most remote, crosses the Civetta Dolomites between Alleghe and Belluno and as the huts in these mountains start to close in the last week of September you should aim to start this stage by the 22nd September. So if you want to do the whole Traumpfad, all the way to Venice, you should have left Munich before the end of August.

Snow the on the passes determines the earliest start date and the huts closing the latest, so what about determines the best time?

Weather is a consideration and although it varies from season to season, July and August are the hottest. In August the heat brings a risk of thunderstorms, dangerous if you're exposed on the mountains. Wet weather is always a possibility and if you're high this often means snow, even in August, and although the snow doesn’t last long staying an extra night in a hut can be the best option. As the heat starts to drop off the risk of thunderstorms declines and September is usually the most settled month.

In the Dolomites in August things get busy, and huts need to be booked ahead, weeks ahead if you’re in a group. It also means that anywhere near a chairlift, on the Sella Massif in particular, will be busy in the daytime. The crowds all disappear before the lifts close and sharing a sunset and a beer in a full hut is a fun way to end the day. Personally however I don’t like having to book ahead preferring scheduling flexibility. If the weather is good and I'm feeling good, than I don't want the day to end preferring to press on through the golden hour before the sun sets to turn up at a hut confident it will be only half full. This means avoiding August.

July, August or September are all great months to make the trip across the Alps, adventure guaranteed but if you’re totally flexible with your calendar there is a lot to be said for getting to Munich in August, enjoying a couple of days warm-up heading up the side of the River Isar and then getting stuck into the mountains in September.

Update to the GR1 in Aragon - 2023

2023-04-14T13:54:00.001+01:00

To be honest I feel mixed emotions when a walker using a guide points out a route change (thanks Amir). On the one hand, a bit of my precious guide is out of date while, on the other, the route is still being worked on and taken seriously. This is exactly what's happened in Aragon in general and Huesca in particular. As part of a 400,000 euro investment in the fabulous Sierra de Guara, the original routing for the GR1 has been diverted just east of Nazarre, southeast through Pardina Seral to Rodellar and then northeast and back up Letosa and Bagüeste before rejoining the original route back to Paules de Sarsa.

The change helps a lot. Although it adds an extra stage, the stages are more manageable. Because of the lack of accommodation, Stage 5 in the guide is huge (12 hours), and although heading south to Rodellar adds the overall distance there is accommodation there (camping, in a refuge, or in a hotel). So instead of Nocito to Paules de Sarsa, as described in the guide, the new recommendation is to go from Nocito to Rodellar (22.7km, 1010m up and 825m down taking an estimated 7h 35m), stop there, before heading to Paules de Sarsa (27.3km 1025m up and 1190m down taking an estimated 9hr 10m).

Abandoned houses in Used

Gaura in March

Follow the link to see the information panel for the route through the Sierra de Guara

Although I haven't walked the new Rodellar bits the report from Amir states that it is excellent although totally empty in March. Rodellar is a major climbing and canyoning destination so it should get a bit busier from April onwards, as the season opens up, but don't expect crowds. One slight regret is that the new route misses out Otin, the biggest abandoned town on the route, but there are plenty of other ones to explore.

As part of the upgrade, which was completed in 2022 and which apparently includes new signage, the available online information has improved since I walked the route 10 years ago. Better still the Aragon GR1 web presence has at least been matched by a similar effort in Catalonia. This means that the GR1 through the pre-pyrenees, from Olite all the way to the coast is now up-to-date and accessible.

Both Catalonia and Aragon are promoting the GR1 as a coast-to-coast walk and while the guide describes how this can be done there is no evidence, as far as I can see, that their enthusiasm is matched by all the regions on the route. As before expect to see signage in the Castile y Leon, the Basque Country, and Navarre but there is still a small gap in Cantabria and a lack of enthusiasm in Galicia and the Asturias.

My guide also heads from west to east whereas the websites go east to west. Finishing at the Mediterranean made sense to me back in 2012/13 but I know a lot of people prefer to follow the sun and head west. I don't think it's a big deal either way although if you're using the guide as your only source of navigation (unwise) it's less useful if heading west.

Although GPX trails for the guide are available on the Cicerone website it makes sense to download them directly from the people who maintain them in Spain via the following links. At some point, the new route to Robellar will get included on the Openmap database and the IGN digital maps but this hasn't happened yet.

https://senderosturisticos.turismodearagon.com/senderos/gr1

https://senders.feec.cat/fem-muntanya/senders/sender/gr-1-sender-historic/

The GR1: Spain’s Sendero Histórico - still with a bed every night

2023-03-09T16:09:00.007+00:00

Time flies. It’s 10 years since I first walked the GR1, the Sendero Histórico, a 53-day walk across northern Spain. Given everything that has happened since 2013, particularly in the last 3 years, some of the research I did for my first Cicerone guide, might need revisiting.

The guide: The GR1: Spain’s Sendero Histórico, reflects my preferred style of walking and involves going from place to place and sleeping in a bed at the end of each day. This approach works particularly well in Spain because accommodation is cheap and relatively plentiful. It’s also great fun and although hit and miss, never less than interesting. Whether it’s a bar with rooms above or a luxury hotel in a converted castle, the memories associated with the places you stay can be as sustaining as the scenery you walk through.

If you prefer to sleep in a bed and enjoy someone else’s cooking, finding somewhere to stay can determine the length of each walking day. Because the GR1 travels through remote countryside, often previously populated but now empty, finding somewhere to stop for the night can be a challenge and occasionally involves some long days. When I originally did the research I constructed a 53-day itinerary that allows a walker (defined as someone with a lot of spare time) to walk from one side of Spain to the other, stay in a bed each night, and only have to leave the trail three times. Not having to mess about with taxis and buses; making a leisurely start and straight onto the trail; finishing the day by walking to your destination, and immediately drinking a well-deserved beer, are one of the many things that makes the GR1 special.

Over the last 8 years, since publication, lots of people (100s not 1000s), have used my guide to help them on their journey across northern Spain and a number have provided feedback. When opening a GR1 email, I’m always nervous about updates on accommodation because, in certain places, a closure makes things difficult and a lot of closures would threaten the viability of the route for my style of walking. The key thing to check, therefore, is whether the accommodation listed in the guide is still in business.

Recently, on a wet weekend in March, I worked through the guide to check what’s still there and establish whether you really need to take a tent with you to complete the GR1. Good News! The GR1 still works for non-campers and despite Covid shutdown and some closures, you can still walk it and stay in a bed each night. There are changes and, section by section, these are described below.

Some general things first. There is an important distinction between a casa rural, usually private accommodation in a holiday home and an auberge, hostel or hotel. In Spain, particularly in a non-school holiday period, casa rural owners are often happy to rent a room just for a night, sometimes in an otherwise empty house. Casa rurals are used in the guide when there isn’t an alternative, as managing access with a private owner is more painful. Secondly some of the accommodation is seasonal and if you start your hike before April might be closed in places where there isn’t a choice. Thirdly accommodation sometimes shuts on a Monday - as in many parts of Europe if people work on a Sunday they expect to have the next day off. These places will sometimes provide a bed but no restaurant.

Section 1 - 6 days from Puerto to Tarna to Reinosa

Section 1, crossing the southern flank of the Cantabrian mountains and skirting the Picos de Europa, is one of the most dramatic parts of the whole walk. It’s an all-year-round destination for hikers (expect snow until March) and its attractions have kept all the accommodations open. This includes the hotel in the tiny village of Salomon which provides the only accommodation at the end of the first day. In addition, a new hotel has opened at Prioro, the Albergue de Prioro, so walkers no longer have to find a room in a casa rural.

Section 2 - 7 days from Corconte to Berantevilla

Section 2 introduces the dramatic limestone escarpments and meseta which feature on much of the walk. While there is more history, evidenced by castle ruins and lovely Romanesque churches, finding somewhere to stay is more challenging than in Section 1. The main changes are two new hotels at the day 1 destination Pedrosa de Valdeporres,(the Hotel El Rincon and the Hotel Rural la Engaña, (which means not having to stay in the language school) - and the closure of the Los Perrichicos and the opening of the Hotel El Amparo de Narcisa at Oteo. Accommodation wise the final two days of the walk are just as difficult as in 2013 with off-route accommodation needed in Mirando de Ebro.

Section 3 - 6 days from Berantevilla to Olite

If I’m honest, this is my least favourite section. The first 4 days to Los Arcos are excellent, more dramatic limestone ridges, but the last 2 days from Los Arcos to Olite which, despite interesting little towns, cross a boring agricultural landscape. Accommodation is also a little difficult. The watermill, the only place at Peñacerrada, is still providing accommodation, but the Golf Hotel at Bernedo has closed, so the casa rural listed in the guide are the only places on the route. If this doesn’t work there is plenty of accommodation a Laguardia about 7kms to the south. At Santa Cruz de Campezo there is new hostel-style accommodation at the Aterpe Kanpex Hostel and all the other accommodation is as described in the guide.

Section 4 - 5 days Olite to Murillo de Gállego.

Long-distance walking inevitably involves swings and roundabouts. If Section 3 had its shortcomings these are more than compensated for in Section 4 which somehow combines stunning landscapes with beautiful towns. Accommodation in a casa rural still has to be found at the hilltop town of Ujué but a new hotel, the Beragu Hotel, has opened at Gallipienzo Antiguo, another lovely town, almost abandoned but now coming back to life. This means you can split the 35km walk otherwise needed to get from Ujué to Sos del Rey Catolico creating a 6 rather than a 5-day schedule. The accommodation options have also improved at Biel, reached on day 4 (or 5 if you have split Day 2) with the new Casa Rural Las Lezas. There is plenty of accommodation at Murillo de Gállego but it is seasonal and a lot of hikers suggest going a little further and staying at the atmospheric Refugio de Riglos named after the famous red limestone cliffs.

Section 5 - 9 days Murillo de Gállego to Graus

If Section 3 was my least favourite, then Section 5 definitely comes out on top. Another remote section with fabulous scenery it adds the additional feature of a series of abandoned villages whose population seems to have cleared out overnight sometime in the 1960s. In planning a trip, the key thing to remember is that at least some of the accommodation is seasonal and somewhere to stay all the way through before April could be difficult. Specific changes are: the closure of the Albergue A Gargale in Bolea in Bolea, the day 2 destination, so you have to stay at the restaurant, the Casa Rufino (or the pilgrim hostel); the closure of the Hostal Migalon at Arguis on Day 3, so you now need to stay at the seasonal Hotel El Capricho, just down the road and off the route; and the closure of the UGT centre at Ligüerre de Cinca to overnight visitors with Casa A Chaminera (just down the road) the best alternative.

For an excellent and recent trip report on this section of the GR1 please follow the link to Joost's website

Section 6 - 9 days Graus to Gironella

Section 6 again combines remoteness with towering limestone cliffs, dry limestone plateaus and narrow limestone gorges. Apart from one hotel at Sant Lorenc de Morunys (a town that has three other hotels) all the accommodation identified in the guide is still open for business. This includes the lonely Masia Messanes reached on day 5 - it's lovely but I can’t understand how it survives, so please check. Also the Masia el Pujol reached on Day 9 is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Section 7 - 10 days Gironella to the Coast

Section 7 includes three different landscapes: the first is the tailend of limestone landscape of the previous three stages; the second, after Ripoli, a landscape dominated by the pinnacles of long-extinct volcanoes; and, the third, after Banyoles, involving just two days of walking, the coastal plain. The stage includes some really interesting historic towns with Besalu competing with Sos del Rey Catolico for the prize of the most stunning town on the route. In terms of accommodation the Fonda Alpens reached on Day 2 has closed and if you can't get into a casa rurals in the village try the Casa de Portavela further along (although the website says a minimum of 2 nights) or organise a taxi for some of the trip to Ripoli. At Sant Joan de les Abadesses a new hotel has opened, the Hotelet de St. Joan, providing a welcome alternative to the youth hostel. At Orriels the very swanky hotel has closed so consider heading south for 3km to Hostal Can Maret (access could involve bushwalking!) or sticking to the trail for another 7km to Camallera and staying at the Pensio L’Avi Pep.

Many thanks to Daniel Harris who walked part of the GR1 in 2022 - the photographs in the blog are his

For a recent GR1 trip report please go to Joost's website

The Ruta Vía de la Plata gets a Guide

2022-02-15T15:58:00.005+00:00

After a two-year Covid delay, the first English language cycling guide to the Ruta Vía de la Plata can be ordered from the Cicerone website. It's been a long time coming but I'm really excited - I think this is a special guide for what is a really special journey.

The journey starts in Seville and, from this splendid beginning, travels north through wonderful landscapes visiting a series of amazing towns and cities on a route that runs parallel with the Portuguese Spanish border. Just north of Zamora and after crossing the famous Duero river, two options are offered. For cyclists seeking the full pilgrimage experience the first option heads west and ends up, via the Camino Sanabrés, in Santiago del Compostela. The second continues north and after visiting my favorite Spanish city, Leon, crosses the Cantabrian Mountains, stops off at Oviedo, and finishes at Gijon on the north coast.

The Ruta has been in constant use since the Romans. Its importance brought wealth to the towns and cities along its route, most of which are within a day's cycling of each other. So after 4 or 5 hours cycling, a leisurely mid-afternoon Spanish lunch and a siesta, the evenings can be occupied with site seeing before rounding things off with people watching, beer and tapas. If you have any interest in Spanish History, the Game of Thrones, bagging world heritage sites, or just cycling and eating great food then this is the trip - it’s cycle touring at its very best.

Depending on whether you choose Gijon or Santiago del Compostela the schedule assumes 14 or 15 days cycling. There are however lots of options and squeezing the trip a little, makes finishing it in a two week window more than feasible.

This is my fifth guide for Cicerone but my first cycling guide. Cyclists come in all shapes and sizes and perhaps the most innovative thing I’ve done (pushed by the team at Cicerone) reflects this in the guide. What I’ve tried to do is provide information for the widest range of cyclists to follow a route that matches their own preferences. The route itself makes this possible. You can cycle from Seville to Gijon or Santiago del Compostela along well-graded empty roads perfect for road bikes. This is because the Spanish national network (the N roads) has over the last 20 years been superseded by a new motorway and the N roads are, for the most part now empty. At the same time, it is possible to go to the same destinations using the Camino routes which are largely off-road and suitable for cyclists who prefer a touring, gravel or mountain bike. Much of the off-road cycling is amazing, providing intimate access to the wonderful and unique Spanish dehesa landscape, but some of it is boring or just plain difficult. So for every day’s cycling, you can choose the off-road route or the road route or develop your own mix using the information provided to assess the attractiveness and difficulty of the off-road bits.

One thing I’m always asked about, whatever the route or mode of travel, is can you camp. Although I can usually provide a fairly general answer, it’s not based on a lot of knowledge and that’s because, unless I’m on a trip where someone else puts up the tent, I don’t do much camping. In Spain, especially as you’re cycling from town to town, the choice of accommodation is amazing and if you like staying in a place, castle or monastery or palace, this route provides lots of opportunities.

I’ve cycled all the road and off-road elements of the route to both destinations and if I have a personal preference it would be to include as much off-road as you have time for and to head for Gijon. The destination choice is difficult because Santiago del Compostela is a lovely place but the final part of the journey is not as good as the Leon Oviedo combination and the ride along the Roman road over the Cantabrian Mountains is simply epic.

So at last, after a two year wait, the guide is now available. It’s a great route and the guide I think will do it justice.

Update - for more information on the route and guide why not listen to the Cicerone podcast

Camiño dos Faros - the world's best coastal walk?

2019-11-29T13:56:00.002+00:00

"Walking the Camiño dos Faros", published in 2019, is my 4th Cicerone guide. This article provides a background to the walk and why I think it stands out as one of the world's greatest coastal walks.

In December 2012 a group of six Galician hikers, friends since childhood, and two dogs decided to walk from Malpica to Fisterra; a 200km journey around the coast of northwest Spain. They wanted to create a route that stayed as close as possible to the sea. Like many Galicians, they love the traditional landscape, culture and way of life and devising the route was their way of inviting others to enjoy it.

The Costa da Morte

The name of the route, Camiño dos Faros, refers to the many lighthouses built over the past two centuries in a vain attempt to render the coastline safe. Its coastline is known as the Costa da Morte (Coast of death) – a name coined by the British press in the 1890s after a series of deadly shipwrecks.

When I first walked the Camiño dos Faros in April 2016, I was amazed by what had been achieved since the group had plotted the route four years earlier. Particularly impressive was the obvious support the Camiño dos Faros had among the local community. Not only was the trail cleared and waymarked, there was a programme of activities attracting hikers, bikers and runners from all over Galicia to the coast. Key events, which I was lucky enough to sample on my first trip, are the eight Sunday hikes along each of the route's eight stages. The Spanish do things socially and hiking is no exception; spending a sunny spring day with 500 or 600 Galicians felt like a real privilege.

Starting the walk in a crowd of Galicians

Not everyone shares the Spanish love of crowds and on most days, hikers will have the route to themselves. Community support, however, is essential for the long-term sustainability of the route, not least because farmers have long since abandoned cultivation on the cliff-tops, and without the active support of the locals the route would soon become overgrown and impassable. As it is, the group of six have worked hard behind the scenes and secured the support of all levels of local government (town, provincial and regional). The route is also scheduled to be incorporated into Spain's GR network of Grandes Recorridos.

The original six, despite their achievement, maintain a low profile and although they make sophisticated use of social media, branding and marketing, keep their own identities a secret. I met them on both my trips and shared a meal with them on the second one, but I still don't know their names. What I did get was a lot of help and support, and this contributed to the pleasure I got from writing the book – almost as much pleasure as walking the route.

Coastal walking at its best

If you like coastal walking, then it’s fair to say you'll love the Camiño dos Faros. It's coastal walking at its best.

Praia de Soestro

Six of its eight stages (each stage corresponds to a day's walking) follow a mix of cliff-top paths and pristine sandy beaches, while the other two head inland, circumnavigating rias along what is a very indented stretch of coastline. Most stages start and finish at small fishing towns with plenty of choice for good-value accommodation.

To get the best out of the walk, it's best to embrace what even in Spanish terms is a distinct culture, history and cuisine.

Festival to the Virxe do Carme

Galicia is a particularly remote piece in Spain's regional jigsaw. The locals, on the other side of a mountain range and away from Spain's metropolitan centre, are proud of their own traditions. Their local language, Galego, thrives and is spoken by a higher proportion of the population than the equivalent in the Basque Country or Catalonia. It is used, instead of Spanish, to name places. Although the language is not related to Gaelic, Galicians see themselves as part of the Celtic Atlantic community and the common themes, including bagpipes, folk dancing and Celtic crosses are easy to spot. They even have their own version of the leprechaun, an imp-like creature that has been adopted by the Camiño dos Faros

Castro de Bornerio

Galicia is the most westerly point on the European mainland and like Ireland, Cornwall and Brittany, there is a strong 'edge of the world' theme to its folklore. The countryside (and weather) is also similar and features numerous prehistoric castles (castro), standing stones and ancient burial sites (dolmens).

The livelihood and culture of the coastal communities are dominated by the sea and many of the dense programme of fiestas, which take place throughout the year, have a maritime flavour. On my last trip, I was in Camariñas in July when the Festival to the Virxe do Carme took place. Celebrating the local patron saint of fishermen for some reason involved a noisy flotilla of trawlers, loaded with visitors and each covered in branches of pine, sailing around the bay discharging fireworks. Onshore, groups danced in the streets and the costumes and dancing techniques, to the untutored eye, appeared close to those of Morris men back home in England.

Percebes

The Spanish, of course, love fish. While busy supplying the rest of Spain, the Galicians keep the best stuff for themselves, preparing and eating it with great panache. Shellfish, generally produced locally, is eaten with gusto. The coastline, with its mix of clear water, rocky coastline and secluded bays, produces a huge variety of shellfish and if, like me, most of the fish you eat is in batter, selection and consumption can be a little challenging. If pushed to try something new, then it must be percebes, barnacles shaped like crabs' claws, which grow on rocks exposed to crashing waves. It's harvested by men with buckets attached to the shoreline by a rope and those that survive are richly rewarded.

If you're in Corme at the beginning of July, then your visit could coincide with the Fiesta do Percebes, when the locals and gastronomes from far and wide descend on the town most closely associated with this unique crustacean.

Little crosses along the coast near Corme, presumably for lost percebe harvesters, are a reminder of just how dangerous this stretch of coastline is – both for local fishermen and sailors on longer journeys.

The MV Prestige Memorial

As well as lighthouses, other reminders include the Cemeterio dos Ingleses, which contains the remains of English sailors from two shipwrecks at the end of the 19th century, the occasional remnants of ships and cargo and even in the names of beaches, including one that translates into 'the place where they burnt the bodies'. The most dramatic memorial, a huge slab of rock, split to resemble an environment shattered, relates to the sinking of the oil tanker MV Prestige in 2002. This didn't result in any loss of human life but caused ecological devastation and triggered a powerful response across Spain for better environmental protection.

The Camiño dos Faros stands on its own as a great walk and, for many, it will be the coastal scenery that attracts, rather than the seafood or culture. The route travels around Spain's northwest corner and while ‘west then south’ describes the broad direction of travel, it masks the incredible variety of experiences the journey brings. One minute the path will be sheltered and the air will be filled with birdsong; the next it will be exposed, with the sound of crashing waves. There are stretches of sustained cliff-top walking, but sustained on this walk means lasting for 30 minutes or so, after which the walk's mood will inevitably change as it journeys across a hidden beach, descends down to a rocky shoreline or follows a little stream inland up a staircase of molinos (watermills).

Winter walking

It's a walk where the mood of an intimate, secluded bay contrasts with a wide west-facing beach onto which intimidating rollers crash, with views across huge bays to a lighthouse on the far horizon.
The route’s founders made their first journey in December, but it is possible to walk the Camiño dos Faros throughout the year, with each season contrasting accordingly. Galicia has a mild maritime climate and is wet in the winter. Streams that will be a dribble in summer will be a torrent in the winter and spring and by peak summer only the very tallest will be able to see above the bracken that features on some stretches. For me, the best time is spring and early summer (late April to early July), when the light is at its best and the flowers are out.

When I first walked the Camiño dos Faros, distracted perhaps by a lovely Michelin starred restaurant in a particularly unlikely location midway through the first day, I tried to devise a different schedule to the one recommended by the route’s designers. Of course, their schedule is the one that works, and although I enjoyed a lovely lunch, I paid for it the following day. The eight-day schedule is the best one, but some will find it tough. There are few big hills to climb, the highest one is 312m, but like other coastal walks it involves a lot of small ones. Fortunately, a bendy route can easily be straightened and, by snipping off the odd peninsula, shorter days can be devised.

Taking a short-cut

The walk lends itself to place-to-place walking, staying in local hotels and eating in local restaurants. Although this part of Spain is not a tourist destination, there is a reasonable choice of good-value accommodation. If you don't want to carry your own gear, taxi companies will provide a bag ahead service and there are an increasing number of travel companies offering a full package.

Huge scenery on Stage 8

Just before Muxia, reached at the end of Day 6, the Camiño dos Faros touches a branch of Galicia's more famous Camino, a northern variant of the Saint James Way. The six originators of the Camiño dos Faros have tried to construct something that is different in feel to the St James Way and more authentically Galician – the route is certainly wilder and more beautiful than the St James Way, sticking to the coast and avoiding roads. The last three stages do benefit from the range of accommodation that has grown to support the older Camino. The last stage of the Camiño dos Faros is, in terms of cliff top walking, the most dramatic and if there is a westerly gale blowing in from the Atlantic, it’s perhaps best avoided. In these circumstances, the more sheltered St James Way alternative can be followed and the life of a peregrino sampled. Either way the journey ends at Fisterra (Finisterre in Spanish), a lovely town dominated by a multinational crowd finishing a much longer walk.

The late summer sunsets

Walking and writing about the Camiño dos Faros has been wonderful. I've experienced a beautiful walk, met and worked with the individuals who made it happen and learnt about a distinct and fascinating part of Spain. The locals are very proud of the Camiño dos Faros and there is an open invitation for walkers from everywhere to share with them a Costa del Morte adventure.

Journey's end at Fisterra

The GR1 - 2018 Review

2018-11-18T16:40:00.000+00:00

It's now 5 years since I first walked the GR1 - the Sendero Histórico, the subject of my first guide for Cicerone, but my memories are kept fresh by a steady stream of people who come back to me with appreciative comments. Although fewer people attempt it than the Karnischer Höhenweg or Munich to Venice, the subjects of my last two guides, I think it's more of a once in a lifetime adventure. Not only does it take 55 days it also crosses a challenging empty part of Spain. It's a beautiful walk, not technically difficult, but you are "on your own" and making things work is very rewarding.

Making things work often involves the kindness and hospitality of locals. My style of travel, whether walking or cycling, involves making use of whatever local accommodation is available. I've never wild camped so I'm dependent on finding a bed at the end of each day's walk. Three things have become apparent since I put the guide together: firstly new places have opened or people have discovered places I missed; secondly, places have shut particularly as an elderly restaurant or hotel owner has retired or worse; thirdly walkers have discovered how hospitable the locals are and that there are locals who will provide a bed or a meal where formally it doesn't necessarily exist.

A number of people have been kind enough to contact me with comments about accommodation and other services and there is an update section on this blog which lists the accommodation changes. It's fair to say that since writing the guide there has been a net gain in the amount of accommodation available and that the GR1 remains a viable long-distance walk for someone who likes to sleep in a bed every night. I'm particularly grateful for the most recent set of comments from Peter Bastide, a Canadian who enjoyed the middle sections of the GR1 in October 2018 and provided me with some updates.

There have been some minor updates to the route but essentially hikers are still finding their way using local signs, my guide and the GPS. Like everything in Spain, things change as you cross regional boundaries not least the quality of the signs for the footpath.

One issue that has emerged is the quality of my GPS file. Users seem to divide into two groups - experts and novices. If you're a novice using Viewranger loaded with my GPS file is a revelation - you can see where you are relative to the route and retrace your steps if you've gone wrong. If you're an expert and have become used to a well-edited GPS file with waypoints strategically positioned than my GPS file doesn't quite cut it. I think I've been lucky in the sense that most walkers are still (bizarrely I think) in former rather than the latter category when it comes to expertise but the criticism is understood and I intend to step things up on subsequent guides.

Photographs in this blog have been provided by Peter Bastide, my new Canadian friend - many thanks.

Six days walking along the Alpe Adria Trail

2018-08-20T13:28:00.000+01:00

In July August 2018 walked for 6 days along a section of the Alpa Adria Trail. Apart from some crap information from the tour provider and a nasty reaction to a wasp sting we had a good time.

Christine has developed a deep interest in all things to do with the Italian Front in the First World War. It was initially triggered by a trip we made in 2005 along the Alta Via 1when we saw for the first time the extent of the wartime remains in the Dolomites. After two trips along the Karnischer Höhenweg (2012 and 2016), and helping me write a Cicerone guide to that route, she was keen to complete the experience with a visit to the Isonzo Front and a walk along part of the new Alpe Adria Trail.

Cables from a First World War Cable Car

The killing fields on the Italian Front were mainly in the east. In an effort to break the Austro-Hungarian front and capture Trieste, the Italians initiated 11 battles (the 11 battles of Isonzo) and, despite huge loss of life, only made marginal gains. In 1917 the Austro-Hungarians counter-attacked and, with the help of the Germans and a lot of poisonous gas, secured a decisive victory. The whole alpine front was turned and the Italians were pushed back to the River Piave near Venice. A year later they had their revenge and, after a failed attack by the Austro-Hungarians, secured a victory which led to the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Austrian citadel

Having seen the front in the Dolomites and in the Karnischer I had assumed that things would be different in the east and that the fighting would make more sense. It didn't and just as on the rest of the front the chances of the Italians ever shifting the Austrian-Hungarians from there mountaintop positions were so remote as to make it impossible. Although the mountains aren't quite as big as elsewhere the key ones (Mt Krn) were still well over 2000m.

Easy walking on the Alpa Adria Trail

Of course the Austro-Hungarians also had it tough with supply lines through the mountains. As well as help from the Germans, and the gas, the thing that enabled them to finally beat the Italians in the mountains was the construction of a road (using Russian PoWs) and we followed it on our first day.The total Alpe Adria route is 43 stages and starts from the foot of the Grossglockner in Austria, the highest mountain in the eastern Alps, and finishes at Trieste on the Adriatic. It's been put together jointly by the Tourist Boards of Austria, Slovenia and Italy in partnership with alpine clubs in each country. A dedicated website describes the route, identifies accommodation and provides downloadable GPX trails.

We walked six days from Kranska Gora on the Slovenian / Austrian border through to Cividale del Friuli (4 days in Slovenia and 2 in Italy). We flew into Llubijana, caught a bus to Kranska Gora the next day, and flew out a week later via Venice. Christine booked the trip with a UK based agent who then subcontracted to a local agent. They booked the accommodation and organised a bag ahead service (which seems to be available for the whole route, a big attraction for people who don't want to carry their own stuff).

The walking was not that demanding and was never above the tree line in a sustained way. As things turned out this was lucky because the weather, as July turned to August, was incredibly hot and humid and shade was essential. There were also numerous opportunities along the trail for river dipping which Christine in particular grabbed at every opportunity. The trail itself, often based on old military roads, was generally excellent.

Swimming opportunities in the Soca River

Four of the six days followed the Soca River (called Isonzo in Italian) along a lovely valley. It's very popular and the campsites along the route were packed with visitors from all over Europe enjoying the water. If you want remote quiet walking than don't visit this part of Slovenia in July or August but if you enjoy seeing people having a good time then this is the place to be.

The Soca Valley - Europe's playground

The big disappointment was the service we got from the agents. The information provided was limited, often wrong, and on the first two days resulted in a lot of extra walking. We booked with Natural Adventure Company and they used Helia as the local agent. Both companies claim to have walked the route, but if they did the experience wasn’t reflected in the notes they provided. In addition, while we got to see some First World War remains, full immersion would have involved following the Friuli Venezia Giula section of the Peace trail - maybe another time.

Day 1 Kranjska Gora to Trenta

Stage 1 involved a lovely walk over the Vršic Pass to Trenta. Generally speaking the route following an old military road which had been built specifically to resource the final battle on the front in 1917. The road had been built by Russian prisoners of war. To commemorate the loss of life in an avalanche they also constructed a lovely little chapel, in Russian style, half way up. The pass itself was heavily fortified with a huge concrete bunker that looked like it provided accommodation for a big gun.

The Russian Chapel

Fortications on the Vršic Pass

Our frustration with the information provided started on the descent when we discovered that the GPS trail (apparently the Natural Adventure Adventure Company got it from the Alpe Adria website) was wrong, directing us down an impossible gulley. We followed the waymarked path instead (the paths are waymarked but not as well as they are in the Alps in Austria, Germany and Italy for example) along an old military road but missed a turn-off, which went into trees, and followed the road until it fizzled out. Fortunately the terrain wasn’t steep and we managed to recover the trail without too much effort but it could have been dangerous.

The next information-failing was destination. The little booklet provided told us that the end of the stage was at Trenta and the address of the hotel we were staying was in Trenta. It was only when we got to Trenta and after googling the address that we discovered it was 6 kms back up the trail. Luckily we managed to hail a bus for part of the return journey but we had ended up walking 22km rather than the advertised 14km. Despite nice accommodation we were pissed off.

Day 2 to Bovec.

Day 2 took us along the Soca Trail which follows the stunning Soca (Isonzo) river, the highlight of which was a stretch along an amazing limestone gorge. The phrase “Europe’s Playground” perfectly describes the Soca valley with the campsites (not too large but all full) crammed with visitors from every corner of the continent. The Dutch, as usual, were over-represented - the country must be empty in July/August. It was a very hot day and Christine doesn’t need a lot of encouragement to get in the water but even she, hardened by the English Channel, found the meltwater-fed river cold.

The lovely Soca River

Today’s information failing was a hangover from yesterday. The schedule assumed we started in Trenta, not 6km up the trail, so instead of the advertised 22km we had to walk 28km, not good news in the heat. It meant we didn’t have the time (or inclination) to visit the little First World War Museum in Bovec, but as this ‘highlight’ was not signposted it is doubtful we would have found it anyway.

Day 3 to Dreznica

Today Christine found the perfect place for a swim, the pool underneath the Virje Waterfall, in water which has just popped out from underground streams emerging from huge limestone cliffs above It was just a little too hot to bother walking up to the second waterfall, the Boka, which is Slovenia’s biggest, but we did see it in the distance. The walk was 23km, very pleasant but with a little bit too much road walking for my taste. Dreznica is a stunning little mountain village in a valley underneath the Krn mountain, a towering vertical lump. The limestone plateau around Krn was the location for some bitter fighting on the frontline, with galleys carved into rock, some 85m apart.

Virje Waterfall

Christine swimming with a doggy friend

First World scrap metal transformed to poignant art work

Day 4 to Tolmin

Today we joined the Slovenian Peace Trail, a cousin to the Carnic Peace Trail on the Karnischer Hohenweg. The notes and the website make a lot of this trail but in reality, the route only follows it a for a short while and misses what is perhaps the most important bit on the plateau around Krn. Most of the walking was on old army supply roads in mixed forest, normally not something I’m a fan off, but the trees were lovely and provided some very welcome shade. We also got to sample the Slovenian version of apple strudel, very interesting, a nutty apple filling in a thick pasta case.

Slovenian Apple Strudel

We ended the afternoon back on the Soca with a swim in the river, fast flowing and by now slightly warmer, and where - swimming hard against the current- you could for a few minutes just about stay in the same spot.

Day 5 to Tribilj Superiore

This was an eventful day. After a big, hot, 1000 metre climb we at last got to see some First World War remains at the open air museum on Mt Kolovrat, heavily restored but really interesting. Part of the Italian’s third line of defense, it’s capture meant that their position in the last engagement on the Isonzo front became untenable.

Exiting the underground tunnels on Mt Kolovrat

The final assault on the front was led by Rommel who, of course, went onto even greater things in the 2nd World War. It’s a very interesting museum with the original tunnels carved out of the mountain side still intact. These tunnels proved a death trap for the Italians whose poor quality gas masks didn’t save them from the poisonous gas used extensively in the final Isonzo battle.

Shortly after the museum we crossed the border into Italy where there is a poignant memorial to the first of over a million and half Italians who lost their lives in the first World War. There is also an excellent Refugio where we enjoyed a perfect plate of pasta and wild mushrooms.

Continuing through trees along a beautifully graded military road, with lots of fortifications dating back to the conflict, I was stung by a wasp and minutes later discovered I had developed an allergy to wasp stings. I suffered a very frightening reaction which probably means I’m going to keeping myself indoors from now on every time there are wasps about.

Day 6 - to Cividale del Fruili

After an uncomfortable night, and an arm that was expanding at an alarming rate, the fact that the last day was spent walking mainly downhill and in trees was good news. The medieval pilgrimage town of Castelmonte was perfectly located for some more mid-day pasta (and a glass of amazing sparkling white Ribolla wine: grown-up Prosecco) and marked the point at which the walk tipped decisively into the Friulian lowlands. From there its was an easy walk down to Cividale del Fruili, a small but perfectly formed town where we spent the evening and the following morning learning as much as we might ever want to know about the Lombard Kingdom of Italy. Overall it was a very pleasant, relatively easy and delightfully varied 6 days walking. With hindsight we would recommend doing this in late spring or early autumn to avoid the extreme heat: but do pack a swimsuit.

Finishing the walk at Cividale del Fruili

Cividale del Fruili

The Ruta Vía de la Plata - off road 2018

2018-07-03T13:21:00.002+01:00

The Ruta Vía de la Plata is an ancient route that traverses the heart of Spain from Seville in the deep south to Gijón on the north coast. It makes its way through fabulous, empty and visits wonderful unspoilt historic towns. Some people walk it, usually as part of a pilgrimage to Santiago del Compostela, but it's better by bike - either on the road or off-road version, or by grabbing the best of both worlds: a combination of the two.
countryside

Setting off from Seville

I first cycled the route in 2017 as part of a longer trip that included most of the Portuguese coast. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to write a Guide and Cicerone have agreed to publish it. This year I went back to Spain and, working with the Ruta Vía de la Plata Association, cycled the off-road version. The Association involves the towns and cities along the route and their support and help has been amazing.

Cycling through the Dehesa

If you follow my blog you’ll appreciate that although I've done a lot of hiking, I've come to appreciate the joys of long-distance cycling relatively late in life. Taking my bike off-road on an 1800 km trip through remote countryside was a challenge, possibly a little foolhardy, but it all went well and exceeded my expectations. I had enjoyed the road trip last year so much that I doubted whether it could be bettered, but the off-road version added another dimension.

Roman arch at Capara

To enjoy cycling you have appreciate the physical rewards of being on a bike, which I sometimes think of as a healthy version of skiing. I always accepted that, compared to hiking, it involves a compromise in terms of the places you can get to. The big takeaway from this year's trip is that for certain types of landscape the compromise is not nearly as big as I thought it was. Cycling through the Dehesa on the southern part of the route or the Meseta on its northern part was just wonderful and I got to see so much more off-road than I did on-road.

Wide open spaces on the Meseta

The other big takeaway is that road and off-road cycling in this part of the world are complimentary. The two routes: one which follows a totally empty national “A” road with a great surface; and the other, which follows the old pilgrims' route, are never far apart and, providing you have the right bike, are interchangeable. There are stretches of the off-road route that are so good that they justify a trip to Spain in their own right, but there are also stretches that are just average and the road route provides the ideal alternative, particularly if you want to make it to the next town in time for a late Spanish lunch (arriving at 3-30 is just fine).

The world's longest Roman bridge at Mérida

Roman engineering - the aquaduct at Mérida

The towns and cities along the route are not just lunch stops; they are exciting destinations, with a list of UNESCO world heritage sites as long as your arm. Not all cyclists will be interested in seeing some of the best examples of every style of Spanish architecture but most will appreciate a couple of hours wandering around a compact historic town centre. If you’ve had that late lunch, all you need to do then is find the main square, the plaza mayor, get a table outside, order a beer and tapas and watch the world go by.

Bike is best

The guide will take a while to write and produce and it won't be on the shelves until 2020. As well as describing the road and off-road routes, it will identify a recommended hybrid version, the version I suspect most touring cyclists will choose. Recognising that a number of cyclists will want to follow the pilgrimage route through to Santiago del Compostela the guide will describe the Camino Sanabrés, a 350 km optional excursion that leaves the main route and heads northwest into Galicia.

Journey's end at Gijón

2020 is a long time to wait, but in the meantime have a look at my daily accounts at what happened on the trip in 2018 - a warts-and-all exposé of my adventure. The links, a long list I'm afraid, are listed below. If you want to find out what the road-trip was like follow the link to the 2017 trip. Finally for a more polished version of the 2017 trip go through to the Cicerone Extra article

The Karnischer Höhenweg - an English language guide

2018-07-02T11:40:00.001+01:00

Cicerone have published my third guide - “The Karnischer Höhenweg”. It is thinner than my first two!

The Karnischer Höhenweg

My walks seem to be getting somewhat more 'normal' in length. After writing about a trek that takes two months (Spain's GR1), and then Munich to Venice which takes one month, the Karnischer Höhenweg is altogether a more modest affair. It can be completed in two weeks and fits perfectly into a holiday schedule.

Looking west along the ridge into the Dolomites

Walking the Karnischer Höhenweg is a special experience. It's a ridge walk following a narrow range of mountains, the Carnic Alps, from west to east for 170 kms. The views of the Hohe Tauern to the north and the Dolomites to the south are amazing, but the Karnischer Höhenweg offers more than just brilliant scenery.

Hochgränten Pass

First World War reminders everywhere

What makes this walk unique is its location. Following the border between Austria and Italy, it tracks the First World War frontline. Trenches, tunnels, and mountain roads are still there to be walked along and explored.

Refugio Marinelli - the best mountain hut in the Alps

Thankfully the barbed wire, much of it still where it was left over a hundred years ago, no longer acts as a barrier but interestingly the border is still somewhere where things change. Within a distance of 100m you can move from a mountain hut serving sauerkraut, beer and apple strudel to one serving fresh pasta and vino. Although the Austrians tend to walk on the northern side of the border and Italians on the south, the rest of us happily get the best of both worlds.

On the Sentiero Spinotti

The Hoher Trieb

Like the rest of the Alps, walking in the Carnic mountains is well organised. Accommodation is plentiful and good value, and it's easy to find your way from one place to the next. In particular, the paths are well defined, the waymarking is excellent and, with occasional steel ropes and ladders, the average walker can go to places that could be off limits in other parts of the world.

Open Air War Museum

There is a lot to see. What I've tried to do with the guide is provide the information needed for people to make their own choices. These include which of the summits along the route to go up; how much time to spend walking through the Open Air War Museum; and the relative merits of Austrian versus Italian routes around the spectacular Mt Coglians, the highest point on the ridge.

Sharing the Große Kinigat with new friends

I’ve walked this special part of the Alps three times, so if you want to find out what happened on my trips delve into the trip diary section of this blog. Alternatively have a look at the article on Cicerone Extra, which of course looks wonderful. Better still buy the guide, either electronically or in hard copy by going to the Cicerone website.

If you have any questions please leave a comment and I'll get back to you.

Day 25 Ruta Vía de la Plata - Gijón

2018-06-21T08:56:00.000+01:00

So I’ve made it to Gijón and after 25 days cycling and more than 4 weeks in Spain emotions are just a little mixed. It's been amazing, the cycling, challenging at times, has been much better than anticipated, but it's great to get here and I'm now looking forward to getting home and putting on clothes that are different and clean.

Gijón is on the coast and, as far north as you can go, is a good place to end the trip. It's an interesting city whose hinterland of heavy industry, much of which has seen better days, contrasts with a huge and stunning sandy beach. It's where holidaymakers from Madrid head to in August to enjoy the food and escape the heat of central Spain.

Looking for a picture to match the one I took outside the cathedral in Seville at the start of the trip four weeks ago I put my bike against a statue of Augustine. Within seconds an Australian woman rushed over volunteering to take a picture. She had arrived in the city yesterday having walked the Camino and as a fellow traveler was more than happy to share my moment.

There were no nasty surprises on the ride over from Oviedo, the opposite in fact, it was easier than expected. The route for the most part followed quiet country roads through a rolling countryside and if anything was faster than the road route I did last year. I wasn't in a rush but I was in Gijón by mid-day.

With time on my hands I decided I had to try a Sideria, one of the hundreds of bars, that specialise in cider drinking. Cider is the beverage of choice in Asturias and per capita they drink more cider here than anywhere else in the world. It is dispensed from a corked green bottle in a theatrical way that is apparently essential to the taste. The glass is held low in one hand and bottle high in the other and about an inch of cider poured into the glass. The glass is then passed to the drinker (the pourer is the professional) who, if he or she is loca,l will drink it immediately. It's looks great fun but I can understand why the Asturian cider drinking technique hasn't gone global.

The finer points on cider drinking I learnt from Liliana who took me on an entertaining tour of the city centre. I finished my day having dinner with Luisa and Marta who work for the Ruta Vía de la Plata Association. It was a lovely evening and great to hear about how route has developed, with a range of different travellers, since the Association was established some 20 years ago. It’s nice to put faces to names (although my English difidance seemed to prevent me from organising a photograph) and it's going to be an enormous help to have people in Spain to share ideas with as the guide develops.

Day 24 Off-road on the Ruta Vía de la Plata - to Oviedo

2018-06-20T07:13:00.000+01:00

The Ruta Via de la Plata provides amazing examples of Spain's most important architectural styles. The unique contribution the Asturias makes, Oviedo especially, is the pre-Romanesque, buildings that pre-date the Romanesque style of architecture. It was able to do this because it was never captured by the Muslims who stayed to the south of the Cantabrian mountains. The independent Christian kingdom thrived, particularly when the remains of St James were discovered in 813, and there was enough money to build substantial churches. Oviedo was the capital of this kingdom.

As it happened there was a particularly good example of a pre-Romanesque church a few kilometres to the south of Pola de Lena so I broke the habit of lifetime and set off in the wrong direction to see it and get some pictures. The Eglise de Santa Cristina was small but very beautiful.

Taking a casual approach to the route and timings seemed fine because Oviedo was only 40 kms away but it turned out I was tempting fate. After a frankly ugly stretch of cycling along the valley, crossing at various points the river, motorway and railway, the route climbed into the hills on its east. I assumed there was a purpose to this and vaguely hoped for a visit to another pre-Romanesque church. After climbing for about 30 mins and dropping into a pretty green valley I found myself on a horrible stretch of cycling. Single track, through dense trees it was frequently waterlogged. If I had the nerve to go a bit faster I might have done better but I didn't and it took forever and by the time I emerged from what turned out to be a visit to an abandoned coal mine, I was covered in mud.

Crossing the main valley and climbing up the other side, Oviedo was now visible. Getting there however involved another nasty stretch of cycling, a narrow sunken lane lined cobbles much to big and uneven for me to cope with. I wasn't really able to get going until the final run into the city. That will teach me to take the route for granted.

Oviedo is famously Woody Allen's favourite Spanish city and it features along with its pre-Romanesque architecture in the 2008 film Vicky Cristina Barcelona. There is a Woody Allen statue in one of the streets although given the challenges to his reputation recently not all locals are as keen on it as they were. Some of the best examples of pre-Romanesque churches are just outside the city but one, the Iglesia de San Julián de los Prados, is within walking distance and it features impressive murals some of which date back to the 8th Century. The Cathedral also has pre-Romanesque elements but these are surrounded by every other sort of cathedral style and difficult to appreciate.

One more day to, 35 kms, no surprises please.

Day 23 Ruta Vía de la Plata - Pola de Lena

2018-06-19T08:20:00.001+01:00

If I’m honest the stretch of off road cycling from Leon to Pola de Lena, where the Ruta Vía de la Plata crosses a big pass and descends down into Asturias, had me worried. I did the road route last year and that was wonderful, an easy steady climb up to the pass and then an exhilarating 1000m descent sweeping round hair pin bends. I was nervous about that 1000m descent off-road.

Before coming out here I asked the Ruta Vía de la Plata Association if it was safe and they said yes it was because the path is wide. After some tricky cycling in the Camino Sanabrés my confidence had declined so I started checking again and found a review that said the route was difficult and shouldn't be attempted unless on a mountain bike with double suspension. I decided not to do it - getting home in one piece is the most important thing. It still nagged though, particularly as there would be big gap in my knowledge about the route for the guide. I then found another review which confirmed what the Ruta Vía de la Plata Association has told me, that it wasn't difficult. I was stuck in the headlights so I decided to defer my decision to the last possible minute.

I did it of course and it was brilliant, a real highlight for the trip as a whole, a shame almost that it's not the last day. The route was vehicle wide all the way and although the surface was broken most of the time and my wrists ached with strain of braking on the long descents, it was basically safe.

Like road route the approach to the pass is really helpful. It starts with gentle climb up a tarmacked road up a lovely valley to the tiny village of Pendilla de Arbás. Following an old Roman road, the route then continues on a farm track that doesn't get really steep until the final approach to the pass.

On the road route, as soon as the pass is crossed the descent starts. It's totally different on the off-road route where the Roman contours along the side of the valley for about 25kms. It's an amazing route, quite tough with ascents as well as descents, and a nasty sting in the tail when rather than the anticipated descent you suddenly have to climb 150m. It was humid on the other side of the pass, spoiling the light for photographs, but the views were breathtaking. Across the valley, on the horizon, was the distinct shape of the Pena Urbiña, still covered in snow and one of highest mountains in the Cantabrian mountains (you first see it as you cycle towards Leon) and then below, well over a 2000 metres below, a very deep and very green valley. Ahead looking north was a long bumpy ridge of mountains stretching into the distance with a faint line on its western flank. The line, perhaps the most impressive feature of the view, was the Roman road.

My only complaint is that the route as a whole, from Leon to Pola de Lena is just too long. As well as the bit I’ve already described there two other hard off-road sections and I was already running low on energy by the time I got to the big pass. I was cycling for nearly 9 hours, covered over 100 kms and climbed well over 3,000 metres - too much on what is predominantly a broken surface. The obvious solution is to split the route into two parts or cycle on the road all the way to Pendilla de Arbás.

The last stretch of cycling, along the Roman road, although a little challenging in places, is a fabulous stretch of cycling and competes with ride through the Dehesa, after Plasencia, as the best on the whole route. Good job I did it!

Day 22 Ruta Vía de la Plata - Leon

2018-06-17T18:49:00.001+01:00

If I was forced to choose between all of the Ruta Via de la Plata's wonderful towns and cities, one place I'd like to return to time after time, than it would be Leon.

At the top of it’s list of attractions is the cathedral, a Gothic masterpiece second only, perhaps to Chartres. On a sunny day it's like walking into a kaleidoscope, a multi-coloured greenhouse whose exterior gives no clue to what's inside. While the cathedral warrants a trip in its own right, it's merely the main course. Consuming the whole meal includes: Spain's largest in situ display of the Romanesque murals; one of Gaudí’s most important buildings outside Barcelona; Roman walls (forty towers still in existence) casually integrated into the fabric of the city; a more delicate and totally separate Muslim city wall; and yes, if you believe in such things, the Holy Grail. All of this in a city that seems to work, where the locals outnumber the tourists and where the tapas bars are dominated by regular customers.

Yesterday's cycle ride from Benavente was good if not epic. It was 104 km long, involved every type of surface but was essentially flat. Without a noticeable hill to climb, the trip through a rich arable landscape, was never stressful, never beautiful but always interesting. A farmer's son I notice tractors and despite what looks like productive land, tractors featured on the way from Benavente were old. Yesterday my distinctly tuned nostalgia was triggered in an unexpected way. Cycling past a bar in a village I recognised the smell of a tractor, the distinct smell of a Massey Ferguson, circa 1966, built in Coventry with a Perkins engine from Peterborough.

Last year I speculated what the structures built into the sandy ridges were for. Prolific they consisted of door and, some distance behind, a chimney. Rejecting my initial theory that they were hobbit houses, I assumed they were something to do with brick making - the buildings locally are made of soft baked bricks. They are in fact local wineries and there are hundreds, if not thousands of them in the area south of Leon.

At Puente de Ôrbigo the route turns east, crosses an ancient bridge and confronts the steady stream of pilgrims who have already walked for 30 kms alongside the N120 from Leon. It looks grim work and rather than disturb them I stay off their gravel track and stick to the wide hard shoulder and finish in quicktime what is perhaps the dullest stretch of cycling on the whole Ruta Vía de la Plata.

I have three days cycling left and tomorrow I cross the Cantabrian mountains and drop down into Asturias.

Day 21 - Ruta Vía de la Plata - Benavente

2018-06-15T21:17:00.001+01:00

Arriving early at the lovely Parador at Benavente is a treat. Bite to eat after the cycle ride, proper siesta in a room with a lovely balcony and great views, I have nothing to complain about.

Although today's cycle ride was a little short, it was interesting with a lot to think about in terms of the guide.

It started with a long breakfast chat with Eugene who is walking the Ruta Vía de la Plata and the Camino Sanabrés. It soon became clear that camino walkers are a dedicated bunch. He said that most of the people walking the Ruta Vía de la Plata would be serious veterans, would have walked the Camino Frances and many of the other caminos. He had walked to Seville from Malaga along the Camino Mozorabe, before starting the Ruta Vía de la Plata. This was the sort of walking he did and other types of long distance walking didn't seem to appeal to him. If he is typical, and I suspect he might be, than camino walkers, perhaps like Monroe baggers, are a special breed.

I told him I had seen people taking short cuts, even where it involved road walking, and asked him if that was normal. He said it was and he did it himself particularly where the route looked a bit long-winded. It seems to be more about getting there than following a precise route.

The question of shortcuts and the significance or otherwise of following the original Camino is particularly interesting when it comes to cycling and this was illustrated today.

On the first stretch, from Tábara to Granja de Moreruela, the advice is not to follow the Camino and an alternative gravel track has been waymarked. It's ok but doesn't really offer anything special, whereas the road is totally empty and more direct. Why not follow the road route?

On the second stretch the Camino tracks the N630 as it heads north. Sometimes it's about 100m from the road, sometimes it's about five. Here the choice is between a gravel or dirt route and tarmac. If I was walking I'd get off the road, tarmac is hard on the feet, but on a bike the tarmac looked inviting.

For the final stretch, into Benavente itself, the route is being totally modified. The original route went north before turning west over a Roman bridge and into town. The new route makes use of an old railway line and uses a stunning railway bridge, instead of the Roman bridge, to cross the river. What this demonstrates is that there is nothing particularly sacrosanct about the route and when there's an opportunity to improve it, it gets taken.

My conclusion, for what it's worth, is that the off-road sections only make sense when they offer something special. There are plenty of special off-road sections but there are plenty that can be missed.

Benavente is a lovely place with enough to see in a relaxed pre-dinner walk. I visited the two big Romanesque churches, the Hospital de la Piedad, a former pilgrims hospital, and the modernist building housing the town's library. The term modernist is used to describe something akin to 'arts and craft’, although it's distinctly Spanish.

Day 20 - Camino Sanabrés back in Tábara

2018-06-15T07:09:00.000+01:00

It's one thing to arrive late and knackered in tiny place, when all you want to do is have a beer and a shower, and it's another thing to arrive early. What was I thinking. Today was much too short and I was in Tábara by 2.

Now I'm probably being unfair on Tábara but it doesn't really justify an extended stay. It does have an amazing looking Romanesque church (closed), was the birthplace of an important republican poet, and witnessed some pretty impressive food riots at the turn of the 19th Century (a crowd of women and children killed the local Don) but it doesn't take long to see the sights.

Anyway mustn't grumble, the ride was lovely if a little short. The N525 got emptier, straighter and, heading downhill, even faster.

Once I left it and headed south towards Tábara I met yet more cyclists coming the other way. They are all surprised to see me because, as far as they're concerned, I'm cycling in the wrong direction.

Tomorrow's ride isn't that much longer but I'll be in Benevente, staying in the Parador, and with something to see.

Day 19 Camino Sanabrés - Mombuey

2018-06-14T07:48:00.000+01:00

Today I've spent a lot of time on the N525. 'N’ roads historically were the national highways before the relatively recent construction of the Spanish motorway network. There are a bit like 'A’ roads in the UK.

In terms of the guide I'm going to be writing for Cicerone, the N525 and N630 are on-road alternatives for anyone who doesn't want to go off-road, wants to road bike, and provides an alternative for off-roaders who want to avoid particularly difficult off-road stretches.

I was worried that the N525 would be busier and not provide the wonderful empty road cycling experience of the N630. It is a bit busier but that's entirely down to the vehicles taking stuff to and from the new railway line. Typically you see a vehicle about every kilometer, half of them are construction vehicles and, because there's no other traffic on the road, they’re happy to give you a wide berth. Once the train line has been built the N525 will be as empty as the N630.

It's interesting to see how the modern infrastructure follows the route of the ancient roads. Crossing a river via the original Roman or medieval bridge, the chances are you'll have above you a bridge carrying the N road and, usually more dramatic, another one carrying the new motorway (thankfully complete) and not far away one being built for the TGV.

Today's ride was tougher than I was expecting, I know I only came through here a few days ago but somehow I only remembered crossing one pass when in fact I crossed two. It was nothing like as tough as yesterday but in the heat I was running low on energy by the time I finished.

I did the the two off-road sections I missed last week. The first was near where I broke my derailleur hanger and I was able to confirm that it's a horrible stretch of cycling whereas the second was easy but boring. I think there's about 150km where staying on the N525 looks like the best option.

Probably because I'm traveling in the opposite direction to everyone else I'm seeing lots more cyclists. Mainly Spanish and mainly staying on road.

On the food front I'm pleased to report that the my largest ever bocadillo record, set only three days ago, has been smashed. The only filling I recognised when the woman ran through the options was “lomo” and I ended up with half a pig in my sandwich. As well as record breaking bocadillos, the other feature of the bar was that the ancient Spanish tradition of throwing everything on the floor, which I think is generally dying out, hung on there. Long may it continue.

Finally, short of things of genuine interest, I include a picture of a tractor being consumed by a tree.

Day 18 Camino Sanabrés - back in A Gudiña

2018-06-13T06:54:00.000+01:00

I'm back in A Gudiña. I'm in the sa

me hotel, and maybe the same room, as the one I was in 5 days ago. It's a tiny bit weird, and particularly during the first part of today's trip it felt like I was being rewound and going back in time. Part of it was on the same route but I was heading in opposite direction, so I kept seeing familiar sites but from a different perspective.

The big change in perspective is that last time I was looking predominantly down while this times it's been up. Today I cycled just over 100km, had a gross climb of over 3,000 metres and a net gain of nearly 1,000. There's been some really tough hauls.

To make one final, probably destructive use of the reserval theme, is the change in the weather. As I headed down into Galicia the weather got worse and as I left it, it's got better. For the first time in five days I've actually had to use sunglasses.

One of the things I wanted to do today is fill in some of the off-road gaps, essentially try and find what the stretches I didn't do last week are like. The first stretch, on the way up the first big hill was waterlogged and closed and the second one I was advised against trying by a group of cyclists on mountain bikes. I've got a difficulty schema in my mind for the guide. It will involve four grades with the most difficult grade, a sort of equivalent to a black ski run, applied to those stretches I haven't been able to validate or which locals advised me against trying or which I tried and we're horrible.

I saw a lot of cyclists today, more than on any other day of the trip so far and that could be because I'm spending more time on the road. What is absolutely clear is that people are not slavishly following the route but coming up with something that works for them. That's definitely something I want to enable with the guide.

Today's been a good day. I’ve done all the tough cycling for a while and with the weather set fair, things are definitely looking up.

Day 17 Camino Sanabrés - back to Ourense

2018-06-11T20:56:00.000+01:00

Hannah, my daughter and a mum to be, asked me the other day if I'm now a mountain biker. She’s a road cyclist, has been faithfully reading my blogs, and I think was worried that I'd gone over to the dark side. Well I haven't. I'm too old to be hauling my bike up steep mountain sides and not talented or brave enough to come flying down them. Cruising along flat grassy or gravely paths, through the middle of the countryside, now that's a different matter. I’m not sure what that is, mountain biking for softies perhaps, but there's been lots of it on this trip, and yes that's my stuff.

I'm a bit nervous about talking about my bike. I've got seven more days cycling to do from a total of 24, I’m not home yet so I don't want to jinx it, but so far it's been bang on the nail. Last year I cycled with 28mm Schwalbe Marathons, the go-to tyre of anyone who is touring and wants to avoid punctures. This year I've got Horizon 47mm on a 650B wheel, I don't think they are any heavier, are so much more comfortable, and don't feel slower on the road.

Today it was all about road cycling as I retrace my steps and head east and back to the main Ruta Vía de la Plata before head north to coast. It will take 4 days on-road to get back. When it comes to writing the guide I'll be able to describe the on-road and off-road options and enable cyclists to pick and mix.

Basically I did in a day what took 2 on the way out and I'm back in Ourense. Once I got out of Santiago del Compostela, found the 525, I could disappear into a world of my own and peddle. It was busier than I'd hoped at the beginning but 20km out and the roads were classic Spanish, basically empty with the occasional cars and lorries giving a wide berth. Overall I climbed about 2200m as I pulled myself over hills that separate Santiago del Compostela from Ourense. It was relaxing with nothing to worry about from a bike, traffic or navigation point of view. Things to see and take pictures of, however, were few and far between.

The only pressure was trying to get as

far as possible before the rain came. The weather still has not settled down but hopefully it will tomorrow or the day after.

At about 20km from Ourense, I found myself heading downhill and cruised into town. I'm going to be paying for this long ascent tomorrow.

Despite the weather, walking around Ourense, even on a quiet Monday night, was very pleasant. I wandered down to the Puente Roman, which I've cycled over twice and is spectacular, had a beer in the the Praza Maior and looked around the cathedral. The cathedral is Romanesque and dark and sombre inside but it did have some spectacular wooden statues and alter pieces. The one thing I couldn't find was a hot spring. Ourense is a spa town and in one of the squares there is a fountain where the water, apparently, is seriously hot.

Day 16 Camino Sanabrés to Santiago del Compostela

2018-06-10T13:23:00.000+01:00

I'm in Santiago del Compostela after cycling the final 53 km. The route was fine, it didn't rain until I arrived in the City, but it felt like a long way. I guess I'm just knackered. I've been cycling without a break for 11 days and the recent tough going (1500m of climb today, mostly off-road) and bad weather is draining.

The woman at the hotel near Lalín was still in bed this morning when I got up for breakfast and her husband was there to do the honours. After dealing with a huge party at lunchtime yesterday, which didn't leave until 5, she then fed me at 8-30 (fish, very nice) and another huge party, all men, which sat down to eat at 9-30. I guess she needed a lie in before the Saturday rush. Anyway dinner, bed and breakfast came to 25 euros a real bargain.

For the first hour the sun made a guest appearance providing a bit of illumination into a trail so tree lined that it was almost a tunnel. It is a beautiful ancient route and included stretches of medieval paving slabs which looked the part but were impossible to cycle along.

I stopped for a mid-morning snack at a bar in a tiny village called O Siexo after making good progress from Silleda (quite a big town). The heavily pregnant woman behind the bar was keen to know how many pilgrims I'd seen and pilgrims were clearly her main source of business. I was there for about 30 mins munching my way through what was the biggest bocadillo I've eaten so far and the competition has been intense.

I’m not sure if the size of the bocadillo (basically a massive sandwich) helped much with the next stage, a very steep 200m descent down to A Ponte Ulla and an equally tough ascent up the other side.

Within 20 km of Santiago del Compostela, I was passing pilgrims who like me were going to make it to the City today. There was a noticeable change in mood and, although never unfriendly, they were a bit freer with their greetings. The route also improved and until a last sting in the tail, a climb up a horrible hill where the surface consisted of building rubble, the route was generally on tarmac.

The Camino Sanabrés comes into Santiago del Compostela from the southeast and the entrance is not as interesting and welcoming as the way in for the more popular Camino Frances. In fact, apart from various bits of pilgrims clothing attached to a bridge, there was little denote the end of the journey. I'm not that sentimental however so, as it was raining, made my way to the hotel rather than the traditional end of the route, which is the cathedral. I'll have a look at that tomorrow, I've got a day off and some serious slobbing to do.

A Sunday Walk

This is my third visit to Santiago del Compostela and it always a pleasure. It's feel different to the rest of Spain and it's not just the weather which is often wet. The food and drink here is great and there is modern and fresh reinterpretation of what is local. The buildings are big and impressive and while the granite the stonemasons have to work with is not as malleable as the sandstone in Salamanca, it does transmit power. The parador here is supposed to be the best one in Spain and though some argue the case for the parador in Leon, this one, forming part of the main square in front of the cathedral, has the best location.

It was built by Ferdinand and Isabel for the pilgrims (it's Isabel in Spanish not Isabella) and testifies to the fact that Santiago del Compostela wouldn't be the city it is without them. The pilgrimage is history's longest running bucket list item and the sight of dozens of pilgrims plodding into the city on the Ruta de San Pedro every hour is pretty amazing. For a keen hiker like me it's hard not to feel both admiration and condescension. Quite a few of them have clearly struggled to get here and are in a mess on arrival; but really it's there own fault, the route is not good and as something like 50 per cent of the main walk is on roads, it serves them right if they end up hobbling with blisters. What they should be doing is something like Munich to Venice, much more beautiful, a proper hikers challenge and a lot less crowded (my book is still available).

Judging by the range of nationalities the pilgrimage continues to grow, with Chinese walkers an obvious recent addition. Meanwhile Santiago del Compostela continues to absorb them and apparently thrive in the process.

Day 15 Camino Sanabrés off-road to Lalin

2018-06-09T14:56:00.004+01:00

Today was a big adventure, I'm not quite sure whether it was a great day or a nightmare, but it was a big adventure.

Firstly a bit of context. When your travelling off-road in Spain without a guide you have no real idea what's around the corner. I have a route which is displayed on a map. The route was the best one I could find and the maps are the official Spanish ones. It's almost impossible to explain to an English person, brought up on Ordnance Survey maps, how bad the Spanish maps are. We are used to a path on a map being a path, a track being a track and a road being a road. These things don't apply in Spain where the maps are ancient. On the detailed maps motorways are not always there. So what looks like a track may turn out to have disappeared, be impassable or it may have acquired a lovely tarmacked surface. Particularly difficult to predict is when a track has become a “camino agricola” and has been given a nice gravel surface.

Unless you have a guide, cycling off-road in Spain is a bit of a gamble, particularly in the mountainous parts. Today I was ahead with my winnings, then I lost them all and was seriously behind and then, with one last desperate bet, ended up evens.

I had decided to split the 100km to Santiago de Compostela and stay somewhere cheap near a place called Lalin. Only 55km, so a nice leisurely start, no need to rush. Given the time I had, I was determined to stick to the off road version.

The first bit went well and after a stiff climb out of Ourense I followed a mixed sort of trail through a series of interconnected settlements, a bit suburban really. The route was clearly trying to keep me on some ancient route, a classic sunken green lane in places with some lovely trees. Some of these stretches were too uneven for me to cycle so I just got off and walked.

I had a sandwich in a place called Cea. The restaurant was preparing for a big lunch and Monica, who was doing all the work, was going nuts because her brother and her dad were a pair of useless lazy bastards. It was good fun to watch but to linger too long would have been intrusive so I set off to see the monastery at Oseira.

Getting there involved navigating a long, fairly level woodland trail, chunks of which were waterlogged and chunks of which were too uneven to be cycled. It took a long time to cover about 3 kms so it was a great relief when the path turned to tarmac for what was a final steep climb. Descending down to Oseira it started to rain hard, too hard to get any pictures of the Monesterio which looked a prison.

After waiting in a cafe for the rain to stop I set off again. The next stage involved visiting a series of tiny villages which seemed to have been abandoned by humans and left to the animals. The cows and dogs were not using their new found freedom in a responsible way and things were in a mess. After the rain it felt like I spent about 10km traveling very slowly along cow shit alley.

Believe it or not it was now over 5 hours since I left Ourense and the middle of the afternoon. After slow progress it was great then to suddenly escape the animals and hit the N525 for some fast cycling. After 10km I turned off for the last 5 km off-road before arriving at the place where I expected to find a hotel.

It then started to rain, rain really heavily. For the first time I could feel the water running down my back somehow getting through the neck of my waterproof jacket. My camera and phone were in my back pockets so when I saw a pilgrims shelter I grabbed the chance to get out of the rain.

It was a deluge, a sort of tropical storm, and by the time it finished, 45 mins later, I was frozen and everywhere around me was covered in water. To get warm I set off at speed only to discover that the path I was following, fortunately a wide agriculture path, was heading downhill fast. It was hairy, keeping the brakes hard on but being careful not to lock the wheels, while avoiding gulleys that had already formed as the water rushed down the track. The drop was about 150m but it seemed a lot longer.

Needless to say I survived but I was in a bit of a mess, covered in mud and had somehow acquired a bleeding leg. The woman at the hotel, who was managing the end of a big drunken lunch party (it was nearly 5 o'clock) hesitated before she admitted she had a room and then couldn't have been nicer. After bringing me a beer, she told me I should eat something and bought over a plate full of ham and particularly nice creamy cheese. Given the places I've been to today, I've a fairly good idea where the cheese came from.