A Spanish Introduction

It has been quite an introduction to Spain!

Day 1 - Departing the ferry and getting those all-important stamps in our passports (especially mine) we were greeted by 21c sunshine - a very welcome change from the mixed forecast of the UK’s southwest. Arriving in the late afternoon we decided to check in to a campsite on the edge of Santander rather than set off to find somewhere to wild camp (not widely permitted in Spain, although I found this very interesting cycling/wild camping blog - I’ve not checked it for accuracy). Despite us travelling through the outskirts of a city, the driving standards were impeccable. An example - us being in the wrong lane at a roundabout to take the 2nd exit, and the car waiting patiently behind me just in case I changed lanes, which I did! Everyone has been incredibly patient and given us loads of room on the roads. An extremely good start.

Off a quiet lane I started in my very pigeon Spanish and got us checked in to the campsite and ready for the night, interrupted throughout by barking dogs. This would continue to be a feature…

Day 2 - Setting off on our first full day of cycling we travelled along quiet lanes and through sleepy villages to our first off-road section. Our research had told us that there were loads of tracks through Spain so we followed Cycle.Travel’s route taking us up a hillside. Beside the final house, a guy with a dog and a shotgun hollered at us and came over. Asking us in Spanish where we were going, we figured out that he was telling us that the path we were going to take was unrideable. Sam used Google Translate in the end to explain that we didn’t mind pushing. Which is exactly what we had to do.

This wouldn’t be the only hike-a-bike section of the day…

A few more quiet lanes and we made good progress, before heading down a gravel track beside a stream. We knew there was a big hill ahead but the gravel and no cars meant that we could take it at our own pace. Then, at a junction, our route took us right. Straight ahead meant a continuation of the compacted gravel but the right was a muddy and deeply rutted track. We couldn’t see very far ahead and hoped this would be a short section to go around. We were wrong. The forestry trucks had recently been in, felling huge areas of the forest (which I think was Eucalyptus?) and left everything in quite a state. It took us a couple of hours to cover 1km and was really tough going. Eventually our route diverted off this horror and back onto a gravelled track. Stepping off into the forest, we stopped for the night on a crunchy bed of leaves.

Day 3 - The next morning started better, with some great trails and we felt like we could have been somewhere even more exotic.

Then it got very muddy again and things started to go awry. Somehow, Sam lost one of his SPD sandals from a carabiner clip on the outside of his pannier. Despite spending time looking for it, it was gone for good. We were grateful to find tarmac and have an easier ride for a little bit. Spain is full of water fountains which is brilliant for walking and cycling so we rested up in the first town, had some more food and I broke my bike stand! All before 10am.

Our route took us onto a greenway which was flat and scenic through little towns and we saw more cyclists which we hadn’t really seen on our journey (probably because of our mad route planning). Ahead was a huge climb which we knew we couldn’t tackle today but were saving it for the following. However, we couldn’t find a wild camp spot so started a little bit of the climb. For those of you who are familiar with the tarmacked section of Happy Valley in Malvern, it was like that but with lots of switchbacks. Stupidly tough and Sam rode it (absolute trooper) and off one of the switchbacks we found a flat area to camp. To the sound of dogs barking we went to sleep - mine fitful as I could not stop thinking about wolves! Almost every dog here is a guard dog for livestock or property and a barking dog is a warning sign that I could not switch off. We survived despite my concerns.

Day 4 - A poor night’s sleep was not a great start to a day of two almighty halves. Part one - a heck of a climb. We rode up 1,100m in 20km which took us forever and we thought that we’d never make our mileage goal for the day. It was punishing, on gravel and with an almighty headwind but we were rewarded with encounters with farmers and locals and incredible views. We then rode back down onto a plateau at around 600m where we stayed for the rest of the day.

Part 2 - a greenway along a converted railway. After fretting about our lack of progress the afternoon was a completely different experience to the morning with an easy, flat, signposted route through towns towards a campsite in Villarcayo. In no time, we had travelled tens of kms, only to find that the campsite was closed when we got there (the website said open all year, but it turns out that was only for VIP clients). A swift booking at a nearby hostel meant a shower and good rest after an intense day.

Day 5 - Back onto the old railway to make some good progress. The geology was incredible and the colour of the rocks, trees and earth are all various shades of yellow/grey which is an amazing palette when interspersed with green pines. At Trespaderne where we made our lunch, a really lovely local started talking to us and asking questions. We just about got the gist of the conversation and could briefly reply with some Spanish words. Before he left, he gave us a tomato that he had collected from his allotment. We very gratefully accepted and it was one of the nicest tomatoes we’ve ever tasted!

We got to see more of the auburn landscape along farm tracks (of good quality) on our way to Herrán, a medieval village and our goal for the day. It’s much cooler up on this plateau than down on the coast near Santander, more like the weather in the UK so we’re comfortable and well prepared.

For this night, I had found a shelter on a map and that’s where we were heading for. After leaving Herrán we cycled up a gorge with incredible geology and a river cutting through. To scope the area for how suitable it would be for the night, we ate our dinner, said ‘holá’ to some tourists coming to visit a nearby ‘ermita’/chapel and waited for dusk. It came and we set up our tent (inner only) within the shelter, bikes and luggage protected under the large wooden shelter. It rained heavily all night but we were so comfortable and cosy in our spot so slept well.

Day 6 - Ahead of us was lots of road riding and we had found a campsite near Pobes on our route which we had booked for 2 nights to rest up…and clean everything. Our bikes and clothes were still filthy from Day 2. The roads were in good condition, straight and drivers were again fantastic. They were careful, gave us a wide berth and always waited until the road ahead was totally clear before overtaking. We made really swift progress, arriving at the campsite to check-in and get comfortable. After a couple of tricky cycling days and other curveballs, we are ready for a bit of a rest and laundry!

Everyone has been so friendly and we’ve waved to lots of people along the way. We’ve found that attempting Spanish, even if we’re terrible at it, is a great way to start a conversation and people are very welcoming when you do so. English isn’t widely spoken in these rural areas but you really make do and can fashion some sort of conversation. Our confidence, especially mine (thanks Sam for forcing me to do the Spanish speaking!) is building and I’m looking forward to improving my conversation as we go.

Over the next few days, we will continue to head towards St Jean de Luz along tracks and quiet roads to see family. For now, a day of rest before cycling starts again tomorrow. A very memorable introduction to Spain.