New year, new adventure

A couple of days ago we were thinking about how to mark the New Year. It’s not something that we usually go to great effort for but as our first new year on the road, we thought we should celebrate it the only way we know - on a bike.

From a hostal near Jumilla we decided to cycle to the coast, overnight, in one go.

To make the 150km ride manageable, we had split it into three bitesize sections of around 50km each. Setting off around 12 noon on the 31st, the first part was a daytime ride from the hostal to Cieza. The sunshine made the riding easy and it was generally downhill for most part. Passing through Jamilla, a bustling and lively town, there was time for a cup of tea and coffee amongst the new year festivities.

Onwards onto gravel tracks through soft fruit orchards we were slowed by a muddy encounter. A short but damp section on gravel meant a quick stop to clean off Spain’s earth to avoid it getting absolutely everywhere.

Passing through rural countryside our aim was to get to the town of Cieza, grab some food and start the second part of the trip, which would take us through multiple towns for frequent bar stops and cups of tea. On arrival, the Santa Run was in full force and we tucked into a kebab as runners pounded the street. Everyone was in good spirits and we chatted with the restaurant owners about Pakistan, London and cricket (with varying success). Refuelled and ready to go, we started the next section, from Cieza to Murcia.

By this time, it was dark. We put on some warmer clothes and began the journey towards our first stop at Abarán. Cycle.Travel is our navigation tool and it does its best to avoid busy roads so routes us along smaller roads or sometimes gravel if we so choose. This section has major roads snaking through the mountains so we gave the first bit of gravel a go…

Things started well as we rode along a wide gravel track forming access to some of the large houses beside the river Segura. Soon after that it got a bit ropey and hike-a-bike session ensued along a narrow, muddy and undulating section beside an abandoned house. It looked like it might have been flooded and eroded the riverbanks. I was all for turning back, knowing that we could have taken an alternative road route which seemed quite quiet. Sam instead walked ahead to check it out and could see (for at least the next couple of metres) that things improved. Reluctantly I followed and as we continued, the track did widen and a couple of kms later we saw the glittering lights of Abarán before us. Lit up and golden, it looked like a jewel in the mountainside. As a side note, I’ve been reading a book about the Lost City of Z where the explorer Colonel Fawcett set out on a journey to find ‘El Dorado’ and it felt a little like we’d left the jungle and stumbled upon it ourselves…

It did turn out to be a bit of a successful pit stop as we stumbled upon an ice cream shop that was still open. The owner was so kind and served us even though I’m sure we were pushing back the closing time. We weren’t the only people however stopping to grab some last minute sweets at around 8pm.

The dicey section along the river on gravel made us reconsider our route and with most of the streets being quiet, we took some larger roads from here on, also knowing that they’d bring us to towns (and therefore bars) to stop at.

Snaking up the hillside we looked back down on Abarán in all its glory on our way to Blanco.

We really like night riding. The roads are usually quieter, you can see vehicles coming by their headlights and drivers tend to slow down around you perhaps because they’re not 100% sure what you are. There are some occasions when it’s a little more uncomfortable and after cycling along a small lane into the hills, we were met by signs saying that there was access for authorised persons only. I was a little concerned as they seemed quite official and as we passed through some (open) big metal gates I was a little on edge. Going back meant quite a huge detour in an already long ride.

Carefully passing an official looking building and through a short but well-lit tunnel, we, to Sam’s delight, arrived at a huge hydro-electric dam and plant. I was more relieved that the big gates at the end of this section were also open!

As we hoped, Blanco was lit up like a beacon and our winding road through the mountains took us straight into town. There was lots of chatter and people milling about so we headed to a bar wondering what would be our next drink. But, when we tried to get in, punters told us it was closed. This was at about 8pm but they would reopen at 11pm for further festivities. With this knowledge on board, we continued our cycle knowing that we would have to wait a little while for the next cup of tea.

As we had expected in every town, every bar was closed but that didn’t mean that the party was over. Celebrations were taking place in people’s homes and we heard music, singing and saw some people dancing around outside their houses. We put on our own music on our little speaker and joined in, wishing passers by ¡Feliz año nuevo!

As we edged closer to midnight we were still finding that the bars were all closed. Our plans to stop off as we went along were put on the back burner. Talking of burning, BBQs are what the Spanish were doing on new year. There were BBQs on terraces for family and BBQs in the middle of the street with tens of people in attendance. There were so many that the air was smoky with a strong smell of meat…

At 11:55 we found ourselves on a greenway with a far-reaching view on the edge of a sprawling town. From here we heard the bells toll and watched a chaotic display of fireworks, including some a little too close perhaps from neighbouring houses! An unforgettable way to mark the start of 2026.

The calm of the greenway was short-lived and the ride into the centre of Murcia was a little busier than expected as people left their parties. Safely into town, it was time for some more food and we ate sandwiches whilst watching revellers come and go.

Now it was time for the final part of our ride from Murcia to the sea. After about 100km of mostly down, we knew there was an ‘up’ in this section. Out of town and in the dark, hills loomed large around us. Unable to see much, the road started to increase in gradient and wound through a gorge. By the moonlight, we couldn’t see much detail but could tell that it was dramatic and wonderful.

A few cars carefully passed us as we climbed, giving encouragement by beeping horns and cheering us on. We must have been an unexpected sight at 3:30am.

To reach the top was a super achievement and we were so pleased to see the descent and bright lights towards the coast stretching out in front of us. Only problem now was that we were cold! Putting on more layers and long gloves and hats, we started the final stretch. A booming nightclub could be heard in the distance and we passed it about 4:15am, still in full swing.

Without too much trouble but a bit tired, we made it to the sea at San Pedro del Pinatar. We were now very cold and could still not find a single bar open! Then we watched the sunrise over the sea, the colours changing, the temperature rising and the mood lifting.

A cafe near us opened and we treated ourselves to cups of coffee and tea and cakes.

Our adventure within an adventure and fantastic start to 2026.