clairedavieswriter

Cycle from the north coast to the south coast of Spain?
Looks like we can tick that off the to do list. The water was a nicer blue than in Bilbao, but it’s still the Atlantic, and we had a few more miles to pedal, so we didn’t go for a dip, much to Bernard’s chagrin.

Does that mean you’ve finished your Spain end-to-end?
Very nearly, but not quite. Tonight we’re just down the beach from Cape Trafalgar:

And so far south that we can see snow on the Atlas Mountains from our hotel room. All being well, one more day’s riding should bring us to Spain’s most southerly point, at Tarifa.

Jerez was quiet as we cycled out this morning, but you could sense the excitement ahead of the Feria. The most exciting thing for us at that point was the temperature: we were starting in short sleeves for the first time in the trip

Unlike yesterday, today I knew Guillaume was planning to take us off the tarmac for part of the ride. To be fair to him, there just didn’t seem to be an alternative. But as always I was nervous: ‘unpaved’ can mean a multitude of things. As it turned out, I needn’t have worried. I mean, who could complain about riding here?

Or here:

And it was nice to get some respite from the heat

It transpired that the trail was a Cañada Real, part of a vast network of droving routes that crisscross Spain, many of which are now popular with cycle tourers, mountain bikers, pilgrims and hikers.

But they are also still used for their original purpose – as we saw today, when we were passed by this goatherd and his animals

Other highlights today include this part of our route, where we were embraced by the local cycling fraternity (sisters were few and far between)

The pretty (and more substantial than we’d expected) riverside (and very nearly seaside) town of Chiclana de la Frontera:

Bernard took this as a lucky sign:

And we all enjoyed the last few miles of unexpected cycle track between Conil de la Frontera…

And our welcoming destination:

Tonight we’re forgoing our customary evening refreshment in preparation for the final push. Or it could just be that there aren’t any bars in walking distance. Whatever the reason, it should make our thirst for the finish all the greater. Vamos!