clairedavieswriter

Our task for today was simple on paper: nip across the border and ride the relatively short distance to Ourense.

In reality it wasn’t quite so straightforward to leave Cevide. The options were either retracing our steps back into Portugal, which didn’t appeal, or crossing the bridge and taking one of two footpaths up to the road on the Spanish side. The easier looking one was hidden behind a locked gate last night, but this morning the cycling gods were with us – it was open. I wavered: would we be trespassing?
Peering round the corner into a weed-choked small holding, I spied a portly chap coming down the path, dressed in dark blue overalls and a cloth cap, carrying two plastic shopping bags. People from these parts are famously inscrutable (word of the day: retranca) and if he was surprised to see a cyclist in the middle of the allotment, he gave no sign.
‘Is it possible to come through here?’ I asked, in Spanish. He stopped, huffed and replied in Portuguese, along the lines of ‘He won’t be happy if he sees you.’
From this I inferred that Portly Chap wasn’t the landowner.
‘Is it private land?’ I asked.
‘Yes, and the gate isn’t open every day,’ he replied, gnomically.
‘If we’re quick, do you think it would be ok to go through?’
Another shrug. ‘If you’re quick, but if he sees you…’
Reader, we scurried up that path like mountain goats

Looking back from the top, you wouldn’t know there was a path there at all

We still had about 150m to climb to our route but we’d saved ourselves about an hour and even more climbing compared to the alternatives. From there on, it was another glorious day on the bike. Just look at these virtually empty roads…

Stunning views

And perfect weather – mid 20s, no wind.

The whole day was a highlight of our trip, but our lunch spot by the (dammed) river Miño was particularly fine

And we were back to bocatas de tortilla

There was no question which village won best name prize today

Fortunately everything was in order in Ourense. They even had travelators

To carry weary cyclists up to the old part of town

Where we toasted the end of our journey with local produce: Estrella Galicia and Ribeiro – and a bowl of cheese puffs. I’m sure Bernard and Colin saw the funny side

Tomorrow we’re loading them (the lads, not the cheesy puffs) into another Enterprise van for the trip to Bilbao, which we’re splitting in Oviedo. The lads have one more job to do: carrying us the 20k from Bilbao to the ferry on Tuesday morning. Till then, they can put their feet up, unless they fancy popping back to the nightclub we passed today