We knew that we were due to cross the border from Castille y Leon to the Basque Country. Crossing a regional border is typically quite unnoticeable, but we didn't know that this particular border would be such a natural one. We had a gradual climb (slog) up from Berberena, but when we reached the top, … Continue reading The mystery man – Ivan
After refusing the kind offer of a lift from Acácio to take us out of the mountains, our first night after a long weekend of civilisation found us in a disused shepherd's hut, straw included. We had found a patch of land to the side of a reservoir that we thought would make a good … Continue reading Tanya and Andy
Acácio and Amélia are a super friendly old couple in their 60s who were super kind to welcome us in their house in Riaño. There we had our own room and beds, they let us use the washing machine in the house to wash ALL our dirty clothes and they even took us on several … Continue reading Acácio and Amélia
Soon soon, the landscape changed - from fig trees and vegetable gardens to fields with animals grazing and mountains on the horizon. We were heading towards the Picos de Europa. We said goodbye to the Rio Sil, just short of its source, and went on our way. We would pass along a section of road … Continue reading Towards Picos
We had entered a region with paths and roads frequently used by pilgrims on their way to Santiago. This meant that we were frequently wished "bon camino" or told that we were going the wrong way before being asked where were going. One driver even took it upon himself to drive slowly next to us … Continue reading Onwards to Castillo y Leon along the Rio Sil
For a while we had been having a look and trying to use a cyclist-dedicated community platform called "warm showers", where (typically) cyclists welcome other travelling cyclists all over the world. Hosts know exactly what is craved and needed by cycle-tourists. Sweaty cyclists are welcomed with a warm shower (hence the name) and a hot … Continue reading Jonathan and Marleen
The more we have cycled the more the notion of time and days of the week has become oblivious to us. We rely more on levels of daylight, the grumbling of our stomachs and the temperature of the outside world to determine our actions. Therefore it is perhaps unsurprising that, as we sat eating a … Continue reading Galicia
We had planned to stay in Gerês for a day or two. To give our legs a rest and to do some planning for our onward pedal into Spain. The shade of the trees in the campsite allowed us not to be cooked out of our tent in the morning, and gave us a few … Continue reading Gerês
As we left Viseu, a few days of mountainous cycling lay ahead. Discussions as to whether the view of the mountains from the valleys was better than the view from the top, or vice versa, were frequent. No conclusion was made, but the sentiment generally depended on the heaviness of our legs or the number … Continue reading Mountains of the North
We first met Scott in the darkness at Praia do Norte, Nazaré, as we were scoping out a place to camp. Not the easiest thing to do after the sun has set. He pointed us in a good direction and off we went. In the morning, as we slowly carried our lives from the sand … Continue reading Scott and Josie