We left France with our bags full of apples and any remaining space packed with walnuts that we had picked up along the Rhine. It was a windy day and everyone and their dog seemed to be out collecting the shelled treats that had been blown to the floor. We were heading to the home … Continue reading Bavarian hospitality
Author: Sarah Crowley
Border hopping
After waving goodbye to our friends in cosy Cusy, our legs soon remembered their task of pedaling us and our heavy bicycles around. A week of plenty of picnics and being more or less stationery was just enough time for us to be rested, but happy to be once again rolling free. The landscape continued … Continue reading Border hopping
Into the land of cheese (and figs)
It took a great effort to evict ourselves from the comfort and homeliness of Ian and Mamiko's place, but it had to be done... Not least to give them their space back before their next innundation of guests! We decided to catch a train North to save cycling through the madness of Barcelona city, and … Continue reading Into the land of cheese (and figs)
The Crowleys : Barcelona branch
The heatwave finally broke with a tropical downpour as we skirted round the edge of Barcelona and towards the Mediterranean coast, to the home of my cousin Ian and family - The Barcelona branch of the Crowley's. The Crowleys have a habit of dispersing themselves around the globe, preferably not in the same country as … Continue reading The Crowleys : Barcelona branch
The mystery man – Ivan
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
Tanya and Andy
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
Towards Picos
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
Onwards to Castillo y Leon along the Rio Sil
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
Galicia
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
Gerês
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