Tour de España, 2012

[prw44]

Cheers for the link, good website.

[Simon_100]

Cheers for the link, good website.

A slim volume but mine own!

Cheers

Simon

[MR X]

Come on Simon

What no photos !

Guess mid to high 20s in France is looking good mate

Left cover off of the pool for the last week so its only 26c
but will warm it up some B4 you get hear

Send my regards to Polly when you get home

[Simon_100]

Come on Simon

What no photos !

Guess mid to high 20s in France is looking good mate

Left cover off of the pool for the last week so its only 26c
but will warm it up some B4 you get hear

Send my regards to Polly when you get home

No photos, where are you looking then, scroll back a page or two you lazy sod!

Realy looking forward to France - lots to talk about from my trip and the offer of helping in the unskilled labourer departnent is still on!

Cheers

Simon

[Simon_100]

Well, it's the last day - apart from tomorrow when I'll be crossing the Monegros desert region, still not sure which route to take but I'm very happy that the dreadful Cierzo w9nd has died down, at least acording to the weather report!

In fact it's been one of the best days of the whole trip - bimbling and getting thoroughly lost as usual, just the way I like it!

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One of the lovely things about this area is that you almost always have to use trails to get from A to B

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Although in my case that was via Z, until I found a sign that sent me to C

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Well, sort of . . .

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. . . I ended up at B after all1

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Hungry work out there and a stumble into a village market with a bustling bar was just the ticket - 'Pinchos Morunos' are a brilliant tapas. Very cheap and succulent. Good camping food too as the butcher's sell them ready marinated!

[Simon_100]

More . . .

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The 'Rincon de Ademuz' is literally a 'corner' of Valecia cit off deep in mountainous Aragon. Irrifated and intesely cultivated riverbanks are much more typical feature of that region - a reminder of Arabic oasis culture!

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Pretty soon the dramatic Castillian landscape takes over - with roads-to-die-for, of course

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But not too literally for me. Sadly, these floral tributes are all too common on Spanish roads, often comemmorating bikers of course. But this place seemed to be a sort of Lover's Leap - very sad!

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I was beginning to curse not having a Satnav when I got lost with very little fuel on board. There was nothing to do but folow this land to a village where <I knew there is a filling station. But if I'd had the Satnav I would never have discoverd this paradisical little valley! Of course if I'd had some fuel there were miles of lovely trails to get even more lost in

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Well, the bloody filling station was closed for refurbishment wasn't it. And with aboit 20 k's worth of gas I was directed to the nearest - on the autovia. But having filled up I followed the 'old' national highway, now classified as just a service road, great fun. Three roads and two railways follow this route - a sort of transport archaeology I guess: the autovia replaced the nationa, and the national's improvemenst leaver the older road like 'dead' meanders on a river. The railways are a curious story: raw material for Sagunto¡'s hige cement works on the coast come from up here and the company, fed uo with the charges made by the national railways, simply built thier own right alongside. This is now a 'Via Verde' walkway, over 150kms of it!

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Heading back to camp you can see that the wind hasn't quite died down!

[Paul-S]

Excellent Simon

[Xcite]

Loved reading this

[PHILinFRANCE]

Absolutly fantastic Simon , loved every page of your RR even more so because of being stuck here with this foot and house move.
It's our last day in the hosue aswell as your trip ending , but as they say "you have to leave to come back"
Looking forward to seeing you in a week or 4 with Pol , ride safe mate and thanks again.
Phil

[Simon_100]

Absolutly fantastic Simon , loved every page of your RR even more so because of being stuck here with this foot and house move.
It's our last day in the hosue aswell as your trip ending , but as they say "you have to leave to come back"
Looking forward to seeing you in a week or 4 with Pol , ride safe mate and thanks again.
Phil

Hey boys - it's not over yet!

Watch this space for deserts, mountains and even more castles.

Meanwhile Mrs S and I are in celebration mode!

Regs

Simon