Thanks to everyone for input on travel plans – tomorrow I will leave Seville in the direction of Ronda. Although Seville was my initial destination am pleased to have passed through, I agree it’s not a place to explore alone.

Last night I had a dorm to myself so no complaints. Plus, unlike other Trail hostels stayed in, cooking facilities were available, enabling a nice breakfast of Scots porridge & jam & a cup of tetley tea before setting off. There is little to report on El Real de la Jara. It’s a very pleasant village, lies on the Pilgrim Trail & has its own castle – but then again so does every town & village, it would seem!!!

Today’s 90km ride was, for the most part, through low wooded mountains. From a distance it all looked to be heavy forest, but up close it is an infinite patchwork of olive tree plantations plus goats & the occasional deer.

Approaching Seville, a very nice downhill to the plains in time for the GE Wind call. At 30C & no shade, a welcome break.

Interesting comparison- On top, my faithful Jack Wolfskin trail towel resting on those provided by the hotel!

Sleeping in hostel dorms with highly effective wooden shutters & wearing earplugs gets me every time. I have no idea if is the middle of the day or night & can’t hear my alarm. I inevitably oversleep. Still I’m on holiday &, as I thought, had only a 5 hr ride to my next destination.
Sandra, the hostel warden, prepared me a nice breakfast, filled my water bottles & waved me off. Last night she had 13 guests, most were provided evening meals & breakfasts, all dorms needed turning around – & everything done single handed – her work is pretty close to 24/7 yet she is always smiling & helpful – quite a woman. Aren’t we lucky to work for GE!

I met hiker, Alfonso, travelling north. We exchanged Google chats in which he reassured me that the trail was now adequately dry. I thanked him & he presented me with a badge, symbolic to the Pilgrim Trail, and we parted. I later concluded his trail must have differed from mine!!

My original destination was to be Santa Olalla de Cala but no accommodation & directed to El Real de la Jara 10 km NW (wrong direction) but thankfully discovered another Trail hostel, Alojamiento de Peregrino – again a simple place in delightful settings.

Tomorrow, all being well, I’ll arrive at Seville, my intended destination – 8 days before the Santander ferry back to UK. Choices!!?? Do I explore Seville & Santander, easily absorbing my float, or do I keep peddling & save these places for Christine & I to explore together? My current thinking is a one day stop over in Saville then peddle on, maybe to Ronda? Of principal importance – I must not to miss the ferry – we have a nice, long awaited weekend planned visiting family in Devon.

My accommodation, Albergue Convento San Francisco, serves the Pilgrim Trail. It’s a traditional moorish style hostel, oozing character & has won me over for another night stay. Seville is only a few days ride away & I don’t feel rushed. I didn’t plan to explore my surroundings, just to do as little as possible – the hostel’s inner courtyard was the perfect place for that!

Last night, the hostel’s only other two guests were cycle tourers, Hartmut & Beate from Germany. A great couple around 50 yrs old – both on a one year sabbatical from teaching – travelling Europe & with a plan to overwinter in the Canary Islands. Their English was good so enjoyed a good chat before waiving them off. Looking forward to them dropping me a note on the blog.

For late lunch at the Salon Romero, Maria steered me through the menu & to a nice glass of local wine.

This far south, eating out has become an “expensive” affair. My €3.50 breakfasts in the north is now €7.00 & a good meal €20 plus.

One good thing about Spain is that the night before’s washing, if carefully spread out, will dry by the following morning. A most important fact following yesterday’s drenching.

Today the weather was dry once more. I left town, crossing the Río Guadiana via an ancient, most impressive 800m long, stone bridge. – it must rank as one of the longest in the world & where the locals do there promenading. Here & along the manicured parks along the river banks.

I wanted to do dirt roads but yesterday’s downpour had transformed the field tracks into deep wet strips of clay &, as I found out, impossible to ride or walk. It’s the very same New Mexico stuff that forces Dividers to abandon their bikes and give up on their goal. My final downfall was on coming to a serious dip in the track which had filled with water. I selected my gear &, head down, accelerated towards it. At the bottom of the dip my wheels were 2 ft submerged/stuck in a ft of clay. Knee deep, I dragged my bike out & tried to peddle on. Luckily I came across a track that took me to the metalled N630 & stuck to it from then on. Almendralejo, the next town, was “awash” with car wash stations, all doing a roaring trade – I paid my €1 & my bike & I had a bloody good clean.

Later in then afternoon came across Francesco at the head of a dirt road. Poor fellow had been on it all day & managed only 15 km. He recommended a hostel in Zafra which I am most delighted with.

Needless to say my night was spent cleaning !!

No need for suncream today – the rain hammered down for most of the day – even had a little thunder & lightning. Similar predictions had resulted in a few drops so had chosen to ignore the warnings on the weather app.
I discovered today’s ride was along the Pilgrim Trail & passed many cycle tourers & hikers heading north. Unfortunately we could only manage a waive of encouragement as we were all heads down pushing on to our destination as quickly as we could. Today’s photos en route therefore were limited to the brief periods between showers, though I think offer a accurate gist of the landscape travelled through.

I got to Mérida just in time for a conference call with the GE Team. I’d found a restaurant umbrella, ordered a hot drink & settled into the call – dripping wet. Afterwards, found a cheap, very pleasant hotel (€30), showered & explored the city.

Mérida – Parador Hotel with a rather large nest on their chimney!

It had been 10 days since I last rested & needed a little recovery time to rehydrate & get fuel back into my legs, so today I chose to relax & explore Cáceres. Most of the morning was spent at Restaurant El Pato, having a lazy alfresco breakfast, looking across the Grand Square towards the walls of the old town. By the time I ventured from under the umbrella the day had warmed up perfectly for a non riding day. A helpful guy in Tourist Info provided today’s itinerary & so I set off.

The breakfast view did not prepare me for what lay beyond the walls. The layout was Roman, walls rebuilt a millennia ago. Narrow streets led to small squares lined with buildings of many different periods. You literally step back into medieval Spain & each building of historic significance. Lack of time & English translations gave me an excuse to just wander the streets, take a few pictures & rest with a beer or two.

Other than the snoring, the night was passed without incident. The ladies retired around 10pm leaving me to prepare for bed by torchlight. Not sure what the protocol is in mixed dorms but aired on the cautious side. In the morning, over breakfast, I learnt the three were each traveling alone on the lesser known Pilgrim Trail north to Santiago. One was cycling, the other two hiking. There are published routes & accompanying books which I should check out.

My chosen ride to Cáceres was a mix of road & dirt, a few hills & memorable sights.

Cáceres is a big city & came into view very early then got no nearer until I was almost on it. Another hot days ride & no refreshments en route – I had built up an obsession for fresh orange – once satisfied, I found a budget hotel less than ten mins from the Grand Square & attractions.

The hotel was great, but the city was not, in fact it was the worst placed I had ridden thru since landing in Spain. The centre was tired, roads in & out were awash with shopping & car outlets in large, ugly, prefab buildings. So in summary a big disappointment & to be avoided. I had planned to stay in Plasencia for two nights but the experience discouraged me so moved on.
Plasencia is also not safe for cyclists. The council make no provision on the roads & in the short time there, drivers backed out into me, pulled out on roundabouts & skimmed past me at speed. So I walked my bike out of town.

Today’s ride was short, slightly undulating, and gives little to report.
Canaveral is a delightful village with a €15/night hostel for hikers & bikers. From what I can see, I’ll be sharing a room with 3 ladies – all my junior – so will need to be on my very best behaviour! Also checking out the showers, there are no locks – it’s going to be very interesting!
Sun is now very strong & gets very hot much earlier in the day. For the few parts I have showing, they are getting very brown indeed.

My Hotel included breakfast so had two. Today I had my eye on Plasencia but at 65 miles, including 25 off road & hills, I needed all the fuel I could get. I had also chosen a longer route which took me away from the EX-A1 into what I hoped would lead me to more interest places. Soon after starting, I was on challenging dirt roads & climbing. It would be 25 miles before I hit N 110 & a long climb of roughly 10 miles up to the Toravacas Pass at 1275m. It had been a hard ride until then & was only on the descent I discovered my rear tyre was close to flat.
Today’s ride was epic – it took me along challenging dirt roads, beautiful traditional villages, historic buildings & breathtaking views at every turn. I saw insights into how locals enjoyed their Sundays & spent 9 hrs peddling or pushing. I arrived exhausted but feeling lucky to have discovered this area for Christine & me for a future adventure.

Rio Jerti passing through the idyllic village of Cabezuela – a place to definitely return to!

This morning my legs were begging me to rest. They’d been increasingly aching for a few days now but ignored them wanting to ride through the pain to fitness. Besides, last night, within 30 mins I’d seen everything – hence the ride was far more inviting.

Halfway thru my ride, the dirt road briefly changed to metalled near the village of Navales. An iced Coca-Cola & a chat with barman – Baby?! He’d studied English Literature before heading to UK for his Masters at Bristol. Now back home in Spain in mid 2020, his prospects for employment were poor. He continues with casual work on farms & today started here at the bar. What a waste of talent!! His wish is to get back to the UK & I sincerely hope he does. From my brief encounter, I see him as an asset in any society. What a messed up world that it can’t accommodate those so able and willing to contribute!!!

The day’s ride was excellent – 80% dirt roads through ever changing landscapes. First the open vistas, then, as the day progressed, mountains to the south gradually dominate my view. The huge open fields became small stoned walled enclosures -not dissimilar to those of the Dark Peak in UK. The Rio Tormes was the only river passed with flowing water and was stunningly beautiful & clear.
I felt surprisingly ok considering the distance covered. I found a great place to stay, Hotel Entredos, & comfy bar to rehydrate & write this blog.