Day 29 – Alice, Hotel Arha’s manager, took great care of me. Her English was good enough to have a nice chat & it surprised me how a genuine, friendly person & a little warm sunshine could provide such a lift & improve my appreciation of this city.

Once on board, I secured my bike to the vessel’s hull, noted the deck & staircase number & treated myself to a cabin. Then to the bar for drink of English IPA beer – I didn’t really need it but it felt appropriate at this stage of my journey home.

I soon got chatting to a lovely couple, Paul & Claire, motorcyclists from Cumbria, heading home after two weeks touring Spain & Portugal. Highlight places for them – Spain: Toledo & Navia & Portugal: Ovar. With lots in common, hiking, travelling, engineering, renewables, etc. & of an age to contemplate retirement (that old chestnut) enjoyed a very pleasant evening with both.

Day 30 – I’d taken an inside cabin on deck 9. It was small but had all the needs for a comfy sleep & a freshen up. Other than two restaurants, a bar, gaming computers & brisk walks on deck 10, there was little to do, so lots of reading & listening to music. Paul came by & picked up where we left off the night before.
€3’s got me 1hr internet access – enough time to update my Passenger Locator Form, do my blog & contact home.
Christine was waiting at the docks & it felt good to be back. We reached Devon By 11:30 pm, very tired & looking forward to a long weekend with family. After that, to the comforts of home & getting back on my bike – minus the load!!!

Day 27 – Enterprise car hire guys in Marbella got an introduction to bikepacking & as appreciation I was handed the keys of an Opel MPV rather than a van – perfect. The drive up to Santander was long & uneventful except for an encounter with a spooky 3-story hotel that appeared out of the mist after dark, high up in the mountains. It was 9pm, the roads & weather were poor & 2 hrs still to go – I needed a bed.
I walked into the noisy bar, still dressed like a bikepacker – everyone turned, gave me the once over & carried on. The place was clearly reserved for truck drivers & I’d been sussed out. On demand, I paid €35, the barman slid the room key down the long bar & turned away – I grabbed it, went to my room & that was that. Next day, by 7am, I was woken by a procession of artics heading out – outside was still miserable & dark, the cloud was about roof height. I got myself together, grabbed breakfast & left.
Day 28 – Having the car was an opportunity to do a little exploring but the weather worsened so continued straight to Santander, parked at the Enterprise return bay early but kept the keys – just in case I changed my mind. It was too wet for the city to look interesting so spent my time in cafés, keeping out of the rain & in searching out accommodation – Hotel Arha – lovely, convenient hotel & only 6 mins from tomorrow’s ferry. I handed back the car keys, read my book & called it a day.

Marbella is not a place for me as a lone bikepacker, therefore apologies for the following as this has coloured my view of a place that is better shared.

On the area itself- this whole coastal region is designed to serve the tourist industry & is totally alien to me & different from any part of Spain I’ve travelled to get here. Although I had ridden through a number of tourist hotspots, their identity was in tact. Not so here. With foreign tourists everywhere, in their tens of thousands, the buildings, the infrastructure & the locals are all set up to serve the visiting masses, & charge prices twice those I’ve become used to!! Venture a few streets in from the beaches and you may be lucky and discover the occasional cultural respite in an older quarter. However, these too have now been totally touristified, targeting those looking for a more reserved “cultural” holiday.

Other than checking on places to eat & drink – then indulging in the same – swimming & lying on the beach – I’m unsure what else a tourist has to occupy themselves with. I do see some draw in the nonstop vibrant energy this place has to offer – the hot days, warm nights, the backdrop of a calm blue sea & the energy from mingling with masses of strangers drawn from all over Europe & I did enjoy my two days experience. By then I was quite itching to go. To travel or pedal towards the next horizon, ridge or bend in the trail. As it happens, I have to pick up my hire car to start the first leg of my long journey home.

Blog follower, Steve, had recommended Bennahavis, a few miles above the golf courses where I’d dropped from the mountains. To me, far more interesting than Marbella, but didn’t have the time to follow up – my thanks anyway & noted for the future.

Saturday, Day 25, on the promenade, every several hundred meters or so, Senegalese street vendors were selling their wares. Watching from my cafe table, directly in front, were such guys selling ladies bags. Clearly not approved vendors, they were in a constant game of cat and mouse with the patrolling police cars. To stay ahead, they kept permanent mobile contact with their colleagues. It was Marbella’s version of the opening scene from Guys & Dolls. All bags for sale were either corded together or laid out on large sheets – enabling the guys to pack up & vanish in seconds. The police would then come & go & they would instantly reappear & be back in business in no time. In the one hour I was watching, this scene played out four times. I was rooting for the Senegalese guys. It’s clear, this community sits on the fringe – they are outsiders, in a parallel world; their sales are few, rewards small and, to me, it is disturbing & sad. In the afternoon, I was walking by some shrubs along the front & came across a group huddled down, hiding from their natural enemy. Next day I chatted with one of them, Babbo, who told me it’s a family business & he has been visiting for 5 years & business is always uncertain.

A change to my schedule – I am now in Marbella & will stay until Monday when the first hire vehicle is available to take me back to Santander.

My original plan had been to bike down to Málaga and then get the train back up to my starting point in Santander. However, last night I discovered that Spain’s railways are today starting an 8 day strike – some trains will run, but it’s impossible to know which. Keen to start north, (ensuring I wouldn’t miss the boat) I went to purchase a ticket for the 16:30 to Madrid, but it was made clear my bike would need to be packed for carry on luggage – this was not practical. Clearly my exit strategy needed more work!!

All sorted, I peddled off a little later than normal, aware this was to be my very last days ride. Today was in three parts. A good climb, a phenomenal downhill thru the Guardalmina valley to the coast, then 10 km ride along the promenade .

Hotel Sierra y Cal in Olvera was a lucky find. Polite, helpful staff, nice room & facilities, & great food.
I was pondering whether to explore Olvera more but the main attractions, Nuestra Señora de la Encarnación church & the 12th C Arab castle I’d been eyeballing on the tunnelled route up, would have required a serious down & up. With less than a week to get back to Santander, I felt the need to keep to my schedule. However, this place is now on my must return list together with the Via Verde de la Sierra.

First half of todays ride was dirt/gravel (CA-414, etc) with lots of twisting climbs, passing by remote farms (many derelict), olive groves & shrub. Olvera & Torre Alháquime (village lower down) were in constant view – the fort in particular. At the top of my last real climb the downhill being looked forward to was missing! Instead I got a high plateau world of farms with ploughed fields.

Then onto metalled roads & the next disappointment. The jaw dropping views were gone – now only rolling hills. I could have been anywhere! The final disappointment was my anticipated challenging climb up to Ronda became a gentle downhill 15 km cruise along a main thoroughfare increasingly lined with urban & industrial buildings.

Ronda is much bigger than I’d expected but the centre is small and delightful. It’s also very full of tourists drinking & eating. Got a picture of my bike & me on the bridge, rehydrated with a beer, did GE stuff for a couple of hours before finding affordable Moorish hotel, Hnos. Macias, close to the action – just in case!

The €40 asked for my hostel seemed steep so managed to get breakfast in with the price. Unfortunately of little benefit since I’m still struggling with food intake – probably due to the heat.
It was going to be a much hotter day, plus no cloud! Added to this, my route was through much wilder, tougher country than I’d travelled (limited bars) but there were a scattering of farms which, I decided, would satisfy my water needs. Food wouldn’t be a problem – I had plenty.

Bikepacker at the pumps – water refuel

My morning’s ride was excellent – the challenging gravel road, Arroyo de Gaena, was very welcome after yesterday afternoon’s metalled roads along the plains.

About 30 km along, I was eventually delivered to Via Verde de la Sierra, an old railway line, repurposed as a recreation route, similar to the High Peak Trail in the UK, but through a much grander landscape. The track is a major tourist draw for cyclists, hikers & birdwatchers – buzzards, birds of prey, migrating birds plus a colony of vultures with cameras to observe nesting – all are here.

The gentle incline, also helped by the 22 tunnels, enabled me to focus on the grand views. However, by the time I’d reached Olvera , 2 hrs before Ronda, I was dehydrated & was definitely in need of a break from the sun. After 2 cans of coke, 1.5 litres of water & 2 hrs sitting in the shade, I decided that the hills to Ronda could wait until tomorrow.

Conclusion of today’s ride – Fantastic!! – the best days ride so far! My thanks to those who suggested Ronda. My apologies for the photos, I have not done the places visited justice. The bright sunlight on my iPhone means I’m as surprised as anyone on what I’ve actually taken!

After a good breakfast & last night’s washing repacked, I set off to face the challenging Seville streets. The city is arranged evenly with roads, pavements & cycle lanes. These lanes are also used by 20 mph e-scooters & 2 mph wheelchairs & prams. Nobody keeps to their lane & pedestrians wander on & off them without looking. I found the whole thing unsettles me but made very good of my bell. 1.5 hrs later I left the cycle lanes behind & picked up a dirt road for the last stretch out of the city. In riding thru Seville, I successfully missed every attraction the place had to offer – I guess quite an accomplishment!

Today’s ride included some “interesting” dirt roads & small metalled roads which took me to Morón de la Frontera & the beginning of a long hard climb towards Ronda. Not sure yet if it is a doable ride for me in a day but will find that out tomorrow!

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.