Week 36

Day 246

Saturday 29th February 2020

La Linea to Ronda.

We had a fabulous breakfast - Spanish style - and set off on a big climb day across the Sierra Nevada mountains to the beautiful city of Ronda.

We back tracked slightly to pick up the road to Ronda. There were lots of cyclists out - we waved in acknowledgement.

We passed loads of storks - all building their nests and displaying by tapping their beaks together to make a sound a bit like the old football rattle.

We stopped at a cafe for coffee. We met a group of cyclists and tried to chat in English/Spanish. I waited for ages to pay as the waitresses simply ignored me and served the Spanish customers.

We started to climb and the route took us on a gravel road which went on for a few miles before we finally got back onto tarmac.

It was steep but the scenery was fantastic - views across the mountains as we climbed higher and higher. We saw condors flying overhead - it was magical.

We were hoping to see my cousin Denise but she is unwell - Raz asked “How is Denise?” I replied “my knees are fine thanks” - and it’s Raz that has the hearing aids.

We arrived in Ronda which was incredibly busy as a festival was taking place in the main square - also the route was blocked with road works - so we ended up over paying for a hotel after owner grabbed Alice and carried her into a back room. You win some you loose some.

We climbed about 6000ft today - a good day’s riding.

Day 247

Sunday 1st March 2020

Ronda to Moriles.

After a first aid incident involving Raz helping an older man who had fallen over and landed on his head,  (I missed the whole event), - we set off in search of a bakery. We sampled most of the confection and set off.

Today was not as hilly as yesterday but it was still very lumpy.

We climbed for a while then enjoyed a great descent passing orange groves and olive trees, (which became the feature of the day). They stretched for miles in neat rows across the hills.

We stopped at a cafe where I practised my Spanish ordering bread and cheese and being given potato salad.

Raz has moved on from the American Deep South