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    Dave
    Smith
Vehicle Type
Motorcycle

SPANISH PYRENEAN TRAIL AND CAMINO TREK ADVENTURE

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A ride down through Fance to the eastern end of the Pyrenees in Spain. Then using a combination of the Trans European Trail and tarmac navigate my way west across the Pyrenees, through Andorra and on to the Atlantic Coast. From there head south-west to Sarria where I'll be reverting to foot power for a week walking the 110kms to Santiago on a walk called the Camino. From there I'll get the bus back to Sarria before heading back to Bilbao to catch the overnight ferry back to Blighty. All being well I'll be away for 4 weeks!

N.B.     (Due to my bike sat nav breaking down, which contained all the trails across the Pyreneees, I had to completely re-jig my adventure, nonetheless, I hope you still find it interesting and entertaining!)

Story begins
18 Aug 2019
Visiting

Updates

DAY 1 - READING TO ORLEANS (VIA PORTSMOUTH/LE HAVRE) - FRI 6TH SEP 19 - APPROX 260 MILES

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FRIDAY 6TH SEPTEMBER 2019  I finally crawled into bed just before 11pm last night having packed, repacked and packed again until I was reasonably satisfied where things were and then strapping everything to the bike so in the morning I could just get up and go.

Step 1 - Reading to Portsmouth

 

 

DAY 2 - SAT 7TH SEP 19 - ORLEANS TO MONTAUBAN - APPROX. 320 MILES
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Saturday 7th September 2019  – Orleans to Montauban approx. 320 miles Breakfast was very basic, consisting of cereal, bread, butter and a few jams, all washed down with lashings of coffee. I expected the hostel I was staying at to be filled with young back packers and the like, but there were a much larger group of senior citizens all staying. Maybe they were all there for the annual skydiving convention being held down the road?! 😊

DAY 3 - SUN 8TH SEP 19 - MONTAUBAN (FRANCE)TO ROSES (SPAIN) VIA JOCH (FRANCE) APPROX. 250 MILES
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Day 3 Montauban to Roses

 

Comments

Submitted by Erik_G on Tue, 10/09/2019 - 01:03

Hi,

I am also heading for  Santiago de Compostela,

but without walking.

And going to Kap Finisterre. (End of the world)

Plans are plans. Reality something else. But I keep an eye on your blog to see if our routes meet.

 

Enjoy your trip

 

Erik

 

 

DAY 4 - MON 9TH SEP 19 - RING AROUND (THE) ROSES (NORTHERN COSTA BRAVA) 5 MILES - WALKING :-)
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MONDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 2019  Having not done any exercise since Thursday morning I somehow dragged myself out of bed and managed a 15 minute run, that felt more like half an hour. Oh well better than nothing I guess! Buffet breakfasts and me don’t go together really, as I have this affliction. It’s called a glutton gene! I eat too much.

DAY 5 - TUE 10TH SEP 19 - HANGING AROUND ROSES
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TUESDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER I'm afraid I haven't done anything much today. I made a decision yesterday morning to stay an extra night in Roses due to the poor weather forecast. I did hear a few claps of thunder during the night and it did rain on and off throughout the morning, but by the afternoon it was dry, dull and overcast with a cool offshore breeze, enough to keep most people firmly cocooned in their pacamacs and sweatshirts. 

DAY 8 - FRI 13TH SEP 19 - GETTING TO KNOW MADRID
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DAY 8 - FRIDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER 2019 - GETTING TO KNOW MADRID.    I've got one of those mattresses like a board and boy does my back know it this morning. So after a couple of vitamin I tablets (Ibroprofen) I set off on foot to the Puerta Del Sol, which is acknowledged as being the epicentre of Madrid, although I have to say I was somewhat underwhelmed by it's appearance, surrounded as it was with pleasant enough buildings, but nothing with the real wow factor! I guess the most interesting thing about it was the bronze statue of a bear leaning against a strawberry tree.

DAY 10 - SUN 15TH SEP 19 - THE (DAMP) DAY THE VUELTA D'ESPANA CAME TO TOWN
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DAY 10 – Well Miguel’s advice turned out to be spot on. I had a three-course meal with bread, a glass of wine all for 14.5 euros, well actually I paid 2 euros more to have a lovely piece of steak. I’d forgotten how nice a decent steak can taste; too many Wetherspoon meals over recent times I’m afraid! The strange thing was, I entered the Terramundi restaurant at around 8.30pm and I was their only customer, I was beginning to wonder whether Miguel had been given a back-hander to send people their way to try and drum up custom?

DAY 13 - WED 18TH SEP 19 - RIDING AND WALKING AROUND POTES
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SIDEWAYS GRRR!!  SPOT THE CABLE CAR COMPETITION!  (PIC FROM YESTERDAY)

DAY 13 -   Sorry about the sideways pic again, it happens with all the pictures I take in with the phone in the ‘portrait’ position. I’ve got my son working on it, but for now please turn your phone/computer sideways and all desktop users please lay on your side horizontally on your office desk😉

DAY 15 - FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER 2019. IF YOU'VE NAVIA BEEN TO NAVIA, DON'T BOTHER!
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DAY 15 -FRIDAY 20TH SEPTEMBER – You’ll be pleased to know my blog is fairly short today as, basically, I haven’t done anything! To be fair to me there  doesn't seem a lot do around Navia, except visit the sea to see naked men lying on the beach! And due to lack of interesting pics I've put a photo of the vast empty beach except for the naked man, but you have to spot him. It's like 'Where's Wally?' or in this case should it be 'Where's Willy?!!'

DAY 17 (WALKING - DAY1) - SUNDAY 22ND SEPTEMBER 2019 - SARRIA TO PORTOMARIN (APPROX 13.5 MILES)
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DAY 17 (WALKING - DAY1) - SARRIA TO PORTOMARIN (APPROX 13.5 MILES)

Last night’s sleep was pretty awful. A combination of eating too much (I only ordered a medium pizza, but it was massive and, of course, I had to eat it all!) and some kind late night local rock festival was thumping out until about 3 in the morning.