It's a straightforward cycle to Segovia. We can see the city from afar as the huge Cathedral, (like Paris's Notre Dame, but in honey coloured stone) stands out on the hill top. Reaching the outskirts we follow the Roman Aqueduct all the way in, as it grows higher and higher to reach the fortifications.
Then we climb the cobbled streets to the Plaza Mayor where the Cathedral dominates, and out to a view point on top of the wall. We had visited before in 2008, but hadn't remembered quite how awesome the city is. We are hosted this evening by Carlos, in a house just outside the city with a lovely view of the Cathedral. After dark the flood lighting of the Cathedral and Aqueduct is beautiful.
Carlos is a geography teacher, taking a year out to run walking and cycling tours for a local company. He competes in mountain bike events and has just made himself a tandem. Mike has never been on a one so can't resist the chance to have a try. A photo opportunity and a good laugh.
Just before dark a touring Londoner, Matt, finally arrives, having worn himself out taking a more mountainous route. During the evening, Carlos' s mum arrives to say hallo, and ten minutes later a knock at the door and the next door neighbour arrives to inspect us. A very jolly evening.
We get an early start as we have 70 miles to our first ever "casa rural" (as recommended by Geoff and Penny) and we are not sure how hilly it is going to be.
We are pedalling along a quiet road in the foothills of the Sierra de Guadarrama, the mountains following us to our right at first topped with wind turbines, then becoming more rugged with some snow. Our road goes up to nearly 4000ft to provide access to the many ski lifts amongst the pine forests. Wandering sheep herds have not been far away most days, sometimes just tended by the big local woolly mountain dogs, but today we spot a shepherd resting on a stone with his little flock. The landscape now is now very colourful as the local soil is red and then burnt sienna. Patchwork fields stretch for miles in squares of yellow and bright green crops then orange tilled soil, fringed with poppies. The road climbs over long escarpments of yellow soil. Local villages blend in with their red tiled roofs and yellow ochre painted walls.
We are just about to by pass the village of Ayllon when we glance through a gate in the surrounding wall. It is so worth a detour. Timber framed houses, walls of locally hand made mudbricks and timber colonnades around the central church.
Our home for the night is the tiny hamlet of Peñalba. We have booked the Casa Rural on line and are amazed to find the 38 euros is for a new two storey house built in the local style but fitted out with a state of the art kitchen and bathroom, large terrace, balcony, comfy living room, wifi and breakfast! The lady owner settles us in with the bikes in the garage. We pass the village bar twice before finding it, just the noise of customers coming through the window of an unmarked terrace cottage eventually persuades us to try the door. Inside is our landlady playing cards with 5 lady friends all talking at once. (Mike says it's like the Monday Ladies cyclists). The bar owner provides us with Rioja wine and enormous garlic filled olives. A mound of our washing has dried in the evening heat by the time we wander back to bed.
Miles to date:- 1384
Location:Avila to Peñalba
