Coast & countryside

27/11/07 - cycled N340 east to Herredura & around old coast road, avoiding nasty tunnel. Natural coast park area known as Cerro Gordo. No traffic & wonderful sea views. Lots of sightings of ibex.
28/11 - Gill & Andrew gave us a lift to the hill village of Competa, where we had time to look around the lovely village square & cobbled streets before meeting up with a walking group they have introduced us to. Mike (another one!) & Ros led the 16 strong group up to a local summit with fine views from a Firewatch Hut. John in the group, (recently moved with wife Liz from Poole) is a very keen racing cyclist. He hopes to introduce us to some cycling routes. He has 4 bikes including a carbon fibre one that can be lifted with one finger - just a tad lighter than ours then!!! Hope we can keep up with him!
29/11 - cycled west along N340 to Torrox Costa via short detour into local hills. Then a few blissful hours on the beach promenade people/fishing boat-watching.
Each evening this week we have watched terrific sunsets at around 6pm over the sea, a back-drop to local men fishing off the rocks.
30/11 - took the bus to Frigiliana & walked a well-marked mountain path to the peak known as El Fuerte (The Fort) at 1005metres. Evidence of recent forest fires as all the trees on 2 slopes were burnt & dead. The herb undergrowth, lemon thyme & rosemary, have regrown.
01/12 - cycled our favourite route out north west past Frigiliana to the shrine of "Our Lady of Monserrat". Ate in the evening at the restaurant adjacent to the gates of our apartment block, newly re-opened after a 2-week refurbishment. Very pleasant & friendly staff.
02/12 - cycled out to Cerro Gordo again, & this time took the new road down to the beach. Lots of locals sunbathing in this very sheltered spot. The road up was too steep to cycle, so a long hot push.
03/12 - the tasteful Christmas lights are up in town, but not switched on yet (how sensible). We have splashed out 75cents on a tiny Santa to hang on our patio!!!
Our apartment block is called "Las Fuentes" (The Fountains). One week after our moving in on 01/11/07, the Caretaker drained down the extensive fountains which are the key (only!) feature of the complex. He has since painstakingly cleaned them out & repainted them. At long last today he refilled them & turned them on again, much to our delight & that of all the little birds who inhabit our orange trees. He has now however, taken his chainsaw to the beautifully flowering hibiscus bushes! (Alan Titchmarsh he is not!)

Malaga & mountains

Took a very comfortable local bus to Malaga this week (great value at Euro 3.5). It has an extensive old quarter with some Roman ruins, a castle, & the Picasso museum (including some fabulous early works showing how talented a conventional artist he was at a very early age). In the basement of the museum were some remnants of Phoenician (6th Century BC) & Roman (2nd Century BC) buildings. At the museum the loos were so high tec Sue could not work out how to get wash or flush water - then it turned out to be all automatic anyway!. The Produce Market was 3 large halls of mouth-watering produce (meat, fish & fruit). Lunched on delicious salads in the Plaza de Merced under sunny skies.

Walks this week included a wonderfully scenic route with Gill,Andrew, Sue & Graham. Set off from a small car park area above Frigiliana village & did a circular walk of 13 miles climbing from 400m at the start to 900m at the highest point. Saw a family group of ibex & a half-metre snake crossed the path immediatley in front of us as we walked. Lunched at a remote hotel & got back to the cars just before dusk. Also walked up the rio Higueron to Frigiliana & back Sunday. People-watched in the sunny square whilst we ate a picnic lunch.

With a full moon & storms across the Med in N. Africa, waves have been crashing onto the Nerja shoreline for the lastfew days. This has not deterred the local shore-fishermen who have been out in force in front of our appartment block (& we actually saw a fish caught as well!)

Walking with friends

Have met local Brit expert walkers & enjoyed a wonderful day led by Gill & Andrew walking the Sierra between Frigiliana & Maro.This included 'river-leaping' & some steep inclines. Saw our first black squirrel & many wheeling vultures. Also the effects of the 21stSept rains washing 2metres of riverbed away from the rambla.

Visited Tuesday street market in Nerja. Streets full of cut price & fake designer goods stalls & great local produce (esp. nuts)

Equally exciting walk with our first visitors (Barbara & Will) took us up an initially dry rambla, but we ended up wading up to our knees in the swift flowing stream in the narrow gorge (Mike managed to keep dry feet as Will provided an obliging piggy-back! Sue's shoes still drying out).This was north of Nerja towards Frigiliana,but we could not reach the village so turned back. With B&W found some great restaurants to take future visitors.

Don't worry,we are still keeping up our cycling, with several trips around the local hills in the last week.

Weather still great, but evenings getting cooler. Little Christmas hype here as yet - what a pleasure to be free of that (bah humbug)!

Sierra de Tejeda

Local exploring within 40miles of Nerja we have been to Competa @ 600m high. Great scenery & weather. Also visited the church at Velez Malaga where annual easter passion processions take place. Upto 120 people needed to carry each religous effigy around the town!!!

Walked from Nerja to the Rio Chillar valley & also from Maro into the foothills of the Sierra de Tejeda, where we saw ibex roaming the slopes.

Looking forward to seeing our friends Barbara & Will who are flying in from London at the weekend for a few days visit - hope the weather holds for them.

Continuing to explore new tapas bars & paella restaurants - it's tough but somebody has to do it!

Have spoken to Chris a few times & he is working hard & playing hard - has got his first rowing competition this week. Apparently apart from the cox he is the shortest one in the boat - god knows how tall the others are.

Nerja in Andalucia

Reached Nerja on 26/10/08 & booked into charming small town centre hotel as nearby campsite closed for October holidays. Within a few days we have been able to rent a ground floor apartment (easy bike acess) handy to the town centre, beach & tapas bars - ours until the end of March 08.
We are exploring the local hill villages (great to be cycling without the luggage!) Weather has been brilliant since we arrived - big blue skies, sun from 8.00am til 7.00pm (can it last?) Planning longer trips to Malaga, Granada etc by bus.
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS TO HARRIET (4th Nov) & CHRISTOPHER (10th Nov) THIS WEEK - XXX

Provinces of Alicante, Murcia & Andalucia

Now over 1000 miles completed in Spain. Language improving slowly. Heading for Nerja next to try to rent for overwinter in that area. Dennis Bedford (see below 20/10) has risen to the challenge of 1litre of wine by purchasing same at 45cents (our previous best 49) - we will continue research into this!!!

14/10 - fantastic ride over the mountains south of Oliva to Altea. Great views, 638m pass then down to Bullola to find the road completely washed away in the recent floods. Not to be thwarted, we stripped all the luggage from the bikes & carried all piecemeal around the washout, hanging onto the one remaining crash barrier as we went. Great weather.
15/10 - Sunny all day again. Cycled coast road via Benidorm (busy) & Alicante to Santa Pola (really friendly campsite with complete mixture of nationalities). Sue fell off again 50m from the campsite - fortunately going slowly so little damage to her or the bike - she is getting better at falling off with practice!!!. Contacted Chris Slade to arrange to meet him Wednesday night.
16/10 - Checked out Santa Pola & Elche. Heavy rain in Elche (we were in the bar!) caused river to turn from a 1m wide & deep stream to a 10m wide & ?deep torrent in 2 hours.
17/10 - Rest day, walked to shops & cycled only 10 miles!. Great lunch at beach side cafe S of St Pola, 12 Sardinhos each! Met Chris & Jackie Slade in the evening, drinks chez Slade & meal at their favourite local. Great to see them - some reminiscing about the old ECC days!!! Heavy rain overnight.
18/10 - Rained on & off most of morning. Got to Orihuela for lunch & booked into hotel. Interesting town to walk round - old palaces & churches etc.
19/10 - Cycled fertile valley with mountains either side. Busy as we approached Murcia, but worth a visit for the great Cathedral. Out on increasingly quiet roads to Alhamar & Tohana campsite.
20/10 - Great weather & flat roads most of the day, passing through fields of lettuce & chillies. Passed thru Lorca then Pulpi to Urcal. Last 8kms a climb in mid-pm heat! Rewarded with cold beers at Dennis & Beryl's lovely house overlooking the valley & surrounding mountain scenery. Great to see them enjoying their new life in Spain. Very impressed with Dennis' mastery of Spanish. Also they had managed to arrange a local fiesta in Huercal Overa for us, with all 10,000 inhabitants attending in our honour!!!. Fantastic firework display at midnight. Chicken & chips Spanish style followed by a waffle like sticky substance to die for - full of sugar, covered in sweet sauce & cream - felt your teeth rotting with every bite! Saw Hoopoe & Little Owl.
21/10 - Wonderful breakfast to set us on our way - smoked salmon & scrambled eggs! Straightforward run to Los Gallardos except for 2km off road to avoid Autovia.
22/10 - Sunny all day. Back roads 1st, then climbing into the foothills of the Sierra to 'Little Hollywood' where Spag Westerns were filmed. On thru fantastic desert landscape to Alhamar de Almeria. Stopped for coffee at garage here & were entertained with flamenco music by 3 men in a van filling with petrol! Spa hotel with wonderful balcony view from our room. - recommended by the local tourist office lady who spoke no English but could understand our french!
23/10 - Climbing most of the day thru wonderful mountain scenery of the Sierra Nevada. Pass at 1015m high with 30 vultures circling above & a Golden Eagle soaring south. Stayed at Berja for the night (valley full of plastic greenhouses!). 2 lovely ladies running the hotel spoke no English but explained everything by miming - very amusing.
24/10 - Down main road to Adra, then busy N340 coast road via 3 tunnels to Motril! Quiet campsite by Med. Checked out Salobrena then had tapas in Puerto Del Motril bar.
25/10 - Cycled without luggage to Almunecar. Flood damage still apparent. Pleasant seaside resort.

Orange Blossom Coast

Over 650 miles completed in Spain so far, camped versus hotels roughly 50/50 (all due to campsite availability). Record drinkable red wine price now 49cents/litre!!! Bullrunning season here & many towns seem to have their version of this with great iron fences protecting shop fronts & crowds.

09/10 - Main & coast roads to Vinaros & Peniscola. Camped at Benacassim.
10/10 - Back roads thru Castellon, then lovely orange grove roads to the old town of Sagunto. Oranges just ripening now for harvest. Great sunny weather. Camped at Pucol, rainstorm at night.
11/10 - Dry in the morning. Found good cycle route in to Valencia City. Lunched in the old centre, then out on another good cycle route down the Albufera coast to El Saler to camp. Met American cyclists Rob & Alice at the site. Very heavy storms overnight but our tent & pitch ok - Rob & Alice wet!
12/10 - Parts of the site heavily flooded. Decided to stay another night here to let weather settle a bit. Cycled out around the Alburfera nature reserve area - thousands of herons & egrets on paddy rice fields. Had great lunch in El Saler.
13/10 - Early start, down the coast to Cellura (nice clean place), & on to Gandia & overnight at Oliva. Saturday so many lycra-clad groups of cyclists out today! Fab weather again - 24 degs.