Blog launch

Last training ride before the Camino.
Day 1 - Portsmouth

Arrived with bikes safely. Bit odd - we had to queue up with the cars. Our wheelie bags meant we had to be escorted to the ferry. Attracted some strange looks! Although we were pretty much first on -Læs mere
Day 2 - St Malo and Rennes

Enjoyable morning exploring St Malo and walking on the beach - although wheeling our bikes and luggage on the cobbles was a bit of a challenge! Followed by a hot and frustrating afternoon due to aLæs mere
Day 3 - Paris and Bayonne

We have arrived in Bayonne! A much smoother experience today. TGV are super quick. The one this afternoon was at 200mph for a good 90 minutes. Stopped off in Paris long enough for lunch and a quickLæs mere
Day 4 - StJPdP

Last leg of of train journey to St Jean Pied-de-Port. Unfortunately the French trains haven't been very reliable and we were delayed by an hour. Getting our bikes on and off the trains and trying notLæs mere
Day 5 - Espinal

Today has been our first day of “proper cycling”. Woke up this morning after big thunderstorms last night and official warnings of weather (see photos). It’s been fine and sunny most of the dayLæs mere
Day 6 - Pamplona

Good mountain biking route today - mainly off road, with lots of tricky rocky sections. Lots of people on the first part of the route this morning, from all over the world. Collected some more stampsLæs mere
Day 7 - Pamplona

A “day off” in Pamplona today to give the muscles time to recover. We have done a lot of walking around the tourist spots, however, taking in the star fort, old town and the bull ring. Weather isLæs mere
Day 8 - Estella

Up early as our bags had to be ready for pick up by 7:15! Started the day with a big climb up to the metal statues at Alto del Pardon, followed by a long descent out of the mountains and into theLæs mere
Day 9 - Logrono

Another day of big climbing in the hills: some vey steep sections but with nice long rolling descents. Found a squashed tarantula sized scorpion on the road - caution needed before sitting on anyLæs mere
Day 10 - Logrono

Another busy day in Logrono due to the Wine Festival. Watched the parade and tried some pinchos (tapas). Unfortunately we'll miss the grape treading.
Day 11 - Santo Domingo de la Cazada

It felt like a longer day in the saddle today - although the Garmin shows we were as quick as any other day. The morning was spent amongst the scenic vineyards of the region and watching the harvest.Læs mere
Day 12 - Villafranca Montes de Oca

Crossed the border from 'La Rioja' to 'Castillo y Leon' today, swapping vineyards for fields of dead sunflowers waiting to be harvested. Thankfully the wind was much lighter today so cycling was muchLæs mere
Day 13 - Burgos

Two long hard climbs today (about 200m each) followed by some nice long descents. As a result we covered ground very quickly and got the first half of the ride done by 10.30. A nice cup of coffee atLæs mere
Day 14 - Burgos

Day off in Burgos today - visited the cathedral (one of the largest and oldest in Europe) and the castle.
Heavy rain this morning. Really glad we haven't been cycling today, but feeling sorry forLæs mere
Day 15 - Burgos

Finished now with our two day break in Burgos. It was a bit colder again today (around 16 degrees) so we decided to have a day of culture (museum of human evolution) and shopping in Burgos. Going intoLæs mere
Day 16 - Hontanas (the Meseta)

Our easiest ride so far - despite stopping at every village for a coffee we still arrived too early for lunch. Would have been nice to cover more distance, but there are limited accommodation optionsLæs mere
Day 17 - Carrion de los Condes (Meseta2)

Bit of a cold start (7 degrees) but morning riding was good fun. Lots of downhill with only one big climb - but it was big. The afternoon was straight as an arrow for at least an hour. The walkersLæs mere
Day 18 - Sahagun (Meseta 3)

A relatively easy ride today, although legs were feeling a bit weary after yesterday's sprint. Another day of big open vistas - farmland, wind farms, and fields of dead sunflowers. Mainly flat, butLæs mere
Day 19 - Leon (Meseta 4)

We took advantage of the speed of the bikes today to do 2 sections of the Camino that most people avoid. The first was the Roman road which adds 2km to the journey and bypasses most stopping places.Læs mere
Day 20 - Leon

Relaxing day off in Leon doing tourist things, including the Gaudi building, Roman walls, and Cathedral. Also visited the laundrette, to catch up on washing. Surprised to see it had a specific washingLæs mere
Day 21 - Astorga

Couple of big climbs today. The first was out of Leon- a bit of a shock after the Meseta! Very sunny and it warmed quickly today. Stopped by a few odd villages. One of them seemed to be executingLæs mere
Day 22 - Ponferrada

Change of scenery today as we're back in the mountains. Started the morning cycling 700m up, up, up to the Cruz de Ferro - the highest point on the Camino at 1500m. This was followed by a 1000mLæs mere
Day 23 - Ponferrada

Today has been the last day off before our final push to Santiago. From now on we need 2 stamps a day to get the Compostela. It’s been a good chance today to visit the castle with Chris and Paula,Læs mere
Day 24 - Ambasmestas

A big day in the mountains today! It was Chris' first day joining us so we wanted to find some good mountain bike tracks.
We started with an easy 15 miles, through the vineyards to Villafranca delLæs mere
RejsendeHave a good trip
Thanks Jane, stay safe. [Tony]