Monday 6th October 2014 - Salamanca, Spain

Les and Ian had a blowout meal last night at a very good restaurant close to the hotel. They needed to top up their calories - Ian's Garmin gizmo showed that he had burned 4750 calories yesterday!
The boys decided that they deserved a day of rest and considering that they have cycled over 100km per day for the last three days, we have to agree.
We all met up in the city centre for some sightseeing. The architecture is stunning and we saw plenty of it as we followed the Michelin Green Guide walking tour. First on the itinerary was the Convento de San Esteban with it's soaring beautifully carved stone frontage. We then took an audio guide of the new and old cathedrals. This was very informative and very interesting but by the end it all became a bit of a blur of artists, sculptors and religious figures. Lunch came as a welcome relief!

More sightseeing followed before we walked to the boy's hotel for a planning meeting. We had hoped to go to the same restaurant that the boys used last night but it is closed on Mondays so we walked a few more metres to a bar where we had yet another great value meal. At the end of the trip, Ian and Les are going to be super fit and slim whilst we are going to be the size of a house!
We left the boys to have a reasonably early night whilst we walked back into the city to catch the last bus. On the way we were able to admire the floodlit buildings and walk through the floodlit Plaza Mayor. This is one of the most beautiful sights in Salamanca - high, arcaded buildings surround the square and the lights give it all a wonderful honey glow.
Photos: It might be a rest day but it's also washing day; They have interesting garages in Salamanca!; Carving in the cathedral; The beautiful cathedral ceiling and cupola; With a man we met - he wasn't very talkative; Plaza Mayor by day and night.

Sunday 5th October 2014 - Salamanca

After an early start (we had to get the aire owner out of bed to let us out), we met up with Les and Ian at Castronuevo where they sorted out clothes for washing and took fresh clothes from the stock that we were carrying. As they left Villalpando with the sun rising, they came across a shepherd driving his herd of sheep. He was mounted on a horse and had his dogs with him and, in this desolate terrain, it could have been a scene from centuries earlier.
Although it looked perfectly innocuous, it became apparent that the place where we met was covered in large very spikey seeds. They stuck to our shoes and soon covered the carpet in the motorhome. None of us realised the consequences of this until we caught up with the boys outside the village, finding Les repairing a puncture. In the end, a new inner tube was required and he used the spare tyre just in case any of those nasty spikes were embedded in the old one.
Refreshed with drinks of cold water and a cheese sandwich, they were on their way again. All was well when we passed them again a few miles later.
It was at this time that Jane let out a cry and said that we had just passed a small owl at the side of the road. I reverse the van and to our amazement, it was still there just a few feet away! Jane was able to take a photograph before it became agitated and flew away. It was a very pretty Athena owl and it is the closest that we have ever been to an owl in the wild.
On then to Toro where we wanted to do some sightseeing and Les and Ian were hoping to have lunch. We managed to park the van high above the river Duero with a spectacular view over the surrounding countryside and within two minutes walk of Toro cathedral. A speedy walk around the centre admiring the lovely architecture was followed by a purchase of some local wine and then it was back to the van for lunch sat looking at that wonderful view.
We expected to catch up with the lads quite quickly but they had made very good time and it was many miles before we saw them. More cold water was dispensed and they told us that they had dropped the idea of stopping in Toro - the time lost with the puncture and the long distance to Salamanca weighed heavily on their minds. A quick bite to eat at the side of the road had to suffice.
The scenery was more interesting today as there were hills in view and the road was more undulating but we were aware that this also made the cycling more difficult. Still the weather was still perfect - dry, sunny but not too hot and virtually no breeze.
We arrived at our Salamanca campsite on the north-west edge of the city to discover that the next bus left in 20 minutes. A frantic few minutes were spent parking, hooking up and sorting out and we were on our way to the city centre. Les and Ian had established that the hotel was only half a mile out of the centre but that was obviously written by the owners as it was a very long half mile! We arrived 5 minutes before them and they looked remarkably fresh considering what they had achieved. They told us that they had asked for directions in the city and were immediately surrounded by ten people each with their own ideas as to how to get to the hotel. However one person took Les aside and told him the best route. He explained that he had been helped many times when in England and was very pleased to be able to help them in Spain.
125km in the day - the furthest yet
5hr 30mins actual cycling - the longest yet
600km cumulative - HALF WAY!!!!!!
A great achievement!
Don't forget to support Les and Ian's charities by visiting www.justgiving.com/teams/lesian
Photos: Traffic jam in Villalpando; Happy times - meeting up at Castronuevo; Not so happy times - mending a puncture just outside Castronuevo; The Athena owl; We past many of these elaborate dovecotes in this area; The impressive Toro Cathedral; Salamanca in all its glory.

Saturday 4th October 2014 - Villalpando, Spain

Les and Ian set off at 08:30 with the ambitious target of reaching Villalpando. Although we followed different routes, we all found the scenery rather uninteresting. The plain was exactly that, huge expanses of largely flat (cyclists may disagree) agricultural land with only occasional sleepy villages where mud-brick buildings gently decayed. We passed field after field of sunflowers that must have been beautiful when they were in flower but now wizened and dull, standing erect and brown, waiting to be harvested for their oil. The only sign of activity was the occasional tractor ploughing the dry fields and raising huge clouds of dust that could be seen for miles.
However, we did see a large number of birds of prey that seemed to enjoy those vast open areas. We must have seen at least thirty birds of many different species from those with huge wings circling above (looking for cyclists?) to harriers and kestrels.
We also managed to visit a National Nature Reserve - Las Lagunas de Villafafila. The lakes were rather short of water at this time of year but there were plenty of waterfowl and waders. Their claim to fame is that they have the world's largest population of great bustards, nearly 2,000. There is a connection here with our part if Somerset where the great bustard has just been reintroduced to the Somerset Levels nature reserve.
Shortly after we arrived at our aire in Bretocino, we heard from Les and Ian. They had another excellent day, having completed 110km with 5½ hours of cycling time. The told us that they had met a charming American couple walking on the pilgrimage trail. They were impressed with the cycling challenge and wished Les and Ian good luck.
Photos: Monument on the Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage route near Carrion de Los Condes; Les and Ian passed the very dry Canal Cea-Carrion; Most of the Las Lagunas de Villafafila Nature Reserve lakes were dried up but this one still had some water in it and was much appreciated by the ducks; The private Bretocino aire was very posh.

Friday 3rd October 2014 - Carrion de los Condes, Spain

It was last night that I discovered that the laptop was not working and today two PC shops in Aguilar confirmed that the diagnosis was terminal.Les and Ian cycled to meet us at our aire and I gave them the bad news.
On the cycling front, it is looking very good. The terrain is less hilly, so they are able to push on a little faster. We had decided on two possible stops, Osorno la Mayor or Carrion de los Condes. We followed exactly the same route as the boys and kept expecting to pass them. Later we worked out that we passed them as they had stopped for an ice cream in Osorno. It was from there that they texted us to say that they were pushing on to Carrion. They made a fantastic effort today completing 105km in 5 hours of cycling time. This puts them well on schedule and reduces the pressure for the next few days.
Carrion is an interesting village on one of the major pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. This meant that there was more accommodation but much of it was full. Fortunately, the boys found a good hotel near the centre and booked a table for us in their restaurant. And it was a very good meal for only €11 each for three courses and half a bottle of wine. It must be said that we have had excellent value meals ever since we have arrived in Spain.
We then returned to Henrietta parked in an aire on the opposite side of the river from the village.
Photos: Approaching Aguilar de Campoo - the sharp-eyed amongst you may notice the castle middle right; A closer view of the castle; The river at Carrion de los Condes; The square in Carrion.

Thursday 2nd October 2014 - Reinosa, Spain

The boys were still carrying too much weight in their saddle bags as there had not been any opportunity to transfer items to the motorhome. We travelled over to their hotel for 09:00 so that they could lighten their load before today's long haul.
By 09:10 they were on their way. Lights were needed for a while as heavy autumn mist gave poor visibility but the sun soon burnt it off. The first 30km was constant hill and that was followed by 15km of very steep (10%) hill. They arrived, knackered (technical cycling term meaning weary) in Reinosa at 14:30. They had covered 49km with 3 hours 20 minutes of actual cycling time - Les doesn't believe Ian's Garmin figures, he thinks that they were cycling much longer! Les said that it was the toughest day's cycling that he had ever done, and that is saying something!
We had a very interesting morning visiting caves at Santa Maria de Cayon. These are UNESCO listed and were occupied in prehistoric times. The number of visitors is strictly controlled and we had to wait for more than an hour to join a guided tour. It was well worth the wait and we saw two caves with remarkable prehistoric cave art - hand prints, symbols and many animals such as horses, deer and bison.
We were surprised to get the text from Les to say that they had arrived at Reinosa, as we thought that it would take them much longer. We arrived at their unprepossessing hotel in an industrial estate a little later. Ian had found it on the internet with very good reviews and apparently geared up for bikers (motor variety). It turned out to be a gem - very friendly staff, excellent food, comfortable rooms and secure storage for the bikes.
There wasn't anywhere for us to stay in Reinosa so we continued for another 33km to Aguilar de Campoo where we pitched in an aire.
Total cycling kilometres to date 261.
P.S. Les would like to point out to his friend Alan that there were no hills today, only inclines!
Photos: Setting off for the first full day cycling in Spain; No photography was allowed in the caves but here is the entrance to one that was not open to the public; One of the many viaducts of the A67 that Ian and Les past and we drove over;
Ian resisting the temptation to let 'the train take the strain'; Aguilar de Campoo is a lovely town with interesting rock formations on its edge - here are some behind an old chapel.

Wednesday 1st October 2014 - Torrelavega, Spain

Ian got a reasonable night's sleep whilst Les remarked that he had found the softest part of the steel deck. In other words, he slept on the floor and got some sleep. Our cabin was very comfortable!
It was great spending the day catching up with Les and Ian's trip so far and we got the details of the "interesting(!!!) off-road cycling" that Ian mentioned on day 2. Apparently, Ian asked if there was an alternative route that they could take to avoid the busy main road out of Pimperne and the B&B owner described one. Either, the description was incorrect or it was incomplete or there was some incompetence in following it. I will let you decide which applies! Anyway, the track that they followed soon ran out and they ended up following a footpath over fields that involved taking very heavily laden bikes over two styles and a locked gate before they reached another track. Then came Blandford army camp where there was no way through and they had to follow the perimeter fence. All of this added a large extra distance to their journey and meant that they were very late meeting up with Alan, Inga, John and Peg. Both have expressed a desire to avoid any more off-road experiences on the rest of the trip!
When we arrived at Santander, Les and Ian set off for Torrelevaga, a journey that involved considerable climbs, the toughest so far, and they had to use lights, arriving at the hotel in the dark.
Meanwhile, we drove to our very popular aire at the Cabarceno Nature Park. Our pitch had a view over a small lake where hundreds of egrets gathered and roosted in the trees that surrounded it.
And now for the bad news. My laptop has died and I have no method of accessing the photographs on any of our cameras. Hopefully, I will be able to add photos from my phone in later posts.
Photos: The aire at the Cabarceno Nature Park with the lake in the background. Unfortunately, I lost the photographs of the egrets when the laptop failed.

Tuesday 30th September 2014 – Aboard the Pont Aven

Les and Ian would like to recommend their B&B in Hythe. They stayed at The Maples Hotel where Charlotte looked after them very well and the breakfast was excellent.

This was a day of ferries. It started with the ferry from Hythe to Southampton and then continued along Cycle Route 2 to the Hamble Ferry. These boats come in a fetching shade of pink but, unfortunately, this clashes awfully with the purple of Les and Ian's BIBIC shirts. The situation was saved by keeping their hi-vis jackets on, although it must be said that the fluorescent green and yellow weren't a good match either!

Their route took them through the impressive and beautiful Tichfield Haven Nature Reserve and they soon arrived at the Portsmouth Ferry terminal. Their only complaint of the day was that the over zealous road builders had put speed bumps across the full width of the road, forcing cyclists to go over the steep and very uncomfortable humps. And that was on a dedicated cycle route.

Meanwhile we set off from Somerset in Henrietta and, after a very easy drive, arrived at the ferry terminal just half an hour after the boys. It was obvious that Brittany Ferries had done their research as the VIPs, Les & Ian, were let onto the ferry very quickly but the 2^nd class passengers, including us, had to wait another hour and a half, just minutes before the planned departure time. Needless to say, the ferry was half an hour late leaving but I am sure that it will make up the time on route.

We had plenty to catch up on with Les and Ian and this was done during the evening whilst they introduced us to the main purpose of the trip – eating and drinking.

To donate to Les and Ian's charities, please visit www.justgiving.com/teams/lesian

Photos: Ian taking the rays on the pink ferry; The Spinnaker Tower at Portsmouth as the Pont Aven sails past; "Sell, Sell" - Jane on the phone to her broker whilst trying to catch up with the boys' drinking.