The Adventure Starts

To my daughter Katherine (& of course Phil her husband) a daughter Olivia Grace borne 4th October 8lbs 8oz - mother, daughter & husband doing well.
Tomorrow morning at first light (6th October - Gilly's birthday) Paul and Maggie are giving me a lift to the north coast to Ribadeo. I start cycling east and have about 100km to pedal to Avilés. On Monday Gilly arrives in Santander and drives west for about 200km and we meet hopefully in Avilés.
My technical attributes do not quite stretch to map making so pics will have to do.
To those who thought I was caught in the floods in SE Spain I can reassure you that Galicia is still in the NW and I am at least 1500km away from drowning! I have been near Tomiño close to Portugal and the Atlantic.
The long range weather looks good but I am expecting rain next Wdnesday.

My next update will be when I can find a wifi conection.

The best laid plans ..........

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Britany Ferries have decided that the plans we have had in place now for a few months did  not tie in with their plans - the strike has left Gilly stuck in the wet and cold of Dartmoor. Perhaps not all bad as she delayed her travel plans to be around when Katherine produced - there is still no movement and she is well overdue - it must happen soon or the quacks will intervene, which as Katherine wants a natural birth in some sort of swimming pool is not what she wants. She should have come out with me as I have been cleaning the pool here everyday!

So we have revised our plans - Gilly now sails to Santander arriving on 8th, strike permitting, I get a lift with Paul & Maggie to the north coast on 5th but to Ribadeo - about 120km to the east of our original planned starting place and I start cycling. The plan is to bump into each other at Avilès and then continue with the rest of the route. we will probably be a day or so
ahead of our original programe.

The weather here continues to be greeat. Once I have finished my chores I relax by the pool until it is time for a glass of chilled Albariño to finish a hard day in Galicia. Unfortunately it looks as if the weather is going to break just as Gilly's ferru berths!

Galicia - update

I thouht it was time to give you an update. The crossing by ferry to Santander was great. Flat calm across The Bay of Biscay, spouting whales near the ship and welcomed by warm sunshine in Spain. I picked up a hire car, big enough to take my bike, I set up my satnav on my new smart phone to take me to Vigo and off I set. I went round and round in circles, it refused to let me on the motorways and I was getting hot, flustered and very p......ed off. I stopped more than once to swear at the satnav thingy and hit it to make it do the right thing- I then realised you also have to be smart to use this thing - once I had changed the setting for vehicle of choice from bicycle to car it
took me onto the motorway and towards Vigo. Obviously it thinks it is smarter than mee - we shall see who is boss over the comg weeks!

I stopped at a Hostal overnight- clean w
i an en-suite - about 30km north of Santiago. I knew I was now in Galicia. No smiles, no quarter given for my lack of Spanish in fact nothing given away. Food was not served until 9pm - time enough
for 2 large beers which meant that when food was ready I just nodded as I couldnot trust my lips to make the right noises so what was put in front of me to eat was a great surprise.

Paul picked me up from Vigo and I am now looking after their various animals. Gilly has the same journey to look forward to next weekdnd as long as Britany Ferries settle the strike.

Our Proposed Route

I have attached our proposed route - this is just the outline and will change as the whim takes us. Mike & Julie - some old friends, live in Condom in France and we are hoping to stay with them for a night or two to do our washing and to make some in-roads into their wine cellar. In Le Barcares some more old friend (Mike & Jenny) have an appartment where we plan to rest for a week before returning to Devon.

Atlantic to the Mediterranean - Ferrol to Le Barcares

Gilly and I are preparing for our European adventure. I am catching the Ferry to Santander on Sunday 16th September and then driving down to Tomino to stay with our friends Maggie and Paul. I will be looking after their menagerie (dogs, cats, fish and guinea pigs to name a few) whilst they are in Cyprus for a couple of weeks. Gilly will join me at the end of the month after Katherine, our youngest,  has produce our 11th grandchild. In early October Paul and Maggie will take us to Ferrol in  Northwest Galicia when our adventure will begin.







We plan to cycle from Ferrol across the north coast of Spain, sneak into France near Bayonne and then meander across France to Le Barcares on the  Mediterranean where we will spend a week in a friends appartment relaxing.  

Hull to Muckle Flugga 2011

In 2011 I set of for the last leg of my North Sea Cycle route. I caught the train to Hull and cycled of northwards. My niece Sally, joined me in Edinburgh and stayed with me for about 9 days. Gill joined me in Abredeen and cycled through to John O'Groats, the Orkney's and we completed the journey at Muckle Flugga on the northern tip of Unst in the Shetlands.

The report on this trip is at:

http://www.web-agency.com/sandy/nscrd/