Stage 18 Back to follow our first journey in Spain.

Today along the route there were Sunflowers. we have seen spanish sunflower fields before but all the flowers were dead and brown. these are only dying and still have some yellow colour; Enough to brighten the terrain and add to the sight is it this morning. There are trumps of ground covered in purple heather in amongst the gold baron ground we are used to and these yellow/ browning su flowers. It is so different from what we have seen before. That is the thing that The Cyclist says, that Spain has astounded him with its completely different terrain in the different parts of the country. Mostly pasts tourists a don’t usually get to because they haven’t heard or don’t know.
Our start town of Burgos is a World heritage site due to its prehistoric history. There are lots of references to it but unfortunately the closest we got was the hotel.
I needed fuel and we were heading North along county roads so I stopped where the fuel wasn’t too pricey as in the city the costs of diesel had shot up and The Cyclist said I would have to look along the way.  This stop was in the middle of nowhere at the foot of a big hill. There was a guy tending the flower beds when I pulled up and began the process of filling up. he quickly ambled over and took over. He was probably late twenties in his dirty kveralls dressed for the winter. yes it was cooler and I had a jacket and scarf on, but has he ever been to England? That said it was a chilly wind and the weather had definitely turned.  Another older guy pulled up and went into the cafeteria. He was wearing orange overalls and came in an a tractor. He grunted a shortened version of Buenos dias, and the pump guy grunted back in an even shortened grunt “hurmph Dias”.
At 1058m altitude and the wind is strong which explains the plethora of windmills on the mountain top behind us. The poor Cyclist. Another 5 mountain day and he is battling a headwind again. The big mountains are at the end of the day when he will be spent from fighting the wind.
The towns so far have been falling down and deserted. We come across one that is tiny but bigger than the few houses that have made the deserted villages do far. There is sign of life here but I took a picture of the cafe bar on the main road so you can see what I mean. This is the and that time and Spain forgot, a long way from the Costa’s you are more familiar with.
Driving but won’t cross the white line. Obsessed with that rule. It has climbed 2C to 17C bad I hope the storms that were for ast here two days ago are not going to appear.
No Fracking graffiti is written all over the road signs. They obviously don’t want it and I guess here might be somewhere they want to do it as the force against it is so strong.
Today I was Stopped by police pulling random cars in. I pointed at myself saying Me? i got a frantic wave of the hand so I pulled up behind another car that had been stopped and was being breathalised. I also pipped my horn at the Cyclist who was whizzing round the island but I don’t think he heard. this aggravated the 5 coppers. oh dear. he came to my passenger side window and stuck his head in saying something in quick Spanish. I told him No Spanish spoken and said sorry. He said something g else. I have no idea what. Maybe it was something g horrid to see of he got a reaction. He did t just another sorry I don’t speak Spanish. I said I am with the cyclist and pointed to the road he had taken. He waved me on. I did so a bit quick and my Cyclist was waiting just off the island so maybe they saw that I was with him. Who knows? He couldn’t be off the huge wheel bag and the cycling bibbed shorts drying on the passenger seat.
When we get to the climbs it was more like Wales than Spain. The terrain is just like it and its a far cry from the Barron fields we started with this morning. On the penultimate climb, the clouds off the Atlantic as closed in. Not enough for it to be foggy, but it was misty and it has stolen what looms to be spectacular views of green fields against a blue sky. Once again this part of Sain is proving more beautiful that any other. It’s amazing then that so few Brits have visited, preferring to get a plane to Costa’s with Irish bars, English pubs and places serving bavon egg and chips!
Of all the days The Cyclist said this was the best so far. He has been in the alps, Dolomites and Pyrenees so it would take something special to take his breath away. But today the scenery did just that. He couldn’t get enough of it even asking me to take photos of certain things rather than just leaving it up to me.
And here we are, with Santander and the sea as a backdrop. Just two more days of mountains to go, but what will they hold?
Soundbites:
Be my baby – Bay City Rollers
I believe – Marcella Detroit
Shout – TFF
The River – Bruce Springsteen
Girls Talk – Dave Edmunds
Four minute warning – Mark Owen

3 Responses

  1. You see Douglas, my knowledge of the Costa’s is limited. They probably do have Scottish bars. I said Irish as in the back streets of Jerez right by the bullring, there was an Irish bar serving Guinness and it could have been Dublin when I went in to ask directions.

  2. Ah, I. Case anyone wonders why the Rebecca y Willy sign photo is there. I put it up by mistake as In my rush this morning I thought is was the No Fracking one. I took this for Angel Boo and The Physiologist as it looked like they had been along the road before we had. Ask of you don’t get it and I will explain. Xx