A new adventure to Africa (2 Viewers)

[Helen Ariel]

Hi Helen and Paul, really enjoying this and previous write ups as well as the excellent pics, thanks for posting it all.

Having just bought our first MH we're planning on some similar trips, although maybe with slightly easier trails to begin with. Can I ask, do you decide where to go by finding trails first on Trailforks and then find somewhere to stop off, or vice versa?

Also do you find that you're a bit limited by the range of an SL, just wondering as Mrs L might benefit from a lighter eMTB.

Thanks again

A bit of both really. If we are in the mood for riding and the weather is good then Paul uses trailforks to find trails then we look for a place to stay but equally we might be staying somewhere and then look for riding or hiking using wikilok app which has lots of stuff in France and Spain.

The bike is new to me and my 1st ebike and it's not the bike limiting my range but my level of fitness as we have the range extender the bike could do a huge ride. I keep coming back from 20 plus mile rides (3000ft climbing) with loads of battery left. We don't ride everywhere in turbo though as I still want to feel like I'm working but it's so great being able to stick it in trail mode when confronted by a nasty sharp climb. I'm absolutely loving the bike and it's renewed my desire to ride especially when out travelling you don't know what you're going to come up against.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Hi lebowski

These e-bikes are amazing. We have the range extender batteries for them as well so we can use them if we need them or have a big day out planned. They give us a total battery capacity of 480Wh so still a lot less than a full fat bike, but they’re less powerful so that kind of balances out. I’ve ridden full power e-bikes and they’re a bit Tonka truck for my liking; a real handful coming down the steeper trails we like to ride.
The SL models handle like a proper MTB. In fact I’ve had non electric MTBs that have weighed more than these do; approx 19kg.

Here are some screenshots from our last 3 rides that had some serious climbing in a short distance.

If you use the Trail mode it’ll go through the battery quicker; Turbo really eats it!

We’re happy to maximise the range by using Eco to start with. If we’ve loads of battery left then we’ll spoil ourselves and use Trail more. We rarely use Turbo.

Hope that helps, Paul

 

[lebowski]

Thanks to both of you, very interesting info, does the 'battery used' include the range extender?

As well as being new to MHing, we're new to emtbs as, thanks to a knee problem, I bought one hoping to prolong my cycling days. Looking at using them for easier but longer trails, hence going full fat for mine but wondering if the lighter Mrs L would be better off with something like your set up. I have ridden more motorcycle trials in the past few years, so a full fat mtb is light to me, however I certainly take your point about it being a bit of a lump.

Totally agree about being able to use eco as a means to get fitter, then using trail when needed or, as you say, to spoil yourself. Before trying one I used to think they were the lazy person's option..... In reality, as well as offering more time on the bike, they are so much fun.

How do you deal with security when you're away from the MH? I have to admit to being a fair bit nervous leaving them in an aire, just locked in the garage. Our guard dog has just turned 14, sleeps all day and is pretty much stone deaf!

 

[Helen Ariel]

Thanks to both of you, very interesting info, does the 'battery used' include the range extender?

As well as being new to MHing, we're new to emtbs as, thanks to a knee problem, I bought one hoping to prolong my cycling days. Looking at using them for easier but longer trails, hence going full fat for mine but wondering if the lighter Mrs L would be better off with something like your set up. I have ridden more motorcycle trials in the past few years, so a full fat mtb is light to me, however I certainly take your point about it being a bit of a lump.

Totally agree about being able to use eco as a means to get fitter, then using trail when needed or, as you say, to spoil yourself. Before trying one I used to think they were the lazy person's option..... In reality, as well as offering more time on the bike, they are so much fun.

How do you deal with security when you're away from the MH? I have to admit to being a fair bit nervous leaving them in an aire, just locked in the garage. Our guard dog has just turned 14, sleeps all day and is pretty much stone deaf!

The Malaga ride above was without the range extender, the other 2 were with. We could have done all the rides without them tbf.
It’s very tempting to use the Turbo mode when you first get the bikes but that soon wears off, and we both enjoy just being out & about in nature exploring.
With regards to security we have a ground anchor bolted to the chassis in the garage with an expensive chain & padlock. DM me if you want more details.

Paul

 

[Helen Ariel]

The other great thing is that you can personalise the riding modes. I’m a stronger rider than Helen so she has her modes upped a little to help. I’m also heavier so we usually end up using a very similar % of the battery by the end of the ride.
They’ve been brilliant on this trip as previously we’ve found that where we like riding in Spain, there are no easy climbs! They’re all steep, steep, steep!

Paul

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[PaddyM]

O if you insist I’ll post up my bad boy !

Cube Stereo 160 , my range extender is my spare 500W battery I have in my backpack !

 

[Lenny HB]

Re the water bottles - we used a similar set up in Spain years ago, & the sun shone through one of the bottles & burnt through the awning strap! Just a heads up!

People never believe me when I tell them it's dangerous and can start a fire.

 

[Mikey RV]

I think that’s why some peaple put some colour in the water bottle. Doesn’t reflect the sun so much then like it does with just clear water.

 

[DBK]

So we're getting the fear now! Time is running down too quickly and the experience is just getting better and better. Not sure if I've said it before but WE LOVE SPAIN! The amazing weather we're having obviously helps a lot.

2 years ago when we did our last trip of 5 months we had a similar plan as we're doing now of spending about 2 weeks making our way from Málaga along the med coast to the UK but when we got into Murcia last time there was a really bad spell of weather (Sahara dust pollution, really bad air quality, strange twilight sky all day and raining red sand then forecast heavy rain nonstop for 10 days plus) so we checked forecasts and found that the North coast was sunny and 20 degrees. So we legged it cross country through a day of rain up to Bilbao and had a lovely time up there and traveling back through France.

Anyway this time it's going much more to plan. We loved our 2 nights in Almeria. This morning we got a really early start helped by being bathed in bright sunlight from 8am. We got to the central market by opening time at 9am (a 15min strut from the port) and walked around admiring all the beautiful displays of fruit, veg, meat and fish.
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Topped up on fresh produce whilst reminiscing at the prices of the same stuff in Morocco at a quarter the price.

There is a really good fish market in the basement and we decided we'd like some sea bass as we've not had that yet on our travels and it would make a really nice fish curry which I was craving.
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Of course Paul managed to pick the most enormous fish in the whole place which came in at 25 euros and had me scratching my head about how to deal with it in motorhome kitchen.
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We got back to the van and away by 10.30 and were pleasantly surprised when we inserted our parking ticket to the machine not to be charged for our 2 days parking as we had thought it was 13 euros a night.

Two hours drive and we arrived into Murcia region and were rewarded with a big change in the landscape. Out of the plastic greenhouse cities and barren landscape and into orange and almond groves and pine covered hillsides.
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It was a steep, twisty road up and over to reach the campsite we've booked on for 2 nights in the Parque Regional de Sierra Espuña.
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As soon as we arrived we were wondering if we can stay longer as it's a really nice campsite. The nicest we've been on the whole trip. Swimming pool (probably freezing), table tennis, bar and restaurant, looks like there's lots of good mtbing from here too. 25 degrees today and tomorrow, 28 on Thursday then plunging to 18 on Friday!
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Anyway I hacked the sea bass in half so we have 2 meals for our 25 euros and if I do say so myself it was bloody lush. Thanks Madhur Jaffrey for the inspiration for this Keralan fish curry with Pak choy and courgette.
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Looking forward to riding again tomorrow!

That is a nice site, we were there last year. It is possible to leave by the route going through the village. Once you've escaped the village I found it an easier drive than the alpine route you arrived on. The snag is the way through the village is tight - best to check it out on foot/bike first.

 

[Helen Ariel]

Our ride yesterday turned out to be rather adventurous. We were trying to follow a route someone had uploaded to trailforks that took in various blues and reds and the ride started with a lovely scenic road climb but we managed to go wrong early on and missed a big section of the route that should have had a nice couple of trails on it.

The ride was due to be a massive one so once we got back on route we agreed we would do the main big climb in eco mode so as to still get a good workout. The beauty of the ebikes is the flexibility it gives you. Had we done the full ride we would have used a higher power level and gone more quickly so overall though we missed a section the ride still took most of the day and the effort expended was still high.

We had lunch at the top where nearby there is a greyed out bit on Google maps, a military base with huge white domes visible for miles as you approach.

Then we made our way to the start of our 1st downhill trail, a red supposedly! Well it started off ok, really rocky, narrow and a little overgrown in places but opening out into the most amazing views and a really wild remote feeling with huge exposure on one side. We were being incredibly cautious as one wrong move and you would be off down the rocky mountainside never to be seen again.

You can see the domes in the photo below and the trail we've just ridden down is on the right of photo with a squeeze to get past the tree and the consequence if you get it wrong

It was harder than I had expected from the red trail grade on trailforks but nothing compared to what was to come. I don't have any photos of the rest of the trail as I was too busy womanhandling my 19 kg bike down a mile or more of extremely steep, rutted and stone covered ground. Including one big section of scree slope where Paul had to rescue my bike for me as I could barely stand and was sliding down on my bum in parts. I was not overly impressed. It was so draining.

I think it must have taken an hour at least to reach the bottom and we had a little bit of pleasant trail before reaching a forest car park and stopping for a banana before starting what was described as a flowing blue trail in a dry riverbed that ends at the campsite.

Well it was in a riverbed and it did get us to the campsite and I did manage to ride most of it but it was not what we'd call flowing as it was non stop bolders and a bed of loose stones so you had to have full concentration at all times to navigate the rocks and constantly watch how you pedalled so as to avoid rock strikes and maintain speed on the loose shifting stones.

We ended the ride absolutely shattered! Quite lucky we missed a big section at the start!

After showers and a cold can we had an early dinner of the other half of sea bass bbqed, new potatoes with garlic and butter and padron peppers. Didn't move the rest of the evening!

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[Helen Ariel]

We had a great, scenic xc ride yesterday. Much more relaxing and one I found using Wikilok. It was a nice loop of 20 miles with 3100ft of climbing.

We were a bit sore and fatigued from the day before so we used used trail mode to get round the route a lot more quickly.

It was incredibly quiet with beautiful scenery all the way round and we got back by 2ish and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon.

It was really warm but clouded over which was the first cloud we've seen in ages. We've got 2 cooler but sunny days due next and then it looks like rain for our last few days. Getting us ready for being back in the UK

They certainly need the rain here though. The landscape is dry as a bone, riverbeds are dry and everything looks parched as though it were summer.

 

[Mikey RV]

A nice little drop off in front of you there.

 

[Lenny HB]

Those rides look fantastic but after giving it some deep though l'll stick to disused railway lines.

 

[Pixies]

I am perfectly capable of falling off my bike on a disused railway line, so would also avoid the rocky bits

 

[Helen Ariel]

Those rides look fantastic but after giving it some deep though l'll stick to disused railway lines.

You can save a fortune on your next bike then as no need for an ebike if you stick to the flat

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[Helen Ariel]

Yesterday we left the campsite and did a 3.5 hr drive with some great scenery to Chulilla gorge for a late afternoon walk.

It's a place we had good memories of being with Beech on our last trip. As we walked through the stream I remembered her joy at paddling there and we laughed about the way she reluctantly crept over the 'Indiana Jones' style bridge.

I didn't take many photos as there's loads in the other thread and it was more sunny that time. We were there in November last time and it was really warm and not at all busy.

This time the car park was packed and there were loads of climbers scaling the towering gorge walls.

Then we drove on a short distance to a little town, Sot de Chera, that we had stayed 2 nights at last time. When we had driven into the town before a Kiwi guy who lived there had enthusiastically flagged us down and told us a good place to park and later on we saw him on his mountain bike and he gave us directions for a really amazing trail in the mountains. He also mentioned he runs an Italian restaurant there but unfortunately it wasn't open the days we were there.

Anyway we loved the trail and the town and have been planning to revisit on a weekend ever since.

We phoned ahead to book a table yesterday and unbelievably he remembered us from 2.5 years ago. So we had a lovely (late for us!) dinner there last night. We were the 1st in the restaurant at 8.30 but it filled up not much later and it was something a bit special. Marcus is a great host and chef and his special pizza with pumpkin purée, pork belly, apple, truffle purée, parmesan and honey was amazing!

We got more tips on a new trail and the offer of charging our bike batteries if we came back after our ride.

The walk back up to the van was moonlit and we played with our phones night settings again to photograph the town at night.

Which phone wins?

Today was very cold, bright and windy and we had a great ride and then lunch and bike charging at the restaurant. We are off to another cycling location this evening, Borriol near Benicassim.

 

[Gina M]

The first night photo gets my vote

 

[Langtoftlad]

1st pic

 

[Just smiffy]

Ditto…

 

[Helen Ariel]

That was the correct answer Pixel beats iPhone.

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[Northernraider]

I think that’s why some peaple put some colour in the water bottle. Doesn’t reflect the sun so much then like it does with just clear water.

Yep the Germans use pee

 

[Helen Ariel]

So we arrived in Borriol early evening Saturday with a plan to ride some of the trails that were recommended to us by a couple we met in Malaga. It was overcast when we woke to the sound of loads of cars & people. Turns out there was a big trail running event on where we were going to ride, and we had rain overnight so we made the decision to keep driving north up the Med coast towards Tarragona where the forecast was better. We stopped for some supplies at an Aldi and turned inland to overnight at Poblat UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We went for a quick walk to stretch our legs and came across a water point dating back to the 13th century.

Cracking park up in the big car park with several other vans of various sizes that just happened to have some interesting looking trails nearby.
What a great decision it was as the weather was much better if a little bit cooler than we’ve been used to over the last several weeks.
I’d found a route that left from the car park and it was straight into a big climb up to a stunning viewpoint.

The trails were some of the best we’ve ridden on this trip too so we’ll definitely be back here again!

Much less rocky and loads more flow to them; they reminded us of riding back home just on a bigger scale. It was a cracking ride.

And just as we were hitting our final descent we came across a sign and tape across the trail saying it was closed as they were culling wild boar.

We had to re-route and head down a different trail that was longer, steeper, more technical, a bit more rocky…
Turned out to be the best trail of the day! Excellent!

We were both pretty exhausted by the time we got to the bottom so I packed up the bikes, Helen made lunch, we both showered and hit the road north again. Our destination was Figueres where we stopped at a Decathlon to grab a couple of things. Currently parked up just outside Vilabertran and it is chucking it down!
Carrefour tomorrow followed by some wine shopping as this is a great area for big reds, then fill and empty before a steady 3 day drive through France avoiding toll roads.

Cheers, Paul

 

[Helen Ariel]

A scenic drive through SW France took us to the outskirts of Caussade where we spent a very peaceful night next to a church. Google took us on some interesting back roads as we’d set it to avoid tolls so we didn’t cover quite as much ground as I’d anticipated but we saw some lovely parts of France that we’d not driven through before. The weather was also a little bit damp so we drove until it was getting towards dusk.
Yesterday we aimed to get within 300km of Dieppe and managed to get to a cracking FLT on the banks of the Loire just outside Blois. An early start also meant we were able to spend a couple of hours visiting Oradour-sur-Glane.

It was a very sombre moving experience.

The site of a terrible massacre by the Nazis that occurred just 4 days after D-Day when 643 innocent civilians were massacred. The details are horrific but we both felt that it’s incredibly important to share our experience, even more so as it appears global politics are drifting towards populism once again.

The idea behind the preservation of the site is so that we can learn from the past, and hopefully never make the same mistakes again…

The melted bell from the church

Bullet holes visible inside the church

As chilling as it was, we both felt that it was a must see.

We had a pretty quiet drive on and made it to Blois. Today we’re heading to Chartres to buy some cheese, then we’ll avoid Rouen as I forgot to get a Crit d’Air sticker in time for this trip. Not an issue as we’ve less than 300 km to drive to Dieppe so have loads of time to stop somewhere nice for a Menu du Jour.
We’re both looking forward to getting home now and are on an early ferry tomorrow. Back in Blighty for lunch!

Thanks, Paul

 

[Mikey RV]

We have visited there on a bleak October morning and never saw anyone else there. It was a bit spooky. As big and ugly as I am I was bought to tears. Nikki could not even go in the church because she knew what had happened in there. I think everyone should visit a place like that to realize how lucky we are and how cruel the world is sometimes.

 

[Helen Ariel]

We have visited there on a bleak October morning and never saw anyone else there. It was a bit spooky. As big and ugly as I am I was bought to tears. Nikki could not even go in the church because she knew what had happened in there. I think everyone should visit a place like that to realize how lucky we are and how cruel the world is sometimes.

Absolutely. I was struggling to hold back the tears at the beginning as they had a photographic exhibition showing the faces of the towns residents. I just couldn't look at it after seeing a few including very young babies and children.

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[Helen Ariel]

Omg what a welcome home to England! It's absolutely minging. Oh well will help wash off the last of the Saharan dust

We had the 2nd disaster of our trip this morning (the 1st being the horrendous crossing and sea sickness)

Paul had some how put the wrong ferry time in his calendar so we arrived an hour late at 6.30am and the gates were closed. We could still see people loading but they wouldn't let us through. Next ferry at 6pm and an extra £75.

Well sod that we are back to work on Monday and a have a lot to do this weekend so we drove to Calais and got on a train at 10ish. It was painful parting with an extra £290!! We'll be home in and hour and a half though. Also I was pretty worried about the crossing as it's such horrible weather again so at least I skipped that.

Thanks everyone for keeping us company on our adventure. Looking forward to the next one already!x

 

[Mikey RV]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us. Really enjoyed the photos and write up.

 

[Jimbohorlicks]

Next year will be here sooner than you think .start saving and planning now.
Ps glad you enjoyed Morocco.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Omg what a welcome home to England! It's absolutely minging. Oh well will help wash off the last of the Saharan dust
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We had the 2nd disaster of our trip this morning (the 1st being the horrendous crossing and sea sickness)

Paul had some how put the wrong ferry time in his calendar so we arrived an hour late at 6.30am and the gates were closed. We could still see people loading but they wouldn't let us through. Next ferry at 6pm and an extra £75.

Well sod that we are back to work on Monday and a have a lot to do this weekend so we drove to Calais and got on a train at 10ish. It was painful parting with an extra £290!! We'll be home in and hour and a half though. Also I was pretty worried about the crossing as it's such horrible weather again so at least I skipped that.

Thanks everyone for keeping us company on our adventure. Looking forward to the next one already!x

Welcome back, everything is running perfectly here.

 

[scousebird]

Enjoyed following your trip. Welcome home to the glorious weather.

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