"A Year in Spain" My "last gasp" attempt at posting (informative info).

[jumartoo]

On today's ride we passed three well known campsites. Los Madriles, Los Delfines and Las Torres. All seemed to be fairly well occupied, if they aren't yet full.

 

[royandsharont]

Interesting to know. 65 Swedish vans or individuals, overwintered at Los Madrilles last year according to the last Swedish camper there in April this year.

 

[jumartoo]

Today we've been on a local ride. A ride we normally save for winter! Today's 22° temperatures aren't in keeping with 10th December norms.

We were riding in the hills seen from our terrace, looking towards Lorca.

 

[jumartoo]

Willem and Laudy approached us last night with a deal to buy my blue bike for Laudy when my new one arrives.

They've been out for a ride this afternoon and, so far all is good. We keep it until I get my new one then deposit it in their apartment and inform them and they'll send the money.

Both bikes are available for our use when they are in Holland.

We couldn't hope for a better deal.

 

[jumartoo]

We're planning a trip on Tuesday (after my doctors appointment).

For a change we're going to a campsite. We were there at the end of March and we said we'd return. It's at Pinoso and is here.

38.4091, -1.08613 (lat, lng)
N 38° 24' 32.75" , W 1° 5' 10.06" (lat, lng)

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[gus-lopez]

Today's 22° temperatures aren't in keeping with 10th December norms.

Forecast is for 27º here tomorrow & Tuesday.

 

[jumartoo]

Forecast is for 27º here tomorrow & Tuesday.

I know, crazy isn't it?

 

[Jays2]

I have Mercia on my weather app, very surprised at the temperatures you are getting!

what temperature do you usually get this time of the year!

I had you down to long trousers and a light fleece if walking time of year?

 

[jumartoo]

I have Mercia on my weather app, very surprised at the temperatures you are getting!

what temperature do you usually get this time of the year!

I had you down to long trousers and a light fleece if walking time of year?

We normally have an average of around 17° during the winter months.

 

[Peavy]

I know, crazy isn't it?

It's crazy indeed
Next weekend temperatures are supposed to drop, but who knows anymore?

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[jumar]

Cool nights and warm days...perfect...it certainly doesn't feel like the run up to Christmas....our rides now start about 12 noon most days....getting back for late lunch and a few hours relaxing....
Bike cleaning, service and load into MH for our proposed short getaway as jumartoo has posted...yo ho ho..

 

[jumartoo]

We had a lovely sunrise, to help us for our early start.

From our back terrace.

My doctors appointment went brilliantly, time wise and prescription wise, but Dra. Eva still wants me to go for a hearing test with the specialist. She said it would take some weeks/maybe months, so I reluctantly agreed. I've got an appointment at 10.35 on 26 December .

I was in and out of my 9.20 appointment (went in early) and in and out of the chemist by 9.31. Martin was appearing with the motorhome by 9.33.

We arrived at our campsite, pitched, had breakfast (me)/2nd breakfast (Martin) and went for an "easy" bike ride. One section was less than easy, more like hard! We BOTH got off and walked on a few occasions. The hard bit was interesting though, so not all was a disaster. It went through a narrow gap in an old quarry.

The Christmas roundabout in Pinoso.

On the ride.

In, and out, of the hard to ride bit.

And, we don't know what this is, a house? There were a few more, but we didn't get any closer (my old camera zoom worked well again) on our ride today.

The subject of camera replacement has been closed (the company selling is now out of stock )

 

[jumartoo]

Oh .... 24° today .... 14° forecast tomorrow

 

[jumartoo]

We had a beautiful sunrise here and then ....

That wasn't (and isn't) on our weather forecast. It's very windy also.

Sod's Law when we go against our norm of not using and paying in advance for a campsite

 

[jumartoo]

By 11.30 it was good enough to go out. We chose a short, easy ride that we'd ridden in March.

From a short sleeved shirt ride yesterday, today we wore three layers. It was mild enough, but windy.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

We passed another one of the domes. This one is definitely a house (with dogs).

Not many photos because they didn't turn out well.

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[jumar]

It's bitterly cold outside now...the edge of the frontal system is now clearly seen....with brighter but colder weather following behind...
That's concludes today's weather forecast..

 

[daveinspain]

Looks like the same weather front we´ve got here, now cold and windy - but no rain, which we badly need! Love the house

 

[TheMachMan]

We’re just back from a month in Almuñécar and missing the warmer weather. Did I spot that your new e-bike is from Canyon? If so what model did you get? I have one of their MTB’s (Grand Canyon ) and been impressed.

 

[jumar]

We’re just back from a month in Almuñécar and missing the warmer weather. Did I spot that your new e-bike is from Canyon? If so what model did you get? I have one of their MTB’s (Grand Canyon ) and been impressed.

Good spot...yes it a Grand Canyon 0n 9...it's a different beast from riding my YT Decoy.

 

[jumartoo]

Today has been sunny, but very windy. We waited as long as we could before we set off on a ride. We had a multitude of choices, but eventually settled on riding another that we'd ridden before, mainly because it kept us down on the low ground.

It turned out to be a good choice. The ride was better than we remembered. I had a nose bleed (I suffered two years ago with the same problem and, I'd given up using the vaseline recommended by Bev Ralph-n-Bev because the problem went away.) Anyway, I'm now nasally vaselined, once again.

The ride was classified as easy on Wikiloc, and it is easy. The latter part would need some good legs for the ups and downs with a traditional bike, but overall it's a nice route. (One area of dumped rubbish takes a point away from it being a 10).

Dormant vines

An old animal shelter ("I" went inside to take a photo )

And the view from there looking forward to our next bit of the ride.

And the forest towards the end, with the climbs and descents.

Lovely green trees against a blue sky.

And on the final descent back to the campsite. Photo taken into the sun, so muted colours.

All in all, and taking the weather into consideration, we've had a good three days here. We still have the higher parts to explore, so I think we'll be back again some day.

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[jumartoo]

We had a quiet night, except for the wind blowing. Ignore any reports of noisy dogs and road noise from trucks on P4N, we heard neither. I'm going for a hearing test soon, so maybe I'm not the best of people to advise .

We spoke to one of the owners this morning. The site is for sale and they have had some interest. We were surprised that the lot (house and site) is on sale for only €600,000. We're not interested btw.

We took a country route to the hamlet of La Garrapacha, above Fortuna. We had thoughts of, maybe, climbing the via ferrata. We've done it before. We stopped at a newly constructed (still under construction) picnic area. It would make a good overnight spot.

Anyway, we DID climb it (we obviously couldn’t resist the challenge). It didn't seem as easy as before. Some of that down to recent physical (in)ability, and, in my case, mental positivity. I got to the top though, using different routes than (lankier ) Martin.

A Spanish couple are climbing it now, so I'm taking photos from below.

Our parking at La Garrapacha.

And on our climb.

And me, on top, and looking back down to the motorhome.

We're staying here tonight and riding from here tomorrow, in Sierra de la Pila (we orienteered there in the past) before heading home.

 

[jumartoo]

A Spanish couple, climbing the same route. As seen from our parking.

Near the top.

It was lovely (once we'd topped out safely )

 

[jumartoo]

A young couple arrived to climb the via ferrata this morning as we prepared to ride our bikes. Martin spoke to them, but the conversation quickly changed to English. The use English in their work for a German company.

We left them and set off on our easy ride. It was lovely, we can't understand why we've neglected this area so much in the past, only being there for orienteering competitions.

Well be back (again).

The last photo is of an albergue (hostel) where we were once fed a lovely, wood fired/cooked paella in between orienteering organising.

We're home, for a few days. We're then looking at heading west, Lorca direction, for another four days away.

We'd have been away over Christmas, except for my hearing test in Murcia on the 26th

 

[bobnick]

I can really understand why people would love this type of cycling.
Not for us but can understand it.

 

[jumartoo]

I can really understand why people would love this type of cycling.
Not for us but can understand it.

We're trying to wean ourselves off mountain trails to tracks and minor roads. We're slowly getting there.

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[Spriddler]

I can really understand why people would love this type of cycling.
Not for us but can understand it.

I would probably cycle once along dusty tracks in a near barren landscape just for the experience but when abroad I much prefer medieval villages, woodland, cattle grazing, rolling green hills, canals, lakes and rivers.

 

[Jays2]

Hopefully we're going to be around that area in January.

looking on my POIs i had marked Fortuna as a place for thermal spa’s?

Do like a nice hot sauna/steam room.

 

[jumartoo]

Hopefully we're going to be around that area in January.

looking on my POIs i had marked Fortuna as a place for thermal spa’s?

Do like a nice hot sauna/steam room.

Fortuna and Archena both have thermal spas.

 

[jumartoo]

I would probably cycle once along dusty tracks in a near barren landscape just for the experience but when abroad I much prefer medieval villages, woodland, cattle grazing, rolling green hills, canals, lakes and rivers.

We get that when we head north.

 

[Jays2]

To be honest, I personally prefer dusty, than mud!

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