The first day’s ride out of Girona happened to fall on the day of that storm that came through Europe and at times I worried I had made a bad decision to ride that day. My route was a long climb up in to the hills of Les Guilleries and the wind was so strong that sometimes I couldn’t move and had to stop and hold on tight so I didn’t topple over! I stopped earlier than planned and stayed in Sant Hilari Sacalm where I recovered, warmed up and talked myself in to riding again the next day.
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| Sheltering from wind and rain |
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| Snakeskin found while sheltering. Posted to snake-loving niece at home. |
The next morning I managed to walk in to a clear glass wall as I tried to enter a bakery for the day’s provisions. Burst in to tears with the shock of the hit to my head but seemed to recover and had a great day of climbs, sun, mountains, pretty Vic and slightly less aggressive wind.
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| Morning climb - cold and lovely. Reached 1000 meters here one of the highest points in the route |
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| One of the climbs achieved |
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| Lots of Catalonia flags and graffiti everywhere |
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| Pretty Vic |
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Roman temple in Vic
 | | Bike - table lunch stop |
I’d decided to give Barcelona a miss as I’d been there before and its size and endless busy roads put me off this time. Instead I had hills and wind, little towns, beer and pork factories and then hot plains as I moved towards Lleida. I took an afternoon to look around the city including its impressive hill-top castle and disused cathedral. Stayed in a strange hostel within which I seemed to be the only woman and only person over 25… hey ho!
 | | Montserrat mountains from a distance on the way to Lleida. Considered riding there but talk of the crowds put me off. |
 | | Lots of small holdings on the way. Loved these beauties |
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| A lot of sheep in a small space |
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Hill top villages
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Village taps saved me on hot rides many times
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Lleida
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The disused hill-top cathedral at Lleida
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Inside, many of the figures were beheaded and the decorative features were removed by previous military occupation
 | | I enjoyed this depiction of Jesus as a shepherd at the front of a Lleida church - a change from all the crucifixion images |
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Love the tiles outside shops that show you exactly what happens in that shop. No worries if you can’t read!
The route out of Lleida was along a pretty gravel track by a river. Very different to the huge factory lined roads that I followed in. I was quickly into barren, almost desert-like agricultural land with villages few and far between. Two days of this took me up and over the Park Naturel del Ports, then along the Ebra river and out to the Delta de l’Ebra. This was a bit of a detour to see flamingoes, the rice fields and the big beaches. Definitely the right decision - it was as expected and I ended up with an entire hostel to myself - it was now definitely the ‘off season’.
 | Gravel route out of Lleida
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| Dry and hot and quiet |
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| Terraced fields full of olives |
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| Following the Ebra river |
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| Happy in sun, by the river and traffic free |
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| Dreamy bike path along the Ebra |
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| As I neared the coast, the orange trees began |
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| I stopped for a snack at the market in Tortosa |
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| Olives en route |
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| One of the beaches on the Delta de l'Ebra |
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| You might have to just trust me that these are flamingoes |
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| Views across rice fields |
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Lots of these symbols across Catalonia - part of a campaign to have Catalonian campaigners/leaders released from prison
 | | A seafood treat now that I’d reached the sea! |
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The final two days into Valencia were full of warm sun, endless empty beaches and occasional extreme headwind. Very different to the empty fields and quiet villages I’d been through further north.
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| First sea swim since Corsica. Cold and lovely. Spaniards in coats and hats while I was in the sea! |
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 | 5 miles of gravel right next to the bluest sea and quietest beaches
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| Benicassim |
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| Another empty hostel room all to myself. I did meet other cyclists here though - including one cycling from Russia to Portugal! |
Books read:
- Good Material, Dolly Alderton ****
- The Girl with the Louding Voice, Abi Dare ***
- All My Mothers, Joanna Glen ***
Route:
Distance cycled in this section: 393 miles
Distance cycled in total so far: 1234 miles
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| ...also the last bit along the coast in to Valencia which didn't show up here |
