Dubai to Marbella via the UK (4 of 6)

The Trip

Note:

Road numbering has recently under gone certain changes in Spain, the roads number which follow are those used in the computer program I used and in certain cases are the ‘old’ numbers.

I arrived at the Brittany Ferries terminal on the 29th May to find a large quantity of Harleys with strangely dressed persons in attendance, strange in that it was a cold day with non stop drizzle and they were dressed for Daytona Beach. Goose pimples could be seen showing through their tattoos, no comment! It turned out that there was a HOG rally taking place in the Barcelona area the following weekend. Other bikes included another RT with Danish plates and a Goldwing plus trailer, the trailer being topped off with a refrigerator.

The twenty three hour passage to Spain was uneventful. Food was good with several bars and restaurants to choice from. Two cinemas, and an indoor pool were also provided. Accommodation ranged from a reclining chair similar in style to airline first class, too roomy two berth cabins with outside view. Bike accommodation being in an alleyway beside a car deck, with rope / ringbolts being supplied for securing. One good tip is to lash the front brake in the ‘on’ position. I shared a four berth cabin and paid £190 (GBP) which included cost of shipping the RT.

Arrival in Spain – Cantabria

The weather on arrival at Santander was similar to Plymouth, but about 5°C warmer. I drove off and was waved through customs after they had sighted my gleaming new UK number plate. The GPS guided me out of town to the A67 and then on the N634. I headed west as far as Cabezon de Sal, where I headed south on the C625 / C6314. The latter two roads being secondary roads which lead me up to the Picos de Europa mountains through narrow twisty roads. By the time I had reached an altitude of about 500 metres, I had broken through the low cloud into cloudless skies and was riding through incredibly beautiful scenery, with mountain villages located in valleys beneath snow capped peaks.

At La Hermida I joined the N621, (one of the roads which heads north/south through the Picos de Europa) I turned off the N621 at Potes where I took a local road to the La Viorna campsite, where I stayed the night, the first days run being 114 Kms. After erecting my tent, I carried on up the road to Fuente De, a small village with a Parador located at the foot of the some of the highest mountains in the region. I took the cable car up the mountain where I spent the remainder of the day walking.

Second Day

The second day took me to Zamora. The 43 km ride from Potes to Riaño was spectacular passing up over the mountains near the snow line then down through gorges the other side, once I passed Riaño, the scenery changed and I was passing through flatter farming country. I carried on along secondary roads until I was 60 kms from Zamora where I joined the N630.

The campsite at Zamora was brand new, having commenced operating in April. It was fine with good facilities. My only complaints were that the trees were young samplings and provided little shade and that at night the site was floodlit with extremely a powerful lighting system, more appropriate to a sports stadium than a campsite where people sleep. Every other campsite I have stayed had low powered street lights, adequate for finding your way around at night, without being disturbing. In case I have no alternative and have to camp near a light, I carry a set of airline supplied eye shades.