It was a dark winter’s night. The wind rustled treetops reaching into blackness and the floor of the valley was wet with melting snow. The only light, the warm glow from the windows of the solitary inn, cradled against the elements by the hillside.
“You must be mad,” said Tim and Nicola, as one. “It’s bad enough in a car let alone on a bike.” Tim sipped his pint of Throckmorton’s “Winter Warmer” – the one with the robin with the red nose.
I had just described my plan to cycle from Malaga to Seville in two days, over the hills and far away. Tim and Nicola know Spain. They know it well. Nicola spends half the year there. “It’s a push but you’ll find it easier if you do it in 3, obviously. I wouldn’t do it in 2.”
The theme developed, describing long slow winding turns up the mountain, through the mountain and down the other side. Mrs. Monkey began to look concerned.
On the way home, she chimed in, “I think you better do rearrange your Malaga to Seville leg. It is the start after all, and you don’t want to work too hard early on. You have a long way to go.”
And so it was that the Spain Ride planning took another tweak. It has now been tweaked several times and the plan looks like this…….starting May 15th…….
Malaga > El Burgo > Algodonales > Seville > Monesterio > Almendralejo >Merida > Caceres > Plasencia > Guijelo > Salamanca > Valladolid >Palencia > Aguilar > Comillas > Santander
……approximately 700 miles-ish (give or take a few wrong turns).
The ride really ends in Comillas which I have tagged on the end so that I can visit Gaudi’s house nearby.
I have decided to do this for a number of reasons but mainly because I wanted to challenge myself (I’m not going to climb Everest) and I have never done anything like this before even though I can be seen out on my bike regularly enough………. and then the after-thought was that I might try to raise some funds for our India charity. You’ll find the link over on the sidebar if you are so inclined.
The Orphanage is growing – there are now 9 children there – and we want to rescue more from the poverty and degradation that besets them in rural India. So if you can help, you will find more information on our Facebook page, your proverbial loose coppers will be much appreciated. If it’s not your thing that’s okay too.
With only a few weeks to go the prep is becoming intense. I have a huge cardboard box to practice squeezing my bike into for the flight. I am training like crazy and putting the miles into my legs, as they say… and I have my bum cream ready to go y estudio espaniol para mi viaje.
Just beginning to get excited now.
singlemaltmonkey 
Sounds gruelling……….but fun……I think…….
Wish you could attach a camera to your bike handle and live stream the whole thing! 😀
Glad you listened to the voice of reason. 700 miles in two days = madness!
I’m hoping it will be fun rather than gruelling. 700 miles is the whole thing… It’s about 140 from Malaga to Seville I think, but through mountains (maybe I didn’t make that clear).
A video camera has been suggested to me but I can’t really justify the expense….. And Fi said she was’nt going to sit through an hour of speeded up cycling when I’m done. 😀