Author Archives: jhalstead1

Had a great ride around the quiet side of the lake today. It was on a route which all the local maps and google maps said did not exist; but I could see it on google satellite so I had a go. It was a bit broken up by the rain – land-slips, sink-holes andContinue reading “8th May 2013”

I have finally left the lovely Cazorla, to continue my journey north. I could have taken a direct route on tarmac, but opted for an off rad route. It was a little less direct. My satnav tells me I have traveled 18km in a straight line from Cazorla to Las Ventas, but the cycling distanceContinue reading “7th May 2013”

I gratefully left Pozo Alcon and headed into the mountains. I had a route to use from the guys at Transandalus, but when I uploaded it to Everytrail I spotted some very steep ascents – looked like 20%. So I worked out a more gentle route for me and my trailer. The route initially leadContinue reading “3rd May 2013”

The route north from Gor to Pozo Alcon was over a pretty flat plateau, with gentle gradients down too a reservoir and then short steep climb out. The scenery was pretty spectacular though; the plateau was cut by deep ravines, and the substrate was not solid rock but very hard mud that was sculptured into fascinating shapes.Continue reading “23rd April 2013”

This was a nice easy day taking a largely off-road route through low hills to Gor. It was such a relief to be doing small climbs of 1000ft rather than 3000ft that I really enjoyed myself. The natural scenery was not that spectacular, but the man made stuff was great. You will see from theContinue reading “22nd April 2013”

Someone broke into my locked trailer last night and stole some tools and the Go-pro. I have spent all day trying to get to the nearest police station (in Ugijar), getting them to open up (it’s closed on a Sunday as in Spain thieves don’t operate on the Sabbath) and getting the report done for the insuranceContinue reading “21st April 2013”

Arrived in Laroles, at 1050 m altitude, middle of nowhere, to discover a fiesta is on – Festival of San Marcos apparently. No time to write. Must investigate. See Youtube video diary at :  This is the food of the gods and kept me going all day. It tastes good even when crushed in yourContinue reading “20th April 2013”

I decided to do a big push today to get some miles under my belt after the detour to Malaga. So I went from Pampaneira to Cadiar in one go – it was over 30 miles with 3,500 ft of climb. Much of it was on road which was disappointing, but it did make theContinue reading “18th April 2013”

I took the off-road route out of Orgiva to Pampaneira, in keeping with the ethos of my trip. Unfortunately the first thing this route did was to drop down into the valley, so I lost 100m of height which I knew I’d have too make up later. But is was worth it: again it wasContinue reading “17th April 2013”

I returned from Malaga and my downhill exploits last night. Getting out of Malaga was by no means easy, but as with the journey there, some hard work and luck sorted it out. I had spent Sunday going around Malaga, first to the coach company Alsa, who confirmed. I would need a box for myContinue reading “16th April 2013”