Portugal & Spain 2008

Saturday - No toe hold!

Sun - Mon - Tue - Wed - Thu - Fri - Sat - Sun - Mon - Tue

Saturday 21st June

Breakfast this morning was the same as yesterday except I plucked up courage to ask for tea instead of coffee, five minutes later a pot arrived at our table, now that's better, I do like a brew first thing in the morning.

09:58 But, never mind the breakfast, the sun is shining and today we're riding a big loop around the central Picos area with hopefully a short diversion to Mirador de la Reina I'd seen on the Michelin map. When we get back we're expecting a full blown Spanish wedding reception to be going on, that should make for an interesting evening!

N43 09 47.9 W4 36 35.0 (Google map)

"It was just this big" says Patto... Hmmm, they soon get bored don't they, we'd better get going :-)

N43 09 47.9 W4 36 35.0 (Google map)

Today's route travelling anti clockwise, it's roughly 140 miles round.

10:16 The guys doing a 'ride by' on the N-621 gorge road going North out of Potes and Ojedo.

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10:29 A little further down the gorge road, Dave stopped to take a few pictures.

N43 15 56.8 W4 37 45.4 (Google map) or close by

Taken from roughly the same place as above. This is a very scenic road, but it can be pretty busy and there're few places where its safe to overtake.

N43 15 56.8 W4 37 45.4 (Google map) or close by

10:33 Soon after coming out of the gorge we rode into Panes, Lucy omitted to announce the left turn on to the AS-144, so a quick about-turn was needed to get us back on the right track. So, this is the second leg of today's ride, and what a road it is, mile after mile of gorgeous curves, most of which you could see through and with an excellent road surface to boot! I really pushed the 1200 hard down here, the tyres were warm and gripping like chewing gum. After some 30 miles of hard riding my arms were aching, but I'd learnt a lot about just how far you really can push the big RT into turns, it also made me realise just how much more fun this road would be on a sports bike!

10:55 As we were passing by the town of Arenas de Cabrales I kept my eyes open for the Hotel Torrecerredo as it had been on my short list of 'places to stay' in the Picos. Just to the West of the town I spotted it on the right and recorded its position on the GPS for future use. This hotel often gets mentioned by English motorcyclists visiting the Picos as a good place to stay, It's run by a Spanish/English couple Pilar Saiz and Jim Thomson, you might want to consider it if you're in the area.

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10:56 Here's Dave at Mirador de la Oracion around halfway down the AS-144. In the background is a row of peaks all named on the information board to Dave's right (but out of shot). Probably not the best view you'll find in the Picos, but worth the stop, even if its just to rest your arms :-)

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11:29 At the village of Soto de Cangas we turned left on to the AS-262 (Google map) to take a look at Mirador de la Reina. Judging by the number of cyclists and cars going up this road, it must have something special to offer, and as we climbed higher and higher it became clear this was a rather special piece of road.

11:49 After a really great ride up, we stopped at what I believe is Mirador de la Reina, I don't recall seeing a sign saying it was anything else, and my track log matched the Michelin map very closely, so this must be it! This is the view from the car park (or bike park in our case).

N43 17 28.2 W5 00 30.8 (Google map)

If you look at the picture above... see the people against the fence, well this is part of the view from there, it's pretty good! Oh, and according to Lucy, we're at 2978ft

N43 17 28.2 W5 00 30.8 (Google map)

It was obvious the road went quite a bit further, so up we went.

12:12 The road ended for us at the car park for the Bar/Restaurant MaRosa and the Mirador Entrelagos at 3708ft, but there are a number of other roads off from this one, so there's quite some scope for exploring.

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Here're the guys outside the MaRosa trying to catch some shade, I'm going to have to call your attention to the composition of this shot in fear you miss it, see the line running through the heads top left to bottom right (It's an imaginary line, ok). come on, I'm trying very hard here!

Just out of shot on the left was a vending machine for bottled water, the water was so cold it was literally turning to ice, when you drank it (well, sipped it actually) it lay like lead in your stomach, not good I'm sure.

N43 16 19.1 W4 58 57.9 (Google map)

But, if you want to see the Mirador here, you have to go a little higher up the footpath behind the Restaurant... at least I can say I did it, (Even if It did nearly kill me) So, that lake is basically your Mirador Entrelagos view, it's quite nice.

Pssst, if you click on the link to the Google map below, some of that spaghetti is road, some of it maybe footpath and some of it is fiction, I'll leave you to sort it out, LOL 

N43 16 19.1 W4 58 57.9 (Google map)

12:55 Leaving the cafe and Mirador we rode back down the mountain, just before reaching the Mirador de la Reina again we came across this view, I waved the guys on ahead to get a picture of them as they rode across the ridge in the middle of the shot, but you can't possibly see them in this picture, they're way too small.

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Even zoomed right in on the picture, you still can't really see them, they've just passed Mirador de la Reina far right, tiny specks, sandwiched between the cars. I could see them clearly from where I was stood, 'eagle eyes ebbo' LOL!

N43 17 11.9 W5 00 27.9 (Google map)

13:03 Following on down the road, going slowly to savour the view, I came across Patto and Dave by the side of the road. They'd both jumped off their bikes here to take my picture as I came past, unfortunately Dave's bike had rolled forward off its prop stand and fallen over bending the clutch lever a little and breaking the toe piece off the gear lever :-(

N43 17 38.7 W5 00 46.0 (Google map)

Dave said he'd be able to manage as it was, but with no toe hold it wasn't going to be easy, so we hatched a plan to tape the broken piece of gearlever back on to the main part to give Dave something to push on with his boot. Yep, a bodge, but a good bodge! When done, it wasn't perfect, but quite usable, so disaster had been averted, and we set off down the mountain together.

14:15 At the bottom of the road we turned left, back on to the AS-114 again, riding just 2.5 miles before turning left again on to the N625, the third leg of our ride.

The N625 turned out to be another magnificent gorge road, and we got lucky finding a road side cafe two thirds of the way up, the Punte la Huera

N43 11 13.7 W5 04 39.1 (Google map)

Inside the cafe drinking cold Coke and scoffing crisps, what could be nicer.

N43 11 13.7 W5 04 39.1 (Google map)

I don't think this picture obeys any 'rule of thirds' too closely, but it is an interesting composition, Patto's 1200 through the cafe's doorway, that is a lovely red, wish it was mine.

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And finally a view down the gorge road from the cafe with John and ebbo's bikes stood in the shade at the side of the road.

N43 11 13.7 W5 04 39.1 (Google map)

But it's time to press on or we won't be home for tea! So we continued down the N-625 to Riano where we refuelled the bikes then turned on to the N-621 for the fourth and last leg back to Potes and Ojedo.

15:39 Approaching Puerto de San Glorio, what a moody shot this is, it's only a bit of cloud :-)

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15:49 Taken just before Mirador del Corzo at the start of Puerto de San Glorio, and that's a Ducati I believe just rounding the bend after coming up the pass.

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The start of the pass is marked at the road side, but we rode through slowly without stopping. It looks like there maybe a road off from here to another, higher Mirador (the tinternet suggests its Mirador de Llesba, and it's maybe a 30min walk?) it could be worth exploring another time.

A picture of Patto taking a picture from Mirador del Corzo near the top of Puerto de San Glorio pass. While we were here a Spanish rider came in after riding up the pass on his 1200RT. He was happy to tell us he was here for the weekend escaping the terrible heat of Madrid and was really enjoying riding around the Picos in the relative cool. He said we were in for a shock if we're planning on riding down the pass as the temperature down in Ojedo and Potes was near 40c! Lumey!!! Looking at Lucy she said it was a comfortable 24c up here, It's going to be an interesting ride down!

N43 04 36.5 W4 43 59.1 (Google map)

15:52 Looking down the Puerto de San Glorio pass from Mirador del Corzo.

N43 04 36.5 W4 43 59.1 (Google map)

15:56 Ebbo & Patto riding down the pass.

Lucy said it was only 15 miles to our hotel and John had already gone ahead, so the three of us set off down after him. Turn after turn went by, and the temperature slowly started to rise. It was really odd feeling the warmth wrap itself around my legs before it slowly worked its way up my body and in to my helmet where it soon became hot and steamy like a miniature greenhouse, then my visor started misting up... How Bizarre! (OMC - How Bizarre 1996) I kept an eye on Lucy who was recording the temperature rise the lower we went. The temperature eventually peaked out at a heady 35c before falling back to 33c at the hotel, Not 40c, but warm enough :-)

16:42 'Where you goner go', 'I duno, where you goner go'... John took our picture from the hotel entrance as we rode into the car park looking for somewhere to park, we'd refuelled the bikes in readiness for tomorrows Sunday fuel famine, now all we needed was someplace to stable the bikes.

N43 09 47.9 W4 36 35.0 (Google map)

I managed to squeeze my bike between two fairly expensive looking cars just in front of the restaurant so reckoned it should be fairly safe from being knocked about; the others found gaps wherever they could. While I was getting off the bike a young Spanish guy came over to me making strange motorcycle type noises, he looked to me as if he'd had more than a drop too much Sangria, his eyes were all over the shop working almost independently of each other rather like a Geko, but he seemed friendly and really interested in the bike. I thought it best to humour him out of consideration of my bikes welfare once I'd left it and gone upstairs, after a short while I did manage to give him the slip. Later, Patto told me he'd been approached by the same guy with the strange eyes who'd offered him some cellophane wrapped Beechams Powders he kept in a little leather purse, Patto said he felt fine, and declined the offer, but what a kind gesture that was wasn't it?

Downstairs the wedding reception was in full swing with the usual overflow of uncles, aunts, grandmas, granddads and drug dealers, all milling around, but in a Spanish sort of way. Sheesh!

Psst! if you look really carefully, you can just see the side of my bike behind the lady on the far rights head, exciting isn't it! LOL!

While we were getting changed a group of French bikers came in, I didn't fancy their chances at finding a room, but surprisingly, one couple managed it, must have been the 1200RT they were riding. But, the place is definitely full now, the Hotel Infantado is having a very good weekend indeed.

But never mind the wedding now... tonight, we want pizza, proper pizza, not that thin undercooked rubbish that we had the previous evening, we want... 'the real McCoy'! So, after getting cleaned up and having a few beers among our Spanish guests, we took a walk in to Potes determined to get a good food fix!

And for once, it panned out, we had a great meal at the Casa Nisio pizza and burger restaurant, three of us had excellent deep pan pizzas with side orders of chips and John had humungous burger, all washed down with cold beer, coke and football on the flat screen TV, It fair makes me hungry just writing this!

N43 09 39.1 W4 36 40.7 (Google map)

Giddy with the excitement of having had such a good meal, the beer flowed and the standard of photography slid slowly downhill.

It was time to get back to our wedding reception.

When we got back, people were coming out of the large dining room in two's and three's and going downstairs to the disco in the basement. We found an empty table by the main door and had another beer while watching the smartly dressed senoritas pass us by, it just seemed a reasonable thing to do.