Day 6 - Spanish Passes
Friday 4th September 2015
We are away early on the A21 and soon in heavy rain. We ride along a lake shore as the weather improves and stop at a cafe where there are lots of bikers. A big group of Irish guys on there way east. The sun has finally come out.
We continue on through and head up a beautiful pass road with a summit at 1433m. It is smooth riding, fast and technical. There are two narrow tunnels with traffic lights.
The Puerto de Contefablo road is newly surfaced, probably for an important cycle race, so the riding is great fun. The mountain passes are tree-clad and because they are not very high many of the trees are deciduous. The autumn colours are beautiful.
We stop for lunch in a pretty mountain village called Broto, A weird Spanish omelette with ham, then on down the valley to the wonderfully name La Pobla de Segur and the only hotel named in the Tomtom, the Hotel Sole.
It is another business hotel, a comfortable 3-star with friendly staff but no character. It is too far out to walk into the town so we eat in the hotel. They have the heavy duty bottles of Spanish reserva ale for Mick and I have the local red wine.
I order braised steak. It is inedible, like trying to chew a Goodyear. I send it back. Queue massive grovelling apologies from the manager. For a minute I think he is going to go outside and shoot himself. He pretty much insists I have the entrecôte steak instead, the very,very best cut of meat that the hotel, nay even Navarre or maybe the whole of Spain has to offer. Well ok.
Fact is it is also pretty tough and it is huge. I mange about a quarter of it. We didn't see the manager again before we left the next morning. Maybe he did shoot himself.
We are away early on the A21 and soon in heavy rain. We ride along a lake shore as the weather improves and stop at a cafe where there are lots of bikers. A big group of Irish guys on there way east. The sun has finally come out.
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| English and Irish bikes at a cafe in Spain |
We continue on through and head up a beautiful pass road with a summit at 1433m. It is smooth riding, fast and technical. There are two narrow tunnels with traffic lights.
The Puerto de Contefablo road is newly surfaced, probably for an important cycle race, so the riding is great fun. The mountain passes are tree-clad and because they are not very high many of the trees are deciduous. The autumn colours are beautiful.
 |
| Not very high but great fun |
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| Selfie in the Pyrenees |
We stop for lunch in a pretty mountain village called Broto, A weird Spanish omelette with ham, then on down the valley to the wonderfully name La Pobla de Segur and the only hotel named in the Tomtom, the Hotel Sole.
It is another business hotel, a comfortable 3-star with friendly staff but no character. It is too far out to walk into the town so we eat in the hotel. They have the heavy duty bottles of Spanish reserva ale for Mick and I have the local red wine.
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| Great views, gathering storm |
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| Finally some blue sky |
I order braised steak. It is inedible, like trying to chew a Goodyear. I send it back. Queue massive grovelling apologies from the manager. For a minute I think he is going to go outside and shoot himself. He pretty much insists I have the entrecôte steak instead, the very,very best cut of meat that the hotel, nay even Navarre or maybe the whole of Spain has to offer. Well ok.
Fact is it is also pretty tough and it is huge. I mange about a quarter of it. We didn't see the manager again before we left the next morning. Maybe he did shoot himself.
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