How does that song go..? “With two wheels on my wagon, and I’m still rolling along”…
Well, with two new tyres the journey continues. I left Mazagon this morning heading east along the coast and then north to the village of El Rocio. The village has no tarmac roads, just sand, and all the buildings are built in Andalusian style. Most of the houses still have rails outside to tie a horse – as horses are an integral and important part of life in this part of Spain. The centrepiece to the village is the Hermitage of El Rocio, which is a large church that houses a statue of the Virgin Mary amidst a truly spectacular golden sanctuary – with the statue playing a significant religious role for the area.
After that I headed north to see the town of Niebla, which is a large set of fortifications dating back to around the 12th century. The fortifications contain a small town with narrow streets plus a baroque church from around the 14th century. The church itself is very simple, and looking up at the high vaulted ceiling, I stood in awe of the skills which built this church so long ago. The houses in the village are beautiful, with many having very intricate ceramic tiles around the doors and windows.
After this it was back on the bike and westward bound to Portugal. As you cross from Spain to Portugal, although the greenery doesn’t change, the buildings and general feel does change – very subtly. I have never ridden through Portugal so assumed it would very similar to Spain, but Portugal does have its own look and feel.
Soon I was in the Algarve and at my campsite in Armacao de Pera, which is near Albufeira. Although it’s a huge campsite, there’s lots of separate areas and many trees so it doesn’t feel like a big site, and besides a bar and restaurant, just a short walk away is the beach.
It’s been a good day today – though I did lose a glove. I took my left gloves off when I stopped at a shop for some food, and once I’d loaded up the top-box I rode away – forgetting that I’d left my gloves on top of one of my panniers. When I got to the nearby campsite I realises I didn’t have my gloves on, realised they’d gone – so rode back to find my gloves. I found one, but not the other. Damnation. They were my favourite groves, too. I’m going to have to visit a bike shop to buy some new gloves tomorrow.
My new tyres are great. I’ve never ridden on these make of tyres and they’re really good. Responsive and really sticky on bends. It feels so good to be back on regular tyres instead of the 50/50’s and now I don’t have to fight the bike into corners. Also, there’s none of the ‘whine’ you get from nobbly tyres on tarmac, which is nice. I had forgotten just how nimble the V-Strom can be when cornering, and now it seems so effortless.
Anyway, that’s me on the Algarve for a few days. I’m going to investigate the local area, and I may even be tempted to go to the beach as it was 24 degrees today – and although my face and hands are lightly browned, my body is still polar white and would definitely benefit some UV’s…
