It’s starting to get a bit chilly now, as I climb higher, and cloudier; well we know what that means, no sooner have I left Massat than the app starts me up another Goat path… oooh not happy about that and what’s worse is that about a mile later it starts to pelt it down. I spend at least 15 minutes climbing into the romper suit and covering all the bags.  That’s it, methinks, no more scenic today, I just want to get there in one piece. I change to the fast route and even though it doesn’t take me onto a motorway, it does at least leave the goats alone.

Once I’m back on the non goat herd roads the rain stops and the sun comes out, but I’m not changing out of the wetgear, I’ve been over the Pyrenees before!!!  Onwards and upwards. As I get to about 1000m elevation it starts to rain again, like monsoon, big fat drops coming down in rods and the road is awash in places.  I pass 2035m so am in the mile high plus club again and soon crossing the border into Andorra… not getting the camera out in this!!

When the road starts to drop down towards the city the rain stops…. great.  I’m a bit surprised I have not had any instructions from  the app for a little while so assume the phone battery is dead.  I head for centre ville and park the bike, it’s now 7pm so not too bad. Yep the battery is dead and no signal on my ipad, how am I going to find the hotel? I’m pretty sure it is in the centre, so decide to ride around looking for it, then it starts raining again, seriously honking it down… deep joy.  After a while I park again to see if I can ask someone, then I spot a city map on a billboard so have a look.  The city is actually the size of a small town so everything is pretty much in the centre, however my hotel is on the other side. Well to cut a long story short I was almost ready to give up and find another room when I see a sign for it… hurrah… and its only 9pm!!!

Hotel is ok, not the best but clean and the staff are fantastic.  There is underground parking so at least the bike is safe and dry.  They even lend me an umbrella to use when I go out to eat… so friendly.

I ordered pork chop and chips… absolutely enormous… look

I eat what I can and ask for a doggie bag… that pork will do for lunch tomorrow, it’s absolutely delicious.

Off to bed now…….. shopping tomorrow because, as those of you who have read my previous blogs will know… its so cheap in Andorra.  Hehehehe

No rush today, want to see if I can get a brackety thing to attach my phone to the handlebars. Several shops later it seems my iphone 6 is too big for the brackets available… I give it one last try and do get something.  It doesnt really fit but a few cable ties later and et voila!

Looks a bit pony, (rhyming slang… pony and trap), but it’ll do the job til I can get the gps sorted out.  I also got the tools out and fixed the phone charger thing so that’s working now yippee.

Next stop Andorra Harley Davidson, which just happens to be on the way to Spain, how fortunate.  With the phone on the bike it’s so much easier to find my way so arrive no prob.  No helmets for me here either 🙁

Just by the bike is a pile of dog poo… And I thought Andorra was so clean. Just sorting my stuff out ready to go and… Yep you guessed it… Right into the grooves on the sole of my left boot… Lots of swearing follows, as I’m sure you can imagine.  Manage to clean most of it off… And then it starts to rain a bit, of course, so that’ll clean the rest off.

As I pull away I see that some of the functions on my speedometer aren’t working… The speedo is working but not the trip counter etc.  I’m not sure if it was like that when I left the hotel or it has just happened.. Will have to take a look at it later.  So at last I’m back on the road… And it’s only 3pm.

It’s not too long before I am at the Spanish border, stop for a couple of piccies…

As I ride through the customs shed on the Spanish side a young gardia civil woman pulls me over.  As I get off the bike I hear something about camera… She is speaking in Spanish of course… I think she is referring to the gopro on top of my helmet so point at it and she says si si.  I take my helmet off and she says something about off… So I turn it off… She then beckons a colleague over and he has a few more english words and says I must delete the recording as it is illegal to record them.  To be honest I didn’t realise it was still on.  Anyway I delete it and they seem satisfied, she tells me if I did not delete it and used it then I could go to prison…. Oops

Back on the bike and start to make my way towards Tarragona.  Interesting bell tower… Weight watchers or the 5:2? Discuss…

I didn’t sleep very well last night so am very tired.  After a while I feel like it isn’t safe to continue so break out my trusty booking.com app and find a nearby room.  I ride to Belltall where the hotel is, only 6 miles further on, and arrive to find it says Hostel Cal Feliuet over the door…. err not sure about this.  Still it’s somewhere to sleep and only €36 so better get on with it.  I go in and the chap behind the bar looks a bit surprised… needless to say, I’m sure he doesn’t often see anyone like me.  He doesn’t habla inglese and my spanish is still crap but we manage to communicate and he shows me to my room.  It is pretty basic, but clean and spacious so am happy… At least it’s not a dorm.

Turns out he is a real sweetie… he comes back up to my room about 5 minutes later and asks if I want to put the bike in his garage.. oh yes please, safe and dry again.  I manage to arrange dinner for 7pm and he shows me into the restaurant, I’m the only customer.  The food is excellent and I order a glass of wine, or I thought I’d ordered a glass of wine, he brings a full bottle.  I can’t refuse as he has opened it so end up drinking about 3/4.  Now I don’t drink as a rule so am pretty squiffy after the first 2 glasses, hence the Hic! in the title.  In fact I am so pissed I just go straight to bed and am actually typing this on Day 6, (Saturday), when I discover that the film of the customs didn’t delete… shhh don’t tell anyone.

Discover the ‘hostel’ has a website… http://www.calfeliuet.com

On the road by 9.30 and heading for Valencia.  The rain’s not too bad, anything is better than Andorra on Sea.  I decide a visit to Tarragona Harley Davidson is in order, but have a job finding it.  The satnav on the phone is fantastic, I think it is much better than the garmin, but whilst it is routing me to the right address, (I googled it), HD just isn’t there.  Oh Oh here we go again, the mysterious case of the missing HD shops Watson.  I decide to go around again.. then spot a shop called Trik Chop… ah I’ll ask in there.  As I pull up outside I see that it is indeed the Harley shop… thats a bit unusual.  Still nothing I like in the helmet department, but I did manage to find something else…. hehe

Back on the bike and on my way to Valencia.  I decide to visit Salou, I went there on holiday some 35 years or so ago… mmm wonder if it’s changed??  Ugh! typical tourist town, not my cuppa at all.  Rain has stopped now but the roads are really wet.  Am riding along the sea front and a couple of times the bike slips under me… heart attack time… I think it’s when I ride over the white painted sections of the zebra crossings, (of which there are hundreds), so I slow to a crawl and make sure I only ride over the tarmac sections.  Since I came off the bike in Spain 2 years ago, am very wary of riding in the wet; especially in Spain.  This seems to do the trick and it doesn’t happen again, phew!

Once clear of Salou I keep to the coast road for about 40 miles and then decide I need a good blat so pull onto the autopista, not realising its a toll road.. oh well nevermind.  Bombing along at 85 does wonders for my confidence so bugger the toll.

Stop for petrol and something to eat, then route the satnav to Valencia HD.  Arrive about 6.45 believing  it is open until 8pm… nope, shut… damn!  I spot a starbucks and park up to get a coffee and sort out tonights accommodation.  All sorted; I manage to get a 4 star hotel for 36 euros, via the wonderful booking.com, I do definitely recommend it.  Just as I get back to the bike it starts to thunder and lightning, better get the romper suit back on methinks.  I only manage to get the jacket half on when the heavens open… it’s even worse than Andorra, absolutely unbelieveable.  

Tried my best to capture it, but was afraid the camera would drown.

Not a very interesting day… Perhaps none of them are.  Anyway, for those of you with no life, had a late start, there’s no rush… Only 500 miles to go in 4 days so can afford to take it easy.  Got up, the sun is splitting the decks… Hurrah!  So I finished the BSL for day 5 and 6… Mooched about a bit, packed up the bike, had a coffee and left about 12.30ish.  The bike is minging, I must take her for a quick wash and brush up.  

Am heading towards Murcia today, see where the road takes me.  After about 20 miles I think I better stop and clean this dirty grrl. Spent about an hour in a garage, but not as good as it could be… Will do until I arrive at the HOG rally… Am planning to enter her into the custom bike show so will need to go the whole HOG, (pun intended), and clean her to death.  It’s really warm so leave the leather jacket off and just wear the cutoff.

On the way the satnav decides to route me up another dirt track… What is it with the allotment route??

Other than that, a pretty uneventful ride and after about 150 miles, with a stop for petrol and some grub, decide to head to the coast, I fancy some sea, sand and sangria, enough mountains and rain aready!

Turn left and head towards Alicante then turn right down the coast… except there isn’t a coast road here, so have to travel inland for a while before turning back towards the Med.  It’s now coming up 7pm and have 160 miles on the clock today so that’s enough methinks.  Stop to find a hotel… Find something in Guardamar del Segura just 7 miles down the road, €36 again, obviously the magic number; good old booking.com

I was hoping to stay in a small enclave by the sea, but no such luck.  It’s quite a sizeable town and very touristy, the first two languages I hear are English and German, but at least I have a bed for the night.  The room is ok, probably not the best so far, but again is clean and has air conditioning so that’s good.  I also have a weeny balcony, overlooking the street… Ugh, but at least I can keep an eye on the bike as no secure parking here.

Am enjoying a glass of red and some peanuts as I type this… Tomorrow is going to be a rest day, well sort of.  One of the rear indicators has worked itself loose so will attend to that tomorrow.  Will probably ride down the coast a bit and see if I can find that elusive enclave to sit and paint and chill for the day… Well here’s hoping.

Night night

Day 8 – Luvverly Lluvia

Tuesday 16 June 2015

Despite planning a day off I am up fairly early.  Into the shower… err yuck! Black mould in the jets of the shower head and on the ceiling…. Legionnaires anyone?  This is deffo the worst hotel this trip, so far.

Left around 11 looking for the coast road.  Nothing doing so join the main road and head towards Cartegena.  Here is a short clip of me on the bike in the glorious sunshine on the road to Torrevieja…  well there will be when I can get it to upload to you tube!

Hurrah!

Torrevieja is just holiday home hell… for me anyway… no I have to get out of here!  Think I’ll  give up on the day at the beach, I’ll go shopping instead!  Plot a route to Murcia Harley Davidson and no sooner am I off the main road than it routes me up the allotments again;

This road is bloody terrible, its like riding on a washboard; I’ve no idea why it is routing this way, I even set it for fastest time, (but avoiding tolls).

At last a smooth road, thought I was going to be on that all the way to Murcia.

Arrive at the shop, it’s shut of course… closed at 2pm, it’s now 2.30, and doesn’t open again until 5!  It is soooo hot, I sit in the shade to let the bike cool down a bit.  Suddenly a bloke comes out of the Harley shop… ooooo maybe he’ll let me in.  No such luck, he nods approvingly at the bike and walks off.  I think I might as well sort that wobbly indicator out, so strip the saddlebag off on that side as I will have to loosen the mudguard bracket… oh no, I don’t have a ratchet with me; I’ve got the allen key sockets but no rachet to put them on… that means I can’t get the bracket off.  It’s no good I’ll have to buy one.. I mean how hard can it be??

I make my way back to the main road and head towards Cartegena hoping to spot a tool shop or a Carrefour… yay, theres a big poster for Carrefour that says it just 12 minutes further on.  Great.  Unfortunately they dont have the size I need, so will have to try elsewhere.

Where next?  Well, I’m not having much luck with my plans today so guess I’ll get on the road towards Cadiz…next stop Granada or perhaps before as it’s about 150 miles, but I’m definitely going to get to the HD shop there in the morning!

Back on the bike and start going up into the mountains again.  It now begins to get cooler and there are some very dark clouds on the horizon.. oh oh.

I stop to get petrol and put my jacket on as it is certainly too cold to ride in a tee.  Just after a place called Lorca it starts to rain so as soon as I can I pull off to put the wetgear on.  I stop outside a restaurant and decide I should eat something as it is now 4.30pm and I haven’t had anything yet.  Before I can get what I want from the bike it begins to lash it down, so get wet again.  I hoped the sun would return before I get back on the road, but no such luck.  The rain has eased off a lot, but still need the romper suit.  Whilst in the restaurant I book my overnight accommodation in a place called Baza, it’s about 60 miles away from Granada so that’s ok.  Its another Hostel, which I have since found out is the equivalent of a guesthouse and not the same as a hostel in the UK… no dorms.

As I approach Baza the sun comes out so hopefully it bodes well for tomorrow.  Yet again booking.com has come up trumps.. lovely helpful woman in reception who tells me they have a garage for the bike.  It is round the back and a typical house lock-up, but my bike is the only thing in there – apart from an exercise bike – and she gives me the key.  The room is good, there is a small fridge with a free bottle of water; a full litre no less.  The receptionist told me its free so I’ll take it with me tomorrow.  Have checked the shower and, whilst it’s not spotless, it’s certainly miles better than the one this morning.. last nights offering from booking.com was obviously an abherration.

There is a multi tut shop across the street so I have a quick look to see if they have got a ratchet… they do but it comes with a  load of sockets I don’t want and is more than a bit crappy, but it will do the job, probably in the morning.

See you tomorrow…..