ROAD TRIP TO MALLORCA - PART 3 - ESPANA - Jaca, Bardenas Reales & La Valle de Boi - April 25th 2023

Lumbier Gorge

Bardenas Reales

Valle de Boi

JACA - THE GATEWAY TO THE NAVARRAN PYRENEES & BARDENAS REALES

All tentatively planned out, without any real direction! Perhaps the best way, but I always hoped or planned to see some Alpine Pyrenees, so sort of heading in the correct direction, but also back towards France!

The photos though sold me on a stop and walk at Lumbier Gorge, very impressive they were too…see the photos.

I then headed to Jaca, the gateway to the Aragon Pyrenees, a slightly longer journey than I thought, which became a theme! Camped up on the edge, and did a decent ride, daring to use MTB on Komoot….was good (with my new lovely thru axel, quick release too!) - - all sort of went well, except demasiado bosques, and relentless climbing….but that was not the worst. From a really high point, all the way down to a valley was a rocky single track with constant switchbacks, that Komoot sent me on….got to admit I bottled most of it…..too remote to take chances, really needed a full suspension!

All forgotten when I returned to Castillo de Jaca for a nice tortilla and a good chat with the Spanish waitress who could also speak French and English (learnt living in Sydney) returned back down to the campsite….and found a bar in the evening showing the Man City vs Arsenal game, although I had a commentary of pretty hard Spanish rock!

I moved on again, but was not convinced this was the best the Pyrenees could offer…..but I’d seen some photos of a completely contrasting area, but away from where I was trying to head: The Navarran Badlands - Bardenas Reales National Park….geomorphological forms of desert erosion…wind, water and sun….it really was in the wrong direction! 

Anyhow it was worth it, some classic desert forms….just a shortish bike spin around them, and decided in the late afto to make the journey towards Andorra, more precisely to the National Park, Aiguestertes l’Estany - but it was a good three hours! So, I put my NZ head on, turned up the music, and cruise controlled in that direction….eventually ending up at….

LA VALLE DE BOI - CATALONIAN PYRENEES

The journey itself was very impressive, ultimately, once I’d turned away from the basin of Lleida….some very impressive gorges…and notably some very dry huge reservoirs. I didn’t arrive until almost 9pm, after an alpine type climb up from the valley, very Suisse, although as it was dark….it was hard to tell, until the morning! 

I was starving too, so cooked an emergency boil in the bag rice with some crap tinned meatballs…it was delicious! However, I couldn’t be bothered washing the plate and pan, and decided to crash….then something occurred to me: bears and wolves! Don’t they habitat the Pyrenees….shit! So I got out of my sleeping bag, and chucked the said items in my car! Then went to sleep! Just in case!! 

The next day I completed, just, a fairly long and lofty walk. Hitting nearly 20km but at over 8,500ft. I became quite breathless at about 7,000ft - the views though were stunning, and very Alpine, but on the descent it took forever, by which time I was getting rather dehydrated (no water left) and sun burnt (no cream ) - eventually surviving, and after a shower, water and some temporary sustenance, I went to a bar and a restaurant owned by the family of the lovely campsite host, for a rewarding evening!

Unfortunately although I considered extending my stay, the forecast was rather wet, so after a short bike ride, inside the National park itself (no cars permitted), on a “must do” cycle up to a small lake…I decided to head off to…..

Lumbier Gorge

Campsite at Jaca

Bardenas Reales

Valle de Boi

Valle de Boi

Valle de Boi

Bardenas de Reales

Valle de Boi

Torla - Aragon Pyrenees

Bardenas Reales

Griffin Vulture

Navarran Pyrenees

ROAD TRIP TO MALLORCA - PART 2 - ESPANA - San Sebastian to Pamplona - April 20th 2023

Near Pamplona

San Sebastian

Sebastian in San Sebastian!

SAN SEBASTIAN TO PAMPLONA

Leaving the gorgeous Dordogne on Thursday 20th April…quite a significant drive this time and definitely going to Spain….best part of 5 hours….multiple toll roads, everytime having to get out and walk around to the machines, and once the ticket I collected didn’t work! Too frequent the closer to the border, and for the first time, the traffic around Bordeaux was very busy with jams….toll roads mainly to Spain and beyond, often too frequently hitting the payment barriers! 

Arrived in San Sebastián, and after some hesitation again re camping, ended up at the Igara Campsite just outside the city, a nice spot in the trees. On the first night, I went down to San Sebastián (or Donastia), firstly to the celebrated Playa de la Concha, acclaimed to be one of the prime beaches in Europe….it wor alreyt! But generally a gorgeous bay setting around to Parte Vieje (Old Town) and Monte Urgull. I decided to save a more detailed explore to another day, and found a bar, where I ordered a large brandy, as I had the onset of gut rot….also mistakenly asking the proprietor to recommend three pintxos (tapas) - they weren’t that special, considering pintxos are a local speciality! And by 2am I was wretching from both ends….coincidence!?

The following morning I went to prep my bike for another planned ride using Komoot, only to discover I’d left my front (fvcking) thru axel in France! Not to worry, cycling seems to be very popular, so there must be some decent shops. Five shops later, and I discover, that (fvcking) thru axels are anything but universal, and also gravel bikes have wider forks….I was furious with myself , so rare theses days….but what a stupid old twat, in the first place!

The best I could find was from a cracking couple in a traditional bike shop, where they seemed to have everything, well almost….they could order me the exact spec, but could get me through the weekend with a slighter short one….but would this be safe. They seemed confident, but another shop advised it could be dangerous! 

The problem was, I’d now lost at least a day, and they couldn’t order now until after the weekend, so I’d have to be in the area for a few days more….and the weather was very mixed.

At about 4pm that afternoon, the heavens opened like we do not witness in the UK….this continued almost relentlessly through the night….the tent just about got me through, but water had seeped through on the ground sheet, and the porch was quite wet…

It cleared by 10am on the Saturday, so I decided to risk the bike on the planned route. The bike was fine, although I stayed on roads, didn’t want any sudden jolts, but I wasn’t! I’d never ever known such a gnarly super hilly region anywhere I’d ridden a bike in the World! The very first 2km was a left turn outside my campsite, where very soon I’d hit 20% gradients that hardly seem to drop…but this wasn’t a one off….soon my enthusiasm waned somewhat, so I cut the ride short….although I supplemented the ride with a more detailed nose around San Sebastián.

In the evening I’d befriended a French guy, called, Sebastian! Yes really…nice guy, he was proper bike touring with full camping gear, but he was French! I wanted to improve my Spanish, instead he spent the evening with poor English, me, with reluctant poor French….and lots of Google translate! A very pleasant evening ensued!

The heavens were friendlier on my last night, as I’d decided to move closer to Pamplona, even though I’d probably have to return for that (fvcking) thru axel (I don’t like thru axels!).

I packed my tent hurriedly as the rains recommenced and off I headed, for somewhere near Pamplona!

REPORT FIVE - TUESDAY April 25th - Guelbenzu (near Pamplona)

Treating myself to an Airbnb, my Google Maps took me to the smallest hilltop hamlet, called Guelbenzu…the very old stone dwelling, was part of the attached rather delapidated church. Hosted by an elderly Basque lady, Nekane, who in some ways, fortunately could not speak any English. We got on well, and had conversations….interestingly and not surprisingly it wasnt my knowledge of words but my pronunciation that was a stumbling block….to my ear, hardly any difference. The downside of writing every day, but with no discourse ! 

I went for a walk locally, a route verified by Nekane’s niece, and it was rubbish….totally immersed in trees, even the hilltop had no views….shame as fleetingly through gaps it looked nice! Numerous vultures circled overhead, not sure if they had their eye on me!

However, conversely on the second day, I completed a 60k bike ride, plotted on Komoot, and it was excellent. Almost perfect for cycling, both off road and road…with changing scenery…possibly too much road overall, for a Komoot “gravel bike” route. 

In the evening I drove into Pamplona, and lasted barely one hour….I’ve decided I’m not fussed about cities. They all have, a main Placa, a Cathedral, narrow old style streets and an historical part. I walked down the bull run street, (looking over my shoulder intermittently, just in case a young bull was doing an early recce!)….looking for an impressive set of statues depicting the bull run, only to discover, they were in the back of shop, with multiple signs stating “DO NOT TAKE YOUR OWN PHOTOGRAPHS “ in several languages, with a fee for an official photo…the place fell massively in my estimation!

I decided to instead do a recce of my own, heading east from my gaff, where the terrain got much more mountainous with very high, narrow, twisting approached to passes….I went to Eugi, and then another lengthy climb with pretty decent views (too many trees for my liking, good for the planet, shite for my photo album!) over to Elizondo in the Baztan region….it wor alreyt!

My replacement (fvckin) thru axel was ready for collection, so a necessary 2 hour round trip back to San Sebastián….but then the journey can now continue, but where to next?

San Sebastian

Guelbenzu nr Pamplona