The alarm went off at 7am and we just lay there for a while pretending that it hadn’t. Our bodies were sore from riding and climbing; legs aching, fingertips tender, saddled arses keen for a rest. But we got up, had breakfast and packed away (with fewer tiffs than usual!) and headed into town to resupply.

By the time we’d stocked up on food and camping gas, it was 10:30 and first lunch was required before we started up the mountain, so we stopped in a town square for a cheese sandwich, then pedaled on up.

Today we were facing 30km of unrelenting uphill, starting at 250 meters elevation in town and going up to 1600 meters at the top of the pass.  So up we went under the hot sun, stopping to drink and eat and enjoy the views in between me moaning about the heat.

It was actually a lovely climb, there were hardly any cars and the views were amazing. But it was hot and it was 30km of uphill!  On the way, we saw beautiful little towns, a few friendly locals waving at us, and even some cow herders.

The little villages often seem abandoned from a distance, but there is usually a mixture of abandoned buildings and nicely maintained houses.  There are a lot of disused buildings along the roads though, a mixture of farm buildings and houses.

As we got to 1300m we started to see patches of snow and it was chilly when we stopped riding. Then we’d set off again, sweating in the sunshine.

The last few switchbacks were gruelling, the sun beating down and our tired legs struggling on the steep hill.  Then we found a viewpoint and thought we must be almost at the top – agh!  We stopped for some biscuits and jam (as you do), and chatted to an English couple who were driving through.

Finally we set off up the last little bit. But wait! We rounded the next corner only to see that we still had a long slow stretch of more gradual uphill to do before we got to the top of the pass at 1600m. Damn. Pedal, pedal, pedal… finally, we made it! We pulled in at a picnic bench to enjoy the views and had to layer up in the cold wind.

It was now 5:30pm and we were both pretty hungry, so we put our gloves on and headed down. The way down started off steeply and we zoomed down, pulling on the breaks to take the sharp corners safely. The landscape on the far side of the mountain was totally different – trees replaced by rocky cliffs covered with yellow lichen, and the river flowing fast and steep in the gorge.  It was an impressive and imposing landscape.

After a while it opened out into floodplain, there were loads of good potential wild camping spots and we found ourselves having to pedal every now and again. I was keen to ride into the next town but Dave wanted to stop so we decided to call it a day. It turned out to be a good idea – it had been a long day in the saddle and we were tired and hungry. We found a large rest area by the river to cook much needed pasta dinner and wash in the freezing cold river! Feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, we set up camp as the light faded and the mountains either side of the gorge became great shadows against the darkening sky.

– Anna

We were undisturbed in our not very stealthy stealth camp and woke this morning to enjoy the view of the church and the mountains over breakfast. We had arranged with Silvia and Carlos, our hosts from Day 1, that if the weather was good they would come to the mountains to climb with us. Text exchange confirmed they were still up for it, so Anna and I hurried on to our new campsite 10 km away in Potes to drop out stuff, while Silvia and Carlos drove out from Santandar.

They came and picked us up from the campsite and we headed in to town for supplies before driving up a steep mountain road – a taste of what we will have to do on the bikes tomorrow apparently!

The weather was bad when we got to the car park, but we decided to hike to the rock face and see if it cleared up on the way. Before setting off, Anna tucked into first lunch, a new discovery from the bakery in town. This is what happiness looks like.

We walked up one of the hills and came past some other climbers who had given up for the day, so things weren’t looking good. But when we got to the top the rain stopped and although it looks bad in the picture, Silvia decided we should get a couple of dry hours, so we went on to the face.

It was a great call, on the way the sun came out, and by the time we got to the bottom of the face the sun was shining over the stunning valley laid out below us.

Silvia and Carlos are way better climbers than us, so they climbed first (led), and put a rope in place for Anna and me to tie in to. This meant we could try the routes without any risk of falling. After we got more confident we could try leading some routes if we wanted.

Cue about six hours of climbing, chatting and eating. It was amazing, the climbing was fun, and the guys had managed to find some routes that were about the right difficulty for us, although most of the climbing in the area is really hard. After we got tired and footsore (climbing shoes are always tight so they hurt after a while if you’re not used to them) we sat and watched Silvia do her last climb of the day, which incorporated a very smooth vertical face followed by a tricky overhanging ledge with slippery footholds. She got up it fine though and once Carlos had done one last route as well, we packed away and headed back. On the way back we exchanged more language tips, Anna and I now know the words for “far” (lajos) and “near” (circa) and Silvia and Carlos appreciate the important pronounciation difference between “pitch” (a climbing term referring to a single section of a climb) and “bitch” (a lady dog).

Soon we were back at the car, and I suddenly realised that there is nothing more reassuring at the end of a long and tiring day than a bright orange WV camper van. Must get one of those one day!

Silvia and Carlos took us back to our campsite where we wished each other “Hasta luega” for possibly the final time. I’m a bit sad because they are awesome people and have been so welcoming and friendly and made the start of our trip so much fun. Hopefully we’ll catch up one day in the future.

It was about 9 pm by the time we got back to camp, so we interspersed showering, cooking, blogging and tent organisation to good effect and we are just heading off to be for 11. Looks like a massive day of hard climbing tomorrow so we are going to stop in at the bakery in town in the morning for some more empinandas to keep the spirits up and the legs working. On that happy note, goodnight!

– Dave

We woke to clouded skies and a damp sea mist, but by the time we’d packed up and were on the road, it was sunny and hot!  We pulled in to oggle at the mountains from a distance and peel off a few layers.

Distant mountain view

We could hear songbirds in the bushes and the distant sound of cow bells from the hills.  The blossom is out everywhere and the wildflowers are in bloom.  We rode up and down, up and down, towards the striking peaks.

For first lunch, we stopped in a small town and stocked up at a deli and a bakery and made much-needed chorizo and cheese sandwiches!  Then there was some confusion about which way to go next (which turned out not to be the motorway – oops!), and eventually we were on our way into the mountains.

Mountain-bound

All of a sudden we were in a cool valley, a steep-sided gorge with the wind rushing through the spring-green leaves on the trees.  We rode gradually uphill along a milky blue-green rushing river towards Potes.

Steep-sided gorge through the mountains

Riding gradually uphill

Our warmshowers hosts had recommended a wild camping spot in Lebena, so we left the main road there and headed the short distance into the beautiful village.  All red brick walls and uneven red roof tiles against the greens of the hillside.

Beautiful old village

Church in Lebena at sun-down

We had a look around town, cooked dinner in the pouring rain then drip-dried as the sun poked its head out before it disappeared behind the mountains and we could pitch our tent.

– Anna

So this is it, we’ve left the UK and we’re on the ferry to Santander! Anna’s mum saw us off from her flat in London yesterday and we wobbled down to the station to catch our train to Portsmouth. It’s the first time I’ve ridden my bike fully loaded, and it’s a weird sensation. The frame flexes and wobbles with the weight, and I’m constantly making micro-adjustments, which makes it worse! Apparently it wears off once you relax.

Luckily the train was pretty empty so there was room for our massively over-laden bikes!

We got into Portsmouth and found the ferry terminal; we then found a little grassy bank near the road to sit and have a quick snack before checking in. Security was tight, we declared our two sizeable knives before having two of our 14 bags scanned, revealing a gas canister. That was all fine though apparently and the friendly Security team waved us on. Not sure what you would have to be carrying to actually be stopped!

My hopes were high that we would be allowed to board first as we were directed down an empty lane almost to the boarding ramp, but Anna’s prediction proved correct and we sat there for an hour while about 500 cars boarded in front of us. It was a lovely sunny afternoon though so we had no complaints. I did find out what a pain it is to move your bags around once they’re off the bike though. We couldn’t carry everything in one trip so we had to relay our bags to the cabin. Maybe we shouldn’t have brought the 60m climbing rope??

We sailed at 5.30 pm, and once we’d taken some artistic photos of the Spinnaker Tower and waved goodbye to the mainland we sat down to dinner while sailing past the Isle of Wight. It was sunset and the sea was amazingly calm; we enjoyed the beautiful view while maximizing the value of the all you can eat buffet. We figured we need to make the most of available calories!

After dinner we wandered around the ship and went outside to watch some gannets before heading to bed for an epic 11-hour sleep! Anna has a bit of seasickness, so the more time spent asleep the better as far as she’s concerned.

Today we’ve eaten, walked around, read and watched the sea for signs of life, to no avail so far. However, I expect the marine mammals will turn up somewhere near the continental shelf break, which is pretty close to the coast on the Spain side. Hoping to see some dolphins and if we’re lucky, some bigger whales too. While I’m writing this I’m listening to Brittany Ferries’ resident lounge singer and piano player, collectively known as “Liaison”. There is an elderly couple waltzing around the dance floor and maybe 3 other people watching and providing occasional applause. It’s amazing. I hope I’m happy to dance around by myself at 3 in the afternoon when I’m old.

I’m really looking forward to getting into Santander and meeting our Warmshowers hosts Silvia and Carlos this evening. Anna is pretty chilled out about it, but it’s all new to me and very exciting. I have to keep reminding myself I don’t have a job or anything to go back to after this, and we aren’t expecting to go home for months. It’s the first time I haven’t had a job since uni, and I think it’s going to take a while to sink in. Maybe some tasty Spanish food and a beer tonight will help!