Biking & Baking in Las Alpujarras

Well here I am in northern Scotland, making one of my brief visits to the family, eating yummy Sunday roast and enjoying the only sunshine in the UK!  It poured in East Anglia but got better as I drove up the A68 (good biker territory) and over the border.  I stayed overnight in Richmond - a fine town - and saw lots of sweet lambs in the fields around Jedburgh.  Staying off the A1 and M8 meant low traffic volumes and good average petrol consumption (though  it was incredibly difficult to find a petrol station in or near Bishop Aukland); the Cairngorm Mts had snow on the tops and the whole landscape looked fresh, tidy and unspoilt.  Almost as good as home!

Well done Casey (Australia) for another fine win in Jerez and to our Spanish friends for 2nd and 3rd, with Cal Crutchlow holding on for a British 4th place.  Isn't he doing well!  I'm always amazed at the road holding abilities of these guys when they're doing over 200kph.  It's not always 'all about the bike'.  Talking of which, we did our run to Malaga with my case strapped on the back of the VFR, just like top-box, and it worked a treat.  Then Steve returned with a rucksack containing my helmet and bike clothes...what good teamwork !  

We thought it was time to break out the VFR and take a ride up to the ski resort below Valeta and above Granada.  Such a lovely day, such fantastic views!  As usual, all the other bikers seemed to be going in the opposite direction (do they know something we don't?), but we enjoyed our lunch in the sun, watching the snow-boarders practising and small children hurtling around on their sledges.  The resort is closed for the summer now but there was still plenty of snow up there.  Steve gave the Honda a thorough checking-over before we left, topped up various oils and fluids and gave it a good clean too.  Even with a protective cover, the dust creeps in and the old gal is such a great ride, we have to make sure she is looking her best.

Yesterday we made another longish walk, straight up above Portugos and onto the Lomo de Jabeli, where the rock formations and deep gulleys are so impressive.  A pair of eagles accompanied us for a while, then it was just us, a coolish wind and an overview of the Contraviesa, Cerro de Gador and the distant sea.  I tried out my ultralight Mariposa rucksack (only 600g) but forgot the choccy biscuits (mea culpa)...so we arrived home ready for supper (tortilla, green beans, onions with black pepper  and butter) and a hot bath. This is an excellent time to be walking, as the days draw out but it's still quite cool.  Don't go without a beanie and an extra layer though...above 2000m it gets a lot colder.

I said we needed to do more walking, so 2 days ago we got ourselves blown up to the Refugio de Poquiera (at risk of being whisked by the strong wind either into the acequia or straight down the valley), and then today we decided to go round the Taha valley (up the zigzag path near Ferreirola and south to the aljibe), then on down to the river junction below and up to Padre Eterno where we had already left the car.  My goodness, that was an effort, walking all the way back up the hill.  Next time we'll know where to position the vehicle and it will be about 500m lower down!  However, we did get to talk with two delightful old gentlemen with strong Andalus accents (and their dogs) and to  enjoy the fine old olive trees in that area.  The blue irises and banks of red poppies made for a colourful backdrop along with orange trees and the occasional brown or grey mule. 

Now we are...hornswoggled...very tired...and ready for an early night.  We have eaten delicious home-made pizzas and downed a few beers...in the morning my son just needs to see if he can beat his PB (personal best) time of 8mins 30secs on our local hill climb.  I think we will be perfectly happy to hold the stop-watch and nothing more!  Sleep, I need sleep!

The weather has improved dramatically ...from sleet and snow on Friday (when we were in the middle of a 3 hour horse ride) to 'turn you pink' sunshine today (good walking).  The usual Easter stuff in other words!  However, the riding was fun and I do enjoy being on the back of a horse that has some 'go' but will respond to commands as well.  One can never relax but there's a good chance that you will return in one piece!

We took my son and his partner on a walk and scramble around the local hills and rounded off the day with morcilla sausages, cous-cous with peppers and a chocolate cake.  All the calories used during the day got put back on this evening!  They would like to do a few challenging walks as they will soon be launching their Aberdeen Crossfit business (Google 'Crossfit exercise' to find out more) and need to keep fully fit even whilst out here, so the higher hills beckon for next week.   I have my eye on Caballo, above Orgiva, as a 3000+ attempt when the snows recede again, so it would make sense to try and shed a few pounds now!!  No good getting lightweight gear but carrying an extra 5 kg on the waistline!!  Perhaps I can persuade myself that it's just muscle!!