Day 96 23rd October
36 miles (Los Barrios to Benalup Casas Viejas) average speed 9.7 mph Top speed 29 mph
A very wet day. I left at midday following a running race out of town and it didn’t stop raining until 11am the next morning.
Run in the rain – Los Barrios
Well, it did briefly but only long enough for me to take my jacket off, it was back on a again within a minute.
Shelter from the rain
Just a little drop of rain
I stopped for a burger and coffee at a petrol station and met a family from Casablanca, Morocco who were visiting Seville, Córdoba and Granada. I gave them my approval of two of the cities and bid them farewell. Then followed a service road alongside the motorway which was stunning. Lots of lakes and great scenery. If only I could see it through the rain!
Rain over the river and lakes
I took the road north west through the national park and enjoyed the scenery.It was still a great ride through PARQUE NATURAL LOS ALCORNOCALES which was beautiful. Once you’re wet it doesn’t really make much difference how much wetter you get.
Can’t get much wetter!
Stopped just outside Benalup at a glamping park but there didn’t seem much point staying in a teepee for €25 when I was carrying a tent. Just before Benalup I got stuck in mud while trying to take photo of a biplane parked outside a farmhouse.
Biplane by a farm building
I stopped in a bar next to tourist office to ask for a room and was advised to go back to a hotel at the bottom of the hill I’d just climbed. The waiter warned me not to sit on a wet chair and I laughed out loud as I was much wetter than said chair. Good directions to the bottom of the hill to a hotel but unfortunately it was closed, no matter how hard I knocked on the door. So back to the top of said hill and found a hotel next to the bar I’d just left with excellent facilities, wifi and air con to warm me up and dry out my gear.
I’d be laughing, wouldn’t you? After a day of being soaking wet, being warm and dry is wonderful!
Checked in to the hotel for €35, even though I’d stupidly considered wild camping on a building site! The rain was persistent and I only left the room for beers from the garage opposite. With the beer I ate the lunch I hadn’t found anywhere dry to eat .
Cheers!
Aircon to dry me out and a full size bath to boot but not enough hot water to fill it unfortunately. Breakfast was included so it wasn’t too bad. Listened to the English radio channel and used the sleep function to avoid waking with TV blaring as it had the night before! It was still a good day and I am looking forward to the next two days of rain that are forecast.
Hotel Cortijo de Las Grullas €35