Day 5 - Heading West
Tuesday 29th August 2017
In the early morning the sun is shining with the promise of a hot day ahead as I load my gear onto the bike. Today I shall be riding west through the heart of the Cantabrian Mountains to San Martin in Asturia. The route is around 125 miles mostly on small roads over a series of passes and peaks.
I have breakfast with my new Welsh friends. To my eternal shame I can find no reference to their names or email addresses in my notes, so sorry guys, hopefully you may come across this blog one day and remember our evening together in Potes.
I get constant flashes of déjà vu on these roads. I have ridden them before but then it was in the opposite direction so the memories are not precise. The R1200s is thrumming along and I'm loving the twisty mountain curves and hairpins. There is hardly any traffic here, tourism has not really taken off in these parts yet. There are plenty of cows wandering free on the highway though. It's not difficult to avoid them, they leave very obvious evidence of their presence.
I arrive at one pass summit and recognise a small side road leading north up to the top of the hill.
Last year with Mick and Sean we stopped on this spot and a friendly motorists pointed out this track and told us there were amazing views up there, so we rode up to take a look.
I do the same now. There are five big horses roaming free on the road ahead of me so I wait until they canter off across the meadows.
At the top the central peaks of the mountain range are displayed in all their glory. I think I can just about make out the high cable car station where I was yesterday.
I continue west with the sun on my back. There are some fantastic views here and zero traffic so progress is rapid and fun.
One section is so full of fast curves that I am mesmerised, just throwing the bike left and right and going with the flow.
I'm feeling hungry when I find a small cafe in one of the high altitude villages along this route. There are long stretches without much sign of human habitation on these rural roads and cafes, shops or service stations are a rarity, so I stop for lunch.
My command of the Spanish language is pitiful so much of the menu is meaningless to me. But I do recognise a couple of items and order calamari with a bowl of chips on the side to go with the very good coffee they serve.
Finally I roll into the small town of San Martin in Asturias and start looking for somewhere to stay.
I recognise the town from a previous village, though I have not stayed overnight here before.
I mae mental note of a few hotels on the main street but carry on through the town and take a left to the small village of La Plaza about a kilometre away with an impressive church and, yes, a nice looking hotel opposite.
This place looks promising so I park up and go inside to check it out.
It turns out to be just perfect for me. I guess it would be described as a 'boutique' hotel on the hotel booking sites though I'm none too sure exactly what that means.
Anyhow the hotel Posta del Camin Real is a great find. The rooms have been renovated to a high standard while retaining an olde world feel. There is a lot of polished wood in evidence and thoroughly modern en-suite facilities.
The hotel is family-run and friendly. They have a good range of bottled ales ranging from 6% to 7.5% which after a long day in the saddle cheers me up no end.
There doesn't seem to be a car park so I park up on the cobbles by the church wall. It is a very quiet place and I have no hesitation in leaving most of the luggage on the bike.
I try three of the ales on offer, all good. There is a blackboard with a long list of tapas. I settle down with my book and, making liberal use of the translation facilities on my phone, I order that traditional rural Spanish dish of bacon, eggs and chips. Lovely.
In the evening the bar turns into the local pub with all manner of folk dropping in for a quick one or a more lengthy stay for dinner and a glass or three.
I get into stilted conversation at the bar, trying to explain my journey and "Yes I really am travelling alone. Yes, on a motorcycle. Yes all the way from England" sort of thing.
Exhausted by all this effort, but pleased that I have finally established contact with the natives I retire early to bed.
In the early morning the sun is shining with the promise of a hot day ahead as I load my gear onto the bike. Today I shall be riding west through the heart of the Cantabrian Mountains to San Martin in Asturia. The route is around 125 miles mostly on small roads over a series of passes and peaks.
I have breakfast with my new Welsh friends. To my eternal shame I can find no reference to their names or email addresses in my notes, so sorry guys, hopefully you may come across this blog one day and remember our evening together in Potes.
 |
| Fabulous roads through the Cantabrian Mountains |
 |
| Overlook up a side track |
Last year with Mick and Sean we stopped on this spot and a friendly motorists pointed out this track and told us there were amazing views up there, so we rode up to take a look.
I do the same now. There are five big horses roaming free on the road ahead of me so I wait until they canter off across the meadows.
At the top the central peaks of the mountain range are displayed in all their glory. I think I can just about make out the high cable car station where I was yesterday.
 |
| Is that the cable car station? |
I continue west with the sun on my back. There are some fantastic views here and zero traffic so progress is rapid and fun.
One section is so full of fast curves that I am mesmerised, just throwing the bike left and right and going with the flow.
I'm feeling hungry when I find a small cafe in one of the high altitude villages along this route. There are long stretches without much sign of human habitation on these rural roads and cafes, shops or service stations are a rarity, so I stop for lunch.
My command of the Spanish language is pitiful so much of the menu is meaningless to me. But I do recognise a couple of items and order calamari with a bowl of chips on the side to go with the very good coffee they serve.
 |
| Big views on small roads |
 |
| Calamari or onion rings? |
Finally I roll into the small town of San Martin in Asturias and start looking for somewhere to stay.
I recognise the town from a previous village, though I have not stayed overnight here before.
I mae mental note of a few hotels on the main street but carry on through the town and take a left to the small village of La Plaza about a kilometre away with an impressive church and, yes, a nice looking hotel opposite.
This place looks promising so I park up and go inside to check it out.
It turns out to be just perfect for me. I guess it would be described as a 'boutique' hotel on the hotel booking sites though I'm none too sure exactly what that means.
Anyhow the hotel Posta del Camin Real is a great find. The rooms have been renovated to a high standard while retaining an olde world feel. There is a lot of polished wood in evidence and thoroughly modern en-suite facilities.
 |
| Hotel Posta del Camin Real |
There doesn't seem to be a car park so I park up on the cobbles by the church wall. It is a very quiet place and I have no hesitation in leaving most of the luggage on the bike.
 |
| Mmmm....beer |
I try three of the ales on offer, all good. There is a blackboard with a long list of tapas. I settle down with my book and, making liberal use of the translation facilities on my phone, I order that traditional rural Spanish dish of bacon, eggs and chips. Lovely.
In the evening the bar turns into the local pub with all manner of folk dropping in for a quick one or a more lengthy stay for dinner and a glass or three.
I get into stilted conversation at the bar, trying to explain my journey and "Yes I really am travelling alone. Yes, on a motorcycle. Yes all the way from England" sort of thing.
Exhausted by all this effort, but pleased that I have finally established contact with the natives I retire early to bed.
 |
| A la carte |
 |
| Catholic church in La Plaza |
Comments
Post a Comment