Day 5 - Bourg Madame to Collioure
Day 5 - Bourg Madame to Collioure
Sunday 25/06/2023
---------------------------------
The beautiful mountains and the picture postcard Mediterranean
Had an average night of sleep as I struggled to get comfortable. Today promised what ended up being probably the best roads do far from Bourg Madame to Ripoll and then again to half the way to Figueres. High mountain passes with pine and cedar forest with bend after bend after bend. My new rear tyre is a 50/50 off road tyre and it is really suffering on the edges, but it has behaved much better than it has any right to. Good job Avon!
Leon and Konrad are both riding well. A trip like this is like 5 years worth of riding in the UK. Konrad is now riding better than me on the twisty roads and I can struggle to keep up when he takes the lead. His super-moto bike is made for this stuff whilst my bike just bounces around and struggles on the tighter sections.
Despite leaving earlier still today it was still approaching 30C and peaked at 34C by the coast. Up in the mountains it was fine but it was scorching as soon as we hit any towns. We stopped on top of one of the mountain passes and topped up on nice cool spring water. By Figueres (birthplace of Gaudi I believe) it got busy, relatively urban and super hot. We stopped for lunch in Figueres at a bikers cafe. Good value €10 each for 2 drinks, nibbles and a decent sized lunch.
We rode directly from here to Cadaques which is an amazing totally perfect small fishing port, now a tourist paradise with cafés, bars, restaurant, a beach with lots of beautiful people enjoying the sun. A joy to see and a very special place. Not the best place to take a car but we're managed to zig zag through the cobbled alleyways and park right opposite the beach. A regular paradise. Lots of topless sunbathing going on which some of my friends would approve of.
After cooling-off we road a short way up the coast past Punta de s'Oliguera and the lovely Port Lligat which has a connection with Salvador Dali. This was much quieter but still had a busy atmosphere and some stunning views. Absolutely lovely part of the world, but in our hot bike gear we just needed to keep moving. We attempted to ride to Cap de Crues which is the most Easterly point of mainland Spain but for some reason the road was closed so we had to turn back.
We then took the small coastal road back from Cadaques, north up the coast to re-join what was the end of the old N260 which hugs the coast all the way up to France. Very spectacular road and we enjoyed getting overtaken by a maxi scooter which we struggled to keep up with on the fast twisty roads all the way past the abandoned border post into France or North Catalonia as the graffiti has renamed it.
We said goodbye to Spain and rode through a number of luxury cliff-side homes of the super rich before descending into Port Vendres which is another picture postcard spot with boats, restaurants, a huge old seaside castle and more beaches. Absolutely incredible. These places are all world class in my view and whilst having some resemblance to bits of Cornwall or the Channel Islands they are simply superior in every way.
We have camped in a seaside haven nearby called Collioure. The campsite is pretty well of the beaten track but is 100 metres from the beach which Leon has taken full advantage of. Absolutely lovely quiet beach in between the rocks. Leon tells me the water is really warm. One of Konrad's skydiving friends has moved to the nearby Argeles-sur-Mer area so Konrad has ridden off to go and visit him whilst Leon and I try to cool down in our nice shady camp spot.
What a day - too hot but a feast for the eyes and soul. Absolutely lovely memories being made here and good research for when I eventually win the lottery and need a new base.
Tomorrow we head through Perpignan before heading West into Quillan and then back into the French Pyrenees continuing Westwards.
Fines: 0 (possibly 2 in the post)
Bribes: 0 (£45 tolls)
Ass pain: 5/10
Mechanical issues: 1 Puncture, 1 lost toolbox cover
Accidents: 0
Wetness: 0/10
Coldness: 0/10
Comments
Post a Comment