Day # | 55 | State of Legs | :-) |
Distance (miles) | Distance (km) | Ascent (feet) | Ascent (metres) | Punctures | |
Today | 60 miles | km | 3232 feet | metres | 0 |
Trip Totals | 2492 miles | km | 107347 feet | metres | 0 |
Today's Route |
Route So Far |
Travelogue
Today was quite possibly the greatest bike ride ever!
I headed north from the town of Cistierna and very quickly found myself cycling alongside a river and in between steep, craggy hills which weren't quite mountains but hinted at them. The road was quiet.
The road took me to a large lake near Riaño which is dammed at one end. Presumably at some point, the valley beyond was flooded to create the lake.
I cycled through a couple of tunnels (never my favourite places on a bike!) to get to the other side of the dam.
There's a long bridge which spans the lake and takes you across to the town of Riaño. I was soon there and enjoyed the crossing.
In Riaño I saw a sign indicating I was about to pass into the Picos de Europa national park! Exciting :-)
The road now followed the edge of the large lake for a while. It was here that I became aware that I'd formed the wrong impression about the availability of water in these parts. Europe has suffered extreme heat this year and there are drought conditions in many places. But I'd seen rivers that carried a full volume of water, healthy streams and irrigation channels, full and flowing. What I'd seen, I think was a functioning supply of water. The source (I assume) did not look so good. You can see at a glance how dramatically depleted the lake has become. There's even an old stone bridge in the middle of a dry area of the lake. I'm guessing it was there before the lake was formed by damming and flooding the valley. This is all guesswork by the way. I could be wrong. I'm not wrong about the water levels though. Just take a look.
Continuing north from the lake, I stopped for lunch. A tasty bocadillo with a delicious Spanish cheese and a couple of cups of coffee.
The scenery just got better and better along the way. Capturing the splendour of the scenery in a photograph was a challenge. In bright conditions, I can't always properly see the screen of my smartphone! So, I made a few short videos as well.
Camping mush with avocado |
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