Day 1 - The Big Iberian Tour - Porto

I'm in Porto at the beginning of my longest cycling trip " The Big Iberian Tour", an epic 2000km journey south along the Portuguese coast and north through Spain via Seville. If all goes to plan, we (Christine joins the expedition in Lisbon) will be heading back to the UK, on a ferry from Santander, in mid-May.


The initial plan involved a relatively modest adventure along Spain's Ruta de la Plata from Seville to Giron. Based on an excellent website, this looks like a brilliant route but we then noticed that the Atlantic Eurovelo is now complete in Portugal and that we could follow this almost all the way to Seville. As time is not a problem (for me at least), the only question was how much of Portugal to cycle and which airport to start from. 'Most of it' was the answer so here I am in Porto.

Today all I had to do was get from the airport to my modest but comfortable hotel in the middle of the city. It's been a stressful day, so a short ride and a long relaxing afternoon was just what was needed at the beginning of the trip. Getting the bike to Gatwick, packing it into a big plastic bag, with all the vital bits protected by bubble wrap, and onto plane is something I've done before but it's still nerve-racking. I saw the bike go onto the plane, gave the baggage handler the thumbs up, and yes it made it to Porto in one piece.

Cycling in Castle Country

'To dare is to do' is of course the motto of the mighty Spurs but Christine's plan to go cycling around Herefordshire in March shows that it's close to her heart as well. Not one to worry about petty details (the weather and the hills) the discovery that there is a direct train from Brighton to the middle of the west country was a clincher. Well we got away with it. I suspect the cold, occasionally wet weather was about typical for the time of year but the cycling itself was great. The empty country lanes were a real revelation and, although it was hilly, it was pleasantly challenging rather than difficult.

Since last year and our big trip across France we've both splashed out big time on new bikes. Our beloved Croix de Fers have been replaced by much lighter titanium bikes assembled in Brighton by Mike Reilly. Getting those steel bikes up three flights of stairs into our flat had become a real pain and given our go further plans for 2017 we persuaded ourselves that an upgrade was justified. We also dumped panniers and gone thoroughly modern with Apidura saddle bags. The west country trip was the perfect opportunity to test all this new gear and we are very pleased with the results.

The GR1 - the best bits

Kim asks:

I am taking my son on a hike for his high school graduation present before he starts college. He loves hiking and so do I . We have talked about doing the El Camino trail, but I am afraid it will be too flat for him and he doesn’t want a crowd or beds to sleep in every night (but I would appreciate a couple now and then). I saw your blog about your experience on the GR1. I thought it might be a better hike for us. I saw that you took 37 days to complete this hike. We were only taking about 2 weeks, possibly 3 if we can find the time. We are trying to leave somewhere around the end of May and return mid June. I am a flight attendant so we can adjust our arrivals and departures if necessary. Can you recommend what part of the trail we concentrate on so we could see the best of it in a shorter amount of time? Also, how many kilometers did you average a day? You are probably in better shape for walking than me, so we may be slower. I have hiked the Inca Trail and did fine with that. But that was only 4 days. One last thing, we speak very little Spanish. Will we need a guide or can we muddle thru it with a pocket translator and a GPS? Thank you for your feedback. Any information will be appreciated.

Kim - what a brilliant high school graduation present and a good set of questions.  I'm getting the same sort of questions from lots of people as they get serious about plans for 2017.

Traumpfad - 'a pilgrimage without the religion'

If you don't like meeting people, don't walk from Munich to Venice.  If you want to be on your own, prefer solitude, not seeing anyone from dawn till dusk,  choose Spain and try the GR1, the subject of my first guide.  If, on the other hand, you don't mind bumping into the same people every evening and enjoy engaging with a multi-national community all sharing an ambition to reach the same destination, then you should think about the 'Traumpfad'.

Cycling in Chile & Argentina - the Lake District

Getting away to the sun and cycling in January is a brilliant way to escape cold grey Britain and it's now established as a regular feature in our calendar.   After three excellent trips in south-east Asia, we wanted a change from the traffic and the endless Buddha statues and decided to go to Chile and Argentina.  Another first for us, we booked our trip with Skedaddle, the cycling holiday specialist from Newcastle.  So what's involved and would you enjoy it?

From Puerto Varas 

The trip involves cycling on road and gravel tracks for two weeks in Patagonia's 'Lake District'. The scenery is spectacular and surprisingly varied.  While huge lakes are a common theme, the landscape is lush, forested and green on the Chilean side of the Andies and like a desert in Argentina and comparisons were made with both British Columbia and Nevada.  Particularly spectacular were the snow-capped volcanoes (this is the land of 'fire and ice') and, on a smaller scale, the monkey puzzle forests.

Munich to Venice - how tough is the Traumpfad?

One of the first question's most people ask before deciding to go on a trek like Munich to Venice is 'can I do it?'.

To be honest I had a bit of a 'discussion' on this issue with Cicerone who felt that only the experienced should attempt a walk across the Alps.  The trouble was this didn't fit with the sort of people I met on my transalpine journey many of whom had never done a long distance hike before.   All sorts of walkers were doing the trip: lots of young people with very little money; lots of older people, particularly the recently retired on their first post-work adventure; and, as well as couples, lots of single people, including solo women.  It wasn't hiking experience that these people had in common, it was a sense of adventure.

A sense of adventure the key requirement

A Walk Among Ghosts – A Norwegian on the GR1 Sendero Historico

A Guest Blog from Tarjei Næss Skrede

There’s a world of walking opportunities out there, but what led me to a remote pass in the Parque Regional de Picos de Europa in Spain? Some years ago, after walking the Camino Frances to Santiago de Compostela, a spark was kindled inside me. Other trails followed, the GR20 on Corsica, the GR10 crossing the Pyrenees, the Baekdu Daegan in South-Korea, the list goes on. Always looking for new trails, until one day a series of pictures flickered across my screen. Pictures of abandoned and remote villages in Spain set in stunning locations.

At the start of the GR1 Sendero Historico, Puerto de Tarna