It was around this time when i noticed a kind of creaking sound coming from the back end of the bike. Initially i thought it was the lower suspension mount creaking due to all the dust and crap we'd been riding in. A can of WD40 (sort of!!) was purchased and liberally sprayed all around the lower mounting point. It helped a bit but the sound didn't go away. Further investigation highlighted that it was more likely coming from the rear pivot bearings housed within the swing arm at the diff end. Now i'm no
Motoscot/Steptoe but i must admit to being somewhat concerned about this. However, now we were back in the EU my concerns were lessened.
After going through a toll we all pulled over while Ian made a final call to his Dad to see if we would be able to get access to his place. I decided to check the diff oil and by the time i'd finished Ian advised that we'd have to bin the idea of a night in Estapona with a cold beer next to the pool and juicy steaks in the evening.....
We all decided that we'd press on North and Ian advised us of a place he used to go as a kid which was some 40-50 Kms north of Malaga called El Chorro. A beautiful forested area surrounding a lake where we could camp for the evening... Perfect!!!!
I'd been hauling 2 panniers worth of Camping gear around Morocco and had not actually used any of it as yet so I was looking forward to a night under the stars..
We set off due north and within no time we were off the highway and into the lovely mountain roads of southern Spain...
The Big fella kickin back ala HOG style.....
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Beaker looking good...
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and Mark who is not a big chap but somehow manages to make a Tenere look small!!!
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We arrived at El Chorro and it was fantastic, highly recommended if your ever looking for a decent campsite in southern spain. The lake was gorgeous and the pictures below have not been doctored - it really was that colour....
http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14070092900" title="IMG_4028 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2899/14070092900_9da022e6a0_o.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_4028"></a>
http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14253395081" title="IMG_4040 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3830/14253395081_9c6b6ec422_o.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_4040"></a>
Mark decided that his kit needed a wash after just over a week of riding in high 30 temps. He emptied all his pockets and walked straight in with a bar of soap.......
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The bikes were parked just a few meters away from where we'd be pitching the tents so no worries about security...
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Time to pitch the new tent....
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I'd decided to go back to a Phad x2 because of the packed size. My G4 Kyham Igloo is a great tent and has served me very well over the years and is great if i'm with Erika and the dog but it's just too big for single camping. The Phad x2 fits in the bottom of the panniers and is perfect if it's just me. Very happy with it...
As you can see i'd pitched within a stones throw of the lake.....
http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14203209304" title="IMG_4034 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2914/14203209304_d0dfab0824_o.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_4034"></a>
http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14016655199" title="IMG_4084 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5549/14016655199_105128b477_o.jpg" width="1024" height="1024" alt="IMG_4084"></a>
It wasn't long before the kit was off and i was in for a dip... Even though it was still very warm i'll never get used to the "scrotal kiss" moment of walking into cool water.....
Once the tent was up I found I had a visitor.....
http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14016689690" title="IMG_4038 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2918/14016689690_904629f0dd_o.jpg" width="1024" height="1024" alt="IMG_4038"></a>
Don't know what it was but it flew and looked prehistoric.....
We then drank beer and the jollity began...
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Before a little route planning for the following days....
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This was going to be our last evening together as a four, Mark and Ian had planned to ride back to Santander and catch the ferry back to Plymouth. Adrian and I planned to ride to Calais and get the Train. It was Sunday night and I was booked on the 18:00 train on Friday, Ian and Mark were booked on the Wed evening Boat from Santander.....
We had a great last evening together, pizza and beer were the order of the evening listening to music of our youth on our phones. Some great tunes were heard during the evening and we all agreed on the best ever tune for driving/riding - She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult.....
http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14256710835" title="IMG_4061 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2937/14256710835_4721784b32_o.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_4061"></a>
http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14256333424" title="IMG_4079 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3673/14256333424_265e2642ff_o.jpg" width="1024" height="768" alt="IMG_4079"></a>
Once we got back to the tents, the Jack Daniels and Hennessy came out and more bollox talking ensued. It was around this time we became aware of some rather odd noises coming from across the lake..... We all shut up and the noises became clearer, just across the lake from us someone was getting a damn good rodgering!!!! Clearly an unfamiliar sound to us so we listened for a while
. It must have gone on for around 10 minutes and she was loving it.... When it was all over we all gave a rapturous round of applause for a good performance.....
The morning came and i was surprised to be woken by what sounded like appalling weather outside the tent. It was around 05:00 and the wind noise was incredible, i was expecting to crawl out into carnage but alas it was only Adrians snoring from up the hill....
Breakfast consisted of some cheese and ham with bread sticks and a cup of tea. Tents were packed away, showers had and it was time to bid farewell to Mark and Ian before heading north..
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The road out of the campsite took us round the lake and the view across the lake was lovely as seen in the video below....
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We ended up on the road around 08:30ish and had a full day of riding ahead of us. We wanted to get through Spain and to the base of the Pyrenees by Tuesday evening in order to give us a full 3 days riding through France without using any toll roads or motorways. By around 1700 that evening i'd had it, I was loosing focus, struggling to stay awake and we new we were beat so it was time to find a place to stay. We ended up in a town called Motilla del Palancar in the province of Cuenca so we'd made good progress. The first hotel we came to was the Hotel Setos, they had availability and soon we were booked in for the evening....
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http://www.hotelsetos.net
That evening consisted of beer, kebabs a walk throughout the town and more epic snoring from the big fella!!!!!
The following morning we set off early (around 07:00) and there was a distinct change in temperature. The previous week we'd been riding with only base layers on, vents open and we were still too hot. Now i'd been riding for around 20 minutes when I had to pull over to add the following: addition long sleeved base layer, micro fleece and inner lining to jacket!!! Granted it was earlier than we'd usually set off but i didn't expect it to be that cold!! However, once back on the bikes the roads we were on made up for it. They were fantastic, long winding corners that shortened up into subtle hairpins one after the other. The only down side was that we were both on TKCs but I was still very surprised at how good they were on tarmac.....
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A few hours later and we arrived in the Spanish city of Teruel (just south of Zaragoza) and it was time to stop for breakfast. We found this little cafe which appeared to be very popular with the locals so helmets off, we headed in... The food was great, service fantastic and the atmosphere couldn't have been better. It was one of those places I could have stayed all day in and just watched.....
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http://<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/77911971@N06/14260893301" title="IMG_4089 by Chris Needham, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3758/14260893301_e62927b56e_o.jpg" width="768" height="1024" alt="IMG_4089"></a>
So, bellys full and warm from hot coffee we got back on the bikes with a view of getting to and crossing the Pyrenees today. We wanted to be in Pau for the evening and, given the mileage we'd been covering, were on target for achieving it...
Am I the only one that can't see the videos?
Bloody ipad.
