Santander to Home

The sail home was long, almost 24 hours I slept well in the cabin and spent most of the day walking around the boat and reading. Eventually we caught sight of the Isle of Wight, and sailed around it into Portsmouth. We said our fair wells up on deck and docked around 8 pm.

I managed to get off the boat by 8.30 and set the Navigator to 'Home' and followed Sean and Gerry along the M27, A34 and left them as I turned off at Chievely Services to fuel up one last time where I helped a young woman heading towards Hereford in an old Mercedes sports car with an overheat problem. It seemed she wanted to top up with water and luckily she hadn't tried to remove the hot radiator cap yet but was just about to. We decided it was best she let it cool right down and try and drive to the next service station or junction and see how she goes first. Hopefully she made it home OK.

Most of the rest of the journey home via the M4 and past Cirencester, over Birdlip and onto the M5, I made use of the cruise control and my high visible over jacket to cut the wind chill (now at 8 degrees) and also make me a bit more visible on the dark sections of motorway. I made it back just after 11 pm. The end of yet another superb motorcycle tour with good company. 👍 

Cangas de Onis to Santander

Today we head toward the coast and Santander for our ferry home. There were three route options to choose from to get us there, the longer route was favoured but marred by the diversion we encountered yesterday. Fortunately Steve our your leader set to work with an alternative taking route east out of Cangas on the AS-114 then on to the CA-282. He Bluetooth ed the revised route to our Navigators so we were all set. I started just after loading. The road takes you through a gorge with twist after twist as it snakes along a river before heading south along the CA-281with huge rock faces either side of the road and river. What a unique ride and not a single camper van in sight.

I stopped for a photo and a local fishermen offered to take a photo of me near a little stone bridge. He couldn't speak English but I understood enough to work out he was fishing for Salmon.

Today was turning out to be just great. I had a good night's sleep and the temperature was at 14 degrees with no traffic. Steve had decided to take what he thought was the shorter route with the team leader( we later discovered it was the same long route he did with the others too) leaving me to enjoy the solitary ride. I knew Kit was ahead of me somewhere and when I reached the allocated coffee stop cafe at La Lastra high on a ridge no one else was there however the parking was awkward but I stopped for a quick coffee anyway. Soon Kevin, Gerry and Sean went passed so I drank up and met them as they stopped at the top of the mountain pass. Kit was just leaving so we all agreed to meet for lunch at the planned stop. 

After a small Tapas lunch on the CL- 626 at Cervera de Pisuerga myself and Kit headed into a national park that looked like a mini grand canyon. Like a scene from a western movie. I can't find the location, but noticed a large motorcycle cafe stop. Kit stopped, I carried on to get some photos. 

Later, after refuelling at the foot of the mountain, I stopped at a Cafe for a quick coffee. Soon Steve F, and the others came in to fuel up so I joined them for the final section into Santander and the ferry port. 

The end of a superb trip. My wrists aching from endless turn after turn and great fun, Northern Spain and Portugal really does have the edge. 

Our final dinner together on the boat was fun, and a few drinks in the bar later to celebrate great company and wonderful roads, along with weather that couldn't have been better with only a few hours of rain in 8 days. 👍

Corias to Cangas de Onis

Myself and Steve left the Paradore late. Bit of a late night on the wine and later rum and not much sleep so a bit disorganised and couldn't find the breakfast room much to Steve's amusement 😀. The roads were drying up after a night of rain. Unfortunately Kevin droppef his 1250 GS on the ramp up from the car park. Mostly cosmetic damage and none to the rider thankfully. 

The monastery ruins in the basement near car park.

A slightly different route down to Villablino through the mountains and past more disused pit heads. We passed Roger a few times and he leap frogged us a few times before myself and Steve stopped briefly at a cafe and I took off ahead and had a good quick ride with Kit riding his Multistrada. We stopped to take photos of the lake and Steve, Gerry and Sean on the bend. 

Roger climbing up.

Mining villages and the valley below.

Sean on his K1600 rounding the bend near the lake. I lost Steve at this point so took off on my own hoping to catch him but missed him when he pulled into the petrol station. Never mind, a good ride stopping now and again for a drink and photo I particularly love that road toward Bonar and the the run up to Riano. Never ridden it in this direction and it's just as much fun. Stopped at the huge dam.

The Dam near Riano.

Sluice gate channels.

Stopped for lunch at the Riano hotel and soon after Kit, Sean, Kevin Gerry, Steve, Roger, and Steve joined me where myself and Kit had egg and chips with these strange worm looking things we think was some form of Pasta. (I have since found out from my work colleague whose wife is Spanish they were in fact 'Gulas', as fake version of baby eels known as 'Angulas'. The latter being very expensive). Read about it here ). 

After lunch the road was superb - the N625 to Cangas de Onis. However, about 20k outside Cangas the road was closed due to the road6 falling down the cliff edge. The diversion added another 25k on a road that was suitable for a GS really typical of Welsh lanes much to the displeasure of some. I loved it, had a great time but ready for a beer at our Paradore on the evening.

Great ride today. Brightened up now 25 degrees in a fantastic location .

Braganca to Corias via Sierra Monteshino

Today was forecast rain in the afternoon on our route, so we all agreed an early start. Myself and Steve left the hotel around 8.15 just after breakfast to start our climb into the Montes de Leon, the mountains of Leon. A cool start and no traffic, the road started out winding through small villages across river bridges and climbing up and down valleys that gradually opened out into big sweeping bends.

The roads then changed to long fast roller coasters switching between forests then farm land either side. 

I caught up with Roger and passed him while having fun riding in mountainous section. And stopped for an agreed break at this church on a crossroads. Steve needed to reset his Garmin and I to put on my cold killers jacket. The temperature had dropped down to 9 degrees with an added head-wind chill factor, so it really felt quite cold.

For a while I stood staring at the huge stork upon the top of the smaller chapel. This church seemed to be in the middle of nowhere, almost abandoned.

While stopped, some of the other riders of our tour group went past. We met up with some of them later in a cafe bar. Tour leader Steve bought us all a coffee to warm us up. 

The road opened out cutting through vast expanses and lots of straights to sit back and cruise along taking in the scenery. 



Eventually our route took us back across the border into Spain and high up into the mountains of Monteshino National Park we had ridden over on the way down a few days earlier. Later, they topped out at 1800 metres where the side  wind was quite strong and temperature down to 6 degrees. By now you could feel the rain in the air but this didn't diminish the fun I was having.

By now I had paired with tour leader Steve and after our lunch with Kit and Roger and we had a blast up and down the mountain passes together.  A lot of fun trailing him and seeing if I could smoothly follow his lines and more importantly avoid braking into bends that suggests my gear selection was spot on. At some point we switched position and good to know I can keep the pace.

We had been warned in the briefing the night before about the huge slate quarries seen above and the slate dust on the roads. We passed trucks with huge lumps of slate on the back. Amazing sight to see but you really did have to keep the speed low into the bends because of the fine dust. The rain caught us soon after for the last 50 miles or so. The valley road from Villablino to Cangas de Narcea was the worst with quite heavy rain at times and must hanging in the valley. Pleased though this was only a short part of the days ride and didn't spoil the enjoyment. 

We filled up with fuel and went straight to the underground car park at our Paradore hotel Monasterio Dr Corias.

This hotel was once a monastery and the place is amazing. My room as all are was once a monks room set around a square. I dropped my wet gear in the room and put on my swimming trunks and had half an hour all to myself in the very nice ambient pool.

We had a lot of fun getting Steve to deliver his ride brief for the second time up high in the pulpit overlooking the restaurant as it is now. I really think he looked and sounded the part !

The meal was excellent, I went for the Entrecote, superbly cooked, followed by the cold rice pudding, traditional in Asturias that was quite a bit sweeter than we are used to. A few drinks later in the bar then off to bed. Another enjoyable day with great company. 👍