The ocean beckons today and we ride the 25 miles ‘there and back’ route to Matalascañas on the Atlantic coast. It’s a good tarmac road with cycle lanes and the weather’s ideal for a bike ride – cloudless skies, sunshine but not too warm. We called at a Visitor Centre and saw the Iberian or azure winged magpies, they were tempted to come close as we dropped small crumbs from our sandwiches. At Matalascañas there’s the Torre de la Higuera, one of many defensive towers built in the 16th century by King Felipe II as protection against attacks by corsairs and pirates trading between Europe and America. The tower was demolished in 1755 as a result of tremors from the Lisbon earthquake.
Having found a trail that seemed to go up into the protected dunes, it turned out to be a huge flight of steps – we left the bikes and walked up. Bev noticed her phone was not in her pocket a couple of miles later . . . after a worrying ride back, we were relieved when a friendly Spanish woman answered Steve when he called Bev’s phone. Climbing the steps a second time, Bev was pleased to be reunited with her phone: remember to zip the pocket up next time! Steve had a puncture on the return ride, easily repaired and on checking the stats for the ride, including climbing the steps to the dunes, it only involved an elevation gain of 424 feet! An enjoyable day out, we retired to cook supper in the van and plan where to go next, the weather is set to change . . .
