Schumacher, wind and Teruel

We headed out of Alcover in search of Siurana as it had been recommended to us as a bit of a must see. We can confirm that it is. You wind your way up through mountains with shear rock faces on both sides to the top. It is a one way pass to the top which is fantastic because it means you get the run the route all again but in the opposite direction.

Breakfast was had In beautiful little cafe and consisted so a selection of cold meats for Williams and a salad for Edwards who was still sulking after his previous night failure to finish the steak that was put in front of him, bloody light weight.





































We headed down out of The village of Siurana only to be confronted by Michael Schumacher driving a white A3. Williams carefully picked his overtaking point but Schuie was determined to deny him and, in a move that Damon Hill would find familiar he tried to ram Williams off the road. They collided and only Williams consummate riding skill or blind luck (take you pick) prevented disaster. We pulled over further up the road to refit Williams wing mirror and knock Schuie's block off but were denied as he just drove past. "Coward!" we shouted after him waving our gloved fists "we know where you live" ......Spain.






We then headed to Alcaniz and on to our destination for the night of Teruel. The road weaved its way though lakes with fantastic views and it was baking hot. Part way though the journey Williams took a wrong turn down a small gravel side road. He checked his mirror and Edwards was right there behind him and gone the next. Williams pulled over about 500 yards up the road an waited, after about 2h he started to worry and decided to go back and check he was ok. Turns out Edwards bike gremlins were not behind him and the old girl had cut out. Time to get shut we think. He managed to get her going again and we set off to Teruel.









The last part of the journey was not as much fun as we were tired and the wind had got up as we climbed higher and higher.

Only a couple of days to world super bikes

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Location:Calle Bajo los Arcos,Teruel,Spain

The morning after

After a night on the vino collapso and beer our host brought us this plate of spirits to try. Our grasp of Spanish is poor to say the least but I think he said they were on him, I guess we will find out when we pay the bill.


Woke up this morning to the most amazing view and the sound of nature,birds were singing, cockerel cock a doodle doing and Edwards farting. I would check that if I was you Edwards.


There was a debate last night into what breed of dog this was. It is actually a Bichon Maltese, not a Bengie, or a Scottie dog.



We have been recommended to go to the Siruna today so we might just pop there for breakfast.




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Location:Alcover,Spain

Light weight

Photo says it all. Never seen a grown man cry until he came to collect Edwards plate.





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Location:Carretera del Musara,Mont-Ral,Spain

Another brilliant find

We must have done something right to deserve the roads we have been dealt up today.

We headed out of the Casa Dueso down the side of the lake to Barbarasto. It was raining quite a bit but this did not dampen our enthusiasm for the fantastic, relatively traffic free roads




From there we headed across up to Benasque which was actually another mistake but a really good one that took us for mile upon mile through a gorge with a river running through it






We made another wrong turn which turned out to be the greatest wrong turn of all time finding the C1311 to Tremp OMG! What a road, hairpin after hairpin, bend after bend on baking hot tarmac. Possibly the greatest road ever invented




From there we cut through lake after lake on fast weaving freshly paved roads



How could this get any better? How about a 9.2 (booking.com) rated hotel with mountain views, a pool table and dart board for only €45 per night. The female proprietor even had a cold beer waiting for us. Oh yeah and just to put the icing on the cake the road up to it would make any motor racing fan salivate.










Want it to be Groundhog Day so we can do it all again tomorrow



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Location:Carrer Julivert,Mont-Ral,Spain

We overshot

The dot below is us, the heavy line is the route we are supposed to be on. Woops!


































We rode from Aines to Barbastro down a beautiful lake. The weather was a bit hit and miss but it never stopped us having some fun.

We then headed back up north often the A138 though a very long gorge which was simply stunning if a little wet. Everywhere you look they are harnessing the power of water either through dams or hydroelectric power stations in the hills.

The moaning started early today but for a change it had nothing to do with fuel. "I've got a cold", "I'm wet", "the roads are sloppy" Richard victor meldrew Edwards has been on top form.

Eventually we stopped for some fuel (which we did not really need) and that seemed to cheer him up.

We ended up in a place called Benasque and stopped to dry out and get a pot of tea.




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Location:Calle de San Pedro,Benasque,Spain

Casa Dueso

Ok, this has to be find of the trip so far. €35 for two in one of the nicest places you could ever hope to stay, the Casa Dueso.






























Edwards fell in love with this pooch, so much so that he let him try his teeth on for size.

We rode over the Pyrenees today on some lovely roads starting in Lourdes. Yes that is the place where you can dunk your head in a bottle of Perrier and cure everything from genital herpes (I have heard) to the big C. Only problem of course is that it is all bollox, sorry if you are religious but I find it very disturbing all the ill kids there with adults promising they are going to get better. And let me tell you, it was Easter Monday so the place was packed with nutters.






Random picture from the web, we escaped before we got "converted".

We then traveled to Viella and stoped for a coffee. We were sitting outside a small hotel enjoying a coffee when the church bells went off over our heads. To say we were surprised would be a bit of an understatement, Edwards launched back from his seating position and sent our coffee flying with it.

























Then off to Bagnares-de-bigorre where we stopped for a bite to eat and were served by a lad with a very broad French accent, until he realized we were from England and then he proceeded to talk to us from in and equally broad Southhampton,l accident. Turns out he had been in France since the age of 10.

We ordered chicken by weight choosing 300g each, Southhampton bloke looked surprised, he was not expecting two such slender individuals to be able to put that much away (cough).

We passed though the Freddie tunnel from France to Spain. We have named it the Freddie tunnel as neither Williams or Edwards could remember what it was called but it basically came out near Aines, we had to que at the entrants to the tunnel for about 10 minutes so we decided to act like British kids for the entertainment of the French and Spanish car drivers by having a snow ball fight and making snow angles. The latter was a mistake as we got snow inside all our motorbike clothing and even higher speed runs would not get them dry.

The crowds entertainment ceased and kids were quickly put back in their cars when edwards started writing his name in the snow in "yellow" ink.

















If you look closely in the background you can see Edwards doing his thunderbirds impression.



We suspect the top speed may be a touch inaccurate !



Anyway, back to the Casa Dueso our lodging for the night. Thank god for google translate that is all I can say. The proprietor was so impressed that she promptly downloaded it herself and took every opportunity to use it.

Happy days



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Location:Calle de Santa Cruz,El Pueyo de Araguás,Spain

T'pau 856 miles

We are off T'Pau. See what we did there?






We managed to get the ferry, Edwards was so excited bless him. Was a bit windy but quite a quick crossing. Having said that he does not look that excited I the photo below. Not sure really what was going on but the comb over look definitely suits him and as he is 50 next year it is probably a sign of things of things to come.












We rode off the ferry and then on to Pau (not T'pau) where we had booked to stay the night.

We rode for 120 miles on the straightest roads we have ever ridden on. Some of them must have been 3 of 4 miles long with not a bend in sight. It did give us the opportunity to do a straight line race. I would like to say I won but I would be lying and we have both reached the age where our bottle gives way long before our bikes do.

We went in search of a lake to find something to eat only to find that there was nothing open. God did Edwards moan. Dinner was a poulet extreme avec Promme fritze from a little know resultant called McDonald's.







Picture taken by the side of the lake

Highlight of the day? Finding a bar that serves draft Desperadoes.







Anyway we have had a change of plan. Tomorrow we are going to ride the French Spanish border through the Pyrenees, although of course that plan will probably change by the morning.

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Location:Place du 7ième Art,Pau,France

Royan

We could have slept on a fence post last we were that tired, fortunately we did not have to because the hotel was actually quite good for £20 each.

We uncovered the bikes and headed into Rochefort for breakfast. Williams was keen to find somewhere to eat breakfast as Richard "I'm always nervous I am going to run out of fuel" Edwards was down to only 1/2 a tank and was starting to worry. We found a fantastic boulangerie where for about £5 we got cheese on toast (well we were in Rochefort), a coffee and a pud, yep a pud, that's how to do breakfast.

Edwards has been impressing me with his mastery of the French language using a point and "un un" technique that delboy would have been proud of.









We headed out to Royan as they have a ferry that Edwards wanted to get. You really could not say no to him as he was like a kid in a sweatshop at the thought of going for a ride on a boat.




















Random bridge photo

Location:Allée du Brick,Royan,France

Made it to our first stop for the night

Well earned beer at the Campanile budget hotel Near Rochefort








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Location:Avenue du Pont Neuf,Tonnay-Charente,France