This is another post that starts with ‘phew’. It was a mammoth day of travel from coastal Asturias down to Navarra, next door to the desert of Bardenas Reales. Although according to the GPS, I rode only 278 miles over 5 hours and 5 minutes, it feels like much longer. Luckily today there were no hitches but the dramatic rise in temperature took me by surprise. After a cool misty start and 22 degrees, I began to notice near to Bilbao that the air was starting to feel hot. It was 33 degrees and it gradually climbed to high 30s and even 40 degrees which is what it is outside now. But I am sitting in my hotel room at Hospederia de Alesves where I arrived at about 4.45. The shutters were firmly shut against the sun and the air-conditioning is on high when the owner showed me into the room – and it has stayed like that ever since, with the lights on in this high ceilinged room that has matching grey carpet on the floor and one wall. The place is a historic building but converted in a contemporary way with no attempt to recreate some fantasy of history and nostalgia (well, there are a few antique items placed around the staircase).

I had no idea how problematic a high temperature is – although I have memories of having two small children in hot, hot South Australia. Everything on the bike was hot – and the bits I brought in, the GPS, baggage, the food in a pannier and all warm and hot. My bottle of water, bought from the fridge in a petrol station was warm to taste an hour later. There was nowhere to park the bike in the shade outside. So the first thing I noticed when walking into the narrow bar, restaurant and reception was that it had air conditioning and was cool.

It seems crazy to be sitting in a darkened room with the lights on when it is bright sunshine outside but it is a matter of survival!

I am pleased to be away from Asturias, not because it isn’t beautiful but Garmin and that part of Spain do not seem to mix.  Throw in a steep mountainous terrain and there are some problems with riding a large motorcycle. Strangely it felt liberating to get out onto large sweeping roads. Culture, or perhaps I should say tourist culture, is different over in this part of Spain. The two people who are running the hotel here seem more urban that their equivalents out west. I just had dinner in the restaurant – I was starving. The tables were quite busy and the food was fine – though I will avoid the steak tomorrow on my last evening in Spain. This was quite a trek to get over to this area but it marks a different style in this short trip – and I’ve been wanting to visit this area for many years. My plan is to get up early and leave early to be back here in my dark air-conditioned room by early afternoon. And the next day to also get an early start on my journey back up to the ferry terminal.