Spain Motorcycle Tour - Day 4 - Guadalupe to Cordoba
From: Guadalupe To: Cordoba Via: Cabeza Del Buey Distance: 147 miles Saturday 29th, August
A short ride today of almost 150 miles. We started the day with a lazy breakfast and then a stroll around the little town of Guadalupe. It turns out that our hotel was just part of a the Real Monesterio de Guadeloupe complex. Though other than that there is little to see in the town.
After a walk round the town we set the sat nav to twisty roads, making our way carefully through the steep cobbled back streets of Guadeloupe. Turning our first corner we came across an old lady washing the cobbles. She didn't look too happy as we rode over her handiwork, and we weren't too happy to have ride over the wet cobbles too.
The road out of town took us up into wooded hills overlooking lakes. We are now starting to experience the Spanish heat as we ride into the southern part of the country. But it's still nice in the shade of the trees and we enjoy pottering slowly along the empty roads.
Stopping in a lay-by we see a couple with a van filling up hundreds off water bottles from a spring so, we jump on and fill ours up, as well as wetting our riding buffs, which it a great way of keeping cool when riding in hot climes.
A few miles later and we are on wide open dusty plains. Alisa spots her first cowboy, well a guy on donkey with a cowboy hat. We then cross what look like some man made lakes before riding across semi desert land.
A guy on a BWM GS flies by us on the flat open roads, which make me realise just how much I'm enjoying the luxury of taking is slow due to the low mileage we have planned for most days.
By lunchtime we arrive in Cabeza Del Buey and park up next to the GS that passed us 15 minutes earlier. We chat to the guy, who is a little non-plussed as to why two tourists would stop in the local town. He's visiting relatives and came down from the north of Spain early in the morning and was rushing in time to make it for lunch, but he does point us in the direction of the little square.
We find a cafe, and in true lazy British style are able to order drinks and sandwiches from the simple bar via sign language.
After a lazy lunch its back on the bikes and on to a pretty dull stretch of straight roads towards Cordoba. However the last 20 miles or turn our to be a surprise as rode through the Parque Periurbano Los Villares which is covered in heavily scented pine trees. It reminded us of riding route 4 over the hilltops into LA.
The park route leads towards cordoba and takes us down through the affluent part of town. The LA theme continues as we ride down steep street covered in the villas of the wealthy.
By the time we get into the centre of Cordoba it's hot, we're riding in unfamiliar rush hour traffic, we've missed a turn or two and on top of that, the hotel entrance is a little tricky to find. We finally get parked, check in, make the most of the luxurious hotel shower and cool air-con, then head straight out to orient ourselves with the old town and to grab a well earned beer.
Cordoba will be our first stop in the Moorish Spain, this is the part that I have looked forward to visiting and spending some time (we will stay two nights here). It's also nice to stay in a luxury hotel after a few days on the road.
