San Pablo de Ruceite - an oasis for bike packers

I had been warned on several occasions that the official eurovelo 8 route after Málaga was dangerous/ illegal. My good friend, the N340, changes abruptly into A7 (autovía) ie a highway, suitable only for cars. However, this is a somewhat nuanced situation, as discussed on many an online biker forum. The A7 designation is relatively new, and as there is no other direct road along the coast for bicycles, many bikers take their chances. What are the arguments against this being a true autovía? no hard shoulder; the speed limit is 80km/h; multiple roundabouts; no bicycles prohibited signs. Alberto said that you can use the A7 but keep on the other side of the barriers. This I attempted for many kilometres until it proved impossible with overgrown trees or narrow bridge sections. I even managed to ruin my new Ortlieb pannier bag by snagging it on a metal barricade. This careful approach was getting me nowhere fast and increasing my frustration no end. Taking heart from some lycra lads on their speedy bikes who were charging down the autovía with nary a care, I decided to do likewise. Having a strong tailwind meant that I was covering 25km each hour and that experience would be over one way or another soon enough. Not one car, bus or truck honked at me and they all kept their distance from this daredevil cyclist. I am sure glad that this second experience cycling a highway did not result in my having a stiff talking to by the police, unlike that time in Sicily in 2012. 

In the end I covered over 130km today, and arrived at Louie's home in San Pablo de Ruceite in the early evening, just as the first rain drips start falling. Louie is an elderly lady living in a cottage filled with books, artworks and musical instruments. She is a professional gardener, keen seemstress and devoted musician. She has hosted many on Warm Showers and knows exactly how to treat her guests. She also loves that her guests help her a little about the house - my speciality was sorting out the new digital TV box for her. Her home is so cosy, with a log fire and two amiable dogs. Her lemon tree helps her to produce the best lemon curd I have ever tasted. Here she is mending the aforementioned Ortlieb pannier with some nifty needlework. 

To Málaga and beyond (Torremolinos)

After a very refreshing sleep in a bed, my energy levels are up and today's ride of 100km is not hilly. Even better news is that I have a strong tail wind. All things considered, this is an easy day. 

I meet a 70 year old Canadian battling the hills around Almunicar and he complains that the air quality is very poor today. There is a sandy haze to everything, and the cars pumping out exhaust fumes is definitely not helping things. 

Once on the flat national coast road, I am cycling 30km/h without effort. I meet Alberto on his street bike and he offers to ride with me to Málaga. He weaves through traffic in the towns like a slippery eel and I try to stay on his tail. He rides like he is doing an alley cat - my wide and heavily laden bike is not as agile. I push to keep up, especially at the minor inclines. 

When we reach Málaga he gives me a quick tour of the bay area and tells me that I'll be on his Instagram page the next day, et voilà......

Almunicar - Hotel Tropical*****

After a very sleepless night, I start early in the morning. This southern region of Spain is hilly, as the national road snakes around the rocky coastline. Up and down all day long leads to legs that are like jelly at the end of the day. I make the decision to treat myself to a night indoors and stay at a hotel in Almunicar. Wild camping is particularly difficult if there are no trees behind which to hide and every surface is at a gradient. 

Here is my progress around Spain this far (red pins are where I slept). 

Somewhere outside Balanegra (Álmeria)

I leave the beautiful Las Negras in the late morning, not knowing where I will sleep in the evening. The national park around Las Negras is sparsely populated and still there is a lot of rubbish on the street verges - mostly plastic water bottles - so far I have just been drinking tap water here. After a few hill climbs, I arrive in Álmeria, where I meet Bodhana (CouchSurfer) for a chat. 

She is originally from the Ukraine but fell in love with Álmeria whilst on Erasmus here. A quick conversation turns into hours, as we both have a lot in common. This means I depart Álmeria at sunset, looking for a wild camping spot out of the city. In the end I find a spot near Balanegra - nearly 45km away - it's nice riding at night when the heat is gone. 

Last night I dreamed of San Pedro....

After Bjorn's beach side breakfast, we head for a hike to the hippy/ anarchist village town of San Pedro. Stunning views greet us at every corner of the 5km hike and the walk is definitely worth the effort. 

I meet Hannah on the beach: she is collecting trash and using some of it to make her art. She has been living here three weeks and tells us what that is like - no electricity, intermittent fresh water and very basic tent accomodation for most of the residents. She introduced us to Yannick, who generously invites us for patatas bravas (fried potatoes), salsa and coffee, all prepared over an open fire. He refuses technology and thinks of money as irrelevant - the twinkle in his eyes means that he could be onto something. Bjorn is curious enough to try to stay in the village for a few days, to delve deeper into his the community functions.

I have a very refreshing shower and a very delicious pizza experience on returning to Las Negras. A tad too cold to actually go swimming in the sea. 

Las Negras - reunion!

It's another hilly (>1000m cumulative total), but quite a nice ride along the coast and through a big national park. My destination is Las Negras on the South eastern tip of Spain, where I have planned to meet my flatmate, and six month van-life veteran, Bjorn. 

Las Negras, like all the other towns on the coast, is still in its winter slumber. It's small and all the houses a picturesque white. I meet up with Bjorn in the town and we chill and catch-up with each others news at sundown. 6 months of van-life, the majority spent in Spain, has allowed him to meet many people and regain some lust for life. 

Águilas (nice decathlon here)

After a terrible night's sleep in the hostel dorm - new arrivals being loud at 2:30, snoring and multiple early alarms going off - I grab a quick breakfast and am on the road early. As I am nearly on the South coast, the temperatures are rising and the midday sun can be intense. 

The day includes two hill climbs of 450m, so for the first time there will be some pressure on my climbing legs. Actually, it turns out to be not that hard and I decide to wild camp at about the 90km point near Águilas. There seem to be beachfronts full of RV / camper vans. I guess the cops do not enforce their wild camping rules at this time of year. I decide to do likewise and set up my tent overlooking a nice beach. 

I check the water to see it is still too fresh to swim, and, yes, yes it's pretty fresh - about 14C I reckon. I guess this is why it is off season - in June the water temperatures are always above 20C.