Day 51: Adra (Drive/Cycle)

Awake and up at 7AM today! Quick breakfast and a drive to Adra. Where today's ride was due to start.

Unfortunately, on my arrival, I discovered that where I'd planned to park was currently being used to hold the weekly Saturday market so, after further consultation with the App that knows, I ended up parking just a few hundred metres from where I originally intended.

However, where I ended up was in motorhome-central-by-the-sea. There are 52 motorhomes/campervans parked in a long line immediately adjacent to the beach (I counted them all). This is definitely not my scene!

Initially, I drove the length of that line and in doing so could only identify one possible parking place but, I imagined that my potential neighbours may not be too pleased by my arrival and so it proved to be so!

They were immediately out of their respective motorhomes to see who had had the audacity to invade what no doubt they perceived as their space!

I was not made to feel welcome! Indeed, the French neighbours (to my left) immediately set up their deckchairs and, in doing so, claimed the space between our vehicles. Since I was only parked to go cycling and, thus, leaving them in peace for the day, they need not have rushed to claim it, but I suppose they were not to know that! I'm glad I'm not that kind of campervaner/motorhomer!

Fortunately, all this was soon forgotten as I headed off into the hills. Today's ride consisted of new roads to me: either because I started in Adra, where I'd not been before or, because they were roads in the vicinity of Berja that I hadn't ridden when I visited last time but, would have liked to. I also chose to ride down (there is also some up!) the AL6400 and A1775 again, as I knew I'd enjoy doing so (and I did!).

The AL5400 was a new road to me, which goes to Hirmes and is identified by the Michelin Atlas as being a scenic road. I imagine it once was, however the lower valley that you cycle/drive up has probably changed somewhat since it was designated as being scenic: Apparently a photograph paints a thousand words:

Fortunately the final 3 kilometres or so are more scenic (here we see that some of the Sierra Nevada mountains have some snow cover:

And here is today's tree!

• Distance driven: 35 miles
• Distance cycled: 103 Kilometres
• Weather, mainly sunny with temperatures in the low to mid 20s C - it was 38°C in th van on my return!
• Location: Google Maps

Today's route: