Day 61: Malaga (Cycle)

Today's milestone: I have cycled in excess of 2,000 miles so far this year! (With plenty of up to enjoy as well!).

There are times when I'm away from the van that thoughts enter my mind regarding its safety. Today was one of those days. Sometimes I arrive at a possible park-up location and the vibe doesn't feel right so I'll listen to my instinct and, typically, go somewhere else. I think my unease today initially came about through comments made regarding a nearby park-up location that I visited yesterday. Anyway, I checked the place out and ultimately decided it was not a good place to park. So I moved to a nearby alternative, that I came across by chance, before arriving at my current location where I'd intended to spend the night and, where I reside tonight. Anyway, on a couple of occasions whilst happily cycling along today, minding my own business, the following thought popped into my mind: is the van safe and will I return to find it broken into or, perhaps even worse, stolen. Then what would I do? The nightmare would begin and .... I'd probably rely on a translation App!

Obviously, I returned to the van and, all was ok! Phew ... worrying about nothing, again! But next time ... perhaps not!!

Apart from the rogue thoughts, once out of Malaga city, the cycling was most enjoyable: as usual the garmin (navigational aid) overestimated the severity of the climbs (occasionally it doesn't!), which were generally 5 or 6 percent; the scenery was good; and, there was mostly a strong tailwind for the final 40 odd kilometres of descent to sea level! Indeed, the wind speeds were high again today, so I restricted my maximum elevation to about 700 metres and, missed out the big climb (which I did last year). All-in-all another good route (it would be even better without the Malaga city cycle - although the run in is mostly on good cycle lanes).

High point of the day:

A surprise was how green and pleasant the land looked near the Pueblo of Villanueva de la Concepción:

• Distance driven: 0
• Distance cycled: 95 kilometres
• Weather: Sunny with some cloud; again a very windy day; T about 11 or 12 °C in the AM and about 15 or 16 °C in the PM. At times it was pretty chilly, especially when descending into the strong northerly wind - extra clothing, arm warmers and gloves were required.

Today's route: