Cycling Via de Plata - slow Camino!

[hecate105]

A Welshman, an Englishwoman, a Thai lady and two American ladies will no doubt enter a bar in Cadiz. Then they will attempt to cycle to Santiago de Compostela. No doubt the joke will be on them....
The uk couple (us) will set off from Devon on the 2nd april (being fools anyway) to catch the Santander ferry. Then we will hire a van to drive down to Cadiz, we really don't want to fly... There we will meet the rest of the crew who will have cycled over from Malaga airport to Cadiz.
If anyone else is en route during April/May I hope we bump into you (not literally!)
Buen Camino!

 

[SYates]

Sounds like a great plan! The VdlP certainly lends itself to cycling, at least until Galicia ;-) Buen Camino to all of you, SY

 

[Davey Boyd]

I start the VDLP around April 5th from Seville, you will probably be ahead of me by then!

Buen Camino!

 

[hecate105]

Hi Davey, i doubt it... not only are we slow, but we will wait at Cadiz for the others to turn up - then probably leave on the 5th too! So we will be behind you - i assume you are walking? i wonder how long before we catch you up!
Be sure to flag us down - or stop if you see a bar with a ramshackle collection of bikes outside...
We'll look out for a Brit in boots!

 

[Davey Boyd]

Yes I am walking, I will look out for you!

Buen Camino! Davey

 

[Juanajoanna]

I will be cycling from Sevilla, but not leaving Sevilla till April 26.
Are you going Via Astorga to connect with Fances or via Ourense on the Sanabres?

 

[hecate105]

We think Ourense, mostly because there are two really good gardens to visit - Paco de Oca (!)and a Camillia garden - on that route! We are gardeners so its hard to resist.
How about you?

 

[Bradypus]

I walked through Ourense last week. There are some natural thermal springs which are great to soak in. Some in private indoor spas, others are just outdoor pools free and open to everyone. A good way to unwind and relax tired muscles!

 

[hecate105]

o wow, that sounds great!

 

[Juanajoanna]

We are going Via Astorga and the Frances, as we want to experience both the quiet remoteness of the VDLP and the super hecticness of the Frances.
Although the gardens sound interesting.

Buen camino.

 

[hecate105]

I think our companions might do the same when we get there - especially after travelling with the bickering brit couple...(us!)

 

[Katiefar]

A Welshman, an Englishwoman, a Thai lady and two American ladies will no doubt enter a bar in Cadiz. Then they will attempt to cycle to Santiago de Compostela. No doubt the joke will be on them....
The uk couple (us) will set off from Devon on the 2nd april (being fools anyway) to catch the Santander ferry. Then we will hire a van to drive down to Cadiz, we really don't want to fly... There we will meet the rest of the crew who will have cycled over from Malaga airport to Cadiz.
If anyone else is en route during April/May I hope we bump into you (not literally!)
Buen Camino!

See you in Cadiz

 

[hecate105]

Yay! and here's one of the American ladies.... Katiefar
We have just spent the afternoon loading our panniers and strapping on hat, crocs and other sundry items we can't seem to do without. Despite that - i thought we looked pretty streamlined... We will have a ride tomorrow (about 30km and mostly flat...!) and see how we get on.... Only two weeks to go - I'm SO excited!
(oh - and i just found the emoticons the other day - have they really been there all along...!)

 

[hecate105]

Well, just got back from cycling the VdlP. I don't know if we saw you Davey? But we certainly took advantage of the thermal springs at Ourense, thank you Bradypus. We met lots of lovely pilgrims, many of who laughed at our ability to cycle as slow as the walkers - but believe me it is an art! The VdlP (and the Via Augusta from Cadiz) is a truly beautiful route, tough and at times i was found sobbing under a bush, but we got there in the end, despite the heat in the south, the snow and hail in the north and the exceptional wines...
The Spanish were helpful and patient with our polyglot version of their language (english, american english, thai and we were joined often by a german - which created a situation in which we spoke a garbled mishmash of all - with a handful of french for good measure...) the food was always good and hearty and the wines were quite amazing. Camping in the vines whilst drinking a bottle made from said vines is luscious!
Our fellow pilgrims were great and included a guy from Malaga who had taken 4 years to complete his camino, a mad kiwi, an even madder Corkman, many frenchpersons, Manuela, Else, the lovely Socrates and his Italian mate - who had walked a camino for Denise Thiem and was so pleased we had a shell for her...
A huge thank you to all who made our camino a fantastic experience - and most of all to our companions en route Sheri (who will return) Katey - the accidental pilgrim - still battling back thru Portugal, and Sira - our Thai puppetmaster! and of course not forgetting our Hamburgers Jurgen and Maggy, it was a blast!!