Project map?

An exercise in vagueness:

I arrive in Santander on Monday 7th May 2012, I'll then take a short ferry crossing to Somo where I'll spend my 1st night.  I then plan to take 2 days to cycle along the coast to Bilbao camping somewhere along the way.  After 2 nights in Bilbao allowing a day to see the city, I'll head inland.

My route isn't fixed at all and no further accommodation is planned. 

The plan is simply to 'Head to the Med'

The route below is one possible option depending on how I take to cycle touring, if my back and indeed the rest of my ageing body holds up and assuming I don't have a drastic re-think - which I probably will.


View Spanish project in a larger map

My sister and brother-in-law live in La Alforquia in Almeria province and my brother and sister-in-law are nearby in Zurgena.  The plan/hope is to visit them by which time it will be 'hot' in Andalusia,

I'll then need to start thinking about how to get home again?  

My preparations are almost complete now.  I was derailed yesterday when tidying a few things up at the bank.  I discovered that none of the 3 credit cards I intend to take actually work in the ATM.  Half an hour trying to sort out the mess was enough to get me a parking ticket and also almost make me late for my hospital appointment. 'The best laid plans'.....

My back injections yesterday don't seem to have had any ill-effects so the project will begin as planned on Saturday.  It remains to be seen over the next week or 2 whether there is any improvement in my condition.

Still a couple of days to unpack and repack several times before an early start on Saturday to ride Piccadilly station in Manchester.  I'd originally planned to take a train to Torquay and ride to a campsite on the edge of Dartmoor then on to Plymouth the following day.  With the recent weather in the southwest the prospect of arriving at the ferry for a 24 hour crossing soaking wet and carrying soggy kit didn't appeal too much so now it's 2 trains to Plymouth and the cheapest B & B in town.  Hopefully the rain will hold off for my ride to the ferry on Saturday.

Having said that the current weather in northern Spain looks positively Mancunian, I might change the name of my blog to '2 Wheels, a Walking stick and a Brolly'!