Bye & Thanks Colin & Alison

Thanks for a lovely break in my travels. Follow my progress, good luck with Dupont's Lark and come and see us in Suffolk.

Look after Zoia ... the first Bike Trip Blog Dog!

Just for Andrew - Pyrenees .... and no birds!

Nth Italy (with Colin & Alison), Pyrenees, Sth France

Haven't had internet access for a while (thanks to Colin & Alison for letting me use theirs). I am now in Italy, north of Milan, near Varese & not far from the Italian lakes.

Briefly, I had to cross the Pyrenees on the outside! ie via a mountain pass because the tunnel was closed. Turned out to be a wonderful ride across the mountains which I'd have missed (photo - & there's the bike on the far right ... near the snow!).
Before this, I spent the morning birding with Joselle, looking for Wallcreeper but they weren't to be found. It'll have to be Trigrad Gorge in Bulgaria then! We did get a few other species including, Black Wheatear, Rock Sparrow and Chough as well as some spectacular places to be in.

Stayed in a hostel type guest House in the French Pyrenees with really friendly owners and guests (if you click on the photo and look closely, you'll see Annie, the owner waving... Hello Annie!). Here I met some young lads who were on some sort of escorted outbound trip but I need their parents permission to use the photo. If it comes through I'll post it cos I think they'd be chuffed! Around here it's a sort of outdoors playground for the adventurous French along with spa, indoor, natural hot waters to swim in (this town is called Les Eaux Chaude ... The Hot Waters!)

From here, after a night camping on a farm for €2, (TWO EUROS! - result!), a long ride to Millau (pronounced Meeoh, I'm told by a French cafe owner) I arived at the stunning Millau Viaduct. The photo doesn't do it justice but for a sense of scale, look at the valley floor, between the two big pillars & you'll see a "normal" road bridge - shows how huge the viaduct is. What a piece of engineering and design. It yomps across a whole river valley and is of vast proportions. I've wanted to see it for years .. ambition fufilled!

Camped in The Camargue in the south of France, had a meal and lost my phone in Arles (nice meal though!). Met a family from Canada (hello ... photo)

Damn ... just typed a pile of text and lost it! ... as brief version, fretful night camping with Camrgue frogs and nightingale singing, returned for phone (luckily, the cafe owner was there early, opened up, opened cahs box and returned said phone - relief!). Spent the next hour "being continental" (family speak for lounging over a coffee and croissant!) 

And finally for now ... at Colin and Alison's who I can't thank enough for their hospitality, encouragement and birding in the morning; Italian rice fields for waders (hundreds of wood sandpipers and others) and the beautiful White-winged Black Terns and Black Terns. We think they had just arrived on migration in a group of around 5 and 10 of each respectively. Lovely Yellow Wagtail too. Hope to get a photo on here of Colin and Ali as I leave but will need to post that later I think. For now, one of their lovely tranquil house in Nth Italy. I'll be sad to leave the comfort and company I've found here but onward and upward ... Slovenia next

PS having great trouble on Spanish, French, Italian configured keyboards so please bear with the many typos (where's that bloody @ key? ... )

Boletas in foothills of the Pyrenees

Boletas (mentioned in the last, "Lammergeier", post) is a birdwatching centre/guest house where I stayed in comfort for a change on 19th & 20th April. It's near the Pyrenees and the owner, Joselle gave me great advice on where to go and then took me out for a morning with him to find some birds I'd missed, notably Wallcreeper. Didn't find that but went to some majestic places (eg Riglos pinnacles - see photo).

Before all this, on the way to Boletas across the Spanish Steppes of Aragon (sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings!), I stopped off for two difficult birds; Bonnelis Eagle and Dupont's Lark, the latter being particularly rare and difficult to find. The French couple in the photo here, helped me to find the birds, 3 in all, singing sadly in the beautiful evening light. Unable to tear myself away from this unique experience, I stayed until 8pm with a 90 min ride to Boletas, food and comfort! I MUST stop riding into the night with nowhere to stay (I've done this three times now ... not good).

Spain at this time of year has some spectacular flowers in bloom. I can't ID most of them but here are a few orchids to give a flavour. Lts of other stuff about this part of Spain but that's for when I come back. Uploading photos here takes ages (file sizes too large but I don't want to lower the res on the camera and lose quality). Also hard to use spanish keyboard layout (where's the @ key? ...just found it!). Later ...

Comfort Cafe - I'm off .... again!

These photos were taken by Mike's daughter at a cafe stop & they're fab, thanks to her. This was half an hour from home after I set off. Thanks again to Mike for posting this in my absence.

Time to fly! Last stop to make final adjustments and down a cuppa tea.

Lammergeier!

Oh yes! ... Lammergeier, such a fab bird (the bone breaking vulture for anyone not in the know, you know, the bird that drops bones from a height on to rocks to extract the marrow, not that I saw that happening - you need to go to special feeding events to witness that). Saw this enigmatic species on a long walk in the Pre-Pyrenees. Prior to this, rode the bike into the dark, cold night around Madrid (why was I so determined to get round Madrid despite having nowhere to stay?). Found a motel (should have been camping but the weather has been awful & I was very late). Next day rode on to NW Spain & Pyrenees. Boletas Birdwatching Centre & Josele Diaz. Went via Aguilon (Bonelli´s Eagle, thank you very much) and El Planeron (John, take note - Dupont´s Lark, baby!). Now at Boletas and have seen some amzing Pyrenean landscapes & birds (Lammergeier, Black Wheatear, Black eared Wheatear, Golden Eagle, Tawny Pipit, Thekla Lark),

Piece of advice for fellow travellers. Get to your next destination/accomodation before dark! ... and if booking in advance, consider staying two nights in places, not one ... it´s exhausting otherwise and I SO like being here at Boletas for the second night. Tomorrow, off with Joselle for a (unscheduled due to volcano cancellations) morning of guided birding for ... WALLCREEPER!

Ok that´s all I have time for. If they will upload, here are some more photos (Woodlark & the valley of the Lammergeier). Tomorrow it´s across the Pyrenees into France.

Great Bustards!

Hello & thanks for the comments. Not much time to do this update (blagging a PC in the guest house!) weather is atrocious! thunder, rain wind. Camped in a downpour day before yesterday but warm dry bed last night here in El Recuerdo, Trujillo (Lesser Kestrel by the bull ring). Martin & his wife are great hosts & the company were all birders.

El Recuerdo Guest house, Near Trujillo, Spain

Out this morning to bird the spanish steppes; Little Bustard (handsome), Montagues Harrier, Booted Eagle, Beeeater, Great Bustard (handsome but ridiculous!), Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Great Spotted Cuckoo . Fabulous but hard work & now I´m late leaving. Heading towards Madrid now. Here are a few photos. The landscape is Monfrague National Park - stunning, 3 species of vulture and lots of other bird of prey. The other photo is Black vulture (rare) taken by holding the digital camera up to the telescope. It worked! (click on the photos for a bigger/better image).

Gotta go, its 3.30 pm & I have no-where to stay yet. Off towards the Pyrenees though. Cheers all & thanks for the support (esp those followers)

Gypsy's Leap Monfrague

Monfrague National Park

Black Vulture

Salamanca, NW Spain

Why does everything seem to be a "first"? This is the first blog I´ve ever done, it´s the first entry while on my travels (writing this in the reception of the Hotel Regio, just outside Salamanca - yes, I bottled out of camping here, despite that being the reason for choosing the place - more of that later) ... and this is my first bike journey of any description.

Anyhoo ... the fery was excellent. A fine smooth ship, a true floating hotel. Fab! Lots of interesting, friendly people, not least of whom was Robert Plant & his PA! To tell the truth, I spoke more to her than to him. He was quite taciturn & I can only barely say I met the great Robert Plant. His PA was super friendly (if you are reading this, I didn´t get your name, but thanks again for the use of your Mac & I hope you find this blog thingy of interest  ... get Mr Plant to donate ... maybe? hmmm?). Here is a photo of Steve Montgomery & Thomas Hernandez, furniture & drug wheeler dealers, restorers, entrepreneurs. Hello & good luck to Andrew on his cycling trip around Spain & S France.

I left Santander with a few other bikers, ALL of them on bigger, better bikes than mine, the inevitable BMW tourers of course - the money people must spend on these fabulous, colour-cordinated machines! I felt like the poor relation. Up into the mountains outside Santander and it got colder & colder. I had to stop after just 40 mins to wrap up. A guy on a Harley pulled in and we had a coffee together, swapped potted life stories and rode off together for about 20 mins until he peeled off to his new life in western Spain. Just ace, riding along, taking a lane each for a while, as we rolled South. His name is Sean Mathews and he´s a photographer. Sean, if you read this, I hope you´re fine in your home in Spain & I´ll facebook this for you, cheers!

Too much to write now but must give a bit to the birds ... how about Montague's Harrier, in the sunshine, flying alongside the bike in an adjacent field - now THAT´S birding! Other birdies; Marsh Harrier, loads of Black Kites, Vulture & Eagle spp (hard to ID from a bike!), Crested Lark, Corn Bunting. Couldn´t resist taking a photo of the bike in a sunny lay/by just after the Mont. Harrier encounter. I love this bike, it is my steed and we travel together. Unlike a car, the bike literally carries me where I want to go. I feel I should feed & water it with care(and just look at all that luggage I make the poor beast carry, it's inhumane!)

After this lot, the heavens opened. Thunder, lightning, rain & hail! - twice it forced me to stop for over half an hour (turned one stop into lunch which added a full hour to the run to Salamanca). Arrived here quite late, tired, a bit damp and couldn´t face putting up a bloody tent! Got a room (haggled but no joy! - only 40 euros though and this internet acces free anyway, so not bad).

Tomorrow, having a quick & early look at Salamanca, alledgedly the Cambridge of Spain due to it having the first University in the country eons of years ago (I´ll get the boring dates etc tomorrow!) then off to Monfrague National Park, a jewel in the Extramaduran crown and mouthwatering birds in stunning settings ... I hope!

I'M OFF!

No time to write much but, this is it, I'm off. The bike is outside (see photos), all ready to go and I'm itching to get going. First stop, Mike at Fourwentways services for a photoshoot, then Portsmouth. Ferry tomorrow 11.00. Next update - SPAIN!