The day starts with a hunt for coffee, in fact anything warm and wet! Our assumption that the McDonald's would be open at 0730 on a Sunday morning and be ready to deliver us with freshly brewed cups of caffeine, proved sadly misplaced. Google showed a few places deeper into the Murcian suburb and so the gentle trek began. It was only 10 minutes until we found an excellent caffeine fix and some dipping carbs too. A walk back and usual bike loading faff, and we're on the road, after being served petrol by a friendly one armed bandit at the gas station (fortunately now open).
It's damp out, but looks like it's clearing and experience tells us it's going to be a hot one, so minimal layers. After an hour or so, quite the opposite effect is felt, it's decidedly chilly as we climb into the hills on the long winding motorway through spaghetti western hills. The sky darkens as grey clouds form and it seems we are climbing into them - I can almost reach upwards and touch them, we are above 1200m. By this time it's time to stop, so more coffee and a pastry. As we leave, it starts raining, but I shrug, and continue, so it rains harder and... I return to cover. Christopher persuades me that the next part of the journey will be back into lower altitudes and warmer, so I forgo the waterproof trousers and just wear a waterproof jacket.
Shortly after, we've climbed to above 1300m! But at least the grey skies have abated and there's a glimpse of sun. It's still cold, but manageable. The scenery really is dramatic, rocky, and surprisingly dry looking; not tall mountains, but desolate craggy peaks and interesting looking. Not far is the Gorafe desert, a destination we considered for our itinerary, but we don't really have time to explore.
More fuel, and a chance to plan ahead. Our hotel is already booked for tonight, so we know the target, but how to fill the hours in between? Gibraltar comes to mind, it's opposite the port we're sailing from tomorrow. Why not? Neither of us have been there. But we don't know how long it will take to enter, so we'll head towards it and will judge the queues once there.
In the end, it took only about 15 minutes of queuing and a cursory glance at our passports to get through, oh, and a demand for a toot from Mindy the (fla)mingo!
Once into this decidedly British outpost of the UK, we ride around to take in the sights. We've seen the rock of Gibraltar on the approach and now it's up close. It's very imposing and the whole enclave is shaped around its bulk. There are military installations on the top and riddled into the rock, plus a few lofty and probably exclusive blocks of flats overlooking the sea and Spain. Land is a premium and so almost every space is filled with something, houses, blocks of flats restaurants, offices, and workshops - there seems to be very little open space, but there are a few beaches dotted around the perimeter. There are also new high rise apartment blocks being built side by side with historic buildings, it's a real mix, and not always with aesthetics or taste in mind it seems.
Scooters are the most popular form of transport and there are rows and rows of them all over the place. Most are ridden with a pillion: young, old and everyone in between, it's the most practical transport in such a small area.
We traverse through several tunnels, which are lovely and cool, and two very small tunnels where pedestrians walking in the middle of the road have priority over the cars. We stop at the southern tip and get a few pictures. There's even a mosque there. And Africa can be seen in the distance - our next stop!
We decide to have dinner while there and find a space to leave the bikes where we can overlook them while eating. Our chosen establishment is a British pub and good old fish and chips is in the menu - 'none of that foreign muck' for us! 🤣 Well, good in theory, but it's not a patch on proper fresh battered cod and thickly cut and double fried chips and mushy peas, with lashings of malt vinegar. 😋 But it's a good experience.
Then we leave the UK, which takes about 10 seconds and a wave of a passport - even Mindy is shocked into silence.
A quick trip to the ATM to stock up on euros in preparation for our trip further south. The hotel is just outside the port of Algeciras, it doesn't take long to get there and we arrive relatively early, which is good because our ferry is at 10am and we need to wake at 630am. 😵💫
Probably about 600km travelled today.
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