Henry has headed South

[in4]

I’ll fill in the details asap but:
Left Chester UK two weeks ago. Cycled down through Shropshire, Hereford to be blasted by foul weather in Chepstow. Over the bridge to Bristol then on to Bridgwater to visit HQ for a service and a sinewave. Thanks Guys!

Down to Exeter, Torquay ( Basil!) then to Plymouth.
Ferry to Santander then headed SW through Spain inc’ Valladolid and Salamanca. Heading next to Guarda, Portugal. Hope to finish at Lagos Portugal with a cleansing ale.
The Nomad Henry, whilst fully laden has been a joy. Even in these 25-30C temps it’s been a very comfortable, sure ride. I’ve done a couple of Hostels but by far the greatest enjoyment has been from ‘roughing it’ in forests, mountain tops and scrub. More to follow as and when. 

[John Saxby]

Heading South is good, Ian 👍

Lotsa geese in these parts dong just that. Ten days ago I saw a huge V overhead, heading SW, must've been a hundred or more.  Wise creatures.

Enjoy your trek to Lisbon.  And then?

Cheers,  John

[PH]

What a fantastic sounding trip, I love the idea of setting off from home, though it's a few years since I did more than a few days touring at a time.

[in4]

Brief update: Stayed here before heading over the border into Portugal
https://maps.app.goo.gl/5re4HhTNwe5Tg1db8?g_st=ic
Brilliant place. Garage for bicycles, Paula on Reception is a star, breakfast included too.

Into Guarda, but only as a transit point. There’s a blue cycle path leading out of the city. It is horrible. Steep most of the way ironically summiting near the hospital.
That said, once ‘over the top’ the freewheeling descent to my campsite was exhilarating fun. The campsite was excellent too.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/77GLe4RVzrofewQy7?g_st=ic

Moving on: Down through Fundao (  👍 ) Castelo Branco, Evora ( fabulous place culturally)

I’m currently in Ferreira do Alentejo waiting for the storm pass. Hopefully pushing pedal tomorrow.

Lagos my finishing point is tantalisingly close.

I’ve camped/ rough camped around 50%, hostels and hotels the rest. You have to break camp in the dark if you want to get rolling early at this time of year.

The roads, navigation and GPS are subjects for another day! Suffice to say if the road begins with an ‘N’ you’ll probably be OK.

Henry has been a great ride, even with a bit of weight and some strong winds to contend with.
I had an annoying rear flat just coming out of Covilhã. A tube failure, not a Schwalbe one btw.

 

Obrigado!

[John Saxby]

Brilhante, Ian -- parabens!!