Wow so much has happened since we last updated the blog from Alot Catelonia. We are now in Cologne Germany 🇩🇪 and have been through France and touched down briefly in Switzerland 🇨🇭 The beauty of this part of the trail has been the changing architecture and ways of living we have witnessed as we travel through different countries.
Day 26 Olot to camping ground in Basegoda 48kms. Awoke to more rain and heavy rain forecast for 9 - 11am. Said goodbye to Craig and he headed off to catch a bus to Barcelona to fly home. Waited until midday then decided to go and ride 50km to camping Basegoda camp site It rained most of the day but the road up over the Pyrenees was in the bush and relatively sheltered. We were wet but not cold which was a bonus. Emma was feeling a bit off today so it was nice not to have to camp in wet. Cabin cost 38 Euro.
Day 27 Basegoda to Rivesaltes 90kms. Airbnb 30 euro
Boy did it rain in the night ! We were so happy to be dry and warm in our cabin. We were on the road by 8am and by then it was just a slight dizzle that cleared up pretty quickly. It was a beautiful ride out of Spain and ironically the last 10 km of Spain encompassed all the things we had experienced throughout the whole of Spain. It was like a trip down memory lane. We saw Olive groves, cork trees, grapevines, chicken farms, pine forests and deer, horses and donkeys. We had concrete paths, gravel roads, single track.
We climbed up to the French border expecting some kind of sign or building to indicate the border but all we got was a bit of single track and an old fence. Pretty cool !As soon as we crossed the fence the next person we saw greeted us with a bonjour! We now have to adjust to a new language a new culture and a new rhythm. As we descended from the border the towns became more frequent and we found ourselves in front of a massive motorway and a car 🚗 on fire. Talk about culture shock ! People, fast cars, towns everywhere. Nothing was open so we quickly worked out that it must have been a public holiday 😀 turns out it was labour day. We were soon in Perpinyon and stopped for a look at some buildings, got some free wifi. A couple approached us and asked if we were doing the European divide trail. They were also doing it but in the opposite direction. So nice to talk to other cyclists and learn about what is ahead. We booked an airbnb in Rivesalt as the clouds were threatening and rain was forecast to hit. Nice accommodation well priced.
Day 28 Rivesaltes to Beziers
A mixed bag of a day with some rocky trails , some roads, some rail trails and ups and downs. Hit the beach for the first time since Portugal. We are still linking towns to cities to towns and are hoping to get back in the hills soon and to be more remote. Had our first French coffee and was underwhelmed but hoping it gets better, however the Pan o chocolate did not disappoint. Airbnb 50 euro. 86km. Beziers is a beautiful city.
We spent some time at Fonseranes Canal Lock, a succession of seven locks allowing boats to manoeuvre a 21 meter level change. This lock is the most remarkable on the Canal du Midi. Lots of tourists. Also saw about 10 cyclists today cycle touring. We think they were doing the euro velo 8.
Beziers to a mountain hut 104km
Had an easy exit from Beziers. We pretty excited to see blue sky. A much better day today with more back country tracks and more remote terrain. We are back where we love to be. Lots of little climbs today and single track and bumpy trails. She was a hard 100 kms but we did it. Camping at Gite d etape de Roussiers alpine hut 🛖. The facility is closed but a lady let us pitch our tent inside. We are struggling with speaking French. Spanish words keep coming out ! Had an average coffee again today but some delicious pastries and bread. Had about 100 sheep with bells come past our accommodation about 9.30pm. The bells were quite therapeutic 😌.
Day 29
Gite d atape to just before Vogue. What a day of contrasting trails. Got up at 6.30am as we wanted to get some kms under our belt so we arrive in Valence not too late on Sunday as we have a warm showers house to stay in.
The day started with bumpy rocky trails then some smooth remote roads. We met Renau who we briefly spoke to just before Teruel. He then rode with us for the rest of the day. Had some pretty hideous hikeabike sections today but nothing too bad. Then got treated to a large section of Via Verde (rail trail) Managed to do 150km today so feeling pretty stoked. Hoping the last 80km into Valence doesn't take too long.
Dsy 30
Great sleep in grapevines. Rolled into Valence just after lunch. Went over a 800 metre pass and crossed the Rhone River. Really feels like France now. Headed to warm showers to get cleaned up and hopefully get new chains on bikes tomorrow . Rain is forecast so we might need to hang tight for a day. Big day yesterday so an early finish won't do us any harm 🙃
Had a lovely evening with warm showers host and a nice sleep in a warm and dry bed. The kids were cute playing paper planes and getting us to help them set up a bike computer for their next trip. We enjoyed talking to their friend who had an incredible life story of her mother in the war and being separated from her parents at 13 - each presumed dead, then finding them many years later.
Day 31 valence to Refugio- Relais Cyne.
Went to bike shop who told us our chains were fine! Bought some wet lube. Went to decathlon to get gas for cooking and some glue to keep our panniers and tent dry and waited a bit for the rain to ease with free wifi.
The rain eased early afternoon so we set off happy to be back on track. About 15kms out of town we ran into some peanut butter mud. After 100 metres of pushing our bikes were unable to move and had all clogged up with mud and stones. We turned around and rerouted on a longer but sealed route. Rejoined the trail about 5kms down the road. The trail was now a puddle but at least it was stony rather than muddy. We bashed our way through a bit of muddy wet single track then we're happy to join a real gravel road. Lucky for us we then found our Refugio. The rain had started again and it was getting cold. It's amazing to find a warm dry place to cook and sleep. This place even had a fire which we cranked up to dry stuff. Fingers crossed this will all pass over tonight. 🙏 This type of accommodation is what we love.
Day 32 Realis cyne to culoz.117km
They say once bitten equals twice shy and today they are right. It rained all night and we were snug and toasty in our hut. But we definitely were not keen for more wet slippery tracks so rerouted ourselves to Culoz on paved roads what an awesome day. Instead of fighting the bikes and trails we were cruising long enjoying riding through some beautiful French towns on quiet backroads and bike trails. We finished the day off on the Via Rhona bije trail that took us passed the origin of the Rhone River. It is a holiday for the next two days and we are heading up in to the Jura towards the Swiss border. We have stocked up on supplies and are looking forward to a hoy shower and hearty dinner with wine in our airbnb tonight . The rain is about to hit but we are hopeful it will clear for our time in the Mountains over the next few days. We have 4400 metres of climb to do over the next two days
Culoz to Le tamiset wilderness hut Refugio 82km
What a great start to the day with a tour de France climb up to the col de Colombian. Windy and freezing but not raining 😑. We were then back into the muddy slippery European divide trails. Happy that the rain had stopped but the mud still feels like it's destroying our bikes . A very very tough day not helped by my failing front brake . This is the third time it has failed and it's driving me nuts. Time to change it. We pushed through a lot of mud and ski ramps today but made it to our mountain hut very tired but happy our friend Renau tracked us down and also stayed Great sleep
Day 33
Mountain hut to Mines hut
72km
Had a leisurely start to the day and left an hour later than usual. What a beautiful day and beautiful scenery. Shame the trails weren't as spectacular. Did a bit of a bush bash and finally got ourselves back on track. Then OMG we found a bike Cafe in the Mountains! They replaced my faulty brakes cost an arm and a leg but totally worth it. A faulty brake is NO fun at all. Sat in the Cafe and had a coffee while they fixed it. So so lucky ! Loved the rest of the day with a new brake. Spent the afternoon doing some hike a bike rocky muddy push push but also some beautiful trails. Crossed the French Swiss border today which was really neat. There was a smal rock wall along the whole border. The trails certainly seemed better maintained in the Swiss side and we joked at how we knew which country we were in by the state of the roads! The Swiss are know to do things well. We zigzagged between the French and Swiss border and found the mountain hut Debbie had read about. We fired up the oven and cooked our dinner on it… saving our gas and keeping warmer. Renau is still with us so we enjoyed his company and conversation.
Day 34
Up and at em at 7.30am. Had some beautiful trails and lovely forestry roads through the forest. 115km. The countryside is so stunning and beautiful 😍. Lots of downhill today. Some nice rail trail. Emma got her Custard square from the Boulangerei - so yummy. Found another mountain hut for the night. Picture postcard rolling hills flowers Cows 🐄. Reallly felt like Switzerland even though we were in France. The Jura area is so beautiful!
Day 35
Up early today after a pretty solid sleep. Today was a real mosaic tapestry of a day. Lots of forests bushy tracks hike a bike muddy trails grassy paddocks. You could really sense the effort put in to creating this route. Wow what an incredible thing. Made it to another mtn hut just out of Bussan. 100km day. Hard going but stunning. It makes such a difference to energy levels and enjoyment when the weather is good. We hadn’t camped out for as many nights in a row until now but it seemed so easy as we were clean (from a swim) and dry. Having the huts also gave us more freedom to relax and spread out too
Day 36
Mtn hut to freedom camp.100km
Forests forest forests. An huge ski area bike park for coffee and bread. Lakes tourists ice cream. Forests and hikeabike a bit of mud. Found awesome campsite on a high point - old German military look out.
Day 37
Camp-site to Saverne.
More forests some awesome views hikeabike a bit and plenty of down. Arrived in saverne at 1.30pm ready for a warm shower and a recharge. Emma's throat has been bad for a couple of days so time to hit it on the head. 64km We bid farewell to Renau who had been riding with us for the last week or so. No doubt we will see him again further north. Stayed in a lovely airbnb and got all our washing done and the bikes cleaned. Changed the brake pads but the pistons weren't push in enough and the brake was rubbing. The first shop tried to tell us we needed a new brake set. The other 2 shops were closed so we gave up.Went out for dinner and had a delicious meal but we are still unclear whether the meat pattie was beef or horse ! We washed the bikes really well as well as all of our clothes and sleeping bag liners and tried to rest a bit before heading off again.
Day 38
Saverne to German forest 98km. Emma still not a hundred but we decided to push on to the german border. Found a great bakery to start the day then had lots of variety and different trails. Found an awesome dry campsite on the ridge with a table and a view
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Day 39
German forest campsite to hut out of Kirn 94km. Mostly downhill in beautiful open forest and mtb trails and roads to Kirn.. Found a bike shop and a Cafe. Got Emma's brakes realigned.
Day 40 Cosy hut 10km out of Kirn to a hut above Adenau 106km
Awoke to a foggy cool but not raining morning. Completed the usual morning routine. Coffee muesli fruit 😋 pack everything up. Brush teeth get bikes ready and then head off. Mostly dark wet forests to start. Saw two baby deer sleeping in the grass next to the trail. Very cool.Lots of shitty muddy waste of time in the forests today. All a bit frustrating 😑 today was voted the least favourite day so far. Not sure if we were tired and a bit over things or it was the muddy trails from the rain the day before. Passed a town with a beautiful castle on the mosel River. Whammy we were suddenly swallowed up by tourists on bikes on foot on ferries on cable cars on buses all scoffing icecreams and pizza. What a culture shock. We were pretty glad to get out of there back into the forests. We also rode beside a car racing circuit Nurberg. Wow those cars go fast Found a nice dry mountain hut for the night 🌙
Day 41
After a warm and dry night in our hut we set off on the drizzle to head to Cologne. Emma had a bad night with coughing and a sore throat so we booked an airbnb in Cologne. Our plan was to get there early see some sights shop for the next three days as there is a public holiday and get our clothes washed and dried. The trails were once again damp and rough so we rerouted a couple of times to stay on paved roads and cycle trails. Everytime we came back onto the route we found a mud hole a long grass track or a puddle too deep to cross. We made it into Cologne about 2pm . And did some sightseeing. Wow wow wow. Shopped and then headed to our airbnb. Pizza for dinner perfectomundo.
Highlights
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