Vaucluse Dreamer

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, today was a truly spectacular day on the bike.

As usual, we set off at 8 and quickly cycled out of Lleida, enjoying the quiet roads of an early Saturday morning. Having spent the last 2 days cycling on some busy roads, I’d managed to find quiet back roads out of the city and through the countryside towards our night’s stop in a hotel just outside Igualada.

We quickly left the city behind and found ourselves in beautiful open countryside, cycling along empty lanes between fruit trees and farmland.

Once again it was a stunning sunrise, with a little early mist hanging in some areas too. We cycled along listening to the birds, upsetting dogs and watching the light change as the sun grew higher in the sky.

Of course the shadow-cycling was particularly good in the low morning light.

It was though, a lot cooler than other mornings, and our breath trailed behind us, a cloud of mist caught in the breeze.

We stopped and popped on our jackets to give us some protection from the early morning chill, realising we were being watched by a woodpecker, perched silently on the telegraph pole above. It really was our sort of morning.

We continued on, reaching main roads, but going straight across with ease, thanks to the roundabouts wherever we needed to cross.

Whereas on most of the other days, we have really had to wait for villages, today they came every few kilometres, which came as a nice surprise after days of  really seeing very little.

We passed a few sunflowers, a sight that certainly puts a smile on my face in early October…

Then stopped for coffee in the village of Arbeca, about a third of the way into today’s ride. The early clouds had already melted away and we sat in the sun, listening to the babble of voices, watching a group of cats all trying to sit in the sunniest spot against a wall.

It’s so lovely to be at that point in the trip when we are just happy to sit and watch cats. Who needs mindfulness apps, just the process of eating, sleep, cycle, repeat has exactly the same effect.

After Arbeca we found ourselves on a beautiful strip of tarmac, with far more bikes than cars and stunning views across to the Pyrenees too

The road climbed gently, passing increasingly pretty villages, with Kites and other birds of prey circling above us. All we could do was turn the pedals with a grin on our faces, calling ‘hola’ in response to passing cyclists. It was about as good as it gets.

Then it got even better

The further we went, the more beautiful the countryside became. A gently climbing, snaking road following the meanders of a dried-up river bed, passing through vineyards and olive groves, with farmers starting to collect the almonds from the trees too.

It was almost like cycling at home in Provence. In fact we both exclaimed that one village looked like Menerbes, high on a hillside to one side of the road.

The sun was shining, the sky was a cerulean blue and the cycling was beautiful.

I’d earmarked a little village called Guimerá as somewhere to sit on a bench for a break and to eat a bit of lunch. (Well a banana, a protein bar and some nuts, which has become our go-to lunch over the last few days)

As we came along the valley towards it, we passed an old derelict church and caught sight of a castle and church on a hill in the distance. It almost looked like Beynac and as we cycled in, we realised that we had arrived in a little gem of a village.

It was busy with visitors, and the tables outside the bars were packed, one having almost every table filled with cyclists. So, we decided to break the habit of the last week and head into a bar to get a coke and perhaps see if we could get some food (something which has caused us no end of anxiety over the last week). It looked hopeful though, as the cyclists were tucking into ham sandwiches, so we parked the bikes and headed inside.

Against all odds and with a little bit of help from Google Translate, we managed to order drinks, and more importantly food & found a seat outside, with a beautiful view across the bridge, up to the village. You can see a bit more of it Here

Lunch arrived, and the sandwich was light, crispy and didn’t touch the sides! A perfectly unexpected lunchtime that just helped to make today so lovely.

Refreshed, we headed on again, continuing the gentle climb through the valley. It felt as if every motorbike in Spain passed us, but we saw more cyclists than cars and settled back to enjoy the climb.

Eventually, we arrived in Santa Coloma de Queralt, where we stocked up on a few things, before riding the last 20 km to tonight’s stop at the hotel.

We took the quieter of the two roads and it was a good choice, as we didn’t pass a car along the way. We passed through a different landscape now, more rocky outcrops and pine trees. Yet most were simply blackened stumps and trunks, the area having clearly been devastated by a forest fire in the not too distant past.

We imagined that we had done most of the climbing for the day, but we still had a bit to do, riding up some steep ramps, before the road dropped away and the view opened up in front of us.

In the distance, we could see Igualada and dramatic rocky peaks of the Muntanya de Montserrat National Park, which we’ll be skirting round tomorrow, when we head on towards Vic.

The final run down to the hotel was along a plane-tree lined road, it made us feel totally at home. It really was a stunning day and you can see more of it Here

After 102 beautiful kilometres and 970m of climbing, we cycled down the gravel driveway to tonight’s stop in an old paper mill, the cycle-friendly Hotel Moli Blanc

Originally, we had been due to stay in a hotel by a fast food chain in Igualada, but when we asked about the bikes, they said we’d have to leave them outside in the car park. On a bike trip, that’s a big red flag for us, so we cancelled that, only to see that a room had become available here. We messaged them and they explained they have a secure room for bikes, so we booked the room here, and to be honest, I’m rather pleased we did

I did try the pool, and I know a cold bath is recommended to help recovery, but I got knee deep and that was enough!

So a quiet evening ahead, waiting for the restaurant to open at 8pm (at least it’s not 9) then on again tomorrow. Next stop in Vic, before a day’s ride into Girona.

Is it really only a week ago today that we cycled out of Madrid on the first day of our ride? Where has the last week gone?

As with last year’s ride, we’re having a great time and using it as an opportunity to raise some funds for our local Restos Du Coeur in Apt. So if you’re enjoying following our journey and would like to support this much-needed and well-used organisation then you can  Donate via this link