We maxed out the uber breakfast in Hotel Calatayud. After inhaling about 3 cups of coffee I also managed a bacon and egg sanga, bowl of cereal, pastries, water melon and more. Hotels for the next couple of nights too until Segovia still no camping options but they do pick up from there right through to Lisbon, we will probably try our hand at a few more wild camps before then.

From Calatayud we headed to Almazan, flatter terrain but Spain continues to surprise from hot rocks to woods. The smell of hot tree bark seeping from the dried out forests lining the roads is an odd favourite of mine, it reminds me of Idaho. The next day to Villarejo was started early as we had a 77 mile ride to make our booking at the Mira sierra and more importantly the England – Italy game on the evening which I won’t dwell on.

The following 35 mile ride to Segovia was a breeze, we nailed it in about 2 hours 30. We only made 2 brief pitstops at our beloved Repsol petrol stations. Not exactly glamorous but they are our absolute lifeline, we would struggle to complete some days without them. Particularly the past few days when towns have had nothing we rely on petrol stations to restock water and get our sugar kicks. They usually have a vending machine out front too which is great for getting rid of change. In the supermircados its not always easy to understand how much a shop has cost when the assistant speaks fast and there is no screen. So I normally play it safe with a note, like on a night out in a loud bar, which usually means finishing up with a pocket full of shrapnel.

The day off in Segovia was much overdue, it was actually the first day since starting I didn’t look, sit or ride on the bike. Its a pretty place, a world heritage site in fact, with incredible historic landmarks littered on every corner. Definitely the type of place to take a girl rather than the guys, but me and Eal will enjoy a few beers. For some reason almost every tourist in Segovia was American, mostly young teenagers. I think an entire state must have funded all schools in its counties to take a trip to Spain, you can reach Madrid via a high speed rail line in 30 minutes.

We’ll enjoy the comforts tonight, another wild camp followed by 5 campgrounds until we reach Lisbon, getting close.