Author: Rob Ainsley

‘A journey of a thousand kilometres’, goes the old proverb, ‘begins with a chocolate con churros‘ (pic). OK, so the End to End properly started here, at the Old Fortress at the bottom end of Cádiz (pic). The city claims to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe at 3000 years old, and to…

An easy day today, just cycling 25 miles west to Jerez. Like many parts of Spain, the old main road from Arcos to Jerez has been bypassed by a motorway: it’s now virtually unvehicled, and used by dozens of cyclists, joggers and dog-walkers. Depending on your political stance, you may see this as an incredible…

With strong headwinds and heavy showers forecast for the afternoon, I was keen to get an early start on the Vía Verde de la Sierra – arguably Europe’s most spectacular railtrail, which begins here (pic) in Olvera. I prepared myself with a cafe con leche from the bus station cafe, but desisted from adding a…

A bus trip today to the small town of Olvera, in preparation for tomorrow’s ride along the Vía Verde de la Sierra railtrail. Many intercity and regional buses in Spain take bikes (pic). The driver made a token request to take the front wheel off and lower the saddle, but after yesterday’s shenanigans, I was…

Taking bikes on planes is not straightforward. It involves some very cumbersome and detailed disassembly (pic), and a similar amount of reassembly afterwards – far more than people generally think, and with the distinct possibility of serious loss and damage during the process. Once again, Brexit comes to mind. Anyway, to ensure plenty of bike-dismantling…