I’ve now left the Vias Verdes (green-ways) and into the metropolis 🏢 of Jaen. Anything larger than a village is a metropolis to me! I enter the metropolis and leave the metropolis ASAP. Obviously after a un café!

The nights wild 🏕️ camping took some finding as everywhere was hilly 🗻 Then, when there were no hills, there were high fences … with barking dogs 🐕 I ultimately secured a spot on a hill-side near Pegalajar. It took some effort to get to, but I wouldn’t be disturbed!

The next morning after an effort to extract myself from the hill-side, I had a pleasant long descent in Mancha Real. Here, I had the delights of a super-store for meats and fishes! I say meats and fishes, as there wasn’t a shortage of either!

Back onto the quiet 🛣️ open road towards Bedmar.

Bicycle helmets are law on the roads ‘out of towns’, which I generally see no traffic! But in towns etc. it isn’t law to wear one, which has plenty of traffic … go figure!  Or, if you’re a professional cyclist, you aren’t legally expected to wear one too! I could just say “I’m paid 💶 to cycle”! 

After Bedmar and my evenings stock-up on water, I find a lovely spot on the foot of an impressive looking plateau.

Not sure if fireworks were going off in the evening or some kind of mining activity, but those were some heavy blasts. I felt the shock-waves! 

I can’t precisely recall the following day. I got up, went cycling 🚵‍♀️ and ended up stealth camping in the grounds of a ramshackled-abandoned-hotel! I pitched my tent in the far corner of the grounds. It took some work to level the ground. But, it’s always worth it for a good nights sleep.

Again, the next days cycle to Cazorla seems to remain a haze! I also don’t even have any photos of the day. Except, the awesome camp site on the outskirts of town. I typically don’t do campsites, unless I have too 🙄 but this one is quite different in a really cool way Camping Cortijo San Isicio