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obvious road summit to the
Alto de San Clodio. I rode on
further south and took a left
that seemed to go higher. This
reached a stone quarry and
seemed to be the highest point
but nowhere to place a sticker
and certainly no height marker.
I went back down and retraced
to where I came up but there
are no higher roads and it was
now getting dark quickly. It
was warm enough to sleep out
in the open at 22.00
Friday 27th June 2008
El Barco de Avila to Segovia
I had really good breakfast
after a lie in this morning.
Today’s climbs are in a small
area and as long as I reached
Avila this evening I would be
on target for reaching Madrid
airport the following afternoon.
I woke up with a fantastic view
from my window in the
morning light, looking across
where gardeners were tilling
the ground to the Sierra de
Grados mountain range and the
low sun over it creating an
orange hue over the landscape.
On the way out I took a look at
El Barco castle to begin with
and had a walk around there. I
could see the castle from my
hotel window so wanted to see
it close up. From there I set out
along the main road to
Piedrahita and asked the way at
a shop where to go for the road
up to Puerto de la Peňa Negra,
BIG number 463. I was
directed along a narrow short
cut through the village and
after 2 kilometres met up with
the main route up the pass. The
way up is easy at first but there
are steep sections and hairpins
further up in the clearing from
where I could see the top.
There were some people up
there laying out and preparing
their hang gliders for take off.
The final sections were more
difficult, after emerging from
the woods the road does a
sweep to the left then a long
section to the right, another two
BIG Review 2009
hairpins then the final section
after a left hand bend. At the
top, a final turn to the right for
the road summit marker. I
placed the BIG sticker on the
plate facing north, stopped for
a while then continued over the
pass to Navacepeda, a less
interesting side for the descent
among bracken. I took a left in
the village to meet up with the
main road from Talavera (of
Sharpe’s fame, the Bernard
Cornwall stories of the
Peninsula War against
Napoleon). I turned to the north
then soon after a turn to the
east heading for Navalosa then
steeply downhill to
Navarrevisca for the climb up
to Collado de Serranillos (BIG
number 464). I passed through
Serranillos, one long narrow
street then slowly up on a hot
ride to the top, about 4
kilometres. I could see the
ridge at the top from the start of
the climb so could gauge how
long it would take. Once there I
placed the sticker on the road
summit plate to the right of the
road, facing north. On that side
is another track going up to the
radio mast but no point in
going up there. Back down
again the way I came up, this
time avoiding the narrow street
through the village and took the
main road to the east of it and
continued on to Navarrevisca
and right along a ridge with
views to the north down to the
valley of the Rio Alberche and
right again to a road junction
with the road coming up from
Burgohondo and started my
last climb of the tour, well of
BIG’s anyway. Up through the
woods and eventually
into a rocky terrain, a
bend to the left and to
a river bridge and
waterfall then a sharp
bend to the left and
along to one final
hairpin to the right for
the final section to the
top of Puerto de
Mijares (BIG
number 465). At the
47
top I placed the BIG sticker on
the road summit plate facing
south then took some photos –
and a photo of inquisitive
brown cows! A great view over
the top down the other side
towards Talavera but I wasn’t
going that way. I needed to
push on to Avila so did an
about turn down to the foot of
the Puerto at Villaneuva de
Avila where I took a photo of
the white houses with a large
church in the background. I
rode straight on from there
through Burgohondo and up
the final pass for today, the
Puerto de Navalmoral on a
rocky outcrop with a white
chapel to the east. Over the top
from here and passing lush
fields with a distant view of
Avila ahead, into the town on
this minor road. I thought about
the possibility of finding
somewhere to stay in Avila but
I had time to continue on to
Segovia (F€20.00) because I
really wanted to enjoy that city
this evening, relive past
memories and take some time
around the Roman Aqueduct
and the Alcazar in the morning.
I found a hotel to stay at on the
main road heading south for
Madrid.
I ate cheaply in the evening and
had a pizza from Dominoes and
a couple of beers.
I phoned Ruth when I arrived
back at the hotel. I saw the
offer of free DVD’s from the
hotel reception that I could play
in my room but there was
nothing I would enjoy. Bed at
midnight.