Day 2 Sevilla to El Real de la Jara

 Tuesday April 16th

Before I start on today I have to tell you about the Feria ( a week long festival in April two weeks after Semana Santa.

I was staying in Triana a good twenty minute walk from the centre of the Feria and all afternoon and evening there were literally thousands of Senoras and Senoritas dressed in traditional flamenco dresses with flowers in their hair and the Senors all had on at least a jacket and tie if not a nifty suit. 

When I went for a walk in the evening I could see why everyone was walking. There were thousands of scooters parked in the surrounding streets and taxis couldn't get within ten minutes walk of the site of the Feria. Think Links market times ten with everyone in their finery. Unfortunately my phone died before I arrived at the main venue so missed the opportunity to take a picture of thousands of revellers.

This morning when I got up with the lark to make an early start on what I knew would be a tricky first day (silly me) the streets were still thronged with the Feria goers on their way home. When I sat down for a coffee and croissant at 07.00 I was surrounded by red eyed Feria returners having "desayuno" (breakfast) still dressed in their finery. I asked on pair of young ladies if it would be ok to take their photo but surprisingly they said no, I took a surreptitious snap anyway.

I was putting off time in the cafe because I stupidly failed to check when sunrise was in Seville. 07.47 would you believe, I could have had at least another hour in bed. As I left my resting place of last evening at 06.30 I was tiptoeing (which isn't easy in cycling sandals) trying not to wake up my hostess who I had heard return at about 3.30. However the stairs were pitch black and I was mindful of my recent injury so I tried to put the outside stair light on but instead rang the bell! 

I finally set off at 07.45 and before long I had to stop to put an extra top on because it had got cold as the dawn broke. Just as well Pauline insisted that I should take a warm jacket "just in case"

There was a good cycle path along side a busy main road out of Seville and once I had crossed the Rio Guadalquivir it was straightforward and flat to Santiponce. At the roundabout where I had to choose between the offroad pilgrim route and the N630 I met a Spaniard on a roadbike waiting for his pals. When I suggested that I was thinking of taking the offroad route he rolled his eyes and I think explained why that wasn't a good idea. In the end I took his well meant advice and followed the N630 all the way to Santa Olilio. He and his pals passed me after a few kms.

The N630 used to be the main road north until they replaced it with a motorway that is never further than a few kilometres away and often alongside. It is in remarkably good condition and after the first few kilometres has only bikes (push and motor) and the odd car. I shouldn't have used the word push.At one point I counted three cars in an hour. All good, Except that once the road  started to climb it climbed gaining 300metres over 20kms only to lose all of them in one mad descent before climbing back up over the next 14 kilometres to Ronquillo about halfway.

Unfortunately my legs gave out halfway up this climb and the rest of the day was challenging to say the least. I phoned Pauline about 10.30 and she was surprised to hear that I had already covered 33 kms she would have been even more surprised to hear that I had only covered 44 kms when I stopped for lunch at a lovely restaurant in a little square with a fountain. (mainly because I couldn't go any further) It was 30deg, not a breath of wind (usually welcomed by cyclists) and I had totally underestimated the terrain and my level of fitness. The lack of exercise rehabing my achilles and the stinking cough I brought back as a souvenir of Madeira had combined to leave me weaker than I had hoped.

Stupidly I had subscribed to the advice of my Cicerone guide that said because we were on the Camino there were lots of places to get water. So I set off with 2 1litre water bottles which were completely insufficient for the terrain and temperature. The tree towns I have named so far are the ONLY towns villages or hamlets or garages on the route.

I had an incredibly good value menu del dia in Ronquillo. Lots of choices and bread a drink and three courses or two courses and coffee for 10 euros. Incredible. I don't know how they do it but it was good and revived me briefly before the road headed up once more. About twenty kms out from Santa Olilio and despite being prepared to flag down a passing car to ask for some agua, none passed and I limped into Santa Olilio to the first garage I came to. The attendant, seeing my face, insisted that I sit down at his coffee area to drink a litre of water. 

Fortunately, for I was totally spent, it was a mostly downhill 7.5 kms to my overnight stop in Real de la Jara. 

I will see what tomorrow brings but I will definitely set out with more water and keep it topped up.

Accommodation:    Alojamiento Mª Carmen    C/ Cordoba, 2, El Real de la Jara, 41250, Spain    pop. 1.5k

Booking.com    8.2    €28

My room is small but it has a private en suite bathroom with toiletries, air conditioning which in today's 30deg is good. There is a fridge in the hallway for water and bananas (and the rest) of which I am partaking as I write this.

Distance:    80 kms