We both slept well and woke refreshed. We are not a great fan of hotels generally but if we do have to stay in one, a small rural hotel like El Romeral is what we like. There was a friendly but slightly funny middle aged owner with white hair and a beaver like face, bustling around but exuding gentleness and kindness.  We imagined that there may have been a wife in the kitchen but she made no appearance.  The whole set up felt like a  caricature – but a nice one.  The meal last night was not cordon blue, but simple and plentiful for hungry cyclists (and we were the only ones in the restaurant).

So we set off in good spirits.  Although I (Bernie) was somewhat dreading how I would feel back astride the bike after yesterdays climbing, I was pleasantly surprised at how good I felt. We had done more training than we often do before a cycle tour – partly because the cycling is much nicer in the Spring before a May trip compared to trying to train in November and December for a January trip. Also it had been 3 years since our last cycle trip and we wanted to check we were still up to it! Cycling in the Shropshire hills is beautiful but punishing as it is endless steep up and down but it really strengthens the legs so cycling through rounded hills of southern Spain, where the climbs are longer but the gradients much gentler, felt a lot easier (and with better road surfaces and fewer potholes).  All this added up to a glorious first part of the day where we felt good and our hearts felt uplifted.  The sky was blue, the early morning light slanting through olive groves was beautiful and the scenery was glorious as we wound up and down the hills – crossing from Andalusia into Extramadura along the way.

We had already climbed 350m in the first 20km by the time of our ‘second breakfast’ stop in Santa Olalla de Cala. A pretty village in an already familiar style – white buildings, wrought iron balconies cobbled streets, central plazas. On our way in we passed two wholesale ‘Jamon’ manufacturers. Ham is big in this area.  The Iberica pig feeds on acorns, free range in the sparse oak forest (the dehesa). It is said to produce the finest grade of ham – Jamon Iberico.  Needless to say our second breakfast of tostadas and coffee came with a plate of the said Jamon. 

We had breakfast at a cafe/bar on the main square – cheek by jowl with another almost identical cafe/bar.  We imagined the cafe/bar wars that must exist between the 2 owners as they vie for business in this tiny town.  Both had tables outside and both served coffee and tostada – but all the customers were at one cafe and a solitary person was next door.  One of the joys of observing life on the road is filling in the imaginary “gaps” when we see things, although there is a danger that our imaginations run riot.  The cafe owners are probably the best of friends, but that does not make such a good story.

After Santa Olalla we also had our first experience of the N630. I am not sure that we have said that this trip is following the Ruta Via de la Plata from Seville pretty much due north, all the way to the north coast. Originally a Roman road, the route now mirrors the Camino of the same name (although that route branches off to Santiago de Compostela). Much of it is on the N630 – much favoured by cyclists because the A66 motorway was built parallel to the N630, leaving this major road with little other than local traffic  I was somewhat sceptical about how “quiet” it would in fact be, but it matched the write up.  It proved to be a good size road with a great road surface, smooth gradients up the hills and very little traffic. Yes, a cyclists dream.

The section between Santa Olalla and Monisterio took in a 250m climb. So by the time we reached this slightly larger town at lunchtime we had done almost 800m climbing but we knew most of the uphill was now done. We stopped in the main square to eat our sandwiches, watching the storks and their enormous nests on the church towers. Apparently, stocks are a symbol of good fortune throughout Europe (hence the stork bringing the baby) and so are welcome.  Their nests can reach 500kg in weight over time. We did our shopping for the evening but as we were setting off again David found that one the arms of his sunglasses had become detached. A quick google found an optician nearby – closing at 2pm (as almost all businesses and shops still close for the afternoon, opening aging in the evening). It was 1.50 so we scooted off and luckily we found it easily and they were able to mend it before the 2pm deadline – and there was no charge at all! 

With suitable eyewear now in place we tackled the next section to Fuente de Cantos. The landscape was less interesting and quite undulating, taking the last strength of our legs as we also had a bit of headwind. This is an area of better quality farmland as opposed to the sandy scrubland we had seen since Seville.  There were a variety of crops (not just olive trees) and we saw our first vineyards.  The wine here is said to be a local speciality but we will save our experience of this until we get to Merida tomorrow and have a day off the bikes. 

Fuente de Cantos turned out to be one of the few uninteresting towns in the area without the characteristically pretty white buildings.  Perhaps that was why we had been unable to find any advertised accommodation there.  Instead we had a final 10km off the ‘main’ road to the little town of Bienvenida. Flat and without a headwind we covered it easily in spite of our tiredness and found the apartment we had booked. After a short rest we headed out to buy milk, which I had forgotten to buy at lunchtime and strolled round the traditional Extremadura town – white buildings, wrought iron balconies, cobbled streets, central plaza – you get the picture. Although it was now late afternoon and shops opening again, the town still seemed to be virtually empty, with few cars, no pedestrians and nothing open. Googling to see if there was anything interesting to see we discovered it was the home of the oldest man in the world, who lived to 113 and died in 2018. Clearly living in one of the quietest towns in Spain where nothing ever happens is good for longevity!