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Day 1 - Santander to San Millán de la Cogolla, La Rioja - 132 miles
Stats
Actual distance 132.5 miles
Moving Average 40.2 mph
Total Average 27.5 mph
Moving Time 3:17
Stopped Time 1:30
Total Time 4:48
Minimum Temperature 57.3°F
Maximum Temperature 69.2°F
Day 1
Day 1 profile
Day 1 temperatures
Again navigation was by GPS, this time we had three of them. Me - GPSMAP276C with big screen and voice prompting fed through the Autocom and Neil and Daryl with Garmin Quests but no audio feed. Andy had his Michelin maps.
We were off the ferry at 12:03 CET. First a small delay to let Andy get some foreign ickies and then a petrol stop. We were truly underway at 12:40. Down (or up, depending on your perspective) the N623 towards Burgos. A good climb to just over 3,000 ft in 35 miles and the temperature dropping to the high 50s. Enough to make Neil, with his Raptor jacket, grateful for the stop at 14:40 just after we turned off onto the N232 so he could don more layers. The first part of the N232 has been re-routed and re-surfaced and is an excellent road with sweeping bends and great views. Not quite the same as Alan and I experienced in 2001! After a while it reverts to the old road, although much of this has had a new, good surface applied. We managed an average of 51mph from the start of the N232 to Pancorvo. Just after Pancorvo we turned left onto the Lr304, a minor road and frequently passed groups of pilgrims trudging their path along the Camino de Santiago de Compostela (none with a donkey though). A quick circuit of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and a petrol stop and then on to San Millán de la Cogolla ......
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The melée on disembarkation. |
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Stopping just after the turn onto the N232, taking facing west towards the Embasle de Ebro |
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I mounted the video camera at this point, |
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allowing me to take shots like these of the new N232 |
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When approaching San Millán de la Cogolla there are two possible roads to take to the hotel. The upper one is even signposted "To the Monastery". I decided to ignore that and ignore the GPS which told me to take the road indicated in the picture. Well, it couldn't be down that could it! So I followed the road round to the left. |
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The route was, of course, up that brick paved street. |
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But the Hostería Del Monasterio De San Millán was worth it. Taking the upper road would have brought us to it on a normal road. |
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The monastery. |
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Neil and I tethered together. It doesn't mean we're engaged or anything. |
The accommodation was very pleasant and the restaurant in the hotel was also very well appointed and the staff helpful and courteous. It became apparent that Neil was a "bit of a wine buff" so we left choosing the wine to him. And he became the self-appointed tutor of wine etiquette to the group. This earned him a certain amount of ribbing from certain quarters on whom he exacted his revenge the following day.
Index | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8 | References