With 60
kilometres left to travel and initially along busier roads than their
Portuguese counterparts, I began to muse over the time my tired wheels might
roll into Trigueros. Eight pm seemed the best I could hope for but fanned by a
tailwind along a straight stretch of road, time and distance seemed to move as
one.
Crossing the Rio Guadiana to Ayamonte, Spain. |
Travelling along the N-431,
I was swiftly passed by a small group of young
cyclists. With their lithe frames, sinew calves and wearing more advertising
than you’d be exposed to in a five-minute commercial break, they were clearly
more than just your week-day cycling rambler; like me. In a forlorn attempt to
stay in their slipstream, I picked up my cadence. Despite the notion that my
‘sustained’ 35-40 kilometre-per-hour speed would help me arrive in Trigueros
even sooner, it was a mere matter of moments before they were just a blur in
the glistening sunlight.
Still buoyed by the wind at my
back, it wasn’t long before I began passing signs towards Huelva, to the south.
Known more for its copper mining and the departure of Christopher Columbus’s
maiden voyage to the Americas, than its architectural splendour, it didn’t
quite make it onto our bucket-list of Spanish places to visit. Its mineral
wealth, largely extracted from the Rio Tinto mines has certainly attracted
all-comers over the centuries, from the Romans to the British, who began
large-scale mining in the area during the latter part of the 19th
century. What’s more, there was even an abundance of British and German spies
during the 2nd World War, when activities like the reporting of
British shipping in the Atlantic were commonplace.
Guadiana International Bridge |
Our accommodation at the Hostel Ciudad |
But as stated earlier, the
bustling port city just wasn’t for us. Situated on the confluence of the Odiel
and Tinto rivers, its outer industrial sprawl and the convoluted network of
major roads leading to it, was enough to persuade us to opt for a more remote
location. Later that evening we were glad we did.
There just for a short while, Trigueros was one of the most enjoyable villages Roz and I visited. So, if you haven't already read about our experiences, just click on the following attachments. Mark
http://www.markhkrieger.com/2014/08/cycling-in-spain-arriving-in-trigueros.htmlhttp://www.markhkrieger.com/2014/09/cycling-and-snoozing-in-spain.html
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