Tordesillas to Valladolid - 26 miles

Today I continue on the EV1 for another twenty-six miles to Valladolid, again following the Douro for a large part of the route. I intend to spend an extra day in the city before I start to head south towards Madrid and beyond next week.

I headed back through the narrow Tordesillas streets, across the now silent Plaza Mayor, and down to the Douro and a lane out of town. For the best part of two hours I headed towards the morning sun following hard mud track through more farmland and through long stretches of shaded woods of stone pine with its distinctive round crown and where my challenge was to distinguish between shadow and pothole on the sun dappled track. I saw the Douro rarely, for a while paralleled the main road from Tordesillas to Valladolid, although thankfully some way off, and skirted the town of Simancas with its ornate fifteenth century castle, before crossing the town's medieval bridge and heading towards Valladolid.

Simancas 

Simancas Bridge

Just outside Simancas you enter the Pinar de Antequera. It is a thousand hectares of old forest, mainly stone pine, that extends to the southern suburbs of Valladolid. For almost five miles a long road cuts neatly through it with a dedicated cycle path alongside. It made for easy cycling to the city's outskirts. It was then another five miles of less enjoyable cycling along extended stretches of dual carriageway, their length and straightness emphasising just how far out the suburbs extended. And although there was well developed cycle track all the way, and even with trees and extensive landscaping trying to soften the edge of the urban sprawl, you could not hide the fact you were now in a city. That said, despite there being a lot of road, there were not a lot of cars; I do not think I would like to do the same trip weekday rush hour.

Pinar de Antequera 

I headed straight to the centre to walk some of the sights: the solid white stone bulk of the cathedral, the more dainty Romanesque church of Saint Mary the Ancient and the large Plaza Mayor. The streets were narrow and crowded, lined with buildings of classical proportions. But where Bath's monotone architecture is saved by ornate trimmings, here on the most part their design was plain and simple but full of colour although iron balconies, colonnades and delicate wooden bay windows have been added for good measure. Avoiding the overpriced cafes in the Plaza mayor I settled for the straightforward expensive a couple of streets out, sitting amongst the hubbub of a Saturday Spanish lunchtime and enjoying my food in the sunshine.

Cathedral 

St Mary the Ancient 

Plaza Mayor

At my accommodation, and with a day in hand tomorrow, my outstanding jobs now bubbled to the surface. My first task though was to use the washing machine; currently I feel a bit like a cycling biohazard. It was then checking and preparing next week's route, catching up with my blog, reading the next stage of 'As I walked out…' and sorting some administration. It took up what was left of the day so I guess tomorrow will be an early start if I am to make the most of my time here.