Near Rumblar Reservoir to Cordoba - 68 miles

It is early evening and I am in Cordoba listening to the sounds of the street drifting up into my room. I have a day here tomorrow to explore so I am torn between recovering from last night's fitful sleep and the ride of the last two days or making the most of tonight. I think recovery may win out as I still have to unpack, air my sleeping gear and wash some clothes and myself before I do anything else.

Today’s route to Cordoba took me through Andújar and Pedro Abad, both places mentioned by Lee but only by name. With its spread of out-of-town supermarkets and a McDonald’s there have clearly been changes to Andújar although the immediate centre had charm. Today the main square, with its red-stone church and white colonnaded town hall, was full of artists engaged, so I was told, in some sort of painting competition. The surrounding streets, narrow and car free, were lined with balconied, terraced houses of white and pastel hues that, other than a touch of paint, had probably not changed in years. Pedro Abad was another three hours along on quiet road meandering around the main southern motorway. I came upon it as I rounded a curve in a country road, no prelude of shops or industry, and it was only a short ride down a narrow street to the centre. It was just a tiny village of neat, white terraced houses lining mostly empty streets, only a few locals walking around greeting each other on a quiet Sunday. I found a bar on the square, two locals chatting to the owner. No, he wouldn’t do coffee today as he had just cleaned the machine. The bar he pointed me to - no sign or street furniture and only obvious from the noise coming from inside - did not take cards and I had little cash. It struck me this was a village that, other than being a little neater, probably had not changed in decades, a little community centred on those that lived there.

Andújar 

Andújar 

Andújar 

Andújar 

Pedro Abad

Pedro Abad

It had been an early start to get to Andújar and Pedro Abad. I had managed to rejoin my route after continuing along more dusty tracks in the cool of the morning. Shortly after though I again found my path blocked although this time with a chain and signs of 'Private Hunting Area'. I was tempted to ignore it, I had done so previously in the trip and the 'private' ground sometimes only extended a couple of hundred yards along the path, but a check of my map suggested the dusty but firm track I had left for this bumpy, hard mud one might be a better option. And the map proved correct: a little more undulating track on the high ground and then a long descent to the flatness of a valley floor was followed by a few miles of easy riding - in fact, everything I had hoped yesterday afternoon would be.

It was only twenty-two miles to Cordoba from Pedro Abad, mostly on a quiet back road, but they were long miles so I was pleased when I arrived at my accommodation in the late afternoon. Before anything my bike got a good clean, this time to remove the grey dust from the tracks of the last two days which seemed to have got everywhere. Now it remains to be seen what I do after I have cleaned everything else on my list.