Don Feidner

Southwest Iberian Coast

Last Update:   17 March 2013

Zurück zur Hauptseite!

Southwest Iberian Coast Tour - Spain to Portugal

Part 1 - Spain - Jerez de la Frontera to Seville

Part 2 - Spain - Seville, Andalucia - Plaza of Spain

Part 3 - Spain - Coria del Rio to the Portuguese Border

Part 4 - Portugal - Castro Marim - Armação de Pêra

Part 5 - Portugal - Ferragudo - Portimao - Alvor

Part 6 - Portugal - Sagres - Lagos - Tavira - Faro

0005 DSCN0023 Palma de Mallorca, Spain

Palma de Mallorca - January 28, 2013

0007b P1170939 Mallorca Airport Rick

My Brother, Rick, at the Airport in Mallorca, Spain
He’s still smiling at this point! But does he really know what is ahead?

0012 DSCN0035 City in Southern Spain

White City in Southern Spain - Green After all the Rain in Previous Weeks

0015 DSCN0039 Rickl prepping bike

Rick Putting His Bicycle Together for His First Bike Tour

There’s a bit more to cycle touring that one might think when you have to fly to your initial destination. At home, we spent about 6 hours going through the checklist and making sure we had everything we needed for the trip. The soft suitcases and foam wrapping were later stuffed into the black bag that you see on the right in front of me. Since we were planning to return from another airport, we would need all of that again when we got the bikes ready for the trip home. After an hour, we were on our way to the city of Jerez de la Frontera in Andalusia. 

Spain 1-4
0019 P1170946 Jerez City square

Rick Relaxing in a Large Empty City Park in Jerez

0031 DSCN0053 Jerez de la Frontera

Note the Spaniards wearing winter clothes!
They have no idea what COLD is.

0035 DSCN0057 Teen Geo  Jerez de la Frontera

Feigning the Placement of a Geocache in the Presence of “Muggles”

0042 P1170954 On way to Playa las Dunas

A Gate on the Side of the New Highway - The Old Road Passed Under It

0048 P1170959 Playa las Dunas sunset

Across the bay at sunset, you can see the city of Cádiz,
the most important port in southwestern Spain.

0054 DSCN0071 Bike Trail Santa Maria

The First of a Few Bike Trails on This Trip in Santa Maria

0072 DSCN0081 Muddy Playa de La Jara

The Playa de La Jara (La Jara Beach) in Sanlúcar

0076 DSCN0082 Horse La Jara

Wikipedia:  Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or simply Sanlúcar) is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and 119 km from Sevilla capital of the autonomous region Andalucía. Its population is 65,805 inhabitants.

Sanlúcar has been inhabited since ancient times, and is assumed to have belonged to the realm of the Tartessian civilization. The town of San Lucar was granted to the Spanish nobleman Alonso Pérez de Guzmán in 1297.
Due to its strategic location, the city was a starting point for the exploration, colonization and evangelization of America between the 15th and 17th centuries.

0080 DSCN0084 Piñeros in Doñana Park

A Night to Remember

It was getting dark with no camping site anywhere near. So we pitched the tent between the Piñeros and went to sleep early - around 7 p.m. The next morning at 6 a.m., we awoke to the most unusual reward I have ever experienced on a cycling tour - fog between the Piñeros that made it feel like we were on another planet.

Doñana National Park is located in Andalusia, in the provinces of Huelva and Seville, and covers 543 km² (337.41 mi²), of which 135 km² (83.89 mi²) are a protected area. The park is an area of marsh, shallow streams, and sand dunes in Las Marismas, the Guadalquivir River Delta region where it flows into the Atlantic Ocean. It was established as a nature reserve in 1963 when the World Wildlife Fund joined with the Spanish government and purchased a section of marshes to protect it. There has been a constant threat to the eco-system, that of drainage of the marshes, the use of river water to boost agricultural production by irrigating land along the coast, and the expansion of tourist facilities.

0001 DSCN0015 Don's Back Lawn Garden

My Back Lawn in Germany - January 26, 2013

The snow at my home in Germany is a good part of the reason for this trip. Another reason is that I was ready for some sunshine because Germany was undergoing the darkest cloudiest winter in 62 years. So, I contacted my brother, Rick, in Oregon to ask if he wanted to go on an extended bike ride with me. And away we went.  When we arrived in Mallorca, even before landing, we knew there had to be sunnier places on earth other than Germany and Oregon, where he lives. The view out the window of the airplane confirmed that our desires would be met.

0008 DSCN0029 Andalucia Spain Ski Mountains near Grenada

Snow-Covered Mountains near Grenada, Spain

0013 DSCN0036 Airport Jerez de la Frontera

Palm Trees instead of Apple Trees and Sunshine in Jerez de la Frontera

0014 DSCN0038 Don prepping bike

Yours Truly Prepping my Bike for the 1000-Kilometer Trip

After landing on the plane in Jerez de la Frontera (south of Seville near the southwest coast of Spain), we pedalled to El Puerto de Santa Maria, a suburb of Cádiz and then on to Sanlúcar de Barrameda on the Rio Guadalquivil. On the third day, we headed northeast along the river, camped two nights in the wilderness and then stayed at a campground just ten kilometers south of Seville in Dos Hermanas.

The next day we spent in Seville. As you will see in Part 2, it is a city that I definitely plan to visit again.

Seville
0021 DSCN0043 Don eating lunch in Jerez

Looks Like a Good Place to Eat Lunch - I love ham sandwiches!

0032 DSCN0054 Jerez de la Frontera

City Square in Jerez de la Frontera

0038 P1170950 On way to Playa las Dunas Santa Maria harbour

On the Way to the Coast - Note the Bike Path -
Just a Line about One Meter from the Side of the Road .
Although there were few cyling trails, the roads were not dangerous for use.

One of my hobbies has become geocaching www.geocaching.com which has added another dimension to my cycling tours. Cycling in itself is boring. I mean, all you do is pedal the bike and wear the rubber under your wheels while riding on monotonously long roads and trails. What makes cycling interesting to me is meeting people along the way -- and the best way to meet people is to stop now and then. These teenagers wanted to know what I was looking for, so I explained geocaching to them and showed them a small cache. They asked me for the URL of the Website and I gave it to them. While they were still watching, I pretended to replace the magnetic geocache under the metal bench. When they were looking the other way, I replaced it where it belonged. Fair? Of course! If they are serious about geocaching, they will get a GPS and begin the same way I did in 2009. In the meantime, I’ve found over 1300 geocaches.

0051 DSCN0066 Beach Santa Maria

At Our First Destination - Campground Las Dunas in Santa Maria

As the sun was beginning to set, we stopped in Santa Maria, Las Dunas Campground. Santa Maria is part of the city of Cadiz.

(From Wikipedia) Cádiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of Cádiz province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia.
Cadiz, the oldest continuously inhabited city in Spain and one of the oldest in all southwestern Europe,has been a principal home port of the Spanish Navy since the accession of the Spanish Bourbons in the 18th century. The city is a member of the Most Ancient European Towns Network. It is also the site of the University of Cadiz.

Despite its unique site — on a narrow slice of land surrounded by the sea — Cadiz is, in most respects, a typically Andalusian city with a wealth of attractive vistas and well-preserved historical landmarks. The older part of Cadiz, within the remnants of the city walls, is commonly referred to as the Old Town (in Spanish, Casco Antiguo). It is characterised by the antiquity of its various quarters (barrios), among them El Pópulo, La Viña, and Santa María, which present a marked contrast to the newer areas of town. While the Old City's street plan consists of narrow winding alleys connecting large plazas, newer areas of Cadiz typically have wide avenues and more modern buildings. In addition, the city is dotted with numerous parks where exotic plants flourish, including giant trees supposedly brought to Spain by Columbus from the New World.

0058 P1170964Piñeros Santa Maria

Piñeros (pine trees) in Doñana Park

0060 P1170966 Solar Panel field near Sanlucar de Barameda

Solar Panels on the Road to Sanlúcar

0064 P1170968 Sanlúcar de Barrameda

On the Road to Sanlúcar - My Home is my Castle
In This Case - My Home IS a Castle

Wikipedia:  Sanlúcar de Barrameda (or simply Sanlúcar) is a city in the northwest of Cádiz province, part of the autonomous community of Andalucía in southern Spain. Sanlúcar is located on the left bank at the mouth of the Guadalquivir River opposite the Doñana National Park, 52 km from the provincial capital Cádiz and 119 km from Sevilla capital of the autonomous region Andalucía. Its population is 65,805 inhabitants.

Sanlúcar has been inhabited since ancient times, and is assumed to have belonged to the realm of the Tartessian civilization. The town of San Lucar was granted to the Spanish nobleman Alonso Pérez de Guzmán in 1297.
Due to its strategic location, the city was a starting point for the exploration, colonization and evangelization of America between the 15th and 17th centuries.

0074 P1170975 La Jara muddy beach

The ATLANTIC OCEAN - at the Mouth of the Rio Guadalquivil
Far in the Distance are the Entry Buoys to the Guadalquivil River
This normally clean beach was muddied by two weeks of rain in January.

0078 P1170978 Sanlúcar HOPE (esperanza) statue

The word “HOPE” appears at the base of this statue of Mary in Sanlúcar

In 2011, an archeological team proposed that the lost city of Atlantis was once located in what are now the swamps of the Doñana National Park having been destroyed by a tsunami. - Wikipedia

0085 CIMG2065 Piñeros in Doñana Park

Doñana National Park - Like Waking Up on Another Planet

0091 CIMG2070 Spider Web
0090 DSCN0087 Road to Dos Hermanas

Early in the Morning Along a Canal Next to the Guadalquivil River

One of Many Spider Webs in the Early Morning Dew

0092 CIMG2071 Rio Guadalquivil

Rick on the Rio Guadalquivil

0097 DSCN0092 Don Sleeping

Yours Truly on my Daily Midday Nap

0105 P1170989 Yellow Flowers

These Flowers Lined the Road

0110 P1170994 Rick  Rio Guadalquivil Camp 3

Rick Enjoying a Rest

0116 P1170996 Rio Guadalquivil
0093 P1170981 Rio Guadalquivil

Rio Guadalquivil

0099 P1170984 Rick on Road next to  Rio Guadalquivil

Rick on an Avenue Lined with Eucalyptus Trees

0109 P1170993 Rio Guadalquivil Camp 3

Camp 3 Rio Guadalquivil under the Eucalyptus Tree

0114 DSCN0100 Eucalyptus Trees on Rio Guadalquivir Camp

Rick Enjoying the View

Breaking Camp - It was cold the next morning - 4° Celsius

0121 P1170999 Canal  Road to Dos Hermanas

Canal on the Road to Dos Hermanas (Two Sisters)

0143 P1180025 Stork nests

Storks Flying and Nesting on the Power Towers
A flat metal tray was intentionally built on top for the storks.

0148 P1180034 stork love

It Must be Love

0117 P1170997 Fishing Boat Rio Guadalquivil

Fishing Boat Drying the Nets

0126 P1180007 sheep Road to Dos Hermanas

“I’ve never seen so many lambs before.”  Rick

0146 P1180029 stork flying

Stork in a Deep Blue Sky

From Cadiz along the Guadalquivil River and on to Dos Hermanas, the landscape is a bird-watcher's paradise. On the way, you can see the Solan Goose, Stork, Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Seagull, Flamingo, Tern, Sea eagle and Avocet. Much of this area is a special protection area for the birds (Zona de Especial Protección para las Aves).

Part 2 - Spain - Seville, Andalucia - Plaza of Spain

Part 3 - Spain - Coria del Rio to the Portuguese Border

Part 4 - Portugal - Castro Marim - Armação de Pêra

Part 5 - Portugal - Ferragudo - Portimao - Alvor

Part 6 - Portugal - Sagres - Lagos - Tavira - Faro

Web Design
["Ride into the Future"] [Fahrt in die Zukunft] [Sponsors] [Bicycle Touring] [Questions] [About Don] [Portugal 2008] [Cycling the Danube River] [Trips] [Sicily 2012] [Tilmann Waldthaler] [USA 2010] [Prag 1] [LIVIGNO] [Holland] [French Rivera] [Spain] [Graubunden] [Tours Near My Home] [Other Trips] [Longest Ride] [Health] [Book]

RETURN to Don Feidner’s
HOME PAGE