The Road to Salamanca

The frosty bike seat seemed to confirm that today I will be leaving Salamanca in -1c, and if the forecasted +17c for my arrival in Mérida (just 170 miles south of here) remains true, it will be reason enough to encourage me to keep heading in that direction!

Yesterday’s 230 mile ride south from Santander to Salamanca was dry but very cold, probably due to the last 200 miles being at over 2,500’. I really felt like I was riding along the roof of northern Spain, although too far east to be in the stunningly beautiful snow covered Picos Mountains, which were clearly in view across to my right. The landscape and big skies’ made me think of the term ‘High Plain’ but even though I may be riding a modern day version of a horse, I don’t really fit the Clint Eastwood film ‘High Plains Drifter’.

I got a good getaway from the ferry port and after a coffee stop about 50 miles into this leg, a fellow Brit motorcyclist rolled up on his Yamaha MT-07. After identifying me as being one of his fellow ferry motorcyclists, my Madrid bound counterpart said he had ridden (along the same road) in hailstones. I looked back north to see the dark clouds, but had stayed ahead in the sunshine, and continued to do so for the rest of the chilly trip.