Elche

May 29, 2024

The daytime temperatures in this part of Spain are on the rise, so we planned to get on the road by 9am this morning instead of 9:45 or 10 am. The morning temperatures have been around 17 degrees, which is just right for cycling, and by noon they are in the mid 20’s. Without the constant light breeze, the mid-day temps would certainly be more of a challenge. As it is, we drink water with nuun tablets throughout the day and supplement it with a cold fanta or nestea somewhere along the way. We inevitably arrive at the destination on the thirsty side, ready for a nice cold drink.

Today, we were in for a treat in the form of an excellent bike path that followed the Segura River out of Murcia. This cycle path was done right, a rarity it seems. It was a continuation of the amazing network of cycle paths throughout the city of Murcia which are heavily used. The path along the river was smooth, had few interruptions and worked extremely well for us and many others out jogging, cycling or just walking the dog. In fact, it carried on for many kilometers and was used by many people on this gorgeous morning.

One of several bridges across the Seguro River in Murcia.

Lemon groves and gardens lined the bike path along the river.

This field of potatoes looked lush. We saw others where the potatoes by the hundreds were dug up and drying in the sun.

Riding the Murcia bike path was pure joy. The land was lush with crops, birds were chirping their hearts out and there was a light breeze.

The Murcia Cycleway was also badged as part of the Eurovelo 8 cycle network.

But all good things come to an end and when it petered out, a new cycle path appeared, but this one was poorly designed. There were signs that bikes must use the path and are not allowed on the roadway which snugly fit two vehicles only. This path had a rough concrete surface, it was full of radical dips, one for every driveway, had stop signs every 50m or so, and just for fun, a sluice gate showed up in the middle of the path. To be fair, this path followed a roadway between towns so had different requirements. Cycle paths like this are fine for locals heading to the grocery store or kids going to school, but serve little purpose for someone trying to get anywhere. I guess they get points for trying, but it was another dud in my books.

This was an active sluice gate in the middle of the cycle path.

One of the little things that makes me chuckle here in Spain is how English names are used in branding. Take the name of this grocery store, superDumbo. Or, the delivery truck at the summit of one of our climbs that was labelled with bold letters, Aorta Indispensable. What that could possibly mean remains a mystery. Then, there were the mussels from hell (with hot sauce) earlier in the trip.

I don’t think this name would fly for a grocery store in Victoria.

Eventually, we came to a small town, Callosa de Segura and found a barrier across the road that I had chosen for the day’s ride. No worries we thought, we will follow the diversion. Well, what we didn’t know is this was market day and the streets of Callosa were plugged to the gills with vendors and shoppers. So, we took a break to have a cold drink and a look at the market. After that, we found our way out of town.

Vendors were selling everything except full sized mattresses.

Palm trees are becoming more prevalent here. They do provide a bit of shade in an otherwise harsh environment.

About half way through the ride, it became fairly mundane and that continued all the way into Elche. We took few photos in the section. The land was more barren, save for some lemon groves and pomegranate orchards here and there. The lemons littered the ground, making us wonder if anyone would bother to harvest them.

The pomegranates are a new crop for us. I had seen the beautiful red flowering bushes along the way, but it was only when they showed up in a mass planting that I took a closer look and found the young fruits. These, too, had dropped and covered the ground.

We passed a large garden centre along the way that was selling olive trees. Some were small and young, while others were quite old. It made me wonder if they ever sell these old trees as they would have to sever the roots. I am sure they aren't,’t giving them away either.

Here is as short video showing the first, more interesting, part of the ride.

We chose Elche as today’s destination for its location, about 60km away from Murcia and fairly close to the coast. What surprised us was the size of the city and the lack of accommodation. It turned out it’s a university town and is home to a massive shoe manufacturing sector. As for the lack of hotel rooms, were told that there simply isn’t enough demand. Fair enough We chose a chain hotel for the night and after cycling a 5 km to the edge of the town centre, we located it next to a light industrial centre.

The cell had recommended a restaurant called Biker Bar. With such a fitting name, we couldn't resist and we were not disappointed!

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Today's ride: 64 km (40 miles)
Total: 801 km (497 miles)

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Patty BarronFound your B&B Hotel Elche & Bikers/Salsa bar on Google. They both look like great places to stop, rest & refuel along the way, very appealing.
Btw, What is the story about those large Amazon lockers?
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