In Roses: an interim report

December 8, 2018

Our plan for our layover day in Roses was to bike to Cadaques and on to the Cap Creus lighthouse, and then return the way we came. This would involve reversing our splendid descent into Roses at the end of yesterday’s ride by climbing back up to the crown of the cape. From there we would drop down to Cadaques and the south end of the cape; and then return.

This morning’s weather forecast predicted a ‘coastal event’ at Cadaques, with wind gusts up to 50 mph. The prospect of sharing a winding mountainous road in high winds with traffic (it’s a holiday weekend, and Cadaques is a significant tourist destination) didn’t sound attractive, so we came up with a new plan: we biked south on the short, dead-end coast road for about five miles - just past wher the pavement ends - and take a hike.

It was a fine plan, and a brilliant day. It felt like just the right way to get a longer look at this rugged headland. Our hike, about seven miles long, took us out to the end of Cap Norfeu and back. Beautiful, quiet, inspiring.

Not much more to say than that, so this is mostly your basic photo dump. We’ll start with photos of the bike ride to and from the trailhead.

Cycling south from Roses, climbing up to the 600’ saddle at the throat of a headland. It’s a pretty simple climb - two miles up, two miles down to a small resort. The pavement ends soon afterwards, so it’s a very quiet road. Nearly as many walkers and bikers as cars.

At the top of the saddle, we’re out of the cactus zone and into the pines.

Cape Norfeu, our destination for the day. We’ll lock our bikes up on the shore at the base of the peninsula and then hike along its spine to a mirador at the end.

This is a shot from the return ride, as we approach he southern extent of Roses that sprawls up and over the headland. Behind it, far in the distance, is the big mountain in these parts, Canigou.

Well, this is just too frustrating, so for now you’re getting a pretty brief photo dump - barely a small trash bin’s worth. The WiFi is just too slow here at our hotel, and I’m tired of monitoring photos that take four or five minutes to upload. I’ll stop here, and leave you wondering what the walk on the cape was like. Trust me though - it was really wonderful and surprising, with something to pique a variety of interests; so watch for a follow-up post to come.

We’ll come back to it when we get to a zippier hotel. Hopefully tomorrow, in Begur. In the meantime, here’s a teaser:

Today's ride: 10 miles (16 km)
Total: 3,263 miles (5,251 km)

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