Day 72 – at Murgia (Gorbeia National Park)

Today was the first hot and humid day of this course, and though it did creep a couple of degrees higher than predicted, to 32C, it was forecast.

It was however, pleasantly cool in the morning, at 8C, difficult to believe it would climb so high later in the day. I hung around the van, took a second coffee, read some Welsh horror, from the great Arthur Machen, and eventually gave in to the stares of the dog just after 11.

My plan was to stick by the river, when we headed out, and that worked well. I followed to track the would eventually ascend the Gorbeia mountain, but that would have been a twenty kilometre round trip, and too much for both of us on a day like today. Half that distance was fine, and we got back to the van for 2 pm, just before the heat took a grip.

I took the bike out for a few kilometres also, having seen that the terrain was not challenging. With my hip problems, I really struggle to get started, and stop, once I’m going I am fine, though I think probably not very safe.

I was the only car in the car park when I left, and when I returned there were a few others, in what is a huge space. And one motorhome, which, as I have mentioned it, you can guess where it had parked – ten metres from me.

With normal people that is fine, but this guy and his wife spoke on their phones, on speaker, for pretty much the whole of the rest of the day. It was more disruptive than if the place had been busy, because without them, the place was quiet silent.

I’m too used to the silence of some of the wild places I have been lucky enough to find. Basque is vastly more populated than those national parks to the west of Leon. It’s difficult to attach any blame to such people as these neighbours, as they come from busy towns and cities, and have no clue what silence is, and could not figure my hard stares.

Reluctantly, mid-afternoon, I moved fifty metres. I had work to do, VAT submission and a few other matters, which needed my concentration.

In the early evening we went to find the river again. It hadn’t really cooled very much, but Roja was very grateful for the short excursion.