NEW HORIZONS oct2024
From The Netherlands to Spain
THE START
We love Europa, so to start our trip through this beautiful continent is not a punishment. Every 100 km the landscapes and the cultures change. We Europeans take this for granted but we shouldn't. The different cultures and people make this continent a paradise for travellers and for European citizens. So we make the best of it and we decided to play the tourist....and we loved it.
GERBEROY
If you use Google to find out which are the most beautiful villages of France you end up with Gerberoy. We’re too late. From the first of October there is no tourist train anymore and we have to see the village on foot! Such a burden. Takes us a lot of time and taking pictures doesn’t help to speed things up. We will never get to Africa if we keep on enjoying ourselves.
THE LOIRE
This is how a castle should look like. Big? Glamorous, over the top. We love it. Let’s call it home. Now we only need a couple of servants and we should be ok. Chateau Amboise on the Loire river in the middle of beautiful vineyards. Now let’s remember, why do we want to travel any further?
SMUGGLERS ROUTE
To get from Andorra into Spain you can drive ‘Ruta dels Contrabandiste’. What a great name. We can’t help ourselves to descend from the mountains in Andorra to Spanish warmer climate. We need sun!
It took us a large part of the day to cover just 30 kilometers. But what a great route. Wouldn't recommend it for larger vehicles or inexperienced drivers. Being nervous or having problems with height is also not a good combination.
HIKING & RUNNING
If you want to go fast, you go by truck. If you want to have adventure, you go by bike. If you want to explore the country in detail, you go on foot. So that's what we do. Hiking and trailrunning. The more we hike and run, the easier it gets. Our muscles get used to the difference in elevation and before we know it we're standing on the 'top' of the world!
WHY OFFROAD?
It's bumpy, it's uncomfortable, you have to change the tire pressure all the time, it costs lots and lots of diesel, it's dangerous. You get lost and if you find the right track the track stops in the middle of nowhere and not a chance you can turn around very easily. Your truck gets damaged. Within a couple of days your truck has scratches everywhere. When you get stuck it takes a lot of time and effort to rescue yourself. Every tool is big and heavy. Nothing is easy.......
Tommorow again?? :)
MONTANAS VACIAS
The empty space of Spain. Also called Spanish Lapland. The countryside around Albarracin is covered with endless tracks. So we leave our house on wheels and set up for an adventure by bike. In the night it's freezing cold and the first day it's raining cats and dogs. So if one day is wet and cold you should take another day, and another, and another....The result is a great bikepacking adventure through central Spain.
VILLAGE & TOWN
And that's why we love Europe!
The culture is impressive and everywhere you find great examples of lovely villages and majestic towns. The more south we travel the more influences we see of the More architecture. Perfect combination of Christianity and Islam.
GORAFE DESERT
A disaster hits Spain. A huge weather depression (called DANA) with an enormous amount of rain. Cities are flooded, Many people loose their homes and unfortunately also more than 200 people their lives. In some areas the impact is enormous, especially around Valencia. We have a lot of luck. With our truck we travel between the thunderstorms and besides a very muddy truck the impact for us is manageable.
We decide to postpone the offroad driving with our 12 ton expedition truck. The risk of getting stuck in the mud is pretty high and we don't want to bother any emergency services. They have more important things to do than saving a bunch of tourists.
So we take our bikepacking bikes. They are light and with only 10 kilos of luggage we can save ourselves if we do get stuck. And besides that, the Gorafe desert is one of the more dry landscapes in Spain. Unfortunately not in the valleys of the canyons, the Badlands. Lots of mud, some landslides. But with enough blood, sweat and tears we conquer these obstacles. Great ride for a couple of days.
The best time of our live!
That's the only conclusion we can draw. What a great trip, what a great adventure. After world cycling adventures we had to get used to another rhythm. Now we can drive, we can walk, we can hike, we can cycle and we can canoe.
So what's our conclusion so far?
A truck is great to live in and to get into remote places for a longer time. But if you really want to be part of the country you have to get out of the truck and use a transport method which is not covered by metal plates.
We need to feel the wind, the rain, the cold, the sun. We need to be in direct contact with the people who make a country as it is.
Our house on wheels is a great basecamp for the next adventure. Up to Africa.