22.1 km today.
28.2 km this trip.
1256.2 km from start.
0 metres minimum height.
65 metres maximum height.
133 metres ascent.
152 metres descent.
Track Log: Logged.
Travel: Hire car, Taxi.
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A walk along beaches and then the very quiet coast road. Nice.
We took our hire car to Pozo del Esparto. There we phoned for a taxi to take us to the port at Garrucha. We walked along beaches and then the quiet coast road. The weather was cool and bright but not too sunny. The views were very nice. The landscape was dotted with industrial relics from the lead and silver mining era.
We set off at 8.00 and drive most of the way to El Pozo del Esparto where the Cocina del Obisbo is. This is our chosen location for the taxi pick-up. Neil says he would remember this name because it reminds him of a joke about a bishop and a nun not repeatable here which reminds me MIni says there was a rude joke in one of the books in the house but it was so rude she wasn't prepared to repeat it. We'll have to hope for a wet day so we can see where she draws the line.
At the top of a pummock I telephoned for a taxi. Unlike the nice man in Garrucha the woman answering had no idea where Pozo del Esparto was. I also tested Mini's phone again and it also failed to work even right near a pummock with several hairyholes later in the day. May be I'll get a Spanish phone or first try a Spanish sim in my phone. That will be really good fun and cheaper for local calls.
Eventually the taxi call centre lady realised I did know the name of the village I wanted and she checked and, as I expected, once she rang a Garrucha taxi man, he knew where it was immediately. Amazingly the Bishop’s kitchen was open and we could have called there for hot coffee and croissants and got the man to phone. We had a very nice taxi driver who had picked up a señora whose car battery had let her down. She was quite embarrassed and wanted to sit in the back. We made her stay in the front and she was really apologetic about sharing our taxi and said she'd pay half which we wouldn't hear of. In the end she gave the driver 5 euros as a tip and left ten towards our fare. I told her we were building a school in Congo and this would go towards it. Later talking to to the driver, we said it was great that now Spanish people had also cooperated. Actually Senegalese, French and Dutch people have now been involved so the project is truly international.
Today's walk began along Garrucha's marine parade. Quite a nice one without entertainments but just people taking their doggies for walks. Later we went along the beach through a eucalyptus wood and, towards the end of the day, along the coast road which is quite wide but has very little traffic one it. We had tea next to the Playa de la Concha where our battery lady lived. We didn't notice that it was her beach until we were on or way back out. We waved and I can see why she might have been robbed there. She had been the victim of a break-in. It's miles from anywhere but idyllic as well.
Once we got to El Pozo we went hum in the hire car. It was a bright day today with occasional sun. I took my helly off for one leg of the walk. When we got hum, I telephoned Rob to see if he could take us to our start tomorrow. He thought I meant come and collect us now. I wouldn't do that except in an emergency. He said he'd come round and talk about it. So we arranged it and Neil told him his hooter was bruk. Rob went to look and ha ha I had pulled his plug out which is in my room. I couldn't have done a better thing if I'd tried. Then we tried to get the satellite going for the telly. He told us about the men's channel but it just means aviation and chuffer-trains; nothing more. Tomorrow Rob will take us to El Pozo and we will walk all the way back. This is brilliant as it means we shan’t have to do a half walk. I hope he really doesn’t mind.