TRAVERSE 57
TRAVEL- SPAIN
SUZIE PREVETT
THE BEAUTY OF A NO-PLAN-PLAN!
The bikes were loaded with our trusty Turkana Gear luggage and ready for a two-week adventure. I couldn’ t wait. We hadn’ t ridden out of the United Kingdom since returning from our‘ Big Trip’ in July 2019, and it had been far too long since we’ d done a proper roadtrip style ride on the DR650s.
With the sun shining, I was determined to take a slow, relaxed route to the ferry. I’ d plotted a line through Exmoor, across into Somerset and down to Portsmouth on the south coast. It felt brilliant being back on the DR again, and it didn’ t take long to settle into the rhythm of riding a fully loaded bike. The Exmoor roads were gorgeous— sweeping bends, rolling hills— and of course we had to stop in Porlock, where it all began for Kelvin and me back in 2012.
Skip forward a bit and we were aboard Brittany Ferries, heading from Portsmouth to Bilbao on a 33- hour crossing. One of the highlights of that sea leg was chatting with Duncan Gough after his talk on Spain and Portugal. He handed over a few great ideas for the Sierra de la Demanda region, which we’ d been toying with visiting anyway. That’ s the beauty of a“ no-plan plan”: you can add things on the fly simply because someone interesting recommends them.
Arrival morning came quickly. It’ s no secret I’ m easily confused, and this was a classic example. I rolled out of bed at what I thought was 5.30am Spanish time. Kelvin, whose watch still read UK time, was horrified— 4.30am.
“ What the fuck are you doing up now?!”, was, I believe, the quote of the morning.
After insisting breakfast started at 5.30am, I realised the boat was still on UK time. I’ d dragged us out of bed an hour early for no reason. Still, silver linings— we were first in
TRAVERSE 57