From Puerto Real, I continue towards Cadiz, but then decide to skip the 60 km detour to the city. Somehow all the bridges are for cars only. Also, the wind blows from that direction…
So instead of urban sightseeing, I spend most of my morning on gravel and trails through the coastal hills. I take my lunch stop at the castle ruins of Medina-Sidonia, a town on a hilltop with beautiful views all around.
From here, I continue on the Coredor Verde de Dos Bahias, a (mostly) gravel trail that connects the Bay of Cadiz and the Bay of Gibraltar. The trails and empty landscape are beautiful, but I’ve seldomly had occasion to note that a 10% elevation sign is just an estimate and can actually also be closer to 20%.
Just shy of the 100 km mark, before Los Barrios, I have my first puncture of the day in the rear and then promptly the second at the front. Evidently, the five year old tires are not quite up to some of the thorns around here.
After fixing the tires, I end my day, just catching the sunset on the Rock of Gibraltar in the distance.