Here is Paul from The Netherlands who wins the accolade of being the first touring cyclist I have not only seen since leaving Tarifa but also the first that I have had a good chat with. He’s an interesting chap, widely travelled and was careful – he kept stopping himself from doing so – not to lecture me.

He wasn’t keen on ‘following numbers’ (in other words cycle routes) so I kept quiet on that one. His parting words to be were that he accepts that there will always be what he calls ‘Mercedes days’, days on which he wishes he were driving a Mercedes instead of being on his bike. But they pass and he still hasn’t bought a Mercedes. His bike – a Dahon – allows him to travel by train and then he goes off on shorter rides to wherever takes his fancy. 

Today I’ve ditched the cycling gear and have gone ‘civilian’ for the short ride into Seville where I’ll stay tonight in the centre. It’s the 18th ‘Day of the Bike’ in Seville. Interesting. I wonder what I will find…