Day 135
“You’ve had a long ride from Northampton mate”
Tom had suggested we visit Gibraltar, and as we so desperately needed a break, to book an apartment for a few days. I was uncertain if it was what I wanted, I thought perhaps a small Spanish town would be better, but Tom was so keen, I agreed.
We only had 20 miles to go from our wild camp. We were back on a Eurovelo Route, not EV1 which had taken us all the way through most of Ireland, France and Spain, but EV8. It even gave us a choice, an easy ride through a town, or up and away through some very big hills. Richard and Tom had opted for hills. I wasn’t consulted! Still, it was the right choice, as we were provided with stunning views and our first glimpse of The Rock, otherwise known as Gibraltar.
It was ceded to Britain in 1713 in perpetuity, and remains a British overseas territory to this day. Over half the world’s seaborne trade passes through the strait, though most of Gibraltar’s income comes from tourism, online gambling, financial services and bunkering. Bunkering is the supply of fuel to all those ships apparently.
As we approached, The Rock loomed large, we cycled through a rather run-down town, then onto a cycleway which took us through a gas storage site, not quite what I was expecting. Then suddenly we were there. A Spanish customs officer stamped our passports and we were back in the UK and de-Shengen-ed. The first person we saw on the Gibraltar side was a British Customs Officer. He looked at Tom’s passport and said, “You’ve had a long ride from Northampton mate!”. Perfect.
Tom had said he felt a strange tug of home as we approached The Rock. I hadn’t, but hearing those words in a strong southern English accent, wow, it felt great! Now there was just the small matter of cycling over the airport runway, yes you read that right. They simply stop the traffic when a plane comes into land or departs, you’ve got to love it!
The roads were busy, we were still cycling on the right, but signs of home were all around. I saw a Costa! The voices we heard were mainly English. Now my mother-in-law Sue knows I like a coffee, but I don’t like to use chains rather a local coffee shop. However, France and Spain, though the food is generally so much better than the UK I have really missed my coffee fix. It just doesn’t taste right. So, Sue, tomorrow I’m off to Costa, then M&S for new underwear. Today we made do with a trip to Morrisons. We’re loving travelling, but a bit of home is rather special too. Wise choice Tom! Tomorrow, monkeys!
