The journey begins in earnest

 So that was it .... last words as we went to bed just past midnight  ... "Engine start at 9am sharp".

Well the best laid plans ... Neil banged on Daves door, about 8.30, and with no reply, we assumed him and Thorpy were fast asleep, so we stayed in bed.  They were infact, already by the bikes waiting for us, unable to do anything as we had prudently chained them all together.

So into the late morning Pamplona traffic we headed.   Saw a nice statue as we headed out ... hmmm, there it is again !   Poor Dave, was struggling with Tom Tom, Bus Lanes, a zillion pedestrian crossings, and the funky Spanish "half roundabout" design if you want to turn left.  

A quick blast on another toll road, and he had a go at the Spanish shuffle at the barrier gate .... four bikes for the price of three.  Ah well, just needs more practice.  And then it wasnt long before we turned left into our first "green lane".  Bit of a shock really, but we followed without question.   Twas a bit dusty, but we spread out and all coped admirably.  Kudos to Thorpy who kept a constant throttle throughout and plodded up everything relentessly.

Stopped at a bar cum cafe for a coffee, while me and Neill dashed off to find food ... Snickers and a bag of crisps was about it.

Moving on, we took in some more "lanes" which had great views, and even more dust.  Then another coffee and bag of crisps stop ...

The rest of the day was spent enjoying more firmer surfaces, winding our way through the Pyrenees with the spectacular scenery expected.

.... arriving safely at  our hotel in time for a beer in daylight hours...

...... and finally get to have an industrious hour on the blog.

So, with a boozy evening planned, and the hotel a mere 20 mts from the bar, doesnt like we going to get much excersise in tonight.  Tomorrow a biggish day planned to La Jonquera, which is a "border town", and promises "some action" according to Dave .... note to self ... have an early night ! Yeah right.