Life takes some strange turns from time to time and you sometimes have to roll with the punches. I thought I’d seek a little solace in some adventure and after a couple of days on a ferry (boring and nauseating) to Bilbao I set off to cycle home.

An average of 100km a day on the veloysee I thought it would be a doddle. But I was surprised.

The first 3 days over the Pyrenees taxed me somewhat with about 1500m ascent each day but not unduly so. A furtive wild camp by a lake was a high point as my accommodation fell through.

But it was the relentlessness of the countryside that got me in the end. The loneliness. Just mile after mile only to be rewarded by sitting in an empty campsite.

I enjoyed the challenge but won’t be doing it again. For the record: 750km & 6000m ascent over 8 days.