A week spent making my first visit to Spain (Catalonia). Over the Pyrenees by Andorra, down the Costa Brava to Barcelona, back over the Pyrenees west of Andorra.

As I had been told the daily routine is a bit different in Spain. Shops open early, close at noon, everything starts back up around 6pm until late. This translates into morning busking as early as possible, lunch siesta and riding in the afternoon, more busking around 6:30pm, then ride slightly inland to camp.

La Bastide-de-Sérou market, last stop before the Pyrenees. Invited into the market and given coffee and chai after starting my set across the street

Entering Spain through the Pyrenees near Andorra

First busking set in Spain by a park in Olot, good pedestrian traffic but had to play amplified for the road noise

Ten miles of concrete road through a national park. The surface worsened with no spots to camp until the other end, where Google Maps revealed a hidden quarry

L’Escala, first stop on the Mediterranean

Adjusting to the Spanish routine with a hammock siesta

An evening ride along as twisty coast road, groups of scooters racing past

There are lots of unused tracks in the mountains to camp on near the road

A good busking spot at Lloret de Mar

Camp site between caulk trees, as I pitched in the dark some wild boar could be heard approaching along the track. A shout of greeting had no effect but starting the bike made them retreat and go around.

A wrong turn down a quiet dead end, local scooters have fixed the speed bump

Concrete bunker with an unlocked roof hatch. The ladder was missing a rung and in bad shape, with no other way out I chose not to risk it

The Pyrenees coming into view after a hot afternoon inland

Riding late through a national park into the sunset, found a hidden camp site two miles down the road

Lakes in the mountains are better than the sea

I spent a couple of days in the Pyrenees enjoying the lakes and scenery. Wild camping is easy on the Spanish side, plenty of sites with a view.

Back in rural France camping on a farm track, the previous green lane nearly got me in trouble with a muddy rut leading through brambles, but I managed to rock the rear wheel out and turn around