Though I can’t say for sure how I got a flat tire in the hotel lobby, I am pretty certain it is a first for me. Usually the circumstances are a little more interesting, or at least involve me actually being on the bike. Regardless, as much as I might enjoy fixing a flat in the chic lobby of the Soho Boutique Cádiz, we instead walk the bikes around the corner to the main plaza and find ourselves amid an army of municipal workers diligently cleaning up the remnants of yesterday’s Carnival party. The place is spotless before 8 am.

Thirty minutes, one new bike tube and a few choice expletives later, we are back on the road and heading south along the gravel path next to the Bay of Cádiz and the connected Barbate Estuary. In addition to abundant marine life (much of which is harvested and eaten), the estuary is home to dozens of species of birds, including the pink flamingos we watched fishing, and beautiful yellow flowers. A stout headwind keeps our pace slow and it feels like it is only getting stronger.

After passing through the town of San Francisco, we pull onto the “Corredor Verde Dos Bahias,” a gravel hiking and biking green belt trail that traverses almost 100km through Andalusia from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The terrain makes it slow going, as does the wind, but the scenery is beautiful and (despite how unfailingly courteous drivers here have been) it is a relief to ride on trails.

One of the features of the trail I particularly like is the use of recycled ceramic tile mixed in with the gravel surface. It’s a great re-use of materials and results in little mosaics along the way.

Benelup Casas Viejas is a small hilltop town that feels prosperous. We find a small restaurant near our hotel (where we are once again the only guests) and enjoy an unexpectedly delicious meal featuring wild boar ravioli and lentil purée and roasted pork. Not a typical meal for the two of us, but absolutely delicious.