Huelva to El Rompido

Friday 11th December
Huelva – El Rompido
A perfect morning following the route out of Huelva westwards. This area is all designated as Natural Park (as opposed to National Park where we bikers are not allowed). The Marismas del Odiel is a huge area of salt marshes surrounded by pine forests, so a haven for yet more great birds - Flamingoes, Spoonbills, Black Winged Stilts amongst others. We reached El Rompido (great name I think and also a great place) by early afternoon and liked it so much we decided to stay here. It is a delightful old port within in inlet and protected from the Atlantic by a long sand spit. There are masses of rather exclusive villas and golf courses built around the town. The swanky hotels were all shut for the winter, (not that we would have been in one anyway) but we found a beauty on the hill above the town overlooking the golf course and estuary. A two star hotel with four star views, three star service, one star pillows and mattress and five star prices. But, we were a captive audience as nowhere else was available. We left our bikes and luggage and spent the next 2 hours in the marshes full of Curlews and other sea birds and saw a beautiful sunset. As the hotel restaurant was closed it was back to the old days of biking a few miles in to town for supper but it felt good to have done 30 miles in the day as we are getting fat and lazy!