Day 7.
94km, 888m climbing: Girona – Cadaqués.
I would have liked to visit the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres. We had even come so close the day we rode into Esponellà.

94km, 888m climbing: Girona – Cadaqués.
I would have liked to visit the Dali Theatre-Museum in Figueres. We had even come so close the day we rode into Esponellà.
30km: Esponellà – Girona.
I fought with the idea of having a “rest day”. We only had two weeks to explore, but Girona was only 30km away, and we had brought our regular shoes.
It could also be nice to spend the day in loose-fitting clothes.
It could be nice to climb a lot of stairs… on our rest day.
92km, 1287m climbing: Arles-sur-Tech – Maçanet de Cabrenys – Esponellà.
Ed had explained to Yann and me the previous night that our only way into Spain was over the mountains. A reattempt of Col d’Ares was an option, but there was also the less intimidating Col de Coustouges. Yann was ready to give Col d’Ares another shot but Ed pointed out that Col de Coustouges was a great climb. I said I’d sleep on it although I was definitely going with Col de Coustouges.
82km, 1311m climbing: Thuir – Arles-sur-Tech – Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste – Arles-sur-Tech.
On the 26th, we left Thuir and Yann left his twenties. In plain English, it was Yann’s 30th birthday. I knew exactly what to do for his birthday: spend it with two Englishmen in Arles-sur-Tech.
82km: Villerouge-La-Crémade – Port-la-Nouvelle – Thuir.
The following morning, we checked the weather report: ah, sunshine. But also more wind: 40+km/h with gusts exceeding 70 km/hr. The owner of the gîte was not in the least bit surprised for this type of wind was seasonal. It even had a specific name: tramontane. We had no choice but to go against the wind and head further south-east.