Valencia to Barcelona Vacation 2023 Part 2

In mid September 2023 we flew from Canada to Portugal where we were on the Costal Camino until October 2nd.
We were in Baiona so we took the bus to Vigo and then the train to Valencia via Madrid – it takes all day.

Adventure Girl booked our self guided bike trip through Maritime Travel in Canada. We chose the Spanish company, “Away from the Crowds” whose Canadian representative is OK Cycle tours. We highly recommend all three of those companies. There was no problem arranging extra nights in a few places. In 2018, when we rode the Coastal Camino on a self guided bike tour, there were a number of times we wanted to stay in a seaside town and do some sightseeing. Our ebikes arrived with a minimum of fuss and explanation. In retrospect I should have asked how the battery is removed for charging and I would ask for more than 1 extra tube to share between 2 bikes; there was no patch kit. I also didn’t know how to turn on the headlight; that would have been nice to know for the long train tunnels on the converted rail trail on Day 2. Adventure Girl’s ankle injury (see Part 1) was recovered enough, after 4 easy days in Valencia, that our first day on eBike to the Albufeira Nature Park was an enjoyable all day out and back. We had a long lunch of Paella before riding back to our hotel. Day 2 began with a transfer from Valencia to Barracas where we got on a rail trail and stayed there most of the way to Mora. Next day to Montanejos where we stayed an extra night because our original plan was to go hiking; we didn’t. Nor did we go to the hot springs the area is famous for. Much to our delight there was an open air concert on our second night and our hotel looked down on the concert space. The next day was on quiet roads to Onda where we were picked up and transferred to Castellon, a Port city on the Mediterranean. The remainder of our cycling days were close to the water. We made our way to Alcossebre via a nature park and had a flat along the way. That’s when discovered we had 1 tube and no patch kit. We met a retired Irish fellow who patched our tube because the bike store was closed for vacation! Our last day on bike was through another nature park; one of the last undeveloped areas on the Mediterranean. We had been warned several times that was going to be rough. It was a gravel road; no problem! Some of the steeper sections are paved too. British Columbia logging roads are much harder! We ended in Peñiscola where we stayed 2 nights but could easily have stayed longer. We toured a castle, swam in the Mediterranean and had a lovely time. Our luggage had been transferred every day of the bike trip ending in Peñiscola. To get to Barcelona for our last few days and flight home, we once again hefted our packs and made our way to Benicarlo, a distance of 7km, most of which was promenade beside the Mediterranean. Train to Barcelona for 3 days of walking around the Ramblas and Barceloneta areas.
Please see Part 1 of our 2023 Vacation here: https://youtu.be/itzm0n2O6i4
Part 2 of our 2023 Vacation
00:00 Arrive Valencia
03:30 Day trip to Albufeira
05:20 Barracas to Mora de Rubielos
08:17 Mora to Montanejos
10:40 Montanejos to Onda
12:09 Castellon to Alcossebre
15:06 Alcossebre to Peniscola
20:00 Peniscola to Barcelona