11-Mar-2018 -- This is the second out of 4 reports reaching confluence points during a 4-day cycling trip from Lisbon to Seville. According to my records, this was my 116th multiday cycling trip. With about 490 km of cycling, it is my 62nd longest trip. The story continues from 38°N 8°W.
On confluence day, I started cycling from Beja in 75 km distance (as the crows fly). Several short, but heavy thunderstorms hit me. The severeness of those storms made me get off from the bike, cower down while using my raincoat as a provisional tent for protecting myself against the horizontal incoming rain. In-between those storms, the sun came out as if there had never been any cloud on the sky.
In the afternoon I reached the confluence area. I left the main road N-433 near Aroche, continued on the sealed county road HV-2112 and then on the unsealed road “Vereda de Chanza” along the river Chanza up to a distance of 1240 m. I abandoned my bicycle by hiding it in the ditch behind a bush and began a steep hike upwards.
Half way into the hike, I reached a lake. Then I hiked an incredible steep track upwards up to a distance of 200 m to the confluence. At this point (38°0'2.5"N 6°59'52.5"W, same as Javier Valles) I had to leave the track and commence a wilderness hike into a narrow v-shaped valley with dense vegetation. This part of the hike was slow, very interesting, difficult but not dangerous. Once I reached the valley bottom with a stream, I had to ascent again until I reached the confluence on a relatively steep and rocky part of the valley. The dense vegetation consisted of Oleander trees, cork oaks, flowers, and various bushes. The view to the east goes far to other mountain ranges and includes the town of Aroche.
The total hike took about 2 hours. Coming from the top and hiking down to the confluence as Javier Valles did is probably the better option. Three hours after I had left the main road, I was back and ready to continue my cycling trip further east. In the evening, I spent the night in Aracena.
CP Visit Details:
- Distance of bicycle parking: 1240 m
- Time to reach the CP from the road: 1 hour
- Time at the CP: 3:12 PM
- Measured height: 490 m
- Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
- Position accuracy: 3 m
- Topography: mountainous, on a valley flank, rocks
- Vegetation: oleander, cork oak, dense bushes
- Weather: cloudy, later thunderstorm, 9° C (felt temperature)
- Given Name: The Valley-Hike Confluence
The story continues at 38°N 6°W.