April has almost passed by. The weather of late has been horrible and the bike hasn't been out for a week. Miles cycled is far lower than I would like it to be but it has to improve sometime.

We have managed to cycle out togther once and that was a trip to Bolton Bridge. Not without incident both technical and physical! Two riders dismounted either over handlebars or simply falling off sideways, plus one broken spoke. Still, it will be alright on the night, as the saying goes.

Other preparation has included more background reading. The book of the moment is "To the Field of Stars". Very enjoyable too although the refuges providing the overnight accommodation get a mixed review; some quite good and some not that welcoming. It seems that the local wisdom is to set off each day around 6 in the morning and to finish by midday. This avoids the heat of the day and gives ample time to relax and immerse the traveller in the local culture. Quite looking forwards to that! Note to self - must also try to learn some Spanish before we go!

Also been out and bought sheet sleeping bag, light sleeping bag and a survival bag. All the reading suggests that snoring rules in the refuge dormitories so getting prepared to sleep in the great outdoors if need be. Now that I'm not looking forwards to at all! Ugh.