Day three would be another great days cycling. Although it had rained through the night .As I left Huelva the road was busy so I turned off and cycled through the back lanes of a retail estate passing forklift trucks loading vans. I then joined the A5000 which was still busy, not only that but the road wasn't good, being both potholed and having a very black, mud like residue on it. The white line defining the verge was very narrow and sometimes non-existent. Quite a nasty and difficult ride until I reached San Juan del Puerto where as I left the town the road opened up into countryside and much of the traffic disappeared onto the adjacent motorway. The road crossed the motorway and approached Niebla where I had intended to grab a coffee. As I entered Niebla however there was a huge cement works which loomed over the town and after just a cursory look, I decided to cycle on. That turned out to be a good decision because after 8 miles I reached La Palma del Condado and immediately in the centre was a large church with a beautiful plaza surrounding it. .I quickly found a cafe for a light lunch and lingered for an hour, soaking up the ambience. After lunch I headed out of town up a hill which afforded great views back to the town. I was on an unclassified road but had checked it on Google Street View and it looked fine to cycle. The road was single track and smooth and very quiet. Great cycling as it followed a small stream. The road went under the motorway and then as I turneda bend the road was almost blocked with vegetation. It looked like last night's rain had washed part of the stream onto the road. No problem I managed t get past. The road then deteriorated into a dolomite track and it was now a damp, muddy track with lots of potholes. The bike was picking up lots of dirt. I passed the small farm yard 2 miles from the next town of Hinojos, but as I passed two dogs came out and ran at me quite ferociously barking.
I pedalled for my life and for the next two miles, the dogs continued to chase. It wasn't until I reached the outskirts of honour Hinojos before they turned back and I was relieved. I then passed several small towns as I headed east and would eventually pick up the suburbs of Seville. As I cycled in I passed a Kiwi bar, so strange, I thought so I had to stop for a drink. The bar wasn't yet open but the owner was there and he said he had came over to do joinery work when the Seville Expo was on and he had stayed and set the bar up, which is why there was a New Zealand bar right in the middle of the Seville suburbs.
I continued on and eventually picked up quieter roads which fed into the cycle paths which crossed the Guadalquivir and in to the Seville city centre where I would be stopping at my favourite little hotel?
The hotel Goya situated just up the Mateo Gago yards from the cathedral. Happy days.