I’ve had a few close encounters on my travels through Spain. Numerous occasions where dogs seem to think a cyclist is fair game, it’s the little ones that are the worst, the big ones are either fenced in or too old to bother. The little snappers seem to enjoy accompanying me for 50 metres or so and almost getting under my front wheels. I started braking to avoid them but now don’t bother, if they get splattered so be it, they always seem to get out of the way though.
I’ve seen red squirrels, foxes, lots of hares. Ants of all sizes are a constant companion on camps. Birds of prey are common place, I just wish I new what they were. A birder I met on a camp site said he’d been watching a Golden Eagle so I’m sure I’ve seen a few of those. I was accompanied on a lonely country road by what looked like a Falcon flying just 30ft above, it crossed my path several times scouring the fields on both sides of the road.
My closest encounter was too close. I was cruising on a descent up in the Sierra de Cabaneros when around 20 metres in front a big Deer appeared and started to cross the road in front of me. I braked gently knowing there was time for the Deer to cross, unfortunately the Deer spotted me and in a blind panic decided to change direction, it did a half pirouette and fell in a heap in front of me. I braked hard on the front and the Deer scrabbled to it’s feet leaving scrape marks on the road from it’s hooves. It cleared my path just in time.
If the deer had appeared a couple of seconds later there would have been a big pile of Venison and English beef for someone to clear up!
I see snakes every day, mostly dead on the road. The biggest was a chunky 4 ft long silvery green thing which was providing lunch for a thousand flies. I’ve glimpsed a few small dark ones sliding into the undergrowth at the side of the road.
Apart from one decapitated head I could see from my Hostal window, nothing else of any real note.
I thought for a moment the head was real until I realised I’d left Santa Eufemia far behiind. I hope?
2 Wheels and a Walking Stick 