Which is just as well. Because if I’d been caught on todays ride existing completely on scrumped fruit , the Guardia Civil would have no words to describe how to prosecute me -and even if they did, I’d be cleared at Court and would be pictured across Spain, standing on the courtroom steps, flash bulbs popping, proudly and triumphantly holding my apple aloft ,freedom, la libertad , fruit for the people and the cheering masses !

Well yes. Indeed . As you can see, today was a long day, with little to occupy me except my thoughts of being a Fruit Freedom Fighter ! I saw no one all day. Not a car,not a shop,not even a bus stop. Nada except acre after acre of fruit farms -apples, olives, pears,lemons and peaches mainly. My routing took me across country away from main roads and onto the massive network of gravel tracks that criss cross this part of the country for the use of fruit farmers. If you’ve ever seen the roads used in the Strade Bianche cycling race then you’ll get the picture

It was nice in a way to be so removed from anything, every time I stopped there was complete silence -I could even hear the plip plop of my own sweat onto the crossbar but the terrain made the going slow and bumpy

I rolled into Albalate de Cinco at about 5pm. To call it a one horse town would be to exaggerate the presence of the horse . But-it did have a small supermarket (just as well because there was no bar or cafe in town ) and I stocked up for a hostel feast later . Tonight’s hostel was Hotel Casa Santos . Cheap and (sort of ) cheerful,I’d file it under functional and clean . Which is fine.