I used to have a checklist I printed before every family camping trip, with 4 checkboxes for each personal item; everybody was responsible for their own stuff. I think that time during the heat wave was the one time I didn't.

LOL, I had to laugh when you said the list is yours and to stop reading if not interested. I always wish for such a list when we embark on our tours and I haven't got one!

We guess this at 1200 km or less. Very doable!

And if you didn't already have one, you could buy a two-pack so one key would work on both. I'm not sure, but if hers is one of the new-key style, with a square rather than a pointy end, you can get a new lock that works with the same key.

Lightbulb 💡 moment re: Abus locks!
Kirsten has the Bordo version but I’ve got one of their U-locks and often carry a cable for those ‘long and awkward ‘ situations. I think another Bordo is in the cards. Thanks for the insight.

Yes, we think you are right - we just saw a reference to Camino Portuguse on that "other site". This reference is promising, as it has a lot of these code names mentioned by country:

https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Cycle_routes#Spain

Hi Steve
Your question intrigued me, since (as a result of an answer to a question I posed in the Forum) we are thinking of a future tour from the Basque country to southern Portugal.
My best guess would be "Camino Portugues" and it seems there is both a coastal and a central route. I'm not sure how well they are marked on the ground, though, as most of the information I found with a quick search was for tour operators' versions.
With luck, you will get responses from cyclists who've actually been to Portugal!

We have spent the last two days just getting slightly warmed up to the mapping for our hoped for circumnavigation of the Iberian Peninsula. So reading your mapping story was super fun.

Last night a question came up that I was thinking of putting to a Cycleblaze forum, but I think there is a cluster of mapping fans right here, so here goes:

Open cycle map, which can be seen at its home at https://www.opencyclemap.org/ or as a map choice in many a cycle routing web site, identifies international, national, and regional cycle routes. In so doing, it slaps on a label, like EV1 for Eurovelo 1 or TGT, for the Canadian "The Great Trail". So in planning how to get south into Portugal from Santiago de Compostella, we were happy to see a route that heads south for some 400 km (before mysteriously ending in the middle of nowhere). This route is tagged "CP".

So now the question: Is there a key that reveals what the cryptic tags stand for, as an aid to finding out more about the routes? I did find some tables on the opencyclemap site that revealed a bit of this by country, but I still have no idea what "CP" means.

Question - which tires did you choose? I am always tech nerdy wondering about these things!

I use all the views (layers). My favourites, though, are Map and OSM Cycle. And the (relatively) new heatmap function is very useful.

I'd heard of cycle.travel and, when I took a look at the website, discovered I even had an account there already! I don't often select cycle routes except near big cities, though, as they are often rail trails which aren't our favourite way to go.

It will be great to have you following along!

Just noticed your new journal, Jacquie. Looks like the perfect way to spend November. Looking forward to following along.

The way you use RWGPS matches the way I do it. I would never rely on an automatically-generated route from any mapping program - I'm too much of a control freak. I check street view on Google Maps for every suspect road. Sometimes I route away from roads that look too busy on street view! One of the map selections on RWGPS is the Open Street Cycling Map. I've had good luck using that one - might be worth a look. Different maps have different opinions on what constitutes a public, accessible road. :)

Just seeing your posted Michelin map made me smile. I used them on my first tours by connecting those green scenic routes into one longer tour. Now I use Michelin at home sometimes to get a country or regional overview. For plotting a route I use cycle.travel which has cycle routes marked, and like you, check street view to be sure I don't end up in a pickle on the road.