Exploring Benidorm Spain on a rental mountain bike

[GGTBod]

Well good folks of BCUK I am glad to say with a little regular effort i have managed to fight off the cabin fever for another winter. A big part of this fight has been editing videos of my previous outdoor madness, so when my pc packed up and I had to find a new weapon in the fight against the inner demons I was in a half a meltdown, a last minute trip to Benidorm just on the edge of the tourist season starting was perfect for myself as i had no interest in the booze clubby usual Benidorm holidays we all know about, my lovely old mam took no convincing to share an all inclusive last minute week in the sun, she went for the sun n booze and I went for the escapism, join me as i share a little escapism i'm even happy to be able to edit videos again and anyone who knows me will know i am not always enjoying the editing side of things

My Benidorm break in the sun was spent mostly on a rental mountain bike, a Kona full suspension for twenty Euro's a day, priceless compared to what i got from that, most of the time I was running a body camera and this video is the results of that week cycling in the sun, I had loaded the odd video online from this footage but due to having no real computer or editing software they had been done with various apps on a cellphone, only so much you can do there really and it was mostly raw footage chunks, those videos have all been deleted now and this is my first video using the new editing software and the computer I just upgraded and rebuilt.


Benidorm Old town is a series of interconnected alleys and pathways, lots of it is part of a linked one way system for motorised vehicles, thankfully none of that applies to cycling, you really could not get away with bike riding like this in the centre of Benidorm anytime between April and October due to the sheer numbers of people who will be shuffling in every nook and cranny. With the sun in the sky and barely a cloud to be seen I pedal into mountains and beautiful scenery as far as I could see.









Benidorm in Spain toured on a mountain bike, after riding up (I spare you all the pain and misery of that) I ride down from La Creu (The Cross) 1.5km dropping 160 meters onto the sea front and then back up the mountains to the viewpoint at Calle de Callas, from here it is back down to Lavante Beach and all the way along it on the sea front promenade up into and around The Old Town of Benidorm before flying all the way along Poniente Beach.

[video=youtube;-vZz3rDipP0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZz3rDipP0&t=905s[/video]

All of the background music used is from Spanish artist who have put their music online free to share, thank you all


Kathleen Martin for El Preso Numero Nueve
Jimmy Fontanez for Para Santo Domingo
Doug Maxwell for Pink Flamenco
Thank you unknown artists for the Spanish guitar piece fiesta siesta and for the Five Fingers With Parasol - Spanish Siesta


All artists listed their music free to use, you all have my thanks
I hired the bike for 20 euros a day from Marco Polo Expeditiones in Benidorm, great place with so many things to do but all i needed was some wheels.

No Affiliation other than a very happy customer


Marco Polo Ex - http://www.marcopolo-exp.es/en/

 

[Dreadhead]

Good on you for making use of what would typically be a nightmarish holiday for most of us. Some cracking scenery there, and I bet the heat was a nice break from our climate

 

[bopdude]

I just skimmed through, looks great, I'll catch up later

 

[GGTBod]

When i went online looking for somewhere to escape the 6.5 hrs daylight we were getting at that point I told myself that whatever and where ever the best value 3 star all inclusive deal with a 4 star Trip Adviser rating or higher was is where i was going, like most tourist hotspots they are usually in lovely places if you get out of the hustle and bustle so that was my plan, i pitched my Mam the idea and she liked the thought of sitting with a tall voddy at the pool all week enjoying a book in peace as i pedalled all over the place.

The heat and extra hours of sunlight was heaven, best part is i am liking my new editing software and my pc is running like a freight train, all business, this video was basically a test run and learning process, now between all the backlog of untouched footage and the stuff i plan to shoot in the next couple of weeks i might have enough to really keep me going through the madness of next winter.

 

[GGTBod]

I just skimmed through, looks great, I'll catch up later

Cheers bopdude, take it at your leisure it will be there forever

 

[bopdude]

Cracking video mate, the colours of the water in some of those bays, outstanding. Long story short, I spent 8 weeks in a little village called Almanzora near Albox a couple of years ago, to say it was quiet would be an understatement, kids used to play in the main road, if you saw 2 cars in 5 minutes it was rush hour great hills and dried up waterways / rivers to explore, if you were that way inclined, anyway, this just bought it back ( busy as it was ) thanks for sharing

 

[Arya]

Lovely report, photos and video! Thank you for sharing!

 

[GGTBod]

Cheers bopdude and Arya, that little isolated village sounds just my cuppa tea, me and a mountain bike and i'd be intimate with every hill within a fortnight

 

[Dreadhead]

I don't envy the hours you must spend editting the footage from your trips, but it really does add depth to a report. If you had asked me about Benidorm for an adventure I would have laughed, but your video speaks volumes.

 

[GGTBod]

I've always had that thought that you can find adventure everywhere, like I am going to have a great time getting from my house to your's next week over 3 days or i could be there in 2.5hrs in a car, obviously can't live my whole life like this yet but it is nice to enjoy that mad approach when I can.

I remember about 7 years back i was working in Sunderland 17 mile from my home and unless it was snowing i cycled too and from work everyday and 99% of the people there just couldn't get it, they also couldn't understand why i was a top seller and quickly got promoted, they had sat on their asses on the way to work half asleep, i had been fed and watered up for well over 2 hrs and cycling for 90 mins through stunning countryside so when i got to work and had a shower i felt invincible, hated commuting that distance and to make it an adventure was the only way i could mentally get through it, was well worth it though as still to this day i get half price from t mobile with a lifetime staff discount

 

[Dreadhead]

I like that train of thought mate. Hmm...I guess I could cycle from my bed across the landing to my workroom every morning...

 

[GGTBod]

For that type of commute youd need a special bike possible full suspension fat bike

 

[SCOMAN]

That's a great idea, head out to the resorts in the v early or v late season and see the world beyond the pool, strip and beach. Cracking idea and looks like you enjoyed it. Was there a good deal to be had when you went? The colours in the video are great can I ask what camera you were using?

 

[GGTBod]

Thanks SCOMAN we paid 343 each all inc food/drink and transfers and insurance, we were staying in the hotel where they shot the tv show Benidorm apparently hahahahaha that might have put me off if i knew before i bought but i would have been putting myself off for nothing.

All of this video was shot on a gopro 4 session and edited with gopro studio software, i had the pro tune feature switched on after setting up the camera settings after watching 20+ videos on youtube about how to get that 'gopro look' to make your gopro footage look like the pros do, they didn't all agree exactly how to but they gave me enough insight to mess about, still need to tweak my settings for going from light to dark areas to reduce silhouetting