Today,
our route will take us via Shobak Castle, one of the great chain of Crusader
fortresses, which stretches across Jordan and was built in the year 1115.
Beyond the castle, an initial steep climb through small villages leads us to
Hisheh and magnificent views down to the natural white rock domes of Beida. We
descend to Beida and stop to explore the site of Little Petra before we continue
to Wadi Musa (1150m) the 'Valley of Moses’ which is the little town that acts
as a gateway to the 'rose-red city' of Petra. Here, we check in at a
comfortable hotel for a 2-night stay. Ride Distance: 79 km (49 miles) with 1150
metres of ascent and 1650 metres of descent.- KE Adventure Trip Notes
We
cycled to Shobak Castle which we entered by climbing down a shaft and then
scrambling up a pitch black tunnel. Luckily there were a couple of riders with
head lamps and I had Ken behind me to give a gentle push and catch me if I
slipped. It was not a pleasant experience for me and left me huffing and
puffing for some time.
Once
we emerged into the sunlight, we wandered around and took in the views. I was
too traumatised to resume cycling (apart from the fact it was uphill again) and
took a nap in the bus.
I
cycled the downhill after lunch into Little Petra which was quite interesting
and kept cycling afterwards for a few kms before calling it a day with 36km on the clock and busing into
Edom Hotel Petra which will be home for two nights The Poms headed out for a
Turkish steam bath and massage, which they well deserved, and I updated the
blog before regrouping for an average buffet dinner at the hotel.
*Photos courtesy of Andrew Douglas.
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