8th October (cloudy with rain at end of day) 61 km

The danger of stopping at a campground with the best coffee we’ve tasted since coming to Europe is that we couldn’t resist our third cup after eating our pizza.  Coffee is not known for it’s sedative qualities and this stuff was strong, as well as tasty.  So when it came time for us to leave the cosiness of the restaurant/bar, there was no way sleep was on the menu.  It didn’t help that we had to leave the bar at 8pm when it was dark and it would have taken us a couple of hours to finally drift off to sleep.

At 1am we were both wide awake again and could not get back to sleep.  Eventually at 3am I made us some jam butties and a cup of tea and we finished off the cashew nuts and finally after that we were able to get some shut-eye.  That is, until some great bird came and sat on the hedge beside us (at least that’s where he sounded like he was) and started squawking repetitively.  I was curious to see what kind of bird it was, but couldn’t be bothered getting up so Pete shone a torch in his general direction and he took off.

After breakfast we called Phil and Elizabeth who are still at Igara and they have plans to head south through Pamplona and Madrid on EuroVelo 1.  The weather looks like it might improve enough for us to take off today so we have decided to book a car for Thursday from Bilbao and make a three day journey into the mountains and over to Vigo on the west coast just above Portugal.  It’s good to have a plan – now we just have to execute it.

The campground with the cockatiel

Pete here….Left camp at 11am and headed around the bay, past another camp, also situated on a hill, where we stopped to check directions and Ju got whistled at.  The Basques are not known for their outgoing personalities so we were a little surprised to hear one whistle out, but glanced up at the balcony to see the culprit was a cockatiel.  Whistled back to him and he whistled back at us and we carried on, down, down, down to the main road, where we spied a supermarket and not knowing when we might get one again today, we stocked up. 

We passed some beautiful homes

And some "once were beautiful" homes

The first place we passed through today, Ondarroa.  Spain is such a big country, it's hard to understand why so many live in
these big apartment blocks.  Maybe they all hate gardening.

Heading out of Ondarroa

Quarrying is big round here - must say I'm pleased to see them getting rid of a few hills.

I have to say I thought the weather may have improved a little more, but at least it wasn’t raining. Made good time on the main road, which followed a river, but it was pretty busy. Did that for 22kms and actually went past a turn that we could have taken, but this road had been so good, we were loathe to leave it.  But then we got the hill.  We’d already done about a km of 7% when it upped the ante to 2km of 10% and just to top it off, at the top was a tunnel.  Every vehicle from either way sounded like a truck and any enjoyment we’d had from a faster ride, had disappeared.

At the top of that climb we found a covered bus stop on a side road and stopped for some lunch. We were both sweating profusely and very hot but soon cooled down as the temperature up here in the mountains was cool, even after the climb. Lunch was sandwiches with ham, cheese and tomato, followed by coffee and a nice tasty treat. Treat is a funny term isn’t it..? When I was a kid, my Dad would bring us home a treat every second Friday, usually a few sweets and that’s what it was… a few. Fast forward fifty five years and we’re having treats after breakfast, sometimes lunch and dinner….most days. Don’t tell our kids ssshhh.

The view from the top was lovely, but worth the climb up?

Aaah this was better.  Absolutely no traffic and slightly downhill......for now

Now we had to pick a route for the afternoon and it wasn’t going to be the main road, so off down a lovely quiet country lane we ventured. Now…main roads have a habit of keeping to the valleys and rule out as many bends as possible….whereas….country lanes, especially in the mountains….well, I’ll leave that with you. The scenery was beautiful, autumn had set in and the colours were amazing….so were some of the climbs we were doing on what could only be described now, as concrete paths.

Don't know who would live on this road in the middle of nowhere, but there were a couple of nice houses

Last hill before the big grip strength sapping downhill

Julia was still her wonderful self….”ooh Pete, aren’t the colours wonderful”

“Yes darling …wonderful”

“Ride down there and I’ll get a shot of you”

“Down here darling”?

This went on for a few kms, until even the wonderful views were taking second best to the bloody climbing we were doing. I have to say, the scenery was amazing. After one such climb, we came downhill a few kms into a valley on what could only be described as a dicey downhill ride. We were both hauling on the anchors as hard as we could to stop going down the bumpy path too fast – that’s quite a workout after 2-3 km. 

Managed to get a shot of the downhill ride where I could stop safely without fear
of my bike coming up over my head!

At the bottom, the road branched off in two directions, on the dright, a lovely valley ride on the flat, or left, straight back uphill. You’ve been reading these blogs long enough so I’m not even going to imagine that you can’t figure out which one we had to take. This delightful slog took us further up a mountain, to a bloody monastery, which was very nice, until the road disappeared and we were left pushing our bikes through a slippery, slimy mud track, sliding on the slate and bouncing on the rocks.

We were now down to single lane mud fest.

“But isn’t that tree gorgeous”

“Forget the freakin tree babe.. just watch that you don’t end up in that ditch”

The monastery

The off-road track started beautifully.

But it's made for Camino del Santiago walkers, not fully laden cycle tourers

A relief to be back on the road again - and doing a downhill we can enjoy!

They don't just live on top of each other

And so it went….until we reached the road again, a road that was quiet and with a great surface, where we made great speed and even after meeting the main road again, we continued to make progress….until…the rain which had held off all day, suddenly appeared with one and a half kms to go to the campsite…. which was up a friggin great hill, because they all are and where they charged us 21 euros to listen to some slimy Spanish git spitting every five seconds and shoved us down by the amenities, which can be good…. And bad..!

Julia showered, we ate a delicious tea and then I did the shower thing before settling in for, a hopefully, good night’s sleep.

7th October (misty, cold and raining) 0 km

After crawling into our little retreat last night, once we’d eaten and gotten everything set up, it was just a matter of lying there listening to the wind and rain lash the tent and hope that our little palace stood up to the onslaught. Julia couldn’t get comfortable during the night. When we’d gone to bed it was cold, but during the night she unzipped her side of the sleeping bag as she was too hot, I meanwhile, spent the night cuddled up or flicking giant slugs off the outside of the inner tent. The weather forecast doesn’t look good until Tuesday morning and with the terrain and lack of options for accommodation, we are stuck. Even years ago when we would cover huge mileage, cycling in the rain just to reach a destination seemed senseless, as you don’t get to see what’s on offer, only the road twenty feet in front of your handlebars, as you slog it out through the elements.

Great weather for slugs - only they seem to prefer it in our tent too.  Had to keep zipped up to stop the little
blighters from coming in all the time.  This one snuck in overnight.

This delay however, means we will be even further behind in our schedule and a train or plane trip further south seems imminent, but once again there are issues with that too. Spanish rail won’t just let you board a train with your bikes loaded, it seems that you have to box them up, that causes other problems.

Woke this morning to rain, with the wind gently blowing and fortunately, a dry inner tent. With what’s to come over the next two days, we can but hope that our Vango is a sturdy home and not the one built by the first two little pigs.

The morning drifted by very slowly. Over the following few hours we breakfasted and threw around some options for making up some ground and seeing what we’d come to see. Flix, a bus service runs on a regular basis, but after looking at that, they are always fully booked and we can’t afford to wait. A plane is another option but there is the hassle of boxing the bikes, something we only want to do at the conclusion of the tour. So, now it’s the car option. Thank goodness I got an international driver’s license in New Plymouth, just in case, at the last minute. So currently we are looking at hiring a car to make up some ground.  It’s after 11am as I write this. We are sitting in the restaurant/café, inside, as it’s bitingly cold outdoors. The sea is full of white horses, that’s if you can get a glimpse through the mist. Hard to believe the change in a day, but we did know it was coming and our plan to get here was successful, so we’re not complaining. We are however at the top of a 3km steep hill, so neither of us are in a rush to get supplies, in between squalls. 

Looking out to sea from our campground - this was one of the few occasions you could actually see the sea today!

Julia is currently researching car hire from Bilbao, which would then allow us to get close to Portugal having seen the sights, we picked from NZ.

After spending the best part of the day in the café/restaurant, drinking the best coffees we’ve had since we got to Europe and for a good portion of time charging the phone and battery charger in the toilet block, we still don’t appear to be any closer to… booking a car or booking hotels for a couple of places we want to visit. You get on these sites, fill in the info and they either won’t let you go any further, or you have to call and no one speaks English, which means the enquiry stops there.

Ate pizza, and drank beer and wine, before our third coffee of the day, then slipped out into the rain and freezing cold to our little abode, which we hope will do the business for us again tonight. The forecast gives us a possibility of moving on tomorrow, but it’s in the lap of the Gods.

6th October (sunny and mild, strong, cold wind in afternoon) 51 km

There were coming and goings in the night, but nothing that kept me up for long periods. At midnight, according to Elizabeth this morning, we had two new arrivals. A Belgian guy and his girlfriend, who we met this morning, pulled up in their car and then put up their pop up tent right behind ours. Have to say, they went about it in a very quiet and organised fashion. At 4am, a group of three guys set up down the other end of our block. What the hell are you doing setting up a tent at that time?  Even if you were going out for the night, wouldn’t you set up first?

It was past 8am when we rose, these dark mornings are terrible for making you think that you have more time than you actually do. Ju loaded the blog and I got the tent ready to dismantle. Breakfast stuff at hand, we feasted after our cuppa. The guys too were eating and we spoke of where they think they are going to head to after they see out this front that’s coming through tonight. Supposed to last for a couple of days. We really had to push on, but it was very tempting with everything available at camp, to stay with them.

Nice to catch up with Phil and Elizabeth again, but this morning it was hasta manana

Great views at the top - but what a slog to get there

Before we knew it, we were flying downa long hill, only to push our bikes up an even steeper hill.
 Pete takes  the opportunity for a breather while he pats a couple of very sturdy horses.

All set to go, we said our goodbyes to Anna and Mike, then Elizabeth and Phil and rode out of the gate. Turned a sharp right up a small lane and immediately regretted our decision to leave. Two kms later after one of the steepest climbs we’ve done in many a year, we definitely regretted it. But,…it’s onwards and most certainly ,…upwards and is likely to be so for at least a couple of weeks I  would think.  Spain, you see, is mainly made up of hills and mountains, with some coastal areas to give you a chance to cool off. Today was the first true test of these climbs. The first hour, we racked up, 6kms. Took a few photos of how high we were, but they just don’t do the climb justice.

We spy the main road in the valley by the river and hope for better riding

Our first taste of main road came when we came down a track…and that’s what it was, from the hills onto the N634. Smooth surface, not much traffic, in fact there were probably more cyclists on it than cars initially. We were just getting a drink of water, when along comes a bikepacker, an Englishman no less. He was a young guy, maybe mid twenties, from….get this Jason and Lauren….Plymouth. He was a lovely guy who offered us some Chocolat aux pain, but we declined gracefully and left him to his break as we cycled off. Cycling on this surface was great and even though we were constantly climbing, the gradient was okay.

The fishing village of Orio

Another hill climb, another spectacular view

We were working between the coast and inland riding, both hilly, when we came to Getaria. Decided a lunch break was in order and as this view over a lovely harbour and old fort also had a terrace that no one was using, we were in. Out came our sodden fly, soaked groundsheet and more than a little damp inner tent. Spread it over the terrace, hence ensuring that the tour parties didn’t get a chance to view anything from our position. An hour later, suitably full and with dry gear, we cycled off heading along the now windy coast road toward our destination for the night, of Deba and hopefully a campsite awaiting our imminent arrival.

Our lunchtime view in Getaria

There's only one way to beat helmet hair - keep your helmet on

14th century fort in Getaria

Our efforts today had been a step up from the rest of the tour so far, even the short steep climbs in the Cotswolds and Malvern Hills.

Have to comment on the amount of walkers we’ve seen today doing the Camino trail, both off the road and dangerously enough, on it. They can be solo or couples, or in groups of ten or more. I can understand the reason, but don’t get the fact that a lot of it is on these main roads, it sort of takes something away from the experience I would have thought, maybe not. In Deba, we pulled into a supermarket and whilst Julia checked directions for the camp, I went shopping. By this time it was around 4pm. The forecast for rain had stated around 6pm, but as we headed out of town to complete the supposed final 5kms to the campground, the front was coming in off the sea….and you could literally see it closing in.

Pedalling like mad along the windy coast road, Julia had mentioned that it was in fact up a hill to get to the site. Of course it is…..same as every other site.
Bit like castles really. In olden times the rulers of campgrounds used to keep the sites for selected hierarchy, they didn’t want the great unwashed dirtying their toilet blocks and singing football songs late into the night, so they built them on huge hills knowing that the higher gentry had horses and could easily get to the site. Whereas, the mob, after a few bevvies, were so pissed that they would cease to continue after the first few hundred yards uphill. Nowadays of course the gentry don’t bother with camping, they stay in places called Hotels.

Snapped a quick photo of Mutriku even though we were racing to beat the rain

We were now only a couple of kms away, staring up a friggin great hill, with the rain starting to fall. “Not now” I yelled having nearly reached our goal without getting wet. As it was we did get wet, but not soaked. Found a tent spot behind a hedge to protect us from the wind and hopefully some of the rain and whilst her ladyship showered, I blogged.

Her ladyship has now finished showering all the sweat off (and there was a lot!) and Pete’s gone to do the same.  It was so hard to leave that lovely campsite this morning – all those home comforts start to wear down your resistance and I found myself getting very homesick and not for the first time, Pete and I wondered what the hell we were doing over here. Life on the road can be very wearing for sure and after that first steep climb, I was wishing I was back lazing by the pool.  However, once we were at the top, it was such beautiful riding, high up above everyone else, with no traffic and fantastic views, it made the climb seem worthwhile.  If only we could stay up there, riding those uncrowded, well-sealed roads until the end of the day.  But we only got about 3 kms of idyllic riding before we were heading uphill again, on a road so steep we had no chance of pedalling up it and the surface had deteriorated as well.  In fact that road was so steep, I was pushing with my chest on my handlebars as well as my hands.  Then the downhill was so steep, you couldn’t enjoy whizzing down it.  In fact you had to watch carefully because the surface was so bad.  In two places they actually had a line of concrete blocks across the road – I assume to direct the water off in a heavy downpour.  So it was with relief we got off that road and onto the N634, which followed a river.

Over the last few days, we have been calculating how far we have to go with the time available and it is a huge ask – especially with the terrain we have to cover.  In a way it is good to get moving again, but it’s frustrating when you feel you’re not making much headway.  We cycled 51 km today and I wouldn’t want to do much more than that in a day with all that uphill and down dale stuff.

5th October (sunny and hot) 16 km

Elizabeth and Phil eventually got here last night close to 9pm. They had covered 60km, when it should have taken them no more than 35kms. That, unfortunately, is sometimes how it goes. Wrong turns, no signage, bad signage, steep long winding hills, there is always the possibility of something going wrong. They were very pleased to have arrived and after the tent was erected and their bellies full, the world was a nicer place. Julia and I slipped away to enjoy a drink with Anna and Mike in their van, we were there until after 11pm, when Julia’s eyes gave up the ghost.

Woke to our tent absolutely dripping with water. No…it hadn’t been raining. It wouldn’t have been as wet if it had. This place is surrounded by trees which makes for a lovely view while you’re relaxing by the pool, but seems to trap a lot of moisture in the air.  Breakfasted with the guys and then it was washing time. All hung and swinging cleanly from our line, the washing that is, it was time for a swim in the fabulous pool. It’s so nice just to enjoy relaxing in this way with the sun warming our bodies. At least we’re able to cool off when we get too warm, that won’t be the case once we’re back on the bikes.

Stayed poolside until 1.30pm when we rode into San Sebastian for a bit more of a look, a swim and to do some shopping. Temperature today was 27degrees and the beaches were busy. Eventually found our way to the far beach and rather than sit and sunbathe, which we’d done by the pool, this time it was a dip in the cooler water of the Atlantic, before changing (behind some bushes as they were charging 1.10 euros for using the changing rooms!! ), shopping and cycling back to camp. 

Cool rocks

Pete inspects the latest rattle - with the cobbles, it's not surprising

Ice cream break

Successfully changed and time for a swim

Beautiful clear water - still pretty cool though, about 15-16C we reckon

Upon reaching our abode we noticed car loads of young men turning up. Uh Oh….it’s the weekend, of course. Then a van load of females turned up….that’s right….it’s party time. More on that story later no doubt.

Julia set about doing the wages, and figuring out how many more kms we have to do…..and it’s a lot.  Thinking we may have to catch a flight from Lisbon to Barcelona or alter our course.  Still haven’t decided but we’ll see which direction we head tomorrow. We chilled in the common room and enjoyed a drink before dinner, discussing our options.

Phil and Elizabeth are going to stay here until Monday as there is a front coming through. Yet another reason to be indecisive. There’s not much worse than having to cycle all day in the pouring rain and then put up, what is probably an already soaking wet tent, from that morning. Only problem for us is that time factor now and the distance we have to cover. Of course, that can all be altered in a second if we want it to. We can be sitting on a golden beach, in sunny weather in Portugal if we really want to be, it just means using another form of transport. We’d decided before we left NZ, that on this trip, we would be catching the train on occasion, it may just be, that it happens a little more often.

All ate dinner together, although spread out over two tables and discussed different options for both couples, without ever deciding on any one thing. Because of this front, Ju and I may look at a warm showers stay (same as couch surfing for cyclists) it all depends on who is in that particular area. I’d already locked the bikes up in one of the sheds that they have here, even thought of sleeping in there, as our tent is already soaked from condensation and it’s only 10.22pm. Time for bed.

4th October (sunny and mild) 16 km

Had the best sleep that I’ve had in the tent since we got it. Thought we might have an issue last night as parked ten feet from us is some kind of power plant which makes a hum every once in a while, but the level of noise, and it was minimal, didn’t affect my kip. Also, I’ve taken to doing what Julia does and pulling the inner liner up and over my head, with just my face or even mouth showing and that helps keep your top part warm.

The tent pitching skills of the couple who showed up late last night were on show this morning, with their tent in disarray. It’s amazing how adept you get at the skills required to live at a comfortable level whilst on the road, but for long haul trips such as ours, you need to be. 

The morning dawned cloudy. That overcast wake up that has accompanied us the whole time we’ve been in England and Europe. Fortunately, the temperature is supposed to reach a sunny, warm twenty four degrees today.

Seeing as we knew we would be in camp today, laundry was top of the bill after our cuppa and breakfast. If you can keep on top of the washing daily, it makes life a whole lot easier. Instead of hunting around for the last pair of socks or knickers, you always have something at hand. Even something as simple as a washboard on the laundry tubs makes a difference in getting them clean. Having strung a line, we now had a coffee arrangement with Anna and Mike. It was 10.15am. Spent an hour and a half chatting to them about everything under the sun in the confines of their van and it was a pleasant and relaxing break.

Mike and Anne - a very hospitable Dutch couple we met at camp

We wanted to make use of the fantastic 25 metre pool that they have available, so it was changed, soak up the sun and in. Very nice to feel like you don’t have to rush to get somewhere. Elizabeth and Phil were still making their way into San Sebastian, so we thought we would ride in to meet them and guide them to the camp. Bought a nice lunch in the old town and enjoyed it sitting on the front overlooking the bay. Julia had been excited about hiring some gear for a body board session, however aside from a cool breeze there was also a lack of swell.

By now it was 3.30pm and no sign of the guys. Gave them a call to hear a very frantic Elizabeth, who told us that they were still trying to get out of Irun, which is where we had such an issue. She must have been very nervous about going anywhere near those roads and it was only that Ju and I have done it many times before, that we even attempted it.

We filled in our afternoon by riding around getting shots and going to the supermarket to stock up. By 6pm we still hadn’t heard anything but on the third call, Elizabeth answered and told us they were in San Sebastian, but not sure where. We had already got to the far end of the city and had to get back to camp as we had washing on the line and the sun fading fast. (You can imagine the panic Pete was in at that predicament!)

Gave them directions to the camp. As I write this it’s 7.50pm and no sign. I hope they get here soon as it’s going dark quickly. Nothing worse than trying to get to a campsite that you can’t find, with a rapidly fading light. Enjoyed a lasagne for dinner, specially cooked and packaged by Julia. She even wrote the heating instructions on the side in Spanish. Yes …She’s that good folks..! 

Just heard from the guys, they have almost made it, but it’s now 8.30pm and pitch black and freezing cold. They will be glad of their beds tonight. Anna has just come across to invite Julia and I for a farewell drink with them in their van. We’ll get the guys settled then, maybe pop over. They are lovely people, both very personable.