Santander to Medoc
I suffer badly from seasickness and couldn't face the thought of the extra night on board the Bilbao ferry so I chose to start from Santander rather than take the shorter route from Bilbao. As it turned out the Bay of Biscay was like a millpond and it was a very pleasant crossing. However a shock awaited in Santander – the cheap hotel we had booked online (Hostal Cabo Mayor) refused to take my bike. Initially he told Dennis that it wouldn't be possible to get it into the hotel which was situated on the third floor so I carried it up 3 flights of stairs to prove him wrong, hoping my feminine charms would work on him. No chance! He wouldn't allow it in the rooms or corridors, I should leave it in the rack in the bus station where it would be perfectly safe! Needless to say we left and found another hotel close by where they were happy for my pride and joy to live in a storeroom. Unfortunately as we had booked the first room we were still charged for it. Not the best start but I was determined not to let it spoil the excitement of the trip.
After much deliberation we had decided to take the mountainous route inland rather than follow the coast. I can see the sea at home but mountains are in short supply! We had no detailed plans but rather tended to work the route out from day to day. Apart from one horrendous roundabout, leaving Santander wasn't too bad and it wasn't long before the traffic quietened down. At Valdecilla we turned off onto a superb road that climbed up to 674m at Puerto de Alisas. It was a bit misty but this only added to the excitement as cow bells clunked in the distance. The road was a long succession of beautifully graded hairpins which I could ride comfortably on 36/26 leaving my granny ring spare for another day. The limestone scenery reminded me of the Yorkshire Dales – on steroids!
Shortly before the top of the pass we came upon an intriguing sign.
I was intrigued as to what this could be. It turned out to be a large sculpture but unfortunately it had been badly defaced.
I couldn't imagine such a thing at the top of a British mountain road! The scenery was glorious but I found the descent rather scary. I prefer cycling uphill to coming down!
The only problem with all this beautiful scenery was that there was no where to stay and nowhere flat to put a tent so we were relieved to find a hotel in Ramales de la Victoria where we were made very welcome. The next day's route took us through more misty mountains but we had then to head for the coast trying to avoid Bilbao as much as possible. It was Saturday and Spanish cyclists were out in force. Car drivers treated cyclists with great respect, waiting patiently behind large groups until it was safe to pass. If we ride 2 abreast on a club run we are soon tooted at but Spanish drivers seemed quite happy with it. Are Spanish drivers respectful of cyclists because they have produced so many great champions or have they produced so many champions because they are treated with such respect?
It was another beautiful ride through the mountains. We were aiming for the transporter bridge at Portugalete but the closer we got the more horrendous the roads became. Head down, pedal fast and try not to end up in the wrong lane. We made it in one piece to the welcome sight of the world's oldest transporter bridge, built in 1893. (I thought the only one was in Middlesbrough as seen on 'Auf Wiedersehn Pet'!)
I couldn't manage to get a good photo of the bridge – this one's from Wikipedia.
I thought once we crossed the bridge it would be a simple matter of following the coast to the campsite at Sopelana. How wrong can you be? We spent hours going round in circles through housing estates that went nowhere. I was beginning to wish I too had a Garmin Edge – and knew how to work it! Still we got there in the end.
I had thought there were a lot of cyclists out on Saturday but on Sunday they were out in hundreds if not thousands as there was a memorial ride taking place in the area. It rained on and off most of the day as more mountain roads took us via Mungia and Guernika to Elgiobar. Again this was the only hotel we saw all day. A fiesta was in full swing and in the evening we listened to an accordion band playing in the square.
I'd really enjoyed the hills but we had now had 3 long days so we decided to have an easy day. Tolosa was only 25 miles away so we expected to be there by lunch time. Leaving Elgiobar we were immediately into a steep climb. This one soon called for bottom gear and unfortunately soon joined a busy road which only got busier as we neared Azpeitia where we were forced to ask for directions. Our Spanish is almost non existent but the look on the man's face and the way he said 'Tolosa, a bicicleta?!' needed no translation! We couldn't follow his directions so asked again. This time the guy seemed to be asking where we were ultimately heading for as wherever it was he wouldn't go via Tolosa! A third request to a woman produced directions that we could understand but the way she patted my arm and wished us good luck seemed very ominous! I was beginning to have doubts about my easy day – it was nearly lunch time already!
My doubts were well founded. This was a bottom gear plod that seemed to go on forever. It was hot too and I soon had my small travel towel in my handlebar bag so I could stop to wipe the sweat from my face every few minutes. It was at this point I decided that we wouldn't head into the Pyrenees after all! I'll go there one day but probably not on a camping tour! The top was eventually reached but again I couldn't enjoy the tight hairpin descent. My average speed for the day was a mere 7.7mph! So much for my easy day!
The next day's cycling to Elizondo was glorious. We descended gradually on beautiful sweeping bends with a lovely smooth road surface and hardly any traffic – cycling heaven. In fact I was so busy enjoying it that I didn't stop to take any photos which seems rather a shame! France was now in sight. There was just one last pass on a rainy, misty morning before we dropped down into France.
The sun was shining in France and although the scenery was still very similar the contrast with Spain was immediate. Hotels, restaurants and campsites were everywhere – they had been very scarce in Spain. We headed for the French coast trying to avoid Biarritz and Bayonne. We were now out of the mountains and camped at a lovely little place called Urt alongside the Adour river.
It was a lovely tranquil campsite and made for very pleasant cycling along the river in the morning.
I had really enjoyed the mountains in Spain but this flat French cycling made a welcome change. Not only were the roads quiet but there were also excellent cycle paths all through the huge forested area on the Atlantic coast.
It seems strange that it should be these flat easy roads that proved our undoing!
A link to your undoing »
I hate getting lost. I lose my temper very quickly when it happens. The countryside you cycled through looks lovely though. Forward planning isn't everyone's idea of a cycle touring adventure, especially with a detailed route plan, but after our recent Denmark tour I will never cycle any distance on a road I don't know without a GPS. Mine is a Garmin eTrex Legend HCx. They're not too expensive and have the best battery life of any I know of. They are pretty simple to operate once you've cycled a few test runs and not forgotten everything.
As well as reducing the chances of getting lost, a GPS allows you to record the trip, which you can then upload to an online mapping website for sharing or posterity. I should add that Sandra doesn't care much for this. She likes paper maps and a bit of uncertainty, and the contact with people when asking for directions (in fact she doesn't even bother reading my tour writeups or look at the photos, but she insists on deciding where we go, which is fine with me as long as we don't lose the way).
That's a nice touring bike you have, and smart with the blue panniers. I'd probably have one like that if I ever had to replace my Ridgeback.
June 25th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
You should've ask the chap in the hotel for the libro de reclamaciones (the complaints book). Apparently they must produce it and it is inspected by the Guaria Civil. Usually this has the desired effect!! Nothing ever gets written in it.
June 25th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
Fab trip Hilary, that was some climb! My highest climb so far I believe is about 400m this one would of been a monster...
Im afraid I like GPS as well, and when I get lost (Im usually alone, as I cycle on trips these days by my self), I don't get angry, just rather scared and then into mini panics, so a GPS with paper maps for back up incase anything fails me. I am not very good at reading maps though. I need my glasses, somehow I manage by following a red dot by my SatMap and so far it generally gets me there. Still not 100% a fan of the Garmin Edge....
Bit worrying about the 'not in here' bit with your bike..... I must admit, when I book I enquire firstly if there is a secure place under cover for my bicycle. Its amazing how often folk don't think its really necessary to secure your bike. I have had this experience once when cycling the Lancashire Way and the bikes although locked together, were outside.
Beautiful photographs of your trip.
Mary
June 26th, 2010 at 9:28 pm
Wish I'd known about that complaints book! I had thought of mentioning the bike when I booked but my Spanish wasn't up to it. The phrase book didn't include useful things like 'Do you have a secure place for my beloved bike?'
Dennis sees getting lost as part of the fun. I hate it. Once lost I become completely disorientated and panic stricken. I might ask Santa about one of those Garmins......
June 27th, 2010 at 5:29 pm
I'm cycling from Biarritz to Santander in a couple of weeks but am stumped for decent routes.
Given you must have cycled a fair portion of this route, could you recommend anything to go for/avoid?
btw, we have four and half days to cycle the route
September 2nd, 2010 at 11:33 am
We took an inland route crossing the French border south of Espelette. From there working backwards we took the N121B thro Elizondo, NA1210, NA170 to Leitza, GI2130 to Tolosa, GI2634 Azpeitia, Elgoibar, Etxebarria, Muntibar, Guernika, Mungia, Sopelana. All this was superb scenery and excellent cycling tho very hilly. It may be possible to avoid Bilbao but most roads seem to run North/south rather than east/west. We crossed the transporter bridge at Portulagete then it is fairly busy to San Juan de Muskiz. North to Sopuerta, B1 3614 then B1 630 west to Ramales de la Victoria. Again lovely but hilly. CA261 Arredondo, Valdecilla. There is a ferry that runs from Pedrena that is probably the easiest way into Santander but it wouldn't take mopeds so we didn't use it. Santander traffic mostly not too bad for large city. From Espelette to Santander is c 260 miles. Enjoy your trip!
September 2nd, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Hi Hilary
I was fascinated to read about your mountaineering exploits en route from Santander to France – and even more fascinated why the "flat easy roads" proved your undoing!
I would be very grateful for your advice as I'm planning to cycle the route in reverse as part of a planned 'Roscoff – Biarritz – Santander' charity ride in June. I'm fairly happy about the French part of the ride as I've done it before (although quite a long time ago).
I'm planning to do the nearly 700 miles in 7 days with the final 2 legs from Hendaye to Bilbao and Bilbao to Santander. I'm not aiming for any 'King of the Mountains' status just the easiest (i.e. flattest!) way to get there. If you can pass on any words of wisdom about the best route to take, or anywhere I could find some useful information, I would appreciate it greatly.
Happy cycling
Best wishes
Alan
January 9th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Hi Alan
I'm afraid I can't really help you as the only route I know is the one I described and it is far from flat! You could try asking for advice on the CTC forum, there is usually someone there who knows the area or who has done the trip previously.
Our undoing on the flat roads can be found here http://cycleseven.org/cycle-touring-with-a-non-cyclist-part-2
January 9th, 2012 at 6:16 pm
Hi Hilary, could I ask a quick question. A group of us are thinking of doing Bilbao to Biarritz in the summer. The group ranges from age 10 to 50 ish. We would prefer to go on the coastal route, when you compared the two routes, do you think this is would be flatter and more appropriate for the ages concerned. (A couple of days at the beach at the end of the cycle ride, seems a good carrot to tempt the kids with).
We have done two or three long distance rides in the UK, including the coast 2 coast, but we are now looking for more of an adventrure. Have you completed any other routes that you would consider suitable.
Many thanks, Diane.
January 21st, 2012 at 10:37 am
Hi Diane
Obviously the only route I'm familiar with is the one I did myself. I think someone advised me that there was very little accommodation along the coastal route and the roads are busier. I think they are also quite hilly but I don't know for sure.
Biarritz to St Malo is pretty flat and has a lot of cycle paths that would be ideal for ten year olds. France is more suited to leisurely cycling than Spain as it is less hilly and has far more campsites and cheaper hotels.
January 21st, 2012 at 3:08 pm