9 April Lastur to Erletxe: Push, push, push

April 9, 2023

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/ZNJVfuLxRyb

As I was leaving my hostel this morning I realised that the courtyard formed by the hostel, the Taberna and the two fences is a bull ring. The ground is soft sand, there are some "stables" and there are refuges for people to hide behind. The walls have bull heads carved into them! I wonder when it was last used. I understand that bullfighting in the north east of Spain has been banned.

This morning's ride started hard with me straight into a long but pretty climb to get out of the hidden valley. It went on for a bit and then opened up to some spectacular views. There was some downhill then a small climb and then the most horrendous of descents. Very steep, not great road surface and constant twists and turns. My hands were cramping at the bottom and I'm sure the discs on my brakes would have been very hot. I didn't want to stop to try to capture this as I was worried about getting back on the bike again.

At the bottom of the hill I discovered a pretty town with quite a few apartment blocks. Now I was in the middle of nowhere, so what do people do for a living. It's surrounded by steep hills so agriculture would be limited. I passed a large quarry but that wouldn't simply that many and I don't think it was that touristy. The twin was Zestoa. More research needed I think.

Soon after Zestoa I started to climb out of the valley floor. The bottom bit was ok but then it turned to a nightmare. I ended up pushing the bike for several kilometres as it was too steep to cycle. The surface was a mix of ok and rough but nothing loose. It was so steep for much of the push I was struggling. The routing software I am using has two options I can use. Cycle Touring which can route me on forestry tracks which I don't want or Road Cycling which, in theory, should route me on roads with a decent surface and are not so steep to make cycling impossible. I began to think that I needed to change my strategy when route planning. This was further reinforced today when I got to the top of this horror climb to join a new road which looks like it came from the same direction as my starting point. Later in the day I missed a turn but didn't notice for several kilometres and when I did notice it wasn't worth turning back. I checked on my phone and was able to rejoin the route on the way into San Sebastian. Looking at the planned profile and the actual profile I missed out another large lump. The downside is that the road I took was probably busier and maybe had fewer views. I'll look more closely at routes with big lumps!!

Before I got to San Sebastian I passed another small town and decided that the elevensies I had on the horro hill was not lunch and that I needed further sustanance. Initially I found a smart looking ice cream shop but I was looking for something more substantial. Eventually I arrived at the Atlantic and found a restaurant to serve me some calamari (and fries which were not needed).

The next few miles were largely uneventful other than missing a turn and avoiding a large lump. Back on the route I headed into San Sebastian which is also on the coast. The outer areas look really nice, modern and very clean. Lots of apartment blocks and business parks. The inner city is a bit older and the sea front stunning with a double bay split by a rocky outcrop. Lots of cycle paths and foot paths. The bay is filled with a huge beach which today was very busy. I followed the route to the end of the bay where I found the ice cream shop I was seeking.

Today was blackberry sorbet on top of vanilla ice cream. I took my time before jumping back on the bike and headed out of San Sebastian toward my hostel. Nothing to note on that last bit of the ride other than all the supermarkets were closed for Easter Sunday meaning dinner was to be pasta and pesto.

This hostel is very quiet and I may have an 8 bed room to myself. This I great because I can spread my stuff out and get my towel and yesterday's washing completely dry.

I am sorry the photos are in reverse order and not within the text but I am knackered and need my bed.