We walked down to the marina area in Lekeitio for some breakfast pintxos and our coffee this morning. The bar was lively and a great place to start the day. We were not in a hurry today as our distance and elevation to Zumaia was a lot less than yesterday`s ride. The weather was mixed conditions but the forecast was to stay dry. We have been so lucky with the weather, mid October and such warm conditions. It will be hard to leave!
Our bikes were loaded and we were moving up a slight hill on our way out of town by 11 o`clock. The views of the small town and the beaches were amazing - only to be matched by what was likely the best 10kms of riding on this tour! We hugged the coast on a serpentine road with almost no vehicle traffic, I think the count was four cars total! Scott crossed back and forth across the lanes getting pictures. It was a perfect road to ride.
A morning shot off a bonus second balcony that I did not even know was there until I pulled back a curtain. I should look around the room more carefully!
Breakfast bar. Lively and fun. A young man taught me how to order a double espresso. It was very good but I doubt that I could say it in spanish again.
We reached the end of our quiet coastal road at Ondarroa and joined a highway to Deba. Getting close to Deba there was a nice pedestrian / cycle path that followed along the coast. In Deba we stopped for lunch and looked at our route options going forward. One - was the highway and Two - was a shorter route behind the town. The short road behind the town of Deba would meet up with the highway and we chose the IMPOSSIBLY STEEP route out the back of Deba. In retrospect, I am not sure that this was the right choice as we pushed our bikes up the almost the entire 200+ metre elevation gain. Check out the ride with GPS Map. That hill is almost straight up. In just over a kilometre we gained almost 200 metres vertical! The math says 20% grade and it was.
At the highway we found a wide shoulder and a smooth ride the rest of the way to Zumaia. We really enjoyed this downhill and the road was not at all busy.
After 10km you reach Ondarroa which is much more industrial than you would expect. Ondarroa is located on the estuary of the river Artibai. It is an interesting town as the river meanders behind the town and provides a completely different look from the other side.
Reaching our destination of Zumaia today, we were a bit confused as to where our hotel was located. We stopped for a beer to get our bearings and then proceeded up a well designed pedestrian path toward our hotel. It soon became very obvious why we choose this hotel and location. I will let the pictures tell the story.
False end. Unbelievably, we did not know what was just around the corner!
Instagram moment at Itzurun Beach, Zumaia. But more importantly for our geological friends and family, ¨it is situated among the longest set of continuous rock strata in the world. These formations are termed flysch and they date from the mid-cretaceous period to the present, a time period of over 100 million years¨.
Scott FenwickTo Patrick O'HaraPatrick, it may not be warm like the Mediterranean but not nearly as cold as the west coast Pacific. Really, you could easily stay in the water as long as you would like. It was truly very nice swimming. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Anne MathersThis brings back memories of a fantastic tour through the Pyrenees and Basque country in 2018. We rode the reverse of this from Getaria to Lekeitio. You might want to have a stop at the Ballenciaga museum in Getaria. It’s world-class. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Scott FenwickHi Kelly,
It was the Hotel & Talasoterapia Zelai
It is a bit of a small town with a great beach. Not really a touristy place. If you are in Zumaia I am not sure that there would be a better place to stay. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
Scott FenwickTo Anne MathersThanks Anne, we would have never guessed. You just can never do enough research! Sorry that we missed it. Another place for the next time around. Reply to this comment 1 year ago
