Bilbao to Santona

July 11, 2019

It’s amazing what a rest day can do.

It’s amazing what a rest day and a good night’s sleep can do. Our two night stay in Bilbao did the trick. We really did need a full day just to get some things done. My wheel is true. Our clothes smell clean instead of just smelling. The only problem with clean clothes, is that they are harder to pack. The clean fluff factor or the CFF (Yes. It’s a scientific term) makes clothes expand. Above all else our spirits have been uplifted. The weather has improved and we’re rested and ready to go.

A rolling day of climbing and descending headlands.

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We left Bilbao around 8am and headed northwest along a wonderful bike path towards the coast.

For now, all I have time for are to out a few captions on some photos. Time to eat. Stay tuned for and update of the day.

Okay. Back to today. To be honest, It was nice to wake up in a hotel and not have to rear down camp. We just packed our clean clothes and were off under clear blue skies and cool temperatures.

Before leaving Bilbao we needed to get money out. This turned out to be more of a problem than we expected. We tried several ATMs with little success and were beginning to think we had somehow been locked out of our own accounts. Finally, we were able to withdraw money and we were off.

We stopped here in small La Arena for a coffee break. The cycle path out of Bilbao took us almost 30kms straight here. A nice way to start the day.

The bike path along Bilbao’s estuary to the mouth where it meets the Bay of Biscay was a perfect start to the day.

Looking back east towards the headlands and Inlet into Bilbao.

We lucked out and found his part of the Camino de Santiago roughly paved, but hugging the cliffs above the ocean.

I left these guys in the dust. They weren’t moving.

We are mostly riding along the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrim walking route that ends in Santiago de Compostela. We heard many encouraging ‘Buen Caminos “ from passerbys and we, ourselves passed many walkers in the pilgrimage with their trade mark shell hanging from their backpacks.

Descending into Mono. Such incredible beaches along route today.

Sue tried to climb up a stone wall to reach the oranges on this orange tree. Just out of reach.

Castro-Urdiales. Now this was one picturesque town.

Castro-Urdiales. Swimming off the boardwalk.

Palm trees on the pier. Castro-Urdiales.

Not a bad spot for a break. Castro-Urdiales.

Looking towards Iglesia Santa Maria. Castro-Urdiales.

Looking down into the grotto from Iglesia Santa Maria. Look at the colour of that water.

A look back toward Castro-Urdiales from the Iglesia.

As we were leaving town, this lovely grotto appeared. It appears to be totally separate from the ocean and is strangely located inland a bit.

Descending into the long crescent beach area of Laredo.

We discovered that there is a small ferry that takes people across the inlet to Santona. This ferry saved us about 12kms of riding around the inlet. We had to strip the bags off of our bikes. This is a beach landing and a rickety ramp is ejected onto the beach. Get on quick.

Here it comes. We weren’t sure they would take our bikes.

Today's ride: 78 km (48 miles)
Total: 452 km (281 miles)

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Deirdre O'HaraI'm so proud of you both! Enjoy, be safe.💕
PS. I can help you proofread all your mistakes. 😋😁❤
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5 years ago

Patrick O'HaraTo Deirdre O'HaraHa ha. I know there are many grammar and spelling errors. One of the consequences of riding all day and trying to keep a journal.
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5 years ago