To San Sebastian

October 9, 2023

Our ride today started on the quickest, if not the most scenic way out of Ciboure, through Urrugne. I was probably avoiding some unpaved parts when I planned it. Looking back at the map now, the coast route through Hendaye was probably nicer, judging from the darker red lines on the RidewithGPS heat maps. I'll call it a learning experience. We did find a few quiet side roads for respite from the cars here and there.

Drivers did give us room around this sliver of a shoulder.

We did have a fair amount of separated bike lanes.

A nice smooth downhill with no road space competition. Whee!

At the Bidasoa River we crossed into Irun, Spain and enjoyed the riverside bike path. Au revoir, belle France!

There are some nice tunnels on the path near the river in Irun.

The path got more complicated from there, jumping from one side of the road to another for most of the rest of the day. Around mile 12 we came to a road with so much traffic it was uncrossable. We turned this way and that looking for a way through until a driver pointed to the left and told us to look for the bike path. We found one, off the route but going in the right general direction.

The route showed we were supposed to be on the white path between two yellow lanes on the left. How to get there safely was a mystery.

From there we muddled through on the shoulder of the G1-636, a busy truck route, until escaping the highway to start the climb of the day.

We pushed the bikes most of the way up this one, with three dogs barking their heads off, fortunately from behind a fence. At least the shade is nice.

Almost halfway up, a look behind to appreciate the progress.

In Errenteria the first cafe stop was very busy with construction workers and an indecipherable menu. I miss France already. Craving something recognizable we mapped a highly rated place for pizza that turned out to be an APM. No sale. From there we took no pictures for the last five miles through a busy industrial area.

Automated pizza machine. I couldn't sell my co-pilot on this one. Energy bars it is. We'll get a proper meal in San Sebastian.

At last! Arrival in San Sebastian on the Santa Katalina bridge over the Urumea river.

Our room is small but well-located near La Concha beach and there are lots of shops and restaurants nearby. We sampled some pintxos, Euskaran for tapas at a bar nearby and picked up some groceries for breakfast. Then we walked by the lovely beach into Old Town for dinner.

We have a lot to learn about eating in Spain. Barry sent his steak back to the kitchen three times to get it cooked well done, gettng it right after asking for it to be cooked "bien hecho."

So, not our favorite day of the trip but we're glad to have a day off to explore San Sebastian. Tomorrow will certainly be a better day.

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Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 308 miles (496 km)

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