Month: June 2014

21.06.14 Saturday Castro-Urdiales to Laredo.
The pool was great. The temperature dropped at 2000 when the thunderstorm started, very welcome rain even by us. It had another half hour at 2am and then the occluded front that had been sitting along the north spain coast drifted off.
Today started cool but very humid with cloud and low mist, and took till ten to start to warm up. By 3pm we are on a full campsite in Laredo hopefully it will quiet dlown tonight but it is Saturday.
We got given a bottle of wine by the campsite.. ? Why? But will help sleep.
More Griphon vultures today spiralling up from the limestone mountains above us. At one point we follow the yellow arrows to a place near Liendo where a sizeable stream disappears below ground, it may well emerge again under the sea.
Tomorrow a ride on another little ferry to cut off 15km.
A good day if mostly on tarmac 26.5km less than 900m up a down. Some impressive bits of limestone

How about a plate of calluses?!

Spotted on a menu in Bilbao, opinions differ as to whether the correct translation is any more appetizing (tripe).

20.06.14 Friday. Portugalete to Castro Urdiales.
After the pleasant day yesterday today promises to be hot and of uncertain length. The only blessing is it appears fairly flat. Oh Yeah do I hear! We scoot out of Portugalete on a well defined and marked foot and cycle path that turns into a huge foot and cycle bridge over the extensive motorway interchange just outside. This then becomes a well used and level way on the old coastal railway track. Full marks to the designer for that bridge linking town to walking route. Sometimes planners get it right.
We trot along happily to the beach at La Arena where there is a campsite but we are not stopping. Just as well it is defunct. After a footbridge over a small river in which the tide is rapidly coming in, we climb up about 50 m to the remains of a railway that served the mine workings now mostly defunct along the coast. This is now a useful cliff top walk way and we meet a group of school children walking along it and wonder how much paperwork was needed by their teacher beforehand. Such a trip would prove virtually impossible in the UK now.
We can see Castro-Urdiales around the coast and the motorway that snakes around the bay takes a leap over the valley in which nestles the little village of Onton, Ray expects some Onton cordial but no natives are visible as it approaches siesta time. We descend it is only about 80 m back up to regain the cliff road or an alternate 10km around in the hills away from the coast. No choice. The sun is out and the ascent steep up the old main road. Tim calls it a 10 second hill (sweat is dripping from his nose faster than a drop every 10 seconds. We get there and start to descend the hairpin bends on the other side. Is it a mirage? Is it closed? There appears to be a bar on the cliff top just below us. There are cars parked…. Tony is waving it is OPEN. Two beers and some food later we feel human again and meet with equanimity the none existence of the first camp site, it had morphed into multiple blocks of holiday flats. The situation almost on the beach too good for someone to resist. We find the tourst office, shut for siesta, and carry on past the Templar castle the statues of two nude boys diving off rocks in a land locked but tidal cove and up the hill in the midday sun again, to the second campsite……
… Glory be it exists, it is open , it has a swimming pool. Nirvana has been reached.
28km an undetermined amount of up and down not exceeding 1000m but probably much less.

19.06.14 Thursday Bilbao to Portugalete.

We have a few good tapas in a bar just down the street from Pension Mardones where we found rooms for the night. The centre of Bilbao was quiet and when we got up early to walk down the estuary we found three police cars close to the open cafe at 0700. Presumably getting breakfast too. A less than average day is planned down to the final port at the end of the river where there is a transporter bridge! Still in use.
Today bars are like buses you wait for one and three come along, coffe a second breakfast for some and beer are all easily available and we soon pass the Guggenheim and its flower dog. Moving on down river there are multiple bridges over bits of river, there is a lot of new development in the town – Ray who stayed in the old quarter 20 years ago is amazed at the change and development. There is little if any partial building that has stalled as we have seen in other areas two years ago. About 11:30 we get to Portugalete the bridge is visible from some way off and below the main church of the town (dedicated we are pleased to see to St Roque) we find the tourist office who stop us from going further by finding us a good little pension and giving us a map of the highlights of the town.
Settled there with washing handed over to the elderly lady running the place we go for lunch. Ray and Tim bravely try pigs trotters which were very good and Betsy eats fish in record time without bone problems. On the ever present television the coronation of Felipe today is continuously covered, studiously ignored by the whole Basque population eating lunch with us.
Fed we go to cross on the transporter bridge and find that for 7 euros each we can go to the top suspension of this the first bridge of its kind opened in 1893. And get a free ride back! This is too good to miss and gives great views up and down stream. A week after its openning the Infanta (crown princess) visited and crossed over seven times. Obviously she was as impressed as we are even though the stationary steam engine has now been replaced by state of the art electronically controlled electric motors. Transporter bridges were a late 19th C solution to a problem (tall ships and bridges) that rapidly ceased to exist with improved road transport and there are only two still functioning in the UK one in Warrington and one in Newport. A great triumph by Alberto de Palacio and the design calculations checked by Gustav Eiffel the greatest bridge and structural engineer of his day.
We then go back up the street escalators ( it is 28 degC ) to our pension. Alas they are the wrong set of escalators! Eventually Ray who has the map with the rooms marked on it gets us back home for a well earned rest. A grand day out and totally different to our charging across the hills and dales of the Basque country.
An easy 17km and little up snd dow eccept on escalators

18.06.14 Wednesda Guernika to Bilbao.
On the way back from seeing Guenika we stop at the Bar Norte just down the street from the hostel. There is nothing naughty about this bar but we each manage a huge salad and then to bed. We are out at first light and go out of town but very soon head upwards and not for the last time today. The views over the hills are good with snatches of sunlight illuminating fields and mist in the valleys. A lot of up and down later we get a coffee in a little bar in a small village just opening at 1045 to catch the first pilgrims from Guernica. There is an unusual cross in the village, having crucified Christ on one side and Mary with baby on the other.
We press on and get to our main destination by 1215, an excellent lunch and we agree to press on. The next day would be a long 30km through Bilbao, we have all been to the Guggenhiem gallery and do not need a repeat so a day with a shorter slog through a city would be great.
The snag is another significant hill but there is not much to do in Aretxalde or Artega the two small towns on this side of the ridge separating us from Bibao. There is no alternative a slog up the hill in the afternoon sun must be good for our souls if not our bodies. We arrive on Mont Avril hot and sweaty and surge down hill into Bilbao. The alburgue we know is halfway up the other bank of the Nervion Abaia ( this seems to be the name of the river), so we look for a pension and eventally find one though Betsy and the owner had mutual difficulty in understanding each other.
Mich relief after 33.5km and 1200m ascent and descent

Guernica supplemental.
We have just done Guernica. Though a day here could easily be used. The Picasso copy of his famous painting is so so. I was more impressed by one of the pre drawings in the Walsall Garman Ryan collection. Must go to Madrid. The Basque Palient buildings are very impressive and the history of the Oak Tree and the first bombing of civilians the even more so. The stainef glass roof in the paliment buildings is mavellous.
Tomorrow we go to the edge of Bilbao, possibly a less salubrious part of the Basque territories. Three days after that we leave Navarre and the Basques to continue westwards.

17.06.14 Tuesday. Markina Xenein to Guernika.
Up and out of the little donativo alburgue by 0645. We soon head uphill and then some more and down and up again all in similar forest and field to yesterday. This continues without coffee through the village of Bolibar from whence came the progenitors of Simon Bolivar in the 16th century (there is a bust in the village). And on up to the monastery in another unpronounceable Basque village. Eventually a bar and coffee materialise in Muntibar, well you would hope so, a very Basque little place followed by a lot more up and down through forest field and little valleys with streams.
And so down to the outskirts of Guernica where about 100m above the town we find a pelota game in action and behind the church an excellent bar/restaurant where we have a good lunch.
Down into Guernica and the International Hostel at a somewhat expensive 19 € each.
26km 1000m up and down

16.06.14 Monday. Mutriku to Markina-Xemein. A day of interesting stones.

We are raring to go this morning and a forcast cloudy morning in the hills means easy walking conditions. With directions from the campsiye lady we find the ywo gates out of the top of the campsite and Tony’s expert navigation gets us to the top of the hill and an old reconstructed hermitage. Although lockef outside are some interesting stones with metal allachments used for competitions pulled by oxen and men. Other competitions included lifting quarried stones the record being 329kg. Othe local competitions include rowing larfe whaling gigs seversl of which we saw on sea and road over the last two days.
A morning of great cool tree lined walking ensues and much of the woodland is pine trees with occasional Eucalyptus. The way has been dry with only occasional mud patches remain but large pine cones embedded and polished by walking feet are found frequently.
The wrll marked way yakes us past a new alburgue with delightful goats and finally down into our destination where a wonderful hexagonal church was built long ago around several huge boulders possibly used as a megalithic temple in pre chistian times. The effect of this cross between a climbing wall and a place of worship is amazing. We wander into town and identify our albergue choices and have lunch. There is no convenient campsite.

21km 100m up and down.

15.06.14 Sunday. A Day of Rest in Mutriku.
After the labours of yesterday Tim plays his joker and suddenly demands a day of non walking. The rest appear surprised or pretend to, but agree so a further two hours of sack time is enjoyed by all. This is a lovely quiet site up on the headland out of town and eventually we go into town for coffee and a bit of shopping in the only shop open. We spot the town fountain with its ducks and an advert for a film called Cocknies v Zombies strangely Ray would really like to see this but we will not be here. He goes off for a swim in the sea and the rest of us lounge about on the campsite doing various chores largely concerned with drying clothes and eradicating unwanted smells in clothing.
A well below average day.
0 km. About 100m ascent and descent in to town.

14.06.14 Saturday. Zarautz to Mutriku.
After a nights sleep the early part of which was marred by the goals scored against Holland and indeed the other way round as there were quite a few Dutch surfers on the site. The bar was not a long way from our tents. An early start up at 5.30 and of by 6.30 we are going down the steps to the beach and through Zarautz, looking back we see the dawn and forward a full moon with Rhona’s rabbit very clearly visible just above the dunes.
As recomended by our first Spanish hospitalero we go round the coast road with great views on the Flat route to Getaria, on the way we learn about the whaling history of both towns and later see two racing gigs on the water. The towns provide coffee at regular intervals and the day is going very easily into the projected 24km. We launch upward out of Zumaia after an excellent fresh orange juice just off the marina and soon reach a picnic place up on the cliffs with a water source and a view of the coast to the west. We may have made an error here and decided to continue as close to the coast as possible…
Some hours later we have been up and down some very interesting coastal strata, found the railway line that goes along the coast and both individually and severally been past the sewage plant and climbed the mud bank with the knotted rope that would have been needed eere it anything but bone dry. Sweaty and grubby we are passed by families with 5year olds out for a Saturday stroll and finally arrive separately, by agreement in Deba. Tony and Ray were dispatched to hack their way through the cliff top jungle to reach the town in time to shop for dinner, it being Saturday and with no knowledge of size of shops and opening hours.
A rendezvous in the main square by text reveals that there was only a 10 min difference in arrival times probably as R&T went down a field following locals and then got asked the way to go! We are joined, in a town with shops open till late, by several pilgrims we have already met Gemma a ? Spanish girl and Simeon a Californian, like us on his third or fourth Camino and in hot pursuit of a Dutch woman 10 days in front met on a previous camino. They will all be staying in the brand new opened today alburgue in Deba. Betsy is harangued by an elderly spaniard who probably has had a lot to do with the new alburgue and can not understand why we want to leave town. We go reluctantly after only two beers and climb out of town up the hill towards Mutriku. The day is not yet finished with us, the campsite is on the hill above the town so we expect to see it on the way down. Tim and Ray are lagging and nattering and so when it appears on the far side of a steep valley believe they have missed the entrance, and retrace their steps finding only barbed wire fences and wishing to be welcome rather than forcing an entry they finally descend to the main entrance on the main road and reascend. Betsy and Tony had done the same but had expected Tim and Ray to be more successful and wondered what kept them.

We are told there is a top entrance and hope to find it in the morning.
EVENTUALLY 30km and an undetermined amount of up and down , not exceeding 1500 m!
A very good day.