I'm not cycling into San Sebastian this year as quite frankly it's awkward and there is a fantastic surf town 10 miles away called Zarautz. There is also a regular train service into Donostia (San Sebastian)everything has two names here it's a Basque thing. Anyway I started my tour on the Algarve Coast at Albufeira so it's appropriate to get to Zarautz - I've done a coast to coast and an A to Z.
I had a breakfast in the Main Square in the cafe restaurant I wanted to eat in last night but it was rammed as was the town on a Tuesday night ???
I even cleaned the bike after yesterdays clarts and it was 10am exactly when I hit the road.
My route took me perfectly out of town on superb ultra smoothe off road cycle paths until 5 miles when I turned off onto a road which would take me round a very choppy looking lake (that easterly wind was still blowing strong). As I started to leave the lake and head uphill I saw cyclists names on the road again so presumably this is a favourite route of the Vuelta de Espana as well. Mikel Landa's name was prominent - I knew he is Spanish and a fantastic bike rider - he buried himself towing Chris Froome up many a climb. So I started to wonder if he was a local, then after another mile there was a little town ... called Landa !
No it couldn't be surely ? Mr Google tells me Mikel Landa was in fact born in Murgia which is less than 10 miles away - so I was inadvertently doing my own little homage to a cycling hero of mine.
I had a little climb to do before reaching a massive 33 mile downhill stretch to the coast at 13 miles, what I didn't realise was it was a major peak - the Arlaban at 593m and I had casually gone over the top.
The descent was the most enjoyable cycling of the tour with hairpin after hairpin and fantastic springlike scenery .. at last.
Eventually I picked up towns in the built up area and after finding some good cycle paths through a lot of them I reached the main valley and went under the Motorway and into Elgoibar where I stopped for lunch and I conveniently managed to find a great little cafe I had stopped at 4 years ago first time !
So I had been following the River Deba ever since the top of the climb and in 9 miles I reached the coast appropriately at the town of Deba.
I have now cycled the stretch of coast from Deba to Donostia 5 times and it never fails to impress, Zumaia, Getaria are beautiful but it had to be Zarauntz where I finished and as I type this tonight I'm in the Txikipolit Pension in a great little square and the Pension has an attached Cafe Bar where I just got in in time to have a very nice pork loin meal with salad chips and croquettas. I say just in time coz since I sat down about 300 people have came in .. It;s rammed.
I've finished my 4th Coast to Coast Iberia albeit I had nearly done a 5th when Covid got me 2 years ago and I now have 3 days off cycling before my last ride to Bilbao for the ferry ... wonder what I'll do tomorrow ... Might have a cycle along to Getaria & Zumaia for a longer look !