Boondock Puffins

The journey between Biarritz and Basque Country is wonderfully picturesque, skirting many little villages and towns and giving regular glimpses of the progressively bluer sea (what happens here as it opens out? Why does it become brighter and bluer as you move further south?).

The morning in Bidart started with a run along the weirdly groomed beach (we had to fight for space with the sand piste basher – it will always strike us as odd that beaches get combed) and some circuits, embracing the cloudy but still muggy weather.

After many emails back and forth with campsites, we finally found a space for the night. Sadly, phone calls became less of an option as we moved out of France as neither of us speak Spanish and trying to communicate in broken Spanish was causing more confusion than it was worth.

It was bizarrely difficult to tell when we actually changed country, but eventually we headed over the border (we think) into Spain – there were no signs that signalled this but from the sudden change in language on the signs, we must have missed it. Basque Country is odd, so very much their own place. And so many x’s and z’s and k’s in their language – scrabble must be a high scoring game here!

During our drive, both of us were fighting an ant infestation in our helmets from the previous night’s special ant breed that seems to be particularly tenacious. A second pit stop at Decathlon to pick up a gas canister for cooking and a quick check that we’d got rid of all the ants finally allowed some peace of mind.

As we stopped for petrol, we met a fellow biker who smiled enthusiastically and then rode with us for a while which was lovely. We weren’t speeding, but he even warned us about a random speed trap which came just after an abrupt change in speed limit – it was so nice to see the biker community continue across borders!

Actually, this section of the drive, between the south of France, through Basque Country and into Spain was absolutely beautiful. There were so many awesome roads to drive – we would highly recommend it to any other bikers.

Food also proved to be significantly cheaper in Spain, which was good for our budget. We stopped at the local supermarket to stock up before heading to our spot for the night.

The final section of the ride took us through some very cute and quaint towns on the way, with an amazing final climb all through forests, before we reached the delight of Endai Kanpina in Mendexa. It was slightly pricey (€30) but worth it for the peace, and they even gave us loo roll (our standards may be low for what makes a campsite great by now!).

After lunch and washing, we headed to the local beach of Karraspio. This was a lovely local spot and we relaxed and had fun wave jumping and body surfing, and even getting to read kindles for a little bit. It was a truly beautiful afternoon.

We headed back for a supper of potatoes, veg and today’s special: chicken; we even had a treat of narchies (small oranges) for pudding! Then, after an awesome day, we planned some of our route for tomorrow before hitting the hay early.