Off on my bike : Bordeaux to San Sebastian

A wet start in Bordeaux.

It is of course raining when I wake up in Bordeaux, can't say I am feeling enthused, still I do get some breakfast at least, cheap and cheerful like everything else at the Formule 1.  Then off through the city traffic, not much fun in the rain, to the big Decathlon near the airport.  It's sure big, but no they don't have a pole for me - instead they suggest another store two miles back the way I came.  To be honest the big problem is, my French is not up to explaining that no, I don't want an exact replacement, but rather something a bit stronger, and I don't care if it is glass fibre rather than alloy.

The new tent.  Not bad for €22!

Well, executive decision time, I somewhat sadly dump the old tent and buy a new one, Decathlon's cheapest at twenty-two euros.  Well, it's the right size, and only weighs two kilograms, less than any of the 'ultralight' tents they have, odd.  Onwards then.  I ride out into the country, it keeps raining, I get wet, whatever, it is only water.  I'm getting close to the sea, I do get a brief glimpse, then hit the 'Grands Lacs' where I plan to camp, in the region of Biscarosse.  Plenty of campsites, nobody in their offices... I camp up anyway, the tent is basic, has no porch, but it's double skinned, and bigger than my old one.  Time for a beer - a chap in the bar shows me photos from his recent trip to London, he was in Stratford about the time I left, small world.

Lighthouse at Biarritz.

The tent lasts the night, and keeps the rain out, that will do.  I ride south along the Atlantic coast, before long I pass a beach resort, lots of campsites and holiday homes.  All pretty empty, it not being the two weeks of the year that everybody in France has their holiday during.  Nice cycling here, I follow a cycle path through pine forest, with dunes to my right parting occasionally to reveal the ocean.  And whisper it, but it is not raining.

In fact, as I head into the rather pleasant environs of Capbreton, it's turning into an unquestionably nice day, with actual sunshine.  I enjoy the afternoon's ride through the coastal forest, reach a charming camping municipal where the tent goes up again without trouble, and I have a beer or two and a mighty Basque Burger.  This is what it is supposed to be like.

Crossing the border.

Time for my last day in France, the cycle route continues - I'm following the pilgrimage route towards Santiago de Compostela, have seen signs for it since Paris in fact, though I've not followed the exact route.  More than once people ask if that is what I am doing.  I reach Biarritz, from here the coast is rocky and I must ride up and down cliffs, it is rather reminiscent of Cornwall, not least the multilingual signs, here in the Basque language as well as French.

Nice part of the world anyway, with many seaside towns that seem worth a visit.  In one such, I cross an unremarkable pedestrian bridge, and realise I'm in Spain, well, that deserves a celebratory beer.  Not far to San Sebastian, however as it turns out there is a substantial hill, fully four hundred and fifty metres of ascent, to climb on the way.  Well I make it, mostly pedalling rather than pushing, and there is an exciting roll down the other side.  Nice to see San Sebastian, has been a long time, I have to stop for a beer.  That turns into two beers, it is getting on for 6:30pm,  still only another ten miles to my campsite, won't take long surely...

Photos to go with this post can be found here.