Couchsurfing in Bordeaux

Day 4: Mimizan – Bordeaux
Time: 5:15:25
Distance: 105.9km
Average Speed 20.1 km/h

Today was the first day where I didn't get lost. For a change everything on the road went to plan. I made a route using google maps so getting into Bordeaux was reasonably easy. Most of the day was on flat straight roads into a slight headwind. I've started using some cycle lanes again too but only the ones next to the main road. Tonight I couchsurfed with a Belgian Tibo and another cyclist Marcel. He is cycling from Santiago back to his home in Munich in Germany and is couchsurfing with Tibo also. At night we took a cycle around the city and later met the local couchsurfing group on their weekly meeting for a beer.

Sunflowers and Giant Campsites

Day 3: Seignosse – Mimizan
Time: 4:41:34
Distance: 89.8km
Average Speed 19.1 km/h

It was raining when I woke up so I slept a bit longer than normal. My plan was to get on the N10 that would take me all the way to Bordeaux in almost a straight line. I stopped in Magescq for a coffee and to use their internet before getting onto the N10. I didn't last long on it. After a few minutes a man in a big white van that said "Patrouille" on it beeped and got me to pull over. He said it was very dangerous to be on this road and I needed to go another way. I thought there weren't any problems as its legal in Ireland to be on a dual carriageway. On the road that I took to Castets I passed my first field of sunflowers. I stopped in Castets for a long lunch where I watched the Olympic road cycling time trial. I also needed to change my route using google maps since I couldn't use the N10. The new route took me on straight flat roads similar to the bog roads in Ireland with the same trees and plants but nobody footing turf. I finished up in a campsite just outside Mimizan. The place was enormous with camper vans and tents everywhere. There were around 500 camping spaces. I noticed a lot of other cyclists around too.

País Vasco, Euskal Herria, Pays basque

Day 2: Hondarribia – Seignosse
Time: 5:46:13
Distance: 93.7km
Average Speed 16.2 km/h


I was up at 7 for a quick dip in the sea followed by a coffee in Hondarribia. I cooked breakfast in the campsite common room and set off for France. I crossed the border a few kilometres up the road at Hendaye and stopped at the tourist office in Urrugne for a map.
Traffic on the narrow road up to Bayonne was very busy because of all the tourist towns and beaches along the route. I took another stop in the beautiful harbour town of St. Jean de Luz before heading to Bayonne.
I spent 2 hours in Bayonne cycling around the old cobbles streets but in truth I could have stayed a lot longer. I was advised by a bike shop and the tourist office that there was a bike route the whole way up the coast for around 100km. All I had to do was cross a bridge out of Bayonne and I was on it. Unfortunately it didn't work out so simple and I wasted a lot of time trying to find this magic bike route. Eventually after going down cul de sacs and crossing dirt roads, (some of which I had to walk the bike on since the quality of the surface was so bad) I found the bike route. However, the route didn't work as simple as I expected. Sections stop and start constantly and it's hard to find out where the entrances to the next sections are. Bike routes are a great idea for getting around in cities. I also think for the locals in this area of France the routes I was using were great for getting to the next town. But I've decided that for a bike tour where your aiming for 100km days bike routes are a waste of time and confusing. I'm sticking to the road tomorrow.
For camping I found a 4 star camp site. It had a bar and restaurant and the chalets looked nice which is probably why it gets 4 stars.

Torros and Vacas in Navarra

Day 1: Pamplona – Hondarribia
Time: 5:44:17
Distance: 112.2km
Average Speed 19.5 km/h

I spent the weekend in Pamplona with my friends Jose and Jacintha and their new arrival David. Jose is from  Pamplona originally so they were having David's christening nearby in his mother's village of Larraga. I arrived a week late for the christening but still got a chance to go to Larraga. After eating Jose's mother's magnificent paella we went to the village square to watch a bull show. In this type of show the bull survives. It consists of a few acrobats teasing him and doing somersaults over his head. After the show we drove to Puente la Reina for another bull festival. This one had a running of the bulls which I decided to run in. It doesn't have anywhere near the danger factor of San Fermin in Pamplona but it was a good laugh. There are only 2 young bulls and they run up and down the same street passing the town square for around an hour. Since the town is smaller a lot less people take part which makes things safer.

And so to the cycle. Despite the advice of my hosts I still managed to get lost while I was leaving Pamplona after taking a wrong turn. I think I was looking forward to starting the trip a bit too much and didn't pay proper attention to the street signs. Pamplona must be the 10th city I've had trouble getting out of. Ending up in industrial estates and on huge motorways is never fun. After almost an hour I ended up on the right road signposted as Irun and France. Because all the tunnels on the road are quite narrow and prohibited bikes I had to use service roads to bypass them but I don't think this added too much time to the journey. 

I arrived in the Basque town of Irun at around 7pm. I had been considering going on to San Sebastian but the city is 23km west. I couldn't justify doing an extra 23km today and the same in the morning in an easterly direction to see a town I'd already been to so I decided to go a short bit North of Irun to Hondarribia. I didn't eat much during the cycle so I bought a lot for dinner in the shop next to the camp site. 3 salchichas de ave, a head of brocolli, 5 eggs and half a baguette preceded by 1/2 litre of milk and washed down with wine. There's a beach up the road so I'll go for a swim before I take off tomorrow.

Cycling From Spain to Ireland

I have been living in in the town of Sariñena, Spain for the last 7 months teaching English. The time has now come to return to Ireland and I have decided to make the trip by bike. I'm planning on starting from Pamplona on July 30th and reaching Cherbourg in the North of France by August 10th. Then I'll take the boat to Rosslare and make the 2 day trip up to my village of Multyfarnham. I'll be taking a tent so I can camp in rural areas and when I'm in cities hopefully I can stay with couchsurfers (couchsurfing.org). I'll try to post something on this blog for every day of the trip.