Spain Day 4: Mountain biking and San Sebastian

On the Tuesday morning we said goodbye to Simo. He was scheduled to catch a bus from Pamplona that afternoon to get the starting point of the El Camino trail just over the French border in St Jean Pied de Port. All the best Simo! We were also heading towards the French border but further west than where Simo was going... we had agreed to meet the owner of BasqueMTB in a little township called Bera de Bidasoa for a day of mountain biking!

It was great to get off the main highways and onto smaller country roads, however for awhile there we were worried we were heading in the wrong direction. Once we confirmed we were on the right track we relaxed and really enjoyed the scenery as we drove through the Pyrenees and into the Basque region of Spain.

The tunnels in this region were incredible!

The day of mountain biking was so much fun, albeit rather challenging at times. We were guided by Doug and Carlos from BasqueMTB as well as someone they were training, and they really did a fantastic job—I couldn't recommend them more highly. The trails are unmarked so we were dependent on the guiding, plus through the company we were able to hire a couple of really good (and new) bikes.

The guys picked trails that suited our ability while still giving us a challenge and being incredibly scenic. We saw some spectacular views that I don't think we would have been able to see otherwise and I successfully rode tracks that only a few months ago I would have thought myself incapable of!

The team were also very knowledgeable about the area, explaining to us what our surroundings were, and overall making the day very enjoyable.

While keen to explore more trails on the bikes, tiredness as well as the time and turning weather conditions convinced us to get back to the car and continue on our journey. We had booked accommodation in San Sebastian... and we couldn't have asked for a better room.

I would love to go back to San Sebastian one day... neither Al or I could stop photographing the view from our window! Being in this magical place was enough to convince us to get dressed up and find a good place for dinner.

The guys at BasqueMTB had told us 'Pinxos' (pronounced pin-chos) was a must for San Sebastian, and the hotel concierge said we couldn't go past Atari's. Both sets of recommendation were bang on, with our evening ultimately being the best we had on the trip.

Whenever we reflect on the trip, mountain biking along the Basque coast and then ending the day in San Sebastian was definitely the highlight. There's really very little that could have made the day better.

Day 5 next time x