Basque-ing in the sunshine

Having landed at Bilbao on Wednesday afternoon after crossing the Bay of Biscay when it was like a millpond, we set off eastwards along the coast to a campsite perched on a cliff top near the town of Itziar, the campsite had beautiful views along the Flysch Coast - cliffs and beaches made up of stratified stone formed 60 million years ago - a wonderful place for any geologist!

Sadly we were not blessed with blazing sunshine but the kind of weather typical of the surrounding mountains - unpredictable. After a night of rain we set off on our bikes into the mountains, stopping along the way for a coffee in a seaside town.

We cycled 23 miles but most of it seemed to be uphill and I learnt a new technique to long steep climbs - bottom gear, pedal slow and steady and don't look up too often, the top of the hill eventually arrives. The scenery was worth the hard uphill slog, the northern coast of Spain is stunning.

After two nights at Camping Itxasia we headed inland to the town of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of the Basque region and a splendid Spanish city with an ancient centre of rambling streets filled with crowded tapas bars, quirky shops and ancient buildings including a majestic cathedral, ancient churches and medieval mansions. 

There was even a moving walkway to take the people around the city attractions

The modern city surrounding its ancient heart was clean and modern with hundreds of apartment buildings - not a house to be seen!

The city also had wonderful cycle lanes on most of the major roads and a good Tourist information to help us find our way to the starts of the cycle trails