A little video I made of a weekend bikepacking trip I did up in the Basque Country of Spain. I would absolutely recommend it as a bikepacking destination! Lots of scenic coastal roads, some gravel options, and if you are on a mountain bike you can follow much of the Camino del Norte.
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I’ll leave the details down here in the comments.
Day 1: Arrived in Zumarraga from Madrid at 19:30, headed along to Camping Galdona on the coast. A bit of a sketchy ride in the dark, started good along some rail trails (Vias Verdes) but then took a provincial road over a small pass which didn’t seem too bike friendly. The descent down and the ride along the coast was quite nice.
Day 2: Headed from Camping Galdona into Metriku, then along the coast to Deba where I swam and had a second breakfast. Then onto Zumaia switching between provincial road and gravel paths (kind of along the camino). Zumaia was nice, but the route between Zumaia and Zarautz was definitely a highlight of the weekend. Ended at Talai Mendi Kanpina, a surfing campsite. Nice beach in Zarautz to enjoy the evening.
Day 3: Left from Talai Mendi Kanpina in the morning, then headed onto San Sebastian following a river and another Via Verde. After some riding around San Sebastian (beautiful city), I made my way towards Irun. A path along another river goes through some old post-industrial towns, lots of rusted buildings, old boats, etc. Very interesting to see. Passed through Irun and Hondarribia, a very cool medieval town with a big wall. Ended the day at Camping Faro de Higuer.
Day 4: Just from the Camping Faro de Higuer to the train station in Irun. Bringing a bike on trains in Spain is tricky, but the Media Distancia slow-speed trains allow bikes with a 3 Euro reservation fee. There is a twice-a-day train between Madrid and Irun, so I could access this bikepacking route relatively easily (just having to take 6.5 and 8 hour trains going and returning, respectively).
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A little video I made of a weekend bikepacking trip I did up in the Basque Country of Spain. I would absolutely recommend it as a bikepacking destination! Lots of scenic coastal roads, some gravel options, and if you are on a mountain bike you can follow much of the Camino del Norte.
​
I’ll leave the details down here in the comments.
Day 1: Arrived in Zumarraga from Madrid at 19:30, headed along to Camping Galdona on the coast. A bit of a sketchy ride in the dark, started good along some rail trails (Vias Verdes) but then took a provincial road over a small pass which didn’t seem too bike friendly. The descent down and the ride along the coast was quite nice.
[https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/aritz-alto-de-azkarate-karobia-galdona-145104095](https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/aritz-alto-de-azkarate-karobia-galdona-145104095)
​
Day 2: Headed from Camping Galdona into Metriku, then along the coast to Deba where I swam and had a second breakfast. Then onto Zumaia switching between provincial road and gravel paths (kind of along the camino). Zumaia was nice, but the route between Zumaia and Zarautz was definitely a highlight of the weekend. Ended at Talai Mendi Kanpina, a surfing campsite. Nice beach in Zarautz to enjoy the evening.
[https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/galdona-mirador-baratzazarrak-ermita-de-san-sebastian-iglesia-de-san-pedro-talaimendi-145173428](https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/galdona-mirador-baratzazarrak-ermita-de-san-sebastian-iglesia-de-san-pedro-talaimendi-145173428)
​
Day 3: Left from Talai Mendi Kanpina in the morning, then headed onto San Sebastian following a river and another Via Verde. After some riding around San Sebastian (beautiful city), I made my way towards Irun. A path along another river goes through some old post-industrial towns, lots of rusted buildings, old boats, etc. Very interesting to see. Passed through Irun and Hondarribia, a very cool medieval town with a big wall. Ended the day at Camping Faro de Higuer.
[https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/inurritza-playa-de-la-concha-puente-del-kursaal-catedral-del-buen-pastor-akartegi-145290826](https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/inurritza-playa-de-la-concha-puente-del-kursaal-catedral-del-buen-pastor-akartegi-145290826)
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Day 4: Just from the Camping Faro de Higuer to the train station in Irun. Bringing a bike on trains in Spain is tricky, but the Media Distancia slow-speed trains allow bikes with a 3 Euro reservation fee. There is a twice-a-day train between Madrid and Irun, so I could access this bikepacking route relatively easily (just having to take 6.5 and 8 hour trains going and returning, respectively).
[https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/akartegi-faro-de-higuer-santa-maria-magdalenaren-eliza-ermita-santa-engracia-auzokalte-145340188](https://www.wikiloc.com/bikepacking-trails/akartegi-faro-de-higuer-santa-maria-magdalenaren-eliza-ermita-santa-engracia-auzokalte-145340188)