Tag Archives: Aquitaine

Day 23 – Urrugne to Saint Palais

(97km)
I was tempted to stay another day in such a nice place, but I didn’t. I packed my stuff, let my tent dry out from last night’s humidity while having breakfast and left Urrugne and the Atlantic ocean for good. I cycled enough to the south and it was about time to start heading east!

Last view of the Atlantic ocean

Last view of the Atlantic ocean

I started my day very excited, not only because I had a second breakfast by the ocean, but because I was about to face the mountains of Perenees. Of course I was uncertain if I could make it or not, so I didn’t plan for a specific destination, but I had only marked on the map several towns with campsites.

Mountains here I come!

Mountains here I come!

Even being so close to the sea, just after 10 kilometers in the mainland the slope of the road started becoming noticeable steeper. Also the fact that I was constantly seeing groups of cyclists going up and down, made it obvious that I was going the right way. I’d like to note that the majority of these cyclists, were at their middle age. No wonder why I’ve never seen any of these electric/lazy chairs in France. Minutes later I saw the first cycling sign which indicates the name of the col I was going to, the altitude, distance and the grade of the road at that point. 10-15 minutes later I made it to my first top! Col Saint Ignace is only 169m and the grade doesn’t go above 5%, but I think it was ok for my first climb.

My first col

My first col

After my short break for a fruit and a PR photo, I continued to the nearby village of Sare. Sare along with Ainhoa and La Bastide Clairence are villages that I had read that are very interesting to visit. All three were very small, with similar architecture and character. Nice houses with coloured beams and windows, within a fantastic landscape, full of trees and streams of water. The first one had an open market and I kind of regretted that I had already bought my lunch, as there were some stalls with delicious looking products.

The open market at Sare

The open market at Sare

Ainhoa

Ainhoa

Ainhoa

Ainhoa

I went to the second village of Ainhoa via Spain. Yes I did cross the invisible borders for about ten kilometers and then back in again. It wasn’t really necessary, but I thought why not, just so I say I’ve made it there as well.

The shop at the right is in Spain

The shop at the right is in Spain

Sortly after my break for food refuel, I continued to La Bastide Clairence and after that I faced the last part of the ride which was to get to Saint Palais that had a camp site. Through out the whole day I cycled through some amazing landscapes full of trees, streams and rivers. It really paid of the effort of cycling up the slopes.

Going down before going up again

Going down before going up again

For most of the day the scenery was like that

If you want to avoid slopes, follow rivers or rail tracks

The view from one of the tops

The view from one of the tops

Apart from the first col, I did go up and down the slopes several times. So after managing to cycle 95 kilometers, one thing was certain that I was exhausted and very hungry. I pitched my tent, had a shower and washed my clothes in fast forward and then cooked my self a hefty portion of pasta with sausages, fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic and cheese, which by now has already been digested.

Day 22 – Labenne to Urrugne

(67km)

Again the night was a little humid, so none of my loundry tryied out and once again I had to attatch them to the back of the bike and let them dry on the way. Until mid-day there was overcast, but soon after, the clouds moved away for another hot day.
I wasn’t up for much cycling, I just wanted to get the Biarritz and the towns around it, which are located at the furthest north-west corner of France, next the Atlantic ocean and the Spanish borders.
Biarritz is a high class resort. The coast if build up with big, old and posh hotels, restaurants, villas and castles. Within the beaches, there are a few huge rocks and some of them have been turned into small islands connected by foot bridges.

Overlooking one of the beaches at Biarritz

Overlooking one of the beaches at Biarritz

My lunch spot

My lunch spot

Nice eh?

Nice little house...

After a short break in Biarritz, I move to Saint Jean De Luz, which is also a very beautiful town, but a lot more grounded. Its center is pedestrianized and has maintained all the nice old buildings, giving it a very nice character and atmosphere. Since these towns are so close to Spain, I saw many bars and restaurants serving Spanish food and drinks.
Looking for camp sites in the area, I decided on one is in Urrugne, a village just a couple of kilometers south of Saint Jean De Luz, since it was the closest to the center. I checked in early, pitched my tent and cook something to eat before going back to the towns for more wondering around. Urragne is also a very pretty village, with again old buildings on the main road in front of the port. I am tempted to stay an extra day here.

The light house of Urrugne small port

The light house of Urrugne small port

The front road at Urrugne

The front road at Urrugne

Saint Jean du Luz port

Saint Jean du Luz port, with the Pyrenees at the background

The alleys at Saint Jean de Luz

The alleys at Saint Jean de Luz

A building by the sea front

Nice building by the sea front