Across the Basque Country, Donostia to Capbreton
Zagan the motorhome’s tyres are nudged up against the sands of the Plage des Océanides surf beach near Capbreton, north of Biarritz. We’re in a familiar aire, a popular and easy-going place operated by the local council who charge different rates according to the season (N43.63672, W1.44721). They’re currently charging €10 a night, which includes electricity and two service points. Despite only being a tarmac car park, I really love it here, partly down to my affinity to the miles-long natural Atlantic beach alongside us, and partly down to the vibrancy brought in by the surf community. These guys and gals are turning up in their cars, surf school vans and a range of funky transports including electric fat bikes with handmade surfboard carriers, and even a kind of zippy electric-powered skateboard/longboard with big wheels. This latter contraption exceeded my (admittedly low) bar for maximum coolness, as the guy flew past us on our bikes, swinging his hips to flip his wheels left and right like he was snowboarding uphill, on a road. I’m not tempted to buy much these days, but that thing and those fat bikes looked just fantastic.
The journey here from San Sebastian / Donostia should be fairly straightforward. We’re right in the nook of the Bay of Biscay down here, where the Pyrenees dip down to the Atlantic and flat land becomes a sought-after commodity. The roads get squeezed into a gap between high hills and the sea and, like wasps in a jar, the traffic seems to get a tad frantic with it all. The AP-8 (in Spain) and then the A63 (in France) motorways bypass all the back-road, through-town, uphill crawling mayhem, but for a price. Typically I opted to avoid said price, an act of self-flagellation repeated from previous tours, which I never seem to learn from. This time the pain in my shoulder and the fact we’ve sold a fair few Motorhome Touring Handbooks recently (thanks guys), eased us through the toll booths half way through the journey, shaving a whole 30 minutes off the journey and €4.80 off the fun fund. In fairness, we got on at J4 of the A63 and went straight into a set of tolls, when we could have got on back at J2, skipping all of St-Jean-de-Luz and a bunch of other seaside towns for the same price.
We did the journey weighed down with Spanish diesel (a good 20c a litre cheaper than in France), a few bottles of brandy, stand-ya-spoon-up chocolate drink, a rather large quantity of Free Damm beer and a rather smaller quantity of Spanish grub. The huge Eroski on the outskirts of San Sebastian (the Basque-founded supermarket, with little Basque flags below all the locally-produced food and drink), seemed expensive to us and we only picked up some essentials before heading across the car park to start the journey here. Parked among cars and vans strangely all for sale, we reminisced about the first time we were there in Dave seven or eight years back, buying a cheap starter battery to use as a leisure battery (it was still going strong after two years), and eating McDonalds to try and get over a head-crushing Donostia handover!
In theory, we should be much further north by now. We’re right down in the bottom-left of France here, and our pre-booked Channel Tunnel’s on 28 March (which as of yesterday is no longer the day before Brexit – that particular saga continues). Five days left, and at our usual snail pace we’d normally take a week or five to cross France. Sod it. The weather’s just too nice down here to rush north. Flawless skies are granting us pure blue days and cool nights, and the impact on our mood is tangible. Like running on the beach, my will to urge myself onwards swells and dips with the varying softness of the sands. The same goes for the weather: with bright light shining off sunglasses and nostrils full of Holiday Smell Factor 50, I’m simply happy. We’ve been here two nights already, and over a pain-au-chocolat from the bread van which visits the site each morning, have opted for a third night tonight, stuff it! That means 15 hours of driving to do in three days: not a massive challenge, and we’ll revert to the toll roads if we get fed up.
The town of Capbreton’s about a mile away from the suburb we’re ensconced in. A cycle path took us there yesterday, continuing past and up to the packed marina another mile or two north. With ice creams in hand we leaned on the barrier alongside Le Boudigau, a sea inlet which joins the marina to the Atlantic. A yacht was attempting to fight its way out against the sea flooding inland, barely managing a walking pace. The two blokes aboard chatted nonchalantly to each other while a thin crowd of us peered at their ever-slowing progress. Just a few meters from the sea, all progress was halted, and the boat started to drift backwards until eventually (in a huff I imagine), it spun round and sped back to the marina. Later a huge white beast of a yacht burned its way out against the tide in an impressive show of boaty strength. Once we’d inspected the ice-cooled eels, squid and oysters on sale in the fish market, we took a slow ride back to the aire. Tough life, eh?
Today’s Saturday so the aire’s filled up a little with local vans. Switching from Spain to France feels like coming home to us these days. Probably partly down to the language, as we’re able to speak at least a little French. We got some practice in San Sebastian, as the French van behind us was so close we couldn’t get off our ramps. Pouvez-vous bouger un peu s’il vous plaît? They were very obliging and we left with shared smiles and waves. It’s true you don’t need to speak anything but English to travel across the world, but I think it’s also true that the more of the local lingo you do speak, the more fulfilling the experience of travel is. That said, I put in very little effort to learn Spanish, other than some simple phrases: puedo comer algo? Can I eat something? and the like. Ju worked much harder at it than I did, I should say.
And with that our time on this tour’s ticking to an end. Tempus fugit: time flies! Nah, they didn’t do latin at my comprehensive school, I picked this phrase up from the wee bit of stoicism I eyeball from time to time: momento mori, tempus fugit, so the saying goes: remember your own mortality folks, don’t pretend you will live for ever, seize your chance, do whatever you want to do now, don’t put it off. Our own plan is to be in the UK for a few weeks, hopefully sort Ju’s knee out, and then head to the Alps for a couple of months in the summer. One tour draws to an end, but (touch wood), the longer one continues.
Cheers, Jay
Yes! We love that coast as well. I think it get gets cooler and more laid back the further south you go. Hope the shock to the system is not too great in a few days time.
Lovin’ it J&J
You are again whetting our appetite for our spring travels to northern Iberia (dog passport permitting – 9 out of 10 cats hate Brexit!) next month.
What would be your recommendations to visit in NW Spain and N Portugal?
Cheers
Howard
Hi Howard. It’s many years since we were in that neck of the woods and we’ve discovered that folks like different stuff. So it’s probably best we recommend that you do a bit of research with a rough guide or lonely planet and base your trip around what you like from there. That’s what we sometimes do, other times we just amble around and find good people places to stay on Park4night.com and then discover what is there. Just remember that you can’t usually take your dog on public transport in Spain.
Ju x
We were down those parts last year and stopped at a fantastic free aire at Foret Domaniale de la Teste, right on a fantastic beach, 2x Restaurants,fabulous surfing along with mountainous waves and huge dunes, (toilets not the best though, but good to replenish fresh water)
Thanks for the tip Eric – next time! Jay
Really enjoyed that trip Ju & Jay. You’ve certainly got the right idea on how to live ones life.
Carpe Diem (No they didn’t teach it in my school either). It makes me wonder why everyone doesn’t try their utmost to get themselves into a position to live this sort of life. What is it that they know that I don’t. I’ve been a contract RPG programmer (legacy As400 system, dying out now mores the pity) for 30 years but do 6 month contracts and have 6 months off travelling in the B544 or further afield without it). Others I work with (the permies just work and work). On the other hand they are a whole lot richer than me I suppose, but not in experiences. Look forward to your Alps trip. That’s my favourite terrain but difficult to do on a budget (or at least the same budget as Spain) unfortunately
Alex
Hi j & j,
I’ve enjoyed following your travels over the last three months. As you are now at Biarritz it’s reminded me that is where I met you back in 2016 – how time flies!
I’m back in Italy on my latest tour (Rome today) with my new partner – so hopefully third time lucky!
Cliff
Hello you happy couple, have a question for you.
We were driving through the north of Bourgogne yesterday, on our way back to V V. Loved the scenery we used to be so familiar with on a beautiful wispy high cloud day and chatting about you both and the extent of your travels.
Taking all aspects of your method of travelling and life style into account, which out of the many countries you have visited is your favourite?
If that is too difficult then the top 3 will do, Rosie suggested maybe 3 as she is kinder than I am.
Bon route
Hi Jamie and Rosie
Ooooooeerrrmmmm….
Tough one this! We get asked it from time to time and, without beating about the bush too much, Greece, Norway and Morocco all get into the top 3.
And with that, he commences beating about the bush…
The top one for me would be, ah, erm, hoooo, Greece. The combination of historical sites, easy going people, weather, great places to stay, unspoiled beaches, snorkeling opportunities, landscapes, relatively low prices and the feeling of being a long way from home all combined so well for us when we were there.
I just asked Ju. She’s sighing a lot. She really enjoyed Norway but she felt ‘culturally deprived’ – the towns were very functional although the landscapes were extraordinary. Now she’s saying Morocco. Nope, now France, which is easy to get to and has everything in one country.
We chatted over breakfast about it too. My top 3 are all relatively hard to drive to, which is part of the attraction I think as they feel far from the social constraints of the UK (they have different constraints of course, especially Maroc). If I had to come closer to home I’d choose France too. I love the Alps, the Atlantic beaches, the rolling hills and gorges of Provence, the fact I can **sometimes** understand the language, the ease of finding thousands of places to stay.
Right, long answer that! How about you guys – what is your favourite country(ies)?
Cheers, Jay
Was hoping you weren’t going to ask that, prefer asking questions, not answering them. We’re off for a think…
Haha! C’mon, don’t think about it too hard or you’ll just end up repeatedly changing your mind, like we did! Cheers guys, Jay
We’ve both slept on the question, twice, and here’s our answers. As you say it’s complicated isn’t it, trying to compare chalk and cheese.
Rosie’s order – France / Morocco / Russia
My order – USA / France / Holland+Tunisia+Germany
For Rosie it’s France because it has almost everything in a small package, she feels very comfortable there, very diverse, history in the bucket loads, a long established culture and climate.
I agree with all those points but the only negative is it’s a little too familiar, home from home. I also feel as though I’m at home in France too, therefore can’t make my #1 spot for somewhere to visit.
Morocco as Rosie is the one who appreciates the visual aspects more, it’s undeniably very beautiful in places, spectacular even. Plus it’s relatively near (to the UK) and yet so completely different, as you wrote it feels very ‘foreign’.
Russia, exciting and completely unknown, almost everything is a surprise, completely different to anything we have ever experienced and for us in a good way. Rosie feels we have only scratched the surface of Russia, I agree and we both want to know more in particular central and eastern Russia.
For me. America nearly has it all, all the things France has writ large and then add quite a bit to that too. Their modern culture is fascinating, and they speak a sort of English too. As you know I travel to meet people, the US is world class at being welcoming, generous and open, it was made for me. I could write pages on what’s good about visiting the US, providing you find the method that’s right for you to meet locals.
France, as above. Moving around the country you almost feel as though you know it well, even if you have never visited a place before. They are so generous with providing resources for visitors too.
Can’t split these three. Holland. from the center to the north unlike anywhere in Europe, it almost feels ‘foreign’. Great people, superb infrastructure, everything works and they have a sense of humour. Love Zwolle, could live there but for the climate. Groningen too, fantastic atmosphere in that university town. Tunisia, the life along the southern Algerian border and the amazingly open and generous hospitality from people who compared to Europeans have nothing. Spending time in real Saharan oasis in the south, watching the stars at night and village life by day, never experienced anything like it. Always felt welcome. Germany, far nicer to spend time in than people realise, and I can speak German. Immense sense of humour, know how to have a good time without having to be at the falling over stage, and helpful. Never been refused help in Germany, and it is very beautiful in places.
Here’s our to do sometime soon lists.
Rosie – Central Asia / Chile and Argentina / Russia. Good reasons for all of them
Me – Central Asia / Chile and Argentina / Japan+Chita(Russia)+US train the Texas Eagle
We were in Mexico a few weeks back, in the remotest part of Baja California. We had to return to the UK suddenly and urgently but not before we had spent a week in La Paz (we have to go back) and central Baja. The Mexicans, other central Americans and south Americans were our type of people, every conversation started with a big smile. Their friendliness reminded us of Tunisia. Because of this short visit and already knowing we were going to Chile and Argentina, this has cemented returning to Mexico and visiting S America, and sooner rather than later.
Know it’s a long reply, didn’t even get started!
Good answers my friends – food for thought! Thanks for the message re: the bearings – we trust our garage down the road – they’ve sorted all sorts of stuff for us over the years – so we’ll get it up there at some point and give them free reign to fix it. New tyres time too – never fear – I’m buying decent ones from now on in… :-)! Cheers, happy travels guys, Jay