St Jean de Luz

Wow! What a route today. I had been apprehensive about finding a route through the Pyrenees: big mountains/ complex geography/ lots of unrecognisable place names mixed with the occasional motorway and no go A -road tunnels. However the route today was brilliant! Firstly weaving my way out of Pamplona on mostly car free cycle lanes with the commuting traffic and kids on the way to school: all cities in Spain seem to have good cycling infrastructure but in Pamplona they seemed to be well used. Secondly on my first via verde ( traffic free converted train lines)- I might have complained that some of the surfaces were a bit rough- but that's why I brought the gravel bike, right? Thirdly up and over the hills through beautiful ( and shady) beech forest on a deserted basque road. Descending you could feel a change to more humid maritime atmosphere. Then catching up with another via verde for 30km down the valley and spit me out - voila!- on the coast and the French border. The roads in Spain have generally been brilliant for cycling- quiet/good surfaces/ well graded: I hope France can deliver!!Read more