A category two climb

Leaving San Sebastián under drizzling, grey skies, wearing multiple layers and our raincoats, we had our fingers crossed that the weather would improve as forecast. We stopped to stock up on some pastries for morning tea and continued onto the river.  Our first ferry crossing was on a little boat that ran a shuttle service from Pasaia to Pasai Donibane. Fortunately the ferry wasn’t busy and we were able to roll our bikes onto the bow.  The old town of Pasai Donibane consisted of a single street with the road passing under the houses.

The drizzle had stopped and there was a hint of blue skies as we began the climb soon after leaving the town.  We made our slow way up Jaizkibel, the second highest coastal mountain range in Spain with a peak of 545m.  A Spanish cyclist stopped Simon on the way up to warn about the steep hills ahead.  But we preservered and after about 3 kms reached Kantina Jaizkibel where we stopped for a well-earned coffee and, ignoring the signs forbidding external food, enjoyed our pastries.  

Another 4kms of climbing and we reached the top with views down the coast and back to San Sebastián. It was a 7km climb at an average of 6%, this puts it as a category 2 climb (distance in m x gradient > 32,000).

 As we descended we stopped at the Santa Barbara Doreea Moument, the fourth of six towers built in the summit line of the Jaizkibel mountain range during the Carlist War in the 1870s. The nearby lookout offered incredible views of the surrounding ranges. 

It was a quick descent to Hondarribia where we stopped for lunch before heading to the port for our second ferry ride of the day.  There were two ferries running and we had to wait for the larger of the two so we could load the fully laden bikes aboard.  It was only a 7 minute ride to the French town of Hendaye.

The beach was busy and there was a holiday atmosphere with lots of people strolling along the promenade and across the bike path, making the going slow.  We finally turned off onto the main road and picked up the EV1.  However, the traffic was so heavy we opted for a detour, and the steepest hill of the day.  

It was a relief to reach the top and enjoy the gradual descent into St Jean de Luz.  The roads were incredibly busy and we ended up pushing the bikes along the footpaths to avoid the traffic.

We were given the disabled access room at Hotel Mosaic and there was plenty of room for our bikes.  A quick change and we headed out to wander the town.  The Rue Gambetta pedestrian street was lined with boutiques and heaving with people.  We passed the Église Saint-John-Baptiste, famous for hosting the 1660 wedding of King Louis XIV and Maria Theresa of Spain, and continued onto the beach.  

Nearby was the 17th century house where Louis XIV stayed before his wedding. The square was busy with people sitting outside in the evening sun.  Our final stop was the Port de Saint Jean de Luz with its colourful fishing boats.  From there we headed back to the hotel for a beer and our leftover cheese, jambon and tomatoes.  

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