Day 2 to Zaurautz

5 September 2023 Day 2 was a 49km day Destination: Zarautz

…. and off I go, not quite knowing what to expect when it comes to the elevation changes (on a mountain bike)

Eventually I’ll have to try to wrap my mind around the intensity of the hill climbs (small mountains or giant hills?)

My first Camino marker sign, not exactly visible to the average walker or biker. Getting here was a wee bit of a challenge. I started the day heading in the wrong direction and making multiple wrong turns costing me at least ninety minutes. Frustrated, I pulled over into a cafe for a croissant and coffee ‘regroup’.
Battery nearly drained on my cell phone I tried to get basic GPS bearings. I doubled back toward my starting point and asked a guy on a scooter “where’s the shortest road to the ocean”. He asked if I could keep up on my bike and led me to the correct road out of town. I thanked him and shortly came across my first yellow arrow. Yay, a win ! (before the big climb)

From here it was all ‘uphill’ another eye opening to the steep road grades ‘up’ (fortunately, they all resulted with eventual downhill rewards)

View looking back, downhill toward Hondarribia from the church halfway up the hill…..Church of San Giovanni Battista

Dripping wet with sweat, I grabbed two back to back coca colas, used a bano and continued up the hill and was eventually treated to my first (biking) sight of the ocean!

Some of my early bicycle / Camino trail navigation leaving San Sebastián was a real eye opener. I had little room to push my bicycle up this trail, what will unfold over the next 450 km of cycling?

Alderdi Eder Lorategiak (Basque) beach
The beach at San Sebastián is HUGE and epically beautiful. The old town area, while touristy, is very beautiful and welcoming. Unfortunately, I was driven to get some miles under my seat and I moved on fairly quickly. This would be a fabulous welcome long weekend retreat for anyone looking for an awesome norther Spain getaway.

Time to eat in Donastia / San Sebastián / Alta

Tapas in Basque are excellent ~ around 4 Euro

Often the Camino del Norte splits. Due to ruggedness bikes are often rightfully restricted to tarmac even though I have a mountain bike trail to the right not actually very navigable even to experience biker.

Note instruction and sign for bikers to go left - going to the right would not be a very good idea even on a mountain bike. I met many that took the ‘doesn’t apply to me modus operandi’ but this was not my approach. I learned on and on again, that the bicycle routes are there for a very good reason as many of these trails are difficult enough on foot and simply non-navigable for cyclists.

I’ll add the daily route and elevation changes via these graphics included in my daily travel itinerary

Church of San Giovanni Battista outside Hondarribia (note the ship) from night before

At last, my first Zona Rural / Caseiros. A tough tough climb but oh, what a view. (I’m already out of water !)

Approach to Zarutz-Mendilauta (Basque)

Zarautz is a coastal paradise nestled along the Cantabrian coastline. It has one of the most enchanting and extensive beaches spanning nearly three kilometers. It's no wonder this sandy haven has long been cherished by royalty and aristocracy, drawn to its shores to bask in the warmth of the sun. I loved it! Zarautz is also an important shipping town historically and was home to wailers and great explorers and Magellan‘s ship La Vitoria was built there. It has the regions longest beach at 2.8 km and coincidently is hugely popular in summer months its population triples. The Iglesia de Nuestra, Sonora Real, contains a tomb of ‘ the pilgrim’. The church was targeted in 1586 when said pilgrim stole a number of artifacts, however he was soon captured and subsequently drawn and quartered and put on public display on the Camino. Nothing remains today. No pun intended.

Highlight of the day:

Finally, finding the start of my Camino via my first yellow arrow (flecha Amarilla) !

“We don't think about pilgrimage in this country. We don't think about meditation. The idea of taking a six-week walk is totally foreign to most Americans. But it's probably exactly what we need”

  -Emilio Estevez