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SAN SEBASTIAN TO PAMPLONA
Leaving the gorgeous Dordogne on Thursday 20th April…quite a significant drive this time and definitely going to Spain….best part of 5 hours….multiple toll roads, everytime having to get out and walk around to the machines, and once the ticket I collected didn’t work! Too frequent the closer to the border, and for the first time, the traffic around Bordeaux was very busy with jams….toll roads mainly to Spain and beyond, often too frequently hitting the payment barriers! 
Arrived in San Sebastián, and after some hesitation again re camping, ended up at the Igara Campsite just outside the city, a nice spot in the trees. On the first night, I went down to San Sebastián (or Donastia), firstly to the celebrated Playa de la Concha, acclaimed to be one of the prime beaches in Europe….it wor alreyt! But generally a gorgeous bay setting around to Parte Vieje (Old Town) and Monte Urgull. I decided to save a more detailed explore to another day, and found a bar, where I ordered a large brandy, as I had the onset of gut rot….also mistakenly asking the proprietor to recommend three pintxos (tapas) - they weren’t that special, considering pintxos are a local speciality! And by 2am I was wretching from both ends….coincidence!?
The following morning I went to prep my bike for another planned ride using Komoot, only to discover I’d left my front (fvcking) thru axel in France! Not to worry, cycling seems to be very popular, so there must be some decent shops. Five shops later, and I discover, that (fvcking) thru axels are anything but universal, and also gravel bikes have wider forks….I was furious with myself , so rare theses days….but what a stupid old twat, in the first place!
The best I could find was from a cracking couple in a traditional bike shop, where they seemed to have everything, well almost….they could order me the exact spec, but could get me through the weekend with a slighter short one….but would this be safe. They seemed confident, but another shop advised it could be dangerous! 
The problem was, I’d now lost at least a day, and they couldn’t order now until after the weekend, so I’d have to be in the area for a few days more….and the weather was very mixed.
At about 4pm that afternoon, the heavens opened like we do not witness in the UK….this continued almost relentlessly through the night….the tent just about got me through, but water had seeped through on the ground sheet, and the porch was quite wet…
It cleared by 10am on the Saturday, so I decided to risk the bike on the planned route. The bike was fine, although I stayed on roads, didn’t want any sudden jolts, but I wasn’t! I’d never ever known such a gnarly super hilly region anywhere I’d ridden a bike in the World! 
The very first 2km was a left turn outside my campsite, where very soon I’d hit 20% gradients that hardly seem to drop…but this wasn’t a one off….soon my enthusiasm waned somewhat, so I cut the ride short….although I supplemented the ride with a more detailed nose around San Sebastián.
The very first 2km was a left turn outside my campsite, where very soon I’d hit 20% gradients that hardly seem to drop…but this wasn’t a one off….soon my enthusiasm waned somewhat, so I cut the ride short….although I supplemented the ride with a more detailed nose around San Sebastián.
In the evening I’d befriended a French guy, called, Sebastian! Yes really…nice guy, he was proper bike touring with full camping gear, but he was French! I wanted to improve my Spanish, instead he spent the evening with poor English, me, with reluctant poor French….and lots of Google translate! A very pleasant evening ensued!
The heavens were friendlier on my last night, as I’d decided to move closer to Pamplona, even though I’d probably have to return for that (fvcking) thru axel (I don’t like thru axels!).
I packed my tent hurriedly as the rains recommenced and off I headed, for somewhere near Pamplona!
REPORT FIVE - TUESDAY April 25th - Guelbenzu (near Pamplona)
I went for a walk locally, a route verified by Nekane’s niece, and it was rubbish….totally immersed in trees, even the hilltop had no views….shame as fleetingly through gaps it looked nice! Numerous vultures circled overhead, not sure if they had their eye on me!
However, conversely on the second day, I completed a 60k bike ride, plotted on Komoot, and it was excellent. Almost perfect for cycling, both off road and road…with changing scenery…possibly too much road overall, for a Komoot “gravel bike” route. 
In the evening I drove into Pamplona, and lasted barely one hour….I’ve decided I’m not fussed about cities. They all have, a main Placa, a Cathedral, narrow old style streets and an historical part. I walked down the bull run street, (looking over my shoulder intermittently, just in case a young bull was doing an early recce!)….looking for an impressive set of statues depicting the bull run, only to discover, they were in the back of shop, with multiple signs stating “DO NOT TAKE YOUR OWN PHOTOGRAPHS “ in several languages, with a fee for an official photo…the place fell massively in my estimation!
I decided to instead do a recce of my own, heading east from my gaff, where the terrain got much more mountainous with very high, narrow, twisting approached to passes….I went to Eugi, and then another lengthy climb with pretty decent views (too many trees for my liking, good for the planet, shite for my photo album!) over to Elizondo in the Baztan region….it wor alreyt!
My replacement (fvckin) thru axel was ready for collection, so a necessary 2 hour round trip back to San Sebastián….but then the journey can now continue, but where to next?
 | Guelbenzu nr Pamplona  |
A quick rectification and it reduced to 5 hours, still significant but not quite as almost impossible!
