F & S Day 2 01/09/11 - Spanish Coast Roads

The alarm didn't wake us up this morning, but luckily the light did around 0740. Last night was pretty damn hot, expect it didn't get below 19'C all night; was glad of a lightweight sleeping bag! Don't know how Frank managed with his Down Alpkit bag!

It took us a while to get going, but we eventually rolled out of our field around 0900 and headed for the N634, which we would follow for the next two days really.

It was a fantastic start to the day and pretty clear it was going to be a hot one. The coast road was stunning - some breathtaking climbs and views followed by whooping decents. We had the road almost to ourselves and just kept tapping up the hills, looking forward to the views at the top.

We didn't really eat enough in those first few hours, probably because of the trepidation and excitement. As a result we had to make a pit-stop at a small bar to pick up some baguettes to wolf down before we continued on towards Bilbao.
On the outskirts of the city we decided that we really needed lunch and ended up having to stop at a gas station to get some pre-packed sandwiches - teaching us the lesson that it is worth stopping early and lugging some extra weight around to get a better value and quality lunch.

Bilbao really is a pretty odd place - a mix of new development and what look like deserted tower blocks. We had another few navigational slip-ups in the centre of the city, but eventually got out and trucking along the N634 again, which was now unfortunately filled with lots of industrial traffic!

We ramped up the speed and decided that as the road wasn't so great now in the rush hour traffic we would do better just to get to our camping spot quickly. We passed our intended stop, but had seen what looked like a good quite area with a river a few kms further on the map - we were all longing for a wash after the dusty road and 32'C heat!

After walking the bikes down a small footpath we soon found a great camping spot - next to a fast flowing river and an apple tree! After setting up camp and having a dinner of rice and chorizo we went and had a much deserved wash in the river and washed out our salt stained jerseys and shorts.

Only one old guy and his dog came to say hello and the rest of the night we were undisturbed - getting some good rest for more miles on the N634 the next day.