We sail out from Bilbao and head west. First intended stop is Castro Urdiales approximately 10 NM away including some miles within the Bilbao harbour. In the pilot book, it should be hard to find a berth and suggested berthing alongside of the wall. I am not particularly fond of alongside berthing as the combination of swell and tidal water make the boat hit the wall continuously as well as having an audience on the quay. I call the yacht club on the radio and instantly there is a guy coming out to us and direct us to a mooring buoy. He tells us that they run a 24×7 water taxi to the moored boats and the price including all services at the club for 25 EUR. Hard to match so we clean up the boat and call the taxi to get ashore.

The city is dominated by the Santa Maria medieval church next to the crusader fortress at the end of the harbour. Timing is perfect, we get time to experience the beautiful church from inside before it closes at 18 and as we come outside, the fortress is opened. The main portion of the fortress is however closed probably since the lighthouse installed on the top is operational. This is why a hideous glass construction with an elevator is raised on the wall facing the sea. We stroll around on the grounds and then we hit the old town. We split up where Birgitta go for the shops and I stroll around in the narrow streets and get a grip of the town. The old town is very dense and on the other end of the city is the nice Ostende (!) beach.

 

We grab a table on one of the restaurants and try out the grilled Anchoas that is a local speciality. Just delicious! Then we stroll more in the old town as the restaurants and bars fills up with people before returning to the yacht club. It really impresses me how these friendly boatmen handle their taxi boats in the swell.

Next day, we start with a breakfast at the harbour promenade before we go for a shopping tour and do some provisioning.

We have decided to leave this beautiful town and do a short hop to Laredo further west. After a short but beautiful sail, we enter this big ultra-modern marina at lunchtime. We get a good spot as the marina is half-deserted, which feels weird but the marina is probably too new to have filled up its many berths.

New town to discover and we start by taking a look at the old town and the road that leads up to the Santa Maria church. The road continues up the hill and on the top, we get a great view of the city and the bay over to neighbouring town Santona. We take some time to make the scenery sink in before we go back to the town.

At the first restaurant there is a typical stag party and another hen party blocking all the spaces so we continue to the next one just to experience that it is also packed with people dressed up as hippies. It turns out that we landed in the Laredo Ye-Ye fiesta celebrating 60:s and 70:s. Music on the streets and people of all ages dressed up. We do not find any costumes for us but we buy some flowers to wear in our hair. The party gets more and more crowded with outdoor scenes all over town. Very nice atmosphere.

Next day we check out and go over the bay to Santona. Again the pilot tells us about the limited berthing places and probably only alongside. This time it is correct, no watch on the VHF and no spaces. I find a deserted spot on a hammerhead on the entrance and try to find a harbour captain but there is none. I ask a man in a neighbouring boat but he tells me that I probably can stay for free and offers me his second key to the gate. Feels strange but I put on my running shoes to get a grip of the town and try to find someone to talk to about the berths. The mountain with its forts and lighthouses should also be worth experiencing and I need to move my legs.

At the tourist office, they do not know anything about the harbour so I decide to climb the steep mountain. The views from the mountain is stunning and a good place to let the mind wander.

As I get on the far side of the mountain, Birgitta calls in distress. Some guys have came and told her that our place is deserted because there is a boat on the bottom and we will be in trouble at low water. I run back and exactly as they say there is less than 2 meter at the berth. The harbour was clearly deeper when I entered and as we leave the berth, the depth clears to more than 5 meters directly. On our way out, we pass the same mountain scenery and the small lighthouse at the far end where my run was interrupted.

As the weather forecast for next day shows rain, we decide to continue to Santander where we should stay some days waiting for Sofie to arrive. We have a nice sail in fair winds and arrive to Santander in the afternoon.

The city marina is full and do not have possibilities for catamarans so we continue to the larger marina south of the town. This is a modern marina with all the facilities but far outside town.

We stay some days in Santander that is a nice town and we have managed to hit it during the “Semana Grande” fiesta so there are music on the streets. As Sofie arrive by plane to the airport nearby we go out to the Magdalena palace that was built for the Spanish royal family in the beginning of last century. Great views over the bay and the main beach – Playa Del Sardinero.

We celabrate that Sofie has arrived in our newly found favorite restaurant – Bodega Cigaleña. Apart from excellent food, the classic interior has wine bottles from floor to the ceiling.

We change the courtesy flag to Spanish and Basque combination and cross the River Bidasoa to Hondarribia in Spain. The old French flag starts to look rather bleached after a year in the bright sun and it has served us well since we crossed the English channel last year.

The Hondarribia marina is also big and modern. Half price, great location and friendly, English speaking staff. The city beach is just around the corner and just next to the city. We go to explore and take a Pinxtos break at the central San Pedro Street with its restaurants and bars. There is the Hondarribia Blues Festival going on so music is played on the streets and the big scene down at the harbour making the day even better.

We take a walk up to the old town with a great view over the bay. The impressive but rather unromantic castle of Charles V looks out over the river and the bay and must have had a perfect strategic location. We take some time to wander around in the narrow streets with its shops, restaurants and bars before we return down to the Marina district with its brightly coloured fisherman houses. The evening is spent on the town with music and a lot of people in the streets.

I go up early to get us some bread and I notice that we now have moved from sleepy France to Spain with its late habits. The streets are filled with people looking for some place to go after the last bar has closed at seven, some to cafes, some kiss and hug and others take a morning swim.

It is Jessica’s birthday and we have decided to celebrate it in San Sebastian. It is some hours away and people have told us that we probably would not get space in the small harbour. We therefore leave Melody in the marina, rent an apartment and take the bus. The apartment is located in the Gros district with a ten-minute walk down to the old town and the city beach Playa de la Concha. As expected, San Sebastian is beautiful with its semi-circled beach and an old town sitting at the foot of the mountain rising high above it crowned with a fortress and a statue of Jesus.

On Instagram, I have noticed that an old friend and colleague is in San Sebastian so we meet together in the old town. As usual, it is good to meet with old friends and meeting them abroad is even better. We spend a nice afternoon talking of old times and our travel plans.

We re-join Alexander and Jessica who gets a birthday balloon before we enjoy the sunset and then go to old town for a nice dinner and a walk through the beautiful old town.

The next morning, it is time for some running again. The plan is to go up to the fort and have a look out over the town. The road up the mountain is steep so this is good exercise. Well up on top, the view is stunning. As I know that the others will sleep, I stay on this spot, find a corner of the fortress for myself, enjoy the view and reflect about life. I feel extremely energized and filled with energy as I come back to the apartment to join the others.

We leave our luggage in the train station and go for a nice Pinxtos lunch in the old town. As I descibed the view from the mountain, we all climb up the steep slopes and enjoy the views before heading back to Hondarribia.

Early in the morning, we steam out of the harbour and set sail towards Bilbao. The weather is nice and we have a nice sunset in our backs. The wind increases and we need to go down one reef outside San Sebastian. We get good speed in modest seas. The coast is beautiful with the mountains with its green sides coming down into the sea.

We reach Bilbao in the late afternoon and check into the modern Getxo marina. This is one of the three marinas located in the big Bilbao port with a restaurant complex connected to it. Bilbao is a half-hour Metro ride so we decide to check up the old parts of Getxo instead. This turns out to be a good decision as the small but beautiful old village is climbing up a steep hill overlooking the old port. A good photographer with patience could make good posters and postcards here. Narrow streets and two neighbouring restaurants on a small garden. We sit down in the garden and enjoy this secluded area of the world.

Next day is Bilbao expedition. But first I jump into the running shoes and run out to the lighthouse at the entrance to the harbour. With its hills, it is a good exercise and, as usual, I stay out longer than I thought from the beginning. The fresh morning air, nice views, solitude and thought process fills me with energy and on the way back I manage to get some fresh bread as well.

We take the Metro into the town and land in the bustling capital of Basque. We head for the Guggenheim museum and spend some hours in this futuristic building. As usual, no photos is allowed so I only have a picture from the interior to get a grasp. The building in itself is just as interesting as the art.

After a shopping break, we continue down to the old town with its narrow streets filled with restaurants and bars. We are getting spoiled with these picturesque settings so we return to the more restaurant district and have a nice dinner before returning to Getxo.

We go up early in the morning as Jessica and Alexander needs to catch a flight at nine after three weeks at the boat. It feels sad to see them leave but we have had a great time and experienced a lot. Birgitta and I return to Bilbao where she digs one level deeper into the shops and I take a more relaxed tour into the old city soaking up the atmosphere. We meet later and go down to the Plaza Nuevo to have some Pinxtos and relax.

We need to leave Archachon early in the morning to match currents and tidal water at the tricky entrances at both Arcachon and Capbreton that is todays stop. We leave when it is still dark in the harbour and go through the entrance just as the light permits us to see the sand banks. The sun slowly sets over the giant sand dunes, which is a rewarding view. As we come further, dolphins come to play and make it even better. Weather is nice, but just before Capbreton, the fog comes over us again but it is no problem in entering the harbour.

The entrance is very narrow and shallow with a tidal lake and a river inside so caution should be taken. We enter in nearly perfect conditions but the sea and current is noticeable and I should not want to enter this port in rough weather in mid-tide. Boats entering with the flood get shot as a cork through the channel and there is a rough spot of 100 meter with very disturbed seas.

The centre of Capbreton is up the river but we stay in the harbour where there are a number of restaurants and a casino. This part of the city is clearly built around the large marina and its beaches. We take a stroll around the harbour and eat in a nice restaurant by the sea.

An interesting setup is the fish market where each boat has its own booth right next to the harbour. Smart logistics and you can really know where the food is coming from.

As we circle the marina, we hear live music and stay at a restaurant where a French Elvis sings. He truly connects with his audience and apart from the well-known Elvis songs, he also shows off with everything from Sinatra to Creedence.

The next day as we wait for the tide, I take a walk up to the town centre that offers more shops and restaurants in a compact centre.

We leave Capbreton in relatively calm seas and head for Anglet outside Bayonne. The marina did not have any space for us however so we decide to continue to Ciboure further south. This city is located in a bay that hosts three small cities that are interconnected – Ciboure and larger Saint-Jean-de-Luz who is separated by a river and Socoa at the entrance to the bay. The harbour master is waiting for us to show us our berth and help us with the mooring lines. Just as we cleared everything up a hard rain sets in so we stay in the boat for dinner as the rain falls. Nice evening.

Next morning, I wake up early, go for a walk on the new town, and get a pleasant surprise with a market. I buy bread, cheeses, sausages, ham and local produced juice and cider. Very nice start of the day and after a fresh breakfast we go to watch the dancers performing at the market.

Ciboure is located on a steep hill and we decide to climb the hill to a tower that sadly is closed. The view must be stunning from there as we get some nice views even if we could not climb up. We continue our walk out to Socoa, take a nice lunch in the harbour and have a look at the fort and the breakwater.

In the afternoon, we start to explore Saint-Jean-de-Luz and its beach. This city is a bit larger and boast with a great beach. At the square in the harbour, there is a scene and a number of restaurants around it. We sit down at a restaurant that overlooks a nice summerhouse of Louis XIV. There are bands playing on the scene, weather is nice and we enjoy the city before going back.

Next day, I take the running shoes and run to the far end of the beach and up the hill to Pointe de Sainte-Barbe. A very rewarding view over the bay and the cliffs north towards Biarritz.

I run back and find a bench on the Ciboure mountain overlooking the bay from the other end. A very calm place and I sit down and reflect over life and its pleasures and challenges.

Birgitta arrives to the airport and we go back to the boat for a late dinner at a seaside restaurant. A very nice feature of this coast is that the sunsets are great as it sets over the Biscay.

Time to do an expedition again. We take the train to Bayonne to have a look at the capitol of the French Basque coast. A very nice town with a majestic cathedral and nice old town along a quay.

 

We would like to go to a visit to one of the producers of the famous ham and we find one but it was in French. The guide speaks very fast so my limited French is not enough to understand the full picture but together with the tour you get the basics as well as a tasting afterwards.

We get on the ten-minute hop to Biarritz to get a quick visit to this famous resort. The pilot book clearly said that this was a fair weather anchorage only and when you arrive you understand why. The port is for small crafts only and the waves are pushed up so even in this calm weather, the water is filled with surfers. Extremely nice views though and since there are direct flights to Stockholm you can hear Swedish everywhere which feels strange. We stroll around, enjoy the views, and have a nice dinner before taking the last train home.

Last city on the French Basque coast is Hendaye. This town is border town to Spain and a small ferry runs across to Hondarribia on the other side of the river. Hendaye also has a very nice beach where the city center is located further up by the river. The marina is located inside the bay but 100 meter across to the beach so location is perfect.

I pull out the running shoes and go out to Pointe-Saint-Anne on the far side of the beach. Again, hard work pays off with a stunning view of the bay and the coast. The train through the park is part of a trail from Biarritz to Hendaye that is called Sentier Littoral.

The evening is spent on the Hendaye Chipiron festival – a street festival for mini squids. Many people on the streets, bands playing and dancing everywhere. We also take a look at the town centre and have a walk to the bridge that leads over to Spain.

There is a five star PADI diving centre next to the marina and we have decided to go for a dive. Neither Jessica or Alexander has a certificate so they start to get the basic training. They get a very good instructor in Lucille who is pedagogic and calm and everything turns out well. After some hours in the pool, we go out to the diving site in the sea. I join for this dive and as it is the first dive in years so it is good to get “de-rusted” in a calm environment. As Lucille takes care of Jessica and Alexander, I do exercises to feel that I am back in the right element. Feels fantastic and we also spot a nice octopus. Feels very good as we go back!