Nice one, I love the greenery and lush hillsides of Northern Spain and Basque Country. I am hoping to see a lot more of it next year and this has whetted the appetite
It is a blast out there, I detoured off the planned route on about day 2 or 3 to get to more towns etc to practice my terrible Spanish! There are some beautiful little villages and the mountains are aw inspiring, although climbing them is less so haha.
It's worth the ferry ride over. I wish I'd stayed for longer really but those hills were relentless!! Next time i'm going to plan a better/flatter route.
Glad I found your set of videos I'm doing these routes in late June. Going to watch them all as I need to see how steep the Basque hills are. It looks amazing
Cheers mate - the hills are steep and multiple!! But so worth it for the views. I did a mix of trail and tarmac on this trip. When I go back I'm going to try and plan better to include more flat sections with a less hills...if that's even possible in this region! Enjoy it out there, it's bloody beautiful and the people were super nice.
This looks great even with the climbs and the wind. I've always fancied checking out this part of the world but it never happened so I'm watching these ones with interest.
Cheers Jethro, good to hear from you. North Spain is hilly!! Worth it though for those vistas and you have to burn off those pinchos. Haven't seen much from you recently, you on a world tour?
@@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures hill are good for you. Or so they say 😉 No touring for me. I quit my job in frustration though so come June, who knows? I'm hoping to get some rides in over the summer
@@JethroJessop Sticking it to the man dude, that's hardcore! I hope it works out for you on that side of things. But in the meantime, the sun shines, the birds tweet, it's time to get peddling ;-) Looking forward to your next adventure mi amigo🤘
You're ex SAS really, those hills are just a walk in the park for you, you only pretend to be out of breath, you can't fool me, lovely vid, about to view part 2 👍
You got me haha! Looking back, I think I want to do more of the Camino de Santiago, I glimpsed it really on this tour. But maybe a mountain bike next time.....
Very much enjoyed your video. It's a sparsely populated region of Spain. I would love to ride west from Santander into the Picos mountains, but the high price of the BF crossing from Portsmouth is a barrier for me. Low season it is just too cold and risk of snow. I don't do cold. Summer the cost of the ferry is very £££££. Still looks to be a beautiful area. The Basque country definitely is as have been there a few times in years gone by. Was your bike's gearing low enough to get up those steep slopes?
Yes it's such an interesting contrast from Cantabria into the Basque region, the people I met in both regions are super friendly and the landscapes are something else. Yes the hills are steep and long so I put my 42 cassette on the rear for this one, still had to get off and push sometimes though! I'm definately getting back over again on the ferry, like you say a bit pricey but I feel my bike is safer.... One day though I have to take it on a plane and hope for the best!
@@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures SMany years ago I worked in the Basque region on the french side for a summer near Bidart just south of Biarritz. I loved the area. Frequently cycled and hiked around the area and up into the Pyrenees. If I had had the money back then I would have bought a place as you could buy places for around £10k. beautiful part of the world to live. Very expensive now. St Jean de Luz near the border is very pretty as is Birarritz and Bayonne. If you go over the border into Spain then you have beautiful towns and villages up in the hills as you saw and a fantastic coast line. Going south over the Pyrenees to Pamplona which is or was a beautiful city. Maybe go in the autumn ride around the region then back up the west coast of France or take a local train as they take bikes and are free up to say Caen or Dieppe and back to the UK. Just ideas. ATB
How did you find wild camping as I've heard the police are really strict on it. Saw another video , they were actually searching for culprits with a drone.
Cheers, I used the same idea as I usually do in the UK really; Find a nice spot out of the way, set up late, just before sunset, break camp early. No dramas ;-) Leave no Trace. I wild camped twice on this trip, once next to a river the other on the Camino de Santiago. I'd highly recommend although it's very hilly so finding flat spots are tricky. I think a hammock might have been a better option...... although I do enjoy bivvi camping the most! Happy travels dude ;-)
@@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures thanks and cheers for the reply , I'll be towing a trailer so it will be even harder for me. But I don't mind sleeping in bus stops like you did. It's all part of the experience.
@@ExploringHabit It was a cool spot, probably looked like a bus stop on the video but I think it was just a 'hide' for bird watching next to the river, that was very welcome after the wind infested first day! You'll be fine, I found the people are super friendly and helpful. Although it is a sparce region so keep stocked up ;-) Enjoy!
Nice one, I love the greenery and lush hillsides of Northern Spain and Basque Country. I am hoping to see a lot more of it next year and this has whetted the appetite
It is a blast out there, I detoured off the planned route on about day 2 or 3 to get to more towns etc to practice my terrible Spanish! There are some beautiful little villages and the mountains are aw inspiring, although climbing them is less so haha.
I've had this area on my 'must check out one day' list for too many years. It looks great. Green hills and empty roads - just what I like.
It's worth the ferry ride over. I wish I'd stayed for longer really but those hills were relentless!! Next time i'm going to plan a better/flatter route.
Glad I found your set of videos I'm doing these routes in late June. Going to watch them all as I need to see how steep the Basque hills are. It looks amazing
Cheers mate - the hills are steep and multiple!! But so worth it for the views. I did a mix of trail and tarmac on this trip. When I go back I'm going to try and plan better to include more flat sections with a less hills...if that's even possible in this region!
Enjoy it out there, it's bloody beautiful and the people were super nice.
The solitude, the elements, the rawness of it all. Makes me want to start my next tour right now!
Thanks mate, yes i'm itching to get out again too..... not long now!!!
Wow, Hello my friend.. All the best to your channel and hope you have a wonderful day
Many thanks - you too 🚴♂️🏕️🤟
This looks great even with the climbs and the wind. I've always fancied checking out this part of the world but it never happened so I'm watching these ones with interest.
Cheers Jethro, good to hear from you. North Spain is hilly!! Worth it though for those vistas and you have to burn off those pinchos. Haven't seen much from you recently, you on a world tour?
@@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures hill are good for you. Or so they say 😉
No touring for me. I quit my job in frustration though so come June, who knows?
I'm hoping to get some rides in over the summer
@@JethroJessop Sticking it to the man dude, that's hardcore! I hope it works out for you on that side of things. But in the meantime, the sun shines, the birds tweet, it's time to get peddling ;-)
Looking forward to your next adventure mi amigo🤘
@@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures Yeah, it will all work out because it always does :)
You're ex SAS really, those hills are just a walk in the park for you, you only pretend to be out of breath, you can't fool me, lovely vid, about to view part 2 👍
You got me haha! Looking back, I think I want to do more of the Camino de Santiago, I glimpsed it really on this tour. But maybe a mountain bike next time.....
Yes North of Spain can be a bitch this time of year.
Very much enjoyed your video. It's a sparsely populated region of Spain. I would love to ride west from Santander into the Picos mountains, but the high price of the BF crossing from Portsmouth is a barrier for me. Low season it is just too cold and risk of snow. I don't do cold. Summer the cost of the ferry is very £££££. Still looks to be a beautiful area. The Basque country definitely is as have been there a few times in years gone by.
Was your bike's gearing low enough to get up those steep slopes?
Yes it's such an interesting contrast from Cantabria into the Basque region, the people I met in both regions are super friendly and the landscapes are something else. Yes the hills are steep and long so I put my 42 cassette on the rear for this one, still had to get off and push sometimes though!
I'm definately getting back over again on the ferry, like you say a bit pricey but I feel my bike is safer.... One day though I have to take it on a plane and hope for the best!
@@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures SMany years ago I worked in the Basque region on the french side for a summer near Bidart just south of Biarritz. I loved the area. Frequently cycled and hiked around the area and up into the Pyrenees. If I had had the money back then I would have bought a place as you could buy places for around £10k. beautiful part of the world to live. Very expensive now. St Jean de Luz near the border is very pretty as is Birarritz and Bayonne. If you go over the border into Spain then you have beautiful towns and villages up in the hills as you saw and a fantastic coast line. Going south over the Pyrenees to Pamplona which is or was a beautiful city.
Maybe go in the autumn ride around the region then back up the west coast of France or take a local train as they take bikes and are free up to say Caen or Dieppe and back to the UK. Just ideas.
ATB
How did you find wild camping as I've heard the police are really strict on it. Saw another video , they were actually searching for culprits with a drone.
Cheers, I used the same idea as I usually do in the UK really; Find a nice spot out of the way, set up late, just before sunset, break camp early. No dramas ;-) Leave no Trace. I wild camped twice on this trip, once next to a river the other on the Camino de Santiago. I'd highly recommend although it's very hilly so finding flat spots are tricky. I think a hammock might have been a better option...... although I do enjoy bivvi camping the most! Happy travels dude ;-)
@@RoadyPacking-CyclingAdventures thanks and cheers for the reply , I'll be towing a trailer so it will be even harder for me. But I don't mind sleeping in bus stops like you did. It's all part of the experience.
@@ExploringHabit It was a cool spot, probably looked like a bus stop on the video but I think it was just a 'hide' for bird watching next to the river, that was very welcome after the wind infested first day!
You'll be fine, I found the people are super friendly and helpful. Although it is a sparce region so keep stocked up ;-) Enjoy!