Why this ride
A 415 km round trip from Donostia / San Sebastián - roughly 7 h 04 in the saddle. The stops in between: Chemin de la Côte, Ekain, Collégiale de Ziortza and Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian. A steady touring day rather than a sprint.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
San Sebastián afternoon · Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 415 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 7 h 04
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Basque Coast Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 19 km this is Basque Coast Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 19 km
- Named road
- Basque Coast Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. San Sebastián
San Sebastián, Donostia to the Basques, wraps itself around one of the loveliest urban bays in Europe. The Concha, a near-perfect shell of golden sand, is enclosed by two green hills, Urgull on the east with its old fort and statue of Christ, and Igueldo on the west, reached by a vintage funicular. A promenade with white balustrades runs the full length of the beach, and on a fine evening half the town seems to be walking it. In the nineteenth century the Spanish royal family made the town their summer retreat, which explains the elegant belle époque buildings along the seafront.
Read the complete San Sebastian write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
San Sebastián is where the day begins. Next is Chemin de la Côte.
2. Chemin de la Côte
Irun is where the coastal Way of St James, the Camino del Norte, crosses from France into Spain, and pilgrims have been walking over the Bidasoa here for centuries. The river is the border, and in the middle of it sits the Isle of Pheasants, a scrap of land that has been governed jointly by both countries since the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, changing hands every six months. It is a peculiar, rather charming thing to stand on the bank and look at.
Read the complete Chemin de la Côte write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chemin de la Côte comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Ekain.
3. Ekain
In 1969 two young men exploring a hillside above the Sastarrain valley near Zestoa crawled into a narrow opening and found themselves in a gallery of painted horses. Ekain is one of the finest Palaeolithic painted caves in Europe, its walls covered with images of horses, bison and other animals made some fourteen thousand years ago with remarkable skill. The horses in particular are famous, drawn with shaggy manes and round bellies, so lively that they seem about to move.
Read the complete Ekain write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 72 km into the recorded legs you reach Ekain. Next is Collégiale de Ziortza.
4. Collégiale de Ziortza
High on a green hillside above the village of Bolibar, in the Biscayan interior, the collegiate church of Ziortza looks out over a valley of meadows, farmhouses and eucalyptus and pine plantations. It is a tranquil, solid place, a church and cloister built of grey stone with a fortified look, and it stands on the Camino del Norte, the coastal route to Santiago, so you will often see pilgrims resting on the benches outside.
Read the complete Collégiale de Ziortza write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Collégiale de Ziortza, about halfway. Next is Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian.
5. Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian
Imagine a mountain with a hole through it, and a medieval road running straight through the hole. The tunnel of San Adrián is a natural cave passage near the crest of the Aizkorri range, on the border of Gipuzkoa and Álava, and for centuries it carried one of the main routes between the Castilian plateau and the Basque coast. Pilgrims on the inland Camino de Santiago, merchants, armies and kings all passed through it, and a small chapel was built inside the cave. The old paved road leading up to it survives in sections, worn smooth by centuries of hooves and boots.
Read the complete Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian sits at 163 km, about halfway. Next is back through Collégiale de Ziortza.
6. back through Collégiale de Ziortza
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Collégiale de Ziortza write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Collégiale de Ziortza comes up about 289 km into the recorded legs. Next is back through Ekain.
7. back through Ekain
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Ekain write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 336 km into the recorded legs you reach back through Ekain. Next is back through Chemin de la Côte.
8. back through Chemin de la Côte
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Chemin de la Côte write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Chemin de la Côte, late in the day. Next is San Sebastian.
9. San Sebastián
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete San Sebastian write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
The route ends here after 415 km.
Leg by leg
San Sebastián to Chemin de la Côte
San Sebastián → Chemin de la Côte is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chemin de la Côte to Ekain
Chemin de la Côte → Ekain is 53 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Ekain to Collégiale de Ziortza
Ekain → Collégiale de Ziortza is 50 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Collégiale de Ziortza to Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian
Collégiale de Ziortza → Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian is 84 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian to back through Collégiale de Ziortza
Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian → back through Collégiale de Ziortza is 83 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Collégiale de Ziortza to back through Ekain
back through Collégiale de Ziortza → back through Ekain is 47 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Ekain to back through Chemin de la Côte
back through Ekain → back through Chemin de la Côte is 57 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Chemin de la Côte to San Sebastian
back through Chemin de la Côte → San Sebastian is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.