Chemin de la Côte and Santimamiñe

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. 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 is where the day begins. Next is Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian.

2. 2. 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 comes up about 82 km into the recorded legs. Next is Santimamiñe.

3. 3. Santimamiñe

   In 1916, a group of boys exploring a hillside in the Basque Country found paintings deep inside a cave, and Santimamiñe became one of the most important prehistoric sites in the region. The cave, near Kortezubi in the Urdaibai valley, contains Magdalenian paintings of bison, horses, goats and deer, made around fourteen thousand years ago, and it is part of the UNESCO listing of cave art of northern Spain. To protect the paintings, the cave itself is closed to the public, but a visitor centre offers a virtual tour that recreates the interior in detail, with guides explaining the art and the people who made it.

   Read the complete Santimamiñe write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 188 km into the recorded legs you reach Santimamiñe. Next is back through Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian.

4. 4. back through Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian

   Return visit. Read the place description above.

   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

   back through Chaussée et Tunnel de San Adrian, late in the day. Next is Chemin de la Côte.

5. 5. 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 at Chemin de la Côte. That is the ride.