Northern Spain

Northern Spain

So, Northern Spain. Struggling to find good things to say. I have never been the biggest fan of Northern Spain with the exception of San Sebastian, which is fantastic. Despite being just as industrial as the rest of the area, the old town is stunning full of busy tapas bars where you can hear basque and spanish being spoken side by side.
However...
I left Biarittz somewhat nervous as the wind had been increasing and the rain had been coming down all night! As I approached the Pyrenees I could really feel the wind and see the storm clouds hanging over the mountains. As I approached the boarder the route took me alongside the coast with some steady climbs and stunning views through Hendeye and Irun. Then as soon as I entered Spain it all changed. The nice French single lane N roads changed into a duel carriageway complete with articulated lorries zooming past within feet of the bike. The only exception was when the road suddenly turned into an auovida (motorway) where bikes aren't allowed. The only answer was to head in roughly the same direction by navigating through the small often signless villages. As I meandered through the villages the storm that had threatened all morning finally erupted above me and torrential rain began to lash down. This was clearly a low point. I grabbed a cafe con leche and a couple of weird looking chocolate pastries and then decided to get south. From this moment onwards I decided that I just needed to get south as quick as possible so that I could enjoy the warmer climates and then try and enjoy myself a bit more! Two days of pushing hard and near enough continuous rain saw me get through Vitoria-Gesteiz late on Monday and then push hard to Burgos arriving on Tuesday evening.