A couple of weeks ago we had planned an extra day in Bayonne to ride out to the coast and see Biarritz.. However, as we did not want to take any chances on the weather, we decided to continue on toward the Pyrenees. Today, we were able to ride along the coast see a small bit of Biarritz. We then carried on to Bayonne and took the train back to Saint Jean de Luz. It was our last day of riding and a wonderful way to explore the south coast of France as well as draw an end to this tour.
Leaving the Hôtel de la Plage, we slowly followed the waterfront promenade along with the many walkers out enjoying the early morning sunshine. It had rained over night but we were so lucky for the clouds to have left and have a nice mild day for our ride After a brief stop for coffee and a piece of salmon quiche we joined the cycle route EV1 (Atlantic coast route). This route follows the coast on small roads and bike paths along the entire length of our ride today. In fact, it would have taken us all the way to northern France and into the UK if we had continued on. Maybe on another trip!
From Saint Jean de Luz to Biarritz and on to Bayonne, it is not surprising that this is a populated and busy stretch of the coast of France. On this sunny Sunday the restaurants were busy and people were out enjoying the day. For the first time on this trip we were not carrying our panniers; it really was a great ride from one end to the other with the coast of Biarritz being a real highlight. Here we stopped at a local restaurant and enjoyed a large pot of moules and frites (mussels and fries) while watching waves crash over the seawall into the small marina.
Most of the beaches have very low height restrictions at the beach parking. It would seem to keep the surfer vans (and there are lots of them) from taking all the spots. Even a car with boards on the roof is a tight fit.
Villa Belza was built in the late 1800`s. It is now a ten unit condominium. Wondering if you can afford one? In 2020 one unit went for 40K Euros per square metre.
Plage du Port Vieux had a great relay going on where kids had to swim out in the surf to a marker and then return to the beach and provide their flippers to their partner who then completed the challenge. The sea was rougher than normal so they really had to work at it!
ann and steve maher-wearyWhat a great trip, your weather was amazing. I love this part of France along the coast. Your photos bring back great memories. Thanks for sharing! Safe travels home! Reply to this comment 6 months ago
After lunch we carried on to Bayonne where our venture into the Basque country began a little over two weeks ago. It has all gone so fast. Returning to the now familiar Pont Saint-Esprit where we had entered Bayonne, we had closed the loop of our ride through the Basque country. At dinner, a man explained to us that there was no distinction of country for the Basque people. It was Basque South or Basque North. From Bayonne we took short train ride back to Saint Jean de Luz.
The train station in Bayonne. No one to help us with the ticket machines here! They can be a pain but we did finally get two tickets back to Saint Jean de Luz.
Our last dinner was a wonderful meal at small restaurant on the main street, before a walk through the quiet town back to our hotel. Saint Jean de Luz is an easy place to enjoy in late October and we hope to include it again one day in our travel plans. Tomorrow we begin our travel back home with a 10:30 train to Toulouse where we will pack up our bikes and prepare for our flights home.
Today's ride: 33 km (20 miles) Total: 992 km (616 miles)
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Scott AndersonIt looks like you two had an outstanding tour! One I’d have been pleased to be on. Thanks for taking us along, have a safe trip home. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
Scott FenwickThanks Scott, it was a good tour. We had outstanding weather, in fact so good the locals were even amazed. It is so much easier when the sun is shining. We also picked some great roads and got lucky with some excellent overnight stays. You said that we would like Spain and we really did. Thank you and Rachael for all your encouragement. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
Kathleen ClassenIt looked absolutely wonderful. We loved following along. I am writing this from our seat on our first flight home. On time and comfortable. Hoping for the same for you. Safe travels. Reply to this comment 6 months ago
