What was supposed to be a 24km day turned out to be much more, partly thanks to lack of signs, missed signs and a closed path, which lead to longer detours. So instead of 24km, I ended up walking 30km.
The day started sunny and bright, and lasted until early evening, As I write this, stuck in a restaurant, a major storm is passing through, including lightning and thunder. I left Getxo on the gondola and walked along the river passing through, Santurtzi and Bilbao’s massive port at the mouth of the estuary, and a gas facility with perhaps 50 tankers lined up to pick up liquid gas.
This isn’t the official route. The official route goes inland, but there were yellow arrows, at least until there weren’t anymore. At Zierbena, a small circular port, the arrows stopped. So after circling the port, I followed a main road, uphill to La Cuesta. It wasn’t fun walking on the very narrow shoulder. I later learnt that I missed a turn off that would have taken me on a quieter path, bypassing the town.
There was little of interest in the town, and I continued downhill towards La Arena, again along a road, but this time with a pavement. I stopped for a coffee in La Arena, and met many walkers who had followed the inland route. I was back on the official route.
From La Arena, I walked along the beach to Pobena, followed by a long and steep staircase and the start of the Itsalslur walk, a track that runs along the coast and follows the route of an old mining train. It was a wonderful path, and there were many pilgrims and others out enjoying it.
At the 20km mark, in Onton, there was a choice: the 12km official route or the 7km coastal route. You can guess which route everyone followed. The first few kilometers were along a road, not busy as the motorway runs parallel and everybody seems to take that. The views along the coast were nice.
Before Miono, I decided to take an alternative route along the coast, which I believe is the mining train track. However when I got there, the path was closed. I met an American walker, Bob, and whilst chatting with him and walking towards Miono, I missed the alternative to the alternative, and instead followed a road into Castro-Urdiales, today’s destination. However, at least it went quicky as Bob and I exchanged experiences. The detour cost yet another extra 2km.
Castro-Urdiales is a coastal town, with a fishing port, historical centre and the massive church of Santa María de la Asunción (13th century), towering over the port, as well as lighthouse. There was also an inland sea hole, where I saw a couple of teenagers jump into from the rocks above.
I walked around town and enjoyed an ice cream, sitting watching what seemed to be the whole town out and about. I managed to find a place that served food before 8pm, and had to take an additional beer whilst waiting for the rain to pass. It didn’t, but I got back to the hostel more or less dry. It’s still raining – not a good outlook for tomorrow’s 39km.
A long and mixed day, the beautiful walk along the mining train path was certainly the highlight. 30km and 750m elevation, and only 2 days left to walk.