13 June 2025
We checked out with only 4 minutes to spare before we would have been escorted off the premises milking every ounce of luxury we could extract before dragging ourselves back out onto our Camino adventure. As such our Amigo friends had left much earlier and took the flat option along the river, but also took them through a large part of Bilbao’s industrial area.
We decided to take the traditional Camino route in hope that it provided a relief from the oppressive city heat as temperatures were already above 27 degrees just after we left. The only kicker was that this route also comes with a couple of decent climbs and is a longer route.
After leaving the heavily populated inner suburbs of Bilbao we found the typical Camino paths but whilst the birds did a good job in competing with the heavy traffic in the valley, it was always present for much of the day.
We mostly enjoyed the first half of our walk with the additional climbing, but as the day wore on, unfortunately the urban landscape wore us down. The only saving grace is that the cool change arrived in the nick of time as the last 8km were fully exposed and I wouldn’t have like our chances of surviving this one!
iIt’s always difficult to envision what the day’s walk will be like. Some have recommended simply catching a bus or train out of Bilbao and now having completed this stage, I would have to agree!