The Easter surf trip in the Basque country rolls on!

Leaving the surf in Biarritz and hitting the world famous San Sebastián in Spain is easy-riding as it is only about half an hour away with no passport needed to cross the border. Think of San Sebastián (or Donostia in the Basque language) and fiesta will immediately spring to mind, in the form of very long evenings winding through the old streets taking on gradually more and more pintxos and wine at each stop. Unfortunately for our Easter surf trip, we happened to hit San Sebastián during a biblical deluge (note for future: there is a reason for the Spanish saying ‘en abril, aguas mil’) which meant zero crowds and less ambiance – which gave us the little required impetus time to hunt for some classic waves.

Small surf just before high tide at La Zurriola, San Sebastian

Starting from San Sebastián, La Zurriola is almost right in the centre of the town at Playa Gros. If you are looking to save money and avoid a hostel, you might be able to park your camper van fairly easily during the off-season by the Patagonia store at the end of the beach. La Zurriola is a decent enough wave but its location in the centre of town makes it super accessible – which means constant crowds.  And so although a surf at La Zurriola is always pleasant, if you have wheels you should fairly promptly carry on your journey towards Mundaka, one of the most mythical waves in the world and discover the various other jewels in the Basque crown.

Surf somewhere in the Basque country

For me, the route that runs from San Sebastián to Bilbao via Mundaka is almost as amazing as the wave itself and is a real highlight of any trip. Although you always have the option of easing along the motorway towards Bilbao, the coastal road that leads you past small traditional Basque towns has to be one of the most amazing stretches of road in the world. Steep and meandering routes wind through forest and dramatic oceanic views. On top of all that, there are many waves that are worth getting wet for, including the beaches at Zarautz, one of the most powerful lefts in the world at Mundaka and the big wave spot Rocaputa. If you drive along the coast yourself, you’ll stumble across many spots, often not too crowded. For us, the discovery of new places pushed us to keep on driving past the fun-looking waves on what was a fairly small swell in search of more perfection. In the end, with the evening running out, we stopped at a place called Laga as it looked to offer a picturesque bay with steep cliffs to the east, decent wave and importantly somewhere to park up overnight. Freecamping overnight out of season was fine and so we enjoyed a peaceful sleep after a quick surf and drink in the fairly basic bar before hitting the water again for a glassy morning session. Laga surf is highly recommended.

Morning surf at Laga, Basque country

For us, the quick-fire surf trip in the east of the Basque country was coming to a close as the swell wasn’t cooperative enough to make us hang around. Mundaka would have to wait, but we’d found enough waves to make us happy along the route. And so having found some small consistent surf and very consistent rain, we decided to grab some shelter at the Guggenheim museum in Bilbao which is only 30 minutes from Laga. The Guggenheim is one of the architectural wonders of the world – perhaps even it holds the same significance for the world of modern architecture as Mundaka does for the world of surf. Whether you are an architect or a surfer, you won’t be let down.

Great architecture at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

Is there anything I’ve missed off? Then get in touch!

So the Basque country Easter surf trip rolls on and this time we hit Biarritz and beyond…

Biarritz is at the heart of the French corner of the Basque country and is a blend of French, Spanish and Basque culture and tradition. Great wine, great food, friendly locals and a real surf culture which has been expanding ever since a couple of Californian surfers first hit Biarritz’s Côte des Basques in 1956. La Côte des Basques itself is a beautiful big bay with the advantage of lots of space to surf, good facilities including showers year round (useful for those living in a van) and nearby cafes, (personal favourite – the outdoors Cent Marches at the top of the stairs overlooking the bay). It is simply a great spot for surfers and non-surfers alike. Having said that, although surfing is good at the reasonably sheltered Cote, don’t miss out on the rest that the Pays Basque has to offer.

Small surf on a beautiful day at La Cote des Basques

Leaving the world famous Hossegor to one side for now, immediately to the north of Biarritz there is the surf town of Anglet. Anglet’s beachbreaks tend to be a bit heavier than the Biarritz beaches and offer a higher chance of spending some time in the green room. Head to La Chambre d’Amour – if anyone knows a better beach name in the world, the drinks are on me – stuff your face with a Basque taloa and find your spot to surf. All the spots are close by, although during the summer months it’s best to get around on a scooter due to difficult parking. One of the best spots is the Plage des Corsaires – the place to check out if everywhere is flat or if you fancy some real quality waves – although soul surfing this is not as this place gets ultra competitive and crowded when it’s on. Go for the VVF if you fancy something a bit more tranquil in Anglet.

The great thing about spending time surfing around Biarritz is that if the surf goes flat or if you are travelling with your partner, then there is still plenty to do. Basque life has a certain joie de vivre and so food and drink is quite important. But there is more than just wine – so what are my top things to do when the surf goes flat in Biarritz/Anglet?

Cité de l'Océan et du Surf Museum Biarritz

1. Visit Bayonne. It is a beautiful little town that is often overlooked by surfers as there aren’t any waves on offer. The old part of the town (Petit Bayonne) buzzes with students on a Thursday night and I’d recommend the Cidrerie called ‘Ttipia’ to anyone who wants to sample Basque cuisine – all at one sitting. Start with a Basque omelette, move on to the ‘merlu’ fish, then a great tender ‘cote de boeuf’ and finish with some cheese. Oh, and don’t forget the homemade cider which is unlimited and which you serve yourself from the traditional barrels. It’s only 29 euros for the lot – unbelievable value and a week’s worth of food!
2. Visit Guethary and Bidart – these two villages just to the south of Biarritz offer lots of authentic Basque architecture, as well as a great wooden beachside terrace where you can watch the surf. Note of warning – may swarm with tourists in peak summer months as much as anywhere.
3. Check out ‘La Cité de l’Océan et du Surf’ just past the Milady beach. A new museum dedicated to surf and the ocean ? Sounds awesome. Trouble is, despite all the money splashed on the project (including over 500,000 euros on the sculpture outside), it is pretty empty on the inside. Nonetheless, La Cité has some cool things and the architecture is definitely cool..
4. Finally, if you are really bored, you can move on to the other side of the border and visit San Sebastian – which is where this road trip is heading now!

So join us next time as the surf trip moves on deeper into the heart of the Basque country.

If you’ve missed out on the trip so far, you can always catch up on the intro to the Easter Basque country surf trip or the Charente Maritime surf trip guide.

Welcome to the first leg of this Easter’s surf road trip to the Basque country as we hit Charente Maritime!

As I pack the van at home in Scotland, Proust’s epic quote rings around my head: “The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes”. Whatever it is, nothing beats the feeling of packing up home for a few weeks and taking off like a man reborn. Proust delighted in new eyes, but personally I’ll opt for new eyes, new landscapes and the ol’ van every time. So feeling ripe for some adventure, I hit the road encore une fois.

Small La Torche (bypassed on this trip) courtesy of Menswear on MSW

For me, it’s a familiar trek from Scotland down to the south of England in order to board the ferry to France, but this year feeling a little plush I opted for the Eurotunnel. The whole Eurotunnel experience is super slick, flexible on departure time and as easy as you like – you can even get in the back of your van for half an hours kip. The only trouble is that you are dumped at Calais, the very north of France, which means a longer drive south… but I’d say the £120 return price-tag for the tunnel was a price worth paying.

Tip Number One: Don’t be scared of the Eurotunnel!

La Rochelle Harbour Towers - quite a sight

Once we hit France, we headed straight for La Rochelle, escaping the toll roads which are known as péages wherever possible. It’s a shame to skip some of the seminal surf set-ups like La Torche in Southern Finestère, but with so much to see and such little time, you have to cut the odd corner and so it was destination La Rochelle. It is definitely one of those places to take the non-surf-soaked travelling companion – we arrived with it in full sunny splendour and the mix of the castle, 15^th century towers and the mellow coastline is a brilliant introduction to France. Clean, chic and historic – definitely worth a detour if the surf is flat.

Alas, I am not one of the legion of the unjazzed and so having had my first spot of lunch in France (shamefully, “un subway”), I was itching to chase the small swell south of La Rochelle. Having bypassed the picturesque but too sheltered Pontaillac bay, we headed for La Côte Sauvage which is more exposed and so picks up more swell. Here you’ve got 15 kms of beachbreaks that can resemble the heavier breaks of the Landes further south so it’s up to you where you decide to explore. On this given day, the best of the bunch was the Pointe Espagnole or La Bouverie (both past the old lighthouse away from Royan). A bit of advice – hidden as they are from the forest, it’s not the easiest to check the breaks round here so you may have to be a bit more patient than you think.

Surf the biggest sand dunes in Europe at the Dunes de Pyla near Arcachon

Having surfed the small swell at La Côte Sauvage, we decided to make one final detour before heading further south and getting stuck into some serious wave-riding. In fact, it’s probably the best spot to head to when the surf is flat, as there is always some action no matter what the tides or winds are doing. Yep, just by the pretty town of Arcachon you’ll stumble across the biggest sand dunes in Europe at the Dunes de Pyla. A word of warning though – you think you’re local surf break is crowded? Then try this on a bodyboard… Grommets all over the place!

Hope you’re enjoying the ride so far – stay tuned for the next chapter as we head to the heart of the French Basque country!