- Distance: 400m
- Ascent/Descent: 22m up, 0m down
- Time: 8 min
Flew into San Sebastián airport, got to Hendaye, walked the first 800m of trail, ate a pizza.
It was an uneventful trip from the dinky London City airport, landed in San Sebastian airport around 1700. Kinda industrial looking. I was worried a bit about the fingerprinting and whatever new EU biometric ceremony was in place for this trip, but no, just a long line to hand my passport over, get it scanned, and then claim the bags. Out front, there’s a very long line for taxis. Uh… where are they? There’s a bus that goes the wrong direction; we’re just going 3km to Hendaye, across the French border to the north. So we walked 800m to the bus stop and got on some bus.
Now, uh, there’s some youth drill team with white shirts and black hats and rifles in the roundabout in front of us. Does this happen every Monday evening? Hm, here’s the 15 bus to Hendaye, get off for the transfer, wait and be bored and some 15 minutes later notice a little paper on the bus shelter that says it’s San Pedro’s Day so no busses from the next five stops after 1700. Well now, it’s past 6pm
Maybe take some train? Or just walk to France? Hm. Find the train, oh, it is running, it’s 1855 and goes 1km to the border. Sure it’s the right direction. Oh, and there’s a 15 bus that’s just pulling up. Hop on, hop off, get to the hotel around 8pm.
Walked down to the old casino to look for food and see the start of the GR10 and touch the ocean. Hendaye is a pleasant little resorty looking town. Ate pizza, walked back to the hotel. It’s still daylight and sunset is just before 10pm, though we’re west of London we’re also an hour ahead time wise. So yeah, we slept before sunset, always an odd old man like feeling.