Before breakfast I booked myself in to Hotel Record in Donostia/San Sebastian, and also the next night in Dax (France already!) Donostia has a reputation of being a bit pricey, and that was reflected in the cost of 60 Euros for a single room in a not particularly posh hotel (compared to 42 Euros in Dax). After breakfast I was sympathising with a fellow cyclist whose bike had just arrived from the airport with the main chain ring bent. He was planning to cycle the Camino to Santiago. Luckily Pamplona is a big town with bike shops so he should have been able to get it fixed. But this is why I don't like taking my bike on a plane.

Initially I followed the N-240-A to Irurtzun, then the quieter NA1300 which paralleled the A15 along the Rio Larraun to Lekunberri, where I stopped for lunch. Then there was a bit of a climb over the mountains to Betelu, from where it was downhill by the Rio Araxes to Tolosa. This is a nice town and I stopped for a coffee break. I was not at all sure of the best route to cycle from here to Donostia, so I popped in to a bike shop (see photo) and asked. The very helpful chap said there was a former rail line converted to a bike route, but he thought it would be a bit rough for my road bike with panniers, so suggested I follow the service roads beside the main arterial. This proved to be easier said than done! Firstly I followed a good quality cycle route for 5km before I suspected (without a GPS) that I was heading in completely the wrong direction. I stopped to ask a local cyclist, who confirmed my suspicions and showed me the right way. So I headed north down the Rio Oria, crossing the river a few times till I reached Andoain, where I left the river and went over quite a steep hill to Hernani on the Rio Urumea which I then followed to Donostia. However the river takes a big meander in the city, and this confused me again! Once again I asked a local cyclist how to get to my hotel, and he didn't just give me directions - he insisted I follow him and he took me all the way there (about 4 km) ! It was a very interesting route involving taking our bikes down a lift (at Puente Mundaiz). I offered to buy him a beer but he was on his way home so declined. I had to ask directions more today than any other so far, and three cyclists had said 'follow me'. I found this willingness to go out of one's way to help very admirable.

My hotel was quite near the coast and it was great to see the Atlantic at last. I arrived about 7pm and after showering, went for a wander westwards to the centre, then found a reasonably priced restaurant, and walked back via the promenade. Apparently Dustin Hoffman was in town for the film festival, but I didn't see him!