Roadtrip essentials

Useful things for a surf roadtrip

Pillows- padding for surfboards and nice sleep in car/tent

Camping mat (s)

Piping insulation- for boards

USB car charger- so phone is always charged

Sun shield

Cutlery

Camping Chair- brekkie/lunch/dinner and enjoy the view

Plastic bags- getting in and out of wet/ wetsuit/ storage/ rubbish

5L plastics bottles- dodge water for washing up/ rinsing stuff- always worth carrying, fill up at the showers by the beach

Solarez- when you surf, you get dings.

Big old cover- for parking in dodge places

Shopping bags- storage and shopping in Europe

Campingaz- ideal for cooking quickly

Shades- there is sun in places outside the UK- often a decent amount

Cereal- always there when you are hungry

Bucket- for the wet wettie and rinsing it

I wish sometimes I had a plug in cool box- for beers/ food- did the supermarket trip on a daily basis

Most of all an open mind....

Money helps too

Day 25 and 26- Last few days

Another post of 2 days in one here. Not much to comment on for Wednesday, ended up a bit like Tuesday with a chance to practice some golf down at the local range, pack up the house and get the washing dry. The plan was originally to check out the Morlaix coast for some clean surf but looking at the photos on the surf report it was about ankle to waist high at best, so not really worth the 5h round trip. Was an earlyish bed with one objective- surf.

Fortunately I avoided the tempatation to sleep through the alarm. With the car already packed I headed off to Quiberon about 20 mins later than I intended to leave. When I arrived there was surf, a little smaller than I expected around chest high with a stiff cross/offshore wind. The tide was high and time was limited so I didn't check the Cote Sauvage. Instead I went straight to the Southern end of Tata beach where I learned to surf- fortunately the car park is close to the road so it was a quick check before going in.

There were a few peaks. My first reaction was to how cold the water was compared with SW France. I thought the paddle out was going to be brutal but it was not too bad. Waves were quite slow and mellow- a change from the the sand smashers in SW France. Got a few rides and sections for an hour before heading to Le Harve. Grabbed a croissant and quiche at Plourharnel. Stopped in Caen for pullups, fuel and Carrefour stock up for the boat.

Got the boat and splashed 16£ in a day cabin so I can have a shower and a nap. And so ends the trip. I will endeavour to do a reflections post soon about the whole trip. A couple of days in Brittany have probably served as a good general reintroduction to UK life.

Massivley looking forward to Portugal of course.

Day 24

Not masses to report today.  V windy here but nice weather.
Had a wander around St Gildas before heading out to hit some golf on the practice range at the local course.

Managed to get a live stream of Chelsea tonight- good to see them winning comfortably.  Hopefully surf tomo.

Day 23 Not much in Northern France

Full circle- i am back in Brittany.  After my last post from St Nazaire I went to check the surf near St Nazaire- sure enough it was s***, so much so that I did not consider even going in, which as you know from previous posts is pretty rare.  The roads around Batz and La Baule are pretty bad and I don't really rate that part of France.

I headed towards Vannes where not much was going on.  f\rustratingly could not hire one of the bikes there, what prick designed that system who knows.  Every other city in France it is easy ti get a velib, but no not Vannes.

After this hit the road.  At Sarzeau I stocked up on food and some beer.  Have eaten far too much tonight including black pudding.

I miss the surf and exploration, although this is a break from sleeping in the car and not showering properly. The weather is quite windy so may head to N Brittany to fond a sheltered spot.

In the meantime as well as emptying the car, I grabbed a photo of the quiver in the garden.

Day 22 From Gijon to St Nazaire

Headed back to the free camp area last night to park up before heading into to town. Decided that this time I would not miss the true Asturian experience and headed to a Sideira- choosing one that looked more like a local's place even if it was not far from the beach. Was hard to converse but cider here comes by the bottle per person, the bottles are not that large fortunately. They pour it from above there head into a glass. There were lots of nibbles at the bar which turned into my dinner. Cider came to 2.50 Euro which was a bargain especially with all the food- so I tipped them heavily. Plus there was a pourer who spoke some french so we chatted for a bit. The cider is definitely not my preferred type, but as a cultural experience it was awesome.

I walked around the town which was is quite large, I had sore legs by the end. The old town which I missed before is quite nice. People were pouring cider from above there heads everywhere and there were lots of empty bottles at bar tables.

Woke up this morning to check the surf. Looked a bit flat so wandered down the beachfront and towards the town. Got a tortilla and freshly squeezed orange juice for brekkie, before heading back to the car. There appeared to be a marathon going on in fact going right past my car. At first I worried whether it was all day which might make getting to the port difficult- fortunately it finished by 11ish.

There were a few surfers in the water, it looked a bit like the San Seba surf I had. As I was parked close and the weather was nice I thought I would jump in. It was really small and just about surfable. Got a few one turn type waves, including a fun little left. Headed over to this right point break style wave by the rocks where there were some other surfers, however it looked better than it was. The waves were really weak- so I got out.

Got changed and drove towards the port with the help of a locals directions as it was not well signposted, when not on motorway. This side of town is quite industrial and run-down. Grabbed a last minute tortilla before heading to the ferry port.

The ferry was late leaving. It was supposed to leave at 3 but turned out to be 6:30. However in this time I was on the boat, so enjoyed a hot shower- the first in 2 days, eating some Lomo and Curado which I had bought in advance, before grabbing a beer in the sun on deck. Watched the view from the boat as we left, before having another shower.  Grabbed a pastel de nata, Bocodilla and Orangina (the atter striaght from my youth).  

A bit of a rocky crossing, so didn't sleep amazingly.  Ocassionally things would fall off the table.  Have arrived in St Nazaire.

Day 21- Going to Gijon and how I ate 3 ice creams in less than 24hrs

I went into Santander after my last post to check it out.  Had a long walk as only parking space I found was a way out of town.  Grabbed an ice cream- which I have to say was really good, possibly better than San Seba- but much less choice of flavours.  Sanatnder seemed nice in the centre.

Got to Liencres the next day before day break- excited obviously.  However I was to be dissapointed since it was slightly messy.  Got in anyway but it was nothing special so got out fairly promptly.  Headed into Santander parking was a problem.  I soon realised I parked somewhere which seemed a bit dodge so didn't spend long in town.  Got another ice cream- not directly from the chain but from a bakery and portions were not as generous.  Also grabbed some Jamon from the market.

Headed down to San Vicente. Had a surf there but it was small and a bot choppy so didn't catch too much.  Went into the town there which was great.  Saw the same ice cream chain had an outlet there and grabbed another.  Walked up to the Castle and enjoyed the weather.  There was also a pull up bar- so got a few reps out.

From then on drove hot the motorway with a brief side track to the base of the Picos and to see some cows.
Onwards towards Gijon.  The view from the motorway of the mountains was awesome- really scenic drive.

Stopped in Vega which is a nice village, with beach where I had a fun surf in some smallish waves.  Really great setting with views of the mountains and quite quiet.

Now in Gijon, which is massive- bigger than I remember.  Just got some Jeans from El Corte Ingles and hopefully get some dinner in soon.  Am on Spanish time.

WIll have to get the ferry back to France tomorrow afternoon.

Day 20- Around Santander

I had a good night's sleep last night at the hostel  In fact it was catch up.  Did not even get up early for a morning surf.  Got some breakfast in before surfing which is rare in my case.

Headed out in front to Somo, chatting to a Scottish guy on the way down.  Surf was not amazng, really strong cross offshore wind.  At least it was not crowded so got some waves in before heading back up to the hostel feeling knackared.

Headed to the supermarket to get in some Jamon which was good.  Got in  a bit of a fret because thought the ferry was on Mon.  Turns out it was Sun- was really worried I would not get my board repaired in time. Fortunately it was turned around minus cosmetics today s0o drove over to pick it up as well as look at boards in there- eye on a new board, as always.

Headed down the coast- checked Usago- lovely place (see pic) but swell was not getting in.  Headed back to Liencres but had a shit surf- it is possible I'm afraid.  Was crowded as and the waves were avro.  Stocked up on dodge water in the showers and headed towards Santander.  Picked up some more Jamon as well as some local meat pastry called a Currato (was not that great).  Now sitting in McDs grabbing some free wifi.  Can't believe how busy it is- struggled to park.  All this Jamon and Spanish people choose Maccas.

Tomo I think I may heade towards Asturias- will see how the surf is though first.

Day 19- The journey to Cantabria

As with any night out in San Sebastian this one ended late and I felt rough this morning. Hung out with a Californian and a Canadian. We had some good squid at a Pintxos place before drinking more and more beer. Unlike the previous time in San Sebastian I did not top up the meter- I was up by 7:30 and on the road at 8. Stopped in service station and got some cheese (was okay for Spanish cheese) and had some Weetabix.

Headed on past Bilbao to Cantabria which took about 2 hours. Forgotten how nice the scenery is on the motorway there. Unfortunately I did not have time to take it in. I was rushing to get the board repair place in Santander to drop off my nose broken board. Finally found the place after speaking to the guy on the phone (google maps sent me somewhere else).

Headed to the supermarket to pick up some quick lunch before driving down to Liencres. Got a surf in with a few mellowish waves in, but the wind started to pick up which made it hard work. Chilled in the car park in the sun for a bit which was awesome watching the surf. Even though it was a bit bumy I decided to get back in. However I wa a bit tired after the prior night and onl caught one wave before being destroyed.

Headed off to Eroski- although I got in the spinach tortilla, Eroski is not what it used to be- the other surpermarket was much better. I know where I will be stocking up on Saturday. Headed over to the hostel where I am staying tonight and grabbed a surf in at Somo. Was a bit frustrating as the waves were mostly close outs that I caught. Swell is definitely picking up. Had some Manchego for dinner.

Day 18- Various issues

Woke up in Anglet.  Checked Les Cavaliers but the surf was not really on there- looked a bit all over the place.  Headed down to Anglet Club, further south to score some surf.  Conditions were awesome with head high barrels on the sets.  I had session number one, not too many waves as it was really crowded before getting out.

Had brekkie before deciding to go back in, but as there were some steep waves I bust out my step up board.  This is where the problems started.  I went for a wave section and colided full on with a guy going the other way.   Nose is completley screwed- could not find anyone in Anglet who could repair it fast enough. Pissed off- but have dried the ding out.

Had a bodysurf at Anglet before heading to San Seba via the coastal route.  Got into to San Seba, got a belt and decided to stay the night here in a hostel.  So fingers crossed for the car again overnight.

My ferry is now on the 20th which was preferable to cancelling and driving up France- due to a techincal issue apparently.

Day 17- Goodbye mother, back to France (again) and finally a surf.

The day started with a slightly earlier brekkie than normal- the usual fine ham, cheese, omlette, croissants and coffee. It was time to vacate the room and pack up the car.

This was followed by an hour long walk in the mountains and enjoying the views. It was time to say goodbye to Mikel and our finish our stay in Ametzola. We headed back to France along the motorway- no time to stop in San Seba unfortunately. Over the border I was stopped again by a Douane policeman, who was less friendly than the previous ones who had stopped me. He asked me to open the boot, but decided it was not worthwhile searching the car which was a relief.

We continued towards Biarritz Aiport, where I dropped off my mother, after a sandwich and a small beer. I headed over towards les Cavaliers to check the surf, even though I knew the tide was too high. Sure enough the tide was too high and surf looked crap.

I decided to sort out my car by the forest down the road, which included tidying and repairing my board- tail pad and finishing the nose. I wasted almost an hour as I thought I had lost my mobile phone- turend out it was under the seat. After this I rechecked the surf- it looked even worse, which was frustrating.

Drove off to Leclerc- fortunately there was a MaccyDs opposite so headed in there for some wifi. Watched the webcam for a bit- surf still looked sh**- small and messy. Headed into the supermarket to grab dinner and some essentials like mouthwash.

Finally headed back to Le Cavaliers not expecting too much. The wind was still onshore, but there were a few guys out. Desperate to surf I made the call to jump in- got a few sections, although it was really choppy. Reminded me of the ses with Fabian, although he was not there this time. Got out when pretty much dark and headed back to the car for dinner. Now it has started to rain in that coastal drizzle kind of way- so took shelter in the MaccyDs at La Barre. However frustratingly as I write this there is no wifi in here- so will have to decamp to the other MaccyD's to post this update and cruise the internet before bed.

Were a few other campers in Les Cavaliers, but not the same as Les Estagnots. Tomo or the day after I will be heading back to Spain- lets see how the surf is tomo.

Day 16- flat Mundaka, beer at Bakio and still no surf

Woke up this morning and headed down for some brekkie. Not hungry but Spanish ham, coffee, cheese ect- you can't help yourself but get involved- felt pretty full afterwards.

Had job interview over the phone, oh dear my phone bill is probably growing at a fast rate.  Eventually we headed out towards Bakio in search of surf.  On arrival it was flat but we had beer overlooking the beach and some lunch in the nice sunny weather.

After this we headed to San Juan church to keep my mother entertained but it was closed.  Checked Mundaka- but no waves alas.  Fairly unspectacular first Mundaka visit.  Drove onto Laga but still no waves so no surf.

Quick walk near Gernika and a stop at Repsol where absolute top bloke gave us a had with tyre inflation...big up random Repsol garage man.  Drove on to Amboereita before heading back up the mountains for a great chicken dinner with bee, wine and liquor.

Sweet- surf again tomo- end the three day surf draught.

Day 15: Mountains, food, art and lost in Bilbao

Woke up after a good nights sleep to mountain air here in spain. Headed down for breakfast which consisted of smoked cheese, ham and an assortment of other meats as well as coffee. After this leisurely brekkie, went out for walk around the mountains.

Walk around the mountains was good. Headed up two different slopes with a bit of a view, before walking back and grabbing some basque cake.

Headed into Bilbao, parked up and hot some lunch. Food not as good as San Seba. Went to the art gallery and viewed some art- which my mother reckoned was amazing. Some modern and old stuff- including a few naked breasts ect interesting for me anyways. I went and did a few pull-ups too.

Exiting Bilbao was interesting- in fact it took ages, partly thanks to the fact that mother sent me on the wrong stretch of motorway Drove through a stretch of tunnels whch was quite a feat of engineering, before winding up the mountains back here. Had a great dinner of salad, duck, crème caramel and loads of booze (again).

Job interview tomo so plenty of prep tonight- fun times.

Day 14 No surf but plenty to eat

2 weeks- milestone
Today I woke up in Bayonne, had some brekkie at the hotel before looking around the town with mother.  I was saving myself for Spain, but then saw a chocolat almond croissant and indulged.

After a little morning stroll around Bayonne, hit the motorway and headed to Espana- detination San seba again!  This time I was not paying which makes a change because San Seba, like Bayonne, can burn a whole in your wallet.

Had a wander before going back to one of the Pintxos bars I went too before.  Had a good little lunch with beer and some nice tapas as well as eggs in this trendy place.  Then headed for a massive ice cream (dream) again- tiramasu, chocolate and yoghurt- nice.  After that strolled the town up to La Concha, before grabbing some amazing truffles.  So San Seba trip no. 3 you are on the cards, after all I need another ice cream.  Finally checked Zurriola- surf was crowded and messy- had I been on my own would have got in, but had to move on.

After an easy motorway cruise to Bilbao it was time to head up to where we are staying in the mountains.  This in itself was an adventure.- we drove up various mountains before getting on the striaght and narrow.  Met this massive mountain dog who not leave us alone.

Got to the place- just had soup, turbout, loads of booze and feel quite wrecked without a night out.

Pictures to follow, when I grab USB cable.

Day 13- Surfing la pointe and dinner with my mother

Ahh bed and warm shower.  I slept a lot this night- went to bed at 9:30 and got up after 8.  This was a catch up sleep.  Proper cold this morning though.  Hightide was at all the beaches do not much surf when the swell is this small.

Waited for the tide to drop and headed to La Pointe between Capbreton and Labenne.  Had a great surf at here with nice little steep waves. Thought I was almost in a barrel with a grab rail.

After this I headed down to Bayonne to pick up my mother from the airport.  We headed up to Hossegor to grab some oysters before going back down to Bayonne to the hotel.  Checked in at the hotel and had a nice shower- awesome with proper bathrobes.  Living the luxury- world away from sleeping in the car

Down into down and had some dinner on my mother- confit de canard, most welcome.  Walked back up the hill and had a large piece of gateau basque- kind of tired now.

Back to Spain tomo.

When I was...

When I was in audit, I wore a suit, I carried a laptop, I sat in front of the computer, I watched excel,  I even got up to speak to the client- sometimes the client would speak to me, other times they would not.
Now I surf, I wear a wetsuit, I carry a surfboard, I sit in the ocean, I watch the sets, I even paddle for them- sometimes they close out (most the time) other times they don't. 

Day 12- Pas beaucoup de surf

Wow getting ahead of myself here.  It is only 10 Oclock so this is part one of the post.  Currently the surf is nul.  Early morning surf check the wind was dead on shore and the swell had dropped- not even surfable and cold.  Had a chat with an English bloke who lived in the alps about life, weather, cars and property.

Headed off to get some oysters for brekkie- straight out of the lake.  Have now headed to Hoss for my morning wifi fix.  Next stop bakery- gateau basque collected/

I'm giving up on the barrel- might have to wait until Peniche.

Further update: 16:30:
After the morning wifi update I headed to les Estagnots- which still looked s***.  Had another chat with English bloke before heading to the forest.  Hit a few golf balls into the forest and sat listening to some tunes in my car.

Headed back to les Estagnots- surf looked doable so got in a quick session.  Had a few okay waves actually.  I timed it just right as when I got out the wind picked up again and all the windsurfers were heading out.  Grabbed some weetabix.

Have now checked into a hostel down in Labenne- nice to have a non beach shower and unlimited wifi.  Gonna hit intermarche for dinner.  Doubt there will be much more drama today- bit of an aftershot after last 2 days of swell.  Keep watching the webcam but surf looks univiting.   Checked la Pointe but did n ot look great
Had the best black pudding for dinner, as well as some brebis, pasta and tomato sauce.

Peniche pro

Have I been watching- no because I have been surfing and I am not in Peniche.

Day 11- solid swell, panic and la Grav

The morning started with my last blog update, so here is the rest of the day.  Went first thing with Dan for a coffe at the expensive place.  After that grabbed a pain au chocolat for post surf and put the gateau basque on order for my mother (and me).  Then it was time to say goodbye to Dan who was heading down towards Spain.

I headed to Les Estagnots where we checked earlier, after checking solid la Grav.  Surf was cranking- so I grabbed the step up board and paddled out.  It was a mental paddle ou, I am proud of myself for making it out back.  Didn't catch any barrels unfortunately but got a few waves.  Headed back into the car park for my well earned pain au chocolat and weetabix- car park life.

Later I headed out for ses number 2.  The tide had dropped and the waves were really barreling.  I took some wipeouts including a smash in the sand, which was a bit off putting.  I got my best wave putting a few turns together.  I got out for a pee then back in,  but again the tide had pushed and the paddle was brutal on my tired arms.  Got some more waves- but frustrating I just seem to pick close outs.  Then was getting caught in a rip so got out the water to avoid too much hassle with that thing.  Waves were heavy again today- hit the sand a few times.

I was planning to get oysters- in fact pulled up to the place, but then got a txt from natwest informing me of a new payee which I did not recognise.  Paranoid I headed back to Hossegor- grabbed an orange juice at the bar we were in earlier.  To my horror the wifi did not work.  Went to another bar but they were such pricks. Instead headed to Salon de The where I got a nice coffee, with good service and finally wifi. Realised the payee was not a problem.

Headed back other to Hoss beach and checked around la Grav.  Swell had dropped and wind had swung a bit onshore.  Looked less intimidating so I paddled out.  GOt a few waves but it was so fast and heavy that I just striaifght lined bombed like a kook. Kids were doing airs and stuff and I realised that I was not as good as them, as well as risking board and body in this shore dump wave.

Got out, had a chat with the parents before heading to Leclerc to get dinner.  Couldn't find any water in Hoss so headed back to les Estagnots for a bit to rinse my gear and chilled in the car park for a bit.  Now nursing a beer back nr the main hoss square- writing this.  All seems quite quiet.  May stay in Hoss tomo or head down to Anglet.  Swell dropping right off- but has been great to days of sun, surf, getting on my step up board even if I haven't got barreled or caught the wave of my life.

Do I miss England?

I miss beer and football- especially Chelsea, who seem to be doing ok now I'm abroad.
I haven't thought about money- yet!

Day 10. Between Capbreton and Seignosse

Woke up this morning slightly cold after camping. Put some tea on the campingaz but it did not taste great by any means.

Headed to Les Estagnots this morning for session number one. Took out the step up board for the first time and caught a few waves as well as wipouts. Although it looked sizey it was not too heavy. Saw Dan on the beach.

Grabbed some weetabox for brekkie before going out for session number 2, same board and beach. Got quite a few waves and Dan got some good photos. Weather was stunning. I had a some more weetabix and mackerel before joining Dan in the bar. We chatted for a bit. After lunch the wind had really got up and it was looking quite messy. In light of this I heade down to Capbreton, but thw tide was not really back.

Headed to Leclerc to get suncream and some beers. On the beach I met Dan and realised the beer I ha bought was 6.7%- so the whole thing was not drunk. I weighed up going in but it looked messy and hard work. I had a quick body surf but was destroyed by the current. In light of this I headed back to Capbreton for a surf. Now the tide was right and it was a fun little sun down session. Post this I headed back to Seignosse. Cooked some Casoulet on the campingaz. However all my savings have just been blown on 2 6Euro beers- couldn't resist the Jap beer, but bloody hell its expensive, should have stuck to European piss beer. Still have the washing up to do- fun, fun. But all in all a good day, pretty knarcked sun and surf.

Currently Wednesday morning- surf looks good again and solid.  Just off for a coffee, some wifi then surf.

Still haven't been back to bakery, oysters and barrels.  Waves were not really barrelling yday.  Certainly colder than last week.

Day 9 The road back to Hoss

So last night in San Sebastian started with an ince cream (no. 2 in a day), then developed into another night out with the rest of the hostel- much beer was again drunk.  In fact I woke up quite hungover and had to run over to where the car was parked and top it up so I had time to shower ect.  Had a chat with Californian guy and headed off.

I got a quick pastry on the way back to the car before heading over to France. I got off the motorway around Guethary to drive up the coast road which is slower but scenic.  The waves looked small to non existent.  Then as I was driving a Douane policeman pulled up in a motorbike and said he wanted to pull me over.  I looked in my mirror and there were two more- I had a full police escort through France like the Prime Minister.  I stopped where directed and got out.  They wanted to know where I was going, whether I had canabis and/ or bought anything expensive in France.  I suspect that many people try and get weed across the borded so I understand their motive for stopping me.  They were quite friendly and realised I was just surfing- so they didn't bother searching my car (maybe because it was such a bloody mess).

I headed up to Anglet.  On the way through I grabbed a quiche at an artisan bakery which was awesome and a freshly squeezed orange juice.  Checked the surf but it was barely rideable so headed to the golf course.

My first Golfing experience- course wise:
So I decided to play a 9 hole course which I managed to blag even withou the liscence.  This was a humbling experience- I am really sh** at golf.  The first hole was par 4 and I did in 9- not terrible for first go.  Then I got on the fairway on hole 2.  But by the 3rd hole things deteriorated.  I had to let people pass as I was taken so long.  I contemplated giving up, but eventually finished the course- I gave up scoring on Par 3, there would have been so many penalties.   The weather was amazing.  But I am crap at golf and was stuggling with a muscle pull, which I think came from last night's dance off with a local in San Seba.

After feeling quite humbled at golf I rechecked Anglet up at Cavaliers, but it was barely surfable and the surf was meant to pick up.  So i headed to Bayonne to get some gel for my pulled muscle and a quick wander before Dan called.  We aranged to meet up later.  On the way I stopped at Carrefour in Tarnos for a big pitstop including some Brebis and new shorts (my others are covered in Spanish ice cream- although I sometimes wear them).

Then headed up to Capbreton to la Piste.  The waves were stilll small and breaking on the sure.  I spoke to this surfer girl who looked so hot (although despite are convo I don't think she was interested) and she reckoned the waves were not surfable.  I begged to differ.  When Dan came along I grabbed my board and went in.  Unfortunately on my first wave I broke the nose of my surfboard (again).  In the sunset the UV would not dry the resin, so it remains unfixed- something I am pissed off about.  I grabbed the handplane and had a body surf while Dan took photos.

Then we headed up to Capbreton town.  I was not gonna have dinner, having had a Brebis croissant followed by Brebis yoghurt (a Matt  special) but saw Dan's steak and then ordered a tartare myself.  Now I write this having eaten far too much.  The last few days esp San Seba, but also today have burned a whol in my wallet. I am many Euros down.  It is back to the aire Camping and the campigaz for the next few days.  Don't expect so many wifi updates.

1st hole

  On the fairway- a rare sight

 steak tartare Ihope I don't regret this

San Sebastian- Day 8

So last night I arrived in San Seba in the pouring rain and got soaked.  After finally having a hot shower I blogged much.  I should mention the Pintxos and ice cream I had after- they were amazing.

Then I met this Basque guy staying in the same room and he was a surfer from Zarautz.  We had a long chat about all things surfing and headed out for Pinxos (again) and beer.  We met up with the Irish guy in our room.  Not being in the car I indulged in  having quite a few beers.  Woke up in time to move the car.

I knew there was a little swell running this morn so I headed down to the exposed end of Zurriola in the car and had a quick surf.  Although it looked alright from the shore, the clean lines just closed out and it was a pretty un epic surf, although I was in boardies (haha).  The weather today was epic.  I had a tortilla and coffee and a stroll around San Seba.

Then decided to head to Zarautz.  This was a bit of a waste of time as the wind had gone onshore, swell dropped and there wa nothing shortboardable there- so I had a wander and an ice cream before heading back to San Seba.

Had a nice quick swim at Ondaretta and a walk up the hill, before heading back to Centro, where I have checked into another hostel- couldn't leave San seba in the end.  Am looking forward to my next Pintxos tonight.  This weekend has been heavy on my wallet for sure.

Heading back to Hoss tomo with objective: Barrels, Oysters and bakery.  

Quik pro

Once in a lifetime opportunity to see the world's best surfers.  This is what I spent 3 days solid driving for.
Was it worth it?  On the whole yes, but not quite how I expected.

The surf was awesome, although I didn't see Kelly surfing well.
There were plenty of things to look at but not so much to chat to.
It was less commercial than I expected, but the atmosphere was good.  It got in the way of surfing, but alas, it was a good second best.
It was often on hold and moved between la Grav and Le Penon.

We were routing for Brazilian kid Medina in the final, but Mick fanning won.

That completes some mammoth blogging for tonight.

Do I miss Hossegor?

I don't miss:
Having to drive- everywhere
Roundabouts- far too many
Wifi- how is it so difficult if you run an establishment that advertises having wifi to have wifi that ACTUALLY works.
Sandy feet- gets tiring after a while
Hossegor in the rain- not a good look
Wipeouts- way too heavy
My car- ok I do miss it

I do miss:
Random convos with people- like the Corsicans, Italians, Spanish ect
The waves- they have power
Hossegor in the sun- parfait
Hossegor on the cheap is doable.  San Sebastian is not cheap.
The area- maybe spread out but has a special feel about it
The bakery (how have I only been there once this trip?)
My car- currently a 20 minute walk away

Will I be going back to Hossegor?- YES of course.  I still need to get barreled, try the step up board, eat oysters, revisit the bakery and I won't have the distraction of the pro.  And even if it ain't as social- I can surf, which is ultimately something I should be doing more of.  Only had one session today- slacking.

Day 7- 1 week

Wow 1 week ago I set off- time flies.  TBH the first 3 days were not much.  All the pro is over now and I have left Hossegor- quel horreur.  In fact the rain continued this morning to pour- the surf looked crap too.  So I headed into town.  Grabbed an expensive coffee, followed by quiche and croissant almond choc (amazing) and then bought a board sock for the unsurfed step up board.

I drove down to Anglet, stopping in Labenne to say hi to Paul who's hostel I'll probably stay at for a night next week when not camping.  The rain continued.  I had agreed to meet Fabian who surfed with me back at LSE in Anglet.  When I arrived the surf lookded dribble and it was raining.  We made the call to go in.

In fact Fabs brought the Sun because the afternoon was lovely.  We had a fun surf in quite crappy waves- followed by a coffee and some deep conversation re careers and the need to surf regularly.  It was good to see Fabs after all those years and at 34 he seems younger than me.

I stayed in the car park waiting to dry off some of my stuff and have car reorganise.  This followed by checking out Anglet's golf facilities, but alas did not have time to play this afternoon.

As the surf is down this weekend I figured I would head to San Sebastian- for some tapas and a change of seen from the Hossegor.  So here I am in a hostel which although clean is quite boring (where is everyone?).  I think Ill spend Sunday nigh in San seba too but lets see how it goes.  Just grabbed an icecream and tapas- that is what I cam here for.  Also had a proper shower rather than one at the beach and am not camping for once.  Clearly expensive weekend, but hey how often can you drive 1 hour to San Seba.  Swell due Monday evening, maybe chance of a small wave tomorrow at Zurriola in town- but will have to top up the horrendously expensive parking here.

Day 6

I am still working one day behind so the accuracy of these posts and detail is contestable.  Day 6 was yesterday, but it was a good day- mainly involving the final of the quik pro which I will cover in a separate post.
The morning started off by waking to find the contest was on hold (again), despite quite nice offshore conditions.  The day started quite slowly which wad frustrating with me trying to find wifi and grabbing some food from Leclerc.

Frustratingly I got in the water at Le Penon (new contest site for the day) at around 11.  Dan had just got out the water and I saw him on the way in.  The paddle out was brutal- took a good half an hour.  The waves were solid (again)- head high barrels.  For the 3rd morning in a row I hit the sand on a wipeout.  Then I got makeable ride despite it closing out- before feeling so tired I cam back in.

Contest was postponed (again) from 12 call time to 1:30.  In this time I cooked lunch on the camping gaz in the car park and dried out some stuff.  Contest was on again at 1:30 finally.  Met up with Dan and we watched 3 quarter finals including Kelly get knocked out.  I went back to the car to top up suncream, but missed the chance to get a photo with Mr Kelly Slater- Dan got a good shot and was clearly so happy.

Watched the second semi and then the final.  After the presentations I grabbed the board for a sunset surf.  The waves had got really messy and it was pretty windy- but got a few sections.

After finally grabbing wifi (see yesterday's post), quite a mission in Hoss, and getting a french take on a burger which was awesome, had a beer with Dan.  Finally could not be bothered to put up my 2 second tent so did the car again- but thankfully I must have had some foresight because the heavens opened and it poured.  Meanwhile I was dry.

Day 4,5

I realised I have not posted for a while now.  That is due to the terrible wifi here in Hossegor.  Nowhere seems to do power and wifi together which is quite frustrating.

Day 4
I posted up until lunchtime.  So after this I watched some of the quick pro which was great at la Grav.  Saw a few heats and had a bodysurf to the south.

Day 5

Started in the morning leaving the Aire de Camping and heading down to les Estagnots.  Surfed there- hit the bottom again...it was fairly solid like the day before with head high barrels.  Yours truly had some wipeouts.  After this I headed for Leclerc in Capbreton for my biggest pitstop depuis Nantes.  Got some breakie and practical stuff in.

Headed back to la Grav, but the contest was off which sucked.  Watched some of the groms comp but got bored quickly.  On balance I decided to drive back to Capreton and check the junkyard (le Prevent), which normally handles bu,py conditions.

This was a solid decision- got a few fun waves followed by a convo with some Spanish guys and then some Ile De Re blokes.  After this the contest was on call so I headed back to Hoss- turned out to be off but had a chat with Dan and watched some pros freesurf.  Then headed to Les Estagnots for sundown ses.

This was pretty mellow surf, but fun way to end the day.  Got back to the carpark to get out the camping gaz for dinner.  Then came the mother of all Thunderstorms- truly spectacular.  The windscreen was like a cinema, entertainment for those living feral like me.  Ended up chatting to some Italians in the shelter while the rain poured.  Eventually settled for the car rather than tent- wise move as it rained hard most the night and this morning too.

Day 3 continued and Day 4

As you may have noticed part 1 of Day 3 was posted today.  The wifi at this campsite is quite frankly awful.

So yesterday I managed to ding my board at Hourtin.  Had a chat with the resident Aussie before dinging it again in the car park and then spending the next half an hour fixing it (What a muppet).  Ch

ecked Lacanau for old times, but no waves going down so hot footed down the coast.  The drive around Archachon basin was a nightmare really slow with loads of roundabouts.  Also hit 150k on the car- milestone!

Eventually got on the fast road and hit Vieux Bocau where I am now staying.  Had a beer last night with Dan from London in Seignosse and used the campingaz for the first time which cooks like a dream.  Only label on the bloody pan was nuisance.

This morning through the tent I could here booming surf.  Sure enough it is solid today.  Had a session this morning- bloody hell those waves are powerful.  Got smashed in the sand on my first take off before calling it a day.  Had a chat with German guy back to the campsite.  Sorted the car out this morning while the weather is beautiful and chatted to the Welshies next door.  Need to pack up and head down to the pro now.

Adios.