During our first weekend in Bilbao we were having drinks in the streets of Casco Viejo (first unsurprising fact in this post). There had been a protest that afternoon (second unsurprising fact in this post) and the calles were full of manifestantes having post-march copas.
In a conversation with a group from the march, one of the women suggested that we visit a nearby coastal town called Lekeitio. I searched for it in Google Maps while we were talking and it looked beautiful. I created a Near Bilbao list, saved Lekeitio to it, and made a mental note that we needed to explore Euskadi more deeply when the weather got warmer. [January is damp and dreary in Northern Spain, not exactly great beach or hiking weather.]
A few weeks later, during a cold and rainy stretch that had me craving the aforementioned beaches, I started to think more about the places we should visit when spring arrived. I remembered that conversation in Casco Viejo and did a bit of research on Lekeitio. I decided that it would be a nice place to celebrate our anniversary [10 years??] at the end of May [and hopefully the arrival of warmer days.]
Getting There
While the mountainous terrain surrounding Bilbao is beautiful, it has prevented the development of rail lines. Therefore, unlike other parts of Spain/Europe, Euskadi is not well connected by train. This leaves me a bit sad, as I have always enjoyed a copa in the cafe car of a Renfe train. However, the province of Bizkaia has instead developed a great bus system, Bizkaibus, that is reliable and inexpensive. The trip to Lekeitio from Bilbao took less than 90 minutes and, since we have Barik cards, cost about 2€/person.
Drinks with Views
I made a reservation at a hotel next to the pier, just outside of the old town, with a balcony overlooking the beach. We enjoyed plenty of ☕️, 🍷, and 🍺 there during our weekend stay. [We even streamed the weekend’s Gran Prix there during a break in our Sunday hiking itinerary.]
While wandering around the pier on our first evening, we also discovered a bar with similarly stunning views called Talako. A round of drinks was 5€ [roughly $5.40, the standard for this area] and, while there weren’t many tables to sit at, they offered cushions to make sitting on the ground more comfortable. No matter which direction we looked, there was something beautiful to see. [In one direction, the pier, in another, an island, and beyond the beaches, hills with idyllic country homes and herds of sheep.) We had two rounds there that evening and obviously returned the next day as well!
In addition to the hike described below, we took the short, but steep, walk up to Mount Lementza for even more wonderful views of the town and sea. We followed this with a walk along the coast to Santa Katalina Itsasargia. [Itsasargia is lighthouse in Euskera]. There was a small bar overlooking the lighthouse and the bay where we enjoyed drinks (third unsurprising fact in this post) before making the trip back to town.
A Unique Hike
I had done some research about hiking in the area (fourth unsurprising fact in this post) before our trip . A recommendation given by multiple sites was the Isla de Garraitz. The islet is located about a quarter of a mile from the shore and contains a trail to a mirador with more amazing views. The hike is unique in that it is only possible at low-tide, when a pathway between the beach and the islet is exposed.
All of the posts about the hike that I’d read warned against spending too long on Garraitz, as you’d risk needing to swim back to shore. When reading these posts, I understood very little about the tidal schedule. While the hike intrigued me, the thought of swimming back meant I had basically ruled out the possibility. I figured we would just admire the Island from the shore.
During breakfast on our first morning, I noticed that the trail was already exposed and some folks had started to take the hike. I looked-up the tide times, and low tide was still 2.5 hours away. I realized that the trail would definitely be accessible long enough for us to make the trip ourselves. We finished our tortilla and went back to our room to get ready!
The posts about the hike also called the pathway narrow, which had me feeling nervous about falling into the water. But, this risk was also overstated. The path was definitely wide enough for us to feel comfortable making the trip. Though, the algae that covered the pathway made it slippery. That was really the only treacherous element of the journey.
The actual hike on the Isla was only about a half-mile and the views from the mirador were stunning, as always. We enjoyed a mid-hike beverage (I’ve lost count of my unsurprising facts at this point, but that’s another one) before making the return trip to shore. I didn’t want to take any risks when it came to the tide!
When we sat on the beach that afternoon we continued to look towards the island to see if anyone got stranded. While some hikers started their trip much later than I’d have been comfortable with, it seemed that everyone made it back to shore before the pathway was submerged once more.
Other Trips in Euskadi
Later that week, when we returned to Bilbao, one of our neighbors provided us tips on other locations that we should visit in the region. He first drew us a map at the bar, but later went to the Tourism Office to obtain an actual guide, in which he made lots of notes.
While our next trip will be to explore another Northern Spanish Autonomous Community in Galicia (we’re hoping to make it to as many of the Autonomous Communities as possible during our time here), we’re planning to use his recommendations for trips later this summer and into the fall.
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