Bilbao, Northern Spain

Bilbao

Camino Monte Kobeta
Bilbao
N43˚15.572’  W002˚57.806
€15 a night and worth every penny.

Again when we arrived at the camper-stop we were really surprised by the lovely panoramic views across Bilbao.  It was situated really high up so that we looked out over the whole of Bilbao.  The parking is marked out over two terraces and is adjacent to pleasant parkland.  There is one local bar and its at least 20 minutes downhill walk to the outskirts of Bilbao.

We had our own electric and water supply on the pitch and security on the gate until 12 every night, which, for a city camper-stop, made it feel really safe.   Next day we caught the Bilbobus number 58 which stopped outside the site into the City centre.  The cost was only 5 euros return for the both of us.  The bus came along every half an hour even on a Sunday and it was surprising how many people used it.

One thing we wanted to do in Bilbao was to sample the Pintxos (Basque tapas) which are different flavoured food often on a slice of baguette. The bars in this area are well known for this and the locals spend a Sunday lunchtime doing a bar crawl sampling the various pintxos which are lined up along the bar.  We were surprised at some of the bars were so popular and had queues outside.

The pintxos certainly looked mouth-watering and they were ideal for us as we love experimenting with different food combinations.  It was easy to order what we wanted too as we just had to point to what we wanted.

Afterwards, we strolled around the cobbled lanes of the Old Town had coffee and done a bit of people watching in the sun.  Bilbao has the Guggenheim museum but by the time we found it time was getting on.  We are not really museum people but I do regret not giving it a go now so we said that next time we are in the area we would visit it.

When we got back to the motorhome we sat watching the city as first a few lights went on then eventually the whole of the city in front of us was lit up.  One of the buildings even put on a little laser show.   It was better than watching the TV and I am sure when we are home watching the TV on a Sunday night we will think back to the night we just sat and watched the lights.  Next morning was spectacular to wake up again to the view.  I’m afraid the photos just don’t do it justice.

We did consider catching the FEVE narrow-gauge railway, which is reportedly one of the most spectacular lines in Europe.  It runs along the coast between Bilbao in the east and El Ferrol in the west, travelling over dramatic viaducts and offering stunning views of the coast.  The fares are cheap and you can jump off the train at the picturesque bays and fishing ports along the way but when we went to the station in Bilbao there was no one behind the desk in the ticket office and we couldn’t understand the machine or work out which train we needed to get.  Again I think it is something to do on our next trip and perhaps we can try and do more research into it first or arrive at the station on a weekday (when there would probably be someone in the ticket office) to speak to.  As we were driving along the coast anyway we didn’t feel we would be missing out too much.

Click photos for larger images

We drove through the Cantabria many, of which, were hidden down coastal valleys.  There are 60 beaches in Cantabria and most of them have really fine golden sand.