A day on the beach at Hondarribia

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It was the hottest day of the year so far in Pamplona so we decided to head to the coast. So did every man and his dog! At one stage the traffic was so bad we nearly turned around and went home. In the end we were glad we persisted. Once we got to Hondarribia, the last town before France, we got stuck in a traffic jam and parked up in a supermarket car park, walking into town from there.

It would appear that of the fortified towns in northern Spain, Hondarribia is the only one left with its entire wall still intact. It is quite amazing to walk around the old city walls. They now enclose the casco viejo, old town, where we found the very informative Tourist Office. From there we walked down towards the river which gave us some great views over towards France.

A nice walkway continues all the way to the beach, passing by the marina on the way. When we got to the beach we were staggered at how many people had the same idea as us! It was really nice just to pass a few hours lazing in the sun. We didn't venture into the sea though, and not too many others did either.

After a few hours we usually get bored and today was no exception. After a welcome rinse off under a tap, we walked out around the peninsula to the lighthouse. The footpath was a bit tricky in places as it has suffered from recent landslides. The views were spectacular and it's not hard to imagine a pirate ship moored in the bay awaiting its next plunder.

On our way back into the centre we passed by the couple of streets of fishermen's cottages. Nowadays many of them are restaurants, bars and souvenir shops. It looks like a great place for a night out. Maybe next time.

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Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Hondarribia
Gla dyou enjoyed the summer weather at the beach.

[rrruss]

Beach weather!
Thanks! It's been a long time coming!!