CANONICAL MASTER PLAN · MARCH 2027 · v4

Basque Country
Bikepacking

The living trip plan: ferry, loaded touring, coastal riding, a two-night Zarautz base, weather flexibility and a transport-safe return to Bilbao.

9 dayscore itinerary

5 daysannual leave

300–375 kmoverall riding target

5–7k mtarget climbing

Route concept

The plan progresses from Bilbao through Urdaibai and the coastal corridor towards Lekeitio, Deba, Zumaia and Zarautz, then uses Donostia as a weather/rest buffer before returning to Bilbao for the ferry.

Core rule
Enjoyment over distance. Do not recover a shortened day by adding a large amount of climbing to the next day.

Ferry-safe strategy

Friday: work → Rosslare → ferry.
Sunday: arrive Bilbao and begin the trip.
Zarautz: two-night base with an unloaded gravel day.
Donostia: deliberate weather/rest buffer.
Return: E1 is the default ferry-safe repositioning option.

9-day sequence

Morning decision

GREEN
Ride the primary route.

AMBER
Shorten the route and keep the next rail station in mind.

RED
Shorten aggressively or use Euskotren.

Transport fallback

Euskotren E1 is the key Bilbao–Donostia fallback identified in the canonical plan, with relevant stations including Deba, Zumaia, Zarautz, Orio and Donostia.

Keep offline maps, saved stations, a charged phone and enough food to absorb an unplanned transport change.

Accommodation

Bilbao: HOSTEL Quartier Bilbao / Poshtel Bilbao.
Gernika: Hotel Gernika / Boliña.
Lekeitio: Camping & Bungalows Leagi / Trinkete Hostel / Hotel Zubieta.
Deba / Itziar: Camping Itxaspe / Hotel Kanala.
Zumaia: Camping & Bungalows Zumaia / Hotel Flysch.
Zarautz: Pensión Zarauz Playa.
Donostia: Koba Hostel / A Room in the City / Pensión La Perla.

Booking philosophy

Do not book every night far ahead.
Book the first night if arriving by ferry.
Book San Sebastián ahead where practical.
Treat camping as an opportunity, not the backbone.

Verify for 2027
Seasonal campsite openings and current accommodation details must be reconfirmed for the actual dates.

Food system

Breakfast → café/bakery → substantial lunch or supermarket meal → final-third snack → recovery food → dinner.

Carry one emergency 300–500 kcal snack block.
Start eating within roughly 30–45 minutes.
Target roughly 50–70 g carbohydrate/hour as a starting point.
Use local bread, cheese, yoghurt, fruit, nuts and tortillas.

Gear readiness

Ridley Kanzo · 45 mm tyres.
Alpkit Aeronaut tent.
1-season sleeping bag + silk liner.
Primus Lite Plus Feed Zone purchased for €75.
Fork cages + 15 L saddlebag + small top-tube bag.
Next useful capacity: 9–12 L handlebar bag.

Pre-trip test
Test the complete sleep system around 3–7°C on the Irish gear-test trip.

Family / emergency

This section is intentionally simple. Personal details are not yet populated.