HRP Day 2 - Bera to Elizondo

We're not in the mountains yet and even in good weather the terrain is difficult to navigate (with forests, restricted views and lots of junctions). The dire weather will make navigation more painful (with the inconvenience of being in the clouds, the risk of wet maps etc) so I've decided to follow the GR11 all the way to Elizondo today. Much of the route is common with the HRP but by sticking with the GR11, I can reduce navigation to following red and white stripes. According to the GR11 information panel in Bera it's a 9 hour 20 minute day, so there isn't a lot of time to mess around.

I have a great breakfast in the bar beside the hotel, then head into town to buy a lunch sandwich and hit the trail. The rain is never horribly heavy but it's always there. Given the forecast, I've brought an umbrella to try out; sometimes it helps (when the rain is heavy and the trail is easy) and sometimes it is a hindrance (when I'd like to use my walking poles going down a steep slope). There's a lot of climbing and descending and I focus on keeping a good, steady pace and looking out for these wonderful red and white stripes.

Apart from a 5 minute break to eat my sandwich, I kept going all day. The last 8 km to Elizondo were gently downhill and I passed some fellow HRP hikers there. My feet had been soaked all day and were a bit uncomfortable towards the end. But, after an 8 hour day, I arrived in Elizondo and, just like that, the rain stopped. 

Elizondo and typical Basque architecture

Bera and Elizondo both seem quite typical of Basque towns on the Spanish side of the border (or, as the Basques say, the southern Basque country). You find the same solid buildings and general tidiness that you find on the French side, but more of the buildings are apartment blocks rather than big individual houses. 

Even modern buildings share the traditional architecture

I find my hotel (the Hotel Elizondo) and get installed; the immediate priority is a shower and changing into dry clothes. I'm feeling better by the time I wash my hiking gear and start the process of drying everything. Later I go out to a bar for my evening meal and neither French nor English work. But the barmaid understood enough of my horrible Spanish and I ate and drank well. Fortunately, the forecast is much better tomorrow!