San Juan de Gaztelugatxe caught my attention a while ago, thanks to this forum thread by @LionHeart7. I visited it last month when walking the first stages of the Camino del Norte. Here's some information that might be useful to others:
Overview:
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is a little church on a rock, accessed by a path, a bridge and a man-made causeway (241 steps). It's on the Basque coast, between the towns of Bermeo and Bakio - NOT on the Camino del Norte, but easily accessible by public transport. The Basque tourist information website has helpful information about the location and history.
It would be a nice side-trip on a rest day, without a backpack.
A few photos:
If you're thinking of visiting, it might be best to go sooner rather than later. Apparently, it's one of the Basque locations for Game of Thrones series 7. Things could get busy!
Getting there:
San Juan de Gaztalugatxe is easily reached from either Bilbao or Gernika.
From Bilbao - take the A3518 bus to Bakio, from Moyua Plaza. There are hourly buses from 6.30am.
When you get off the bus, it's a 4km walk by the coast San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (a bit longer if you stay on the road). @amancio shared these GPS tracks in the other thread - but you probably won't need them as you just keep the sea on your left.
The return buses leave Bakio at 25 past the hour; the last bus seems to be at 21.25.
From Gernika, take a bus or train (Eueskotren) to Bermeo. Both have very regular services.
As you enter Bermeo, you'll see a line of buses and a small kiosk where you can enquire about the bus times. If there's a long wait for the bus to San J de G, a taxi might be a better option as it's a really short journey.
The bus company is Bizkaibus. It's difficult to find the information online, but very easy to figure it out when you're there. I think there are buses to SJ de G every 2 hours.
The journey from Gernika is IMO a lot prettier than the one from Bilbao. It also involves much less walking - and is cheaper and faster.
How I travelled there:
I travelled from Gernika. I opted for the Euskotren (rather then the bus) to Bermeo - a beautiful journey (about 35 mins) through countryside, marshes and coast. I don't think I would have seen this from a bus or taxi. It cost about €1.70 and there are trains every 30 mins or so.
Bermeo is a very attractive coastal town - worth a lunch stop and a little wander before continuing the journey. I caught a bus from Bermeo at 3.15pm. The bus turned out to be a VW 8-seater taxi van, costing just €1.30. It took 15 minutes and we were dropped off very close to S J de G.
My return journey was to Bilbao, which meant walking to Bakio and catching the bus from there. I enjoyed the walk to Bakio, but found it to be a pretty soulless place and I felt quite out of place as a sweaty pilgrim with a backpack. It has a surf beach and lots of apartment blocks that were empty in May.
My impressions:
I enjoyed my visit, not least because it was pretty quiet when I was there. Had there been crowds, I might have hated it! Although it was fun to climb the steps, my favourite part was resting on a quiet rock at the bottom and listening to the ocean.
All of the other visitors were tourists - many in camper vans and hired cars. I was carrying a full backpack and I got some strange looks. Even with the smaller numbers, the vibe was very 'touristy' - a lot of selfies and group photos, some in very precarious and foolhardy poses.
This wasn't a particularly strenuous or difficult walk - while it might give a tourist a sense of achievement, it's unlikely to have that effect on a hiker or a pilgrim. However, it's still a cool place to visit and an interesting thing to do on a rest day. But if you're expecting a 'wow' factor or a deeply spiritual experience, you might be disappointed.
Nuala
Overview:
San Juan de Gaztelugatxe is a little church on a rock, accessed by a path, a bridge and a man-made causeway (241 steps). It's on the Basque coast, between the towns of Bermeo and Bakio - NOT on the Camino del Norte, but easily accessible by public transport. The Basque tourist information website has helpful information about the location and history.
It would be a nice side-trip on a rest day, without a backpack.
A few photos:
If you're thinking of visiting, it might be best to go sooner rather than later. Apparently, it's one of the Basque locations for Game of Thrones series 7. Things could get busy!
Getting there:
San Juan de Gaztalugatxe is easily reached from either Bilbao or Gernika.
From Bilbao - take the A3518 bus to Bakio, from Moyua Plaza. There are hourly buses from 6.30am.
When you get off the bus, it's a 4km walk by the coast San Juan de Gaztelugatxe (a bit longer if you stay on the road). @amancio shared these GPS tracks in the other thread - but you probably won't need them as you just keep the sea on your left.
The return buses leave Bakio at 25 past the hour; the last bus seems to be at 21.25.
From Gernika, take a bus or train (Eueskotren) to Bermeo. Both have very regular services.
As you enter Bermeo, you'll see a line of buses and a small kiosk where you can enquire about the bus times. If there's a long wait for the bus to San J de G, a taxi might be a better option as it's a really short journey.
The bus company is Bizkaibus. It's difficult to find the information online, but very easy to figure it out when you're there. I think there are buses to SJ de G every 2 hours.
The journey from Gernika is IMO a lot prettier than the one from Bilbao. It also involves much less walking - and is cheaper and faster.
How I travelled there:
I travelled from Gernika. I opted for the Euskotren (rather then the bus) to Bermeo - a beautiful journey (about 35 mins) through countryside, marshes and coast. I don't think I would have seen this from a bus or taxi. It cost about €1.70 and there are trains every 30 mins or so.
Bermeo is a very attractive coastal town - worth a lunch stop and a little wander before continuing the journey. I caught a bus from Bermeo at 3.15pm. The bus turned out to be a VW 8-seater taxi van, costing just €1.30. It took 15 minutes and we were dropped off very close to S J de G.
My return journey was to Bilbao, which meant walking to Bakio and catching the bus from there. I enjoyed the walk to Bakio, but found it to be a pretty soulless place and I felt quite out of place as a sweaty pilgrim with a backpack. It has a surf beach and lots of apartment blocks that were empty in May.
My impressions:
I enjoyed my visit, not least because it was pretty quiet when I was there. Had there been crowds, I might have hated it! Although it was fun to climb the steps, my favourite part was resting on a quiet rock at the bottom and listening to the ocean.
All of the other visitors were tourists - many in camper vans and hired cars. I was carrying a full backpack and I got some strange looks. Even with the smaller numbers, the vibe was very 'touristy' - a lot of selfies and group photos, some in very precarious and foolhardy poses.
This wasn't a particularly strenuous or difficult walk - while it might give a tourist a sense of achievement, it's unlikely to have that effect on a hiker or a pilgrim. However, it's still a cool place to visit and an interesting thing to do on a rest day. But if you're expecting a 'wow' factor or a deeply spiritual experience, you might be disappointed.
Nuala
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