Resources - Mapped gpx routes for St. Malo to Santander

Here are my mapped routes for St. Malo to Santander by section. 

I am sharing them not because I think they are the best routes but to possibly save you time. I spend hours on the web searching for routes and in the end plotted my own using a mixture of the Velodyssey (Atlantic Cycling Route or Eurovelo 1) and other routes I found from others.

We camped most of the time with the exception of a few nights so be aware that they usually start and finish at a campsite.

Also note that the whole route from St. Malo to Santander can't be mapped as one continuous route as it contains too many waypoints. I found this out the hard way after hours of hard work failed to saved repeatedly. I then divided it into manageable sections which allowed us to either stop at the end of the section or continue into the next depending on our progress and fatigue!

Warning - Please note that these routes have been plotted by me and I am human so bound to make mistakes. When following one of my routes, let common sense prevail and take own responsibility for your safety! 

All of the routes are available via the RidewithGPS website

Section 1 - St.Malo to Iffendic 

Section 2 - Iffendic to Guenrouet

Section 3 - Guenrouet to Les Boues

Section 4 - Les Boues to Esnandes

Section 5 - Esnandes to La Coubre

Section 6 - La Coubre to Montalivet

Section 7 - Montalivet to La Grigne

Section 8 - La Grigne to Biscarosse Plage

Section 9 - Biscarosse Plage to St Girons Plage

Section 10 - St Girons Plage to Hendaye

Section 11 - Hendaye to Durango

Section 12 - Durango to Castro

Section 13 - Castro to Loredo

Last section to the Los Reginas Ferry

Recommendations and key points

1. Carry extra plastic bags in your panniers for future use. I used an extra large bag we picked up at a hotel to pack our sandy (wet) groundsheet into Mr B's pannier. If your panniers aren't fully waterproof, consider lining them with a black bin liner before packing your luggage.
2. Research Ferries and their costs. Some had a charge for bikes and some didn't like the one over the Loire. Mark cash points on your route so you don't run out. They don't accept cards everywhere.
3. Watch out for root humps on the cycle paths, especially those in the shadows of trees as they can really dislodge your panniers and throw you off balance.
4. European drivers are very courteous towards cyclists. It's embedded in their driving culture.
5. Take an extra toilet roll. French camping sites don't usually stock toilet paper in their toilets. We only took one roll and when that ran out, we had to buy four as shops didn't sell single rolls. That took up unnecessary space.
6. Don't assume that a French road with a high reference number eg. D733 would be quiet. We thought we picked a quiet road but it was very busy!
7. Take lightweight travel towels - one for the shower and one for the beach. They fold up small, are lightweight and dries quicker than the normal towels.
8. Take earplugs and an eyemask along. The noise in a camping site can be overwhelming at night and so can the light in the morning.
9. Don't underestimate the heat of the day. We often woke up to a lovely cool morning which evaporated at 11am. The earlier you set off the better!
10. Take the peak of your helmet along. It shields sun and rain. Alternatively take a cap - if you feel comfortable with not using a helmet on a cycle path, it would be useful to keep the sun off your head and out of your eyes.
11. Carry extra water. We used two Aldi (UK)  2L bottles as spares - one in my rackbag and one in Mr B's. They looked rubbish by the end of the tour but worked very well and often!
12. Carry a lightweight multi-tool in your barbag. You never know when you need one.

Day 14 - Irun to Santander - Bus day

Bed was so comfortable and it was a shame to wake up - alarm was set for 7am to get us to the bus on time. No more serious cycling just a lovely bus ride through the Pyrenees to look forward to.

Some stress still as we needed to get the bikes on board the bus and despite the website giving helpful signs that if you book your bike and it's covered (bike bags can be bought from the ticket office) it's ok. See this website for more information - ALSA Bus service bike regulations
We would strongly advise you to go to the ticket office prior to your journey to buy the bicycle cover(s) if you don't like (possible) confrontation with a Spanish bus driver!

Arrived 30min before the bus departure and checked with another driver if we were waiting at the right place using handsigns and broken Spanish. Then crunchline when the bus stops and there was some heated discussion about something between Mr B and the driver (Mr B stayed cool) which was luckily defused by a helpful Spanish girl (fellow passenger) saying it's our own risk and we need to take the front wheels off if the bikes aren't wrapped. (We tried to buy the suggested bicycle covers from the ticket office but it was shut - bus went at 8.45am and ticket office opened at 9am.)

Done that and bikes went into the hold and we went into the bus. Phew what a relief!!

The bus journey flew past - quite unexpected fabulous scenery which reminded us of Switzerland and its green valleys, huge mountains and sometimes low misty clouds. The passenger facilities on the bus had very high specs - each seat had a TV and a USB cable socket available. Passengers had a good movie menu to choose from to keep them entertained. So if you decide to use the bus, keep a USB cable at hand to charge your phone on the bus.

We arrived at Santander bus station where the undamaged bikes were put together by Mr B (only reconnecting the front wheels) and we negotiated our way out of the station via the small lift (had to turn front wheel 90 degrees to fit in!).

Rest of the day was spent looking for a Lidl to find lunch and dinner and heading to Los Reginas ferry to take us across Santander Bay to Loredo where we wanted to camp.

Ok here comes our warning - we paid to camp for two days at Camping Derby Loredo but having sat down and eating the Lidl lunch, we packed up, booked a nearby fabulous little hotel (Hotel Estrella del Alemar) and left Derby Loredo in our wake. Not the campsite for us I'm afraid.  Overpriced by far, a very very small pitch in the surfers area with other small tents, rubbish strewn everywhere and a few dodgy looking characters walking around. I didn't feel safe and we made a move. A loss of money but safety has no price does it.

We can highly recommend the hotel. Walking distance from the beach and Loredo town centre. We paid £91 for two nights (two persons). The best was the breakfast - only £2 per person (or 2.30 Euro) for a lovely continental breakfast. Amazing value and our host Alejandro was so hospitable. Our bikes slept safely in the secure hotel garage that was locked overnight.

ALSA bus which we took from Irun to Santander

Santander view from the Los Reginas Ferry enroute to Loredo

Pool (and my feet!) view at Hotel Estrella Del Alemar

Day 13 - Section 10 to Hendaye

Waking up in a dry tent was bliss which was probably one of the only few highlights of the trip.  (Only joking as the scenary was good but that's about it!) I kept waking up thinking we might need to get a train to Hendaye to get there early to sort out the travel to Santander. Being a not so flexible person was stressing me so much. I like planning and working towards goals and achieving them.  Not knowing what and how things would happen the next day was uncomfortable.

I did mention a few days ago that we jointly decided to end the cycling in Hendaye, having cycled from St. (Saint) Malo, North France to Hendaye, South France and on the border of North Spain.

The big question was how do we get from Hendaye to Santander?! I checked trains and the trip looks dreadful. About 3 or 4 changes and serious possibilities of missing connections. Anyway...later more on that.

We started the last day pedalling through more pine forests and applauded when we managed a shortcut to cut out about 5 miles of the routed cycle track by using a minor road. It was early enough in the day without too much traffic.

I just couldn't get going. Blame it on a lack of sleep,  stress about our onwards journey, this being the last day and everything else. After a couple of stops where I had some encouragement from Mr B, we cycled into Bayonne. Start of a nightmare. The weather turned and became wet and very windy - some breaks followed where you dry off just to get wet again. It was warm so I didn't use my waterproof as we had the start of so many hills which keeps your body heat up.

Into Biarritz with its crazy tourism and sharp uphills followed by similar downhills  - no flats, just up and down constantly. The marked Eurovelo 1 also sent us up and down two ridiculous paths. For the whole 11 days cycling I never pushed my bike but I had to here.  About a 30 degree incline - ridiculous!!

Out of Biarritz we had to cycle on the main road - that's the route - to Hendaye. Strong headwinds with rain in your face, long hills with relative downhills which became precarious due to the strong headwinds.  I could feel my heavy bike wobble which was really scary.

Mr B booked us a B&B in Irun, the first Spanish town alongside the (French) Hendaye. After a few more miles we got over the border - what a feeling! The B&B was fantastic. Excellent facilities and a brilliant English speaking owner Alberto who helped us getting bus (ALSA) tickets sorted after some research whether we would be allowed on the bus. When we mentioned to Alberto that we were considering taking the train, he was very wary about our train plans and suggested we take the bus instead, hence why he did all the kind leg work on our behalf. So kind.

His sister owns the pub next door, Izartxo so after doing some reconnaissance to see where the bus station is, we headed for their pub for a bottle of Crianza Rioja and a celebratory meal.

A day I won't forget easily and when the lanes in North Wales loom I will reflect on this day for perspective!  

Cap Breton

The well signposted bike paths

We arrive at Hendaye!

My angry moment!! I didn't push my bike for the whole trip up to this point - very unfair to give cyclists this ridiculous steep path to get out!

Ok so I have a different top on - I got cold so pulled this one over the pink sleeveless top

In Biarritz

Day 12 - Rest day

When you get close to the end of your route distance, you start to equate it to local routes you know like our 20mi Chester to Farndon circuit or the 6 miles to the centre of town or 12 miles to a neighbouring village and back. It becomes manageable in a bizarre sort of way.

We have 68 miles tomorrow to Irun which is the Spanish side of Hendaye. Mr B booked us onto a B&B (yeah for Booking.com) so hopefully crack Spanish sparkling wine celebrating the complete of our French North to South ride.

The Spanish bit looms though as we are taking the trains from Irun to San Sebastian, then to Bilboa and then to Santander. If we get there earlier we will camp at Loredo which we planned to do anyway.

Today was a sun catch-up day at the beach and pool. So relaxing. Hope all goes well tomorrow! 

Day 11 or section 9. Floods!

We woke up to a porch that were flooded after some heavy rain in the night. Slightly frantic as this is daughter's tent with a 2000 rating nothing like our polycotton big tent which can withstand almost any rain. I had dreams where I woke up in a flood of water then tugging sleeping bag towards the toilet block to sleep there.

Cleaned porch, packed away wet tent which was coated with sand (yuk! Remember to pack random biggish plastic bags for a possible situation like this) and pedalled at 8.30am as usual. First out of Biscarrosse Plage were huge hills. Overtook a group of men cycling in a mini convoy. That felt good!

We both had a very light breakfast so after 12 miles we were famished and made a quick stop to feed the human machines then off again. It was a picturesque stop along one of the lakes - beautiful!

Our first mechanical trouble of our epic adventure was just about 2 miles after that stop when Mr B couldn't uncleat from his left peddle at all. We spent at least 10 or 15min to try and get his Shimano sandal unclipped. It eventually came loose after many twists and turns and it seemed that he lost one of his screws that keep the cleat fixed to the sandal. So cleat off and we continued. Lunch stop just outside Mimizan overlooking the river watching boys jumping into the river from the bridge - won't be allowed in the UK - all health and safety 'whatsits' you know! The boys seemed to have loads of fun - I envied them as I was very hot.

We got going again after a lovely lunch of Edam cheese slices, ham slices and Herta sausages. Lots of protein fuel.

The miles kept going and the pine forests rolled by. When one stopped we entered another. The ground is covered by heather and lots of ferns which were gorgeous. We reached our campsite just after 3.30pm and are looking forward to 2 days here so no pedalling tomorrow. Weather forecast looked rainy again and just when we sat down outside the deluge started, even heavier than the night before. Some spits of moisture into the inner tent but it all held. Big thunderclaps close by. When it died down, I went to the toilet block and saw angry rivers of water patterns on the road heading down the hill. Glad we were not camping in their way!

56 miles done for the day.  Tired and off to sleep.

Day 10 (but section 8) - All off road cycling

Brilliant day! We left this morning in cloudy weather which was threatening to become more serious.  I could see the blueish black clouds on the left and almost wished that it would rain - it was so humid. Mr B said he heard thunder a couple of times. The day stayed like that until around 11am when the sun came out. Luckily it was never as hot as it was a couple of days ago.

Fantastic off road cycling on the best cycle roads ever. See the photos. They even have road numbers - D802 or D804 etc. We went through lovely seaside towns which neither of us have heard about. The cycle roads took us like previous days through thick pine forests which smelled like some shower gel. Saw some geckos but no snakes this time - Mr B saw one crossing the road a couple of days ago where as I only saw snake roadkill - and a big one was that.

We made excellent progress and by lunchtime had about 30 miles done - just another 25 to go. I had terrible foot cramps today - both feet on and off. We are taking electrolyte tablets in our drinks every cycling day so not sure what cause this.

I use two Garmins on this trip. I have an Edge 705 (sorry they don't make them anymore) and a Garmin Vivoactive HR which is on my wrist. Garmin Edge shows me the route which I have pre-loaded and Garmin Vivoactive shows my results with heart rate and tracking all in one. Even shows the current temperature.  Well, Garmin Edge shows the route as a thin blue line on the map. As we near the end, the thin blue line end comes in sight but oh is it slow to get to the last dot! It feels like it will take forever.

Tomorrow is another longer ride this time about 56 miles to a campsite where we want to spend two nights. Looking forward to it.

The thin blue line showing the route - it's those last 5 mile that are never ending!

Gironde Cycling map

Excellent signage on this section

Fabulous bike paths

Results for the day

It's hot in Biscarosse Plage!

Day 9 - Our second rest day

What a lazy day we had. Semi lie in with no cycling to chase us, it promised to be glorious and it was. Swimming, reading and general relaxing today made me wary of tomorrow's next stage down to Biscarosse.  It is going to be another hot day with 28C predicted with a lot of humidity. So more like 32C.

Mr B said there's a big hill around 40 miles to conquer - great. Just when it's really hot and you feel like melting.

So at the moment we are trying to even the balance between cycling and holiday.  Holiday very much on our minds so I need to break it gently to you my lovely readers that Chasing the Sun to Santander might need as name change to Chasing the Sun to Hendaye. Hendaye being the last French town on the Atlantic coast before you hit the Spanish border. We are seriously investigating trains to take us from Irun to Santander. I won't consider that a fail as we cycled France north to south by then and it must count for something! More about our evolving plans  later.

No photos as I left my phone in the tent before I went swimming!

Day 8 - And we thought it would be easy...

A day which we thought would be easy turned out to be quite a challenge despite it being 'just' 44 miles.

It started innocent enough with a long flat which took us through the pine forests with a cool morning breeze.

The road was tedious but totally off road.  Long straights with a bend here and there. It soon changed after 20 miles when we hit a forest with so many hills Brittany was looking like a preamble. On and on it went. The day grew hotter and hotter despite us setting off early trying to avoid it.

We had  brief stop for toilet paper (campsites in France don't supply toilet paper nor toiletseats!) before we hit the pedals again. The last 5 miles were relentless- why is it always the last bit?

We arrived just after 2pm - in time for a cooling shower. Here for another 2 nights (whoopppee!) before we tackle the next section.

Another rest day...

Checking the cycling map in one of the Pine Forests

Lovely bike paths (and me!)

Day 7 - Blissful beach day

Ok so no cycling today but instead a semi lie in and a fab beach day. It was cloudy most of the time but looking at our tan results you wouldn't say so.

Lunch overshot by two hours as we left all phones and watches back at the tent.

Chilled evening with a cheap bottle of white chardonnay (lovely by the way!), Camembert and a Baguette. Had to factor in Sunday tomorrow as France shut down at 12.30pm. A fellow camper lent us a table and two chairs - what bliss. 

We are booked in at a campsite 50mi from here so plan to leave early to get there over lunch time. Weather prediction is 32C !

Day 6 - Two bridges and a ferry

Waking up in the hotel room was fantastic. I slept like a log and felt less body ached than when we were tenting.

The route took us out of Rochefort and onto a good cycle path. A bit of a detour happened as we were faced with an enormous bridge and couldn't believe that we could cycle over it - but we did after finding the right way to go. The bridge looks like an upside down V and very steep. Not good if you are pedalling with a massive load on the bike.

More cycle paths followed and then we were faced with a second upside down V bridge. Again lowest gear to the top and a whizz down. We went through La Palmyre where we camped with my parents about 10 years ago - sweet memories!

The ferry cross the Gironde from Royan was good too as it provided respite from cycling. Arriving at the Port we saw the ferry leaving thinking we just missed it and that a wait will happen. Luckily they were running a double service so our ferry came pretty much 10 min after we arrived but it took another 10 min to offload.

Cycling down after we disembarked was a breeze through pine forests and all along the off road cycle path. Arrived at the campsite after 69.95 miles. Nearly 70 for the day. Tomorrow is our first rest day and I will be diving into the sea after my lie in.
Sitting outside the tent tonight we calculated our distances. An average of 59 miles per day with 6 days done. Not bad. We've also caught up with our deficit and is back on track with time.

Oh forgot to mention my huge accident...we bought dinner and Coke in Soulac.  Arriving at the campsite I discovered that one Coke that I carried developed a very very small puncture hole inside my bar bag soaking everything including my passport...what expensive Coke damage! Hope they let me back into the country with a Coke soaked and stained passport...! It looks aged...

It is a cycling holiday after all - too much cycling and not enough holiday - let's get the balance right.

Love the way the French decorate their roundabouts - wish it will take off in the UK

Ferry over the Gironde

And out comes a big tractor or harvester

On the Ferry across the Gironde

Me and Mr B

First bridge

Cycling through the pine forest

My hayfever escalated so much that I woke up with puffy eyes every morning - this photo shows some extent of it

Day 5 - Do the French get subsidies to buy their own brand of cars?

If I got a penny for every Peugeot, Renault and Citroen I've seen then I'd be a billionaire. I saw my first Ford Fiesta and VW Beetle today in France. They stood out as being the anomaly rather than the frequency we have in the UK which begs the question why do the French stick with the French brands. Mr B thinks it is pure nationalism. I agree.

My route plotting is generally ok but today was a partial fail. We were on some hideous parts of the EV1 which were just tracks here and there with poor signage. I might mention this to ECF in a casual conversation...I plead guilty to the plotting but Mr B was supposed to look them over.  Need I say more! 

I got my first view of the sea as well and wasn't it glorious! We were so close last night in Jard-du-Mer and then this morning in La Tranche sur Mer but no view and not even a sniff of that fine salty air that tells you where you are. I was so happy seeing the sea finally!

Looking at the French map tonight I think we might be halfway down France. If it isn't achieved today it must be tomorrow when we go through Royan. There is a large Ferry involved which will take us over the Gironde. The crossing is about 3 miles and takes about 25min.

We passed through some good agricultural areas today with sunflower crops ready for harvest and maize on the other side. At one point it reminded me of a particular area in South Africa called the Free State.

Stopping north La Rochelle to look at the map, a car pulled in next to us and a man got out to ask if we were ok and needed any help. He claimed to have seen my Cape Town cycling top so we think he must be a rugby player. He even asked if we were ok with lunch and Mr B pointed to his bulging rack bag.

We ran out of electrical juice last night and just managed to charge my Garmin to get us here today. Mr B was riding on electrical vapour via his Garmin and my phone was dead - no battery. So strapping the solar panel to my bike (as Mr B was carrying lunch and needed access to his rack bag) we connected the power bank to get it going. Not sure how much it helped today but I was very conscious about the expensive equipment behind me on the bike.

67.7 miles done
1267 ft climbed

Silly bike paths with small and infrequent signs - not good!

Another municipal campsite

Day 4 - Behind schedule

We think we are about 35 to 40 miles behind schedule. Oh well we will make it up somewhere.  My cycling legs only kicked in at 15 miles today. Takes a while to warm up.

A camping pitch was harder to find tonight. I guess Brittany isn't as attractive as the Vendee - sun, sea and beaches probably the main reason. We are in a municipal campsite tonight. It's more expensive than our 'posh camp last eve. Talking about last night, the screaming children on the trampoline only stopped at 11. I guess that's when the adults stopped their Bingo night.

I had the best Hamburger and chips last night ever! No real expectations but whoa when it arrived it was a bacon and cheese burger with homestyle patty and the best chips. Soft inside - crunchy outside. Absolutely fabulous.

I sleep with earplugs and even I could hear the screams from the trampoline.

Today was a fabulous cycling day. It started misty and before we knew it we had 30 miles done. We marked a place to sleep but decided to ride on when we got there. We had a brief spell when we were looking for a B&B at the local French Tourism office but everywhere were booked up so the search for another campsite continued.

Dinner was pot noodle, Caesar salad and a Sub loaded with everything. Yum.

We should hopefully see La Rochelle tomorrow. May we have the wind in our backs.

Miles done  56 miles
807 ft climbing (getting easier!)

Chateau De Talmont

Our little burner with a little (yes really!) kettle. Shows how small the burner is.

Another successful pitch

Day 3 - Who plotted 71 miles on a flippen hot day?

We pitched yesterday on a slight slope so I kept waking up feeling my feet at the bottom of the tent.

I've developed an attitude of hills? Ok - just autopilot. It was more gentle slopes today than big hills. The day was exceptionally hot and that tapped the energy out of us.

We cut the day short to stop at a campsite north of Challans.  We don't consider this a fail but rather the start of a proper summer holiday. We need some relaxing time too!

Tent pitched with the solar charger seeking the sun to charge the phones and Garmins

Best Hamburger in the world and I am NOT joking!

Results for the day

Day 2 - So A day divided by three sections

Sleep a bit on the left side. Wake up aching. Sleep on the right side. Wake up aching. Ok maybe a bit on my back. Oh no too uncomfortable. That's the story of last night. I hope tonight is better.

The day has three distinct sections. Some lovely quiet roads with some serious climbing, then onto a very busy road (not planned as D773 sounded mundane when I plotted it) and the last bit (15 miles) along an off road canal cycling path which we prayed would finish quickly but it didn't. And that after we looked forward to it as it was flat! The canal path was brown loose gravel. Rocking bottoms and bouncing wrists. And endless! Ouch!

Saw a lot of Geraniums, Hydrangeas and huge churches.  The French like their churches!

Tonight we are at Camping St.Clair in Guenrouet. Lovely site. We cycled past the pool on the way in which was crowded with loud children. I didn't go.

We were so so tired when we arrived. Just flopped down on a picnic bench which formed part of an empty pitch. Tent got up eventually and we found some free electricity to charge our several devices. I forgot to add the Ravpower solar panel and power bank to my equipment post. It comes in handy.

Looking ahead to tomorrow, we have a whopping 71mi to do but thinking we might cut it shorter. We will see.

Distance today 58 miles
Climbing 2574 ft

Beautiful flowers in baskets everywhere!

Another haybale animation - made me smile! 

So many big churches in the towns 

Day 1 - Hello Brittany!

Ok so the zzzzz wasn't so fantastic. The bed was very narrow and we were in the bowels of the Ferry so close to the engine. When we were offered a cabin last night, the first offer was Club class (benefit is breakfast is included). Mr B asked if he had any alternatives and they said yes, a 4 berth on deck 1...he took it.

But hey ho we were horizontal and I slept a bit. I don't think Mr B slept more than I did. I dreamt of work.

It wasn't a speedy exit from the Ferry as somehow the bikes bred overnight - when we arrived back to saddle up there were at least 13 more of which 3 were on top of ours.

Pedalling out of Saint Malo was easy. We found the Intermarche to stock up on ham, cheese and pain chocolat (traditional cyclists lunch everywhere!) as France shuts shop at 12.30pm on a Sunday.

The route that I planned took us out and then along a fabulous off road section that took for miles along the river. It was a bit dusty so my bike has turned from grey to caramel.

There have been two really mean hills enroute. Both near Iffendic, the last town we cycled through before getting to our first campsite. I stopped five times on the last hill.

The campsite is huge. It's situated near a lake and there is a wedding on which provides free French music! Dinner will be the rest of the cheese and chocolate bread as we can't be bothered to find alternatives.

Tomorrow is a longer ride. 56mi heading in the direction of La Rochelle but not quite there. Let's hope for less hills as we move towards South Brittany.

1742ft climbing
49 miles done

Route for day 1 - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/24247997

 

Well signposted route - all in kilometres which makes it seem further!

A lot of haybale animations publicising upcoming harvest festivals

Velo District ride 3, shared path

Setting up tent for the first night - a bit of a slope down