One last night under the stars
As another English summer fails to turn up, John Hillman ponders upon a trip to Spain, where for a month or more to come, the sun will still be shining bright
As August skips effortlessly into September in a perfectly choreographed ballet of cold winds, torrential rain and floods, many people must be asking themselves if they are really ready for the onset of winter.
But over on mainland Europe, with September promising to be another warm and pleasant month, there are still opportunities for outdoor enthusiasts who relish the idea of one last night under the stars.
Catching the P&O Pride of Bilbao to Bilbao in the north of Spain will put you at the beginning one of the most fantastic coast to coast footpaths in the whole of Europe.
The recently opened Spanish GR11 and the French GR10 footpaths connect Bilbao to Barcelona, allowing visitors to hike or mountain bike their way past snow capped mountain peaks whilst crossing valleys of outstanding natural beauty.
Rural family run hotels provide a warm welcome at the end of each day, with the added bonus of some of the best local cuisine in Spain.
You can plan your route to take in the picturesque Roman ruins of Zaragoza, or even walk the same paths used as escape routes during World War Two; following in the footsteps of more than 33,000 Allied resistance fighters, soldiers and airmen who fled Nazi controlled Vichy France between 1940 and 1944.
The great thing about these footpaths is that they allow you to be as idle or as invincible as you choose to be, all the while drinking in the fresh mountain air with the distant sound of some mountain goats braying in the background.
A perfect way to spend one of the last weeks of guaranteed good weather before autumn begins, before we’re plunged back into darkness with just the distant promise of Christmas to keep us going.
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