Day 7 Derio to Bilbao 6.7ml 1288ft Total 91.1ml 14959ft

They say it never rains but it pours and that was perfectly correct this morning, both metaphorically and literally.
Poor Barbara was up for most of the night, having eaten something that positively disagreed with her and the rain and thunder were torrential around the time that we were due to set off. There was no way Barbara was fit to walk so I left her to catch the train into Bilbao when fit and ready and set off on my own towards the planned stop at Portugalete, 18 miles further on. The plan being to walk to Portugalete and then catch the metro back to Bilbao and stay for a couple of nights for a well earned break.
I reached Bilbao after 7 miles, called in a cafe for breakfast and decided there and then, watching yet more rain thunder down around me, that I had walked quite far enough in the atrocious weather.
A quick phone call to the apartment I had booked for the two nights and they took pity on me, letting me check in at 12:30 instead of the previously arranged 5:00.
It does mean we will have 10 extra miles to make up over the next few days but I think it will be worth it.

Later in the day I was very relieved when a much healthier looking Barbara joined me about 15:00. I think our day off tomorrow has come at just the right time 🙂

First views over a very sodden Bilbao (apologies for lack of sharpness as camera was also sodden)

Gerald joined us later in the afternoon and we went out and had a jolly fine last meal together before his flight back home tomorrow.

As mentioned earlir, Barbara and myself are having a day off in Bilbao tomorrow before resuming our pilgrimage on Thursday and the blog is also having a day off so no update tomorrow.
Only 450 miles or so to go now and I think it’s going to be very different now that the people on the organised walks to Bilbao complete their walk and leave us. Hopefully a whole new, but smaller, set of people to walk and talk with  😁😁