Transpirenaica

The legendary "Transpirenaica", also known as La Senda Pirenaica or simply Gran Recorrido 11 (GR11), leads from the Mediterranean to the Bay of Biscay and from the Bay of Biscay to the Mediterranean. This route across the Pyrenees is mainly used by hikers, but also by mountain bikers.

Route

From west to east, the Transpirenaica crosses the Basque Country, Navarre, Aragon, Andorra and Catalonia and ends at Cap de Creus. The Transpirenaica overcomes altitude differences of around 46,000 m on its approximately 800 km route.

A route for smugglers, pilgrims, adventurers and explorers

But is it possible to travel this route in a VW bus? Together with the Terrranger company, we want to take this risk. This year's coast2coast Pyrenees crossing will not only take place from east to west, but also from west to east.

Terranger Tour 2021

The 1st group started 9 days ago on the Mediterranean, cycled over the Pyrenees and their tour ends here today on the Atlantic. We, the 2nd group, are meeting up with them today and starting the same tour in the opposite direction tomorrow.

So it is certainly more than legitimate that this adventure bears the name TRANSPIRENAICA 2021. Incidentally, the tour is being supported by the off-road travel specialists at experience GmbH. You may already know them from the great trackbooks by Matthias Göttenauer.

Our tour guide from the Experience team is Andreas Renz. A true off-road professional. Every morning he briefs us with the highlights of the day on a very lovingly designed board.

Zarautz

Today, our first day of the Terranger Transpirenaica Coast2Coast Tour 2021, is a big arrival in Zarautz. And for us, the tour through the Pyrenees starts tomorrow morning.

Above the Playa de Zarautz, on the Gran Camping Zarautz our revival tour ends and our next big adventure begins.

Almost two years ago, we were stranded on this campsite on a mountain. From here you have a wonderful view of the sea and the bay of Zarautz.

Although it is possible to walk to the beach, the climb up the 440 steps is a real challenge. But it's worth it.

We have very fond memories of Playa de Zarautz. A beautiful, long sandy beach. The longest far and wide and therefore a surfing hotspot.

Insider tip:

We can highly recommend the Shelter Surf Bar. Delicious cappuccino, definitely try the brownie. We particularly liked the regional white wine, an Arregi Getariako Txakolina.

Today we leave the beach and bar to one side. Because our next adventure demands our full attention. Today we meet not only our future team members from the second round, but also the previous conquerors from the first round, as well as our guide Andreas from the Experience team.

The big arrival

We have already seen the first pictures of the 1st group at the first round. So we not only meet exciting Terranger conversions, but above all even more exciting drivers and co-pilots. The tour briefing follows. And we receive our walkie-talkies. These things proved to be very useful on the tour.

Then we celebrate the big arrival with a joint dinner for both groups in the restaurant 'Berazadi Berri', directly below the campsite with a beautiful outdoor terrace and wonderful panoramic views of the coast.

There is a lot of petrol talk over dinner, but the first tips also follow. We learn a little about our previous impressions. From the first group, we know Heiko, one of the two Terranger managing directors, and above all Max, who was with us on the Terranger off-road training course and whom we last visited in Berlin.

The 1st group reported very enthusiastically about the Pyrenees, even though they had bad weather. We have already seen a few photos and can understand their enthusiasm. If a tour like this is fun in max. 17 degrees, rain and mud, it must be really great.

Our group

We already know Andre, the second Terranger Managing Director, and his partner Martina from our team. We are particularly looking forward to seeing them. Despite the heavy rain, she always put us in a good mood during our driver training. Who knows whether we will need this motivation again. Because this tour will certainly be a challenge for us and our SpaceCamper. Andre's brother Chris is also with us. Also a real off-road pro. That gives newbies like us a good feeling. Of course we already have some off-road experience. But this could be the next level.

Our group consists of the following vehicles: a KEC, a double cabin, 3 California Beaches, our guide's Amarok and our SpaceCamper. So a really nice little group. Why do I know so well that there are 3 Beaches and no Ocean? Because we were actually asked this question on Instagram. It's always exciting to see what questions our readers have.

So that we are also recognizable as a Terranger group, each vehicle receives a corresponding logo after our first tour meeting. We have a bit of a problem with our foil. Foil on foil will probably never come off again. Nevertheless, it is a matter of honor that our BUTCH is decorated with the sticker.