Mark barton Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Has anyone seen a game at Bilboa travelling from UK, any useful tips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazred Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 Been to Basque country, it's beautiful. You'll be pleased to know cider is a local specialty. It's flat and strong! San Sebastian a nice day out if you're there for a long weekend. Enjoy your trip. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1960maaan Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 4 hours ago, Mark barton said: Has anyone seen a game at Bilboa travelling from UK, any useful tips Been to Bilbao a few times, never managed to see a game, though I have fingers crossed for October. All I can say. Flights are reasonable from Bristol and easy Bus trip into town. The ground is easy to find too. Friends went to the local derby, the bloody year we didn't go. Been around the shop and in the cafe. Tickets available online or at the ground near the game. Bilbao is a lovely City, though can be rainy. As Gazred said , San Sebastián is worth a trip. Coaches run regularly from the station. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glynriley Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 5 hours ago, Mark barton said: Has anyone seen a game at Bilboa travelling from UK, any useful tips The terrain is a bit Rocky… 2 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northsomersetred Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 If you planning a long weekend there's a ferry from Plymouth to Santander, about 20hrs, good for a p155 up there and back. Santander is about 1hr drive from Bilbao, done the trip loads of times to get into SW France. As said above San Sebastian is worth a de-tour, Basque region as a whole is great. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norn Iron Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 We were based in San Sebastian for the 1982 World Cup. In order to guarantee tickets, you had to buy a package holiday with Sportsworld. What a rip-off that was! To pacify the disgruntled campers, the Sportsworld Ambassador agreed to meet those who could be bothered for a kickabout on the beach in San Sebastian, at 7am! The press hounds were duly invited and at least one photo made the front page of the ambassador being thrown into the sea. It was portrayed as fun. It wasn't. Most of the campers were annoyed with what the brochure said we would get for our money and what we actually got! The bay has an island in the middle (a bit like Steep Holm). Oh, and the ambassador was Bobby Moore. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbital Posted May 31, 2022 Share Posted May 31, 2022 They are superbly supported, Bilbao. I used to live in Madrid and followed Rayo Vallecano. About 11 years ago, on the day they played each other at the Theresa Rivera in Vallecas, me and the lads were having a few beers when literally thousands of Bilbao supporters descended on the area. This is unheard of normally as away support isn’t usually small over there. We started to worry that things were going to get very tasy, but it was all apparently arranged. The Rayo boys and the Bilbao lads all proceeded to going on a beer, spliff and pyro march around the area in solidarity over their left wing views and their joint hatred of the fascists: Real Madrid. An unforgettable day of football, before and after. 11 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledAjax Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 https://www.channel4.com/programmes/travel-man-48-hours-in/on-demand/69150-001 For some ideas beyond the game. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Isewater Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 9 hours ago, 1960maaan said: Been to Bilbao a few times, never managed to see a game, though I have fingers crossed for October. All I can say. Flights are reasonable from Bristol and easy Bus trip into town. The ground is easy to find too. Friends went to the local derby, the bloody year we didn't go. Been around the shop and in the cafe. Tickets available online or at the ground near the game. Bilbao is a lovely City, though can be rainy. As Gazred said , San Sebastián is worth a trip. Coaches run regularly from the station. Agreed it’s a lovely city and ‘ authentic ‘ . Don’t miss the Guggenheim museum which is an amazing building even for those who aren’t into art. The tapas are excellent in the city and the locals are very welcoming. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedRock Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Saint Jean de Luz, just on the French side of the border, was/is lovely when I visited on my ‘Grand Tour’ back in the 80’s. Mountain country on Spanish side equally so. Never forget a mountain river flowing into San Sebastián being fluorescent green through some sort of effluent discharge. Assume they’ve sorted that now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinmans Love Child Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 9 hours ago, glynriley said: The terrain is a bit Rocky… That’s what I come on OTIB for! Bravo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 8 hours ago, Orbital said: They are superbly supported, Bilbao. I used to live in Madrid and followed Rayo Vallecano. About 11 years ago, on the day they played each other at the Theresa Rivera in Vallecas, me and the lads were having a few beers when literally thousands of Bilbao supporters descended on the area. This is unheard of normally as away support isn’t usually small over there. We started to worry that things were going to get very tasy, but it was all apparently arranged. The Rayo boys and the Bilbao lads all proceeded to going on a beer, spliff and pyro march around the area in solidarity over their left wing views and their joint hatred of the fascists: Real Madrid. An unforgettable day of football, before and after. Basically it’s a religion to them, Rob. They are the most obvious representation of being Basque outside of politics & if you look at their history of club presidents, that is very closely intertwined, too. Their eligibility rules are incredible, you have to be born in the Basque Country or have grown up there to play for them, nothing else is allowed. To regularly compete for the top six & to have never been relegated in these circumstances is incredible. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Welcome To The Jungle Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 2 hours ago, GrahamC said: Basically it’s a religion to them, Rob. They are the most obvious representation of being Basque outside of politics & if you look at their history of club presidents, that is very closely intertwined, too. Their eligibility rules are incredible, you have to be born in the Basque Country or have grown up there to play for them, nothing else is allowed. To regularly compete for the top six & to have never been relegated in these circumstances is incredible. Long been envious of the club for these reasons. Imagine watching City in the top flight, with only local lads playing for us, reasonable ticket prices, not owned by a narcissist etc etc. They are truly a football CLUB, not a corporation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norn Iron Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 All the England Round 1 games were played at Athletico Bilbao's ground. I remember it as a newish stadium which would not be out of place today over here. They have moved to a new stadium now! Progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sglosbcfc Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Lots of positives, quite rightly, but please bear in mind some of their supporters can be Sly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numero Uno Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 4 hours ago, RedRock said: Saint Jean de Luz, just on the French side of the border, was/is lovely when I visited on my ‘Grand Tour’ back in the 80’s. Mountain country on Spanish side equally so. Never forget a mountain river flowing into San Sebastián being fluorescent green through some sort of effluent discharge. Assume they’ve sorted that now. Agreed, St Jean de Luz pisses all over the more famous Biarritz. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILINFRANCE Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 13 hours ago, Norn Iron said: We were based in San Sebastian for the 1982 World Cup. In order to guarantee tickets, you had to buy a package holiday with Sportsworld. What a rip-off that was! The bay has an island in the middle (a bit like Steep Holm). A few years ago, I read a detective thriller (Arcam), which is set in Steep Holm. I recalled the name from my childhood, probably from visits to Weston-super-Mare, so did some research to get some more information about its history. I was surprised to learn that it is part of Somerset, whilst its sister island, Flat Holm, is part of Wales. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILINFRANCE Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 1 hour ago, Numero Uno said: Agreed, St Jean de Luz pisses all over the more famous Biarritz. St Jean de Luz is, indeed, a lovely little town, although Biarritz is also very nice, albeit very expensive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curr Avon Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 15 hours ago, glynriley said: The terrain is a bit Rocky… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curr Avon Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 5 hours ago, GrahamC said: Basically it’s a religion to them, Rob. They are the most obvious representation of being Basque outside of politics & if you look at their history of club presidents, that is very closely intertwined, too. Their eligibility rules are incredible, you have to be born in the Basque Country or have grown up there to play for them, nothing else is allowed. To regularly compete for the top six & to have never been relegated in these circumstances is incredible. Didn't Yorkshire CCC employ similar rules for players, Graham? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GrahamC Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 2 minutes ago, Curr Avon said: Didn't Yorkshire CCC employ similar rules for players, Graham? For quite some while up until they signed Tendulkar, yes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILINFRANCE Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 23 minutes ago, Curr Avon said: Didn't Yorkshire CCC employ similar rules for players, Graham? 20 minutes ago, GrahamC said: For quite some while up until they signed Tendulkar, yes. He paved the way for the well known Lancastrian batsman, Michael Vaughan . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonBristolian Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 I went in 2019. What struck me was - passionate though it was - there was a real community atmosphere. This may have been because they were against another Basque team - Alaves I think - but there were away fans mixing with home fans before the game and even a scattering of fans in Alaves kits in the home section. It was passionate but it was friendly too. And the stadium is spectacular! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red-Robbo Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Feel I'm missing out by never having visited Spain's northern coast. Will put that right this year, hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Portred Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Leave from Parson st station. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILINFRANCE Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 14 minutes ago, LondonBristolian said: I went in 2019. What struck me was - passionate though it was - there was a real community atmosphere. This may have been because they were against another Basque team - Alaves I think - but there were away fans mixing with home fans before the game and even a scattering of fans in Alaves kits in the home section. It was passionate but it was friendly too. And the stadium is spectacular! Spectacular, and partially (50%) funded by the town and local authorities! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numero Uno Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 1 hour ago, PHILINFRANCE said: St Jean de Luz is, indeed, a lovely little town, although Biarritz is also very nice, albeit very expensive. Biarritz isn’t a hovel by any stretch of the imagination but you said it really, a lot more bang for your buck in St John de Luz. Great place I would recommend to anyone visiting France. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selred Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 Currently in Logrono, the Rioja region. Was in Bilbao then San Sebastián the past few days, on a bit of a Northern Spain tour. Main tips: Get an Uber from the airport, half the price of taxis. You can walk around Bilbao easily. No need for Taxis/Tram where there. We walked from old town to the stadium to have a look, would love to see a game there! The delicacy is Pintxos. They are like Basque tapas. A great place to start is Plaza Barria in the Old Town. A fabulous square which lots of Pintxos bars, my favourite were Zaharra (amazing chorizo rolls), Iturriza Taberna (great fish Pintxos), and Victor Montes. Another great place to eat is Erribera Merkatua, one of Europe’s largest undercover markets and had great stalls. It’s SO cheap! Wine was €1.80 a glass on average (and they don’t measure), Beers €2.20 for 2/3rd glass. Pintxos were €1-2 euro. If you want somewhere to stay, Pension Ama in the old town was great. Super cheap, amazing location. Things to see: Guggenheim. Go up the Funicular for great views. I want to go back and do an art bike ride around. Finally if you have time go to San Sebastián. Coach was £16 there, and took about an hour and half. The food is better, marginally more expensive Pinxtos (talking €0.2-0.5 per Pintxos more), the wine is as cheap, and the beach is excellent. Would recommend 2 nights in Bilbao, 2-3 nights in San Seb. We’ve now gone to the Wine Region to make it a bit longer but overall great trip! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northsomersetred Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 4 hours ago, Red-Robbo said: Feel I'm missing out by never having visited Spain's northern coast. Will put that right this year, hopefully. Do it, it's well worth it. Another place that deserves a mention is Mundaka. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuffle Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 10 hours ago, Norn Iron said: All the England Round 1 games were played at Athletico Bilbao's ground. I remember it as a newish stadium which would not be out of place today over here. They have moved to a new stadium now! Progress. Watched all 3 games in Bilbao and loads of City over there. The Basque people were very welcoming and there was no trouble at all despite press offering money to start trouble. The France game was hairy when riot police baton charged he England fans beyond the goal but Bilbao is a top place to visit. Now Madrid and trouble was a completely different story! Was a great experience & we never lost a game in 82. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orbital Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 5 hours ago, Selred said: Currently in Logrono, the Rioja region. Was in Bilbao then San Sebastián the past few days, on a bit of a Northern Spain tour. Main tips: Get an Uber from the airport, half the price of taxis. You can walk around Bilbao easily. No need for Taxis/Tram where there. We walked from old town to the stadium to have a look, would love to see a game there! The delicacy is Pintxos. They are like Basque tapas. A great place to start is Plaza Barria in the Old Town. A fabulous square which lots of Pintxos bars, my favourite were Zaharra (amazing chorizo rolls), Iturriza Taberna (great fish Pintxos), and Victor Montes. Another great place to eat is Erribera Merkatua, one of Europe’s largest undercover markets and had great stalls. It’s SO cheap! Wine was €1.80 a glass on average (and they don’t measure), Beers €2.20 for 2/3rd glass. Pintxos were €1-2 euro. If you want somewhere to stay, Pension Ama in the old town was great. Super cheap, amazing location. Things to see: Guggenheim. Go up the Funicular for great views. I want to go back and do an art bike ride around. Finally if you have time go to San Sebastián. Coach was £16 there, and took about an hour and half. The food is better, marginally more expensive Pinxtos (talking €0.2-0.5 per Pintxos more), the wine is as cheap, and the beach is excellent. Would recommend 2 nights in Bilbao, 2-3 nights in San Seb. We’ve now gone to the Wine Region to make it a bit longer but overall great trip! You must check out Haro if you are able. The epicentre of wine! Cune, Ramon Bilbao and Lopez de Heredia are highlights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norn Iron Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 58 minutes ago, Shuffle said: Watched all 3 games in Bilbao and loads of City over there. The Basque people were very welcoming and there was no trouble at all despite press offering money to start trouble. The France game was hairy when riot police baton charged he England fans beyond the goal but Bilbao is a top place to visit. Now Madrid and trouble was a completely different story! Was a great experience & we never lost a game in 82. Not on our campsite! I was the token City fan. There was even a diehard Yeovil fan there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuffle Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 35 minutes ago, Norn Iron said: Not on our campsite! I was the token City fan. There was even a diehard Yeovil fan there. We were on a campsite in Algorta Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norn Iron Posted June 1, 2022 Share Posted June 1, 2022 3 minutes ago, Shuffle said: We were on a campsite in Algorta No idea where that is! How did you get your Bilbao tickets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shuffle Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 10 hours ago, Norn Iron said: No idea where that is! How did you get your Bilbao tickets? Got them over there ….. we hired a car from Keynsham & went for 5 weeks in total. Madrid as I say was a nightmare so we got out and headed to Benidorm and got a coach back for the 2 games against Spain & Germany 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 (edited) Visited Bilbao around 2006 ish. Stayed a stones throw from the ground, but sadly there was no game on when we were there and they also wouldn’t let me have a little look around the stadium even though I asked nicely. One thing I will say for Bilbao - without doubt the cleanest city I’ve ever visited. Every street was spotless. They must’ve had 24/7 street cleaners. Got a bit moody in one of the clubs late on with a few locals eyeing up my girlfriend, but we soon sorted that. Edited June 2, 2022 by Harry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bedred31 Posted June 2, 2022 Share Posted June 2, 2022 On 01/06/2022 at 07:12, RedRock said: Saint Jean de Luz, just on the French side of the border, was/is lovely when I visited on my ‘Grand Tour’ back in the 80’s. Mountain country on Spanish side equally so. Never forget a mountain river flowing into San Sebastián being fluorescent green through some sort of effluent discharge. Assume they’ve sorted that now. SJ de Luz was twinned with Weston S Mare! We had annual exchanges when at was at school in Churchill in the 70’s. Absolute carnage. They were brown skinned, well dressed and smoked French cigarettes in a way that was hopelessly cool. We were pasty, shabby farmers. Practically ever girl in our part of N Somerset lost her virginity to a Basque. We hated them, frankly, and when I learnt a little about regional politics I pledged lifetime loyalty to the Spanish monarchy and Real Madrid. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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