November 4, 2009 -

This is a very good alternative to the N121a - it may be a motorway but it is set among outstanding mountain scenery, climbing steadily and seemingly unendingly from San Sebastian up on to the Spanish plains. The main hazard is the frequent convoys of heavy trucks - simply because they are doing 40km/hr uphill, whereas you of course are still well within the official limit of 120km/hr and therefore not in danger of running up the back of one! The road itself is the usual Spanish velvet surface, whilst the route is one of continuous sweeping curves. Slowly but surely as you get higher and furhter inland, the scenery changes from green forests and valleys to slightly paler, more scrub covered hillsides until on the final few kilometres towards Pamplona it straightens out - so dodge the city and head east onto the short section of the (largely unoccupied, good for whatever speed you like) A21 before joining the famous N240...