Visiting Dragonstone of Game of Thrones: San Juan de Gaztelugatxe
Game of Thrones is one of the most successful series in history. I wasn't a big fan of the series, but even so, last week I was in Bilbao and I didn't hesitate to visit the island of San Juan de Gaztelugatxe, 40 minutes away from Bilbao, in the series it was called Dragonstone.
Photograph of my property
How to get there from Bilbao
To get to San Juan de Gaztelugatxe from Bilbao you have to drive about 35 km in the direction of the coast of Biscay.
The journey is very comfortable, with roads in very good condition, with some stretches of dual carriageway and also stretches of national road in good condition but with many bends.
Car park, a first viewpoint of the coast and access to the beach
On arriving at San Juan de Gaztelugatxe you can find several free public car parks. In my case, when I went on a Wednesday in October, I had no problems finding parking.
After parking my vehicle, I was very grateful for the directions to Gaztelugatxe, because as you can see there are other hiking routes in the area and I didn't want to get lost without finding the Dragonstone.
A few metres from the car park, before taking the path that leads to the entrance to the path that takes us to Gaztelugatxe, my attention was drawn to an esplanade where there was a small bar where I recommend you go to stock up on water, as you will see that the slopes to be overcome during the walk are significant.
At the same time, next to this bar/restaurant there is a viewpoint that allows you to contemplate the Cantabrian Sea and the island of Aquech.
Next, I went back to the path that indicated the direction to Gaztelugatxe and found some maps showing the route to follow.
Following the path I finally came across an access gate where there was no one checking the number of people who were passing through to visit the place.
However, if you visit this place in the summer or during the holiday season, there is a large number of people and you must register on the following website to book a time and day for the visit.
A walk to the Gaztelugatxe viewpoint
The first part of the walk I did consisted of going down a steep slope and the thought of having to climb it afterwards made me break out in a sweat. However, the excitement of visiting an emblematic place outweighed any negative thoughts.
The surroundings on the way down are very beautiful, with lots of trees and shade. This is appreciated on a hot, sunny day like the one I had on the day of my visit.
At the same time, it is also appreciated that there are benches along the route, although as I was still in the middle of the descent I didn't need them.
And just after this bench I came to an intersection where it was indicated the way to follow to the viewpoint or to take the road to go to the island.
Once I reached the viewpoint, my heart skipped a beat, as I saw the beauty of this island and contemplated from the height the large number of steps that had to be climbed to reach the hermitage at the top of the island.
A descent towards Gaztelugatxe but without encountering a Dragon
Then, after a few minutes at the viewpoint, I returned to the intersection where one could take the path down to the island. I took a very well adapted path, but with several steps and a steep slope.
During this area, I was very struck by the large number of adapted places to rest, especially because the subsequent ascent is seriously demanding.
These resting places are strategically located because they are miniature viewpoints from where you can take pictures of DragonStone.
Continuing on my way, I later encountered what I believe to be the steepest slope which was also wet due to the humidity of the area, which made the descent a bit dangerous.
And it was precisely in this area that I found this slug, which, in the absence of black dragons, is also a peculiar creature.
Access to DragonStone
Once I had gone all the way down the path, I arrived at a metal fence that was open to gain access to the island. At this gate, it is indicated that the time limit for the visit is 20:00h, so you have to plan your time very well. In my case, I arrived at 19:30 so, as you can see, I could only get as far as the bridge to the island to give me time to get back before the gate closed.
Finally, I arrived at the access area to the island where I photographed the famous island from before the bridge.
At the same time, I was impressed to see the cliffs near the island, which are as beautiful as the most popular island in the Cantabrian Sea.
And above all the cliffs that I had left to the west, as we were close to sunset with the warmth that the so-called golden hours give to the photos.
A return but with photos
After a few minutes enjoying the surroundings, after looking at the clock I decided to retrace my steps, having to rest at several of the rest points. But immortalising with my mobile phone my presence next to this beautiful and popular Game of Thrones island.
I hope you like this walk.
Best regards.