Flying from London this morning, you will collect a rental car on arrival (manual transmission with basic insurance for one driver). 

It's a surprisingly scenic drive from the airport immediately into the Basque countryside as you travel only about 30 minutes to your hotel - a very high quality boutique hotel surrounding by fields and countryside sloping down towards the fishing harbour of Bermeo and the Bay of Biscay beyond. 

This afternoon is yours to settle in and relax, enjoying your surroundings. If you like, the Urdaibai birding centre is nearby, as is the town of Guernica. This provincial town was made famous after being bombed by the Luftwaffe in 1937 as part of Nationalist Spanish advances in the Spanish Civil War. 

Another option is to explore the UNESCO biosphere reserve of the Urdaibai River estuary. If conditions are right, you can arrange a morning of gentle kayaking where a guide will introduce you to the cultural and physical landscapes as well as to the abundant birdlife of the wetlands.