Day 8 - Monjardin to Viana

Day 8 - Tuesday, 29th April, 2014 - 31.1 km

[Leaving Villamayor de Monjardin]

[Camino sign on the way to Los Arcos]

After a fantastic Dutch breakfast, we set off across undulating flat  green wheat fields towards Los Arcos, which was about 10 km away.  This was going to be a fairly easy start to what was going to be a long day for us because we had set ourselves the task of stretching our normal daily distance of about 20 km, to 30 km.  It was also going to be a day where we were going to end up staying at somewhere, that I had not previously stopped the night.  We were joined by Michael who we had met the previous evening.

We stopped at Los Arcos for a coffee break and Michael and I went into a bakery to buy some picnic supplies for later on.  As we walked out Michael realised that his walking poles, that he had left outside the shop, had been taken.  He knew the culprits were not far away and sprinted off to catch up with them.  When we all met up in the main square he had his poles with him and said that the rather beautiful Dutch girl ahead of us in the shop had taken them thinking they were hers.  Her boyfriend had in fact picked up all four of their sticks.  Michael said that he had a bit of a conscience because he had taken them back without saying anything and been a bit abrupt.  

After a brief spell in Los Arcos we continued to the two villages of Sansol and Torres del Rio, which are on opposite hills divided by a river and bridge in fields below.  Michael commented on a poster of an Albergue with a swimming pool and I laughed because I knew the place and that the pool was in fact only foot-bath size and the poster deliberately misleading.  We walked up through the town and I stopped at the yard gate of the Albergue and showed Michael the pool, which was just inside the yard by the gate.  We then realised the Dutch walking pole stealing couple were also sitting in the yard and Michael took the opportunity to apologise for his abruptness.  It was difficult to know whether the Dutch girl was walking with her father, or her much older boyfriend, but both were smiling and very happy with Michael's approach.

[Green fields on the way to Los Arcos]

[Los Arcos - church]

[Muscle stretching and limbering up - Los Arcos]

[Shepherd's hut - on route to Viana]

We continued the final 11 km to Viana which I knew was going to be much more challenging with plenty of hills to climb and drop down and we were now walking when our bodies would have preferred dipping our feet in that inviting pretend swimming pool foot-bath!  We made it to Viana about two and a half hours later and were just in time to take the last three bed spaces in bunk beds at the municipal Albergue (Eila favourite!)

During the day I have had an ongoing discussion with Eila about getting bothered by snoring in the dormitories.  I think that snorers will snore and there is no use in trying to stop them; it is just a part of dormitory life and you can either take your own room and four times the price, or get ear-plugs, but it is like people who have to go to the loo in the night, which is a noisy matter if the dormitory has over 20 beds.

Buen Camino.

[Dormitory Life in the Municipal Albergue - Viana]

Day 7 - Lorca to Monjardin

Day 7 - Monday, 28th April, 2014 - 28.0 km

[Camino sign - Lorca on the way to Estella]

I wasn't too sure that Eila would like today's destination.  The hostel I had stayed at before was a rather serious affair run by Dutch ecumenical volunteers.  It was housed in an old building in Villamayor de Monjardin and was an unusual experience, but the dormitories were definitely cheek by jowl.

Villamayor de Monjardin is a very beautiful village on the edge of a very symmetrical hill which can be seen on the horizon very soon after you set off from Lorca.  It continues to tantalise you throughout the day and as you approach it, all you can see is the very top of the church tower peeping over the hill.

[Coffee pit stop - Villatuerta Sports Centre]

There were however other things to see on the way and we set off for Estella the main town at the day's half way stage.  We visited the very plain but beautiful Cathedral there before continuing.  Soon after Estella we passed the Monasterio Irache, where there is a vineyard that offers passing pilgrims free wine from a tap in the side of the winery to help them on their way.  Eila and I filled up two glasses and used these to augment our lunchtime picnic.

[Eila getting free wine - Monesterio Irache]

[Villamayor de Monjardin - just out of view]

[Moorish water reservoir - Villamayor de Monjardin]

[Villamayor de Monjardin]

We continued on to two little hilltop villages the second being our destination for the day.  The fairly serious Dutch volunteer lady gave us beds in a five single bed room right at the top of the hostel with it's own rooftop balcony - no bunk beds bliss!  After sorting out our things we went and sat in the terrace outside and were joined by Michael from Battersea.  He said that he had spent a fair amount of time in Estella that morning sending stuff home as his pack had been too heavy.

Eila:  "So how heavy was your pack?"

Michael: "Oh, about 3 and a half kilos"

Eila: "But that's not heavy, that's pretty good"

Michael: "Oh no, that' just the pack!"

Michael anyway had ditched his pack and bought a lighter more modern one and had sent things home, which is apparently very easy to do from Spain.  We were soon comparing Camino stories and we caused so much noise laughing at supper that the Dutch ecumenical volunteers remarked whether we had all come together and were slightly bemused when we said that we had only just met.  They just put it down to extraordinary British humour!

Buen Camino.

[Hostel attic room - Villamayor de Monjardin]

Day 6 - Uterga to Lorca

Day 6 - Sunday, 27th April, 2014 - 23.4 km

[Eunate church at the end of the Camino Aragones]

[Eunate church - detail]

[Eila - Walking to Puente la Reina]

This morning Eila and I decided to go slightly 'off piste' to visit a small very old church at Eunate, which is just off the Camino route, but demands a 2-3 kilometre detour.  I lead off on slightly the wrong road, which meant that we had to negotiate the muddy sides of various fields, which made our boots very heavy, but we eventually corrected our route to visit the church and take a short break there before continuing back to the Camino at Obanos.  Later in the morning we walked into Puente la Reina and bumped into Margaret and Aine, who had finished their Camino and were about to return to Ireland via San Sebastian and Biarritz.  It was good to see them before they left and see that they had made it to the point they had planned.

[Sunday Mass - Puente la Reina]

As we continued down the Main Street we were just in time for Sunday Mass, which had only just started.  So often churches are in darkness and when a Mass is on, the whole church is fully lit, which fully shows off the amazing use of gold everywhere.

[Bridge - Puente la Reina]

[Roman road leading away from Cirauqui]

After Puente la Reina we pushed on for the village of Lorca passing through two other hilltop villages on the way (Maneru and Cirauqui).  Cirauqui was interesting because as we climbed up through the town I could hear what was the unmistakeable sound of a bee swarm and we looked up just below the church tower to see a great cloud of bees swarming around the roofs there with birds swooping through and braving the cloud to pick off the odd honey filled treat!  As you leave Cirauqui you are on very old Roman road, which leads down the hill out of the town and over an old Roman bridge.  As Eila noted, chariots would find the going a bit tough now, as we did, because the unattended surface was extremely uneven, but  you can't help being effected with the sense of history when you walk on such an old surface.  

Eila pulls my leg because I have to photograph bridges, wherever we go, but they are splendid!

Buen Camino.

[Medieval bridge just before Lorca]

[Motorway tunnel before Lorca]

Day 5 - Arre to Uterga

Day 5 - Saturday, 26th April, 2014 - 22.0 km

[ Bridge Pamplona]

[Eila - Pamplona]

We left for Pamplona in the morning, which meant a certain amount of urban walking as we were already in the outskirts.  It was amazing how un-busy Pamplona was for a Saturday morning.  We stopped there for coffee just after 10am.  We decided just to carry on as the Cathedral was closed and we knew we had a long slog up to a ridge called the 'Alto del Perdon', which is noticeable for the line of windmills that decorate it's summit.  It is a good walk because towards the end of the day you can look back in slight disbelief at the distance you have covered as Pamplona starts to fade onto the horizon.  On the ridge top is one of the many Camino themed sculptures that appear throughout the Camino; this one consists of life sized steel pilgrim shapes walking in a line and it is popular  for pilgrims to pose amongst them to make a fun picture!  We were no different and luckily a kind Polish pilgrim took a picture of us as we did for him and his friend.

[The climb up to Alto Del Perdon]

[Alto Del Perdon - Posing with the sculptures - has to be done]

The ridge is very windy and exposed when you get there,which is presumably why windmills were placed there!  Five eagles came scudding by on the wind and we wished we had been more alert to watch them as they were soon out of view.

By the time we had dropped down the other side we felt fairly exhausted and because of the rapidly approaching rain storm, made for the Albergue at Uterga, just below the summit.  We went into the dormitory and saw familiar faces all around and it was good to look out of the window at the same windmills at the top of the ridge from what was the windy side of the valley.

I decided to catch up with my blogs, which I had neglected as there had been no internet access to speak of on the Camino and we had been more concerned with looking after ourselves than writing.  As a result, I went into the dormitory after lights out and tried to negotiate the top deck of my bunk bed.  I tried to climb up the step ladder as carefully and quietly as possible, but I was a bit stiff from walking and just as I was heaving myself up I lost my footing and fell backward and down to the floor with weighty force.  This immediately startled and woke up the French man in the bed below my bunk and the German girl opposite.  I apologised profusely all round and tried to make the climb again without capsizing the bunk bed.  I heaved myself up and in the darkness slightly leant over the partition to the next bunk giving the Dutch lady on that side a fright!  I have obviously got to perfect my top bunk climbing procedure!

Buen Camino.

[Alto Del Perdon - Sculptures and Windmills] . .

Day 4 - Zubiri to Arre

Day 4 - Friday, 25th April, 2014 - 16.4 km

[Bridge at Zubiri]

We set off from Zubiri the following day not too worse for wear.  There was one incident in the night when I realised that there was someone going around our dormitory checking each of the beds.  It was, you could say, mildly suspicious; I could just see a dark tall form lurking about.  I had to fumble inside my anorak breast pocket for my iPhone.  I, just by chance, happened to be wearing my anorak in bed, as the Municipal at Zubiri did not stretch to providing blankets and it was cold in just a sleeping bag liner!  So as the shadowy figure seemed to be reaching at everyone, I held up my iPhone at him, not unlike you might try to ward off vampires in a Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing film.  Magic, it seemed to work and the poor unsuspecting German pilgrim, who had erred into the wrong dormitory on his way back from the loo to his bed muttered some apologies and scuttled off back from whence he had come.  I spotted him again when we were puting our boots on the following day and asked him whether he had got lost the previous night?  He was very apologetic because he must of thought that I considered he needed to be put on a register somewhere!

[Bridge and Church hostel at Arre - outskirts of Pamplona]

So we set off to Pamplona, I was hoping that Eila might be interested in staying in a beautiful hostel behind the church and garden at Arre.  I had considered it one of my favourite Camino experiences, but with shed loads of dirty wet clothes from the previous day, Eila seemed hell bent on a smarter establishment in Pamplona and maybe increasing our daily mileage.  We had a good day and the weather brightened up making Arre seem a better destination and she was prepared to be manoeuvred that way.  It was a great success as it had a free washing machine and we were able to deal with the whole lot of washing and enjoy sitting out in the sun in the garden there.  Like the previous year we were able to team up with others and enjoy a meal together.  The three Irish ladies from the Dublin and the South West of Ireland (Margaret, Aine and Christine) had also made for Arre as they only had a week on the Camino.  We all went shopping and had fresh fish and plenty of salad and greens.  I was just happy to be back at Arre,  a converted cattle shed that had been looking after pilgrims since the Middle Ages, but the food was very good.  The dormitory was built into the top of the old cattle shed with an airy feeling and exposed wooden beams.  There was plenty of space between bunk beds and Eila did not seem too cheated out of a plusher Pamplona resting place!

Buen Camino.

[Bridge and waterfalls at Arre - outskirts of Pamplona]

[East German couple from Dresden (Mario and Michelle) relaxing in the hostel garden at Arre]

[Airey converted barn dormitory -Arre]

[ Eila, Margaret, Christine and Aine preparing supper - Arre]

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Day 3 - Roncesvalles to Zubiri

Day 3 - Thursday, 24nd April, 2014 - 22.2 km

[Roncesvalles - The magnitude of the journey spelt out on a road sign!]

[Roncesvalles municipal Albergue - comfort in a 62 bed dormitory]

[The 62 bed dormitory]

The night in Roncesvalles was very comfortable and not to cold.  We woke up to very low cloud and the weather was to deteriorate as the day progressed.  This was to be a gentle day of undulating countryside as we slowly dropped down the valley of the River Erro making our way toward Pamplona.

[On the way to Zubiri from Roncesvalles]

In the first village a local supermarket had opened, which had not happened the previous year.  The owner clearly realised that his captive market would be coursing through between 7am and 9am and he was very cheerful and hummed along with Handel's Messiah, which he played over the supermarket music system.  We ducked into one cafe to avoid what turned out as a slight hail storm.  Towards the end of the day the weather slowly changed to pelting rain, which did not stop and later turned to thunderstorms once we reached Zubiri - we got drenched.  The only plus point was that this would not have been the day to cross over the Pyrenees.

[Pouring rain and muddy puddles]

[Dutch pilgrim (Franz) in suitable rain gear]

Paul the tall Canadian man knew of a brand new Albergue which had opened up in Zubiri and he and a couple of Americans had booked a night there.  We joined the queue for places, but were pipped to the post by 4 German men just in front of us.  I thought our best chances were to make for the Municipal Albergue just down the road.  We were accompanied by a young American girl who was equally dispirited and had been turned away by 4 different hostels.  The reception at the Municipal Albergue had beds for us at 8 Euros and we were shown up to a 3 bunk bedded dormitory for 6; we took the last beds available.  There were two other big dormitories on that floor, but only one loo, basin and shower between them all and these were all in one room!  A queue for the shower was already forming in the corridor outside and things looked pretty bleak.  There was quite clearly nowhere to dry our clothes and pointless to wash anything as drying would not be possible.  Eila and the American girl Christina looked pretty mutinous, so I suggested that we forget the idea of a shower and leave our things to go to the cafe restaurant down the road and just sit in there with a drink followed by food and wear our clothes until dried.  The plan seemed to work and everyone's spirits improved with heat and two glasses of beer.  We were soon joined by Paul the Canadian man and the two Americans and three Irish ladies from the new hostel, all looking fresh and clean from a recent shower and dry clothes. Although Paul the Canadian felt slightly guilty that they had got such a good deal, our now dry clothes and intake of beer meant we did not mind being gloated at for missing out and soon moral was more than restored.  The evening went extremely well and we returned to the hostel to find the shower queue was no longer an issue and just made it to our beds before lights out.

Buen Camino

[Zubiri municipal albergue sadness - waiting for the queues to die down for the showers]

Day 2 - Orisson to Roncesvalles

Day 2 - Wednesday 23nd April, 2014 - 17.1 km

Eila and I had been allocated a six room of three bunk beds.  Eila, who was used to hotel life on the Camino found sharing a bunk room with four men, who do what men do in these cramped circumstances, snoring perhaps being one of the the main sins, taking off their smelly socks, prior to showering, being a lesser sin, but none the less irksome from her point of view.  We were eventually joined by a rather hapless German girl in her twenties who had unfortunately walked North East out on St.Jean the previous day, 180 degrees off her intended direction of travel.  Two hours out of St.Jean and with a total absence of other pilgrims, she began to question her navigational skills and returned to start her journey again.  She joined us to make up a dormitory of six, totally knackered and hastled for her experiences which had added 4 hours to her journey.

[Paul, a Canadian from Ottawa on his second Camino]

[Eila at the Navarra marker stone on the Pyrenees]

[Eila now in Spain by the mountain refuge]

[Dropping down to Roncesvalles through birch woods]

So we have finally crossed the Pyrenees today in beautiful sunny weather, albeit a very windy day at times.  We started off at Orisson this morning having completed the steep work yesterday.  We steadily climbed for two hours and then followed an undulating trail through beech woods briefly stopping to pass the stone making the boundary with Navarra and the boarder with Spain.  During the day we kept on passing and being passed by other pilgrims with whom we had shared supper the previous evening, namely Paul a very tall Canadian man in his seventies and two retired ladies, Beverley and Jo (a nurse and teacher) from Melbourne Australia.  Those who had not wimped out and stayed the night in Orisson as we had, would have pushed on yesterday in low cloud and rain.  We felt we had chosen wisely and had beautiful weather, such is the fickle nature of the Pyrenees.  We ended the day by dropping down through the very steep track through Beech woods into Roncessvalles.

We are now in the modern hostel in a partitioned bunk bedded dormitory of about 64 beds.  We are showered and ready for some food followed by the welcoming Pilgrim Mass.

Buen Camino.

Day 1 - St.John Pied de Port to Orisson

Day 1 - Tuesday, 22nd April, 2014 - 8.0 km

[View from Orisson Albergue]

Today was going to be a bit of a gentle start.  We only had to make the Albergue of Orisson, which is only about 8-10 km up the mountains into the Pyrenees.  This is the furthest you can walk without biting the bullet and making your way a further 20 Km's over the Pyrenees to the main hostel.  So it is a case of all or nothing.  The climb to Orisson is very steep, but I knew we would get there soon after 10am in the morning.  We hadn't had time to get our Pilgrim Passports (called a Credential) the previous evening because we had been so late; so our first stop was to return to the Pilgrim's Acceuil, or help desk, to book in with them and get our Credential.

We reached the Albergue at Orisson and checked in soon after 10am and soon were allocated a room with three bunk beds for 6 people.  I was concerned that Eila would think this a bit of a doss, but although she was used to larger mileages, she welcomed the opportunity to sort out her pack as we were still in disarray after the previous night and unpacking in the dark.

Orisson is a wonderful place to start the Camino.  It is just on the French side of the border with Spain and because you arrive early, you have time to get to know others who are also making their way on the Camino.  The day ends with a supper served on three long tables and at the end everyone has to take it in turn to get up and say where they are from, how far are they walking on the Camino and whether they have walked the Camino before.... In fact my father's idea of a nightmare!, but it has an amazing effect of getting everyone acquainted and talking to each other.  Some of the people you meet there, you often ending meeting later on the Camino.

Bon Camino.

[Orisson Albergue]

Day 0 - London to St.Jean Pied de Port

Day 0 - Easter Monday, 21st April, 2014 - 0 km (Camino distance covered)

[leaving home]

The Camino began for Eila and me with our meeting in a very busy RyanAir bag drop lane at Stanstead Airport.  The planning for this trip had been quite hurried and the itinerary was - fly to Biarritz, short bus to Bayonne and the 1 hour train ride to St.Jean Pied de Port, attend the Acceuil  there and sort out our Pilgrim Passport - called a 'Credential' and be allocated to a hostel for and evening meal and nights sleep.

We arrived at Biarritz to the usual fanfare that RyanAir play to make sure you don't forget that they are the most efficient airlines and have reached your destination on time.  The swift bus ride to Bayonne went without hitch, but because it was Bank Holiday Monday there was no replacement bus service to St.Jean until nine o'clock that evening a wait of 6 hours.  Eila and I decided to walk around town looking for signs of life, which was hard to find as there had recently been an Easter Jambon festival and everyone was either exhausted from alcohol consumption or from eating too much Jambon.  We decided to walk over the bridge into the main town and witnessed two men fighting on the bridge and into the road.  After giving each other a fairly good kicking, the fight was ended by one, the victor, taking the other's shoe and carelessly and victoriously lobbing it over the bridge parapet and into the river below, therefore removing one of the duelling weapons!  We found a small cafe restaurant by the bridge and remained there apart from a brief sortee to see the Cathedral.  

Eila and I confessed to some of the goodies we had brought in our back packs.  Some of you who are familiar with the characters of the Pixar Animation, 'Toy Story" will know of the characters Mr. and Mrs.Potato Head.  She packs for him, on one of the adventures, by loading the back of his potato with all sorts of unnecessary items.  By the end of our conscience examination we had christened ourselves Mr and Mrs Potato Head! 

Our replacement coach ride must have taken us over about 90 level crossings as we visited all the back of beyond rail stations between Bayonne and St.Jean Pied de Port, arriving there in the pouring rain well after the Acceuil (Pilgrims help desk) and all the hostels had closed for the night.  However the good volunteers that run the Acceuil had remained open especially to sort us out and we were immediately sent to a hostel arriving just before midnight, where we unpacked in the darkness of the dormitory with a warning that breakfast was at 6:30 and we had to be out at 7am.

Bon Camino!

[Eila - Arrival at St.Jean Pied de Port]

[Eila - Bayonne Cafe]

Introduction - DAY Minus 03

It was at a lunch for my parents-in-law about a month ago, that Eila, my sister-in-law, who had walked the Camino asked, "Would you ever walk the Camino again?"  I just replied "At the drop of a hat!"

So this is how I come to be repeating the journey I made last year in various parts, to try to complete the Camino in a single pilgrimage trip.  Like a polar bear, I have not been taking any exercise since completing a mini Camino (Astorga to Santiago) last September and I have lost my hiking fitness.

Eila and my brother-in-law David completed a week on the Camino route over a year and a half ago, staying in fairly smart hotels and being bussed to locations along the later part of the Camino (from Astorga), so that they could walk to their hotel for the following night without the need to carry their luggage.  Eila wanted to complete the whole Camino and was persuaded by me that the 'overnight hostel' and 'carry your own luggage' method did have merits!  David would be on his final courses before retiring from the Army at the end of this year and Eila was at a perfect loose end, so plans were made.

Ryanair tickets to Biaritz were booked and Euros purchased.  Fairly organised until I spotted the minor matter of my passport running out in June.  I applied online and then realised that the three weeks needed to leave for the passport to return was cutting things pretty fine.  After a brief conversation with the Passport helpline I sent them a letter to cancel my application only to be informed later that I would forfeit my £72 fee.  I was then persuaded to complete my application as there was just enough time to get the new passport back before the Easter Bank Holiday weekend, although I might need to pick it up in person from Peterborough.  So my Camino could be said to have started yesterday, by me heading up North to Peterborough to pick up my brand new passport!

[Her Majesty's Passport Office - Peterborough!]

This first entry is part introduction and part practice for me to see how easy (or difficult) blogging is.  Matthew my cousin and fellow Caminoer from last year has been setting me up earlier today.  He too would go on Camino with the drop of a hat, if it were not for his university finals.