El Camino de Santiago : Los Arcos to Villafranca Montes de Oca

Kilometres this section : 113

Kilometres completed : 246

Ruined Iglesia de San Pedro in Viana.

The Albergue in Los Arcos expects guests to depart by 8am, OK I can do that, today is actually a pretty long one, some 28km, so no harm getting an early start.  Of course, the walking continues to be very easy, I am 18km into the day by lunchtime, with a light pack and a well built, generally flat trail I am going pretty quickly.  Lunch is a large and tasty, if pricey, vegan empanada, which I consume in Viana, sitting in the ruins of a medieval church destroyed during the first Carlist war.  From here, a short way to a really quite substantial city, Logroño, big enough for yet another Irish pub, with beer and burger.  I seem to be the only guest at my albergue tonight, odd...

Mural by the Ermita de la Virgen de Cuevas, between Viana and Logroño.

Well, a cold night by myself in the albergue, I make an early start, barring a pause for a coffee.  Seems to be a lot of modern city on my way out of Logroño, then out into the usual easy trail through vineyards.  I am in the Rioja region, must try to drink some...  So, today the guide suggests a mere 12km, to Navarrete, I get there for 11am, obviously I am going to walk further.  Although, it's worth a stop here, the church has an incredible altarpiece, looks like a substantial proportion of Mexico's gold ended up here.  Onwards, another 17km, past the hill where allegedly the Frankish knight Roldán fought a nine foot Syrian named Ferragut - I am unconvinced.  A hotel tonight, yay, in a decent sized town, Nájera.  And, another fruitless hunt for proper food, seems like people here eat at restaurants at midday, and you only get a snack in the evening?  Ah well, yet another burger it is.  A massive one called a 'guarra doble' - do not search google for that...

Altarpiece in the Iglesia Santa Maria de la Asunción, Navarrete.

From Nájera there is an actual hill to climb, proper walking today, and what is more a few drops of rain are falling - I put on my waterproof hat, maybe at some point I'll wear my waterproof jacket on the trail, but not today.  Sure is windy though, but really I can't complain about the weather, it is March after all.  A long day today, 28km or so again in fact... I pass through Cirueña, most of which is a bizarre ghost town of fantastically ugly shuttered apartment blocks - I think they are holiday homes?  On to Santo Domingo de la Calzada, where a lady is taking her pig for a walk, as you do.  Big place this, many restaurants and albergues, but as per my guide I need to get a bit further, to Grañon, which is .. not big.  Is there even anywhere to sleep here?  As it turns out, yes, a place in the back of the church, no beds but I get a mattress.  There's an offer to prepare food, then go to mass at 7pm, then eat the food at 8...  While doing this cultural stuff sounds cool, I confess I am unable to resist beer instead, and indeed, dear god, yet another burger.  I get black pudding with this one.

And still onwards, after doing three days from my guide in just two, today there is a decent way to go, 28km in fact.  Many small towns and villages to pass through, I can see how you could turn this into a pub crawl... I do stop for a coffee in one place, the cafe has a painted over 'club' sign, and inside a chrome pole suggesting it was once a different sort of establishment.  Back to the trail, I am still climbing, and there is a stiff, cold headwind, this is actually kind of hard work.  Good thing I have a day off planned tomorrow, as I am feeling a little tired on reaching the day's end at Villafranca Montes de Oca.  First night here is in a former abbey turned hotel and albergue, it is most superior, and provides food that is not a burger!  Next day, this is really not a big place, but no huge problem with not doing much, good to rest in fact.  Only one place to eat here, back to the abbey for spaghetti, then cod and chips, can't complain.

Scenic Cirueña.

El Camino de Santiago : Pamplona to Los Arcos

Kilometres this section : 68
Kilometres completed : 133

Pilgrim monument at the Alto de Perdón.

Day four, I walk out of Pamplona, it's another beautiful day, and lovely surroundings again.  There are many little towns, houses with white walls and red roofs, each with a very defensible church or abbey at the centre - I am of course reminded of the walk to Carcassonne I did a few years ago.  Well, different country but not too far away, and it is all the Basque region of course.  Signs here are often in Spanish and Basque, and wow, the latter bears no relation to any language I know.  Maybe a Greek influence?

Anyway, more easy walking, barring one short downhill section over loose stones.  Today the distance is a whole 22km, well it isn't nothing, and I manage to add another 2km by taking a detour to see a 12th century romanesque church.  Possibly built by the Knights Templar even.  I still reach Puente la Reina, today's finish, by 5pm, this really is not very challenging.  Well, it works out, tonight the Albergue insists on me not staying out later than 9:30, straight to a bar then - it actually rains on the way there.  Spaghetti then fried cod tonight, not sure I will lose much weight on this trip.

Iglesia de Santa María de Eunate.

After an early night, I should not be surprised when my fellow pilgrims start getting up before 7am, OK, I can also do this.  Not entirely sure why, there is only 22km to walk today, we hardly have to hurry.  Not to mention, this early in the day it is kind of cold.  Never mind, it warms up over the course of the morning, great walking through vineyards and olive groves.  Over too soon really, I reach today's destination, Estella, shortly after 1pm.  Hmm, I think I should have planned this a bit more carefully, seems like I could have reduced the number of days to do the thing quite a bit.  Just didn't have time...

Well, Estella is lovely anyway, and tonight I have a superior, private albergue, in a historic tannery even.  There are glass panels in the floor, through which the carved stone sinks used during the leather production can be seen.  The town is also big enough to have an Irish pub, where I enjoy a burger plus beer.  And, no hurry to leave, I've booked a hotel room here too, while I don't need a rest it will make a change to sightsee for a day.  Sure is a lot to see here, many buildings are hundreds of years old, churches of course, fortifications, and yes I ascend a couple of large hills on the outskirts of town.  Lots of history here clearly...  First I'd heard of it, but it seems that just as in Britain, where parliament's decision to choose the King they wanted led to the Jacobite rebellion, something similar happened here.  There were a few claimants to the throne over the decades, all named Carlos, so we are talking about the Carlist wars - and it seems Estella was for a time the Carlist capital.  I pass buildings with bullet holes from 150 years ago...

La Iglesia del Santo Sepulcro in Estella.

Second night in Estella, the Irish pub is shut so I find a typical Spanish bar, there's beer but food is limited to sandwiches, I get a little drunk, good thing I have a hotel room rather than annoying my fellow pilgrims.  Back to walking next day, it is still easy, and lovely surroundings, spring is arriving here, I walk beneath trees in blossom.  And, you have to love Spain, not long into the day there is a drinking fountain that dispenses not water, but wine!  I fill a small bottle, it goes well with my lunch (bread and chorizo), then not too far until the end of the day, another medieval town, Los Arcos.  Another bar and sandwiches for dinner, I am sure proper food will be back at some point...

Getting my fill of wine at the Fuente de Irache.

El Camino de Santiago : Roncesvalles to Pamplona

Kilometres this section : 49

Kilometres completed : 65

Back at the trail junction I was at around 5pm the day before.

Day two of the Camino, and I am walking in the wrong direction, back towards France, well, no help for it, obviously I don't want to miss a section of walking.  Sadly I didn't make a note of where exactly the fat officer stopped me, but he said I was only two kilometres from Valcarlos, I will walk back down the road and see if I recognise anything.  And in fact, I am still three kilometres from Valcarlos when I see the turn-off to the riverside trail...  OK, I walk the trail again, it is still nice, and around 2km in length, so, when I return to the road I am now 5km from Valcarlos, and this is the nearest to it I could possibly have been last night.  Not 2km then.  The crazy man also said we were fifteen kilometres from Roncesvalles, whereas in reality?  Seven or eight km.  I guess he was just making up numbers to justify his desire to boss somebody about.  Sadly this is a thing of the police all over the world, you give some guys a uniform and they think they are el Generalisimo.

A taste of the trail to come - flat and well made.

Well, another half hour back up the road, then another trail, only 5km back to Roncesvalles, steeply uphill though, it takes me over an hour, so nearly 1pm before I can make some actual progress.  Fortunately, like many of the suggested days on the Camino, this is a short one, only 22km.  And, what can I say... readers of this blog will be familiar with me walking through bog, mud, snow, water, up mountains, through deserts, hacking through jungles etc.  This is... not like that.  The trail is a very well built gravel track, or sometimes actual flagstones, usually with a gentle downhill grade.  It is very easy, all the better to enjoy the alpine scenery.  Even the weather is good, blue skies, and while the leafless trees suggest spring has not yet come, it's warm enough.  Lovely walking then, and I make good time to today's finish, Zubiri.  Time to check into an example of the standard Camino accommodation - an Albergue.  Basically hostels for the pilgrims, they are cheap and perfectly adequate.  And now, time to get to a restaurant for more beer and hearty food, tonight I get a plate of paella to start, them a beef escalope, this is good, there is even company, a couple of my fellow pilgrims from the Albergue join me for dinner.

Río Ultzama, a little outside Pamplona.

Next day, a whole 22km to Pamplona - yes, the location of the famous bull running festival, that is later in the year though.  A bit cold early in the morning, but it warms up, for more lovely, easy walking.  Hmm, I still recall on the PCT being the slow guy, all the serious hikers leaving me for dust.  Seems like the other way around here, I still seem to be in good shape despite a year spent in a classroom, whereas my fellow hikers are not moving fast.  A lot of them have big packs, or poles they don't need (or know how to use).  I overtake many people, and arrive in Pamplona for 12:30, time to grab some lunch and find an Albergue.  Being here early is not a problem of course, there is much to see in Pamplona, primarily the impressive series of forts and ramparts surrounding the old city, it takes all afternoon to see a decent amount of it.  What to do in the evening then?  Oh I know, I will go to a bar for beer, wine (a whole bottle!) and a three course meal.  Spring rolls are involved..

Plaza del Castillo in Pamplona.

El Camino de Santiago : Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles

Kilometres this section : 16

Kilometres completed : 16

Striking French people in Bayonne.

Oh wow, long time no blog.   Well, travelling has not been easy recently, and so I decided to do another year of teaching, it has been very hard work and there wasn't much time for adventure.  I did get to Angkor Wat again, but I already wrote about that.   Well, time for something new then, specifically the Camino de Santiago, a historic pilgrimage route leading to Santiago de la Compostela in northern Spain, the town somewhat implausibly claimed to be the burial site of the apostle, James the Great.  There are in fact numerous routes, I'll be doing the Camino Francés, a 780km trail starting just over the border in France, in a small town called St. Jean-Pied-de-Port (henceforth SJPP).

Walking into St. Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Not too hard to get to the place, I fly to Paris, then another plane to Biarritz airport, from which it's only an hour's walk to Bayonne.  This turns out to be well worth the visit, there are impressive fortifications, and many half-timbered buildings, including my hotel.  Also there's an Irish pub with a variety of reasonably priced beer, and if the nearest I can get to dinner there is a croque monsieur, this is not the end of the world.  Next morning I grab some breakfast and snacks, then head to the train station to take the last motorised journey before I can start walking.

Except... oops.  Of course, it is France, the day has a D in it, so there is a strike.   No train, if they'd told me about the cancellation I could have got an early bus, now my best bet is to wait two hours, then get a bus to Saint Palais, from there another bus goes to SJPP.  But the strikers, not content with not working, are also blocking the road, not sure how the bus can get to us (I have been joined by a few east Asian hikers also hoping to get to the trail).  In the event, a local comes to our rescue, offering to drive us to a different bus stop - we get there just in time to catch the bus.  I reach Saint Palais around midday, there is a bus to SJPP, but not for another 3 hours!

Crossing the border into Spain.

OK, I can work with this, I head for the road out of town and stick up my thumb.  Sure enough, a nice lady offers to take me to the outskirts of town, although perhaps I misunderstood, as she drops me off some 22km away.  OK, thumb up again, this time I get to within 5km.  I feel like Xeno's arrow, doomed to never reach my destination, because I always have to get halfway first.   Ah, screw it, I can walk from here, and I do, and then get my 'Credencial', which I'll need to get stamped in every town to prove that I've done the thing. And, walking!   Starting at nearly 3pm, I am happy to accept the instruction to not walk the 'Napoleon Route', instead the winter route is shorter, only 23km, and mainly on roads.  I make good time then, the road leads up, into Spain without ceremony, then further up.

I pass through a small village, Valcarlos, then there's a lovely section of footpath beside a river, then back to the road.  Onwards, by 6:30 I have perhaps 8km to go, it's going to be a late arrival but I have a hotel booked, I am sure they will give me food, what can go wrong?   Hahaha.   This, clearly, is the day of everything going wrong.  A police car turns up, a fat officer gets out, and tells me it's getting late.  Yes, I know, I have had a few problems today, but not far now.  Gradually I realise that he is not being friendly, in fact he flat out insists that I either walk back to Valcarlos, or accept a ride in his car to Roncesvalles.  Well, no help for it, I get in the car... dear god, first day and I am already cheating.  Ah well, it does mean I am here in time for the excellent and very cheap Menu Peregrinal, and a beer or three, so all good.

Nice to be on a riverside footpath at least.