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.