Route from Oloron-Ste Marie

[littlewalker]

Hi!

I'm starting my third camino this next Friday from Oloron. Any advice on where to sleep or what to see from there to Somport would be highly appreciated. Specifically the where to sleep part. I've been trying to do a little research on possible refuges (my french is non-existent so this is kind of hard) and they all seem a bit expensive in comparison to what I´m used to (and it doesn´t help that this time I'm paying for 2... my dad and me).
I'm really looking forward to putting my boots and walking stick to good use again! Buen camino to all of you!
Graci.

 

[AJ]

Where I stayed and what it cost in 2012:

Oloron St Marie : gite Relais du Bastet € 12.00
Sarrance : Auberge Gourmande € 62.22 demi-pen
Urdos : Gite-Alimentation € 14.00
Castiello de Jaca : Hotel Meson de Castiello € 64.00 demi-pen

demi-pen is dinner bed and breakfast. I seem to remember a pigrim refuge at Sarrance

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Miam Miam Dodo for the route lists all the accommodations. I have tried many of them, and everyone was good. Bon chemin.

 

[naplesdon]

I'll be following in your footsteps later this month. I found a guide several years ago that covers the ground between Oloron-Sainte-Marie to Eunate, it was at www.caminoguide.net

 

[littlewalker]

Thank you all for your help! I'll be sure to check out that website. It looks promising.

Only 5 days to go!

 

[barbaravan]

You will be walking a very beautiful stretch. Do obtain the miammiam dodo though. It is one expense that is really worth it. I stayed only in inexpensive gites though i do not have the names with me as i am currently walking. I spent between 9 E and 16 E in 2013 without demi pension but often I did buy demi pension. On this route you will also run into the word coin cuisine which means the gite has a kitchen. My French is not very good so i took my miam miam dodo to my local french restaurant and got the basic meanings for various words which repeat and repeat so it is easy to follow. Best wishes

 

[SUSIE]

Hi all above.
I am planning to walk from Arles starting about 25th Aug then walk the variant to Lourdes then on to Puente de La Reina and I am very interest to have a list of the gites ect where you stayed and your experiences.
Thanking you in advance...and hope you had a great Camino....

 

[HeatherWriter]

Hi all,
I'm going to do a wee stretch of this beautiful looking and sounding walk from Oloron to Jaca. Miam Miam lists lots of inexpensive places to stay. Does anyone have any updated info or hints about this section? I read that there is a shuttle before Somport to avoid busy traffic there-does anyone know anything about it? One more thing-anyone know about transport out of Jaca?
Thanks!

 

[mspath]

Hi all,
I'm going to do a wee stretch of this beautiful looking and sounding walk from Oloron to Jaca. Miam Miam lists lots of inexpensive places to stay. Does anyone have any updated info or hints about this section? I read that there is a shuttle before Somport to avoid busy traffic there-does anyone know anything about it? One more thing-anyone know about transport out of Jaca?
Thanks!

For more info re walking this stretch check out this earlier Forum thread. This thread also is useful.

One of the special spots to visit on the Orloron to Jaca route is the splendid Canfranc railroad station. Don't miss it!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I read that there is a shuttle before Somport to avoid busy traffic there-does anyone know anything about it?

One of the principal guidebooks in French recommends taking the bus for the last few miles before heading up the mountain to Somport. It is not a shuttle bus, just the regular bus service from Oloron to Canfranc Estacion. The randonneurs of France have an ongoing dispute with the government on creating a safe path to get to the road up the mountain, and the recommendation is more a part of that dispute than it is a stretch of road that is more dangerous than other parts. However, it is a fairly busy road with a narrow shoulder, so exercise extreme caution when walking on it.

 

[HeatherWriter]

One of the principal guidebooks in French recommends taking the bus for the last few miles before heading up the mountain to Somport. It is not a shuttle bus, just the regular bus service from Oloron to Canfranc Estacion. The randonneurs of France have an ongoing dispute with the government on creating a safe path to get to the road up the mountain, and the recommendation is more a part of that dispute than it is a stretch of road that is more dangerous than other parts. However, it is a fairly busy road with a narrow shoulder, so exercise extreme caution when walking on it.

Thanks Falcon, will do.

 

[HeatherWriter]

For more info re walking this stretch check out this earlier Forum thread. This thread also is useful.

One of the special spots to visit on the Orloron to Jaca route is the splendid Canfranc railroad station. Don't miss it!

Thank you Ms Path, will definitely check them all out.

 

[Karl G]

Hello all - I’ll be leaving in a week to start in Oleron. I will hopefully be able to obtain a Miam Miam Dodo in Oleron as it only ships to the US from the UK and can’t get it in time before leaving.

Does anyone know of another source of detailed maps and information? I’m concerned about being able to follow the route and get back on if we take a wrong turn.

Thanks!

 

[naplesdon]

The route is not hard to follow even though it was poorly marked when I did it in 2015. It was early in the season so there were no other pilgrims on the path. As I mentioned in post #4, I found a guide and I also was able to download and print the appropriate part of the GR map for GR653. I had a notable stay at the monastery in Sarrance. I had one meadow that I walked through where it was impossible to determine whether I was following a roaming cow or following the bent over grass from a pilgrim who had preceded me. I finally gave up walking in Urdos due the weather and an impending forecast for snow. I took a bus through the tunnel and spent the night in Canfranc before descending 2 days to Jaca.

 

[Karl G]

The route is not hard to follow even though it was poorly marked when I did it in 2015. It was early in the season so there were no other pilgrims on the path. As I mentioned in post #4, I found a guide and I also was able to download and print the appropriate part of the GR map for GR653. I had a notable stay at the monastery in Sarrance. I had one meadow that I walked through where it was impossible to determine whether I was following a roaming cow or following the bent over grass from a pilgrim who had preceded me. I finally gave up walking in Urdos due the weather and an impending forecast for snow. I took a bus through the tunnel and spent the night in Canfranc before descending 2 days to Jaca.

Thanks for the reply and assurance that it was easy to follow - I tried opening the link in your earlier post but it now goes to a site for the CF and I didn’t see any links or menus for the CA. If I’m overlooking something, please let me know!

 

[naplesdon]

That post was years ago and looks like it has been updated. I did open the GR653 link and it works but you have to try multiple sites to find the right map

 

[sharon w]

This was part of the route we walked last year. It is very reasonable. Stay in the communal gites and albergues. We stayed at:
Oloron- Relais du Bastet- a wonderful gite
Sarrance- presbytere 25€ Demi pension
Etsaut - Gite la Garbure 20€ for bed and breakfast
Somport - Albergue Aysa 21€ for bed and breakfast. I can’t remember how much we paid for dinner.
Jaca- municipal albergue- wonderful
Santa Cilia- municipal albergue
Artieda- hotel
Sanguesa- municipal albergue
Monreal- municipal albergue