Short report camino Aragones

[tipperary]

Hi all,
I walked this route over 6 days starting at Canfranc Estation on 15th october. Since this route gets little publicity here goes,
1 On 14th slept at Relais Du Bastet in Oloran Sainte Marie. Excellent place.
2 The bus to Canfranc Estation contrary to my expectations went over the Col Du Somport rather than using the tunnel.
3 The route took 6 days ,164 km total
4 My overnights were all in Albergues, Jaca , Arres, Ruesta, Sanguesa, Montreal, Puente La Reina.
All the Albergues were clean and well run. Thanks especially to the volunteers at Ruesta. All the towns and villages were attractive to stay in. I should add that at least two of the Albergues were no longer manned after the end October. By camino Francis standards most of the Albergues were small. The 11 pilgrims on the route did the exact same stages. A few of the Albergues had about 20 spaces.
5 All the overnight stops had a menu available in the afternoon and at night (late)
6 Except for Jaca and Sanguesta shops were small or just a few items in a bar. Indeed bars were
not too frequent either. Carrying abasic supply of snacks advised.
7 The route is well marked . There are a few route options so a guide is essential.
8 This is a very beautiful route and i can say that every day was different. Starting from col du Somport means this is not a strenous route
8 Pilgrims were mostly Spannish and French, dont expect to meet many native English speakers.
9 In my experience this is the camino with the least walking on sealed roads.
10 In many sections there is a lot of loose grit and clay so short gaiters would be useful in wet conditions. If windy dust could be blown around.
11 Rain fell on only one evening at 5.00. I continued on the Frances for another 5 days and had no rain.
12 Used guidebook SSJ. Eroski have good info on their website. I also gleaned good info from this site, thanks. I hope to have the opportunity to walk this route again in the early summer before all the snow is off the tops.
Buen camino
Justin

 

[Josefine]

Hi Tipperary, glad to hear you enjoyed it. I am considering doing this route next June (or walking the Le Puy route) and I am trying to gather information and opinions from those who already did this Camino.
Josefine

 

[Deleted member 3000]

For your poll: I thought it was a great route. If you have a bit more time, walk from Oloron-St. Marie. It will only add two to three days to the trip, and it is a gentler climb across the Pyrenees than leaving St. Jean Pied de Port.

There are good stopping points in addition to the ones used by Tipperary. Mundicamino has a good website for research.

 

[Jeff Stys]

Thanks for the report. I plan on walking the Aragones in early April 2012.

Jeff

 

[ranthr]

Thanks for the information. I will start from Somport end of May after a walk from Moissac to Lourdes.
Randi

 

[Josefine]

So there are some pilgrims considering this route for next year .
Falcon, I looked at the Chemin dÁrles, Oloron Sainte Marie to Bedous would be 30 km and Bedous Somport another 30. I will have 34-35 days at may disposal, including travelling days so I think perhaps starting in Oloron Sainte Marie would be pushing it.....and I haven´t yet figured out how to get to Somport, there are som suggestions on the Euroski page, from Spanish cities but I think perhaps travelling from Stockholm I´d better find connections from France. Any suggestions?
Josefine

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Estacion Canfranc was abandoned because the rail link to France broke in 1970. From Oloron, there is only bus service. There is train service in Spain from Zaragoza. Two trains most days, the first at 0659 and the second at 1535. The fare is 13.45 Euro.

ZARAGOZA-DELICIAS 06.59
ZARAGOZA PORTILLO 07.02 07.02
VILLANUEVA DE GALLEGO 07.20 07.20
ZUERA 07.30 07.31
TARDIENTA 07.55 07.56
HUESCA 08.11 08.19
PLASENCIA DEL MONTE (APT) 08.42 08.42
AYERBE 09.03 09.03
RIGLOS-CONCILIO (APD) 09.11 09.11
RIGLOS (APD) 09.15 09.15
SANTA MARIA Y LA PENA 09.25 09.25
ANZANIGO (APD) 09.32 09.32
CALDEARENAS-AQUILUE (APD) 09.49 09.49
SABINANIGO 10.09 10.10
JACA 10.25 10.26
CASTIELLO-PUEBLO (APD) 10.33 10.33
CASTIELLO (APD) 10.37 10.37
VILLANUA (APD) 10.48 10.48
CANFRANC 10.59

 

[caminka]

josefine, according to sncf site, the bus from oloron to canfranc is the so-called sncf bus (autocar in french) that replaced the train when this one went out of service. this means that you can buy your ticket as if you would buy it for the train, ie. as far as canfranc (or stopping in somport). it also means that the bus (usually) leaves from the train station.

a quick check of the schedule revelead two buses per day from oloron to canfranc, with the travelling time about 1h30.

if you are flying in, the closest airport is pau, which is a bit north of oloron.

 

[Josefine]

Thank you Falcon and Caminka, I want to start the walk in Somport and not in Canfranc so I´ll look in to this and figure out if Pau or Zaragoza would be the quickest way, that would depend on the connections from Stockholm. I wouldn´t like to lose tooo much time just travelling and waiting on airports or busstations before I get started.
Josefine

 

[oursonpolaire]

Pau would be your quickest and likely the easiest starting point. Either walk out of there through La Commande and up the pass to Somport or Canfranc, or just take the bus out of Oloron Sainte Marie. Saragossa would require a backtracking-- I imagine that the bus links are easy -- but you would miss the scenery over the Pyrenees.

 

[ranthr]

Josefine.
It is also easy to get by train from Toulouse to Oloron St. Marie. You can check timetables on http://www.tgv-europe.com.
Randi

 

[Josefine]

Pau or Tolouse.....I have to find out the cheapest and quickest way from Stockholm, and I want a one way ticket since I plan to fly back from Santiago. Ryanair has cheap flights to Biarritz as well, maybe from there I could take a train or a bus. It will take me some time to figure this out and I will let you know what I decide, the whole winter, if it ever comes this year, is ahead of us, hours and hours of happy Caminoplanning!!!

 

[camino-david]

Hi Josefine, I also walked this route from Oloron to Puenta la Reina this year in September. I used the guide 'Toulouse to Puenta la Reina' published by the English Confranternity of St James (http://www.csj.org.uk). I found the directions rather confusing, and there is no map, but otherwise there is much useful general information, and it can be downloaded from the CSJ website for a donation.
In Jaca I picked up a one page leaflet from the Albergue in Jaca which was very useful listing distances and locations of albergues and number of beds and had a general map, and published by the Jaca Tourist office. There are a couple of alternative routes stated in the CSJ guide and shown on the Tourist Office leaflet. 1. Between Sanguesa and Izco. The waymarks on the route through Rocaforte appear to have been removed, and the preferred route through Lumbier is well waymarked and the path recently upgraded. 2. Between Tiebas and Eneriz. The route through Biurrun and Ucar has had waymarks removed (at least for the 3 kms I walked) and the route through Muruarte is well waymarked and recently upgraded.
The whole route from Somport to Puenta la Reina is well waymarked and there is hardly any need for a map. I also saw few other perigrinos and there are albergues roughly every 15 kms or less, and of a good standard. There are very few drinking water fountains between villages.
The stages suggested by the Tourist Office in their leaflet are:
1. Somport - Jaca 31 kms
2. Jaca - Arres 25 kms
3. Arres - Ruesta 27 kms
4. Ruesta - Sanguesa 22 kms
5. Sanguesa - Monreal 29 kms
6. Monreal - Puenta la Reina 31 kms
Of course the stages that you walk are your choice, and I took 8 days
I flew from Australia to Paris, then another flight to Pau (Air France), and then train from Pau to Oloron (at least 5 trains daily; 40 minute journey). I used the valley bus for a short distance on the way to Somport, and from memory there are 2 per day, in the morning and afternoon. Oloron does not have an airport, and the albergue there is very good - clean and real beds, not bunks.
I personally loved this Camino and hope to walk it again some day. Buen Camino. camino-david

 

[sillydoll]

Plan B:

You can get to Barcelona or Pamplona and take the Alosa.es bus to Jaca and then a Mancobus bus to Somport. http://www.mavaragon.com

Plan C:
Get a train to Jaca. http://www.renfe.es And then a bus to Somport. http://www.mavaragon.com

 

[Josefine]

I do love this forum! Thank you for good suggestions. Yesterday I ordered " 'Toulouse to Puenta la Reina" and I think both Mundicamino and Gronze.com have good information. What worries me a bit is the days I will have available for the walk, it will be difficult to get more than 35 days but I think I can do it. It´s not my first Camino and since on the Francés there are so many albergues I think I can arrange the daily distances in a good way without pushing myself to hard.
The more I think about the Aragonés I think it will be my choice for next year. The Puy route will have to wait.
Josefine

 

[caminka]

Between Sanguesa and Izco. The waymarks on the route through Rocaforte appear to have been removed, and the preferred route through Lumbier is well waymarked and the path recently upgraded.

that is interesting. it means that the motorway around lumbier has been finished and the route there is funcional again. it was a disaster in 2009, we had to walk all the way on N120. how is the portion from sanguesa to liedena? still on the main road or has there be a rerouting here too?
although I have absolutely nothing against the lumbier canyon (it's stunning!) it seems kinda strange to completely remove the traces of the rocaforte route. I mean, why not keep both possibilities?

 

[Alan Pearce]

In early April 2008 we flew from Paris to Pau and walked from the airport. It was only about 10 km to Lescar, where we stayed the night. The walk the next day to Oloron was very difficult, with lots of ups and downs and muddy patches, not the sort of day you need unless you are properly fit before you start the camino.

Alan

Be brave. Life is joyous.

 

[Josefine]

Hi again, once again I'm spending my entire Sunday reading this forum ... and I might be reconsidering my plans AGAIN reading and remembering the bedrush on the French. So I was looking at the voie de Piemont, I do understand French but their pages confuse me, am I correct to understand that Lourdes - Somport would be five stages or did I completely misunderstand the stage information? because if that is so I could walk Lourdes-Somport-Leon in 25 days and then perhaps, if all goes well have time to walk the San Salvador which I would love to do. This, sadly, would mean not reaching Santiago this summer but you can't get everything all the time, I would have to chose which is very hard.....
Josefine

 

[lucky]

Hi Josefine,
I have walked Lourdes- Puenta La Reina twice it's a very beautiful journey and although i did'nt see any other walkers in November i think you will have just enough company if you walk in June.
Lourdes has an airport and we can get cheap flights there from the uk.The route i took was Lourdes- Oloron Ste Marie- Somport and took me 6 days Somport - Puenta La Reina is 6-7 days.There is a post on here somewhere by dutchpilgrim with a link to some maps you can print for walking in France which was all i took. The albergue in Jaca can give you a sheet which gives you enough information to walk the Aragones there is also a blog on here by Sillydoll which is very helpful.Hope this helps.
Paul

 

[Josefine]

Thanks Lucky, this looks more and more interesting.
Josefine

 

[camino-david]

Hi Caminka,
A lot of the construction of the motorway seems to have come to an abrupt stop, possibly because of the financial crisis in Europe. I do remember walking alongside the new half finished motorway for short distances only on a new track, so it has obviously been diverted. The only part of the Camino that is on road for any distance is between Arres and Ruesta, but maybe I remember it because that day was 35 degrees and my feet seemed to be burning inside my boots on the hard surface. David

 

[caminka]

I do remember walking alongside the new half finished motorway for short distances only on a new track, so it has obviously been diverted. The only part of the Camino that is on road for any distance is between Arres and Ruesta,

well, as long as there is no need to trod the main road... although walking along the motorway cannot be that pleasant either.
I remember that part, but it was on minor roads with very few cars.