Hello - I am also interested in accommodation availability especially in Orisson - can anyone tell me what are the chances of getting in there on 3rd April - ????? It doesn`t seem possible to book on line and it`s a long climb/walk to roncesvalles - I am 72 years old so would like to do a slow pace Camino ? Thank you in advance for info
Hi, Maura, and welcome to the Forum....
You have other options if Orisson does not work out for you. You can walk to Orisson, then take a taxi or shuttle back down to St Jean Pied de Port to spend the night. The next morning, take the taxi or shuttle BACK to Orisson and continue walking from there.
So you would, in effect, spend two nights in SJPdP and have the opportunity to have more time to explore and enjoy that village. If using this method, you may also find that once you walk to Orisson, you want to take a break there and grab some food and drink, but then walk even further up the road. Again, taxi or shuttle back down to SJPdP when you decide you are done walking.
Personally, staying at Orisson is not to my taste as it is with many others. On the 2 Camino's where I walked all the way to Roncesvalles the first day, I stopped both times for a long break at Orisson, ate bocadilla and other goodies, had fresh orange juice and some other soft drinks and enjoyed a bit of relaxation and looked around the facilities.
If I was not feeling up to walking to Roncesvalles, I would personally opt to stay back in St Jean. But that is just me, and is just an example of why Orisson is not an only option if walking the Napoleon Route.
Here is a video I took of walking the entire route which was edited by John Sikora, and is a step by step look at walking this stage. BTW, John Sikora has an entire video series of walking
Camino Frances Step-by-Step. Of course it is in a Hyperlapsed time frame so that rather than hours, each stage takes an average of 20 minutes to view.