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Descent from Col de Lepoeder into Roncesvalles

Derek Hanrahan

Quo Vadis
Time of past OR future Camino
Stages in: 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016;
Sept 2017
Hi,
I walked this route with my son on a very clear day in 2013. Since 2012 I've been doing a section every year with family and friends. Now I am within 90km of Santiago but I'm returning alone this year to start the Camino again in late August.
At the time we descended the last section from Col de Lepoeder down into Roncesvalles through the forest path. Even on this very clear day the "path" was anything but clear, a bit hit-and-miss in places. At the time I wondered how people found heir way in bad weather particularly mist, fog or just in dull light conditions. I find myself anxious about the descent as I prepare to set out and wonder if you can offer me some direction and/or your experiences regarding this.
Thank you. Derek
 
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The advice in bad or rainy weather is to NOT use the path. The safer alternative is the narrow roadway which runs from Col de Lepoeder down to Roncesvalles. This is also what the Pilgrim office in SJPdP would recommend, so it is important to check with them as they will have the latest report on conditions.

Here is the recent thread on that alternate route:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...pperary-to-santiago-day-75.57000/#post-645507
 
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I would agree with the advice about taking the safer route in poor weather, or if your knees are exhausted at that point

However, I wouldn't characterize this as a "dangerous" path that should cause anxiety during your preparation. Yes, your knees will be tired and vulnerable on that downhill slope. It could be hazardous if wet and covered with leaves, so 2 walking sticks are very important.

I am NOT a super-walker, and at 66 I walked from SJPP to Roncesvalles in one day, coming down to Roncesvalles from the forest route. My legs were wobbly by the end, and I recognized how easy it would have been to slip and twist a knee, but I did not consider it to be a dramatic or dangerous mission! :)
 
I think it will become fairly obvious once you reach that point. My recollection is that as you start to descend from Col de Lepoeder there is a signpost pointing to the right towards a road. This is the "safer" alternative, and the one that I took.
Definitely safer even in nice weather. And when you descend (on the path or cut through the pasture) to the chapel at Ibaneta Pass you can again choose between path through the forest (left) or stay on the tarmac road. Either way you'll come to the Roncesvalles.
 
Definitely safer even in nice weather. And when you descend (on the path or cut through the pasture) to the chapel at Ibaneta Pass you can again choose between path through the forest (left) or stay on the tarmac road. Either way you'll come to the Roncesvalles.

We chose the ‘mini’ forest path after the chapel ... I really liked the rocky bit :)
 
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@davebugg, Use sticks for extra stability. I only use one, but it helped immensely.
 
Last August 2017, at age 69, I also walked from St Jean to Roncesvalles on my first day (after coming by train in the early morning from Biarritz and Bayonne) and took the steep forest path. I did not use poles.
While I saw a couple of people have falls, I didn't find it either alarming or dangerous. Granted, the day was fine. I wouldn't take that lath in slippery, wet conditions.
I do think some who found difficulty had packs that were way too heavy - not uncommon on the first days.
 
Hi,
I walked this route with my son on a very clear day in 2013. Since 2012 I've been doing a section every year with family and friends. Now I am within 90km of Santiago but I'm returning alone this year to start the Camino again in late August.
At the time we descended the last section from Col de Lepoeder down into Roncesvalles through the forest path. Even on this very clear day the "path" was anything but clear, a bit hit-and-miss in places. At the time I wondered how people found heir way in bad weather particularly mist, fog or just in dull light conditions. I find myself anxious about the descent as I prepare to set out and wonder if you can offer me some direction and/or your experiences regarding this.
Thank you. Derek
You have to go on the Wright by the GR 12 untill the pass of Ibañeta and after you have to follow the way that is coming from Valcarlos till Roncesvalles
 
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My wife and I took the forest path. The weather was clear that day, and because we're accustomed to hiking up and down steep slopes here in Colorado, we didn't see it as being that difficult. IMO, the biggest danger was the many exposed roots on and across the trail which required careful attention to placement of our feet -- they can definitely be a tripping hazard. Trekking poles helped, and we saw a few pilgrims without poles who had picked up natural sticks or short limbs to have a third point of balance. But since the trail is natural dirt, it could be muddy and slippery in rain, so the alternate path down the road would be my choice in those conditions.
 
We hiked the Napoleon route during our first camino in 2015. We found the forest route to be wicked. The ground was soft and there were lots of leaves and other trail clutter which could easily trip a hiker. My wife and I both had trekking poles to provide some safety. While neither of us lost our balance, we both sustained injuries. My wife developed blisters, which progressed to severe knee pain. Upon return to the US, we learned she had developed two stress fractures. I got off easily, a few blisters and one black toe. Our last two caminos, we've hiked the Valcarlos route. We begin our 4th camino frances Sept 17. We are hiking the Napoleon route again, but will definitely take the road route down into Roncesvalles and avoid the forest. Bob
 
I have walked the forest path once in bad weather by mistake, and the road down to the chapel twice. From the Ibaneta Chapel there is a nice forest path down to Roncesvalles, so you don´t have to walk on road all the way. Along the path there were plants and signs with name of the plants. My last walk down there was in 2010, so things may differ but this alternative was much better than the steep and dark forestpath.
 
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During 10 past caminos usually in late autumn /winter it was always a long hard slog up the Valcarlos route.

Leaving Valcarlos as dawn broke at 8am it would take 5 hours to slowly climb up to the Ibaneta pass, altitude 1060 m. This once was THE medieval route through the Pyrenees with a very early pilgrim hospice at the pass; today the small modern chapel marks the spot.

As past pilgrim multitudes have done I, too, joyfully shouted my thanks when cresting the pass and then weeping in exhausted relief slowly 'floated' down via the N135 road into the historic Roncesvalles monastery complex which has sheltered pilgrims since the eleventh century.
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
Browncountybob, ranthr, mspath,

In your rush to help have you lost sight that the thread you are answering is 3 years old? 😂
 
John, sharing our experiences can still be helpful. I was going to start a new thread on this same topic, but decided to search in case it had been raised before.

There's no time limit on providing good advice. First time pilgrims should be aware that there are alternatives for hiking down to Roncesvalles and each has pros and cons. Bob
 
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John, sharing our experiences can still be helpful. I was going to start a new thread on this same topic, but decided to search in case it had been raised before.

There's no time limit on providing good advice. First time pilgrims should be aware that there are alternatives for hiking down to Roncesvalles and each has pros and cons. Bob
Part of the newcomer double bind: start a new thread and someone will reply with “check old threads it’s been discussed before here and here and here and here and here.” Reply to an old one and it’s inevitably pointed out how old the thread. 🙂

somethings never change
 

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