GR10 to Irun!

[Stedds]

Fellow peregrinos!

Am hiking from Le Puy to St Jean and then want to head off up to Irun to take the del Norte route.

I am dead set on walking through the Pyrenees.

Have been scouring this forum for info on the GR10 route through the mountains to Irun. This is my plan to take in the awesome scenery and do it while I can, 25 year old dude & rapid hiker. Am looking forward to this so much!! Where do people stay on this route? Is the accommodation similar to albergues? Do you have to take a tent in case? Any information is greatly appreciated

I have seen alternative routes, for example next to a river. I am keen on the mountainous route.

Thank you in advance, this forum is always super quick to come up with help and advice!!


Regards,

Eddie

 

[peregrina2000]

Eddie -- ah to be young and brave! I know parts of this route, but only by taking day hikes from different towns along the route.

I have a friend who did this not too long ago. He sent me a bunch of websites that he had found helpful, but I can only put my hand on this one right now:

http://www.pyreneeshike.com/

It looks absolutely wonderful. Actually, their average daily elevation gain of 700 m looks do-able even for someone like me, but I assume that it comes in big bunches.

Good luck with this plan! Laurie

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Here is a guidebook:

http://www.cicerone.co.uk/product/detai ... gr10-trail

And more information:

http://www.gr10.fr/archives/2011/04/30/22775032.html

 

[anniethenurse]

Another guide very helpful in French 20 pages full with info on where to stay, where to eat, distances, telephone numbers, small photos. No maps.
http://www.guides-cheminsdecompostelle. ... irun-1.htm

 

[julie]

Hi Eddie

A few friends and I did a couple of weeks of the GR10 in 2011. We were four women in our early 60s so a "25 year old dude" is certainly not going to have any problems, nor take as long to walk each stage as we did.

It is stunningly beautiful and would be a marvellous way to join the two routes. It's very well marked (in both directions) with the same red and white balises that you'll find on the Le Puy route.

We started from Hendaye which is next door to Irun and followed the standard stages of:

Hendaye - Olhette (6hr 15mins)
Olhette - Ainhoa (5hr 40)
Ainhoa - Bidarray (6hr 20)
Bidarray - St-Etienne-de-Baigorry (7hr 25)
St-Etienne-de-Baigorry - St-Jean-Pied-de-Port (6hr 15)

These are the timings from the guide, we took a lot longer than this. It's important to note that they only include walking time, there is no allowance for food, rest or photo breaks. I don't know how much different it would be coming at it in the opposite direction.

You can check out the route on the French IGN maps:

http://m.geoportail.fr/#

If you zoom right in, it will show the marking for the GR.

There's no need to take a tent. Ainhoa was the only place that we didn't have gite accommodation so stayed in a chambre d'hote.

 

[Stedds]

This is great! Wondrous folk!!

Thank you all so much.

 

[theghostofjupiter]

Hi Eddie!

I am planning to do this as well starting in August. When are you planning to do this or have you already started/finished? I really want to do the complete GR10 from East to West and connect it with the Camino de Santiago. I am in the planning stages right now.

Best,

Billy

 

[peregrino_tom]

I have seen alternative routes, for example next to a river. I am keen on the mountainous route.

Eddie
just to recap- the GR10 keeps to the French side of the Pyrenees coast-to-coast, the GR11 runs on the Spanish side and the HRP / High Level Route runs pretty much between them.
If you want the famed Route Napoleon experience of the Camino Frances, you could walk from St Jean over to Roncesvalles and pick up the GR11 from there and take it all the way to Irun. I haven't been on the GR11 for a while but generally found the waymarking wasn't as good as the GR10 (it may have improved) and there are fewer places to stay - so you'd need to do a bit more researching.
cheers, tom

 

[Stedds]

This is excellent!! Thanks a lot for all your responses. Ill check them all out. Less than a month till I start in Le Puy.

Eddie

 

[nalod]

I have just spotted this thread. Two years ago I came from the Le Puy route and walked the gr10 to Irun and on to Bilbo. It had such an effect on me that last year I went To SJPDP and walked the gr10 for 36 days to Boluqure, I have about 8 days more to finish the gr10 which I will do this September.

It is so so beautiful, it is well marked, bring loads of water, you can stay in Gite d etapes. Five days should do it. The topo guide for Pyrenees Atlantiques is excellent, even it is in French you will be able with a little effort to follow it.

Of all the walks I have done in the last few years (about 5000 km) the gr10 totally excites me.

Yes it is tough, real climbing but still a trek. You can pm and I will consult my Diary for exact
details.
I WILL give you details of a great website on the gr10 http://www.pyreneanway.com/blog/ it is in English as well as French. You can see some photos I took last year.

 

[Dave]

Hi Eddie,

I just did what you're planning to do. From St. Jean, I walked to Bidarray (36km), Olhette (44km), and then on to Irun. I had a time crunch, which explains the distances. Despite having already walked from Le Puy at an aggressive schedule, doing this in three days kicked my butt. As hard as a pilgrimage route might feel at times, it's rarely as hard as an actual mountain route. If I were to do it again, I would do the following:

• St Jean to St Etienne de Baigorry: This was a really fun walk--about 20km, focused on one good up and down. It was harder than anything I had done on the GR-10 for a while, but it was very pleasant nonetheless--great views, good footing, and very few people
• St Etienne to Bidarray: It's only 15ish km, but oh man, this is a tough walk. The uphill is relentless, but the views are epic. You follow a ridgeline for a while, with sweeping views, along with horses, goats, and vultures. As hard as the uphill is, the downhill is worse--lots of loose rock. You really want to be able to take it slowly down this. The gite in Bidarray is in an older house, but it has a great kitchen. Supermarkets are limited on this route, but Bidarray has a solid grocery
  
• Badarray to Sare: This is a longer day, covering around 30km. I would favor staying in Sare instead of the more commonly suggested Ainhoa, though, because the food options are much better and the 10km from Ainhoa to Sare are totally flat. The route before Ainhoa is easier than the previous two days, too. If you've been walking all the way from Le Puy, 10 more flat kilometers won't kill you.
• Sare to Hendaye: Another day in the 30km range. Two good up-and-downs. I stayed in Olhette along the way. It was fine, but the options were very limited.

Most guides suggest doing this in five days. If you have walked from Le Puy, though, I think this approach is totally viable.

Dave

 

[John and Mandi]

I'm wondering how this went. My wife and I are planning a Le Puy to Finisterre trip and might switch to the Norte instead of the Frances. The GR 10 looks like a promising connection especially with Dave's breakdown. Also, how many days did it take? We are planning on using the full 90 that we will be allowed in the EU for this trip.

-John

 

[Thomas1962]

More?
http://www.espritduchemin.org/en/st-jean-camino-del-norte
http://www.espritduchemin.org/sites/default/files/downloads/St.Jean-Irun EN.pdf

Go!

 

[John and Mandi]

More?
http://www.espritduchemin.org/en/st-jean-camino-del-norte
http://www.espritduchemin.org/sites/default/files/downloads/St.Jean-Irun EN.pdf

Go!

Thanks. I'm wondering if Eddie has a trip report somewhere regarding his full route. His trip sounds perfect.

-John

 

[CarolynJoy]

I am planning to hike from SJPP to Hendeye/Irun in mid-May this year to get to El Norte route... will the weather be ok? (i.e., do I need to worry about snow on the trail?) Do I need to make reservations ahead of time at the various albergues?

 

[mspath]

I am planning to hike from SJPP to Hendeye/Irun in mid-May this year to get to El Norte route... will the weather be ok? (i.e., do I need to worry about snow on the trail?) Do I need to make reservations ahead of time at the various albergues?

Carolyn1021,

Snow should not be a problem on the route in mid May. Since May is VERY popular month for hiking in France reserving accommodation when possible will be a good idea. At least reserve your first night or two. Be sure to scan the earlier postings in this thread to find much helpful info from others who have walked SJPdP to Hendaye .

Happy planning,

Margaret Meredith

 

[RestlessRick]

Hope it's alright if I post my question in this thread - I'd like to start my camino in SJPDP and then take the Norte route via the GR10, just because I really want to see the Pyrenees a bit. Also, I'd like to start on the 23rd of August this year (my birthday). Would it be possible to start on this date and end up in Santiago by early October? My Spanish visa expires on the 10th of October so I have to be done with my camino and out of the country by then. What do you think? (If it's not enough time and if you can recommend a different starting point for the Norte, I would appreciate it.)

 

[peregrino_tom]

Rick - depends on how far you normally walk in a day. But if you can do 15miles/24km per day, then by my calculations you should be fine as you are talking about allocating up to 45 days. You may be able to walk to Finisterre too.
At Saint Jean, you have a couple of options - north-west along the GR10, or you could take the camino Frances over the Pyrenees with all the other pilgrims, stay at Roncesvalles monastery with them and then next day head north-west along the GR11 to Irun. Either way you won't be in amongst the big mountains of the Pyrenees, as these lie farther to the east.

 

[RestlessRick]

Thanks for your help Tom. My route is in its most nebulous planning stages right now so anything I learn helps. I don't know how possible or smart it is to start farther eastward in the bigger mountains, but I suppose I'll investigate that.

 

[peregrino_tom]

Rick, I followed one of the links above supplied by Thomas1962 and it led to this, a path called the LRI 'Liaison Roncesvalles Irun'
http://vppyr.free.fr/pages_transversales/lri/lri.php?etp=accueil
It seems to use the GR11 and other paths to get to Irun from Roncesvalles in 3-4 days. There's lots of photos on there so you can get an idea about the height of the surrounding hills/mountains (which look to me to go up to about 1500m or so).
Probably the best camino experience of the Pyrenees (height-wise) is via the Camino Aragones which crosses at the Col du Somport - but that's about 5 days walk east of St Jean. But even here, you're not quite east enough for the 3000m peaks!

 

[Stedds]

So sorry to have left this thread unattended for so long. I can fill you all in with my route and what happened very soon. It was incredible!!

 

[RestlessRick]

Rick, I followed one of the links above supplied by Thomas1962 and it led to this, a path called the LRI 'Liaison Roncesvalles Irun'
http://vppyr.free.fr/pages_transversales/lri/lri.php?etp=accueil
It seems to use the GR11 and other paths to get to Irun from Roncesvalles in 3-4 days. There's lots of photos on there so you can get an idea about the height of the surrounding hills/mountains (which look to me to go up to about 1500m or so).
Probably the best camino experience of the Pyrenees (height-wise) is via the Camino Aragones which crosses at the Col du Somport - but that's about 5 days walk east of St Jean. But even here, you're not quite east enough for the 3000m peaks!

Good, thanks again for the info Tom. I guess I might just have to do a separate trekking trip for myself solely for the Pyrenees if I can!

So sorry to have left this thread unattended for so long. I can fill you all in with my route and what happened very soon. It was incredible!!

Great Stedds, I'd love to hear all about it!

 

[LakeMcD]

Hi Eddie

A few friends and I did a couple of weeks of the GR10 in 2011. We were four women in our early 60s so a "25 year old dude" is certainly not going to have any problems, nor take as long to walk each stage as we did.

It is stunningly beautiful and would be a marvellous way to join the two routes. It's very well marked (in both directions) with the same red and white balises that you'll find on the Le Puy route.

We started from Hendaye which is next door to Irun and followed the standard stages of:

Hendaye - Olhette (6hr 15mins)
Olhette - Ainhoa (5hr 40)
Ainhoa - Bidarray (6hr 20)
Bidarray - St-Etienne-de-Baigorry (7hr 25)
St-Etienne-de-Baigorry - St-Jean-Pied-de-Port (6hr 15)

These are the timings from the guide, we took a lot longer than this. It's important to note that they only include walking time, there is no allowance for food, rest or photo breaks. I don't know how much different it would be coming at it in the opposite direction.

You can check out the route on the French IGN maps:

http://m.geoportail.fr/#

If you zoom right in, it will show the marking for the GR.

There's no need to take a tent. Ainhoa was the only place that we didn't have gite accommodation so stayed in a chambre d'hote.

My girlfriend and I are walking a few days on the GR10 through the areas you mention above...do you happen to have any info or links for the gites you stayed in?

 

[shefollowsshells]

Noticing this is an old post but recently added to. We did this route, my 9 year old daughter, 11 year old daughter, 13, 15, and 17 year old sons all did it. So I suspect this would be zero problem for a fit 25 year old. It was the highlight of our trip from Le Puy to Finesterre. We did not stay in any auberges on this part...we did stay in Banca due to getting off route by leaving St Jean too late, this part of the adventure was enjoyed too as I loved Banca. I dream of going back to this section of the Basque region daily. I loved the people and I loved the setting.
Our story can be found here shefollowsshells.BlogSpot.com.
Stunningly beautiful area of this Earth!

 

[bjorgts]

Walked from SJPdP to Irun summer 2014. See my video: GR10 Pyrenees, Camino de Santiago, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Hendaye/Irun, Part 5/9. Stayed in these Gites: Gaineka Karrikan in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (good). Bidarray has a gîte, but we stayed at the hotel. Gîte d´etape et camping Harazpy in Aïnhoa. Gîte in Olhette. See some more info further down on this forum: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...10-pyrenees-from-sjpdp-to-hendaye-irun.44885/
Bjorg

 

[LakeMcD]

Walked from SJPdP to Irun summer 2014. See my video: GR10 Pyrenees, Camino de Santiago, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Hendaye/Irun, Part 5/9. Stayed in these Gites: Gaineka Karrikan in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry (good). Bidarray has a gîte, but we stayed at the hotel. Gîte d´etape et camping Harazpy in Aïnhoa. Gîte in Olhette. See some more info further down on this forum: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...10-pyrenees-from-sjpdp-to-hendaye-irun.44885/
Bjorg

Your video was what inspired me to take this route. I can't get any contact information on the Gite in Olhette, all the other's I have a reservation for, can you be of any assistance?

Many Thanks,
Gary

 

[bjorgts]

I am not sure, but I think it was what is called Ferme Manttu Baïta. They have Chambre d'hôtes, but they also had a Gîte d'étape. You find them here: https://www.gites64.com/Chambre-hotes-Urrugne-Irazoqui-Cote-Basque-64G451011.html At least you can find contact information there.
Bjorg

 

[lovingkindness]

Walked from SJPdP to Irun summer 2014. See my video: GR10 Pyrenees, Camino de Santiago, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Hendaye/Irun, Part 5/9. /Bjorg

...lovely photos, Bjorgt

 

[caminka]

Your video was what inspired me to take this route. I can't get any contact information on the Gite in Olhette, all the other's I have a reservation for, can you be of any assistance?

manttu baita no longes does gite d'etape, only chambres d'hotes. but there is a new gite d'etape further down the road leading from manttu baita towards D4 in olhette. it's one of the last houses on the left. they do half-pension only, there is a swimming pool and the people are friendly. I can dig out the info if you still need it.
it's probably this one although the name isn't too familiar: http://www.gr10.fr/archives/2014/07/08/30216239.html

the GR itself is magnificent, especially the portion between st etienne and bidarray. but you do need to stock on water as there is only one trickling source in the middle. plus, after bidarray, there is a section across very steep rocks and grasses that has some steel cable for protection. I wouldn't recommend his in the rain. there is an alternative former contraband route that follows a forest road, I think.
there is also an option of road walking from sjpp to bidarray that can be done in a day.