Slow walkers on the Baztan in May 2024

[AJGuillaume]

Thank you to @Bad Pilgrim for his recent report on his walk on the Baztan and to @Pelerina for her comments.

Together with my darling, we intend walking the Baztan in May 2024.

My initial plan, as we're slow walkers and distance challenged is as follows:
Saturday 18 May Bayonne to Ustaritz 14.2km
Sunday 19 May Ustaritz to Espelette 9.8km
Monday 20 May Espelette to Urdax 12.5km
Tuesday 21 May Urdax to Maya/Amaiur 9.4km
Wednesday 22 May Maya/Amaiur to Berroeta 18.5km
Thursday 23 May Berroeta to Olagüe 20km
Friday 24 May Olagüe to Pamplona 24.4km

In Espelette I stay at Andy's place, which is a work in progress: a combined albergue/art gallery. Everything with subaquatic motives. He is currently working on a painting that is 35 square mtrs and he gave me a tour of it. It is 25 euros (the room, not the tour). Breakfast included. He will prepare breakfast for me so I can have it when I rise early tomorrow.

May I ask, who is Andy, and how do we get in touch with him, provided he still has a room?

Day 2 - Urdax - Monastery albergue - we decided on this short day to make the most of our hotel and Espelette, stay at the Monastery, and have the steep climb that follows in the morning rather than the afternoon. Happy with that decision.

Because of previous reviews on Gronze , I had good hopes for the Monastery albergue. Staying in the monastery was nice. But toilets and showers were not clean. In fact very very dirty & smelly. The kitchen was exceptionally dirty & un Hygienic.

We thought we might stay at the Monastery albergue in Urdax, but recent comments such as the one from @aussieredhat and others on Gronze seem to indicate that the cleanliness might be an issue. I know pilgrims should be grateful, but we would rather stay elsewhere if the place is "very very dirty" and "exceptionally dirty".

Day 4: Berroeta - Olagüe, 20 kms

Impressive scenery, almost completely in the woods. It reminded me of the second stage to Maya. Much water in the streams, greenery and wildlife all around. I could have felt isolated but there were hikers coming from the opposite direction from time to time. The Venta de San Blas was closed so there was nowhere to get anything to drink or eat.

Beautiful yes, but very hard.

I thought it was a gorgeous part of the Baztan, albeit difficult

We're not averse to short stages , so just in case I need a plan B for my darling, given the stage profile, I thought we might split this stage in two by staying at the Hostal Venta de San Blas.

My plan B for the last stage into Pamplona is bus line 4 from Arre, which would save us just over 5km.

Looking forward to this walk.

I'll be very grateful for any comment, suggestion, advice, recommendation.

Eskerrik asko! Thank you! Merci ! ¡Gracias!

 

[Kirkie]

Thank you to @Bad Pilgrim for his recent report on his walk on the Baztan and to @Pelerina for her comments.

Together with my darling, we intend walking the Baztan in May 2024.

My initial plan, as we're slow walkers and distance challenged is as follows:
Saturday 18 May Bayonne to Ustaritz 14.2km
Sunday 19 May Ustaritz to Espelette 9.8km
Monday 20 May Espelette to Urdax 12.5km
Tuesday 21 May Urdax to Maya/Amaiur 9.4km
Wednesday 22 May Maya/Amaiur to Berroeta 18.5km
Thursday 23 May Berroeta to Olagüe 20km
Friday 24 May Olagüe to Pamplona 24.4km


May I ask, who is Andy, and how do we get in touch with him, provided he still has a room?



We thought we might stay at the Monastery albergue in Urdax, but recent comments such as the one from @aussieredhat and others on Gronze seem to indicate that the cleanliness might be an issue. I know pilgrims should be grateful, but we would rather stay elsewhere if the place is "very very dirty" and "exceptionally dirty".



We're not averse to short stages , so just in case I need a plan B for my darling, given the stage profile, I thought we might split this stage in two by staying at the Hostal Venta de San Blas.

My plan B for the last stage into Pamplona is bus line 4 from Arre, which would save us just over 5km.

Looking forward to this walk.

I'll be very grateful for any comment, suggestion, advice, recommendation.

Eskerrik asko! Thank you! Merci ! ¡Gracias!

Maybe your plan C could include staying at this albergue in Villava if you have plenty of time...

Albergue La trinida de Arre – Albergue de peregrinos en el Camino de Santiago

alberguetrinidadearre.com

The following morning you would have leisure and energy for the final five km into Pamplona along by Villava/Burlada, with the impressive view of the Cathedral as you approach the Portal de Francia. Alternatively, you might choose to take the well prepared river route, running parallel to the traditional urban route, which merges with the traditional urban route at the bottom of the Avenida de la Baja Navarra, where you go to the right to follow the pilgrim path up the slope to the Cathedral.

 

[Former member 104756]

Hi AJ. That’s excellent news. Domi and I loved the Baztan even though it rained most of the time and we were caught in a flood zone.

Shame about the other member’s experience with conditions at the monastery at Urdax. It was clean the night we were there but a good decision to go with another option in case.

Also in Espelette we stayed at Hotel Euzkadi. It was a splurge but we were happy with that. Even if you don’t stay there, can recommend the restaurant. We had a delicious dinner trying local specialities.

Another enjoyable stay was Posada de Ziga but our stages were different to those you’ve planned.

I’ve sent you privately the link to my Find Penguins blog for the Baztan in case of interest.

Ooh, and I like @Kirkie ‘s suggestion of staying at Villava

Note that on that last stretch from Olague, at about 15 kms there is a bar / restaurant across the bridge in Souraren. It looked closed when we arrived but we were delighted to find it was in fact open. @Bad Pilgrim reported same if I recall. A lovely spot to take a break.

Gréât to be planning another walk

 

[AJGuillaume]

Maybe your plan C could include staying at this albergue in Villava if you have plenty of time...

Albergue La trinida de Arre – Albergue de peregrinos en el Camino de Santiago

alberguetrinidadearre.com

The following morning you would have leisure and energy for the final five km into Pamplona along by Villava/Burlada, with the impressive view of the Cathedral as you approach the Portal de Francia. Alternatively, you might choose to take the well prepared river route, running parallel to the traditional urban route, which merges with the traditional urban route at the bottom of the Avenida de la Baja Navarra, where you go to the right to follow the pilgrim path up the slope to the Cathedral.

Thank you so much for this, @Kirkie ! Definitely more than a plan C

 

[aussieredhat]

By May 2024 the Monastery may have improved as its good location
I did think about staying in Trinidad’s de Arre .
It’s a good option
I stayed at an unusual location on route Oricain & should have walked on to Trinidad de Arre

 

[WestKirsty]

I walked the Baztan just a couple of weeks ago and it is a lovely route! I stayed at Andy's place in Espelette. You can contact him via these numbers/email: https://www.gronze.com/francia/pirineos-atlanticos/espelette/chambre-dhotes-andy-le-sauce of his website: https://www.chambres-andybleu.fr/en_GB/

He's a lovely man and we chatted a while about all of his world records. If you stay, ask him about them

Also, we didn't stay in Urdax but met a couple who did. They thought the albergue was fine but were also really keen on telling us about their cave visit. I hadn't known about the place in advance but wish I did! If you've got shorter days, you might be able to fit in a tour: https://cuevasurdax.com/

Happy planning!

 

[Kirkie]

Hi AJ. That’s excellent news. Domi and I loved the Baztan even though it rained most of the time and we were caught in a flood zone.

Shame about the other member’s experience with conditions at the monastery at Urdax. It was clean the night we were there but a good decision to go with another option in case.

Also in Espelette we stayed at Hotel Euzkadi. It was a splurge but we were happy with that. Even if you don’t stay there, can recommend the restaurant. We had a delicious dinner trying local specialities.

Another enjoyable stay was Posada de Ziga but our stages were different to those you’ve planned.

I’ve sent you privately the link to my Find Penguins blog for the Baztan in case of interest.

Ooh, and I like @Kirkie ‘s suggestion of staying at Villava

Note that on that last stretch from Olague, at about 15 kms there is a bar / restaurant across the bridge in Souraren. It looked closed when we arrived but we were delighted to find it was in fact open. @Bad Pilgrim reported same if I recall. A lovely spot to take a break.

Gréât to be planning another walk

That place in Sorauren is delightful!

 

[aussieredhat]

The bar / restaurant across the bridge in Souraren was open on a Wednesday & they were setting up for lunch on a beautiful terrace overlooking the river.

 

[Former member 104756]

@AJGuillaume As you know, there are plenty of accommodation options in Bayonne. But we enjoyed staying at the Refuge de Pelerins. A lovely welcome and send off from the volunteer hospitaleros. We were also able to get shells and credentials there.

Le refuge Saint Jacques 7 rue Gosse, à 5 minutes de la cathédrale : 12 lits - 10€ avec pt dej., ouvert de 14h à 21h du 1 Avril au 31 Octobre Te 05 59 25 71 33

I also have an email address somewhere that I can dig out. But from 1 April, there would be someone there to answer the phone between 14h and 21h - you can reserve.

 

[kiwi-couple]

Hi @AJGuillaume, I like the sound of your slow Baztan. My husband and I walked it late September and loved every day of this beautiful camino.
We did stay at the Monastery in Urdax and, while basic, it wasn't dirty at all and the hospitalero was lovely. He was expecting just the 2 of us but another 10 pilgrims arrived after we did. The hospitalero managed to provide an evening meal for all, as well as breakfast for those who wanted it.
Our stay at Venta San Blas was fantastic. Carlos and his wife really looked after us - all 8 of us pilgrims - really well. We had a wonderful evening. I understand that Carlos provides meals for pilgrims only. We didn't stay for breakfast so Carlos made us a wonderful, huge, sandwich to take with us - he even made the bread.
Best wishes to you and your wife, it's such a lovely camino.

 

[Former member 104756]

We did stay at the Monastery in Urdax and, while basic, it wasn't dirty at all and the hospitalero was lovely. He was expecting just the 2 of us but another 10 pilgrims arrived after we did. The hospitalero managed to provide an evening meal for all, as well as breakfast for those who wanted it.

That was also our experience - minus the 10 extra pilgrims. It was just the two of us. The hospitalero Javi brought us a good dinner and breakfast. We didn't stay overnight in San Blas - but sounds like a great option if there's a next time.

 

[kiwi-couple]

That was also our experience - minus the 10 extra pilgrims. It was just the two of us. The hospitalero Javi brought us a good dinner and breakfast. We didn't stay overnight in San Blas - but sounds like a great option if there's a next time.

Yes, next time stay at Venta San Blas, I can highly recommend overnighting there.
I would like to thank you now for your information when we were in the planning stage

 

[Former member 104756]

Yes, next time stay at Venta San Blas, I can highly recommend overnighting there.
I would like to thank you now for your information when we were in the planning stage

You’re very welcome. So glad you enjoyed this short and sweet Camino

 

[NadineK]

Others have already provided excellent tips, so all I'm doing is echoing what's been said. But I walked the Baztan this past July and really enjoyed it! I stayed at Andy's place- it gets mixed reviews on gronze.com but I had a good experience, I thought Andy was kind, generous, and engaging. I was in the "bunk" area at the top of the building, there are a few beds up there but they're partitioned off into little cubbies, so there was some privacy. It wasn't the cleanest, most organized space (it seemed as though the attic was also being used for storage/extra paint supplies! Also spotted a mousetrap on the ground...) but it was fine for a night. I do believe there's a double room (maybe a few?) on a separate floor and I imagine that could be a more refined space.

And I also had a good experience at the Monastery in Urdax! Other than a microwave and fridge there wasn't much to the kitchen and I wouldn't have called it clean, but the bunk area and bathrooms were fine! Plus, I always love staying in a monastery. When I stayed the hospitalero asked if I wanted dinner- it ended up being just me and one other pilgrim, and we both got the dinner. (it was basic and a little light for what we paid, but on a route where food is sometimes hard to come by, it was enough and I was grateful for it!). The other pilgrim got breakfast but I wasn't asked and didn't realize it was an option... not the greatest feeling but maybe I was supposed to know to ask? So if you stay, definitely ask about dinner and breakfast if you think you'll want it!

 

[Bad Pilgrim]

May I ask, who is Andy, and how do we get in touch with him, provided he still has a room?

Others already answered above... Yes as NadineK says the place has mixed reviews on Gronze. But I would stay there again, it is fine.