Yoah
Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances (Winter 2022)
Note from the mods: if you are just joining @Yoah’s thread, you may want to see the earlier reports on this epic walk. He started with the Via Serrana from Tarifa to Sevilla. From Sevilla, @Yoah walked the Via de la Plata/Sanabrés. And now we follow him along the Francés.
Here are a few scribbles about my experience on the Frances in winter (Jan/Feb 2022). Hopefully of use or entertainment to some of you! I'll probably do week-by-week updates, so stay tuned for more. Fire away if you've any questions or comments
Day 1: ~25 km from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles.
I was a bit reluctant about taking the Valcarlos variant (the usual Route Napoleon option is "closed" in winter) because I'd always seen it described as being "low" and mostly "on the road." But this was a very beautiful walk.
There are a few bits on the road, and you can stay on the road if you want to, but there's plenty of gorgeous trail through wooded valleys and along mountain streams on the winter route.
And it's definitely not flat or low: my watch measured more than 1200 metres of ascent, with some stunning views of the Pyrenees in every direction at the Ibaneta pass, located at about 1.5 kms from Roncesvalles, where the albergue, in winter mode, is apparently full (!) this evening (though it's running at reduced capacity due to covid).
I'd originally planned to go a little further on, to Burguete, but received a message from the hospitalero (following a few unanswered telephone calls) that the albergue was closed because he caught covid - may he make a swift recovery!
Tomorrow it's on to Zubiri with a bunch of people I met today and yesterday in Saint Jean. Speaking of which, I was accompanied by a (stray?) dog for most of the way out of Saint Jean, all the way to the Anttonena retail village. Not sure if the dog, which I named Carlos and reminded me a little of Padfoot, was following or leading me - the first bit of camino magic.
Day 2: ~22 km from Roncesvalles to Zubiri.
And on the second day, He said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let that place be the Pyrenees," and it was so.
That's what it felt like, anyway! It rained the entire day and my feet were wet from start to finish. In several places but especially on the descent into Zubiri, the trail was completely flooded and looked more like a river than a footpath. Several fords, usually gentle trickling streams, were now raging rivers, with some of the stepping stones to cross the water submerged as well.
Thankfully, this was quite a short day as well. Before setting out, I thought I might go further on the Arre (~38 km), but strong headwinds in the more exposed sections made the cold rain particularly trying. My pruning feet would also benefit from stopping sooner rather than later, I thought, and so I stayed in Zubiri after I had lunch at the Bar Valentin there with an American father and his two sons (23 and 12 years old).
I was so impressed with the younger boy's attitude - even when faced with conditions that would leave many adults a little shaken, he said he'd loved every step of the way so far, although the steep, rainy ascent into Roncesvalles the previous day had been a little challenging. Kudos!
Lots of familiar faces here in the fancy (€15) albergue - we all spent the evening chatting about the day's watery events and made reservations for tomorrow. It's set to be another rainy day, but, Pamplona, here we come!
Day 3: ~21 km from Zubiri to Pamplona.
Another wet day, although it didn't rain as much as it did yesterday - still, drizzly for most of the time I was out today.
I was awoken in the morning by another pilgrim switching on the light in the room I was in at about 7:00. When I gave him a look that was meant to suggest 'wtf are you doing?' he told me that the river that runs between Zubiri and Pamplona had burst its banks, that there was "muchissimo agua," and that I should walk on the road instead of the camino, because the camino would probably be impassable.
I decided to ignore his advice (because the previous day's water-related events had actually been impressive and exciting) and I was happy I did. The trail was flooded in a few places and we (I ran into the Americans from yesterday soon after I started out of Zubiri) had to wade through a bit of the river at one point where the trail was quite close to it. That probably sounds more dramatic than it was, but it was still fun!
At the Puente del Peregrino, just before Arre, about four kilometres away from Pamplona, the river was at its most impressive - absolutely raging and quite a sight to behold, far wider and wilder than it normally is.
I picked up a bota bag in Pamplona that I've wanted to have ever since my first camino in 2016, which also took in the Frances, as well as a new pair of shoes I'd ordered online to replace my current pair, which has seen about 1600 km. Wonder what they will feel like tomorrow.
I'm staying at the Jesus y Maria albergue (€10 and free (!) washing machines), along with most of the people who stayed in the albergue in Zubiri last night, as well as a few new faces. A bunch of us went out for beers in the evening to celebrate our arrival in the first big city on the camino. Tomorrow's target: Puente la Reina.
Day 4: ~29 km from Pamplona to Puente la Reina.
This stage would normally have been ~24 km, but the day involved some minor heroics.
I ended up walking with a first-time pilgrim from Germany for a while. We'd walked and talked together a while, when we took a short break to drink some water on a bench on the approach to Alto del Person, the highest point of the day. The third picture in this post was taken by Alex, the German pilgrim, from that very bench.
We carried on and after a good while Alex realised he was missing his phone. Because the walking had been tough on him and because I am in pretty good shape at the moment, having just completed the Via de la Plata, I offered to run back down the hill to see if I could find his phone.
About half an hour later I delivered the bad news: he owed me a beer. The good news, however, was that I found his phone! He was so grateful and apologetic that I almost felt bad for going back for the thing!
The sun came out at the Alto del Perdon, where it was extremely windy, as usual, and where Alex and I met a few of the other people who had started from Pamplona that morning. The views of the valley and towards Puente la Reina were beautiful, and the rest of the day's walk was an absolute delight.
Sunshine, at last!
Day 5: ~22 km from Puente la Reina to Estella.
There's nothing quite like a day of walking on the camino under a blue and cloudless sky. After 4 days of rainy and cloudy weather, it was about time as well!
Had a great time walking with a bunch of the people from the last couple of days. I spent most of the day walking with Mariano, an Argentinian who's lived in Spain for years (and whose brother is a famous football player).
We came through Ciraqui, which is such a lovely little town, and the approach through fields and on a winding dirt track is beautiful as well. Kind of an iconic place/moment on the camino, I think.
In the evening, a few of us decided to cook dinner together at the well-equipped albergue (€17) in Estella: salad, pasta, wine and ice cream.
A momentous day tomorrow, where I'll be able to put my newly acquired wineskin (from Pamplona and already a big success) to good use.
Day 6: ~30 km from Estella to Torres del Rio.
An emotional day today. I've been walking with the same people, more or less, ever since Saint Jean and, as the days go by, we've continued to get to know each other.
I left the albergue in Estella at about the same time as two other guys, and we ended up spending most of the day together. We planned to stay in Los Arcos but were told all of the albergues were closed once we got there. So we went on to Torres del Rio.
Not really a problem for me, but, as the evening progressed it became clear over dinner in the albergue that the camino and the longer day today were proving challenging for some of the members of our little group.
I don't want to say too much about it, but... there were tears and it was all quite emotional. It was so good to see how people offered support to those who were struggling and I was super impressed by the empathy and kindness on display.
It was sad and it was beautiful and I think it's going to be all right.
Day 7: ~20 km from Torres del Rio to Logrono.
A short and beautiful day of walking; another sunny day with clear skies.
I ran into the American father and son combo just before Viana, the halfway point, and then also met Bernard (an older French gentleman) and the four of us had lunch together.
We're all staying at the donativo albergue in Logrono, where we had a wonderful communal meal followed by a little excursion into the neighbouring church via a secret passageway.
At about 10 pm, a huffing and puffing German man showed up saying all of the albergues in Najera (tomorrow's stop) are closed. He also said he met people who were walking 10 km per hour and he has placed an open can of beer next to his bed (which, sadly, is right next to mine), so I'm not really sure whether I should believe everything he's saying.
In any case, we will be calling ahead to the supposedly open albergue in Najera tomorrow morning.
Here are a few scribbles about my experience on the Frances in winter (Jan/Feb 2022). Hopefully of use or entertainment to some of you! I'll probably do week-by-week updates, so stay tuned for more. Fire away if you've any questions or comments
Day 1: ~25 km from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles.
I was a bit reluctant about taking the Valcarlos variant (the usual Route Napoleon option is "closed" in winter) because I'd always seen it described as being "low" and mostly "on the road." But this was a very beautiful walk.
There are a few bits on the road, and you can stay on the road if you want to, but there's plenty of gorgeous trail through wooded valleys and along mountain streams on the winter route.
And it's definitely not flat or low: my watch measured more than 1200 metres of ascent, with some stunning views of the Pyrenees in every direction at the Ibaneta pass, located at about 1.5 kms from Roncesvalles, where the albergue, in winter mode, is apparently full (!) this evening (though it's running at reduced capacity due to covid).
I'd originally planned to go a little further on, to Burguete, but received a message from the hospitalero (following a few unanswered telephone calls) that the albergue was closed because he caught covid - may he make a swift recovery!
Tomorrow it's on to Zubiri with a bunch of people I met today and yesterday in Saint Jean. Speaking of which, I was accompanied by a (stray?) dog for most of the way out of Saint Jean, all the way to the Anttonena retail village. Not sure if the dog, which I named Carlos and reminded me a little of Padfoot, was following or leading me - the first bit of camino magic.
Day 2: ~22 km from Roncesvalles to Zubiri.
And on the second day, He said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let that place be the Pyrenees," and it was so.
That's what it felt like, anyway! It rained the entire day and my feet were wet from start to finish. In several places but especially on the descent into Zubiri, the trail was completely flooded and looked more like a river than a footpath. Several fords, usually gentle trickling streams, were now raging rivers, with some of the stepping stones to cross the water submerged as well.
Thankfully, this was quite a short day as well. Before setting out, I thought I might go further on the Arre (~38 km), but strong headwinds in the more exposed sections made the cold rain particularly trying. My pruning feet would also benefit from stopping sooner rather than later, I thought, and so I stayed in Zubiri after I had lunch at the Bar Valentin there with an American father and his two sons (23 and 12 years old).
I was so impressed with the younger boy's attitude - even when faced with conditions that would leave many adults a little shaken, he said he'd loved every step of the way so far, although the steep, rainy ascent into Roncesvalles the previous day had been a little challenging. Kudos!
Lots of familiar faces here in the fancy (€15) albergue - we all spent the evening chatting about the day's watery events and made reservations for tomorrow. It's set to be another rainy day, but, Pamplona, here we come!
Day 3: ~21 km from Zubiri to Pamplona.
Another wet day, although it didn't rain as much as it did yesterday - still, drizzly for most of the time I was out today.
I was awoken in the morning by another pilgrim switching on the light in the room I was in at about 7:00. When I gave him a look that was meant to suggest 'wtf are you doing?' he told me that the river that runs between Zubiri and Pamplona had burst its banks, that there was "muchissimo agua," and that I should walk on the road instead of the camino, because the camino would probably be impassable.
I decided to ignore his advice (because the previous day's water-related events had actually been impressive and exciting) and I was happy I did. The trail was flooded in a few places and we (I ran into the Americans from yesterday soon after I started out of Zubiri) had to wade through a bit of the river at one point where the trail was quite close to it. That probably sounds more dramatic than it was, but it was still fun!
At the Puente del Peregrino, just before Arre, about four kilometres away from Pamplona, the river was at its most impressive - absolutely raging and quite a sight to behold, far wider and wilder than it normally is.
I picked up a bota bag in Pamplona that I've wanted to have ever since my first camino in 2016, which also took in the Frances, as well as a new pair of shoes I'd ordered online to replace my current pair, which has seen about 1600 km. Wonder what they will feel like tomorrow.
I'm staying at the Jesus y Maria albergue (€10 and free (!) washing machines), along with most of the people who stayed in the albergue in Zubiri last night, as well as a few new faces. A bunch of us went out for beers in the evening to celebrate our arrival in the first big city on the camino. Tomorrow's target: Puente la Reina.
Day 4: ~29 km from Pamplona to Puente la Reina.
This stage would normally have been ~24 km, but the day involved some minor heroics.
I ended up walking with a first-time pilgrim from Germany for a while. We'd walked and talked together a while, when we took a short break to drink some water on a bench on the approach to Alto del Person, the highest point of the day. The third picture in this post was taken by Alex, the German pilgrim, from that very bench.
We carried on and after a good while Alex realised he was missing his phone. Because the walking had been tough on him and because I am in pretty good shape at the moment, having just completed the Via de la Plata, I offered to run back down the hill to see if I could find his phone.
About half an hour later I delivered the bad news: he owed me a beer. The good news, however, was that I found his phone! He was so grateful and apologetic that I almost felt bad for going back for the thing!
The sun came out at the Alto del Perdon, where it was extremely windy, as usual, and where Alex and I met a few of the other people who had started from Pamplona that morning. The views of the valley and towards Puente la Reina were beautiful, and the rest of the day's walk was an absolute delight.
Sunshine, at last!
Day 5: ~22 km from Puente la Reina to Estella.
There's nothing quite like a day of walking on the camino under a blue and cloudless sky. After 4 days of rainy and cloudy weather, it was about time as well!
Had a great time walking with a bunch of the people from the last couple of days. I spent most of the day walking with Mariano, an Argentinian who's lived in Spain for years (and whose brother is a famous football player).
We came through Ciraqui, which is such a lovely little town, and the approach through fields and on a winding dirt track is beautiful as well. Kind of an iconic place/moment on the camino, I think.
In the evening, a few of us decided to cook dinner together at the well-equipped albergue (€17) in Estella: salad, pasta, wine and ice cream.
A momentous day tomorrow, where I'll be able to put my newly acquired wineskin (from Pamplona and already a big success) to good use.
Day 6: ~30 km from Estella to Torres del Rio.
An emotional day today. I've been walking with the same people, more or less, ever since Saint Jean and, as the days go by, we've continued to get to know each other.
I left the albergue in Estella at about the same time as two other guys, and we ended up spending most of the day together. We planned to stay in Los Arcos but were told all of the albergues were closed once we got there. So we went on to Torres del Rio.
Not really a problem for me, but, as the evening progressed it became clear over dinner in the albergue that the camino and the longer day today were proving challenging for some of the members of our little group.
I don't want to say too much about it, but... there were tears and it was all quite emotional. It was so good to see how people offered support to those who were struggling and I was super impressed by the empathy and kindness on display.
It was sad and it was beautiful and I think it's going to be all right.
Day 7: ~20 km from Torres del Rio to Logrono.
A short and beautiful day of walking; another sunny day with clear skies.
I ran into the American father and son combo just before Viana, the halfway point, and then also met Bernard (an older French gentleman) and the four of us had lunch together.
We're all staying at the donativo albergue in Logrono, where we had a wonderful communal meal followed by a little excursion into the neighbouring church via a secret passageway.
At about 10 pm, a huffing and puffing German man showed up saying all of the albergues in Najera (tomorrow's stop) are closed. He also said he met people who were walking 10 km per hour and he has placed an open can of beer next to his bed (which, sadly, is right next to mine), so I'm not really sure whether I should believe everything he's saying.
In any case, we will be calling ahead to the supposedly open albergue in Najera tomorrow morning.
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