Thanks for the flight advice. I have had the CDG to Biarritz flight in the back of my mind for some months as a contingency, but my first preference is still via rail to SJPDP, both to see a bit more of the countryside, (albeit at a very accelatered rate of KM on TGV) and also to break up the day long flight from Oz. The station transit in Paris is something I want to avoid, based on friends who have travelled through there before, so I may well end up changing my plans and flying to Biarritz instead.
Again, if anyone has recently travelled by the rail route I'd like to hear their impressions.
To 'The walk' - I'm happy to start out with you. I'm travelling over solo, but based on all the previous posts I had no doubt that a quick look in SJPDP for persons with a backpack, shell and walking stick would point me in the right direction. Flights going to schedule, I'll arrive at CDG around 0600 Tues 05 Jun, although some last minute flight shuffling may have me arriving at the same time 4 days earlier on Fri 1st June. I have 2 months off work, so am not exactly pushed for time.