Day 70 – Aroue to Ostabat (26,5 km) – Friday 08.09.2023
The day started again at 7:30 for us. We took down our tents and then went to have breakfast. There was jam with bread and a cup of coffee. Since we had each ordered a sandwich for the journey the day before, we packed our snacks for today’s tour and left the accommodation.
Of the two paths offered, we used the slightly longer version, which led through a beautiful, hilly landscape instead of asphalted roads.
In between today we kept passing small towns. In one we met some goslings who crossed our path. Later we went back on roads through cow pastures until the path slowly became more and more mountainous. When we gained a bit of altitude, we saw a beautiful panorama. While behind us we could see the hilly grasslands we had previously passed through, the first high mountains of the Pyrenees rose in front of us.
After that it first went downhill for a short time and then there was another steep and long climb. The temperatures had now reached 34 degrees again today and the sun was beating down on us. Since the path didn’t offer any shade, we sweated quickly and soon ran out of water. When we finally arrived at a chapel and saw a place to sit, we decided to take a break there. To our delight, there was even a tap that we used to quench our thirst and refill our water bottles. During the break we made ourselves some coffee and enjoyed the view of the mountains.
After the break we walked downhill through partly shady paths. The descent was neither strenuous nor really long and we soon arrived in the small town of Ostabat. First we looked at the church and then we wanted to drink iced tea in a restaurant.
We immediately asked about the possibility of a campsite. The young woman then described where we could find a place to camp and also showed us public showers that we could use. Since the meadow described for our tent was only a few minutes away from the restaurant, we first relaxed and drank our iced tea. Tobias registered us for dinner and then we set off to set up our tent.
After just 2 minutes we reached the exit of the town and set up our tents on a small meadow in front of a barn. We weren’t sure whether it was really the place described, but we didn’t see a more suitable spot either. After setting up our tents, we walked back into town and showered in the town’s public sanitary facilities. Afterwards we went back to the restaurant for dinner.
Today we had roast pork with noodles, beans and salad. We sat at a large table in the house with a few other pilgrims. Since we were very hungry and the youngest pilgrims were at the table, we were allowed or had to eat all the leftovers from the various plates full of food.
With full stomachs, we returned to our tents in the dark and went to sleep.
Day 71 – Ostabat to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (26,1 km) – Saturday 09.09.2023
We were woken up promptly at 7 a.m. by the loud church bells. At around 7:30 we put up the tents and set off again. Since we wanted to arrive at our destination earlier today, we ran quickly and made good progress.
Today we went through pastureland with lots of hills for a long time. In the distance we saw the Pyrenees again, which became more and more visible. Most of the time there was neither a steep climb nor a steep descent, so we quickly covered a few kilometers.
After almost 5 kilometers we took a breakfast break on a bench. We made coffee and ate cereal with it. Meanwhile, pilgrims who we had met the evening before kept walking past us.
On the further route we first followed smaller paths through the forest. In between there were also short but unpleasant sections over busy roads.
Since the route was easy to walk, we ran almost without a break until we reached Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
When we entered the city, we were immediately surprised by a large number of pilgrims. There were about 100 pilgrims standing around right on the first street in town. In general, there were a lot of people walking around the city with backpacks and we were quite happy that from now on we would be switching to the Camino del Norte instead of traveling with all these people on the much-traveled Frances.
After looking at the city’s church, we continued walking through the old town and crossed the city’s historic bridge. Afterwards we bought food for the next day at the supermarket and walked to a campsite in the city. There we set up our tents and jumped into the pool on a hot day. Later we went to the campsite restaurant, ate duck with chips and drank some more wine. Then it was time to sleep again.
Day 72 – Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Bidarray (25,3 km) – Sunday 10.09.2023
Today we actually wanted to start walking again at 8 a.m. After we had dismantled our tents, we first drank coffee with a Dutch woman and then talked to a man from Stuttgart. So unfortunately we didn’t leave the campsite until around 9am.
So we finally left the city and followed the road for a few kilometers. Since we no longer felt like walking next to the cars after almost 4 km, we turned off onto a side path and took a small detour. Things went straight uphill. At first we walked through the forest for a long time. Later, the trees were increasingly replaced by bushes. Soon we reached the top of the mountain. From there we had a nice view of the surrounding area and so we took our first break of the day there. We spread out our sleeping mats on the floor and I made myself another cup of coffee with the beautiful view.
After our break, we climbed back down the other side of the mountain.
We actually wanted to have lunch in a pizzeria, but since it was still closed, we just kept walking. Since we didn’t have any other opportunity to eat on the following route, we looked for a place by the river to take a little swim. But this also turned out to be more difficult than expected. We walked along the river for a long time, but our path was always a few meters higher than the river. So we couldn’t just climb down.
So we continued to follow the river to Bidarray. There we first looked for a restaurant. But since everyone was still closed here, we went water rafting. At least we got a cold soda there. After the cold drink, we went to the boat docks and went for a swim in the river. Afterwards we sat at a bench and cooked ourselves some rice. Later we looked for a suitable place to spend the night. Since there wasn’t really a suitable place either in town or afterwards, we decided to find something for dinner and then look for a place a little outside. When I asked in a restaurant when food would be available, a woman spoke to us and said that you could also sleep in a tent in her accommodation. The owner wasn’t particularly nice, but at least we could camp there. So we walked to the accommodation and set up our tents there. Afterwards we went back to the restaurant and ordered a menu in the evening.
When we returned to our tents, we could already see a strong thunderstorm behind the Pyrenees mountains. The lightning could be seen impressively from us and since the thunderstorm passed us, we had little to fear. I quickly fell asleep in my tent.
Day 73 – Bidarray to Ainhoa (24,3 km) – Monday 11.09.2023
During the night the thunderstorm was louder than expected. In between I was woken up by rain and thunder. In addition to the water that rained down on the tents, there was also the howling of dogs and at exactly 7 a.m. the bells of a church rang again with a volume that even woke me up straight from my sleep.
Since I had seen on the weather radar that heavy rain was expected to begin shortly before 8, we quickly dismantled our tents and sat on a bench under the roof at the accommodation. There we made coffee and watched the rain approach.
After the rain subsided again around 9 a.m., we set off again. For today we had chosen a route through the Pyrenees on the GR10 long-distance hiking trail. So things soon started looking up for us. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t exactly nice in the morning.
After just a few minutes the rain started again and soon I was out and about with a rain jacket.
At first the path led along a road through the forest. But we soon switched to narrower paths and the path became increasingly steep. Slowly the feeling of a real mountain hike arose and we climbed further and further uphill in really bad weather. While we continued to drive in the heavy rain, we could already see the first mountains further back in nice weather. In between we kept seeing mountain goats and now and then bearded vultures flew over our heads. It was very impressive to see the large animals, with a wingspan of over two meters, flying in the wild.
When we finally reached the top of the first mountain, the weather gradually got better. Due to the better weather, we slowly got an increasingly beautiful view of the surrounding area. Unfortunately we couldn’t see the sea from above either.
After walking uphill for almost 4 hours, we took a short break. When we received a severe weather warning for the evening on our cell phones, we quickly began our descent again. But we quickly got this behind us and arrived at our destination around 4 p.m. Although we didn’t do a lot of kilometers today, the steep climb made it a fairly strenuous tour, which was made worth it by the beautiful view.
In Ainhoa we booked a room in a hotel so that we didn’t have to sleep in a tent during the predicted storm. After a shower we soon went out to eat. We sat down and had dinner in one of the few restaurants in town.
After a while a whole troop of French soldiers came running and sat down in the restaurant. They quickly rearrange the tables so that all of their comrades had space at the table. When heavy rain began around 8 p.m., all of the restaurant’s guests had to move closer together to get a dry spot under one of the umbrellas.
After one last piece of cake, we didn’t return to the hotel and I wrote briefly on my blog. Soon afterwards we went back to the soft bed, while it rained off and on outside.
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