Valcarlos to Roncesvalles

When I woke up it wasn’t actually raining, but it soon started again. I made myself a big bowl of porridge with banana in the microwave and then tried to understand the 8.00 o’clock news on TV. After Ukraine, the big news was the unseasonal snow in various parts of Spain, including the Madrid Segovia road, and I think I recognised the castle in Ponferrada.

I was on the road as the church clock struck 9.00 am. I had a tough walk ahead, made worse by the wet conditions. After we left the road, the forest tracks were very muddy. Everybody overtook me and eventually started asking if I was OK as my pace got slower and slower. It was uphill all the way. Who said this route was easier? It’s a long time since I walked all day in the pouring rain: maybe in North Wales? On such a day, the damp eventually penetrates even waterproof clothing and then acts like a diver’s wetsuit, warmed up by your body heat. Or so it seemed. It’s also hard to sit down to eat your lunch. There’s nowhere to rest anyway: just keep going!

On arrival at Roncesvalles, there was a terrific queue to check in. It took over an hour! All the hospitaleros in this albergue are Dutch volunteers, but they seemed unprepared for such a crowd.

SJPP to Valcarlos

First, a recollection of the last time I was in SJPP: I was walking around town looking at the shops. I started chatting to a couple of women who were about my age. One of them was wearing a skort: a garment I had wanted to buy but could never find. She told me it had come from a golf shop. Now, it turns out that this same woman (Sally) has recently moved into my apartment block at Burswood. We both remembered this conversation even though we had forgotten each other’s faces. Amazing!

Back to the present.  My room at Izalpea had a skylight and I could hear rain falling on the glass all night long. This photo is my version of the famous bridge at St Jean, showing the height of the swollen river after all the rain. When I have time I’ll look for another pic in normal times, for comparison:

We heard that the Napoleon Route was closed and this sign confirmed it. However, many pilgrims were taking no notice and going that way. It was apparently very windy on top, with snow flurries.

I sent my backpack with Express Bourricot. It cost 2 x €8 but worth it to me. When I arrived in Valcarlos it was there waiting for me at Mendiola:

I couldn’t check in till 2.00 pm, but the Senora advised me to go and have lunch in the bar up the road, and then to buy a few provisions from the supermarket as everything in town is closed in the evenings. The bar served me with a slice of tortilla with green capsicum and a glass of red. Other people were having tiramisu so I had to order that as well. At the supermarket 1 got bread and cheese, a small bottle of Mateus and some fruit. This will have to last me till Roncesvalles as there is nothing else on the way tomorrow.

By the time I got into my small apartment at Mendiola, I was pretty wet through. My top quality Rohan jacket,  Rainbird waterproof trousers and Ecco boots were no match for the constant downpour of today. How pleased I was to find the place had 4 radiators and a heated towel rail! I switched everything on high, put on my down jacket and went to bed for a siesta. I was tired but not exhausted. However, I wouldn’t have wanted to walk over to Roncesvalles all in one day as most people seemed to be doing.

St Jean Pied de Port

When I woke up early this morning, it was pouring down. Bugger! (Pardon my French). I had to get out all my wet weather gear and abandon all hope of good views in the Pyrenees. Wearing a mask means steamed up glasses, especially in the rain. I saw on the TV news that from tomorrow Spain will only have masks mandatory on public transport and in hospitals.

My first task was to find an Orange store to buy a Spanish SIM card for my phone. It was very close to the hotel, but there was quite a crowd there as it had been closed over the Easter weekend. I paid €20 for a month, which I can then renew for a 2nd month.

Then I made my way to the Bus Station (also in walking distance) to catch the ALSA bus to SJPP. I was expecting a smallish vehicle as I knew the road over the mountains was full of switchback bends. In fact it was a full size coach. The driver was quite a petite woman, but I have to say she knew the road like the back of her hand. By good fortune, I was sitting on the side next to the hill, as opposed to the side of the bus dangerously near the drop-off on the valley side. I just hoped there would be no mad drivers coming too fast in the opposite direction.

The driver made an unscheduled stop just before Burguete. There was apparently a leak from the engine coolant. She sought help from the “Bomberos” at a fire station and two hefty guys came to her assistance. We were on the road again, but soon hit the cloud as we passed Roncesvalles. A French girl sitting in front of me had walked over the mountain in perfect weather during the weekend and was now on her way back home in Avignon: “Sur Le Pont…”. She must have heard that too much! When we arrived in SJPP, I saw her thumbing a lift. She had to get back to work, she said.

SJPP in the rain is pretty miserable: too many tourists walking about with nothing to do. I was annoyed to get a message that my hotel would only open at 5.00 pm so I had a bit of time to kill. I tried to pass some of it by having lunch, but it was now 3.00pm and all the restaurants had stopped serving. Finally one agreed to make me Croque Monsieur.

This was an interesting shop that sold spices and dried fruit. All the sacks on the right, as far as the woman in blue, were full of different varieties of pepper. I bought some crystallised orange for energy on the Camino.

Pamplona

Four hours on the train and I’m in Pamplona. I took a taxi from the station to Hotel Europa. The receptionist was pleased to inform me that we had the same birthday (Christmas Day). In all these years, this has never happened to me before. Is this a good omen, or what?

It was already 2.00 pm and I was pretty hungry.  I walked across the square (Plaza del Castillo) to Cafe Iruna. This had not changed one iota since my last visit and probably very little since it was a haunt of Hemingway, for which it is famous. Sitting at the next table was an American women who asked if I was walking the Camino too. It turns out her name was also Margaret. Talk about coincidences!

Many art nouveau touches in Cafe Iruna.

I ordered Calamares followed by Roast Lamb,  wine and sparkling water included, but I couldn’t manage dessert.

Pamplona felt quite chilly after Barcelona, so I was happy to return to my hotel for a siesta:

Evening stroll to the Cathedral:

It’s Spring in Pamplona!

Barcelona

On arrival in Barcelona, it was a relief to be off that crowded plane. Maybe Easter was not the best time to be travelling. At Passport Control, the man seemed as if he’d never had an arrival from Australia before and told his colleague. They were even more excited to hear I was about to walk the Camino de Santiago and wanted to know where I was starting and how long it would take me, asking if I spoke Spanish. A little, I said modestly.

Then I had to pass through a big area set aside for Health Control, where I had to show the Spanish Govt QR code. This linked to the online form and I’d filled in before leaving Perth which showed my vaccination record. I sailed through as it was quiet. I realised that all the EU citizens had been chanelled off and they comprised most of the passengers on my flight. Those foreigners arriving without the special QR code probably had to be tested for COVID. There was a station in the centre of the room with a group of nurses in full protective clothing, but with nothing to do.

I took the Metro from the airport to Barcelona Sants Station. A kind young man carried my bag up the many flights of stairs and even as far as the taxi rank. I recognised the entrance to Hostal Oliva on the corner of Passeig de Gracia and rode the tiny elevator up to the 4th Floor. My single room is very small and overlooks a light well, but the price is a bargain for this part of town. The Senora gave me a chocolate bunny.

It was a lovely sunny afternoon and the street was alive with visitors and locals strolling about on Easter Sunday, even though the shops were closed. Across the road from Oliva,  I had previously eaten at a typical Spanish pavement cafe. Now it has become a fast food restaurant called Five Guys. They make a big thing of their “fries” and announce each day where their potatoes have been sourced:

The bags in the second pic are full of potatoes. The boxes contain cooking oil!

Later I walked further afield and discovered proper tapas restaurants: next time I’ll know where to go.

In transit

My hike actually began in Dubai Airport, where I was obliged to walk 2km just to change planes.  I feel sure the signposted way to Gate C5 took unsuspecting passengers back and forth in both directions through the shopping malls. Where there were no shops, a conveyer belt transported us more quickly. DXB must be the busiest airport in the world.

The flight from Perth was absolutely packed. They could really have done with one of their bigger planes, with an upstairs Business Class. Service was fairly slow; there weren’t too many staff and some appeared to be new. Normally, there are two shifts of staff, but these ones had to serve both the late dinner and breakfast.  Meals were not brilliant. Lots of passengers are now requesting vegetarian or vegan meals; they get served first, but without any drinks. I ended up with quinoa salad followed by beef ragout and a glass of red. 

More Camino Planning

First, you have to cross the Pyrenees! I've done this twice, once in 1998 and again in 2016. The first time I walked from SJPP to Roncesvalles all in one day; the second time I secured a hard-to-get bed at Orisson Albergue which split the journey in two. Both these trips were along the Napoleon Route, shown in red on the map below. This year I'm taking the slightly easier route via Valcarlos, shown in green to the left of the map.

The Napoleon Route is closed in winter, because there used to be so many pilgrims having to be rescued. It opens officially on 1st April, provided that the weather permits.  In fact, there was a lot of snow up there last week. 

I have copied this detailed information about the two routes:

"The difference in maximum altitude between the Napoleon route and the Valcarlos route is 400 metres. The highest point of the Napoleon route is 1450 m and the highest point of the Valcarlos route is 1055 metres. This is a considerable difference in altitude.

In the winter months, and even in other months, it will often snow at 1200-1400 metres and rain at 1000 metres. Snow will remain on the ground much longer at higher altitude.

On the Napoleon route, you must walk for more than 5 km at an altitude of over 1200 metres, something that you never reach on the Valcarlos route. This is the section of the Napoleon route that is prohibited by Spanish law from 1 November until 31 March.

The Valcarlos route for foot pilgrims runs parallel to the main road (N 135) from SJPP to Valcarlos. When it snows heavily which happens from time to time and the snow ploughs are needed elsewhere or cannot keep up, this road can be closed for motor traffic for a day or two but remains open for pedestrians. Of course it may not be wise to walk when there is much snow on the ground because it slows you down and costs additional energy. On the other hand, it is fun to walk on a car free road. Decide what to do at the time and on the basis of good and up to date information."

Page from my guide book

This screenshot shows the profiles of the first Camino stages

This is a YouTube video by Efren Gonzalez, who produces vlogs of his travels specialising in drone footage:

SJPP to Roncesvalles

Efren took the Napoleon Route in late September 2021.

Police rescue pilgrims on the Valcarlos Route,
4th April 2022