Day 4 | Canfranc Station to Villanua

It wasn’t raining when we woke up. We never really prepared for the morning either but we did have a plan. We got up before 08:00 am and we wanted to be gone before 09:00… we made it too! The weather forecast today was still kind of miserable and last night we made a plan… lets skip a couple of stages and move ahead to Spain. The weather in Spain is much better. We’ll come back to catch up on the skipped stages in a few days when the weather improves; we really really want to walk from Urdos to Somport and then from Somport to Canfranc Station… and we need good weather to do that.

We had an appointment before we started at the bakers in Bedous. A couple days ago he promised me a gluten free freshly baked bread. We arrived at the allotted time but he told us it wasn’t baked yet. But he did offer Gerry a french Brioche… so no bread for me but cake for his nibs! It seemed rather appropriate given today is the 14 July and a fete national in France (to commemorate the storming of the Bastille and the start of the French Revolution). So Gerry had brioche and I had to return at 17:00 to collect my bread.

Continue reading →

Day 3 | Rain Stopped Play

Just like yesterday we heard the rain as we woke. Just like yesterday we were totally unprepared for the day ahead… but to be fair we had already seen the weather forecast and we kind of knew that a Plan B would be needed.

We didn’t leave the apartment until around 10:00am – hoping like yesterday, that the rain would ease as the day progressed. It didn’t. We had to find petrol first so we headed off to the supermarket. Gerry’s card was rejected so he tried mine but that was rejected too. We tried another card and that was also rejected. At this stage we thought perhaps there was a problem with the pump so headed off to another supermarket to try again. We chose a pump where we could pay at the desk… just in case our card was rejected again and we could pay by cheque. In the event this is exactly what happened but as our card had been rejected there was a little concern about our cheque! Eventually, after handing over our Carte de Sejour and other ID the cheque was happily accepted and we left with a full tank of fuel. After checking with our bank app we learned that the problem was with the bank systems and not us… so it was resolved later when we needed cash (phew!)

According to our schedule we should have walked today from Urdos to the Somport Pass… and back. A stage that would take us to the high point of this camino, and the end of the Arles and the start of the Aragones. However, watching the rain it wasn’t looking very promising! We drove onwards, through Sarrance where we figured that it must rain a lot here… it seemed to get heavier as we arrived, even the car lights came on! Onwards through Bedous and Accous where we walked yesterday, but today the hills were cloaked in cloud and still the rain came down.

Continue reading →

Day 2 | Sarrance to Borce

There was no chocolate today. Indeed we never even considered chocolate until an hour ago, during President Macron’s speech. We even calculated how long it would take us to get to the supermarket before they closed; alas too long. Instead Gerry had a yoghurt and I had an apple. We only really eat chocolate when we’re walking. Maybe tomorrow?

Yesterday we ended our day by driving to Sarrance and decided to go and explore the village. We planned to return today and walk to Jouers. But the plan never really worked out. For starters we woke late, or more to the point we want to bed late. England played Italy in the final of the European Football Championships last night; the match ended in a draw and then went to extra time and it still ended in a draw… so then it went to penalties. I’m not a football fan but my walking buddy is. So it was a late night. Italy won but Gerry said the young English team did us proud. So we slept in.

Unlike yesterday our bags weren’t ready and our toes weren’t taped. And unlike yesterday the sunshine didn’t stream through the bedroom. We woke to the sound of rain. No matter. We dressed and prepared and hit the road.

Continue reading →

Day 1 | Oloron Ste Marie to Escot

We were so organised this morning. We set the alarm for 7:00am. Our picnics were ready in the fridge. The tape for our toes was cut and ready to be used. We woke, had breakfast, taped our feet and packed our bags and we were in the car within the hour. Something tells me that this efficiency is unlikely to last!

We’re staying in a small gite between Oloron and Eysus and as we have limited time we decided to start our camino there. This isn’t the Aragones at all, but rather the end of the Arles route, however we opted to spend a few days on the French side of the mountains because I’d read this area was very pretty and it gives us a little taste of the Chemins in France.

We parked near the church and wandered off through the lanes out of town. Garden after garden today was sporting fabulous colour by way of Hydrangeas and Agapanthas; we were reminded of Brittany with the green green grass, the flowers and the grey slate roofs.

Continue reading →

11 July 2021 – 24 July 2021

(Yeah! We’re going to walk a camino!)

The Camino Aragonés probably dates back to the 11th century, when the kings of Aragon decided to rebuild and improve the travel networks within their territory. They repaired Roman roads, built bridges, and added shelters and baths along their routes; the modernisation was possibly driven by the arrival of pilgrims as the appearance of religious relics increased the number of monasteries and sanctuaries and led to the creation of new routes for pilgrims.  Whilst the route was very popular for a several centuries, by the sixteenth century the golden age of pilgrimage had passed and the route fell into decline.

The Camino Aragonés officially starts at Somport and runs westwards through the provinces of Huesca, Zaragoza to Navarra. The scenery is dominated by the mountains to the North and rolling hills to the South.  Somport, or Summus Portus as it was named by the Romans, is a Pyrenean mountain pass on the border between France and Spain, at an altitude of just over 1,600 meters. The route merges with the camino Frances near the Navarran town of Puente la Reina at Óbanos, just after the often missed Ermita de Santa María de Eunate

The Aragonés is 166km long but we’ll be adding a further 60km to this by starting our journey on the Arles camino at Oloron Sainte Marie.  The route is very much quieter than the more popular northern routes but it is said to be remarkable for its spectacular and varied terrain and mostly unspoiled trails as the wooded slopes of the Pyrenees give way to the steep limestone hills of the valley of the upper river Aragon. 

Oloron Sainte Marie to Puente La Reina

Our reasons for starting in Oloron in part was because we wanted to enjoy the mountains for longer.  The Aragonés starts at the top of the Somport Pass and heads away from the mountains, we’d read that the route from Oloron along the Aspe river is also very beautiful.  Also, we booked our accommodation many months ago and had no idea what the COVID situation would be.  Starting in France (where we live) meant that we could stay in France and walk in the mountains if crossing the border into Spain wasn’t possible.

Whilst we have 12 days, which should be ample for walking this camino we’ve decided to do what we did last year on the Lebaniego and centre ourselves in a holiday apartment and drive each day to the start of the stage.  It means that we have to walk ‘there and back again’ to the car but whilst this restricts us with how much ground we can cover, it does means that we get to walk the trail twice… so we make the most of the amazing views!

We have one week in Oloron and a second week between Jaca and Puenta La Reina.  We know that we won’t be able to walk every step, as we don’t have time, but we’ll try to cover as much as we can! 

And of course I’ll blog whilst I walk… and I hope you’ll be joining us as we wander along this most beautiful trails!