I was off this morning at 7.45am, as forecast it was raining heavily! Still it felt exciting to start the journey. Upwards it was for the next five and a half hours, before a swift hour down into Roncevalles. For the first half of the walk there were loads of other people and it was a case of follow the rain coat in front. I also kept passing and being passed by the same people as everyone full of enthusiasm kept stopping to take pictures and put in/take off layers and rainwear. I even passed a English couple that I met at Stansted airport.
As the route turned steeper everyone settled into their own pace. As I watched cyclists pushing their bikes up the hills I really didn’t envy them although this did change later when they all started to pass me. It also made me think that the road is a lot steeper than it looks or the cyclists had not done enough training, probably both!
At about 8.50am the sun came out and it looked like it would be an amazing day, could the forecast would be wrong? No a mere 30 minutes later the rain started again and didn’t stop.
As the rain continued and the mist started to lower and the sounds became amazing, all sheep, goats, cows and horses have bells round their necks so you just hear the sound of bells and animals as you walk, even when sometimes you can’t see them.
The higher I got the colder it got and the more the rain turned to sleet and even hail! I learned that putting off stopping to get out a jumper because you don’t want to remove your waterproof is pretty pointless and by the time my fingers were numb and I finally succumbed it was almost 12pm. Two things happened, once I opened my pack I smelt my sandwich, I had been ignoring the fact that my stomach had been rumbling since 9.30am, and I realised it only takes about a minute to get the rain coat off and the jumper on and raincoat back on again. Within 10 minutes I had inhaled my sandwich and was warm again. Lesson to myself, don’t wait until 12pm if your stomach decides lunch should be at 9.30am, and don’t wait until your hands are numb to get a jumper, it makes for a very cold and grumpy walker! Conversely once warm and full even the sleet does not feel so bad. Onwards and upwards.
I have no idea where the top of the Pyrenees was as I could not see anything with the cloud, fog and sleet, photos at this point stopped, actually from about 10.30am when the weather turned properly, I couldn’t operate the camera with my fingers and there was nothing but fog to see. I also lost all the other people!
However with about 4km to go to Roncesvalles, the decent started, it was steep! I had my poles extended to be able to reach the floor and I felt like a 4 legged not 2 legged animal, it was not pretty! There was a Korean lady in front of me who had an amazing technique for the steep decent, she walked it backwards! Most off-putting when approaching her and she is going the same way as me but facing me, still her technique seemed to work for her. My technique was clearly not as reliable as with 3km to go I slipped and landed hard on my ass. Clearly sufficiently padded as I was able to get up and carry on, although now completely covered in mud rather than just slightly covered.
However, by 2.15pm I had arrived at Roncevalles, the sun had come out and after a hot shower, with my clothes to get rid of the worst of the mud, I few like a new person. Admittedly, one who might have a very sore back tomorrow curtesy of my expected landing on the hill. My legs and feet however feel perfect…you can’t have everything!
Roncesvalles is tiny, with a resident population of 30. There are two hotels and the albergue which are all part of the monastery buildings. My room is the one with the trousers hanging out of the window! There is also the Royal Collegiate Church of Saint Mary, as well as the chapel of the Holy Spirit and a tiny gothic chapel of St James. However, really nothing else.
……and it is torrential again….I think I might relax this afternoon but just try to keep my back moving.