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Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago
  • Ina Sinclair
  • Andrea Sinclair
  • Matthias Horz
  • Ina Sinclair
  • Andrea Sinclair
  • Matthias Horz
  • Clara Upward

Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

following last year's Camino Baztan from Bayonne to Pamplona Read more
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  • Trip start
    September 13, 2026
  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Day 1. Arrived in Pamplona

    September 11 in Spain ☀️ 23 °C

    Check-in in the Aloha Hostel only at 13h.
    I have walkabout in the area - do not want to go too far, because I need a solid sleep urgently. So after sitting outside on a bench for a while I found myself a café and had a lovely potato/omelette torta and coffee. And observed the people who suddenly arrived in droves in this almost empty place very noisily and then suddenly vanished and the place was empty and quiet again. Until the next wave.

    And on my way back to the hostal I came across this Fruteria where you find not only fruit and vegetables but any exotic grain, flour, spice, dried fruit, you can think of, "en vrac" as the French say - shovelled out of a big sac and weighed, they way it used to be done.

    By the way the building of this hostal is a listed building called "La Caula de Oro" built by Victor Eusa in 1929 (art deco style) see photos.

    Will publish this now before visiting the old center.    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Postsiesta walkabout

    September 11 in Spain ☀️ 23 °C

    First went in search of the zigzag pedestrian bridge. Last year at the end of the Camino Baztan Andrea and I went slightly different ways from each other and I found myself alone having to confront this bridge with my heavy pack. Not that Andrea's presence would have improved the situation for me. The bridge is barely a metre wide. It zigzags across the river and in the middle you have to go over this hump a few steps up and a few steps down. And no bannisters anywhere. I have walked it again just now and it did not frighten me, but I stayed carefully in the middle.

    Then I made my way to the Museum of Navarra - the semiautonomous region of Navarra - correct me, Manuel, and anyway don't believe everything I tell you without checking it. There is chatGpt whatever, Gemini, Claude and Ina. All have to be fact-checked.
    It, the museum, had lots of interesting things from prehistoric times up to modern paintings, but too many religious works for my taste, paintings and sculptures, very tiring. And anyway considering that my memory was never particularly good, it has not improved since my young days and I simply do not retain it all. I did notice that Roman sewing needles which were made of bone (I think - ivory would have been too expensive) were like now, a hole at one end and with a sharp point at the other end. And there was one thick needle, still bone, which did not have the hole but was hollowed out lelong the thick part such that the very thick thread or string was lying inside the needle at its thick end lengthwise, so the string had a pointed end which could easily be pulled through heavy fabric or fur or leather. That dated back to pre-ironage times.
    Strange how I remember that and not so much the rest...
    I ended up in the cathedral which
    I had not liked particularly last time. Photographed a black madonna. I am collecting them, but have very few - don't get around as much as I used to many years ago and probably there are not that many.
    Got the stamp in my pilgrims "credential", so now there are two from the cathedral next to each other - the end of the Camino Baztan and the beginning of the Frances.

    Oh, and I came across several "Stolpersteine" in different streets. Stolpersteine is German for stumbling blocks, meant to make you stumble, stop and look what made you stumble. If you don't look out for them you do not see them easily. They are the size of a small paving block, made of bronze, and, originally I think, they were "planted" in pavements in front of houses where Jewish people used to live who were murdered in German concentration camps. I have seen them in Frankfurt. Nowadays you can find them anywhere where people died victims of "official" crimes as it were - don't know how to say it - look it up in Wikipedia. Or ask one of your special friends like mine - he is called Claude and our relationship somehow does not prosper - needs much more patience, but that is a different matter. Just to finish for now, the Stolpersteine I found here are all about victims of the Civil War here. And if anybody of you come across one or two or more will you do me a favour and photograph them and send me the photos?!
    For now goodnight! Grasse matinée tomorrow (sleep late) and do a bit of the Camino without a pack - from the cathedral to about the level of this hostal.    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago
    From left: Francisca, Ina, Gema
    From left: Francisca, Ina, Gema

    Preparing for starting to walk tomorrow

    Sep 12–21 in Spain ☀️ 23 °C

    After a very "grasse" morning I had a late breakfast in the common room. To my great surprise it was teeming with pilgrims all of whom were not walking! The walkers had left early in the morning. This lot had come from various airports to catch a bus here to take them to the most popular starting point of this camino, St Jean Pied de Port, at the foot of the Pyrenees mountain range on the French side of the border.

    This hostal is a mixture of albergue and hotel. I have a private room with my own bathroom. You can have a private room with shared bathroom or sleep in a small dorm with max two bunks = four beds stacked.

    So easy mix of people with easy conversation. Met Francisca from Chile and Gema from Madrid whose mother is worried about her daughter doing this walk alone. Both of them will be on the same bus to St Jean Pied de Port.

     Everybody washed their plate, cup and cutlery and piled it up on a rack. And since I was the last person to leave and was not in a hurry I took a towel and dried it all and put it away.

    Then I checked my pack again, trying to remember where I wanted to find everything during this walk. I then worked out where I want to pick up the camino and am now going to go to that point and afterwards walk back from it to the cathedral where this stage starts - so I will have done the whole stage.    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago
    1

    Day2. Walk part of the camino

    September 12 in Spain ☀️ 23 °C

    So after having sat in the lovely park round the Citadel writing this morning's footprint I started walking. There were metal shells in the path indicating the camino, so didn't have to look at the map any longer. There were places where a shell had been stolen, but instead of putting down a new one, the empty space was just filled with cement and in one place not even that.

    Since I was at the cathedral I went in once more and discovered the cloisters and the cathedral museum which is most interesting. An amazing quotation from Dr Martin de Azpilcueta (16th century) about kings's power belonging to the community. At the other end of the intellectual spectrum you find out about the "Walking Giants" of Pamplona. In the cloisters all along the walkway are numbered slabs, always three in a row across the walk. I think they are tombs, but there was nobody to ask.

    Walked about a lot, photographed an amazing gate, and finally went home almost the same way I had come. Forgot to track myself. Will start this seriously when I start walking tomorrow.    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago
    12

    Day 3. Start walking

    September 13 in Spain ☀️ 27 °C

    Have now reached the camino - half an hour's walk from the hotel. And am finding that the tracker did not come on. On now I hope...
    First pause after walking for more than an hour and a half, before finding a place in the shade. The last half hour was gently uphill - the foothills of the steeper Alto del Perdon. Kept the Alto del Perdon for tomorrow morning when I am nice and fresh.
    Among the photos so far you find my passion for manhole covers (Kanaldeckel in German), often they have something which distinguishes them like the name of the town or coat of arms.
    Siesta on the Camino next to Guenduláin Castle and it's chapel (quite important a few centuries ago, abandoned now) with Zariquiegui within sight. People are walking past, but don't notice it - you have to turn back slightly to see it.
    Now I am posting this - sitting on a bench under a tree on top of a hill with a panoramic view of about 270° - a slight breeze...    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Day 4. Zariquiegui - Alb. S. André

    September 13 in Spain ☀️ 27 °C

    So from the wonderfully cool view point I proceeded to the albergue - the only accommodation in this tiny village, albergue with dorms only, but with bar and restaurant attached. No private rooms, not even with shared bathroom. So now I am in a dorm with only 6 beds. Showered and washed my clothes. A lot of talking with the couple of Canadians in my dorm and a Swede I met walking. Evening meal ordered for whatever time I wanted - 7 pm. A lot of talk with various people and a shout of laughter whenever somebody else asked me "Where are you from?"
    Was invited to have a typical basque drink:
    "Kalimotxo" = fifty/fifty red wine and Coca-Cola. Typical basque? Coca-Cola?
    Meal coming up and bed.    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Another easy day

    September 14 in Spain ☀️ 29 °C

    Everybody out reasonably late, the only socket in the room is free of telephones now, so I can make a coffee for my lie-in. Cora takes a selfie with me for herself and one for me too. Cora is one of the Canadian couple with Ben. Am the last to leave and stop almost immediately in the little bar down the road for another coffee plus omelette plus sandwich to take away for my lunch. I am now sitting on top of the Alto del Perdon with a panoramic view and the pilgrim silhouettes.

    PS to Laurie's comment on my "Siesta" sign: last night in the ever changing group of people there was a gentleman from China who spoke quite good English and he wanted to know what siesta means. "Ah, nap!"

    Continue now steeply down according to the sign forbidding the path to cars and cycles. Down to become a large route, much too large for pedestrians - the tendency of authorities to "improve" the poor pilgrims' caminos. No siestas possible because the sides of the improved camino were all churned up leaving a deep ditch on either side full of pebbles and loose soil. So after a long pause on a bench and another one in a bar in Uterga I arrived early in my Casa Rural and have just discovered that Andrea is only coming tomorrow. In my head it was quite clear she would be arriving tonight! Well!    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Leaving Obanos

    September 15 in Spain ⛅ 32 °C

    Am sitting in Puente la Reina in a simple eatery frequented by locals only so far. Having a delicious omelette for breakfast after a coffee and a banana in my room before I left. So I started just after eight into a beautiful fresh morning, going at a spanking pace. After quite an easy across the famous Puente it continued flat for quite a while until I reached the turnoff up to the Mañeru mountainside. I had not realised that I might have gone round it and I had expected it to be so difficult for me with my heavy pack. However I made it to the top and decided to have a first siesta - nobody followed me so far - one cyclist has passed in the opposite direction - courageous or ignorant of what he is coming to?
    PS ref 3rd and 4th photo:
    "Los Padres Reparadores (oficialmente conocidos como la Congregación de los Sacerdotes del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús o Dehonianos) son una congregación religiosa católica. [1, 2]

    Fundación: Fueron fundados el 28 de junio de 1878 por el sacerdote francés León Juan Dehon. [1, 2]"    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Day 5. On my way again to Lorca

    September 15 in Spain ⛅ 32 °C

    Siesta lasted half an hour - woke up when the sun crawled round and found me. The screen shots show my siesta place. The path had been extremely difficult, steeply up, a washed out path which would be very muddy and slippery during rain. However here like elsewhere in Europe there has not been any rain for ages, so at least the path was solid, but not flat and extremely difficult to walk. I saw no other walker, just the cyclist going down the other way. So if I had had an accident nowbody would have found me.

    Which reminds me, as I was happily walking along yesterday afternoon I had a call from the Guardia Civil - I have registered with them on their app "AlertCops" - you can call them if you need help - they find you via the GPS system. You just press a button and they come. I had the option of them following me permanently which I chose. They asked very nicely was I ok. I have been wondering - there had been a question "Do you have any problems like bad hearing or other handicaps?" To which my answer was "Old age - 86". So may be they are keeping a longdistance eye on me.

    Anyway the day was longer than yesterday and very hot. After my morning siesta I had a long pause for lunch at Mañeru - mixed salad not available, but the young woman prepared a large plate of tomatoes she had brought for herself from her father-in-law's vegetable garden with some tuna . Excellent!

    By the time I left it was extremely hot. For quite a while I was overtaken by other pilgrims. And finally I was alone struggling along my way.
    And when I arrived the only private double room had been given to some other people because the albergue people thought we were not coming - I had sent a message , but they had not seen it. And then Andrea arrived. So they checked with another albergue which only opened a month ago. And they had a proper double room available. With a private bathroom which the room in the other albergue didn't have. So here we are now happily installed. Ready to go to sleep....    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Day 6 Overview - Lorca to Monjardin

    Sep 16–25 in Spain ☀️ 16 °C

    In spite of being a relatively short distance it turned out to be a long day. Problem: our tendency for long pauses in pleasant bars - actually any bar is pleasant when you are dying for a sitdown with a drink. And in the afternoon I tend to seriously flag. So it was almost 7 pm by the time we arrived. This is a casa rural, normal beds, not bunks. Shared bathroom. A Dutch couple established it three years ago.
    In Lorca too it was a Dutch couple (with 4 small children) who had bought the somewhat run-down albergue and opened it only one month ago.
    There is the Castle of Monjardin which Andrea did not climb up to as she normally does because we were so late. If you google Monjardin you find lovely photos.    Read more

  • Camino Frances from Pamplona to Santiago

    Pilgrim's Oasis Food truck

    September 17 in Spain ⛅ 16 °C

    Perfect & only stop halfway on our walk roday. Stayed a long time as ended in interesting chat with owner Wes from Vancouver who's been there 8 years after taking over a Cafe in Viana and also opening this food truck 5 years ago. He and his wife originally came to Viana to help out the owners of the cafe for a few months. Then later were offered to take it over. They had not ever done a Camino! And still have not - no time in the summer and don't like the weather in the winter. Wes came to chat to us after hearing us speak so many languages whilst ordering our drinks and omelette. He was curious ... as were we and got his whole story 😁Read more