Sierras del Perdon

If climbing the Pyrenees wasn't enough for one week, today I got to climb and descend the Alto de Perdon which was 756m high and is the highest point for the next 170km on the Camino. I hope that means I have at least ten days before I have to do that again.

I left Pamplona just as the sun was rising and walked a nice flat, easy on the feet, 3km out through the parks and suburbs. After that we started to rise and in the distance you could see the wind turbines on top of the mountains over which we would slowly climb.

Without my pack I made a much more respectable pace and covered 11 km over roughly three hours before reaching a cute village where I stopped for an early lunch and an 'airing of the feet'. The path was still rising and the windmills were getting closer. There was some climbing left yet, but only 6 km further to my hostel.

I'd walked all morning with a bigger crowd passing me by than usual and few people I had met before as those starting out with me were now getting kilometres and days ahead. I said goodbye to Jody after enjoying some good chats over three nights together. She will be 10km ahead of me by the end of today.

As Pamplona is a stop for the main stages of the Camino followed by many, lots of people headed out of Pamplona this morning but after my long lunch they had left me in the piece and quite again. The views all day were spectacular but my camera completely inadequate to capture them. For most of the day there were views of the mountains ahead, of numerous idyllic villages and farms, and the vista of Pamplona slowly retreating through the day.

Those last 6 km to Uterga were a killer. 2 km up to the top, and two down, then a smooth if not flat road into town. The two kilometers down was torture. For some reason they drop tons of round river rocks on the path that make going down a treacherous, ankle breaking exercise you wouldn't subject your worst enemy to. I guess if an army decided to invade over the pass again you might slow them down?! So I hobbled once again into my accommodation. My bag had arrived and I now have my feet up waiting for my Pilgrim dinner at a typical Spanish old fashioned hostel - checkout the cobblestone floor in reception, I think I'm sleeping in what used to be the barn.Read more