Arrondissement d’Oloron-Sainte-Marie

After a most enjoyable stay at the Elias Valina Albergue de Peregrinos in Canfranc peublo, we farewelled our lovely hospitaleros Adelina and Sue. They are friends from San Francisco, volunteering together at the albergue for two weeks.

Our destination today was the small village of Urdos in France, about 24 kms away, with just the matter of some mountains in between. You never know how the weather will be that far up, and I had a swollen ankle that was niggling, so we decided to take it one stage at a time - first to Canfranc Estacion and then to the halfway and highest point, the Col du Somport on thé border of Spain and France. There are a couple of buses a day from both, so we had options.

Perfect walking weather again this morning. Cold … but that’s what you want when the only way is up. We arrived in Canfranc Estacion which was alive with hikers and tourists. This part of the Pyrenees is a picturesque and popular ski resort in winter and a hikers’ paradise all year around.

Canfranc Estacion is named for its famous landmark, Canfranc station. Recently re-opened as a luxury hotel, this extraordinary building has a fascinating history and more than a touch of mystery including tales of espionage. The French and I first saw Canfranc Estacion in 2016 when waking the Arles / Aragones camino. Even in its abandoned state, it was a mesmerising structure. There was talk then of plans to bring it back to its former glory. More than three years later, when walking the Aragones with my friend and Camino buddy Jill, we saw that work was underway. And now today we were able to see the result of the restoration. How wonderful that this magnificent building has been restored to such a high standard and given a new life.

It was time to continue. We had 6 kms to go until we reached the Col and it would be the steepest part of our climb. We had not yet decided whether to tackle the 12 km descent or take the bus. Hate those decisions. After two hours, we reached the Col. It had been a tough climb but our surroundings were so glorious that it was exhilarating rather than exhausting.

At the top of the mountain, we met a Belgian pilgrim who told us that the path down to Urdos was wet and slippery and the 12 kms would likely take us around 4 hours. There was a cafe on the top of the Col. The sun was shining, the view magnificent. It was 1 pm, we were hungry and a bus would leave at 2.30. Turned out to be a very easy decision. The French and the Belgian and I enjoyed a great lunch, with a spectacular view and happily boarded the bus at 2.30 for a scenic if a little scary ride down the mountains to Urdos.

What a day! 😎Read more