Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Orisson

We left St Jean in the dawn glow after breakfast and climbed 650m in altitude over 8km to the Orisson Refuge. We enjoyed a good early lunch here and met some of the steady stream of pilgrims stopping for second breakfast or lunch before continuing the 16 further km to Roncesvalles.

The scenery was spectacular in every direction, but especially looking back to the French villages in the valleys far below. The weather was cool and breezy with a few welcome drops of rain.

We met a group of cyclists at dinner last night from near Porto in Portugal. Today they passed us on the track yelling “Oi amigos”. They plan to reach Santiago in 9 days on their mountain bikes, with one of their number in a car carrying the luggage.

We are two of the lucky few easing into this by tackling the Pyrenees crossing in 2 days. John has booked accommodation in one of the two small auberges in Orisson. Our accommodation for the night is 800m up the road from Orisson, the Borda Auberge at the altitude of 850m. So today we climbed about 700m. It is owned and run by Laurent who converted an old farmhouse and barn and opened in 2021. A beautiful property with amazing views of the Pyrenees.

Tonight Laurent, an excellent cook, hosts 8 French, 2 Aussie, 1 Dutch, 2 Korean, and 2 American guests.Read more