Basque Country ramblings

Today's walk was about 25kms, on natural trails and country roads. It even included a little boat ride, across the river at Pasajes. My plan was to take the 'alpinista' option, but I accidentally missed the turn and took the easier (and somewhat boring) route from Gauadalupe to Pasajes.

When I arrived in San Sebastián, I had a swim in the sea to ease the aches and pains. It felt great, although the water was colder than I expected!

Blisters on day 1 - not good! Because of all the reports of rain and mud, I'm walking in my favourite hiking boots. I should have known better - my feet get too warm when I wear boots in Spain. I should have brought my lighter walking shoes.

Early night tonight - looking forward to a long sleep.Weiterlesen

This was to be a shorter day, so we had breakfast at Goiz Argi and set off a little later than usual. We were in no particular hurry, as Laurie had phoned the Berroeta hospitalera to let her know we were coming. And since there's nothing to do in Berroeta, there's no point in arriving too early!

We had a short stop in Arizkun, followed by a longer one in Elizondo. The popularity of the Dolores Redondo books was very much in evidence, with tour buses parked in the side streets. We fed our own Redondo fascinations with a visit to the Malkorra cafe and a txantxigorri! We then bought food to cook later in the albergue.

Once again, my Baztán memories proved to be quite unreliable, as I remembered this as a pretty easy and flat day. While it didn't involve any of yesterday's exertions, it definitely wasn't flat.

There are six of us in the Berroeta albergue - the five amigas, plus a man from Valencia who was probably looking forward to having the place to himself! This is a comfortable 16-bed albergue, with a well-equipped kitchen and dining area. We enjoyed a very happy home-cooked meal before retiring early to bed.

Laurie and I will take the alternative route to Belate tomorrow. We had a quick look at the initial stages and there seem to be some yellow arrows. With these arrows, our notes and the GPS tracks we should be fine! The hospitalera also gave us some useful tips and advice, as she walks this route to gather mushrooms.Weiterlesen