Our day started by traversing the eponymous Queen’s bridge over the Rio Agra which was a fine Roman construction.

There was plenty of broom genista flowering with a delightful scent. We’ve had many flowering shrubs along the way today – lavatera, lonicera, philadelphus, rosa. It’s wonderful how even on the roughest ground a variety of flowers will grow. The thistles have been a variety of beautiful blues and purples.

We thought our route was fairly level today but there turned out to be some serious inclines if not too long. We were going from one river valley to the next most of the day. These rivers soon join up and follow into the Mediterranean south of Barcelona.

We walked through some lovely villages along white roads or caminos blancos.

The way down from Cirauqui was an old Roman road complete with original Roman bridge. It’s amazing how these roads have survived over the centuries.

In Lorca we stopped for tortilla de patatas and bread which is rapidly becoming a favourite of ours. There was another splendid reredos in Villatuerta.

The landscape is quite magnificent here with large mountains with fertile land in between. As we left Puente la Reina this morning there were views of a long line of limestone cliffs (to be seen in pictures of villages above) which seem hardly any closer after our 20 km walk towards them.

So into Estella which is a delightful old town with narrow streets. We enjoyed a well earned drink in the town plaza before heading to our hotel.

We left Pamplona this morning walking through the pleasant suburbs. As we reached the outskirts we could see the row of wind turbines on top of the Sierra del Pedrón.

Our route was fortunately not over the highest point of the ridge but still a steady climb of 300 m.

We walked through wheat fields with super wild flowers along the edge of the path- poppies, honeysuckle and marguerites amongst others. The views were tremendous from the top where we could see back to Pamplona and the landscape for future days of travelling.

At the top we enjoyed posing with the peregrino statues.

There were more open churches on today’s route. It was good to sit down and take stock for a while though Abide with me was a little incongruous. The reredos behind the altar are often of amazing scale.

It was good to see some church embroidery as well.

Although the wind was chilly today it was good to be in sunshine for the day and no rain. We’re getting into warmer lands with olive trees, vines and storks to be seen. A good 24 km walk today.

We met new people today as well as catching up with Janet from our train journey down. It was good to hear how others are getting on but also sad that one American couple have decided to withdraw. It’s not an easy walk.

We’ve enjoyed a rest day in Pamplona to  wander around never having been here before.

Pamplona centre is full of narrow streets with tall houses. All the centre is largely traffic free. The Camino guide books all talk about the heat, not 12° at noon. Shorts and sandals weather it is not.

We visited San Saturnino church and Saint Maria la Real Cathedral. From my Baptist background the iconography is far from restrained.  I find myself much moved though by the central representations of the Madonna and child. There is a strong feeling to venerate the Mother of God despite my loss of faith as I’ve moved through life. My grandfather, with Strict Baptist roots, must be turning in his grave at these thoughts.

In a very different challenge to my worldview we visited the bullring. Ernest Hemingway wrote his first novel, The Sun also Rises, in large part about the bull running in Pamplona at the feast of San Fermín. It was an experience just to walk the same streets as the run on the 6th of July.

The bullring brought strong emotions. There is a strong distaste about the violence to the bulls but interesting to see this aspect of Spanish culture. Standing in the middle of the ring gave a curious strong acoustic response to a small shout. The atmosphere on the day must be overwhelming. This (mis)use of animals doesn’t seem right but then I’m not a vegan either.

On to visit Café Iruña in the main Plaza del Castillo where Hemingway enjoyed company. An afternoon whiled away with wine and tapas was very pleasant.

It has been a thought provoking day whilst allowing the body to recover. On with the Way tomorrow.

Day 3 was the journey to Pamplona. We’re having a rest day tomorrow to explore this city. So far we’ve walked 68 km or 42 miles. We caught the train from Bayonne and have then walked from St Jean.

Today was essentially downhill following the river towards Pamplona. The route was not however all along the valley bottom as we went up one side of the valley and then the other. Right at the end we had to ascend into the city.

The landscape is now changing from wooded hills to more rolling landscape. The noise background has also altered from wind and birds to industry and traffic. There are lots of flowers along the way. Today there were wild gladioli and pyramid orchids to appreciate.

There were several old churches but unfortunately none were open.

We walked through wheat fields for the first time and in the distance could see the land flattening out.

As we approached the city we decided to follow the river into the heart of Pamplona rather than trudging through the streets. It was a bit longer but tranquil and green. Interesting to see market gardens right on the edge of the centre.

All was going well with our alternative route until we needed to cross the river. Our plan was to go over a foot bridge but it was understandably closed. All the rain of previous days had to go somewhere. So it was on to the normal pilgrim bridge and up into the city.

It has been a good few days so far. The walking becomes a rhythm and other aspects of life start to fall away. There is a cleansing of the mind and an underlying peace. This is what we are doing now and other things can wait their turn.

We set off this morning from Roncesvalles in the pouring rain. The woods were magnificent mainly consisting of beech and larch looking lovely in their fresh foliage.

It was here that Roland was said to have sounded his horn to bring support. Charlemagne had come over the Pyrenees to fight the Moors. On his return he broke his promise to leave the walls of Pamplona standing. The Basques were understandably angered and attacked the baggage train on its return to France. This led centuries later to the famous poem, the Song of Roland.

Our route was mostly downhill with some ascent to tease the legs after yesterday. Much of the initial part of the route was well paved and a pleasure to walk along.

The scenery was green with rolling hills. It was so quiet in the woods which was calming.

As the day wore on the rain lessened but the way was covered with running water and large puddles. Many of our fellow pilgrims were carefully avoiding the water but we were in our element. We hadn’t thought that slogging our way through the mud in Hampshire from Winchester to Salisbury would be good practice though it turned out to be ideal.

My reflection on today’s journey was that the road goes on with no idea what is around the corner. Enjoy the present which is good.

As we came to the end section the path went quickly downhill with streaming water over the exposed rocks. Julian was relishing finding his footing again yomping over the rough terrain. Beryl had to remind him to be more sensible.

We came to journey’s end at Zubiri which means ‘village with the bridge’ in Basque. The building just before the bridge was an old hospital, possibly a leprosarium. Thank goodness such diseases have gone. It was great to enjoy coffee and savoury in the local bar with the locals enjoying their Sunday afternoon.

Our Camino started in earnest this morning. Immediately starting with the toughest stage was daunting. But we have done it! 🌄🥾

Our overnight stay was uneventful other than finding ourselves locked in the bar and the owners had left the premises. Fortunately a bit of ferreting found a key so we didn’t have to drown our sorrows.

As soon as we left St Jean our route was up hill and remained going ever upwards for the next 20 km. The forecast had been for heavy rain but it turned out to be the ideal day for mountain walking. It was cool and misty which made for pleasant walking conditions. We met Janet and Brian again from yesterday’s train trip. All was going well and we arrived at the Refuge Orisson in good form only for another pilgrim to inadvertently tip cold water down Beryl’s back.

The scenery became more rugged as we ascended giving us beautiful views of where we had come from. It’s amazing to think how the Iberian peninsula pushing into Europe has caused this folding of the Earth’s surface. I’ve been reading An Immense World by Ed Yong who looks at how different animals perceive the same world. We think we see the world as it is but if we could see over thousands of years we’d see this landscape buckling quickly under enormous forces.

Most of the route was along asphalt road. Up above 1,200 metres we started walking off road. It was reminiscent of our preparatory walks in the Surrey Hills with the mud and beech trees. Not that there are any beech woods high up in any British mountains. A sign that we are much further south.

Eventually we arrived at 1,440 metres and we were in Spain. No border to be seen of course. Two years ago in May 2021 I was lying in a hospital bed with a replacement hip after an accident. I dreamt of the high hills. It is wonderful to be back.

And so down the other side and gradually we caught sight of our destination as we came out of the mist. It is very green Spain up here.

Roncesvalles translates as the valley of thorns. It is reputedly the place where Charlemagne heard the sound of Roland’s horn. This event was celebrated in an epic poem as the epitome of chivalry. More on Roland tomorrow.

We are pleased to have enjoyed this toughest stage. There is a deep sense of the wonder of our world and our privilege to be walking through it.

We’ve arrived at the start of our Camino journey.

We travelled yesterday from St Pancras International to Paris in two and a half hours. That gave us a couple of hours to get across town on the metro to Gare de Montparnasse. Then the TGV to Bayonne via Bordeaux arriving in Bayonne four hours later. It was amazing to be smoothly travelling at 300 kph / 200 mph.

We enjoyed a look round Bayonne this morning which is a very pleasant city at the confluence of two rivers.

The train to St Jean was just after midday. We had seen fellow pilgrims in Bayonne and then we were crowded on the train together for the 70 minute journey. It was good to chat with Brian from Sleaford and Janet from Ohio as well as others.

We had some good advice on travelling from Tours to St Jean by bicycle from a Dutch cyclist who was on a reconnoiter.

The hills gradually rose around us as we travelled up the river valley. As the train arrived in St Jean we were met with a heavy downpour. A quick dash took us to our hotel for the night.

We’ve enjoyed a wander round the town and most importantly had our pilgrim credential stamped. We left a gap in the stamp record in case we get to finish off the section from Tours to St Jean.

We went into the church. Although this doesn’t feel like a religious experience for me I was moved to say a little prayer for us as we begin in earnest.

In 2019 we cycled through France from Calais to Tours going through Paris. Our intention had been to continue the cycling journey in 2020 from Tours to St Jean Pied de Port at the foot of the Pyrenees. That didn’t happen due to the pandemic and then Julian broke his hip in 2021.

We have decided to restart our journey at St Jean Pied de Port and walk the first 200 km or so through to Burgos. Our travel starts on Thursday 11th May 2023 with a train trip from London to Paris and then from Paris to Bayonne. The following day we’ll take the local train to St Jean. Walking starts on Saturday 13th May.

We’ve needed to get back into walking fitness which we’ve primarily done through walks through the Surrey Hills. The greensand hills have been fairly dry through the winter and it has been a pleasure to explore our local area.

In 2022 we walked over several individual days from Farnham to Winchester following the Pilgrims Way. It was a pleasure to see the churches en route. Taking inspiration from Tracy Chevalier’s A Single Thread we walked from Winchester to Salisbury over two days following in part the old Roman road. It was a damp journey but enjoyable.

We’re now eagerly anticipating our next journey. A pilgrimage, yes, but not so much in a religious sense, rather an opportunity to meet people, see different scenes, experience the walk, and to reflect on life.

Today we finished the last stage of our Camino journey for 2019. We’ve cycled 638 km or 400 miles from Calais to Tours. We are now half way down the length of France.

Our cycling today went from Blois to Tours along the Loire valley. We actually cycled some distance from the river as the roads there are busy. It was delightfully quiet where we travelled.

We took our time today with an Orangina stop. This French drink is like Fanta but less sweet and somehow more refreshing. It has helped keep us going on several days.

For our lunch we stopped off in a small town where we saw a boulangerie. The woman serving us said we could go into the chateau park to eat our food. It turned out to be a lovely spot with a small chateau in very pleasant surroundings with a wonderful old cedar of Lebanon.

We cycled on to Vouvray, a source of great Loire wines. We managed to avoid the temptation of degustation or wine tasting. The vineyards looked amazing though.

Our entrance into Tours was along a cycle path by the Loire and then over an old suspension bridge now dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians.

We cycled up to the cathedral and were very pleased to have achieved our goal for this year. We walked into the cathedral for our pilgrim credential stamps or tampons as the French say.

Our evening concluded with a good meal and super bottle of Chinon, a Loire wine.

Tours has good restaurants but is not as interesting or with a good ambience as Orléans or Blois. This sign at the magnificent railway station rather overstates the town’s charms.

As we were walking back to our hotel, we saw the sign for the next part of our journey. We will be back to continue. There are plenty more stamps to be collected.

We cycled along the Loire to Blois today.

The river is delightful with plenty of birds flying around. At one point I saw both a green and black / red woodpecker in the trees as we cycled along.

We stopped at Beauagency and had a look around this pleasing Romanesque church with an old keep outside.

We switched sides of the river as the heavy traffic seemed to be funnelled into the valley. Eventually we got onto a very pleasant bike path alongside the Loire.

Our route was predominantly downhill. But we discovered the adverse nature of the prevailing wind which prevailed against us in the afternoon. It was hard work cycling into the steady head wind.

We passed an attractive chateau on the other side of the river and then we arrived at Blois.

Blois is the site of a royal chateau which looked splendid from the outside. We were too tired to go in.

A dinner with a bottle of Saumur Champigny helped to restore us.

We’re looking forward to seeing more vineyards tomorrow as we’re now entering the Loire wine area.