Today we began El Camino in earnest as we left the Hotel Ramuntcho and started towards Roncesvalles.
Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port lies on the river Nive 8 km (5.0 mi) from the Spanish border, and is the head town of the region of Basse-Navarre (Lower Navarre in English) and was classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France in 2016. The original town at nearby Saint-Jean-le-Vieux was razed to the ground in 1177 by the troops of Richard the Lionheart after a siege. The Kings of Navarre refounded the town on its present site shortly afterwards. The town has traditionally been an important point on the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, as it stands at the base of the Roncevaux Pass across the Pyrenees. Pied-de-Port means ‘foot of the pass’ in Pyrenean French.
It was a pleasant walk through the town until we hit the Camino Trail proper and started what would be a relentless climb up to Lepoeder Pass (1432m).
The views were nothing short of spectacular – the camera really doesn’t do them justice. At about 8km in we passed the Hotel Orisson, which was the only food/drink stop on the route today. As it was so early in the walk we just kept walking (rather than sitting down and having to get going again).
We passed by the the statue of the Virgin/Vierge d’Orisson at about 10km and continued the long slog uphill.
Finally we reached Lepoeder Pass and started the descent down into Roncesvalles. The Lepoeder Pass was (possibly) the site of the Battle of Roncesvalles (in 778) when a large army of Basques ambushed a part of Charlemagne’s army , after his invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
We only had to descend 500 of today’s c1400 meters so it was a reasonably swift process and we made it to our hotel in Roncesvalles. A well deserved beer and wine before heading in for a shower and a bit of relaxation.
Tomorrow we head to Akerreta