Via Tolosana day 9: free chocolate

Sarrance to Oloron-Sainte-Marie, 20.5 km The church at the Sarrance Monastery. Looking very sad in the morning gloom. Another poncho day, but at least the deluge heard on the monastery roof last night had eased to heavy drizzle. The weather had, however, made the trails rather treacherous - especially the first section. Care was needed, … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 9: free chocolate →

Via Tolosana day 8: poncho time

Urdos to Sarrance, 26 km Despite stepping out fully ponchoed against the deluge, I considered myself fortunate to have come over the pass yesterday. There's no way I would be attempting it in today's weather. The two Mexican pèlerins who I shared the albergue with were busy consulting the bus timetable to get over the … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 8: poncho time →

Via Tolosana day 7: taking a pass on the trail

Canfranc Estachion to Urdos, 20.6 km (including 400m up and 800m down!) The view from the top. I walked on the road from where it appears in the middle distance. The walk up to the pass was mostly pleasant. I was happy to leave Canfranc Estachion, where all the people I interacted with seemed less … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 7: taking a pass on the trail →

Via Tolosana day 6: Closed….. on Mondays, until April, until 20h

Jaca to Canfranc Estachion, 24 km Canfranc Estachion (half of it) I was expecting a long hard slog up into the mountains, but the day was actually quite pleasant for walking - until the wind picked up around noon - and the distance was about 6 km less than I had planned for, which was … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 6: Closed….. on Mondays, until April, until 20h →

Via Tolosana day 5: timing is nearly everything

Arres to Jaca, 25 km That would be snow on the rooftop While it should probably have been included in yesterday's post, my evening with the two hospitaleros (plus one other Spanish peligrina) was quite entertaining. One had the thickest Spanish accent - as if he's been a two pack per day smoker for his … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 5: timing is nearly everything →

Via Tolosana day 4: recovery day (not to be confused with a rest day)

Artieds to Arres, 18km The road less travelled: no place for pereginos in runners! It could have been a really pleasant day's walk, crossing broad tracts of farmland on the edges of the river valley. However, the relentless wind was energy sapping, although judging by the clouds building up on the French side of the … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 4: recovery day (not to be confused with a rest day) →

Via Tolosana day 3: A day in ruins

Sanguesa to Artieda, 32.5km. Ruesta, the normal night stop. The only buildings not in ruins are the albergue and restaurant. Maybe the revenue from these are helping finance the preservation work. I figured I would change it up a bit and add titles to the posts. Plus trying to come up with an appropriate heading … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 3: A day in ruins →

Via Tolosana day 2: Monreal to Sanguesa, 28km

Farmland and wind turbines (you'll need to zoom in!) A few more klicks than ideal on the second day out, but the distance was a minor factor as the weather was downright nasty. A forecast "high" of 4⁰, but with wind gusts up to 65 kmh, the wind chill temperature was -7⁰. Fortunately the wind … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 2: Monreal to Sanguesa, 28km →

Via Tolosana day 1: Pamplona to Monreal, 21km

Technically I'm on the Camino Aragonese, but that only lasts until the border with France, so having a separate blog section for only a few days might test my WordPress patience. Additionally I went rogue today and created my own route from Pamplona to Monreal, so technically I'm not on any camino. The San Fermin … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 1: Pamplona to Monreal, 21km →

Via Tolosana day 0

Planes, trains, bus, metro, Skytrain.... all part of the logistics of getting to the start line. Air France was great to Paris, but the leg to Barcelona certainly gave emphasis to the plane's manufacturer: Airbus. I watched two recent Oscar winning movies: One battle after another; and Sinners. Hopefully 'one battle...' didn't get the statuette … Continue reading Via Tolosana day 0 →