Orisson to Romcevalles

I'm really happy that we chose to walk the Pyrenees and that we decided to break it into two steps. It would have been too much for one day! With two, we had time to appreciate the beautiful scenery. On day 1 we changed elevation by 800 metres over 7 km. On day 2 it was 800 metres over 17 km so the slope wasn't as bad.

We saw free range cattle, goats, sheep and horses. The animals literally wandered wherever they wanted. One or two in each herd had a bell. The sheep farmers kept a close watch over their flocks. We would see the farmers driving their little white Citroen vans with their border collies in the back and then see the farmer get out the binoculars to check on the sheep.

I saw what looked like dry river bed when the sheep began to "flow" down hill along the paths. Fascinating! We saw two French families going to the summit with their donkeys to carry their camping gear. Smart!

Everyone we met in Orisson had been friendly and fun to be with

After 33 000 steps we ended our day in Roncevalles/ Roncevaux. The name is different in Spanish and French. It has been easy to communicate in French but now we are moving into Spain.

The Refugio is very nice. It is modern and the beds are in small quads. We shared with a girl from Guelph. The first thing we found out is that shoes are kept outside the dormitories. The second thing was that you shower when you arrive because there is no time in the morning. There is also a 10:00 curfew. They show The Way every night and it was interesting to compare it to the real thing. There is a photo of Martin Sheen in one of the restaurants. The residents liked him.


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Location:Roncevalles