always further away from where I was: July 2013

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

GR10 // day 2 // Olhette - Ainhoa

Distance: 21.5km (42.0km), time spent: 10:04 (18:08).
Ascent / descent: 937m (1941m) / 897m (1821m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 80m / 120m / 900m.
Weather: Sunny, clear sky, very hot.

I couldn't sleep at all during the night, a combination of a hot night, a too hot sleeping bag and snoring in the dormitory. At a certain time I go out and try to get some sleep under the clear and starry sky. But outside there is a sound like someone is slaughtering some animal, while someone is walking along the road with a light. I get the feeling of being in a horror movie, so I go back inside again. Breakfast is taken in the house next to the gîte.

Horse on the path on the way up to Col des Trois Fontaines, the green hills I walked over on yesterdays stage in the background.

From the gîte the GR10 goes steep up through the forest before coming out above the trees with good views back to where I walked down from yesterday, Col d'Ibardin is hidden behind morning mist. There are only a few remnants of clouds on the walk up towards Col des Trois Fontaines, the sun is still hidden behind the hill. A lot of day walkers out in the nice weather. I'm at the highest point of todays stage at the top of the pass, Col des Trois Fontaines (563m).

View east from La Rhune with the small cog train descending.

The route isn't going over La Rhune (900m), but with the great weather I have no choice but to climb up to the summit, something which adds about 337 steep meters of ascent to todays walk. At the top, there is an abundance of people, some has walked up to the top, but I think most of the people have taken the small cog train from Col de St-Ignace up to the summit. I meet Dominique at the top, which left Olhette earlier than me. The view is panoramic impeccable. To the west I can see the mountains that I will pass over in the next days towering in the horizon. A huge flock of eagles are circling above me.

The trail is then descending down to the lowlands again, but there is a nice walk between La Rhune and Altxanga (625m) before that. I meet again Dominique in Sare and we sit down in a café to have some lunch. While we're eating the temperature rises to above 40 degrees. I walk together with Dominique after Sare.

View west from La Rhune with views back to Hendaye and the Atlantic.

This stage is maybe the easiest stage of all the stages on the GR10 (if you go by the stages in the Cicerone guide by Paul Lucia); with only the small climb up to Col des Trois Fontaines as the only steep part. The rest of the stage goes through a relatively flat terrain, with 120 meters being the highest point. Still, I use over 10 hours on the stage. After Sare I became a walking waterfall alongside a nice route that brought back memories from the Camino two years ago.

The trail crosses the railway line of the small cog train, here going up towards La Rhune.

We encounter Didier and Marie-Agnes under a tree taking shelter from the sun. Together we walk to Venta Beruet where we stop for a cold beer and a break from the soaring heat. After a walk through small hamlets and farms it soon becomes evident that the heat is taking its toll, Didier and Marie-Agnes stays behind to catch a ride to Ainhoa. Me and Dominique are continuing through the dust in the heat, the rest of route to GR10 feels like it never ends.

View back towards the mountains from Sare.

Ainhoa greets us with its nice houses, peloton court next to the church and Emilio, Didier and Marie-Agnes (who found themselves a ride to the village). Emilio had walked fast ahead and had arrived in Ainhoa about two o'clock to avoid the worst of the heat. I arrange a bed for myself for the night in Gîte d'etape Harazpy (which in contrary to what is written in the guide is open); where Didier and Marie-Agnes are the only other guests, Dominique prefers to sleep in his tent in the camping site outside.

I enjoys a beer with Didier and Marie-Agnes at the bar besides the peloton court, where there is a match going on, before having dinner at the auberge in the village. Eager spectators follow the little ball bouncing against the wall. A very hot second day on the GR10 is coming to an end when it's getting dark with a more comfortable temperature.

The path towards Ainhoa with Ereby in the background.

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

GR10 // day 1 // Hendaye - Olhette

Distance: 20.5km (20.5km), time spent: 8:04 (8:04).
Ascent / descent: 1004m (1004m) / 924m (924m).
Altitude (start / end / highest): 0moh / 65moh / 573moh.
Weather : Sunny, clear sky, hot.

There is always a special feeling to be at the start of a walk with your backpack packed and ready at your back (in theory all that you own on a walk), and with all of the walk in front of you. In my case it's the Pyrenees that I stand looking towards, over 900km and about 50000 meters of ascent and descent. A little bit uncertain of what I've really embarked upon. I'm in Hendaye; my plan is to walk the GR10 over the Pyrenees to Banyuls sur Mer. There isn't much to do than to start walking.

Hendaye Plage the evening before the start of my journey.

The GR10 starts at the old casino by the beach in Hendaye with the Atlantic behind, a sign marks the start of the long and varied journey (you shouldn't think too much of the distance yet). It's relatively quiet on the beach at the moment, compared to the crowded yesterday. The weather is nice, clear blue sky and sunny. With the waves rolling onto the beach behind me I start to walk.

At the start of the GR10. The sign displays the trail over the Pyrenees that I will go; it feels a little bit unreal standing looking at what I've got before me for the next 50 days.

The first stage to Olhette is for the most part quite easy, but it still contains a combined ascent of 1000 meters. It's a nice promenade alongside the bay of Chingoudy and through Hendaye in the start, before the route enters more countryside surroundings. At Biriatou, a small and cozy Basque village, I meet the first of other walkers on the GR10, Dominique.

The route goes alongside the bay of Chingoudy in the start, with the mountains in the background.

After Biriatou the trail becomes a nice forest and mountain path with a climb up to Col d'Osin (374m) with a nice view back towards Hendaye and the Atlantic. From Col d'Osin the trail is undulating up and down a green ridge, horses are grazing wild in the hills. I eat lunch in the shade of the trees at the Col des Poiriers (316m).

At Col des Poiriers the alternative route coming from Choldokogagna (what a name) is joining the GR10, in Cicerone's GR10 guide that is described as the main route of the GR10, but the trail over Col d'Osin is marked as the GR10.

The part up to Col d'Osin and over to Col d'Ibardin is the nicest part of todays stage. However, there is nothing nice about Col d'Ibardin, a tourist place on the border between France and Spain, a place to go quickly through. A nicer place to arrive at is Venta d'Inzola in Spain, a quiet and relaxed place in the shade of the forest.

View back towards Hendaye and the Atlantic from the climb up to Col d'Osin.

La Rhune (900m) has been visible in the horizon all through the day and is following me with eagle eyes on the last part of todays stage from Col du Grand Escanga (273m) and down to Olhette (65m). The gîte d'etape in Olhette is a nice place, but since I haven't booked a place I have to eat dinner at the hotel further down the street. There are a couple of other walkers in the gîte walking the GR10 as well, though not all of it, Emilio, Didier and Marie-Agnes, together with Dominique who also has arrived at the gîte.

View from Col d'Osin. La Rhune in the horizon to the left. The GR10 goes over the ridge in the middle of the picture.

Todays walk was a nice start of the trail that didn't contained the steepest of challenges, but yet climbed enough upwards to get a nice view. It got hotter after a while making it heavier to walk. A lot of days left to go.