GR1 Sendero Historico // day 22 // Gallipienzo Antiguo - Sos del Rey Católico

GR1 Sendero Historico day 22.
Distance: 26.1km (640.2km), time spent: 6:25.
Waymarking: Average, part of the trail is badly marked.
Weather: Wonderful.

The breakfast at the hotel stood apart from the dinner, as it consisted of plenty of food. So that I at least can begin the day satisfied both with food and sun, the location of the village makes sure that I get to see the fiery red sunrise in the east.

Sunrise from Gallipienzo Antiguo.

Unfortunately, the stage from the ghost town Gallipienzo Antiguo to the medieval town Sos del Rey Católico is not of the exciting one. The aspirations I got after yesterday's promising 'liberation' from the flat plains and broad landscape of Navarre, now became changed to a small let down. Instead of continuing in the same interesting way as yesterday, it now felt more indescript.

An abandoned farm in Gallipienzo Antiguo, here even the roof has been overtaken by vegetation. In the background to the left we can see Ermita de la Conception o de la Virgen de la Peña.

The excitement was left behind after Gallipienzo Antiguo; in return you get to feel the abandonment closer at hand on the way down from the village, empty shells of forgotten houses stood quietly next to the path. Roof covered by plants. You look at one of the houses and thinks that once a family lived there. Questions about who they were, how they looked, how they lived, how they felt, begin to form in the mind. But there and then, the time and history quiet and gives no answers.

Gallipienzo Antiguo as seen from the valley below.

When the deserted houses of Gallipienzo Antiguo lies above me and I have crossed the otherwise nice bridge over rio Aragón, there are however little that arouses my interest. Caseda offers little else than the possibility of getting something to drink or eat, and some uncertainty of where the trail actually leaves the village. I wonder how much it would cost to make just one small waymark at the places where one are most uncertain, I find a well hidden one behind a thicket of thorns a little later.

Ermita de San Zoilo.

My feet still carries me on however and I arrive at the Ermita de San Zoilo, which is a pilgrimage destination. On the way to and from pastures in the Pyrenees this was an important stopover for shepherds. Walkers on the GR1 Sendero Historico, the small and weary chapel probably sees less of, but it is a peaceful little place. Parts of the buildings has seen their better days. Two of the other guests at the hotel in Gallipienzo was here also, but they had not come on foot as I had.

Canal de las Bardenas. Here you only come if you go the wrong way on the GR1.

I had read that shortly after San Zoilo there was a section where it was supposedly difficult to finding the trail, but that it should have been remedied now. This turned out to be not true, even though there were traces of new waymarks (not for the GR1). I lost track of the trail and suddenly found myself in a completely different place. Next to another canal, which here ran on top of a larger aqueduct, Canal de las Bardenas. Instead of retracing my steps and trying to relocate the trail, I chose to follow the road going next to the canal and from there up to El Caserio de Goyo next to GR1 again (where another route also went, GR13). Perhaps the walk next to the canal a better alternative, but the water in this one was not as clear as in Canal de Navarra.

Torre Añués.

I eat lunch next to the Torre Añués, the not so very impressing remains of an old castle.

Sos del Rey Católico.

Sos del Rey Católico is however well worth walking through a less interesting scenery for. As Olite, this is a jewel of a town. Situated at the top of a small hill, the town consists of a number of impressing surviving buildings from the Middle Age. With even more tight and narrow streets than Olite, packed together like a labyrinth within the old city walls. And there are actually several real dead ends here, small streets that leads nowhere. Inside the city walls lies also the San Esteban church, Castillo de Sos de Aragón, Palacio de los Sada, Loncha Medieval (market), as well as the Santa María del Perdón church and crypt, to mention some of what you will find here. If you want to take a zero day, Sos is not a bad place for that.

Looking over Sos del Rey Católico from the top of Castillo de Sos de Aragón.

For me it will not be a zero day, but luckily I arrive so early that I have good time to explore the town. Situated almost smack in the middle, next to the old medieval market Loncha Medieval and Plaza de la Villa, lies the hostel in which I have acquired the 'tower suite', Hostal Las Coronoas. It is a nice place. There are few tourists here, which is strange, and also no gaudy souvenir shops to see, the absence of both feels liberating. The views from the top of Sos is great, both over the town and the landscape around, but the views for the weather tomorrow is not good. Rumours has it that it will be raining.

A sculpture of the movie director A Luis Garcia Berlanga. There were several of these sculptures around the town, both with and without a person in them.

These villages and towns are situated like pearls on a string, Olite, Ujué, Gallipienzo Antiguo and Sos del Rey Católico. And that is great, when the surrounding scenery is not that exciting all the time, though it probably must exist some of balance there as well. I eat dinner in the restaurant of the hostel, underneath the archways outside, it is as said a good place. Today is the last day of September, tomorrow October is at hand, what awaits me on the trail in that month. This month at least finished with an amazing stay in Sos del Rey Católico.

Typical street view from Sos.

<- Gallipienzo AntiguoPozo Pígalo ->

GR1 Sendero Historico // day 21 // Olite - Gallipienzo Antiguo

GR1 Sendero Historico day 21.
Distance: 31.1km (614.1km), time spent: 9:25.
Waymarking: Almost absent until Ujué, improving afterwards, but still lacking.
Weather: Gorgeous.

This was the day when I finally finished walking through the flat landscape of Navarre. And together with the route moving into a more hilly scenery, the waymarking ever so slowly came back to life. Both leaving the flat horizon and the prospects of finding the way more easily was long awaited. As soon as I left the lower part of Navarre behind me and gained altitude, it became a nice walk, where the really beautiful villages I came to was the greatest rewards of the day.

The fields and plains between Olite and Sierra de Ujué in the horizon. On top of the ridge is the Santa Maria church in Ujué a distinct landmark.

It still took some time to be completely finished with the lowlands, which was less exciting. Someone else has also clearly been irritated by the lack of waymarking and done it themselves. I could follow the arrows marked with Ujué that had been painted at almost every intersection. Beyond that, it felt once again like to be walking in the blind. However, to get lost was something that I could look away from; with the sun shining in the sky, the church in Ujué was clearly visible, a more clear navication point hardly existed. If I turn around, I can still see the towers and spires of the Palace of Kings in Olite, which regretfully becomes smaller and smaller.

Canal de Navarra, a 177km long irrigation channel going like a blue river through the landscape.

At Canal de Navarra, I cross a sort of a custom border to the hills that forms the boundary between the flat landscape of northern Navarre and the journey ahead, going first through the Sierra de Ujué. The man-made channel flows through the arid landscape like an invigorating blue river. A 177km long irrigation canal, both loved and hated. It is tempting to jump into the clear water to go for a swim, but the prohibition signs and a clear current counterweights that.

With Sierra de Ujué, I get views and a respite from the usual gravel tracks, up into the hill the trail goes on a path, if you find it that is. In the valley below lies forgotten and abandoned remnants of farms, but also some houses that clings to their existence. Canal de Navarra is breaking up the landscape below like a road coloured blue.

View of Ujué from the top of the ridge.

On top of the ridge, I can look out across a scenery that is markedly different from the flat landscape of the latter days. Going up the hillsides, there are terraces upon terraces. On top of one of these terraced hilltops lies Ujué, a village that was built in the Middle Ages as a defense againts the moors. Dominating in the centre of the village and visible from almost all sides is the church of Santa Maria, which is now a national monument. Ujué is an exceptionally beautiful village.

The Santa Maria church in Ujué, a national monument that is dominating the village.

And it is almost wrong not to spend the rest of the day here, I have to content myself with just a couple of extra hours. Astonishingly enough, the church is open and when walking inside it, it looks almost like there is a church within the church. You cannot miss the contrast between the size of the church and the size of the village. Letting yourself get lost in the narrow streets that winds around below the church is just pleasant. In a small square I find a hospitable bar (El Villal (?)), where I eat lunch out on a terrace. I get a caramel pudding on the house. Afterwards, I visit the church once again.

In Ujué.

Where the GR1 leaves Ujué, lies the ruins of another church, San Miguel. Just the shell of the church remains. Through the empty belfry, I can see the church of Santa Maria. A memorial is erected behind the remnants, next to something similar to a row of Roman columns. From there, the trail continues into an area that almost looks abandoned and may feel remote to some. Shortly after, I go wrong and is chased by imaginary dogs, until I become aware of my mistake and returns.

The ruins of the San Miguel church, the tower of Santa Maria visible through the missing window of the church.

There are some areas that gives the impression of being remote and desolate, although they relatively speaking are not, often in a location quite close to a road or a place. As the area you go through between Ujué and Gallipienzo Antiguo. And yet, it is perhaps the remnants of farms that underlines the feeling, like the houses that nature is about to reclaim, where the trees grows in the middle of the rooms and vegetation takes over both outside and inside. That there are no one else that I meet, just adds more weight to the claim.

The scenery to Gallipienzo Antiguo from Ujué, Gallipienze Antiguo is situated at the end of the ridge going from left to right in the picture.

I arrive at Gallipienzo Antiguo from above and the first thing that greets me is the church dedicated to the Saviour, you can see the top of the church long before you get there. That is the only visible sign of the location of the village, high up on one side of the ravine above the Aragón river. Gallipienzo Antiguo was once a significant village, but now it is a place that is almost abandoned. Arriving from above gives a different experience, watching the village from a bird's perspective. Going down through the streets, I pass by houses and buildings whose previous owners have left them to history.

In the evening, the sun disappear behind the church in Ujué and colors the valley below the bird observatory red, next to lies the ruins of Ermita de la Conception o de la Virgen de la Peña.

An abandoned village, Gallipienzo Antiguo seen from the hill above the village and the church dedicated to the Saviour.

That I am not the only one who thinks it will be exciting to spend the night in a near abandoned village is likely to be one of the reasons why a hotel has emerged here, Heredad Berugu. It looked typically catered towards more exclusive clients, this will be the decidedly most expensive stay on the walk. Regardless of the price, the hotel is nice. Even more exclusively, is the dinner, which is good, but does not merit the price I pay for it. Over 30 euro for two small quiche with salmon and onion, two poached eggs with asparagus and dessert.

Gallipienzo Antiguo in the evening, seen from the path to a bird observatory and the ruins of Ermita de la Conception o de la Virgen de la Peña. The hotel, Heredad Berugu, can be seen down to the right in the picture.

After dinner, when darkness has descended, I go for a walk in the village. This is when the slightly eerie atmosphere of Gallipienzo Antiguo takes shape. With so few villagers left, there are no one to see in the small streets, almost as narrow alleys. Only here and there can I see lights from windows. Occasionally, I can hear the crackling sound from tv's and radios, coming from unidentified places. The street lights blinks and disappears, leaving me in utter darkness, for suddenly turning on again later. Eyes of animals glows in the dark towards you. Perhaps not for those who are afraid of the dark, but I was almost overjoyed.

Evening walkin the empty streets of Gallipienzo Antiguo, almost eerie; moments after taking this picture, the street lights went out.

From fairytale castle to ghost town indeed.

<- OliteSos del Rey Católico ->

GR1 Sendero Historico // day 20 // Olite

GR1 Sendero Historic day 20.
Zero day.
Weather: Brilliant.

A zero day in Olite. I believe my feet will benefit from not having to walk today, at least without also having to carry my backpack; I am not completely able to stay still on my zero days. So, even though I sleep longer than usual, and is in no rush to get out into the day, I cannot shake off the feeling that it is something that I have forgotten. Like putting on my backpack and keep on going.

Plaza Carlos III El Noble in Olite.

Yesterday, I washed the clothes that I walk in; today, I wash the evening clothes, it was high time that it was done. There are always some duties that needs to be done when you are exempt from walking; a zero day is a good time to do all those necessary things that you rarely do. Like checking your equipment. I have also plans to reconnect to the world again today. Since I began walking, I have not heard much about what has been happening in the outside world, the little I have heard, has been in Spanish. Just next to the hotel, I found a small internet café, small in the true sense of the word as well.

View to the west and over Olite from the tallest tower of the Palace of Kings.

Olite has obviously expanded since old times, but the old town lies still within the intact city walls, built on Roman foundations. The street scenes inside the city walls are narrow and intimate. The two main squares Plaza Carlos III El Noble and Plaza Teobaldos forms the centre for the city life. Within the walls of the old palace, there is now a Parador, but what is the star of the city is without doubt the Palace of Kings.

Turrets, towers and spires in the Palace of Kings, you can climb up into both towers.

If you ever have imagined a fairytale castle, something like from a Disney cartoon, then you will find its counterpart in reality here. A visit to the Palace of Kings is almost like how I have imagined it must be to walk around in such a castle, the only thing missing is the inventory. Here there are towers and spires, with staircases both inside and outside, which you can climb up and down in. Labyrinthine hallways and dead ends. Small and large rooms within stonewalls and dim light from holes and ornamented windows. Ivy and climbing plants folding upwards along the castle walls.

The Palace of Kings in Olite, a fairytale castle.

From the top of the towers, you can scout far away in all directions. The surrounding area is relatively flat (Navarre, you know), but in the east there are hills rising, which marks the end of the flat journey through Navarre. Barely visible within the hills, I can see the church in Ujué, which the walk heads towards tomorrow.

Tree growing in the courtyard.

For a long time, I go exploring around inside the castle. I am not alone. Two girls looks just as smitten as I am, it appears that they will return home with about 500 selfies, all from the same spot in the palace. Heads appears and disappears here and there. Twice I go into the palace, I had to pay a visit in the evening too. The shadows of the spires grew longer with the sun in the west, the colours became stronger. I lost track of time and missed the wine museum afterwards.

City walls and castle walls.

Unfortunately is the Santa Maria La Real church closed, and blocking what is supposed to be an amazing archway there is now a large scaffolding. In my opinion, it would be better if they had waited with the maintenance until I had been here. So, in Olite I feel a bit like a tourist again, something that I do not feel like while I walk, but when I sit and look at the people from one of the bars at Plaza Teobaldos, I feel that I have a different approach to it.

Street in Olite.

I have not forgotten the walk, and has made some plans for the upcoming days. In Gallipienzo Antiguo, a hotel has surfaced; the possibility to stay a night in a near abandoned village is something that I do not want to miss. Judging by the distance, it is a good way to split the walk to Sos del Rey Católico into two more even days.

View towards the hills in the east in the direction of the trail after Olite. Almost in the middle of the picture, you can barely see the church in Ujué, which is the next landmark on the way.

Dinner is a pizza with cheese, serrano ham, mushrooms and oregano. I am almost surprised how much food you can eat on a walk like this, I have no problems taking on a large pizza, and good it was as well. The zero day is finished at the same local bar and restaurant that I found yesterday. I look forward to keep on walking tomorrow, and I cannot wait to be done with the flat landscape of Navarre.

More royal palace and fairytale castle.

From a fantasy castle to a ghost town, that will be great.

Children playing outside the gate of the Santa Maria La Real church, the entrance to the church covered by a scaffolding hiding what is an amazing archway and entrance.

<- OliteGallipienzo Antiguo ->

GR1 Sendero Historico // day 19 // Larraga - Olite

GR1 Sendero Historico day 19.
Distance: 28.0km (583.0km), time spent: 6:47.
Waymarking: Absent.
Weather: Light overcast and some blue sky.

Yet another day in the flat Navarre without waymarking lay ahead of me. Olite was already decided as the terminus and the distance there should basically be shorter than the original length of the previous day. So, fortunately a short day in other words (although 28km hardly can be called short), but then it is hard to tell what surprises I have in store when it comes to navigation.

View from the church in Larraga in the morning.

One thing that staying at a four star hotel at least yielded, was the size of the breakfast. The price of my room also turned out to be so expensive as I feared, I paid 10 euros for each star. Yesterday evening had been pleasant, but that kind of evenings often feels better when you have a hard day behind you. It struck me this morning that I had not noticed any of the pains in my foot from earlier yesterday, even after the long day, which was really good news.

Larraga, with the church taking up a considerable part of the town.

I discover that one of the reasons why I struggled to locate the hotel yesterday, which really would have been simple, is that Larraga feels like a maze. I had aimed at the church, and gone astray in the narrows streets of the town. From Larraga, I wanted to start from the church and got lost again when I tried to find the trail from there.

Empty Navarre scenery, on a short detour before I came to the Cañada real.

There was not much excitig about today's route. Where I earlier have used the term remote about the surrounding area, although that can be said to be of a somewhat relative term, a better characterization of today's scenery is empty. As Berbinzana, the next town you come to, quiet, only a few people out walking, everything looked closed. No prospects of any café con leche until I get to Olite in other words, there is nothing between Berbinzana and Olite.

Milestone on the Cañada real that GR1 uses on its way through Navarre.

Except for large and empty acres and fields, which the trail almost goes like a straight line through. The waymarking is still adamant in its non-existence. A gray column of smoke is rising up in the horizon, I hope that the route is not heading straight into the middle of it. The soil here is barren, and it is dry, any fire will spread rapidly through the fields. As with yesterday's walk, I think going earlier in the year will be nicer in this part of the trail, when the colours of the fields are green and not the dusty, dry and light brown colour the landscape is dressed in now.

A dancing burning line coming in my direction, the sound of the crackling flames was clear.

Today's history lesson was not in the remains of old settlements or defences, but hidden while at the same time visible flat on the ground. Without any waymarks, it was not obvious where the trail left the gravel road I was walking on and onto one of the ancient transhumance routes going through Spain. Initially, I went wrong, but quickly got back on track. The GR1 waymarks have here faded a long time ago, but the old milestones of stone with CR written on them on has withstood the test of time better. These routes are called Cañada real and was given a statutory basis by Alfonso X in 1273. The purpose of these routes was to move livestock and people across the country. I had been looking forward a little to walk on one of these through a landscape without any content.

Burning of acres next to the Cañada real transhumance route.

Situated on top of the Cañada real, the GR1 goes straight towards the cloud of fumes that rises up from the oter side of a low ridge. After the hill, I am almost standing in the middle of it. Black clouds of smoke crosses over the trail. I can hear the crackling of the fire coming closer and closer, a dancing red and fiery line in my direction. The field black. An inferno in miniature. Fortunately, the fire looks like it is under control. Inside the smoke, there are two tractors working unceasingly. It does not take that much to make a day exciting again.

An empty landscape with rain in the horizon.

With the fire behind me, it is yet again empty of people, and the same empty surrounding countryside. The rest of the walk to Olite takes place without any big headlines, although the original route has been destroyed at a time and I have to take a detour to come around. On the approach to Olite, you can see the towers and spires of the Palace of Kings and the city walls a good time before you enter the town itself, unfortunately, you will then also see the highways and the area around, which is not that exciting.

The city walls and the Palace of Kings in Olite.

This is the nineteenth day of my hike and Olite is by far the most wonderful town I have been to so far, a statement I can give even before I have got to know the town. It is a near perfect place for a zero day, large enough to keep me occupied for more than one day. Given the problems I have had with my left foot and the long day yesterday, I am designating tomorrow to be a day of rest and will give my body and especially my feet some respite from walking. It proved easy to get a place to sleep, I got a nice room with a balcony in the Hotel Garcia Ramirez.

A small square in Olite in the evening.

I am tempted to visit the Palace of Kings already today, but since I will have a zero day tomorrow, I let it wait to then. Instead, I just go slowly around and looking at the buildings, the rumours has it that Olite has some of the best Gothic architecture in Europe. Today, I will not seek out the things to see, I let them find me eventually. When I walk, I find a cozy restaurant that looks it is used more by local people than others, completely in my style.

Plaza Carlos III El Noble in Olite in the evening.

The fact that it has already gone a good amount of days since I left Puerto de Tarna, is beginning to dawn upon me, but harder to think about is that it is still considerably many days left. It is best to let such thoughts disappear, one day at a time is still what counts. While I am in Olite, I just sit down and enjoy the moment.

<- LarragaOlite ->

GR1 Sendero Historico // day 18 // Los Arcos - Larraga

GR1 Sendero Historico day 18.
Distance: 45.0km (555.0km), time spent: 11:15.
Waymarking: Absent.
Weather: Nice.

This day was the toughest on the Sendero Historico so far, both physically and mentally. Something that you would not believe when you look at how flat the landscape the trail passes through are, although the original stage was of a significant length, in the guidebook said to be 39km. I walked 45. Way too far, but that was only the physical part of it. The mental part was at the start of the day, in Los Arcos.

Low hills in the plains of Navarre.

In the morning in Los Arcos, I watched the pilgrims continue their journey towards Santiago de Compostela. Everything from groups of three to four, to two persons and some who walked alone. But even though they walked alone, they were really never alone, there is always a fellowship on the Camino. I had to concentrate hard not to put on my backpack and continue walking together with them, let the GR1 be and instead resume the memories that resides so strongly in my mind. Reliving the joy five years ago. It is not that I am not happy now, but those memories are so strong. As I was about to leave, I met a small group of Norwegians and we became standing and talking for a while. It was nice, they had walked from Le Puy, but had divided the pilgrimage into several years.

Looking back towards Sierra de Codés, the GR1 goes at the top of the ridge from the smaller peaks to the right and to the larger peaks of Joar and Laplana to the left in the picture.

To carry on is both weird and tough. Where the pilgrims almost goes together, I leave Los Arcos in a completely different direction, utterly alone. Just me alone in the loneliness. I know that from now on again, I will not meet anybody else. Earlier on the walk, it was ok, but the short period among the pilgrims has brought me back into the social embrace. In front of me, the low plains of Navarre are undulating.

Getting deeper into the flat landscape of Navarra.

Fortunately, the challenge of finding the way makes me forget the solitude for a while. Out here no waymarks exists, after years of scorching sun and inadequate maintenance the waymarks has bleached away. It is far from easy, I have to closely follow the route description in the book, and then measure how far I have walked from one point to another on the GPS. At each junction, I am unsure of which is the correct way. And in my mind, I have not forgotten that I was sent astray yesterday.

This faded information board about the trail stood outside Allo, like a monument of the waymarking of the GR1 through Navarre.

Luckily, I do not end up astray this time, I arrive in Allo as I should. And I probably followed the route faithfully enough, although there were some mishaps. Especially where the trail goes down to the remains of an ancient Roman villa by the name of Arrellano, located hidden inside an ugly building that is only open in the weekend. John Hayes recommends a more direct approach to Allo, he is probably correct.

Allo seems scruffy and worn to me, with a poor look to it. Even the information board about GR1 at the entrance to the small town has weathered in the sun, it is as if the waymarks deliberately are trying to avoid the place. In the one restaurant that I find, I munches down a platos combinados for lunch, it could almost count as a dinner, a big plate with sausages, eggs and pomme frites.

After finally having found the right way from Allo, I am approaching the highlight of the day, the ruins of Baigorri. The remains of the church with its spire can be seen to the left, the large building to the right is the former palace.

From Allo, one should follow a dirt road which runs in northeasterly direction for 4km, it is not so easy when you come to an intersection where both possibilities continues in the same direction at first. Of course, I take the wrong way, but is rescued by a vantage point (mirador) not long afterwards, where I get an overview of the surrounding land. Looking around, my gaze freezes solid on spot slightly further away, the dilapidated buildings of Baigorri has became visible.

Baigorri. The ruins of the church with the palace in the background.

I have been looking forward to Baigorri for a long time, from before I traveled down to Spain, the remains of an abandoned village that contains the ruins of a church, and a castle and a palace from the 12th century. The Count of Lerin and the Duke of Alba has previously resided in the palace. The place is magical, haunting, but the surroundings are not quite as I had seen it for me. Instead of being surrounded by desolate plains, I could see several warehouses not far away, while tractors meandered around in the fields around. How more mythical and magical Baigorri had been, if it stood solitary in a remote location.

Inside the ruin of the palace.

It was still magical, I imagine away the surroundings and let me become haunted by the place. From the mid 1900s, no one has lived here. The old palace looks like it is about to collapse, I hold my breath and take a look inside underneath the broken rafters. The church has only two walls left after the French tore down the two others to prevent the church from being used as a defense fortress again. History is breathing down my neck here. You can read more about Baigorri here (the site is in Spanish, but it works fairly good to use google translate on the site).

Leaving Baigorri after deciding upon not to spend the night in the tent there, a decision I later should regret. If I had stayed, I could have stayed here and looked at the ruins with a flaming red background.

To stay the night here would have been a fantastic and unforgettable experience, and it was my original plan to do so, yet I decide to move on. Something I would regret, but I do not feel completely safe here, feels too close to civilization perhaps. The decision is final when some youngsters passes by on an atv. I drink up the two cans of beer that I have carried with me for the evening, so I can at least say that I have been drinking a beer in Baigorri. In the guidebook it is written that I should turn right when I come to the abandoned village, which just sounds weird; if I go to the right, I will get to Baigorri.

I have never been so happy to find a waymark as I was here, after a long walk where I became more and more unsure, it was great to confirm that I was on the correct way yet.

There are about ten to eleven kilometres to go to Larraga, but it would become longer than that. When I arrive at the town, I am so tired that I can barely stagger the last steps. On a road without markings and a vague description, I became more and more unsure of whether I was on the right way or not, and after a while I decided to turn back to take another road. In the horizon, I had seen a town that matched the description of Larraga and the other way went in that direction, but that way also quickly turned to be wrong, and I had to turn back yet again and go back the way that I already had gone before. Then suddenly a faded red and white stripe appeared out of nowhere, never have I been so happy to se a waymark before.

Larraga in sight, the end of a way too long day on the GR1 Sendero Historico.

In Larraga, the sky is dyed in a blazing red colour, which makes me upset, just the thought that I could have experienced the ruins of Baigorri with a flaming background. I spend a long time finding the hotel, which to all excess turns out to be a four star hotel. It is going to be an expensive night, but that is the last thing on my mind at this moment. In disbelief, I see the numbers on the GPS telling me that I have walked 45km today. After getting a shower and changed, I stumble down to the bar and restaurant for dinner and some well deserved beers.

<- Los ArcosOlite ->