My Pyrenees HRP Diary - Introduction

This blog was begun in 2015, to record my walk along the Pyrenees HRP from Hendaye to Banyuls. If you want to read about that, I suggest you start here.

But that is all in the past now, and I have expanded the blog a little to cover more recent events.. such as:

Snowdonia Way 2017
Hebden Bridge 2015
Equipment Reviews
North Downs Way 2017
Pennine Way 2019

I hope you will find something interesting. Please do provide a little feedback or comment, and if you are interested in something that I didn't say enough about, please let me know .. happy walking!



Jerry

Sunday 12 July 2015

HRP Day 5

Sunday 12 June

21.5/76/474

Today was a very difficult day! It started off quite well. . I left the campsite about 8am having slept till 7 despite the constant bellringing of the local fauna who munched their way round and round my tent during the night, and reached the col des roncesvalles late morning, then a steady climb up to the col lepeder along the camino Santiago, against the flow as it were, so observing all the pilgrims coming the other way. Golly there were a lot of them! Some seemed just like walkers, others very much not.

Then more climbing the highest point being 1441m, my first day walking above 1000m. The weather was fine but cloudy, so no views. 

I got to the col d'Orgambide about 5pm, feeling good, and decided to carry on a little.  Egurgui, the end of this stage, was a further 2hrs 45mins according to the guide book, but I could stop before if I wanted. Rather than puzzle out the guide books instructions, I thought it would be easier to follow the map, which also has the HRP marked on it.

What I had not noticed is that the line on the map bore no relation at all to the route in the guide book. To cut a long story short, I ended up by the river Nive, having negotiated some awful paths, I have a huge tear in one trouser leg, and the leg itself isn't looking great.

The only bright spot is that there is a hotel here, and I felt it best to book a room and a meal which was in fact quite good. So equilibrium is returning, but I am still well off course, and have gone from being ahead of where I should be to being well behind despite having walked more than 20 miles. Grr. And really all my own fault.
Still, tomorrow is another day. .

a (recent? ) memorial to Roland at col des roncesvalles 
Me at the Fontaine de Roland
a fine cromlech at the col d'Orgambide 

1 comment:

  1. These things happen (although probably more to me than you)! At least the overnight stay was good for you - your pic shows you looking a bit thin - and your sewing kit is now a bit lighter. I have found a HRP book online by Ton Joosten so now all the names are making more sense, not to mention the maps help - this says the next stage is tricky so take care.

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