Day 1: SJPP - Roncesvalles, 25km.
And so it begins, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port to Roncesvalles is widely considered to be the hardest hiking day of the entire Camino. There are so many reasons for this day’s reputation, and all of them well earned and validated. The first full day of backpacking, so the body and the equipment all needs to get broken in. With it being a 25km day, there is lots of opportunity for this to occur. Then there is the walk itself. The long steep uphill downhill walk qualifies it as ONE of the hardest days on the Camino de Santiago.
There are two routes from St Jean to Roncesvalles, the Napoleon Route and the Valcarlos Route, also known as the road route. Both routes are roughly the same distance though the Valcarlos Route is considered far less strenuous as it passes through the valley and the total meters climbed during the day is 400 less then the Napolean Route. During bad weather, the Napoleon Route can be treacherous due to snow and other hazardous conditions and therefore it will close to pilgrims. I heard that 3 days after I walked it in short sleeves and sunshine, it was closed due to snow. The weather is unpredictable and should be checked before you start.
Luckily my first day on the walk was glorious, I couldn’t have asked for better weather. The views were stunning. I chose the Napolean Route, which entails climbing from 200 meters above sea level to just above 1,400 meters then descending steeply back down again into Roncesvalles at 900 meters. It’s important to start early, unless you have reservations at Orrison which is only 8km from town, you can expect to be hiking 7 – 9 hours. Orrison is the only overnight option on the way to Roncesvalles, and it has very few beds so it must be booked in advance. It’s a great break stop on the way as it serves food and beverage and that first 8km is all straight up a very, very steep hill. The walk was hard and the views were a fantastic distraction.
The last bit is a steep downhill, after a taxing day it was a lot on the legs, knees, ankles and feet. Upon arrival, you are asked to leave your boots and bag in a holding area and then there is a queue to check in and get a bed. The albergue in Roncesvalles has 183 beds spread over three floors and is, by far, the largest albergue on the Camino that I saw or stayed in. There wasn’t much of an option of places to stay where this albergue sits, although I did discover later there are places if you walk a bit farther into town. That said, this place is iconic and I am glad I stayed there the night. It’s run completely by volunteers and they were characters, keeping the mood as light as possible for the tired pilgrims.
After all that walking, it still wasn’t a great night sleep. I ended up in the upper bunk of a room with 8 bunk beds so 16 people. It’s a bit of an open floor plan, just some incomplete walls between sections of 8 bunk beds so you could hear people all over the place. From the floor I was assigned, I had to go outside in the freezing cold night (the temperature dropped) to use the toilet or shower. It was a full pilgrims experience, no doubt about it.
Tomorrow is a new day, I hope I can move when I wake up!!
