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