Day 73 – to Larrau (France)

With the weekend approaching it didn’t take me long to decide to quit the Spanish Basque area and make the journey across to the Pyrenees.

I’ve travelled a few times through this area, around Pamplona and Vittoria, and as scenic as it can be, it is easily accessible to the cities, and too busy for me. It means I can spend ten days in the Pyrenees before moving north to Auvergne.

I filled up with LPG, which I use only for cooking, getting a massive three euros into the tank, meaning in effect, the last six weeks use of the oven and stoves has cost me two euros.

Also I topped up with fuel, as it’s quite a bit more expensive in France, at 1.65 euros per litre, as opposed to 1.35 today in Spain.

From Pamplona I headed north through the Salazar valley with the vast Irati forest, or jungle as it is called here, to the west. It is a biosphere strictly controlled area, with neither campervans nor dogs allowed in it, though once in France, both are allowed. Ironically though, the National Parks in the French Pyrenees that lie further east do not allow dogs, but their Spanish counterparts do..

The weather was just changing at the Larrau Pass, at 1573 metres, and already 4 pm, but I was able to get out for a couple of hours on the GR12 path. For me, to take on the GR11 in its entirety would be one of the great treks. It’s the high route across the Pyrenees, 840 kilometres in length, with 39,000 metres of ascent. These sort of ambitions are beginning to stack up, and become less practical as the body increasingly needs repairs.. perhaps in the next life.

In just three kilometres to the east we were able to ascend the peak of Orbizkaiko-Gaña, which was simple enough. To the west, about a 90 minute hike, is Pic d’Orly, 600 metres of ascent on an exposed path, straightforward enough though, except that at the moment with the path on the north side, it is still with snow.

I contemplated staying at the pass, but it was windy, and by the time I had returned to the van, had clouded over, so I decided to descend 10 kilometres and 800 metres to the little French village of Larrau.

I had been advised a while ago about a tiny campsite with a beautiful setting that charged folk like me, who need very little, fairly, at just 12 euros. I’m the only person here. It’s too small for motorhomes to use, and has a little bar with friendly owners.

Initially the owner told me he had not ordered bread for the morning. The nearest bakery would be Tardets, 17 kilometres away, though no sooner had I settled, he came over to say it was possible. Perfect for a couple of days.

I wandered into the village in the early evening where there is a very smart hotel, with fine dining, the menu at 48 euros. But I was just after a beer, and that was also fine, a local Basque craft amber, and at a fine price of six euros.. something of a surprise as beer has been so cheap and to be honest pretty awful, in Spain.