Day 77 – to Col de la Hourcère (1450 metres)

I moved on this morning after four good days at Larrau, and it’s highly recommended and hospitable little campsite.

My first destination was Tardets to use the supermarket, but it was market day, and the place was crammed full of visitors, so much so that parking was impossible.mits the VE Day Bank Holiday, though I hadn’t noticed it this busy anywhere else. There must be some impressive stall produce.

I managed to pick up a baguette at a village bakery, and I can manage with that for a day or two. I then headed back up towards Spain, to the Cols at Hourcère and Lephua, famous from the 2020 Tour de France route, though they have been included several times before. The narrow road is the training climb of former pro cyclist Thierry Gouvenou, who is now responsible for the route of the Tour.

It was after midday when we got there, and found a spectacular place to stay, with great views over the border peaks, in particular of the conical summit of Puntal Alto de Ukerdi. We then took a couple of hours to wander the dumpling-like landscape of the Cols. There were a couple of other hikers around, but hardly any traffic on the road at all.

Some van tidying was on the agenda for the afternoon, with some sport on the radio. The evening is incredibly peaceful, with not a breath of wind, possibly the sign of things to come, as the weather is forecast to take a dramatic downturn midway through tomorrow. When it does, it’s set in for a few days, and most likely I’ll head up to the Auvergne.