Le Puy to Santiago via the Col Du Somport

[Bob Spenger]

According to the 1996 CSJ guide for the Arles route, the off road track
continues all the way to Somport. I can't give you any information on it
because I just stuck to the road after I got a few km out of
Oloron-Sainte-Marie. Actually, the road wasn't too bad (in 2000). Traffic
was relatively light, but there were sections with narrow shoulders that
had me worried. From Urdos on, the GR 653 is described as an "extremely
beautiful walk, much of it through beechwoods." Then it goes on to give
many warnings about stream crossings, scant waymarkings,  and "path and
woods ... so overgrown that you have very little choice of direction." By
that time I had had enough of these kind of problems and just stuck to the
road. Overall I think that I came out ahead. Instead of being buried down
in the deep woods, I was up where it was clear enough to see the mountains
around me with their crowns of snow in the mist and the small meadows with
their flocks of sheep in the valleys below. Even though I stuck to the
road, I felt that the walk from Sarrance to Somport was the most beautiful
section of all three routes that I have taken. By comparison, I felt that
Hounnto to Roncevaux was nowhere near as inspiring. The only other section
that came close  was the Ria de Vigo as seen along the Camino Portugués
through Galicia.

As for accommodations, I have heard that there have been a lot of changes,
so my experience is probably out of date by now. I stayed at cheap hotels
in Urdos, Canfranc EstaciÛn, Jaca, Puente de Reina de Jaca, Yesa, and
Monreal and at the private refugio in Artrieda. After Monreal, I took a
detour through Pamplona for various reasons and was merged with the main
flow on the major modern route.

I assume that there have been updates on the CJS guide by now, so that
should be a good source of information.

regards,

Bob Spenger
rspengeraadelphia.net

Bruce McLean wrote:

>
>     2/ My maps (IGN 1-25000) indicate the GR 653 dies just beyond
> Bedous; is it a "Road walk" from there.
>     3/ Information on accomodation etc for the Camino Aragonés to Puente
> La Reina.
>
> TIA