Patricia: request Arles- Puenta de la Reina route

[David Hough]

> go backward to Orthez

Or go to Orthez in the first place - the SNCF stops there -
and walk the Vezelay route through Saint Palais or walk or get a
taxi over to Maslacq and continue south on GR 65.   Thus you´ll
get a few easy days in first.

For other reasons, I had to take a car, bus, train (during a strike)
and taxi from Condom to Sauveterre-de-Bearn and then with no map
or guide had to find my way to Saint Palais (the other routes aren´t
as well marked as GR 65).     But I made it in time to a Chambre
d´Hotes which appeared just as I needed it, as usually happens on the
camino.     The next day I was able to visit the excellent museum of
Basse Navarre which has a lot of Camino stuff.



"E. O. Pederson" <eldorpaHOTMAIL.COM> wrote:

While I agree that the St. Jean route is a passably pretty one with some good views on the way up and near the top, and it is an important historical trace, I was not criticizing that aspect of starting in St. Jean. However, the Somport route is far more spectacular, has a comparably rich history, it allows almost a week of light crowds before Puente la Reina (Navarra), and the urban chaos of Pamplona is bypassed entirely!

The problem of starting at St. Jean is one of physical conditioning and the potential for injury (not to mention becoming discouraged and giving up before the trip has really begun). If one is flying from North America (I believe Mr. Crawley is resident in the UK), there is a jet lag of at least 6 hours, and the trip has kept one confined in the cramped quarters of a plane for anywhere from 8-12 hours followed by a long bus or train ride. Adding everything together, most people starting from North America have been forced into at least 2 and possibly 3 or more days of limited activity. Anyone who does a great deal of hiking knows the rational way is to work up to major climbs and long distances, not to attack the most difficult day of a hike as the very first day out in bad condition and tired from jet lag. If one is insistent on starting in France and following the route Napoleon, go backward on the GR65 to Orthez and walk a couple of days before attempting the climb.



E. O. Pederson
Seattle, WA







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