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I crossed at Somport in mid May this year and it was beautiful. It might
have been even better if I had braved the dirt track, but I stayed on the
pavement. The guidebook warned that the other route was not too well marked
and might have some difficult stream crossings. There was plenty of snow
on the peaks around me, but only at higher elevations. It was a bright
sunny day, but I started early in the day and was in the shade until just
the last few hundred meters, where the landscape was more open. The descent,
on the Spanish side, was in striking contrast to the heavily wooded northern
slope. There were almost no trees on the south slopes. As a result, there
is a large ski resort a little way off to the west of the main road. The
first town that I came to was Canfranc Estacion, about 5 km south of the
border station at Somport. It is only a small town, but does a brisk business
with skiers in the winter and hikers in the summer. It also has a huge
historic railroad station with two large rooms that used to be the custom
inspection areas, one for the northbound passengers and one for those going
south. I got the impression that many Spanish pilgrims start their pilgrimage
from there. There is still train service once a day from Jaca to Canfranc
Estacion.
<p>regards,
<p>Bob Spenger
<p>Robin wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE><style></style>
<font face="Arial"><font size=-1>Intending
to walk from St.Jean Pied De Port in May/June but reading the alternative
Pyrenees crossings, I wonder if those who have experienced them could say
which route offers the best walking scenery-wise. Would like to "smite
the rugged mountains" a bit.</font></font> <font face="Arial"><font size=-1>Robin</font></font></blockquote>
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