“
What do you mean, not everyone starts from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port?
“Amazes Anna, a young German walker.
In his mind, as in that of many foreigners, the Porte des Pyrénées represents the only possible starting point on the way to Santiago de Compostela.
We will therefore not be surprised by the cosmopolitan atmosphere that reigns in the pedestrian streets where we hear English, Korean, Slovenian spoken... In fact, the city is seen as an international base camp for the majority of pilgrims embarking on the Camino Francés, the main Spanish route.
To discover
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Find all the episodes of the series "Sur les chemins de Compostelle"
EPISODE 1 -
"By far my most beautiful trip": on the roads to Compostela, more and more walkers
EPISODE 2 - Camino
de Santiago: cycling between Vézelay and La Charité-sur-Loire
EPISODE 3 -
Chemins de Compostelle, on the royal road from Puy-en-Velay
EPISODE 4 -
Conques-Toulouse, the medieval and little-known variant of the Camino de Santiago
Departure from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port
Rue de la Citadelle in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) AFCC (French Agency for the Camino de Santiago)
Early in the morning, a string of hikers crosses the bridge over the Nive and then the aptly named rue d'Espagne: this 24-kilometre stage leads to Roncesvalles, in the Iberian Peninsula.
The road climbs as soon as you leave the town… The original route of Saint-Jacques was traced on this axis in the 11th century, along an old Roman road itself heir to a prehistoric tin path.
This section of the GR 65 is also called Route Napoléon because it was laid out during the Emperor's first campaign in Spain.
After a few bends, a light wooden gatehouse shelters a drinks vending machine, in the middle of the countryside.
A sign of modern times that the grumblers of the little Corporal would have appreciated.
The international aspect is found on the trunks of
go to yourself
” or “
sing your song
”.
Read alsoThe Napoleon route by van, the key stages from Vallauris Golfe-Juan to Grenoble
Through the country of Cize
The road climbs right out of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port Mathilde Giard / Le Figaro
The asphalt gives way to a dirt road.
“
Open, Roncesvalles via the Col de Bentarte
,” the sign reads.
According to a decree, access is strictly prohibited from November 1 to April 1, due to the risk of snow.
There, the sun remains at the rendezvous and the parts in the shade are very popular.
The climb offers a beautiful panorama of the country of Cize - Garazi in Basque -, in Lower Navarre, one of the seven historical Basque territories.
On one of the viewpoints at the edge of the path, a panel quotes Aimery Picaud, author of the first Pilgrim's Guide, in the 12th century: "
In
the Basque Country
, the road to Saint-Jacques crosses a remarkable mountain called Port de Cize… To cross it, there are eight miles to climb and as many to descend.
In fact, this mountain is so high that he who climbs it believes he can touch the sky with his own hand
”.
Stopover at the Orisson refuge
Flocks of sheep are scattered along the verdant slopes.
Mathilde Giard / Le Figaro
The Orisson refuge provides a first stop.
Only 8 kilometers were covered, but this was the steepest segment of the route.
Its vast terrace, as if suspended in the void, is at the same level as the griffon vultures which hover above the flocks of sheep scattered on the green slopes.... According to its rhythm, we stop there for a coffee, lunch, or even the night for those who prefer to do this stage over two days.
An Irish couple and their two red-haired little girls with rosy cheeks perk up before heading back to Roncesvalles from where, the next day, they will return to their hotel in Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
“
This pilgrimage is very popular in Dublin
,” comments Ian, the father.
"
We do it in one day.
It's as green as ours, but it's warmer and more mountainous!
»
Franco-Spanish border
Wild horses.
Mathilde Giard / Le Figaro
Cows graze along the winding road to the Virgin Biakorri, brought from Lourdes by shepherds.
At the foot of the statue, pilgrims leave a note, a lock of hair, a religious image... We are at an altitude of 1095 meters with, overhanging, the ruins of Château-Pignon, a redoubt erected in 1512 by the king of Aragon after the conquest of Navarre.
While the peaks are shrouded in mist, a white van reflects the sun's rays in the distance.
Jean-Michel, a farmer, sits by the side of the road every morning.
He sells coffee, his Ossau Iraty cheese, hard-boiled eggs from the family henhouse... "
We represent the last point where you can have your credential stamped on the French side
“, he claims proudly.
Its stamp represents the Thibaut cross, very close and in pink sandstone, donated by a pilgrim.
A dozen wild horses graze quietly along the GR 65 traced in the short grass, with a few foals of the year.
Their meeting remains a poetic memory for most walkers: these herds live in freedom, belonging to different owners who give them full latitude on these Pyrenean flanks.
A few steps further, a monument pays homage to the resistance fighters tortured by the Nazis during the Second World War.
The border is very close, near Roland's fountain located not far from the ambush where the eponymous valiant knight perished, probably in the Lepoeder ravine, between the Bentarte and Ibaneta passes.
There, a large stone indicates the entry into Navarre, on the Spanish side.
The Battle of Roncesvalles
She was made famous by the song of Roland.
On August 15, 778, the French army returned from Spain.
The rearguard is ambushed during the crossing of the Pyrenees.
Among the victims: Count Roland.
According to historians, the attack comes from the Vascons, the ancestors of the Basques.
Three centuries later, a chanson de geste recounts the attack, blaming it on the Saracens, in retaliation for the looting of Pamplona.
Roland the valiant becomes the nephew of Charlemagne, armed with his Durandal sword and his olifant.
It was necessary to justify, by epic stories, the crusades...
Arrival in Roncesvalles
On the way to Roncesvalles.
Mathilde Giard / Le Figaro
The signage will now be characterized by a yellow arrow, to be followed throughout Spain.
The steep descent ends through the beeches in the company of two South Koreans, Park and Yang, electronics students in Seoul.
To think that in the Middle Ages, this forest was full of wolves and brigands… Finally, there is Roncesvalles, a tiny town of 25 inhabitants, including six priests, but with a monumental appearance.
Its monastery established in the 13th century includes a collegiate church converted into magnificent dormitories and a superb Gothic church where pilgrims gather in front of the statue of Saint Jacques.
A museum counts among its treasures an emerald which would have adorned the turban of the Almohad sultan Miramamolin the Green, spoils of war after the battle of La Navas de Tolosa, won in 1212 by the Christian armies.
Change of diet at dinner, now with gazpacho and tortillas on the pilgrim's menu.
Enough to regain strength before passing, the next day, a sign full of promise at the exit of Roncesvalles: “
Santiago de Compostela, 790 kilometers
”.
Practical notebook
Backpack hanging on the door of a gîte, rue de la Citadelle, in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) AFCC (Agence française des chemins de Compostelle)
BAGGAGE TRANSFER
From Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Express Bourricot transports luggage to Roncesvalles, but also to Santiago de Compostela.
It happens that this carrier brings back to pilgrims their forgotten effects on the way, a reading lamp or, more unusual, a denture.
1 rue de la Citadelle, 64220 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Tel.
: 06 61 96 04 76, expressbourricot.com/fr/
GOOD ADDRESSES
Central Hotel.
Difficult to make more central, in fact, next to the town hall of Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and on the banks of the Nive.
A magnificent carved staircase leads to the bedrooms, with an exceptional view from those with a balcony overlooking the river.
Double room from €98.
1 place Charles de Gaulle, 64220 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Such.
: 05 59 37 00 22.
Cafe Tipia.
The locals meet there for dinner in a joyful atmosphere on the banks of the Nive.
On the menu: specialties from the South-West such as duck breast, or typical dishes from the Basque coast such as squid salad.
2 place Floquet, 64220 Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
Such.
: 05 59 37 11 96, cafettipia.com
Orisson Refuge.
The bravest stop there just for a break - a coffee, a breakfast, a lunch... - on the way to Roncesvalles in one go.
Those who prefer a quieter tempo stop there for the night, in its recently renovated and impeccable dormitories, after a dinner around a large international table.
Pilgrims stop there but also locals, including shepherds, who stop by for a drink.
Night in a dormitory with half board, €40, Orisson, 64220 Uhart-Cize, Tel.
05 59 49 13 03 - 06 38 26 97 38, refuge.orisson@wanadoo.fr.
Hotel Roncesvalles.
Bright rooms and very good food in the casa de Beneficiado which communicates with the collegiate church, pilgrim's menu at friendly prices, the same for the wine (Spanish).
Its main room does not lack character between these historic walls, while its terrace is ideally located facing the superb facade of the Church of Santa Maria la Real.
Double room from €88.
Calle Ntra.
Sra.
de Roncesvalles, 14, 31650 Roncesvalles, Navarra, Spain.
Such.
: +34 948 76 01 05, hotelroncesvalles.com
HAVE
The Way, the road together (2013
), by Emilio Estevez, with the actor Martin Sheen (director's father), reference film on the way to Santiago, very fair and moving, whose plot takes place on the Camino Francès from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
MORE INFORMATIONS
With the French Agency for the Compostelle Roads, 4 rue Clémence Isaure, 31000 Toulouse.
Such.
: 05 62 27 00 05, info.
accueil@chemins-compostelle.com, chemins-compostelle.com