Day 5 July 11 2015 - Ainhoa to Bidarray
Jul 11 2015
This was our first long day. With drizzle in the air, we started walking uphill on a paved road. Turn after turn after turn and each with a big white cross, we arrived at the end of the pavement. There stood Les Trois Croix and a Chapel at the hilltop, which explained those crosses on the way up here. A foggy panorama of the valley laid bare in front of the three crosses that illustrate the bible story, yet somewhat eerie in a light drizzle. We moved on, along with the drizzle and the fog. We couldn't help admire the emerald rolling hills. From a distance, they look so gentle and peaceful, as if frozen in time and space; yet my legs told me the tough nature of the landscape. From the hills to the farms where hays were gathered and neatly piled, from the farms to the prairie where the horses roam, from the prairie to the flower meadows where the hazy mountains quietly appeared, we walked, and walked, and walked more, into the mountains and through the valleys.
The path was getting narrower and steeper, but still fine to go up. The landscape became more and more menacing as we inched higher. We started to see vultures circling the other side of the mountain. On the other hand, coming down was always more tricky. And this one was breathtaking, literally. The first section was a precipitous drop; then followed by a narrow balcony with cliff on one side and nothing on the other. My poor husband, who’s afraid of height, had to take a smoke to calm his nerves. As we were all tensed up, two local gals walked by as if strolling on the main street. Finally, we walked out of the balcony. Up above, the sky was the vulture's realm. They glided; they dived; they ascended with grace. My husband tried to catch them on camera. I wondered if he could keep his hands steady. We continued on, not realizing we still have one third of the mileage to cover. Fatigue caught up with us. The path led us to a paved road which runs through a national park. A torrent cut through rocks and woods in the park, where people camped and did all those fun camping stuff. But we just wanted to get to our refuge, which proved much trickier than anticipated. We had to go through the center of Bidarray, up and down the hills (felt like tall mountains) to the other side of the town. Finally we could see our hotel; it was still on the other side of railway across a bridge (which was closed and we have to……) to reach our destination: Hotel Nobia.
Lodging: Hotel Noblia
Walking time: 8.5 hours
Elevation: +800 m, -850 m
Level: strenuous, very slippery on rainy days
Length: 16 miles