Day 4 July 10 2015 - Sare to Ainhoa
Walking through a few tiny farming villages out of Sare, open fields and rolling hills came into view. It was a quiet, picturesque, and easy walk. Heat did finally come under the blazing sun. Thankfully, the route entered a nicely shaded forest with a little creek flowing by. The sandstone in the stream caught my eyes; they are dark maroon, creating a fascinating hue beneath the clear water. Blue dragonflies accompanied our walk along the creek, as they were happily buzzing around. Later we realized this is one of the tributaries of the Nive River. At the end of the forest walk, a narrow path led us to the beautiful town of Ainhoa, where we grabbed a nice lunch just before the Basque folks went on siesta. We were ready to take a break until a sign told us that our hotel was still 1.5 miles away. It was a long walk on a winding hillside road, though it was not bad at all when we walked out of there next morning. Distance is relative depending on how tired you are.
Once settled down at the hotel, we realized we needed grocery. It was such a delight to find out that our 1.5 mile walk was not for nothing. We were on the French Spanish border (100 meters away), where we could easily cross over and find cheap, clean supermarket one block away on the Spanish side! Cheese, wine, tobacco, Basque bacon galore! It’s always a good idea to bring a little bit of salty protein (Basque ham can qualify) on long hikes as we may lose some electrolyte. On the other hand, some fruit (including local grape tomatoes) may give you an instant boost.
Lodging: Logis Hotel Ur-Hegian
Walking time: 6 hours
Elevation: +410 m, -350 m
Level: moderate
Length: 9.9 mile