Day 38 - Basque Country : Aroue to Ostabat Asme

Today we got our first glimpse of the Pyrenees … and what a view! It was a beautiful day, which began with breakfast at 6:00 am. Quite a few people were up and breakfasting, but for the first couple hours of walking we saw only one other hiker.

We began with a short walk down the highway outside the gite, but soon turned off the main road, and then picked up a track which began climbing. As the sun rose pink in the east we were treated to some beautiful views of the mountains.

We spent quite a bit of time enjoying the views from the first hill. As we descended we followed the signs for the Chapel of d'Olhaiby. This turned out to be a few meters off the GR, behind a farm. It was a very nice looking chapel from the outside, but sadly it was closed when we arrived.

After the chapel it was a pleasant walk along paved country lanes through the rolling hills of Basque country, with the Pyrenees in the background. At one point we came to a split in the trail, which offered us the option to take a variant to St. Palais. We learned from the signs that there was an opportunity to meet up with the Camino Norte from St. Palais, but since we weren't aware of that before today, we continued on the main GR.

Around 10:30 or so we arrived in the Basque village of Larribar. Our maps suggested there might be a bar, as well as a chapel. When we arrived both were closed, so we sat outside the town hall at a picnic table and had some water and granola bars. The sun was beginning to come out from the behind the clouds, and it was getting a little warm.

No far outside the village of Larribar we came to a marker where three trails converge – Le Puy, Tours, and Vezelay. This was quite exciting to consider that there were several possible options for continuing on from that point. After all, there was actually nothing other than a sense of duty and responsibility that made us decide to continue on along the Le Puy Way, and not divert onto an entirely new and unexpected adventure.

We stuck to the plan, and continued on the Le Puy Way, which soon began to climb a large and rather steep hill.

The views from this hill were spectacular.

At the top is the tiny Chapel de Soyartz, where we paused to rest, reflect, have a bite to eat, and enjoy the view. It really was spectacular!

Much of the descent was down a forested pathway, which we were thankful for, as it gave some respite from the heat. At the base of the hill was the tiny Basque village of Harambeltz. Its chapel was also closed, so we continued on down the road to the Ostabat.

There was a short but steep climb into the village, and we found a gite that also served as a bar and boulangerie. We stopped for a cold orange juice, and picked up some croissants for tomorrow. We visited the church in Ostabat, which has a rounded wooden roof, and an archway above the alter of striped stone. It was very beautiful.

The gite we are staying at is famous for its Basque chants, and it is located about 1 km after the village of Ostabat. It was a very hot walk down the shade-less road. We arrived around 3 pm, just in time to be let in. There is a nice balcony out front with a view of the valley and mountains behind, and there is also a swimming pool. We relaxed outside for a bit, and then watched a storm roll in across the mountains. This was very entertaining, especially since we rescued our laundry from the line out back before the downpour hit.

We spent a bit of time playing with a litter of kittens that is outside our room, and then relaxed on the deck out front for most of the afternoon before dinner.

At dinner, which consisted of vegetable soup, a very good omelette, a Basque meat and potatoes dish, and Basque cake, the owner of the gite regaled us with a few Basque chants. He mixed in a few popular French songs so everyone could join in. It was a fun evening, but sadly it left us wondering about the competition these gites face, and how many of them seem to find it necessary to offer a gimmick of one sort or another.

We are only 22 km from St. Jean Pied de Port, and sad the journey is nearly over!

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Practical Information:
Distance: 23.8 km

Cumulative ascent: 825 m

Cumulative descent: 774 m

Max Temperature: 30˚C

Accommodations: Gite d'Etape Repas