Saturday 15th November 2024
St Jean Pied de Port, France to Pamplona, Spain.
Blimey, a massive cave sleep last night, woke up late and the sun was blazing down on us, glorious but chilly still when the door was opened.
Our stop is right next to a sports complex with rugby pitches (being used for practice last night by the senior team) and a Basque Pelota court (a game of bat and ball).
All of a sudden this morning we were descended upon by hoards of little’uns, all dressed in their rugby kits arriving for what we think must be a tournament.
What was funny was that as some were arriving, they started to boo at the teams already there, and we’re swiftly told off by the coaches. It did make us laugh cos they were all about 6 years old 
. We also had another visit from a robin, there’s only been one day so far we haven’t had a visit from one 
.
Leaving SJPDP we headed up into the Pyrenees. My goodness, what windy roads there are!
The scenery was just breathtaking, the fresh air crisp and chilled while the sun shone down on us. Perfect weather for crossing the mountains.
All of a sudden, with no warning we had road signs welcoming us to Spain and the Navarre region, we had crossed the border without even realising it .
Every now and again we saw signs for pilgrims crossing, and saw some stopped to take refreshments, shoes off and resting.
The other obstacle to contend with on the steep, hairpin roads were cyclists. The mind boggles how they manage to ride uphill with no assistance from a battery 
, but fair play to them, they are doing what they love.
We stopped off at a couple of viewpoints, one was so blowy Megs ears struggled to stay attached to her head 
.
Thinking about the robin this morning, we have a feeling someone was watching out for us today. On one of the tight bends we met a logging truck, with a trailer both loaded with logs. Our initial thoughts were, what’s the chances of meeting a big vehicle like that on a tight bend – sod’s law coming into play? – but as he came past us, a huge piece of metal , about the size of a 2 x 3 inch plank of wood came off his truck and bounced in the road. Just as we thought it was coming at us, his trailer ran over it 
, phew, that was a lucky escape. We did see his brakes coming on as we passed around the bend but aren’t sure if he went back for it or not .
Crisis averted, we returned our attention to the beautiful scenery.
Before we knew it we were driving on the ring road of Pamplona. There’s a camper stop just outside the old town – about 800m away – and it’s just €10 for all services per night. What an absolute bargain. Área de autocaravanas de Pamplona
After setting up the van, we followed the map into the old town.
There is a citadel here which is in amazing condition and is now home to cultural events throughout the year. We sat in the garden for a bit before heading to the main attractions which includes a lovely church and cathedral, the Pamplona Bull ring, sadly not open today and a monument to the ‘running of the bulls’.
Walking up and down the cobbled streets, some of which were chock-a-block with Saturday afternoon gatherings, we imagined stepping aside as the bulls charged past.
Now obviously, in real life, I don’t want to witness that but it gives you a feeling for how mad it must get in such narrow confines.
We think most of Pamplona centre residents were out having Pinxtos and drinks today. The noise was deafening! Meg coped really well as did we in making sure noone stepped on her.
Finding a ‘not so busy’ Pinxtos bar, we sat for a local red wine, tortilla and a cheese and chilly donut thing , of course it was delicious.
Pamplona is another stop on the Camino Frances and our second stop for wine and Pinxtos was outside the cathedral and opposite the church’s Alburgue/hostel.
There are signs everywhere re the route so I’m not sure there’s any possibility of losing your way in Pamplona.
We wandered the lanes and streets marvelling at the gorgeous buildings, some of which have been lovingly cared for. Pamplona, in our opinion is a smart place, definitely one for a weekend stay in the future.
The sun was starting to go down and the chill started to seep in to our bones as we made our way back to the van.
We didn’t have any cake today , we’ll have to make up for that tomorrow
Leave a Reply