There was rain during the night but it was dry albeit humid and a bit cloudy when we went in for breakfast. The albergue served just a simple repast of yogurt, cereal, and toast but that was fine for us pilgrims. Plural today as Mum & John are walking with me today! They’ll come as far as the town of Esplette, the pepper capital of the Baztan valley, then take a bus back to the albergue.

We had fun trying to spot the direction arrows this morning; although sufficiently way-marked there is not a plethora of signs nor are the markings very large, typically just yellow electricians tape 5’ up a signpost. I did have the Buen Camino app which showed our location relative to the Camino as well as the maps.me app so we couldn’t get too far off trail.

It was a perfect 10k walk: road, trail, path, mud, farm, suburbs, views, hills, forests, and stream crossings.

Esplette is totally a tourist town, celebrating their spicy red pepper. We had a quick squizz around and then sat for a rest in a cafe busy with cyclists on a supported tour of the Pyrennes.

I left my walking partners behind and continued on the Baztan, off-route a bit at first (Esplette is off the Camino) but my apps got me back on track on some dirt roads with some decent elevation but wonderful views. I stopped in Ainhoa for lunch. It’s a pretty town, all red & white, but closed up tight, I believe because Monday’s are quite days but I did find 2 cafes open with of course the $$ one having food. I was a hot and sweaty pilgrim but they still let me sit inside so I had a pleasant light lunch with a glass of wine to fortify me for the last hour or so of walking.

I walked through the old border into Spain and saw a blight of shops & restaurants strung along the road, probably dating back to when there was an actual border & duty-free shopping. Now I think it’s mostly French taking advantage of cheaper Spanish prices. I can’t carry much extra weight but I did stop at a supermarket and load up with wine/bread/cheese for tonight’s dinner!

It was getting on 3:45pm, hot, and I was ready to be done. The last 45 minutes to the monastery at Urdax was quite pleasant, the route skirting the main road and taking a side road right to the back of the monastery. The door was open but no one in evidence so I went up to the albergue on the first floor which surrounds a cloister. There’s 4 other pilgrims here: a Spanish couple from last night and 2 French ladies. There’s room for 2 dozen but I doubt there’s ever been that many.

I went straight to the shower to hose off, did laundry quickly so I could get it on the line to dry, then shoved as many cookies into my mouth as I could to assuage my hunger. I’ll spend a while with my feet up before I explore the town.