El Camino Day 1

Posted on by James Altham

I’m back on the Camino again having caught the bug from last year. I decided halfway through the year that I would like to do the whole Camino from start to finish. I know there are many places that it can be started from but the official one is from Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port just inside the French boarder in the Pyrenees. It’s approximately 800kms from there to Santiago. I’m travelling with my Camino buddy Ron again.

Getting from Sydney to St Jean involved just over 31 hours of travel with three flights and a taxi journey. We flew into Pamplona from a connection in Madrid and was greeted by a young Spanish taxi driver to whisk us to St Jean. And whisk he certainly did. Ron and I were wondering if we’d make the Camino before we started as he hit 130kms per hour in some places and took corners without breaking and overtook cars that were getting in his way.s All this while he was browsing Spotify on his phone trying to choose an appropriate track to go with his manic driving methods. The road to St Jean was very windy as we were travelling through the Pyrenees.

We arrived at St Jean at around 7pm thankfully with both of us feeling very fatigued and heads spinning with motion sickness from the cab journey. It was a brush of the teeth and straight to bed for us. Neither of us felt like eating and the thought of going out and looking for food and translating from French to English seemed all too hard as well. Sleep was welcomed and I think I slept for about 12 hours.

The next morning we ventured out thinking that the weather was going to be atrocious by the predictions of our hotelier from the night before. High winds and rain were forecast for today but we were met with drizzle and a bit of a breeze. Nothing drastic. After a breakfast of baguette and fried eggs washed down with a couple of cafe Americanos we visited the Camino Passport Office to get our Camino Passports stamped officially.

A passport-style certification document featuring a stamp from Accueil Saint Jacques, including a depiction of a cloaked figure and a shield with symbols, along with handwritten date 03.11.2015.
My stamped Camino Passport

We were told at the passport office that the Route de Napoleon was closed in the winter months and that we had to take another route to get to our next stop Roncesvalles. We had booked a place halfway up the mountain originally thinking we’d be walking that way but thankfully were able to cancel that and book another hotel 13kms up the road the other route. We packed our bags in time for Mass at 11am and headed down to the church.

Interior of a gothic-style church featuring arched ceilings, stone walls, and vibrant stained glass windows. Wooden pews are arranged towards the altar at the front.
Inside the church where Mass was celebrated
Historic stone building with a clock tower and arched entrance, surrounded by greenery and water.
The church from the outside
A scenic view of a river flanked by historic stone buildings, with a cloudy sky above and lush greenery in the background.
The river runs by the church
Picturesque view of a river lined with traditional buildings, featuring balconies and colourful shutters under a cloudy sky.
Looking the other way from the church

After Mass was finished we set out for our walk today being just 13kms. More than we anticipated but welcomed nonetheless. The clouds looked ominous but thankfully didn’t deluge us we walked out of town.

A narrow cobblestone street lined with traditional buildings in a quaint town, featuring a parked car and cloudy skies.
Walking out of town
A scenic view of a small town nestled among green hills under a cloudy sky, with houses featuring red roofs in the foreground.
Looking back to St Jean
A quiet rural road curving through green fields and bushes, under a cloudy sky.
Heading out of town

There was a short walk along the road out of town with no designated path but it wasn’t long before we were directed off to a secondary road.

Scenic rural road lined with trees and a power pole, featuring two houses with red roofs and a stone wall, under a cloudy sky.
Our first Camino arrow on the telegraph post ahead
A person walking along a country road lined with wooden fences, surrounded by lush green fields and trees, under a cloudy sky with rays of sunlight breaking through.
Walking through farmland
A winding country road surrounded by lush green hills and trees under a cloudy sky.
Country lanes and more farmland
An older hiker with a backpack stands on a winding road surrounded by green hills and trees under a cloudy sky.
Ron along the road
Scenic view of a winding road alongside lush green hills and valleys under a cloudy sky.
The scenery was beautiful
A winding road through lush green countryside, flanked by trees and fields. The horizon features rolling hills under a cloudy sky, with rays of sunlight breaking through.
Someone’s face was shining on us
A winding country path beside a green hillside, with a small white house featuring a brown roof and red accents in the foreground, and a person walking along the road.
There were times we had to go uphill

The road to Roncesvalles is uphill all the way. I think we go from about 200 metres to 1000 metres over these next two days.

A shepherd guiding a flock of sheep along a rural road, with greenery on either side.
Some sheep and their shepherds we stopped for to let pass
Winding road bordered by lush greenery and autumn leaves, leading to a small stone house nestled among trees.
More country lanes
A scenic view of a rural village nestled among green hills under a cloudy sky, featuring white houses with red roofs and sparse trees.
And finally our town for the evening up on the hill, Valcarlos

There was a bit of walking to do to get into town. Most of the day was spent walking in France but we did cross the border a couple of times into Spain and then back again as the path took us off the main road and into farmland.

A serene river flowing through a forested area with trees showcasing autumn foliage and scattered fallen leaves on a gravel bank.
France is on the left and Spain on the right
Scenic view of a mountainous landscape featuring green hills and quaint houses with red roofs in a valley under a cloudy sky.
The view from our hotel for the evening

A good days walk for our first day. Longer than we expected as we’d planned 5kms originally thinking we were taking the Napoleon Route. Time now for dinner and a beer.

For a link to the stats and map of my walk today you’ll find it here.

Buen Camino! 😊

Published by James Altham

I'm a Sydney-based writer, photographer, traveller, and business owner. My writing explores faith, creativity, travel, photography, and the quiet wisdom found in ordinary life.