Camino Aragonés

[geraldkelly]

Hi Everybody!

I recently returned from spending a few weeks walking the Camino Aragonés and I wanted to tell you a little bit about it and hopefully persuade some of you to try it out.

The Camino Aragonés enters Spain over the Col de Somport. It is the continuation of the French Chemin d’Arles which starts in Arles near the Mediterranean coast and does a loop through Toulouse and Pau to the Spanish border.

Unfortunately. I didn’t get the chance to walk all of it, but the bit that I did walk left me wishing I could do the rest.
I started in Orolon Sainte Marie, which is a beautiful little town on the French train network and easily reachable from Toulouse. Oloron is in the Valley of the river Aspe and it’s south through this valley that you walk for three day to Spain. It's a beautiful, green and luscious valley with an extremely moist micro-climate. The people are friendly and there are hostels within easy walking distance of each other. It's the last habitat of the bears which once lived all along the Pyrenees. They were reintroduced here a few years ago (much to the joy of the local sheep farmers!) I managed to avoid getting mauled. Although, I was bitten by a dog. I think it muat have been punishment for all the times I assured people that dogs aren’t a problem on the Camino. Luckily it wasn’t serious and the local, chain-smoking doctor fixed me up and packed me off to the police to report the culprit.

The only negative thing is that, because in places the valley floor is litterally only metres across, you’ll have to walk a bit along the side of a busy road and there isn’t much room for pedestrians. Thankfully, it’s only a short stretch. Oh, yes, and the other thing is, it’s a hell of a climb up to the Col de Somport. But you knew that already! I really struggled on it despite, or possibly because of, a massive feed of greasy chips and fried duck in the last village.

Once over the top it’s a straight run via the surprising Canfranc Estacion to Jaca which is a beautiful and historic town. Then it’s another 3 or 4 days to join the great unwashed trudging their way along the Camino Francés.

As usual I did a quick guide to help anyone who might like to give it a go. I think it’s a great alternative to the St Jean/Roncesvalles route, especially if you’ve walked it already.

If you're interested in knowing more about this route I did a short guide to it. You can download it from my website at http://www.caminoguide.net

Buen Camino!
Ger

[Villagejonesy]

Thanks Ger,

I also hiked the Camino Aragones, from Oloron. I was originally going to start at Lourdes, but as I was approaching by train, I had the feeling I should go to Pau and start from there, for some reason. Well, when I got to Pau, there wasn't a darned hotel in the whole town, and the information lady at the train station didn't know anything about pilgrim's hostels, and the town information place was closed already; so I started from Oloron after all. I never did find a single hotel in Pau save one, which was well on the way out of town. So I would have been hours poking around for it. Good thing! Oloron is by far a preferable town to start from.

I also agree that Jaca was a very neat town, and that the road from Oloron to there was very picturesque in a great many places. Fun to hear the kind German man at the albergue reading about what to do if you have to run from a "beer," until his Belgian friend told him how to pronounce "bear!"

Were you bitten by one of those big, stupid, white Pyrenees dogs? There was one that barked up a storm at me, and followed me up the road--for over 30 meters! I wish those things would be kept on a leash more often!

One other neat and unique thing that people get to see on this trail is the beautiful ghost town of Ruesta, by the lake where the Yesa dam is. It's a ruined town--the sign says "Population: 1"--where, over fifty years ago, the first Yesa dam caused the people to have to leave town. On coming around the trail and seeing the two medieval towers in town, I gasped, and knew that this was a special sight. Then, as I walked in, I realized it was a ghost town. You'd see overgrowth, in what used to be someone's bedroom or living room; crumbling flower-boxes, that someone used to tend; and a balcony railing, now hanging out in mid-air over these deserted little roads. There was a guy there named Antonio, who everyone was afraid of, because he looked like a biker, with a denim vest, earrings, and half his teeth missing. But I got to talking with him, and he was the greatest guy, buying me beers, talking about Ruesta's history, and feeding us his homegrown sugared bell peppers. He told me how the dam had caused the diaspora, and said that the new planned extension of the dam was being protested for that reason. That's why you always see "Yesa No," on the local graffiti. Ruesta is a beautiful town, and it is a poignant sight to see.

[Villagejonesy]

Meant to add: be aware that if you go over the Col du Somport, all the hotels in Canfranc-Estacion are closed for winter. I went 18 or 20 kilometers up and over the Col du Somport, and then thought, "well it's downhill, and it's not sundown yet--I'll keep going!" Then, at 7:00 or 7:15, I got to Canfranc-Estacion and found that out. The information office lady didn't want me to walk in the dark, but wanted me to take a bus to Villanua; so I had to take a bus there, sleep there, and then walk back 4 kilometers to Canfranc-Estacion, to start over from there in the morning! That's a drag, so if you go over the pass in winter, then be prepared either to stay at Candanchu at the top, or else go all the way to Villanua.