Day 40 - Navarrenx - Aroue - 10 June

Time Departed: 8.30am

Time Arrived: 2.15pm

Distance: 19kms 

Cumulative Distance: 708kms

Percentage Completed: 92% (1,148,500 steps) 

Weather: Light fog for most of the morning, overcast 

Accommodation: Bohoteguia Ferme Gite d’etape

Feelings: Neil - Contented, Henk - Great,  Di - Relaxed

This was a shorter day with far less of the ascents and descents of yesterday. We moved into the French  Basque region which makes up part of the northern region of Basque country in France and Spain. There were more fields of wheat and corn and sheep were grazing. 

As it was a shorter distance we firstly walked around Navarrenx to see it before we left. As we couldn’t get into our room until later yesterday and meeting the group for drinks didn’t allow us to see Navarrenx. We left the walled town through the historic gate, St Antoine and crossed the Gave d’Oloron River. 

There were no places to stop for morning tea at ten thirty so we just stood at the side of the path and had the food we bought in Navarrenx. Charlotte and Kevin passed us and we then caught up with them at a pilgrim stop at a pate factory. The factory had a picnic shelter and offered its products for sale as well as drinks. We sat for about thirty minutes chatting and having an early lunch. From this point we had eight kilometres to go and the weather was getting very cloudy.

We had long stretches of mud again due to the overnight rain. Our conversation revolves around whether to try and clean the boots when we get to St Jean or just dump them. 

With only a kilometre and fifteen minutes to go until our destination the weather was threatening to rain. We found that the route had changed and we had to walk another 700 metres. We came across French walkers having lunch in a stiff, cool breeze. Even when the French have a walking picnic they bring great food!

We walked quickly to avoid having to put on our rain gear and we made it to our Gite just as it started to spit. It sits on a farm about one kilometre from Aroue. We were warmly welcomed by a young French woman who has walked part of the Camino. The gite focuses on walkers with a small store for lunch supplies and the washing is done for free. We threw all our muddy, smelly clothes into the joint washing basket at four o’clock and it was ready for collection at six. 

Although we have private rooms as opposed to the dormitories we ate as group of eighteen at a long table in the Gite’s well-organised dining room. We sat with Ellie and Brian from NZ who are very experienced walkers. 

The forecast for tomorrow is rain again but so far we have been lucky. Only three days to go until we walk into St Jean-Pied-de-Port. We’re getting excited.