Tales From the Via Podiensis-l) Finally the end is in sight

The early morning starts continued and where was it best to view the sunrise or the early morning mist but from the top of a hill! By this stage as I was now in the foothills of the Pyrenees there were plenty of hill top views to be had. There is something about the changing colours of the morning sky as well as the surrounding landscape that warms the heart ahead of a day of walking.

So it was more up and down, up and down. I had thought that the worst was behind me but was then to face my toughest test one afternoon when heading for St Palais. I missed one of the important waymarking signs and found myself on the top of a hill looking at a sign which pointed to St Palais being both in the opposite direction and 7 km away. So I then took another route to get to St Palais but this proved to not be easy because some of it was through woodland and the forestry vehicles had been through earlier that day on top of rain the previous day.

The result was thick rutted mud which I slogged through for close to an hour, stopping every 20 minutes to scrape it off my boots and consuming all of my snacks in the process. When I finally shuffled into St Palais the madame at my accommodation for the night was so concerned for my well being that along with a cup of tea I was also given a basque tart to eat (for energy). Just another example of some of the local kindness along the way.

Following St Palais things were easier although I now had to pad my heels due to blisters. The slogging through the mud had been the last straw for my feet but fortunately I had come prepared for this eventuality. There were more opportunities to eat local produce, for example this P’Tit Basque cheese which I bought from a cheese factory (Fromagerie Istara https://www.ossau-iraty.fr/etape/fromagerie-istara-pyrenefrom ) on the outskirts of Larceveau. This particular fromagerie was on the road on the opposite side of Larceveau from my initial approach on the GR 65 (and to go into the town it was a short detour off the GR). By this stage of my journey I was eating as much as possible.

The final push towards St Jean Pied de Porte was marked by more rural scenery and of course more photo opportunities. During this stage of my journey the farm animals mainly visible in the fields were predominantly sheep

On my final day on the GR 65 I was accompanied by one farm dog for close to half a kilometre whilst another friendly older dog came for a pat as I passed by.

Then there were the donkeys. So often I had seen donkeys along the way and here was my final chance to photograph a couple of them.

The final push up the hill into St Jean Pied de Port was marked by me having to navigate a traffic jam on the nearby road! Shock horror, a traffic jam due to the vehicles from all of the day trippers. Anyhow, I ambled by the stationary vehicles and reached my destination, the famous St James gate in the old medieval town wall! A moment to really savour after 760km!!!!

After a well deserved rest and a celebratory drink there was time to have a preliminary look around part of the preserved medieval centre of St Jean Pied de Port. That night dinner was spent reminiscing with fellow hikers about our time on the Via Podiensis. A handful were continuing on into Spain along the well known Camino Santiago route.

I had one full day to explore St Jean Pied de Port, along with enjoying some of the famous Basque tarts and browsing in the shops. I even managed to view the Pyrenees from the citadel perched atop a nearby hill along with walking along a section of the old town walls and checking out all of the medieval town gates.

My final task was to respectfully dispose of my trusty hiking boots, which had been held together with twine for close to half of the route. They had served me well.

I left St Jean Pied de Port by departing from the railway station for what was quite a scenic rail journey along a valley to Bayonne where I switched to another train heading for the city from where I would finally depart France. What a trip it had been and the memories would last a lifetime!

The End. You can check out other posts about my journeys to other interesting places in the world.