< Roncesvalles / St Jean Pied de Port >

Today, we leave St Jean Pied de Port & arrive at the Basque village of Valcarlos in Spain. This route ( Valcarlos ) is my preferred hiking route over the mountain (Napoleon) trail. Valcarlos is the midway village to Roncesvalles and a good place to rest & begin the hiking experience. The town has an albergue and restaurants. Distance is approximately 14 kms. Valcarlos is in the Pyrenees Basque country. The inclination is flat midway and then slightly steep the remaining portion. This is a short day, so there is no need to leave St Jean early morning. Enjoy breakfast and a morning tour of St Jean. The road is not heavily traveled but watch the vehicles. The 1st several days of hiking are the toughest until the body adapts to weight / distance.

The hike is through small country roads, some uphill walks and a shopping center with a supermarket, cafeteria, & shops. Exit the shopping center and follow the small country road at the gas station. Eventually you reach a small village which was the former border control of France and Spain. Cross the highway with caution and follow the yellow arrows until you reach the village of Valcarlos.

Valcarlos is historic for the famous battle / ambush in Valcarlos / Roncesvalles between Charlemagne & the Sarracens. This was an important battle, it changed the history of Europe. Charlemagne suffered a big ambush defeat. After the battle, Charlemagne gave vast amounts of land along the coast of Provence to Theodoric – Makhir Ben David, who established the House of Toulouse during the decade of the 700’s. Valcarlos has a good albergue and several restaurants & bars.

Distance ~ 14 km. pronounced Inclination after the midway point – Valcarlos. Difficulty 4/10

Two of my trips involved walking the opposite direction to start the Camino. I arrived at Roncesvalles during the evening and the next morning walked downhill from Roncesvalles to St Jean Pied de Port. There was a big snow storm that evening. Roncesvalles is at the height of the Pyrenees, so it was full of snow. St Jean Pied de Port is closer to the sea level so there was very little snow. The sudden changes of weather and the snow storms are the reason hiking the Napoleon – mountain trail is not recommended.

Many pilgrims have become lost in this trail and have died. So this is the reason I recommend the hike through Valcarlos. Note that heavy winter clothing is not required for the hike to Valcarlos. I used a goretex rain jacket with a lightweight wool base liner and shirt. The goretex rain jacket will keep you dry and you will retain sufficient heat for the hike. It also protects against the rain. Here are some pictures of the snow storm between Roncesvalles and Valcarlos. I rested one day at St Jean and then started the hike to Roncesvalles.

• St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles
• St Jean Pied de Port to Valcarlos
• Village of Valcarlos

Elevation