Day 2: Roncesvalles - Larrasoana 26.4km, 450m ascent

The hostel wakes you up with lights on at 6am, then pumps out religious chanting 15 minutes later. Weirdest snooze ever. I’m out and walking before 7. I have breakfast next to a large group of Korean kids, it’s a thing there apparently. Some guy wrote a book about it and it is seen as a rite of passage, something to add to your CV. I meet many more on the trail today.

The morning is misty and drizzly, we’re still at 900m or so, it clears as I descend. I see my first basketball sized Basque pelota court. It’s a squash type ball game with some odd looking equipment.

We pick up most of the group from yesterday at a pub selling table beer and pretty decent cheesecake. If it’s 3.5% does it matter if I have a bottle before midday? The consequence of the long stop is that my day ends with an hour or so walking in the afternoon heat.

A nice comfortable private albergue awaits, with a quirky Belgian owned shop next door. The menu is chicken and salad, and accompanied with some Monty Python singing from the cheerful owner. We have a few drinks with Jose (Mexico), James (Windsor) and Vincent (Bordeaux) till the evening runs out. Good day, tomorrow is a shorter day, arriving in Pamplona after 3hrs walking.