George & Mostyn - Walking the GR10

Friday, 15th September 2006

George: There were frequent heavy showers during the night and we woke to a mainly grey sky. We had breakfast at a café near the seafront then walk down to the beach to take our starting out photo.

We started walking along the seafront - and the heavens opened! We sheltered for nearly an hour from the torrential rain before getting going. Finding our way out of Hendaye to the GR10 was quite difficult and we completely missed the turning where it crossed the N10. We walked about ¾ Km up the road and back again before we got back on the route.

The weather continued mainly wet with occasional short glimpses of the sun while we walked past the village of Biriatou. When we stopped for a rest at a seat on the outskirts of the village a couple came out and asked if we were OK. They offered us a cup of coffee and we gratefully accepted. They were concerned about us as we were so wet and invited us in, offering a hairdryer to dry hair and shirts while coffee was made. The couple were on holiday from Blois and said the weather had been just as bad the day before. The husband said that the climb up to the col would be steep and slippery but after that was a lot easier. We thanked them for their hospitality, said goodbye and began the climb up to Col d'Osin.

The path was stony but the main hazard was the rainwater rushing down like a stream. It was a difficult climb but there were some good views of the countryside and the coast during the short intervals between rain showers.

We reached the Venta at Col d'Ibardin at 3 p.m. - nearly 2 hours later than planned. We were both very wet. My boots had begun to let in the water and my socks were soaked. We had a beer and a meal while we watched the rain pour down outside.

We left at 4 p.m. during a break in the rain. The flooding of the paths was heavier than ever and after fording two rainwater streams we decided to walk the road to Ohlette. It was a boring trudge in ever worsening rain and we eventually arrived at 6:30.

The gîte was quite good and well equipped. There were two other walkers staying at the gîte. We had showers and got changed into dry clothes then went for our evening meal. The meal was excellent; a hearty soup followed by Spanish omelette and then roast pork with piperade. It was very filling.

The woman staying at the gîte with us ate with us and we had a pleasant conversation with her. She was on her annual holiday and was naturally very disappointed with the weather. She intends to walk tomorrow despite a very poor weather forecast. We have decided to stay put to try to dry our things.

Mostyn: Got up at 7.00 am, Casino closed so had breakfast in a small bar nearby. The weather did not look promising. We re-traced our steps back to the Casino where we dipped the obligatory toe in the ocean and took a photograph to mark the start of our Grand Randonnee. We set off in a light drizzle which developed into a heavy downpour so we decided to shelter for about an hour in the foyer of an apartment block. We donned our wet weather gear and protected our kit to the best of our ability for the daunting 7+ hours that lay ahead, during which we only had about two twenty minute spells without rain.

We had a little difficulty locating the start of the walk, but nevertheless soon found the route and headed for our first night's destination, near Olhette.

After a while we arrived at Biriatou, where we decided to have a breather and top up our blood sugars with the obligatory Mars Bar. We sat on a bench at the edge of the village, where we were spotted by a couple holidaying in the house opposite. They took pity on us and offered us a cup of coffee and kindly offered a hairdryer to dry George's hair and my shirt. They were from Blois. They were extremely hospitable and reluctantly we refused their offer of something to eat because we had just eaten our Mars Bars and were anxious to crack on. They made us feel very humble by their generosity.

The next stretch of the route was very stony and in places it was literally a stream because of the extent of the rain. By the time we reached Col d'Ibardin for lunch we were both soaked to the skin. We had a good lunch of lamb and beans and a beer. Col d'Ibardin is a border post on the Spanish side of the border, sporting four or five large "tax favourable" shops (Ventas) selling alcohol and tobacco. The car park was full of mostly French registered cars.

We set off again, donning our still wet clothes, to tackle the descent from the col and the very steep grassy path back over the crest of the hill and the final descent into the valley. We crossed two streams that had swelled to approximately 4 metres across, after which the path split into five routes. The prescribed path was running with water and at this stage George's boots were saturated and squelching. We decided to follow the metalled road, which was just as well because just as we had our final destination in sight the rain became heavier. George said that it was the worst walking weather he had ever experienced and I agreed with him.

We were relieved to arrive at Olhette and eventually find our overnight accommodation, a Gîte d'Étape called Mento Bayta, which we shared with three other people, initially a young German man and a French woman. The following day a bedraggled Belgian man arrived, sporting an orange umbrella and with an interesting story to tell.

Mento Bayta We selected our beds and started to assess the damage. Anything that was not double bagged was soaked. We spent some time wringing out our clothes and laying everything out to dry. We had a welcome shower and changed into our smarter clothes for supper, which was substantial. Only the French lady joined us for supper. She was from Pau and on holiday in the Pyrenees, having spent almost a week walking, most of it in the rain. She was lively and enthusiastic and was determined to continue walking the next day regardless of the weather as she had a deadline for her return home. We had already decided that our clothes, and more importantly George's boots, would not be sufficiently dry to continue walking the following day.

Saturday, 16th September 2006

George: We slept quite well but the rain continued through the night. After breakfast the woman started out in pouring rain. We set to drying our gear and wrote up our diaries.

The rain continued all day non-stop. The stream near the gîte became a raging torrent. We couldn't do anything except sit and watch it come down. We were successful in drying our clothes - once we had figured out how to turn on the radiators.

In the evening, at about 5:30, a walker arrived under an orange umbrella. He had walked over from Aïnhoa in the rain - and was very wet. He was from Belgium and had walked all the way down through France. His ultimate destination is Cape Finestere, which he expects to reach in late October by which time he would have been walking for over three months!

The rain finally stopped at 6:45, just in time for us to go over for our evening meal. It was as excellent and substantial as the previous day, the highlight being a rabbit stew. We went to bed quite early and slept well.

Mostyn: The German had departed and the French lady went on her way after breakfast. There was some doubt whether we would be able to stay at the etape tonight because it was "allegedly" full, however, miraculously, we were able to stay.

Our decision not to walk today proved fortuitous because it rained solidly for ten hours, obscuring what we discovered were magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. The terrain would have been extremely difficult, possibly dangerous and uncomfortable to traverse.

By a stroke of luck George found that the heaters in the room were working and this aided the drying of our gear considerably. We called upon our emergency food supplies for lunch and George cooked a delicious meal of curried noodles, yum yum!

In view of the fact that the etape was expected to be full tonight, George and I had a bet on how many of the ten other people would arrive. George thought that no other people would arrive and I estimated that two would arrive. In the event one arrived, the Belgian. man with the orange umbrella. He had started walking from Belgium in mid-July, walked diagonally across France, was using part of the GR10 en route to Cap Finistere which was his goal. He was using the route to Compostella, although not in the spirit of the pilgrimage, yet carrying the pilgrim card to make full use of the advantageous subsidies afforded to pilgrims. Why didn't we think of that? He was expecting to complete his walk in mid-October. He was walking in the opposite direction to us on the GR10 and was able to give us some very useful information about our route.

At dinner that evening, consisting of four very substantial courses, our hostess insisted that all plates were sent back to the kitchen empty - not an easy task even for hardened gourmets like George and me. She told us that the young German, who we found kept himself to himself the previous evening, had left early this morning without paying his bill.