Pamplona to Bayonne

[Kiwi-family]

So I understand it is not much short of lunacy to walk any route other than the Frances backwards. But I push this button one more time (then I'll give up and listen to you!)....what about if I had topographic maps? Would it be so silly then?
I'm rather keen for the route on my map to be circular rather than zigzagging all over the Pyrenees - it's a completely aesthetic thing :roll:

Final question: where would I find a topographic map of that region? <slinks off to a corner>

 

[mspath]

So I understand it is not much short of lunacy to walk any route other than the Frances backwards. But I push this button one more time (then I'll give up and listen to you!)....what about if I had topographic maps? Would it be so silly then?
I'm rather keen for the route on my map to be circular rather than zigzagging all over the Pyrenees - it's a completely aesthetic thing :roll:

Final question: where would I find a topographic map of that region? <slinks off to a corner>

Kiwi-family.

Look at this link to fellow Forum member Peter Robins site, the Walking Pilgrim, for detailed topo maps covering the area Pamplona to Bayonne. >> http://pilgrim.peterrobins.co.uk/routes ... aztan.html.

The maps he shows include IGN maps from France and Spain. You can see these on your computer. in all probability you could order paper copies of the relevant sheet from the IGN offices.

Hope this helps your research!

Margaret Meredith

 

[MDTazWalks]

It's not crazy. It's a beautiful route and there's no reason not to walk it the direction you want to walk. I think the Camino is a lot about making choices, deliberately. So do it if you want. The route is a bit up and down, but worth it for the vistas. Plus the Basque country is a very special place to visit.

Have you seen this site?
http://www.consorciobertiz.org/menu-cen ... anguage=en

and this page describes each stage of the Baztan route: http://www.consorciobertiz.org/menu-cen ... ation.html

Also this site: http://www.rutasnavarra.com
which is a bit complicated but if you select Camino on the right hand menu, it will give you a map and you can find the routes for the Baztan route and for instance here is the stage 3, and it shows the route on the top map but below you'll see the elevation: http://www.rutasnavarra.com/Rutas/Camin ... 10013.html

I did part of this route in May of last year, from Urdax to Pamplona. The markings aren't as clear as other places on the Camino, and it was absolutely the route less traveled (I saw no other pilgrims) but it was stunning. You won't find refugios and albergues as easily as on the Camino Frances, though, so thinking ahead about accommodation is probably necessary. The first link I gave you has recommendations.

I will make a recommendation, too. In Urdax, just off the trail, is a lovely Casa Rural (B&B) that is one of my favorite places on earth: http://www.irigoienea.com so if you pass by you might want to spend a night here and I think you won't regret it. Also in Urdax, a fantastic paella can be found at the restaurant Koska.

 

[Kiwi-family]

It's not crazy. It's a beautiful route and there's no reason not to walk it the direction you want to walk. I think the Camino is a lot about making choices, deliberately. So do it if you want.

I am all about making deliberate choices - but at the same time I do not want to try to walk a route backwards if it is likely to be incredibly difficult to find the way. If someone can tell me it would be doable with a good map, then I would be willing to attempt it (and it would save me a day's travelling and bus fare!)

Walking pilgrim's maps seem excellent - I think they would give me the confidence to go against the flow.

 

[FatmaG]

Perhaps no one can tell you because no one tried going backwards?!
And you might be the first one (on this board) to do so...

Generally spoken:
There are plenty of people just walking with good maps on ways without waymarking so you should be able to find A way - even if sometimes it might differ from THE waymarked path - if you are a good map reader.
I am not, or better said I never tried to be one, that's why I follow gladly waymarks. And I prefer to concentrate on landscape rather than on a map...

I used a IGN 50:000 scale map covering the way in France and partly my way in Spain; I would recommend you at least the 25:000 scale map if you challenge the way back option.
The 50:000 scales exist also for Spain (Rando éditions), but I ignore whether the 25:000 do exist as Spanish edition...

Have a google research about "Rando éditions" and also the online shop for ign map - this might help you further

 

[Kiwi-family]

Fatma, you are too kind! But you are not screaming NO NO NO don't do it, so I'll take your advice and google those maps....and then maybe I will have something to offer back to this board if I walk backwards. I can imagine there might be others who would like to try this too before heading over (on a very easy train connection) to Saint Jean....even now people are asking about doing a few days before the St Jean/Roncesvalles hop...so it might be useful

 

[mspath]

Rachael,

Here is the link to the French IGN web boutique >> http://loisirs.ign.fr/.

Happy browsing/ Bonne navigation !

Margaret Meredith

 

[FatmaG]

Have a look here:

http://m.geoportail.fr/#

It covers just France and the scale is still not what I would like to use.
But it's fun!

PS Nothing is impossible!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Thanks for that.
I'm actually considering using this one

http://maps.peterrobins.co.uk/google/baztan.html

zooming in to about 100m per cm and taking screen shots of each part of the map and saving them on the phone.....not sure quite how stupid that would be, but from the comfort of my study it looks quite do-able! Maybe I should try it with a local map first and try to take a walk in an unknown part of town and see if it works.

 

[Kiwi-family]

I'm having a lot of fun looking at Laurie's translation of this route - following it on googlemaps and then writing the directions in the reverse order. It's not quite as simple as changing uphills to downhills and left turns to right! "Walk towards the cell pone tower" is a useful instruction; "walk away from the cell phone tower" less so! Likewise, "if you turn around now you should see such-and-such behind you".
However it is awesome to read "you will see a house with six dormer windows" and when you zoom into street view on googlemaps, there it is, a house with six dormer windows. It makes me think I might be able to do this walk with instructions alone. (I've found a 1:25,000 map that covers Elizondo up to Bayonne, but no such map for Pamplona as far as Elizondo - hence the careful transcribing of Laurie's notes) Hopefully this will be a useful resource for others wanting to add a few kilometres before tackling the hill out of Saint-Jean, or just for the fun of it.

 

[Ramblanista]

I'm doing the Baztan 'in reverse' next summer as part of a route that'll take me from El Port de la Selva on the Mediterranean Coast right through to Santiago via ten different Caminos. The Baztan will link the Aragones with the Norte. If you manage to do it before, I'd be extremely interested to know how you get on. I'll probably be taking a tent to save on accommodation costs.