SPAIN AND FRANCE HOLIDAY PART ONE 21 AUGUST TO 19 SEPTEMBER 2025

 Long journey down to Portsmouth but easy really. Boarded around 5 for 7pm sailing to Bilbao.

Lovely time on board, off at 8am 2 days later, used Navmii to get to Lidl on edge of Pamplona. good shop the to Camping Ezcaba, after few wrong turns in Pamplona. Big site lovely pool, motor mover not working properly but managed. Went in pool for swim.

Into Pamplona by bus next day, lovely riverside walk to bus stop. All worked fine.

Had a super day visited the Cathedral, service going on. Had an amazing visit for 6 Euros at the Plaza de Toros. Superb video showed a bull run which are held in July. Great interactive tour.

Finished with a walk around the town walls.

Back on bus and Roy tried to sort out motor mover.

ALL STREETS HOZED DOWN, NO SHORTAGE OF WATER HERE

MONDAY 25 AUGUST 

Left Pamplona and drove over several very windy passes into France and camped at Europ Camping near Saint Jean Pied de Port, the original start of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Spent the afternoon looking round this pretty town, continues to be in the 30s. 

                                                        EUROP CAMPING

WEDNESDAY 27 AUGUST

Camped at Camping Pont Lauguere. Walked into Laruns to tourist office got info about 3 villages walk and booked for the train trip on Friday. £48-46 for two tickets includes cable car to train.

Drove to Beost and did circular walk of the three Villages. A big climb up and steep down, was so lucky to only get one swift shower. Very warm day. Roy lost his grand canyon cap so went back to look for it.

                                                                    LARUNS

                                                    3RD VILLAGE - Aas

                                                        MATING SNAILS!

                                                    LARUNS AS WE STARTED WALK

                                                                    ROY IN AAS

                                what is that big skull from?

                                LUNCH IN AAS

                                                peeking through the clouds

What to do on a rainy day in the mountains...take a car ride up  the Col D'Aubisque, imagining the Tour de France riders racing up, took us half an hour to drive 15 km!

Total cloud most of the way, coffee, hot chocolate and Tarte de Myrtilles chantilly at the hotel top and 8oC!

FRIDAY 29 AUGUST

What a magnificent day! Drove to Le Train D'Artouste, the highest train ride in Europe. A ten minute cable car ride to reach it, 55 minutes on the train took us to the station we then had a 20 minute climb up to Lac D'Artouste where we had lunch then back on the hair raising ride down. An incredible experience and all at an attitude of about 2000m.  We were blessed with clear weather to see the beautiful mountains. Back to the car, we drove up to Col de Pourtalet and briefly into Spain and a huge supermarket selling every thing you can think of! So lucky!

 

                                                                        

SATURDAY 30 AUGUST

Drove up to Lac de Bious-Artigues at 1419m and did a six and half hour, 14 km hike to an elevation of 2103m. I do keep telling Roy I am 76! Weather was superb, scenery dazzling with a multitude of lakes. The Pyrenees did not disappoint.

 

        

Roy drove up to Col D'Aubisque when we got back to see it in sun.

SUNDAY 31 AUGUST 

Left Laruns cost 161 euros for 5 nights. Drove the main road to Luz St Saveur to stop at Camping International for 4 nights to start with, fabulous site with 2 pools and a cafe. Had a mishap at lunch stop opened cupboard and 6 eggs fell out ove me and the carpet! 2 onions going smelly in cupboard! sorted!