There was thunder and rain throughout the night. At 6 am the lights came on prompting everyone to get ready. I checked the weather forecast and at midday there was more thunderstorms.
Today we will be reaching another iconic milestone, the ‘Alto de Pardon’. The problem is it sits on top of a hill. This meant leaving asap, to cover the 13km to beat the storm.
We quickly packed our bags, pulled on our waterproofs and stepped out into the rain. The dawn streets were very picturesque in the rain.
The Camino left straight out of the city, although it wasn’t well marked and we ended up on the wrong road. A jogger stopped and pointed us in the right direction.
We were soon in Cizur Menor where we stopped for breakfast. I got the chance to use my pigeon Spanish! We finished up and went back out in the rain to start the ascent to Alto de Pardon. At this point it was very muddy so progress was slow.
As we approached Cizur the rain stopped and the sun came out. We paused at the church removing our waterproofs before continuing to the summit. Luck was on our side, as the rain held off until we began our descent. However it was a short shower, the last for the day.
About 1230 we reached Alto de Pardon where we were greeted with views back towards Pamplona with the Pyrenees as the backdrop, although obscured by the clouds.
It would had been nice to see the peaks to mirror the picture I took two days earlier, but I was glad I wasn’t having to dodge lightening bolts; an acceptable trade off considering the initial forecast.
After a few pictures we headed down into Uterga where we stopped for lunch. Finishing the much needed food stop, we continued on to Puente la Reina, passing through Obanos.
The route was mostly flat from Uterga causing the miles to fly by. The views were back and it was pleasant to walk again.
Sandra was struggling with her feet so we stopped in the first albergue we saw. After a shower and breaking the washing machine and being a royal pain in the neck to concierge around the usage of the drier. We headed to a local supermarket for some light snacks to bring back for the evening.
Stu's Camino 