The journey to Bayonne was painless, the trains were on time and the flight on schedule. I had booked an albergue in Bayonne, and with directions from the owner, it was a €3.90 bus ride – a lot cheaper than a taxi.
It was 2100h by the time I was all booked in and straight off the bat I had some Camino magic. The owner was very friendly and accommodating, cooking up an omelette since it was so late. She also sold the credentials! Saves me having to sort it in the morning.
Out the door by 0800h having had breakfast at the albergue, I followed google maps to the cathedral, only to find it closed for renovations – good job I got the credential last night!
Everything was going to plan until that point. Could I find a way maker? In France they are red and white stripes, similar to the Polish flag, but none could be seen.
Having spent twenty minutes trying to find one, I had to resort to Google maps. This meant the urban sprawl of Bayonne and Biarritz, past the airport and down into Bidart.
It was here I found the first Polish flag painted on a lamppost, that I had to high five! An immediate relief and comfort ensued knowing I’m back on the Camino.
The route dipped down to a bay just outside Bidart, the midday sun had arrived. The sea was full of surfers riding the waves, a great back drop for the bar where I had to have a beer.
A quick ascent up some devilish steps brought me out into the village, where I had dinner at the albergue. Quite an expensive albergue with €40 per person for the night! Being a Camino veteran I planned ahead and booked an albergue for €20.
Between Bayonne and Irún there are very few Albergues according to Gronze.com. After fuelling up, the way markers vanished, resulting in google maps again.
By 1500h the first day of walking came to an end, 7km shorter than it should have been. Google had directed the quickest route giving it a short 18.72km day.
After showering and clothes washing there were 2 hours to kill before the owner would be ready to book me in – time for a swift half! A 10 minute walk into the village led me to a bar overlooking the sea. A great ending for the first day.
After speaking with the Albergue owner, he gave great advice around the route and where to stay over the next two days. Pointed out where to rejoin the Camino, but most of all, gave me an app with all the routes. I’ve relied on CaminoNinja, one I’ve used on my previous adventures. Only draw back to it, is it only covers the main routes in Spain and Portugal, not those in France.
The app is Gronzemaps. The other source I rely on has made their own GPS version! After paying up I grabbed a pizza from a local restaurant calling it an end to the day.
Stu's Camino 