Day 10: Col de Bagargiak to Larrau (via Logibar).

Waking up above the clouds and climbing up to indescribably beautiful views of peaks poking up through a cloud ocean, stopping to stare for a while on a purple pink heather path as cowbells rang out amidst the peacefulness, descending onto the crête Ugatzé and following the contours round as the clouds retreated to reveal green forest covered valleys, the Pic d'Orhy appearing on our right, butterflies waking up and getting busy (lots of marbled whites & swallowtails & blues today), gauntlets of brambles and nettles, navigating squelchy mud patches, mountains beyond mountains ahead, lion bars for snacking, occasional delightful breezes and hardly any shade from the cursed yellowface, the sky filling with screeching red kites, a pair of cows licking each other, blue and purple thistles everywhere, steep stony paths down to Logibar for cold beers & ice cream then onwards/upwards/back on ourselves to the camping Ixtila...

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If ever you see me with a distant look in my eye, chances are I’ll be back somewhere in this moment, gazing in wonder at cloud visions.

I've looked at clouds from both sides now...

At Logibar we acquired much needed refreshments at the Auberge before heading off up a rather long twisting D road (with space to walk on the verge safely) towards Larrau to one of our other favourite campsites in the Pays Basque – Camping Ixtila. The pitches are flat and grassy and neatly divided up with high hedges. There are lots of shady spots, gorgeous flowers beds and hydrangea bushes, amazing views of the mountain ridge, clean sanitaires, free wifi, a room to sit in with an excellent array of books and vintage Pyrénées magazines and it is run by a lovely friendly couple who will also serve you tea, coffee and beer with a smile. All in all it makes for blissful happy camping.

The vital statistics:
Time hiking: 8h26
Peak: 1419m
Total ascent: 871m
Total descent: 1551m

Day 5: Col de Lacho to Saint-Etienne-de-Baïgorry

Waking up in blustery clouds, climbing uphill to the crête d'Iparla, glimpsing intermittent views as the clouds parted and joined, vultures catching an early morning updraft, vultures lurking and perching, bright blooming heather, the green valley below, scrambling, a big green lizard, choughs screeching, ponies galore, down down down to our favourite campsite, a pitch by the river where the pied wagtails flutter, cheese and wine.

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Magic.

There is a water source about halfway along the ridge at the Col d'Harrieta although you have to divert off the GR10 for about 500m to get to it. This time, the source had almost stopped dripping - we had to leave our bottles under the pipe for a while to get them all filled up, so it's not really a good idea to rely on it being there. We decided to take a different route down to Saint-Etienne de Baigorry (via Urdos) from this point rather than following the GR10 along the ridge as we had done at least twice before because the weather was getting worse quickly...

The campsite we stayed in is the Camping Irouleguy (named after a local village which also gives it name to the local, delicious wine). It is an absolute gem of a campsite: small, friendly, with excellent sanitaires, situated right by the river so that you get lulled to sleep by the sound of running water (I know of no more relaxing sound). Although they were fully booked at the start of August, the woman who runs the campsite assured me on the phone that they always have space for hikers who turn up on foot. It also has a huge Intermarché supermarket right next to it which is useful for restocking on supplies.

The vital statistics:
Time hiking: 7h03
Peak: 1026m
Total ascent: 490m
Todat descent: 995m

Day 4: Ainhoa to Bidarray and beyond.

Setting off up quiet country roads, Basque bunting decorating the town all pointy and green and red, crucifix-lined path into the clouds, a ferny aroma filling the air, a sleeping snake, basque cows, horses and sheep lined up along the path, an awesome brebis sandwich whilst being serenaded by a cockerel and collie pups saying hi, blazing sunshine, scrambling down a bit, seeing the Iparla ridge from behind, a long butterfly filled road, a visit to our beloved Bidarray for supplies and then up and up and up into the hills to camp, accompanied by a glorious sunset. In a word: EPIC!

The Vital Statistics:
Hours hiking: 13h21
Peak: 990m
Total Ascent: 1591m
Total Descent: 990m

Day 1: Hendaye to Olhette

First proper day of hiking: Hendaye to Olhette. Highlights include spying a tiny trembling shrew, tunnels of trees full of butterflies, views of the atlantic stretching for miles, rainshowers to cool off from the heat and a tent pitch at a gîte at the perfect time. Our feet are sore but we're happy in the basque hills...

The vital statistics:
Time spent hiking: 11.5 hours
Peak: 521m
Ascent: 1114m
Descent: 1032m