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Day 6 | 31 July 2025 | Walking the Camino Francés
From Pamplona to Puente la Reina | 23.8 km 14.8 miles
The cool weather was now behind us and today was hot with the temperature hitting 27°C in the afternoon. We set off at 07:30 and didn’t stagger into Puente La Reina until 19:00… that’s 11.5 hours in the heat. Far too long. Even my shadow looked tired.
Thankfully, we each carried 1.5 litres of water each. A particularly helpful detail in John Brierley’s guidebook is the way his maps clearly mark every drinking fountain along the route, allowing you to refill your water when needed.
After about 5 km, we began the long ascent to the peak of Alto del Perdón (The Hill of Forgiveness 750m). We shared the trail with thousands of ants marching in neat little columns. Halfway up, the ants disappeared and were replaced by hundreds of butterflies that accompanied us toward the summit.
At the top stood the striking 1966 iron art installation Monumento del Peregrinos (The Pilgrims Monument). An engraving reads, “Where the path of the wind crosses with that of the stars” and if you look closely, small stars can be seen above the twelve figures.
The descent into Puente la Reina was steep & rocky and more of a challenge than the descent into Zubiri. Not for the first time, we were grateful for our walking poles. Without them, gravity might have won.
