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Day 1 | 26 July 2025 | Walking the Camino Francés
Saint Jean Pied de Port to Borda | 8.8 km – 5.5 miles
A dog takes a nap in the middle of the street in the sleepy town of Saint Jean Pied de Port in France – starting point for the long journey ahead. We arrived the day before and the first port of call was to the Pilgrim Office to pick up our Pilgrim Passport that would be stamped along ‘The Way’ thus entitling us to a Compostela (Certificate) should we complete the journey.
The first suggested stage is from Saint Jean Pied de Port in France that takes you over the Pyrenees mountains crossing the Spanish border to Roncesvalles at a distance of 25.1 km – 15.6 miles. There are 2 route choices and we chose the Napoleon Route for the scenic views, it was also the most strenuous.
In our planning it became evident that this walk was going to be a step too far! And we needed to break up this stage so we pre-booked the night in Borda at a distance of just 8.8 km – 5.5 miles – it transpired to be a very good decision!
The view from half way.
Those 8.8Km ascended to a height of 1,050m and it was very tough going – the reward being stunning views over the Pyrenees. At one rest some 20 Griffon vultures that have a wingspan of up to 2.8m flew silently high above us gliding using the thermal currents – they looked like a squadron on a mission and it was amazing to see them soar down the valley.
The View from Orisson near Boda.
I was very tired and to see the sign for the Auberge Borda was welcome and a room in a converted Shepard’s hut awaited.
Our host Laurent cooked a dinner of Axoa de porc (Basque pork stew) for us all staying at the Auberge (Hostel) and we made friends with a large Spanish family, an Italian couple and a woman from South Korea. We were to meet them all often over the next few days before they moved further on.
The first day on the Camino Frances ended with the sound of cow bells as a heard of cows passed by the Shepard’s hut in the dusk.
The Next Day
