Day 2, Jun 15, 2024
From Olehette to Col de Zuharreteaco
31.2 km hiked, 5.6% complete

The inn room we stayed in last night was small but adequate. The big draw card for the place was that it had a restaurant downstairs. We booked a table for 7.30pm and were not disappointed with the fare. We had a 3 course set menu and all of the food was delicious. It helped that the hike had left us with good appetites. We slept well and woke to a fine but overcast day.

Setting off the temperature was cool, perfect weather for hiking. First was a steep ascent and again we were rewarded with views over rolling green hills and quaint farm houses. Much of the track today was along roads – some bitumen, others uneven and rutted dirt roads and there was even one stretch of an ancient Roman road. They all had one thing in common – their incline: steep. The temperature remained cool and pleasant throughout the hike and we only had a short light sprinkle of rain.

Our lunch spot was at Ainhoa, another quaint and pretty village. We arrived there well after 2 pm and most places had finished serving lunch. However, we were greeted warmly at a hotel/bar where we were served fresh bread with local cheese and jamon and a serving of a type of pate.

That brought us to the end of section 2, but with the weather holding up fine, we decided to push on into the next section. More steep ascents, more gorgeous countryside, and we are camped on the hillside with the music of bird calls and cow bells (probably on horses, but the sheep and cows here wear them too). After dining on 2 minute noodles, we are in our sleeping bags. It is 8 o’clock and still full daylight, so we wonder how quickly we will get to sleep…