Saint-Jean-de-Pied-de-Port….

We headed south on Monday to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, the old capital of the traditional Basque province of Lower Navarre in the Pyrenean foothills. The town is the starting point for the French Way, Camino Francés, the most popular option for travelling the Camino del Santiago, the Way of St James, a network of pilgrims’ ways serving pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle St James the Great in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where tradition has it the saint is buried. The town stands at the base of the Roncevaux Pass across the Pyrenees.

The symbol of the pilgrimage is a scallop shell and many of the walkers had them attached to their rucksacks or wore them round their necks. Accommodation in the town is geared towards the hikers with many rooms and hostels only catering for them.

The drive down was spectacular, through undulating countryside, arable farming areas and many pretty towns and hamlets. Turn a corner and there is another vista or pretty church.

Monday is market day in St J-de-P-P! And what an array of goods were available. On one side of the river the stalls reminded me of Nutts Corner…. clothes, household items, tat as described by Paul! On the other side of the River it appears that all the farmers from the surrounding hills bring fresh produce – chillies, local cheeses, olives, wines, meats and much more

The old town is enclosed by defensive ramparts and its’ four original ‘portes’, gates, are still in situ. The traditional entry point for pilgrims is via Porte St Jacques, at the top of the street.

While at the other end is Porte Notre Dame. It stands next to the town’s famous landmark, the Pont Romain, a pretty arched bridge spanning the River Nive… impossible to get a great photograph of! Despite the name it isn’t Roman at all…. it was built around 1720.

The Citadelle, which commands spectacular views of the town and surrounding countryside was built in 1628 and today is a secondary school and closed to the public.

On the path up is another of the ‘portes’ to the town – porte du Roy

Having done the market and treked up to the citadel we decided that we deserved a fine lunch! Google best places to eat, consult TripAdvisor…. only to find, one by one, that service was complete, fini! Then we stumbled upon this…

Busy little spot with many locals, and a table of farmers beside us! We would have to wait, they said! While it wasn’t W&B standard the dish of the day, fish duo (two ways) was a revelation! And having charmed the waitress into engaging with us, thus improving the quality of service, we indulged in some tiramisu, very good!

Then it was time for a last glimpse of Nice and the journey home….

And on the way we spotted this little beauty…..