Camino Photo of the Day: Valcarlos

Midway through the lower pass is the town of Valcarlos. This photo is taken from the edge of town, looking backwards into the valley we’ve just climbed out of. Weirdly, this was the easier part of the day. If we ever walk the Camino again along this route, I’d walk as far as Valcarlos and take a taxi from there to Roncesvalles so I could arrive while the museum was still open. Because while the early part of the Valcarlos route has some challenges, everything after this is just brutal.

Date: 30 March 2016
Place: Valcarlos (Navarra, Spain)

Funny thing: the lower pass is called the Valcarlos because this is the route that Charlemagne (Carlos) used when he invaded Spain in the eighth century. A thousand years later, the higher pass was named the Route Napoléon. I think you can work out why.