in a little grocery shop adjoining the bar round the back of the hotel and took today's team photo on the Rabies Bridge. The route today ran parallel with the main road to Pamplona in the valley of the generous river Arga. As Des said, the essential feature of the day was water. We set off along a muddy path and were glad of our boots. The trees shaded us from the ugly dominance of the vast local Magnesite plant which rather intrudes into every aspect of local life. It seems to be a dull useful product and it must be difficult to get enthusiastic about devoting your life to its production but rather like Homer Simpson's nuclear power station the plant seems to be the only employer in town. Shortly afterwards there is a 'Springfield' equivalent, a bijou modern company town clean and cosy in the sunshine with toy cars running between it and the plant. We walked on and had our first water stop soon on a wall by a fountain at Llarratz, a restored hamlet. We reached the village of Larrasana which John Brierley in his somewhat idiosyncratic style seems to favour. Major drainage works were en traine but with little actual physical activity. Perhaps it was the morning tea break. We in turn couldn't get coffee as the tavern was shut "until later"So we were back on the muddy/gravel paths by the river and after another hour we were in Zuriáin having a drink of water in the sunshine on the bridge by the fountain in the company of fellow walkers. Their numbers seem to be growing. More hamlets passed, - Zabaldica and Irotz. The route at this stage is simply constructed to give you a pleasant and popular walk as an end in itself. But in muddy conditions it is needlessly tricky underfoot. The churches are massive cruel buildings, seldom welcoming but closely locked. Many of the people you meet drop their eyes shyly.
Lunch was taken at the picnic tables shortly afterwards which serve as a stop on the main N135 road. Two fellow walkers were proudly carrying large flags, one being the Moor's head of Corsica (or so we were told) and the other the more familiar Gay Pride Rainbow.
There was a brief burst of energy uphill on the far side of the road and after Arlete we passed through a dripping echoey tunnel back under the road. As we approached Pamplona we stopped in a rather harsh suburb called Trinidad de Arre with lots of aggressive graffiti on every wall, for a cold drink next to the Basilica and the huge pelote court and to watch our fellow walkers hobble by. All the shops had heavy protective shutters - perhaps to deal with disenchanted sports fans? The actual entry into the city of Pamplona was carefully orchestrated to take you through parks and boulevards rather than industrial suburbs. By the old walls of the city we again crossed the Arga, this time via the charming Puenta de los Peregrinos which took us to the ramparts and along the old moat to pass through an elaborate city gate.The old city is very interesting with traditional
tall town houses in good preservation, all hugger mugger. We found the Tourist Office without difficulty and our Hotel (Eslava) nearby in the Plaza d'O. This is a comfortable if somewhat anonymous place substantially reconstructed behind the external facade.After viewing the impressive cathedral it was getting damp so we had drinks and tapas in a nearby bar. Supper - inevitably difficult to find early - was a cheerful mix 'n match affair in the pulsating Boca Serria Brasserie. We walked around the streets where the annual Running of the Bulls takes place on the feast of San Fermin, absorbing the atmosphere.
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