not an auspicious start, at Bayonne stations you can only but tickets with a credit card and my card was rejected (that story not finished yet). When I asked the information lady could I pay cash (no) there was a dramatic shrug and the rolling of eyes and somewhere in there I think there might have been questions about my parents marriage and hence my ancestry but I may have been mistaken as I was walking away whilst she was in full flight. Now the bus driver just gave a gentle shrug and told me to get on the bus no need to pay.

By 10ish I was on the trail and decided to break the steep first day into 2 and stayed at Kayola near Orisson refuge. Good choice it’s just a relentless walk about 3.5 hours long, beautiful scenery.