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GR11 (Spanish Pyrenees) Thru-Hike

Home Page > Camping > GR11 (Spanish Pyrenees) Thru-Hike

Between April and July 2026, we plan to walk the Spanish Pyrenees GR11 hike eastwards from Irun (Basque Country) to Llança (Catalonia), crossing Navarre and Aragon. The total distance is expected to be about 800 km with the official route shown on the map below. It's highly likely that the route we walk will change as we are starting about a month too early in the season, and will need to make adjustments to avoid deep snow. The route shown on the map will be updated as we progress. Places/locations we stay will be shown on the map using a marker (dot).




We ended up with 5 days off trail between the Scottish National Trail and starting the GR11. We spent one night in Perth, Scotland, two nights in Edinburgh then flew to Biarritz, France and had a night there before catching a couple of buses to Hendaya and walking a couple of k's over the border to Iruna, Spain. We enjoyed all these days and I saw a physio in Edinburgh for some treatment for my knee, which turned out to be an IT band issue which is apparently very common in female hikers.

So here we are now in Basque country which is beautiful and warm, although a little rainy, but still warm even with that! We need to get used to the available foods in Spain which we remember now does not really have convenience foods, like the sorts of things we have been taking on the trail. No cuppa soups here. Spaniards like their food fresh! We did get a two minute noodle and instant rice meal. The two minute noodles were very expensive compared with the UK, but I guess we weren't shopping at a Lidl in Irun, there was one but it was far from our hotel. We are here long enough to figure all this out. We will have to find something Spanish to fill the sizeable culinary gap left by tablet and shortbread!

We set off from our hotel today at 09:00 and had a cafe con leche and espresso on the way out of Irun. We also had to stop at a DHL service point as Mike needed to return part of a delivery (shorts which were the wrong size). The bloke at the shop could not print the return shipping label but he made a plan which seemed convoluted and inconvenient for him and involved about 4 mobile phones and photographing the return label Mike had been sent. In the end he assured us he would take care of it. This communication was all in French and a bit difficult to understand but as always these people you meet in small towns will try to help. The GR11 heads immediately for the hills with a big climb on a small road out of the city. The first few kilometres were very steep walking and we were grateful for our walking poles. Mike was wearing his new hiking boots which he had ordered to be mailed to our hotel in Irun. They went well today and he likes them. They are the same brand as his previous boots, but a different model. The GR11 is a major hiking route and as such is very well signposted with red and white painted stripes and also uses well-established tracks. We had rain this morning and this afternoon but did not feel under pressure with the weather. The rain feels like summer rain, you don't even need to put a rain jacket on.

The route was quiet and there were no other hikers. In total we climbed 903m and also had a long descent. We made use of three great picnic areas for hikers, one just out of Irun, one after about 7 km where we sat at a picnic bench and had lunch, watching a pair of horses walk about and the third a little off the GR11 where we ended up camping as it has a water fountain. We ended up getting to the end of our day at 17:00 and we had a lovely view from our little campspot which we could enjoy. The sun sets at 21:00 so evenings are more relaxed and so much warmer.


The only sounds last night were the hoot of an owl and the gurgling of the water fountain at our tent. What a perfect campsite! This morning we woke to misty conditions as cloud lay over the hilltops but it soon burned off. It's amazing what a change the weather is. In Scotland we didn't drink any water other than tea and coffee and there was water everywhere. Today we were thirsty with the climbs and the warm temperatures but water is not as readily available! We had 8 km to walk to Bera, town of the day. Basque country is hilly and there were views of hills and steep roads and tracks all around. There were were quite a few people out hiking and cycling today, being a public holiday Friday. Bera is a pretty place, but the small supermarkets were closed due to Labour Day. There was a coffee shop open with a bakery and we were able to buy bread for two days (Elizondo is the next town), eggs, mayonnaise, spicy sausage and jam. We sat in the square behind the shop and hard-boiled the eggs to eat later with mayonnaise on bread. After the town was a steep climb which was just straight up a track, so we had a long rest at the top.

The trail just wandered along after this, all on good tracks, through forest, winding along. We picked up water at a fountain and filtered from a stream. At the top of all the climbs was La Purdie, on the French border. There was a restaurant and quite a few people in campervans, on motorcycles and bicycles. There was a herd of horses with foals and all were amazingly tame, walking right up to the people and passed you as you sat in the shade. We picked up a few litres of water for a shower here and a few hundred metres up the track was a large, flat grassy area and also a shelter and bench. It was a lovely place to sit and eat, and we had our shower. Thunderstorms were rolling by when we set the tent up, once again with an outlook over the rolling hills. We had left Spain briefly at La Purdie but are about 3m back in Spain, which explains the great camping!


Unexpected things happened last night. The darkening skies, huge grey clouds and rolls of thunder did not result in any storms, instead they moved off away from us and we remained completely dry and strangely warm. The wind picked up around 22:30 and Mike put up guy ropes. I got up too and the weather just felt off, warm and windy. We went back to bed and not long after heard the "clanketty-clank" of a cowbell, sheepbell or horsebell. It was one of the La Purdi horses and it wandered about, bell clanking away for hours. At times you could hear it munching the grass at the tent. The grass in the area definitely looked manicured, and now we know why! It got windier as the night wore on and by morning it was cloudy and dark and still very windy. We could see a horse and foal through the tent window, standing just behind the tent. When we got up we saw that the entire herd was up here, having wandered up overnight.We had breakfast inside the little shelter.

We hit the trail just after 08:00 and again just kept making progress along excellent tracks. You barely need to navigate, you just keep your eyes open for the red and white stripe marker. Farmland and forest. We stopped for tea at a picnic site. They have these all over and even when only walking or cycling routes exist to be serviced by them. It was just really, really windy though. No rain. We had a climb to take us up to 800 m which was exposed and the wind was a battle. We passed many hunting hides and some wartime military defence bunkers. We saw a herd of minute miniature horses, hyperbole I know but they were next level miniature. There was even a baby miniature miniature. You almost couldn't see it. By now we were expecting to be wet as the rain was falling to our left and right over all the hills and valleys. With about 2 km to go to our planned end point, the track passed through a beautiful forest with good camping down the hill deep in leaf litter. By some miracle we got the tent up and I packed our stuff inside while Mike went to get more water from a nearby stream further down the hill. Then we quickly showered and were in the tent by the time the rain started. It's been raining pretty hard all afternoon. A nice early finish for us and we relaxed in the tent, the tree canopy keeping the worst of the rain off. A disappointment was that then sausages I bought yesterday which I assumed were some sort of cured meat were actually raw and needed to be cooked. Very sad face. Luckily we have enough food and have shops at Elizondo tomorrow morning after 7km.


We had plenty of rain overnight but set off in dry weather. We knew rain was forecast for the afternoon. Just over 2 km down the track was a picnic site where we had breakfast and from there around 5 km pretty steep downhill on narrow paths, now wet after the rain, to Elizondo. We shopped for the next couple of days and sat in the grounds of a public school to eat. After Elizondo we had a 700 m climb over about 7 km so off we went. It was pretty warm and also dry for about half the climb. Then the rain started.

After the first heavy shower it looked like maybe stopping but returned with a vengeance. We had pack covers and rain jackets on, so our top halves and packs were kept mostly dry but the rest of us were soaked. The climb started in farmland but ended in high forest and when it got down to the last 600 m we still had 140 vertical metres left to climb. Very steep climb on a very narrow path which was a river of clay in very heavy rain. We had planned to check out the shelter marked on our map but when we got there found it locked. It was maybe a hunting lodge or something. We sheltered in the wood store for a bit. There was a possibility for camping just after it but it wasn't that flat so we pressed on to where we could see a forest, but there wasn't good camping there. After passing through the forest we could see up on the ridge in the distance the wooden pole with route markers, Mike said, "Worse case scenario we camp there.". In the end that's what we did, the hike up there wasn't too bad and on top it was open with a lot of grassland being grazed by horses up there. We are camped right at the French border again and as we arrived the rain stopped. We even had a little sunshine, but after all that wetness were cold. The rock formation of Argibel is very striking and the large soaring birds we have seen every night camping are many up here, flying off the rocky ledges. It was in the end 824 m of climbing today.


Very heavy rain all night last night, but the horsebells could be heard clanking away so they weren't scared off by the weather. As there was some sort of hunter's hut 2 km or so along the route and heavy rain forecast for 09:00, we decided to get going and have breakfast there this morning. The walk followed the French-Spanish border for a while before turning back towards Spain. There was no rain but it was quite misty or cloudy. We arrived at the hut which was locked but had some stone benches to sit at under shallow eaves. As we made breakfast it started to rain and grew very heavy. The eaves had no gutters and it was quite hard to shelter under them. Eventually we set off in the rain and that would be the way of things today, we walked in the rain all day. At times it was torrential.

We passed a herd of sheep in the mist with a shepherd walking with them. We stopped to make tea in a forest. We walked down to a road which we crossed where there was a hut with eating area and a double bunk in a bedroom and we stopped for lunch. The walking was really good, beautiful forest, open grazing pastures. The rain set in. After the hut we climbed up into the mist, passed 1200m, thunder rolling above our heads. The descent was steep and often a stream caused by the heavy rain. The soil is very clayey and can be slippery. The path zigzagged down alongside a gorge which became a river. We were to camp just as the gorge flattened out. We came across flat grassy areas alongside the river and the rain got lighter, until we decided where to put the tent when it fell heavily again. We got in and sorted ourselves out and then sat outside for a bit as the sun finally peaked out for a few minutes. From the weather forecast, it looks like the rain will continue for the foreseeable future. At least we have the trail to ourselves and the walking is good.


It didn't rain last night and we walked in dry weather today which we really appreciated. We are finding fabulous places to camp and really missing being able to sit outside and enjoy our surroundings due to the weather. We got an early start as we had 11 km to walk to Buguete-Auritz where there was a supermarket which closed from 13:30 to 16:30. We were on the trail before 08:00 and had a steep climb over the first 4 km. Some of it super steep! After this it was just a nice downhill to the town. We were at the store in very good time and happy with that. We had cycled through this village last year when leaving Spain for France. A Camino also passes through here. The shop was fine with a good variety of things, but we do struggle a bit with the food options here. We bought what we needed for the next couple of days until the next town. We got cornflakes and milk to eat at the picnic tables in the adjacent park, but of course the minute we left the shop it rained hard and do we took shelter under some trees while we boiled some eggs. After 15 minutes or so the rain stopped and we could enjoy some tea and coffee.

We set off into the forest again, passing a field with mares and foals. There are many horses everyday. The forest walking over the next few km's was great and the sky was blue! We passed a good camping spot to get water at the next river and walked back to it. By the time we reached it it was pouring with rain so we ended up setting the tent up under a tree canopy for some rain protection. The forest floor was bare and flat so good camping, but no sun. We had very cold showers and spent the next couple of hours trying to warm up. It was really good that we had no rain while walking.


Very quiet and very dark night under our tree canopy. No rain until this morning of course! We had breakfast in the tent and a later start at 08:50. We had a mostly gentle climb through the forest but the tracks were wet and muddy. The clay soil holds a lot of water. We passed by some horses and a bit later on had a fairly brutal descent down to a tiny village. The path was narrow, slick with rain water and over sometimes very slippery rocks. In the end we walked for nearly three hours before our first proper break for morning tea in the village centre. The village was called Orbara and had an encouraging sign carved in wood suggesting coffee and bread was available. When we got to the village square the coffee and bread place was obviously undergoing renovations, judging by the painter's van parked outside. We sat on a stone bench with backrest and made tea and coffee. We decided to have lunch as it was already 11:30. We were visited by all the village cats, maybe 7 or 8 in total. There was a large stone church and quite a few houses. Not one person to be seen.

We climbed up to Hiriberri, next village, this time with dogs and also a man doing renovations. Not one other person. Even the water fountains were dry. We chanced apon public toilets, a tiny room with a door to the cobbled streets, but the basin tap dispensed water and the toilet flushed so we were able to pick up water, from the basin that is. We continued up the climb through a field of cows up towards where Mike knew there was a spring. Our plan was to pick up more water for a shower and walk to the top of the escarpment, a further 1 km to camp. However, the spring was at the end of a lovely meadow with good camping so even though it was only 15:30 we decided to call it a day. There didn't seem much point in carrying more water for only one more k. May as well carry it over til tomorrow. The weather was pretty bleak today again, misty rain. No wind though which is good. Tomorrow we are supposed to have sunshine! We are going to a town called Ochagavia where we plan to camp in the campsite and have a rest day. It will be nice to have a hot shower and wash our clothes.


We were very happy with our campsite last night, it was flat and comfortable and very quiet. Also our coldest night yet in Spain. I got up around 04:30 to make peepee and the sky was completely clear! You could have seen stars had it not been for the moon shining! So that explained the cold night. The morning was clear with some small clouds and we happily had breakfast outside admiring the morning. We had a climb for the first half of the day, firstly up through the forest above us and then out into the open and up to the escarpment. It was beautiful! The most scenic of all the days yet in Spain! We could see a range of jagged peaks covered in snow in the distance. We really loved it! The horses which you come across everywhere graze the grass down perfectly and up on the higher hilltops it is flat and we could see forever. We reached 1500m today, our highest altitude yet on this hike. Apart from a muddy, narrow path at the start of the day and a bit of that at the end, the walking was easy underfoot.

We could see Ochagavia before we descended to it. It was steep downhill at first but on an easy grassy track. We chose to leave the GR11 route with 4 km to go and picked a local forest trail instead to avoid unnecessary height gain and loss and were happy we did that. The rain started in the last hour of the hike and we made our way carefully through the cobbled streets of the village and out the other side to the campsite. We very seldom use campsites, and this was our first in Spain and very nice too. We spent some time sitting in the restaurant on site waiting while it rained heavily, enjoying our cafe con leche. There was a large undercover area with picnic benches as well. Eventually the rain eased and we got the tent up and headed back to town as the supermarket closed from 14:00 to 18:00. We also visited the pharmacy as my boots and socks have been wet for 5 days and so I now have athletes foot. And also very mus hy and smelly feet. It is a situation best avoided.

Campsites and showers. Now there is a roulette wheel to spin if you are a gambling person. You never know what you are going to get. The temperature is obviously key, more so if you haven't had one in over a week. Even more so if you have been wet for most of that time. The showers at Osate were sublime. So hot you scalded yourself. It was perfect. We slept like logs for nearly 12 hours and then did the laundry. Again, the campsite did not disappoint with really high quality machines and now our clothes are clean and dry. No rain today and it even got sunny in the late afternoon.We met another hiker, Padraig from Cork, Ireland. He had been hiking the same section as us and is getting the bus to Pamplona from here tomorrow. He was a top bloke as he gave us a brand new gas cannister and another half full one.

We charged our battery and phones and went back to town for resupply for the next 5 days. Something is up with our solar panel. It won't charge anything anymore, that is even when the sun is out. We only got it this year so this is a bit rubbish. We have decided to buy another battery and just forget the solar power. Our current set up with the 25 000 mAh battery we have gets us through nearly a week so we will be fine with two as we use accommodation often enough.


NO RAIN. Today. Yippee!!!! The entire day was one long climb from our campsite in Ochagavia to about 5 km short of Isaba. No descent at all, just up, up all day. Our packs were really heavy too as we were carrying 5 days worth of food. The next shop en route is in Isaba, but we will go through there on Sunday and so the shop will be closed. Thereafter the next shop is in Candanchu, but there is a better shop about 2 km off trail, in Canfranc. Looking at all this we have decided to take 5 days to walk Ochagavia- Canfranc from where we will get the train to Zaragoza. We have booked into a hotel for three nights there and then travel back the same way to pick up the trail again.

So our packs were very heavy, but we have good food, such as eggs, mayonnaise, breads etc. Ochagavia has a good bakery. The route today was all on a high quality unsealed road. Even though it was a no rain Saturday no one was about, except for a couple we came across in the middle of the day taking a walk. We saw no horses today either, and no rivers or streams. The area we planned to camp looked to possibly have a stream just before it, but there wasn't one Where our walking path turned off the road we could see ahead what looked like a stream crossing and were very happy when, walking along the road a bit more, it was a tiny trickle and we could filter water there. The area we are camping is beautiful. It was a lovely walk all round today, a lot of conifer trees and views of the mountains. We have even sat outside IN THE SUN to eat dinner and enjoy some warmth.


Mike woke in the night feeling nauseous, took a tablet for it but ended up having a puke in the early hours. Fun times. Must have been too much mayonnaise in his egg mayonnaise. Luckily for him it was not raining! Due to this disruption to our sleep, we got up a bit later and left at 09:00. We heard cuckoo's today for the first time in Spain so it must be spring! Mike also spotted our first processional caterpillar....procession, reminding us of how many of them we saw early last year in Spain. We had a 5km downhill stretch to Isaba, a lovely village however pretty useless to us on a Sunday with everything closed. Just before Isaba the trail passed through a lovely old Hermitage and we had morning tea there. After Isaba we climbed a lot, often on road and had our first close up views of the rugged Pyrenees.

The weather was pretty sunny today but we had heavy showers around midday. Beautiful rivers with very clear water. Part of the trail passed an area of dairy farming and we encountered an anxious herd of cows with many babies. One of the babies had wandered across the path so was in the bush to the right of us with all the cows and a bull to the left. We hung back to give the calf time to reunite with the cows who were shrieking at it. The path from here was shredded by the herd of cows, so it was very muddy and sticky. We ended up on the sealed road to avoid a steep climb on the cow path. This added a little distance but was quick walking on a beautiful road.

We left Navarre and entered Aragon, walking up a stunning valley until our route left the open road by means of a narrow path and steep climb. We had very heavy rain for the last half hour so were pretty wet once the tent was up. We are very much in the mountains now for the first time on the hike and the views are outstanding.


It rained very hard overnight and we did well to motivate ourselves and get on the trail around 08:30, in our wet hiking clothes. It looked like a pretty good weather day, cloudy but no rain threatening and we dried out pretty quickly. We had the steep climb up to the Col de Petraficha and it was beautiful. The last bit was deep in snow but we were okay walking through. Over the top the scenery was very dramatic and the snow deep there too. As it was a steep downhill and you couldn't see the end of the snow we used our crampons for the first time and that worked very well. You can't actually feel them on but they very much help the grip. It was steep downhill and we stopped on the way down for tea and lunch.

At the bottom we joined a road and saw quite a few other day walkers and vehicles. The area is a drawcard for nature lovers. We walked up the valley alongside a beautiful river. We climbed up to the top of the valley and found shelter in the little cabin there just in time for heavy rain to hit. We had a snack as we were hungry. When the rain passed we continued down the next valley which was wide and very green with grassy pastures. We had nearly 3 km to walk to a gushing river and found a place to camp. It was a good days walk and we made good progress. We climbed 1031 vertical metres today. By doing those extra few km's we have reduced our climb tomorrow by quite a bit. We were delighted when the sun came out and we could have a river swim and sit outside in the sun and eat. It is pretty unusual to be able to do that! We got in the tent around 19:00 and the rain started again.