Today calls for patience and a steady breath. You climb well over 1,000 metres, almost all day, and the steepest section is a long, tough haul where you simply need to find your own pace. There’s not much descent to speak of. At just over 5 hours of walking it isn’t a long day, but the mountain won’t be hurried.
Along the way you cross the border. France stays behind you, Spain lies ahead. It is also the end of the Via Tolosana. At Somport your route joins the Camino Aragonés, so if you want to carry on to Santiago, you simply keep walking from here. At the top lies the pass between the Pyrenees, where the clouds drift in wisps along the mountain ridges.