# Day 0 - Ups, Downs, Tribbles and Shit - Irun to Pasai Donibane - ~20km
Up at like 5.30 am - this is no bueno! Weirdos getting up, being noisy, even before the mandatory 6.30 am lights on - they actually start walking at 6am in the pitch black - sun doesn’t rise until 8am - so they intend to walk for 2 hours without being able to see anything what is the point!
I lie in bed for an hour - 6.30 arrives and I can get some nice coffee (and some stale bread with jam…) - I try to do some meditation but can’t quite accomplish the state of zen outside the albergue (hostel) sat on concrete…need to touch grass haha - I leave the hostel at around 7 its still dark but I only go as far as the town limits and sit on a bench until there is some light - the whole rest of the hostel march past me looking puzzled that I have already stopped after less than a km…
The first 30 mins or so of walking is along a river with some small up hill sections nothing particularly steep yet - pass some interesting cows! Eventually the steepness starts to increase - my bag is too heavy for this…I am too unfit…the worst has yet to come.
The first landmark on todays walk is the “Hermitage of Guadalupe” - some amazing views of Hondarribia…
Side Note: What I thought was a napoleonic fort with modern flats built inside it yesterday - is in fact the 16th century walled old town of Hondarribia (also known as Fuenterrabia in Spanish) - there are no modern flats…its a very pretty little place!
After the Hermitage I have a choice of the low road or the high road - the low road consists of walking through forested paths for the majority of the day with occasional views inland - the high road requires a ridiculous steep climb followed by exquisite views of the coast and the bay of biscay - I choose the high road - the initial climb to reach the ridge is 100m of ascent over 300m - this is fucking steep - not really a hill more like a ladder…I nearly die - it takes me 30 mins with multiple stops…eventually you come out of the trees onto the open ground - perfect Wimbledon grass everywhere provided by the sheep - they also provides tonnes and tonnes of shit…the views are stunning - still another 300m of ascent to reach the top at ~500m - this is over a good few km though so not so tough but it will still be difficult…
For the next 10km or so there are continuous unobstructed views of both the ocean and the Pyrenees mountains - it was defo worth the “climb”!
The ridge is called Jaizkibel - it has a series of towers built along it a reminder that this part of the world has been fought over many times!
Now it’s time for the decent - I thought this would be the easy part right? Up is difficult, down is fun? How wrong was I - nearly the majority of the decent is across uneven rocks - I come soo close to snapping my ankle multiple times - eyes down nearly the entire way making sure my feet are going in the right place…I am in awe of the few “trail runners” I see coming along the path - such skill and coordination to be able to run down this - it must go soo wrong for them sometimes though…
The last part of the decent is through the forest - nearly the entire way is covered in the spiky shells of chestnuts - it looks like a tribble invasion!
I eventually come out into the town of Lezo - just as the one local store is closing (1.30 pm siesta…) - I get a giant bottle of water and chug it - I forgot to fill up at the hermitage and have been rationing my water - note to self for rest of the walk always always fill up when you can! I sit on my bum outside the shop for about 40 mins and continue to listen to my audio book - really enjoying the culture series - player of games particularly!
At this point I decide getting to Donostia-San Sebastian on my first day isn’t happening I will stay in Pasai Donibane tonight - just another few kms away.
The main square in Pasai Donibane sits on the side of the estuary leading into the port - I sit down to eat - patatas bravas and garlic prawns with a glass of local white wine - this is the life!
I will tell you about tonights hostel in the Hermitage of Santa Ana tomorrow - similar penitential vibes…