Day 4: Bidarray

The trusty old smart watch reported over 8 hours of sleep. It was very nice to wake up knowing I didn't have to move on as I still felt wiped out. I had a feeling of nervousness regarding the possibility of getting a replacement pack in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, but tempered with a sense of hope and trust that it would be OK. I knew that so long as I could get the right pack I could get the walking weight down to a sensible level, probably still heavier than most, but at a level I know I can manage. So, I booked my SNCF tickets on the App, nice and easy! Not so easy was the 2km walk back to Bidarray to the train station, or the bit of concrete the train stops at! It was a nice little journey to St-Jean, and I slowly made my way to Maya Sport. The hope of a great new pack was still alive! Fortunately, the shop had a good looking range of packs, albeit a touch pricey! Concerns of eating into my trekking budget came to mind. I had a good rummage through all the options, and the 60 litre 170 Euro Ferrino Transalp 60 looked superb and took 1st place! However, there was a 60 Euro option of the same capacity but definitely not the same quality which I ended up picking up. As I was approaching the cashier, my sunstroke dazed mind suddenly recalled the memories of the piece of crap that had just fallen apart over the 1st 3 days! What the hell are you thinking Craig?!?! I performed a quick volte face which I believe went  unnoticed! It had to be the Ferrino pack, I couldn't risk another pack disaster! The Ferrino Transalp 60 has amazingly comfortable and secure straps, amazing padding, amazing pocket design and crucially some bottom straps that would hold my tent securely. To top it off, it was a nice colour as well - an understated black and goldy colour! It was the only one left, and something told me this was going to be the best volte face I'd ever made! Screw the budget, this was necessary!

I spent the next couple of hours having a leisurely look around St-Jean-Pied-de-Port, enjoying a couple of relaxed café au laits! The town provides an intersection of the GR10, and the probably more famous Camino de Santiago. The old town is really beautiful, an old city wall and many gates surround it - the most famous is the Port-St-Jacques, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town has a very interesting history, and seems to retain its historic look nicely. It also keeps its tradition of hosting Pilgrims in the very reasonably priced and attractive Gîtes housed in the old town. The food shops all looked awesome as well! For my food supplies I had stocked up at the big and refreshingly air-conditioned Carrefour, so much better than a UK supermarket with quality and choice! I had made sure I bought plenty of options to pack for whatever trekking I would plan on doing tomorrow and the next few days! I would ditch whatever gear necessary to make room!!

The rest of the day was spent at the campsite, getting much needed food and hydration slowly into the system, as the stomach was still not back to 100% in wanting to keep things down! But some heatwave melted Ementhal went perfectly into a nice baguette, food heaven! The campsite had it's own river swimming area, so I took advantage to keep cool and I'm sure it aided recovery! In the late afternoon/early evening a very friendly Irish lady turned up to camp. I noticed her small pack was exactly the same as my 'day' use backpack at home!! 9kgs all in, wow! Mind you, a £400 tent that looked incredible and was super light, helps so much with pack weight! Seems like a great investment. As we chatted, I was able to recount my travails for the last two days, and finally to start to have a good laugh about it all, very therapeutic. I think that chat and laugh put me right back on track in the mind, and I gradually became determined not to miss out on the next two stages, as I had been planning to skip them by public transport in my earlier periods of malaise!