Saint-Michel-Vierge d'Orisson circular on the old Saint-Jacques route

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

Technically interesting to do 1,000 metres of elevation gain, but as mentioned before, too much tarmac for us. Completed in 6 hours 40 minutes.

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Date of your route : Jan 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

After a rainy week, we chose this route to avoid muddy terrain, as it consists of tracks and tarmac. Half of the route is on tarmac, which can become tedious despite the beautiful views (but you can walk on the grassy edges). In winter, there are no encounters and no pilgrims because the road is blocked by snow. We had the privilege of seeing the snow-capped mountains close by, but not on the route itself. The first part on the track (the old St James' Way) is a good alternative to the tarmac road on the new route, which we followed in part on the way back before turning off towards the starting point.
Apart from the length, there were no difficulties. The climb is gradual.

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Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On 16/10/2024, we took this path to reach the Route Napoléon at La Vierge d'Orisson.
This part of the route is magnificent, but unfortunately the rain and strong wind made the junction difficult.
But we have no regrets; it was a wonderful experience.
Having then continued on to Roncesvalles, we have no comments to make about the return to St Michel.
For orientation, you need to be careful when passing point 8. Thank you to the hotelier who warned us.

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Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this easy-to-follow GPS route. The scenery is magnificent (as always in the Basque Country). The return journey is partly along a busier road, but it's easy to take the few small hills that run alongside the road, offering a pleasant little detour!

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We preferred to walk the stage of the Way of St James from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles via the old path rather than the "tarmac pilgrims' motorway".
Thanks to the description of the stage up to the statue of the Virgin Mary, we were able to enjoy magnificent, varied landscapes, peace and quiet, sheep and cows, all perfectly guided and without tarmac.
Of course, although we are used to hiking with our 9kg rucksacks on our backs, it seems that we found the climb more difficult than others, judging by their reviews. :-)

If we hadn't followed the route, we would have got lost. (We set off early with our headlamps, and it was hard to find the small shells, which were sometimes hidden by branches). The description is essential if you plan to do this stage via this magnificent old path.

Thank you for the tip given the night before at the hotel where we stayed and had dinner.

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Date of your route : Jul 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

So, as you can see, I am less enthusiastic than my predecessors on this hike.
The reason is very simple: about two-thirds of the route is on tarmac roads, including the entire return journey and several sections of the climb. Of course, the theme of the hike is in the title and limits the possible routes, but I think users need to be well informed about this.
As for traffic, there was absolutely no one until the Virgin of Orisson, then a large boulevard from the Virgin, mostly pilgrims + motorbikes, bicycles, and cars, until point 16. Again, no one beyond that.
As for the scenery, there's nothing to say, it's the Basque Country!
The elevation gain is not a problem because it is spread out over the entire journey to the Virgin.
I agree with my predecessors on the difficulty and time required; I find them overestimated.

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, long but not difficult, echoing previous comments.
The landscapes are varied (dense, humid forest at the start, mountain pastures at the end of the climb). The entire descent is on a tarmac road. The Orisson refuge is a lovely place to stop: beautiful views and reasonable prices.
As for the directions, at the start there are small signs indicating the original St Jacques route as well as numerous yellow markings. For point 5 ((5) Keep left at this junction and continue the climb.), you do need to keep left, but the path descends slightly (while the one on the right climbs directly) before going back up.

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Date of your route : Apr 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On the way there, a very beautiful hike along easy rural trails. A variety of landscapes – meadows, forests, mountain pastures, etc. The return trip via the GR trail – on a tarmac road! – but with magnificent views of the Basque Country.
We felt that the "Very Difficult" rating and the estimated walking time were overestimated. We didn't meet anyone on the way up.

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Date of your route : Oct 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with no particular difficulties. The 1,000 m cumulative elevation gain is very gradual over the first 14 km. The route starts in woods (beech trees) and meadows. There is a beautiful view when you arrive at the Virgin of Baikori (with horses grazing freely in the pasture) and all along the descent on a small, quiet tarmac road (GR Saint Jacques trail).
The "difficult" rating on the app seems excessive to me. It's true that it's a bit long (21 km), but there are no technical difficulties and the gradient is quite reasonable for an "average" hiker. We did it in 7 hours (not including lunch break) without pushing ourselves.
Be sure to bring water, as the second part of the hike is completely exposed.
Enjoy your hike!

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Date of your route : Oct 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful climb on a dirt track with shade

What a pleasure to arrive at La Vierge

Magnificent scenery on the descent and the plateau.

We walked at a good pace and took 7 hours including breaks (4 hours uphill and 3 hours downhill).

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Thank you for your summary and your enthusiasm. See you soon on the trails, perhaps.

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Date of your route : May 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

No one until the Virgin of Biakorri, a few hikers and tourists until the Orisson refuge, no one on the descent to Saint-Michel.
A superb circular hike that didn't seem very difficult to me. For an experienced hiker, the circular hike is fairly easy, because the climb to the Virgin is a little steep at the start but becomes a gentle slope from the descent at point 8. It's only when you reach the ridge that you need to make one last effort to get to the Virgin and Child of Biakorri or Orisson. The descent is easy and I even allowed myself the luxury of eating a dish of the day for €10 at the Orisson refuge.
All in all, a very beautiful route, off the beaten track on the old Saint-Jacques path (marked as a primitive path with the logo in places) but without much of a view on the way up, on tarmac but with breathtaking scenery throughout the descent. Thank you for this circular route, which I recommend to all experienced hikers.

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