Fuel

There were just two places where I felt I was lucky to get a bottle of Meths (for my alcohol burning stove) - Salardu and Tavascan. My stove can also cope with wood which was my plan B, and can use Esbit tablets. However I didn't have any of these. Half a dozen of these would be a good plan C.

I failed consistently to check on gas supplies as I was not using it myself, and in trying to remember everything else it tended to slip my mind. However others have already done this. My new gas stove is the MSR Superfly which works with both cylinder types and something of that sort would be highly advisable if you did want to use gas. As an alternative ESBIT (I think) make a converter to allow a screw-type head to work on a camping-gaz type canister.

I won't go into all the pluses and minuses of different fuels here, other than to say that for this particular trip I would definitely go with using alcohol again. The new stove and pot system was a major success.

Diet

On the dietary front I made some changes. For starters, by avoiding refuges I was able to stay vegetarian for the entire trail, something that was out of the question in 2000. I reduced my reliance on massive doses of carbs and upped the fat and protein content considerably (mostly with cheese, but also with butter and eggs). Sometimes I was able to cook close to the point of purchase to save some of the weight carried on my back,but of course this initially made no difference to the weight on my legs. I carried more dried fruit and nuts but fewer museli bars. In general I treid to eat less at a time but more often.

Once my initial supply of nice French Bio Muesli was exhausted I switched to bread. The bread in Gavarnie was especially good, but the bread in Spain is generally poor. I always had a healthy supply of biscuits ("Palets Breton") for afternoon tea (a most important and enjoyable moment in the day). Over time I acquired a selection of drinks - black tea, red tea (Te Rojo), Rooibos and hot chocolate. In France I could get real cocoa powder, but in Spain, as usual, there was only a poor subsitute available. Better than nothing at all I guess. A bit of variety is quite important on a long trail*.

Cheese (for those that like it and can digest it) is the one commodity that can be found in remote places at regular intervals. And it is unfailingly excellent.

* My favourite story about food variety comes from NZ. I read there of a pair of hunters who set off for a week or so in the bush. For sustenance they carried only a very large bag of porridge. But for variety they had 8 different food dyes. One for each day of their trip. Sweet as bro!

Resupply

Elsewhere I have recorded the places and the days where I was able to resupply. There was only one place that remains inexplicably (and in my view inexcusably) poor and that is Salardu. It is so badly run it just cries out for competition and replacement. Both seem unlikely to occur any time soon. 

In contrast Tavasacan, while a little more expensive, was adequate to the task and the woman most helpful. Generally I find France is better than Spain for food, particularly if you care about health even a little bit.

Water

For most of the central section water is readily available from streams or lakes. It may need treatment, but at least it exists. However in the Basque country and on some of the crests near the end there are stretches with little or no water. It was something to which one should devote a certain degree of attention. 

I have recorded about 30 water points in these areas which may be of use in planning stops or refills. Generally these are all flowing (one or two may have a tap). I make no statement about the water quality so that remains an individual judgement. I used them and apparently have suffered no ill effects. And it is not an exhaustive list as I didn't include a few houses where I may have obtained a refill or streams in areas where one would normally expect to find water.

For a small number of my campsites near the beginning I was very glad to have the capacity of four bottles (600ml, 750ml, 1000ml and 1500ml) to carry in water for overnight and the next morning.