If you aren’t Spanish, the start of the Camino is very likely here, in St. Jean Pied de Port. The extra day over the Pyrannese offers some of the best scenery of the entire trip. Wait out the rain if you have any. The views are worth it.
Luggage forwarding can be done at the post office, but it is MUCH cheaper to send things from within Spain. We found this out the SECOND time we sent things forward.