Camino de Santiago de Compostela

[koshka14]

Hello, I've never travelled alone before and I'm just a bit anxious about my plan! Can any experienced pilgrims tell me if this is a good plan? I can't walk it all at once due to time and money constraints so I'm hoping to just do the first stretch this year and then hopefully complete it in the future. I haven't booked flights yet but this is my rough plan for getting to and from the Camino:
Flight- Gatwick to Biarritz, arriving at 9:30am.
Train Biarritz--> SJPP changing at Bayonne, arrive around 15:00.
Stay overnight somewhere in SJPP (should I prebook?) and then leave in the morning.
After 5 days walking hopefully get to Estella?
Stay overnight in Estella then bus to Pamplona. Change onto a bus from Pamplona--> Bilbao
Flight from Bilbao to Stansted 13:40 or 21:55 (not sure if its feasible to get to Bilbao for the earlier one-I'm finding the Spanish bus websites very hard to understand!)
Also from what I've read its easier/cheaper to get from Estella--> Bilbao than Estella--> Biarritz, is that true?
I'm a bit nervous!
Suzy

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola Suzy - when are you thinking of doing this? If you give the forum's travel experts a date or range of dates they will work it out I'm sure. Depending on when you intend to arrive will also determine whether it is best to book in St Jean. You can reach Estella comfortably in 5 days in my view.
From what I can see there is a regular bus service from Estella to Pamplona and from Pamplona to Bibao: for the latter there is a bus at 10am arriving in Bilbao at 11.15am http://www.autobuseslaunion.com/pdf/bilbao-pamplona.pdf

Best wishes

John

[tyrrek]

Hi Suzy!

That looks very reasonable to me. Five days to Estella may involve doing the full SJPP-Roncesvalles stage on Day 1, but if you wanted to break that stage you could just end in Puente la Reina instead or try to make up time elsewhere.

If you do make it as far as Estella and have the energy walk the additional hour or so to the Fountain of Wine at Irache, give a toast to St James and pledge to return! Then walk back to Estella. That would be a great ending!

You don't say what time of year you're travelling, but I think if you're arriving mid-afternoon in SJPP rather than on the last train you should be fine. Even on the last train you'd probably be fine.

Buen Camino!

[sagalouts]

Hi Suzy
Stansted to Biarritz by Ryanair is cheaper (book in advance) the air port is half way between Biarritz and Bayonne so bus to Bayonne rail station ( bus stop just to the left outside exit) by the time you reach SJPP you will have already met a few people.lots of time to get a bed for the night,the Pilgrim office will help.
yes you can make it to Estrella.
Ryanair fly Santander to Stansted but not from Bilbao bus to Santander airport from Bilbao bus station
another option is walk to Estrella but don't stay the night there if there are afternoon buses to Bilbao via Pamplona.that way you have lots of time in Bilbao before your flight (great city)
I did something similar in April but caught a bus from Logrono-, can be reached from Estrella plus you get a pre-view of the way forward for when you return.
Buen Camino
Ian

[koshka14]

Thanks so much for your replies. I didn't realise that Ryanair went to Biarritz too-thats good news!
The Fountain of Wine idea sounds great, I'll defo do that if I have the time.
I'll be arriving in the second half of August and I'm hopefully booking flights this week once I make my mind up whether to go in the last week of August or the previous week. It looks like flights are cheaper midweek so I'll probably start on a tuesday or wednesday. I think I just need to be brave, stop worrying and go ahead and book!
Thank you for the link to the bus timetable too, I never would have found that!
Suzy