Valcarlos to Roncesvallles?

[JP]

Old broken down down 62 year old wants to know. How hard is the climb from Valcarlos to Roncesvalles compared to the Napoleon Route, a lot easier or about the same?

 

[whariwharangi]

Old broken down down 62 year old wants to know. How hard is the climb from Valcarlos to Roncesvalles compared to the Napoleon Route, a lot easier or about the same?

No idea.

Given the main road follows the Valcarlos route, makes only 1055m vice 1450m, is open in winter, and has a place to stay midway at Valcarlos, what would you think?

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Old broken down down 62 year old wants to know. How hard is the climb from Valcarlos to Roncesvalles compared to the Napoleon Route, a lot easier or about the same?

The Valcarlos route begins at about 350mtr. and ends at about 1150mtr.
It's a very nice route to walk according to my wife,she walked this route in 2013.

Wish you a wonderful time and a Buen Camino.,Peter.

 

[mspath]

JP,

The Pilgrim Office in SJPdP will give you a simple schematic map showing both routes; here is a copy of that map .

Do you have a reservation in Valcarlos ? The municipal albergue is great and you can reserve there. Nearby the Casa Marcelino has good food and also rooms.

Between SJPdP and Valcarlos there is only one place for food/water/petrol near the old frontier; between Valcarlos and Roncesvalles there is no place for food nor water. Be prepared!

Do read/consider what has been written earlier in praise of the Valcarlos route.


Good luck and Buen camino!

 

[Lance Chambers]

The first part of the route past Orisson, then La Croix, and the Fountain of Roland was hard but manageable but the last 3+ kms into Roncesvalles down the steep path almost finished be off a couple of times as I fought to keep my feet.

The next two days were agony as the muscles at the front of my upper leg and my calf muscles were in agony. Took me two days to recover.

 

[cher99840]

My recent experience: Arrived SJPP a day early so on April 14 walked to Orrison for lunch and then returned to SJPP. FitBit staircases = 235. On April 15 walked to Valcarlos. On April 16 from Valcarlos to Roncevalles, FitBit staircases = 252.

 

[wes]

I'm assuming you're going to stay overnight in Valcarlos. The mere fact that the Valcarlos to Roncesvalles walk is 11 kms less than St Jean to Roncesvalles makes it far easier. Nor is it as relentlessly ascending, although there's still enough steep stretches to raise your heart rate and test your hamstrings, and at the end there's still the same plunge down into Roncesvalles. But it's a wonderful route, picturesque with beautiful wooded areas.
When I walked the route Napoleon I'd had enough by the time I reached Roncesvalles. When I started from Valcarlos, I was untroubled to continue on to Burguete.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

How hard is the climb from Valcarlos to Roncesvalles compared to the Napoleon Route, a lot easier or about the same?

Roughly, if you stay at Orrison you do 600m of elevation gain on day one and 600m on day two.

If you stay at Valcarlos you do 200m of elevation gain on day one and 600m on day two.

 

[John Sikora]

I walked this route (Valcarlos) a couple of years ago. It's certainly doable (I was 65 at the time), but it does have some fairly steep stretches so it's not "easy". There are some really great views along the way and I didn't run into many people along the route which made it nice as well. I know this is a bit wrong in many people's books but I talked with a pilgrim who couldn't find a place to stay in Orisson so they ended up walking to Orisson on one day, talking taxi back to St Jean and staying the night here and then taxing back to Orisson for the next day's walk to Roncesvalles. Seemed like an interesting way to split the difference. Not sure what arrangements or how far in advance they had to make them. There is about a 300m difference between the two high points of the trails so it's not trivial. While I would like to walk the Napoleon route, there are enough steep stretches and views in my book to keep me happy and walking the Valcarlos route is a good way to get started. After all, you have a long way to go. Why push it too much on the first day. I also liked Valcarlos accomodations. There are some nice cheap private rooms in houses. Just an opinion.

If it helps, here are a couple of links that might help you a bit. They show the walk from St. Jean to Valcarlos and from Valcarlos to Roncesvalles. Doesn't show every step but gives you a good idea of the terrain. It's got the Google Earth tour, some pictures, and excerpts speeded up (8x) of the walk. Just skip through as needed.

St. Jean to Valcarlos:

Valcarlos to Roncesvalles:

 

[poogeyejr]

I'm assuming you're going to stay overnight in Valcarlos. The mere fact that the Valcarlos to Roncevalles walk is 11 kms less than St Jean to Roncesvalles makes it far easier.

YES!

 

[Annie Little]

I did valcarlos last year .... have not done napoleon ...... I stayed in valcarlos overnight ..... I was 60 had not trained but was happy with my efforts .... there is only one way to go over a mountain .... UP .... so it has its difficulties ... second day made my heart pound ...

The only thing I found was that when I started off early morn from st Jean .... I was on my own for quite a way which was both beautiful and a tad concerning .... but I just thought " well I'm here so let's walk "

Ultreia

 

[JP]

I stopped at Orisson and continued on to Roncevalles in 2014, glad I did! I was with my girlfriend and we would not have reached Roncesvalles alive if we would have done it in one day. This time I am alone, I will walk to Valcarlos and see in what condition I am in when I reach it, if I am a wreck I will stop for the night. Starting from Valcarlos the next day and pushing on to Burgete might be a good option. I have 4 days to reach Pamplona and then I take a train/taxi to get to Terradillos de Templario my second starting point and from there it is all the way to Santiago.