Julesy McJulesface
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Sept 2020 Le Puy
I am planning to walk Sept 2020. I will have my 40th birthday while overseas.
I was to'ing and fro'ing as to which route to take, as I realistically only have two weeks to walk, initially the Frances seemed the natural choice, but for some reason the Le Puy is very appealing to me over the other choices. I am a competent bush walker who completes long day walks as well as multiday walks solo, being entirely self sufficient with my own pack and equipment. The reasons why I walk are to switch off, focus inwards and not 'need' to make others feel comfortable or supported. Sounds rather selfish, but in my professional life (midwife), I give so much of myself to others, that my walking and the introspection it provides really recharges my batteries. I do like some social interaction at some points though, I am not a total hermit...just a partial one ;-) I love hills and forests rather than coastal views and I prefer uneven footing over paved/hard surfaces. I am quite excited at the thought of Le Puy!
I am looking at walking from Le Puy to Conques as that seems a nice part to do in the time I have. I typically prefer to walk at the very least 20km a day as when solo with only my thoughts for company, I seem to move pretty quickly- given that, I feel I could walk further than Conques in the time I have but also don't want to unnecessarily rush the experience, so am open to what others think of my prospective route.
I am contemplating booking my accomodation through an agency, which is very unlike me as I like to be totally independent and budget-conscious ,but in these initial stages it all seems quite overwhelming to plan out. Living in Australia, I have ventured to South East Asia several times and feel confident winging it there....but Europe! Wowsers, that's so far out of my comfort zone.
The quote I have obtained so far as a solo, self guided traveller with breakfasts and luggage (!a new thing for me) transfers included for 13 days via an Australian company from Le Puy to Conques is $2900 AUD. I am awaiting an international company to provide a quote too.
At the conclusion of my walk, my husband will be meeting me so that we may celebrate our wedding anniversary and the following day, my 40th birthday together. We then intend to travel to Zaragoza, Spain and base ourselves there for a few days so that he may spectate at the Moto GP race in Aragon. He is flying into Barcelona and we will both depart via Barcelona. He is assuming he can hire a car in Spain and travel via road to meet me. I assume I am best to fly into Lyon and then catch a train/bus to Le Puy if I do go ahead with that route.
Am I on the right track , pun intended, with my selection of Camino, given my motivations for, and style of walking? Europe is seeming so daunting to me and far more expensive than South East Asia has been in the past. I would genuinely appreciate any guidance or suggestions so that I can get this dream rolling into more of a reality.
If you made it all the way through this long post, well done to you!
I was to'ing and fro'ing as to which route to take, as I realistically only have two weeks to walk, initially the Frances seemed the natural choice, but for some reason the Le Puy is very appealing to me over the other choices. I am a competent bush walker who completes long day walks as well as multiday walks solo, being entirely self sufficient with my own pack and equipment. The reasons why I walk are to switch off, focus inwards and not 'need' to make others feel comfortable or supported. Sounds rather selfish, but in my professional life (midwife), I give so much of myself to others, that my walking and the introspection it provides really recharges my batteries. I do like some social interaction at some points though, I am not a total hermit...just a partial one ;-) I love hills and forests rather than coastal views and I prefer uneven footing over paved/hard surfaces. I am quite excited at the thought of Le Puy!
I am looking at walking from Le Puy to Conques as that seems a nice part to do in the time I have. I typically prefer to walk at the very least 20km a day as when solo with only my thoughts for company, I seem to move pretty quickly- given that, I feel I could walk further than Conques in the time I have but also don't want to unnecessarily rush the experience, so am open to what others think of my prospective route.
I am contemplating booking my accomodation through an agency, which is very unlike me as I like to be totally independent and budget-conscious ,but in these initial stages it all seems quite overwhelming to plan out. Living in Australia, I have ventured to South East Asia several times and feel confident winging it there....but Europe! Wowsers, that's so far out of my comfort zone.
The quote I have obtained so far as a solo, self guided traveller with breakfasts and luggage (!a new thing for me) transfers included for 13 days via an Australian company from Le Puy to Conques is $2900 AUD. I am awaiting an international company to provide a quote too.
At the conclusion of my walk, my husband will be meeting me so that we may celebrate our wedding anniversary and the following day, my 40th birthday together. We then intend to travel to Zaragoza, Spain and base ourselves there for a few days so that he may spectate at the Moto GP race in Aragon. He is flying into Barcelona and we will both depart via Barcelona. He is assuming he can hire a car in Spain and travel via road to meet me. I assume I am best to fly into Lyon and then catch a train/bus to Le Puy if I do go ahead with that route.
Am I on the right track , pun intended, with my selection of Camino, given my motivations for, and style of walking? Europe is seeming so daunting to me and far more expensive than South East Asia has been in the past. I would genuinely appreciate any guidance or suggestions so that I can get this dream rolling into more of a reality.
If you made it all the way through this long post, well done to you!
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