Just returned from Camino Frances!

[Jan_89]

Hello peregrinos!

I just returned from Camino Frances! It was soooo fantastic! My mind is still there! If you wanna recommend/help with something, just ask me..

I have to go again asap!

Buen Camino!

Jan

 

[november_moon]

Congratulations!!! We've been back for 3 months and my mind is still there too

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Congratulations! Buen camino for the next one.

 

[PANO]

Hello peregrinos!
I just returned from Camino Frances! It was soooo fantastic! My mind is still there! If you wanna recommend/help with something, just ask me..
I have to go again asap!
Buen Camino!
Jan

Congrats! I did it one year ago, and it is STILL on my mind....every day!

 

[talasilaa]

Hi

I am starting the camino Frances on Sept 1st are the alburgues still crowded and how will the weather be ???
I am obviously worrying too much ; but few tips
Will be much appreciated.

Ash

 

[PANO]

Hi
I am starting the camino Frances on Sept 1st are the alburgues still crowded and how will the weather be ???
I am obviously worrying too much ; but few tips
Will be much appreciated. Ash

Ash, according to my last year's experience: Best time of the year and on the entire way, I only got one fully occupied albergue...easily to replace by another. Don't worry, be happy. Buen Camino!

 

[talasilaa]

Thank you so much ! Buen Camino

 

[Diefenbaker]

Hello peregrinos!

I just returned from Camino Frances! It was soooo fantastic! My mind is still there! If you wanna recommend/help with something, just ask me..

I have to go again asap!

Buen Camino!

Jan

Congrats Jan,
Be careful though, if you keep looking at these forum pages you'll soon be planning your next one. I only started looking at the forum again to see if anything new was happening on the Camino and now I'm planning my next one two years earlier than I'd promised myself. The forum is as addictive as the camino itself.

 

[Tamar's camino]

Hello peregrinos!

I just returned from Camino Frances! It was soooo fantastic! My mind is still there! If you wanna recommend/help with something, just ask me..

I have to go again asap!

Buen Camino!

Jan

Hello Jan,
Welcome back.. I plan to go at the end of September from st. Jean.,
This will be my first time.
Did you carry a lot of things you found you didn't really need?
Did you have room to sleep wherever you stopped?
What kind of shoes did you ware ?

Thank you for helping/ sharing!!

T

 

[Arn]

Tamar...you have opened the flood gates by asking those questions. Stand by for incoming.

Well done Jan, the Camino will be with you always and you can always go back. Buen Camino.

 

[clearskiescamino]

Well done Jan!
Buen Camino...now to plan for your next Camino

 

[Walk This Way]

welcome home congratulations on your journey!

 

[Kanga]

It's just great isn't it? So nice to see the enthusiasm. Well done Jan, a true achievement, just wonderful.

 

[Jan_89]

Hi

I am starting the camino Frances on Sept 1st are the alburgues still crowded and how will the weather be ???
I am obviously worrying too much ; but few tips
Will be much appreciated.

Ash

Hello Ash!

If you are going the whole Camino Frances - don't worry, you can always be in albergue, the cheaper one could be full, but there are a loooot of albergues and aren't so expensive - mostly 5 - 10 euros.. The worst it is last 100km - many people and sometimes is good to reserve some albergue..

I had really good weather - sometimes hot, sometimes cloudy, but in Galicia it was rainy a lot..

Hope I helped a bit..

BUEN CAMINO and enjoy your way!

Jan

 

[Samantha.V.]

Any idea where the best flight deals are at the moment?

Where do I fly to for Saint Jean??

I hope to fly out on Tuesday.

And would you recommend not booking a return flight to give myself time??

I'm flying out from England btw

 

[Jan_89]

Hello Jan,
Welcome back.. I plan to go at the end of September from st. Jean.,
This will be my first time.
Did you carry a lot of things you found you didn't really need?
Did you have room to sleep wherever you stopped?
What kind of shoes did you ware ?

Thank you for helping/ sharing!!

T

Thank you!

Well..
I think I was well prepared for my journey.. And I used everything what I had.. I didn't need my sleeping pad and pillow, because I thought I will sleep outside sometimes, but shower and bed are good things..
I'm sure every max. 15km you can find albergue and in big towns/villages there are a lot of places to stay..
I was wearing low trekking shoes and it is much better than high hiking boots.. I had gore tex shoes - Mammut Tatlow GTX, very good for me..

Hope I helped..

Buen Camino!

Jan

 

[Jan_89]

Any idea where the best flight deals are at the moment?

Where do I fly to for Saint Jean??

I hope to fly out on Tuesday.

And would you recommend not booking a return flight to give myself time??

I'm flying out from England btw

I traveled to St. Jean by bus only, so I don't have any experiences with flights.. I think you should fly to Bordeaux or Biarritz and then take a train/bus to St. Jean.

You should book your return flight on the way in a big city, because you don't know how long you will walk..

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Where do I fly to for Saint Jean??

I'm flying out from England btw

Biarritz is the closest airport in France, then take the train to SJPdP from Bayonne. Pamplona is about the same distance in Spain, then requires a bus or taxi ride to SJPdP.

 

[Samantha.V.]

I traveled to St. Jean by bus only, so I don't have any experiences with flights.. I think you should fly to Bordeaux or Biarritz and then take a train/bus to St. Jean.

You should book your return flight on the way in a big city, because you don't know how long you will walk..

Thank you I appreciate that, and well done on your journey. I can't wait to start mine. I have now booked the flight to Biarritz, Sam

 

[craigmiller]

Hello peregrinos!

I just returned from Camino Frances! It was soooo fantastic! My mind is still there! If you wanna recommend/help with something, just ask me..

I have to go again asap!

Buen Camino!

Jan

Congratulations Jan:
We have heard from this forum that the final stages are very crowded. Did you have any problems getting accommodation towards the end? Any particular bottlenecks to avoid?
thanks

 

[Jan_89]

Congratulations Jan:
We have heard from this forum that the final stages are very crowded. Did you have any problems getting accommodation towards the end? Any particular bottlenecks to avoid?
thanks

Thank you!

Well, in this time from Sarria it was very crowded.. Sometimes we booked albergue, just for sure, you know.. But mostly it was not full.. If you will make your daily stage to 2-3pm, I'm sure it will be ok!

 

[marymcc1]

Hi Jan - I did SJPdP -Logroño last Sept and no late August heading to just wondering about the section Logroño to Leon - any suggestions for this particular section?
Will I need my walking poles again?? ( I'm thinking not as less climbing this time??) Boots or hiking shoes ... I see you mention shoes - I was glad of my boots in the first section ... though they were warm I liked the support on the rougher ground ... ? did you encounter much rain in this section?
any albergues you liked or any to avoid? - Many thanks & well done on your camino!

 

[filup501]

I wore low cut boots that wrapped around my ankles so to prevent twisting injury and to keep peebles out. Hiking poles helped me keep my balance and distribute the weight of my pack. I had no guide to follow. I just followed people all the way to Santiago. I lost my ATM card in Sarria and people I met along the way helped me survive. I paid everyone back when I got home. I was a tourist, not really a pilgrim. I was touched by all the kindness I experienced along The Way.

 

[Allister]

Well done Jan... We arrive in Biarritz on Friday... Our taxi from there to SJPP is booked for 15.45. We will walk to Hunto from the pilgrims office that night.. then onwards and upwards for 30 days.. So excited after reading this thread...Cant wait.

 

[Jan_89]

Hi Jan - I did SJPdP -Logroño last Sept and no late August heading to just wondering about the section Logroño to Leon - any suggestions for this particular section?
Will I need my walking poles again?? ( I'm thinking not as less climbing this time??) Boots or hiking shoes ... I see you mention shoes - I was glad of my boots in the first section ... though they were warm I liked the support on the rougher ground ... ? did you encounter much rain in this section?
any albergues you liked or any to avoid? - Many thanks & well done on your camino!

Hello!

Well, there are not mountains like Pyrenees (just Montanas de Leon - but it is not so high) and I think for this part are better low trekking shoes, because there are a loooot of fields and you are go on straight way (mostly).. I don't know walking poles, I had a stick and it was good.. The weather was hot in July there and I think in this time is the same..
I have never met any bad albergue on the way, sometimes it is very simple, but clean and ok.

BUEN CAMINO!

Jan

 

[Jan_89]

Well done Jan... We arrive in Biarritz on Friday... Our taxi from there to SJPP is booked for 15.45. We will walk to Hunto from the pilgrims office that night.. then onwards and upwards for 30 days.. So excited after reading this thread...Cant wait.

Great! That's incredible feeling to be on the way! Enjoy every single moment there!

BUEN CAMINO!

Jan

 

[capara]

Hello peregrinos!

I just returned from Camino Frances! It was soooo fantastic! My mind is still there! If you wanna recommend/help with something, just ask me..

I have to go again asap!

Buen Camino!

Jan

Lovely to read your enthusiastic post. I plan to go next year or 2016. Can you tell me if much of the journey involves walking beside busy or moderately busy roads? I don't mind some of that but would not like to walk a lot of the way beside traffic. Thanks for your experienced reflection on this.

 

[Jan_89]

Lovely to read your enthusiastic post. I plan to go next year or 2016. Can you tell me if much of the journey involves walking beside busy or moderately busy roads? I don't mind some of that but would not like to walk a lot of the way beside traffic. Thanks for your experienced reflection on this.

Hello!

Well, some ways are on the quite busy roads, but not much and there are alternative ways - not beside roads.. But I'm sure that when you will be on the Camino, so walk along the roads you will not mind, because everything is great there!

BUEN CAMINO!

Jan

 

[david g]

Congratulations Jan! Don't be surprised when you find yourself slipping references to the Camino into nearly all your conversations from now on, as in " My, what a sunny day. Kind of reminds me of the day I arrived in Pamplona."or"This is really good wine. It tastes just like the wine that I had with pilgrim meals on the Camino." See it as a good thing. Rarely in our lives do we get to experience something as profound and life changing as the Camino.

 

[YMR20]

I finished About 1 week ago! And still there!

 

[capara]

Hello!

Well, some ways are on the quite busy roads, but not much and there are alternative ways - not beside roads.. But I'm sure that when you will be on the Camino, so walk along the roads you will not mind, because everything is great there!

BUEN CAMINO!

Jan

Thank you Jan . I look forward to the experience.

 

[trevorcc]

Hi

I am starting the camino Frances on Sept 1st are the alburgues still crowded and how will the weather be ???
I am obviously worrying too much ; but few tips
Will be much appreciated.

Ash

Just go leave the worries as you take each step, you will be fine.

 

[Tamar's camino]

Thank you!

Well..
I think I was well prepared for my journey.. And I used everything what I had.. I didn't need my sleeping pad and pillow, because I thought I will sleep outside sometimes, but shower and bed are good things..
I'm sure every max. 15km you can find albergue and in big towns/villages there are a lot of places to stay..
I was wearing low trekking shoes and it is much better than high hiking boots.. I had gore tex shoes - Mammut Tatlow GTX, very good for me..

Hope I helped..

Buen Camino!

Jan

Thank you jan

 

[Al the optimist]

I finished About 1 week ago! And still there!

I never finish and am always ther. I wish it was in body as well as in spirit though!