If We Decide to Come Home . . .

[Frank66]

Hi Forum Family,
due to time constraints this year, we are walking from Rocenvalles and probably will end up somewhere around Leon.
What are our best options for getting back to London Stansted (Where my car will be patiently waiting)
I was considering public transport to Santiago, and then a flight from there. Are there any other options I should consider (walking to Santiago isn't an option due to work calendars), and I realise that I can't fly to UK from Leon or Burgos.
Any input always welcome . . . . Recommendations and reasons as to why they are good ones please
Ps looking at arriving back in the UK weekend 23rd/24th September..

Buen Camino!

 

[Bradypus]

I would suggest Madrid. Direct Alsa buses from Leon to the airport and flights from Madrid to Stansted.

 

[Frank66]

I would suggest Madrid. Direct Alsa buses from Leon to the airport and flights from Madrid to Stansted.

Hi, thanks for the quick response - will look into that

 

[notion900]

The bus to Madrid airport is the answer (search 'Madrid Barajas' on the ALSA website).

 

[grayland]

Also check flight from Bilbao.
Lufthansa is active there..and maybe some of the low cost peeps.

 

[Kanga]

There is another thread running at the moment on Bla Bla Car which seems very popular in Spain. You might consider that as an option for at least part of the journey. Here is the thread

 

[timr]

@Frank66 I just came home on Saturday evening midway from Burgos, and had looked at options, deciding on Madrid for the biggest choice of direct flights (to Dublin in my case). I booked my ALSA bus from Burgos direct to the airport, which is definitely worth doing as it cuts down the hassle of getting from central Madrid to the airport. Some buses go to the airport and some don't. Worth booking ahead - my (particular) bus was full and I got the last seat booking about 10 days in advance. I don't know why, but I always have difficulty getting ALSA to accept a payment but the movelia site http://www.movelia.es/en/index.html always works perfectly for me.

 

[Mckarash]

I recently got the train from Sahagun (near Leon) to Bilbao and flew to Stanstead for £25. No hassles at all. Bilbao does some silly cheap midweek flights.

 

[bhavagrahidasa]

I also think Madrid is your best answer especially considering the cost of the flights. The cheapest from Santiago that weekend is £224 on the Saturday and £77 (or £121 with checked bag) and those prices are bound to rise.

Madrid, on the other hand, has Saturday flights starting from £24 (or £ 53 with bag) and only a pound or two cheaper on Sunday.

There were no cheaper flights in my search from places such as La Coruna so if it was me i would bus to Madrid and catch a flight from there.

Edited to include the above suggestion of Bilbao at £30 or £46 with a checked bag and if you really needed another alternative Zaragoza has an evening flight starting at £22.

Buen Camino.

 

[timr]

I don't know why, but I always have difficulty getting ALSA to accept a payment but the movelia site http://www.movelia.es/en/index.html always works perfectly for me.

Just to be clear, you can pay for your ALSA bus on the movelia site.

 

[WGroleau]

Also check flight from Bilbao.

Bus from Burgos or Bilbao to London (Alsa/Eurolines) is around €120 and takes 24-29 hours. I've flown from Manchester to Bilbao for €75 and Bilbao to Gatwick for similar (Vueling). I've noticed that Barcelona and Madrid seems to often have lower costs than other places.

 

[Thornley]

Hi, thanks for the quick response - will look into that

And what did you end up doing?

 

[HelenPenfold2018]

Hi Forum Family,
due to time constraints this year, we are walking from Rocenvalles and probably will end up somewhere around Leon.
What are our best options for getting back to London Stansted (Where my car will be patiently waiting)
I was considering public transport to Santiago, and then a flight from there. Are there any other options I should consider (walking to Santiago isn't an option due to work calendars), and I realise that I can't fly to UK from Leon or Burgos.
Any input always welcome . . . . Recommendations and reasons as to why they are good ones please
Ps looking at arriving back in the UK weekend 23rd/24th September..

Buen Camino!

Hi
A friend and I walked 260 ml in May, ending in Sahagun, a bit before Leon, where, incidentally, you can get a beautiful certificate from one of the churches to say you’ve walked half the Camino.

We got a train direct to Bilbao and a very cheap flight from there to Stansted.

Good luck

Helen