Yet Another Orisson Question

[strangecreature]

Buen Camino Everyone. I’ve looked through the many previous treads in booking at Orisson and I can’t find the specific answer I’m looking for.

I went to the Orisson site, tried to prebook a bed for September 3rd. They sent the email with the PayPal link and I paid through PayPal, I received an email from PayPal with my receipt but I never got any confirmation email from Orisson.

My question is, do they even send a confirmation via email or do you just show them the PayPal receipt? I wondered because all the post on here say they take forever to get back to you but they were all taking about the invoice (It did indeed come to my junk mail folder! Thank you forum members for alerting me to that)

So is there a confirmation email from Orisson and I just have to wait (it’s been 17days since I made the payment) or is the PayPal receipt all you get and I’m waiting for an email that’s never going to come? What do you show them at Orisson to prove you have a booking? Thanks everyone!

 

[trecile]

Nope, no confirmation email, just your PayPal receipt.

 

[Vacajoe]

Your name is simply written down in the book at the bar counter - it’s low-tech but works!

 

[John Finn]

Ask yourself: do you really need to stay in Orisson? When you set out from St Jean you will arrive in Orisson in two hours or less (it took me 1 hour and 40 minutes). Most pilgrims leave St Jean between 6:30am and 7:30am so if staying in Orisson you will have a very long day to contend with. The average time from St Jean to Roncesvalles is 6 hours 25 minutes. Don't waste your time by staying in Orisson. Stop there for a coffee but then keep on keepin' on!

 

[Robert Long]

All due respect to John, but I loved Orisson. I've done that trek twice. The first time SJPP to Roncesvalles, the second time I stopped at Orisson. First, you don't NEED ,to begin walking at 7:30. Rather enjoy a nice b'fast and leave around 10. Get to Orisson in time for lunch, a shower, a beverage, maybe a nap, AND then enjoy a great family style meal with 30 of your close friend. Many of the folks we met in Orisson continued to be our Camino buddies. It's a great way to start. It is also a good way to break up one of the toughest part of the Camino. Relax and remember it is your Camino
Bob

 

[naplesdon]

I agree with Robert. I have walked and stayed there 3 times on foot and visited more often by car for a respite from city life in Biarritz.
One time I walked with a friend from Biarritz who walks daily along the beach. He gave up after 2 hours, saying "it was b.s. that it was just 6 or 7 km up the hill." He thumbed a ride down the hill to where he had parked his car and drove back up for dinner.
To arrive there in 1 hour and 40 minutes sounds very impressive, almost like it was a jog. Not the case for this mere mortal.

 

[tpmchugh]

Buen Camino Everyone. I’ve looked through the many previous treads in booking at Orisson and I can’t find the specific answer I’m looking for.

I went to the Orisson site, tried to prebook a bed for September 3rd. They sent the email with the PayPal link and I paid through PayPal, I received an email from PayPal with my receipt but I never got any confirmation email from Orisson.

My question is, do they even send a confirmation via email or do you just show them the PayPal receipt? I wondered because all the post on here say they take forever to get back to you but they were all taking about the invoice (It did indeed come to my junk mail folder! Thank you forum members for alerting me to that)

So is there a confirmation email from Orisson and I just have to wait (it’s been 17days since I made the payment) or is the PayPal receipt all you get and I’m waiting for an email that’s never going to come? What do you show them at Orisson to prove you have a booking? Thanks everyone!

You dont need to show anything at Orisson. Just turn up, give them your name and they tick you of their checklist. After all, you have your credencial and passport to prove identity, they have your name on a list and besides, you are assumed to be an honest pilgrim.

 

[Old Hillwalker]

An afternoon at Orisson

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

To arrive there in 1 hour and 40 minutes sounds very impressive, almost like it was a jog. Not the case for this mere mortal.

Over one hundred years ago a mountaineer devised a formula to help determine the amount of time to expect to cover distances in the mountains. From GPS data I have he would estimate this trip to take two and a half hours. Pilgrims can use his "rule" on hikes taken at home and compare his estimated time versus their actual time to see how well they might do on the Route Napoleon.

From Wikipedia's article on Naismith's Rule:

Naismith's rule helps with the planning of a walking or hiking expedition by calculating how long it will take to travel the intended route, including any extra time taken when walking uphill. This rule of thumb was devised by William W. Naismith, a Scottish mountaineer, in 1892. A modern version can be formulated as follows:

Allow one hour for every 3 miles (5 km) forward, plus an additional hour for every 2,000 feet (600 m) of ascent.

 

[trecile]

All due respect to John, but I loved Orisson. I've done that trek twice. The first time SJPP to Roncesvalles, the second time I stopped at Orisson. First, you don't NEED ,to begin walking at 7:30. Rather enjoy a nice b'fast and leave around 10. Get to Orisson in time for lunch, a shower, a beverage, maybe a nap, AND then enjoy a great family style meal with 30 of your close friend. Many of the folks we met in Orisson continued to be our Camino buddies. It's a great way to start. It is also a good way to break up one of the toughest part of the Camino. Relax and remember it is your Camino
Bob

I totally agree. I recently had my 3rd stay at Orisson. I could have walked to Roncesvalles, but I love the camaraderie and connections that I make at Orisson, and I have plenty of time to walk the Camino. I have never left St Jean early, I get a leisurely breakfast, grab a snack and leave around 11:00.

 

[chinacat]

@Rick of Rick and Peg

I’ve used this since I was first told of it.
I was 12 years old, and on Crib Goch, walking on ice on a knife-edge ridge.
I’ve always run it through my head when out on the hill .... as a rough calculation ... it’s so useful.

 

[John Finn]

.... To arrive there in 1 hour and 40 minutes sounds very impressive, almost like it was a jog. Not the case for this mere mortal.

Not impressive at all, in my view. Just a good walking pace. I had prepared for the Camino for several months by taking regular long walks including hill climbs. My normal walking pace is 4 miles an hour but obviously I would have been somewhat slower on the ascent. Nor was I appreciably faster than many of my fellow walkers that morning a few weeks ago many of whom were walking at a similar pace to myself. I was gratified that at age 67 I was able to do the climb (such as it is - it's not at all difficult and is a very easy mountain to traverse) without any difficulty and in good time.

 

[Leibniz]

Over one hundred years ago a mountaineer devised a formula to help determine the amount of time to expect to cover distances in the mountains. From GPS data I have he would estimate this trip to take two and a half hours. Pilgrims can use his "rule" on hikes taken at home and compare his estimated time versus their actual time to see how well they might do on the Route Napoleon.

From Wikipedia's article on Naismith's Rule:

Naismith's rule helps with the planning of a walking or hiking expedition by calculating how long it will take to travel the intended route, including any extra time taken when walking uphill. This rule of thumb was devised by William W. Naismith, a Scottish mountaineer, in 1892. A modern version can be formulated as follows:

Allow one hour for every 3 miles (5 km) forward, plus an additional hour for every 2,000 feet (600 m) of ascent.

There’s something I never quite understood though. The distances mentioned in guides, are they distances between geographical coordinates or are they *walking* distances taking into account the various inclines and declines?

 

[lizlane]

@Leibniz great question! I want to know too. I suspect they are distances between coordinates but I'd love to hear from someone who knows,

 

[domigee]

I just like Orisson

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

There’s something I never quite understood though. The distances mentioned in guides, are they distances between geographical coordinates or are they *walking* distances taking into account the various inclines and declines?

In my 2015 Brierley guide for the CF he gives you both. He doesn't measure the slopes though; he gives an additional equivalent distance. He uses the modified rule to find the time needed to do the uphill elevation portion of each section and then figures if you walk at 3 kph (not 5 kph) for that many hours what distance would be covered and then adds that to the horizontal distance to get an equivalent distance. He gives the horizontal distance at the top of the first page for each section and a bit below next to a mountain range icon the equivalent distance.

Example for a 20 km horizontal section with 600 m of uphill: Naismith says the uphill portion of the walk will add an hour to your completion time. Brierley says that an hour at 3 kph will cover 3 km. So his equivalent distance is 20 + 3 = 23 km.

By the way, Brierley considers Naismith's 5 kph a fast pace. He considers 4 kph a moderate pace. I think I'm a fast walker (but we are slow ) and a 10 km, 2 hour walk recently got my heart pounding. So consider that when using Naismith's rule.

I did an estimate of how measuring the slope of Route Napoleon would compare to the horizontal distance and got less than 1% difference. (20,500m horizontal, 1,400m elevation change; as an exercise you figure the length of the hypotenuse.)

 

[Vacajoe]

Or DON’T be a pilgrim who wakes up so early, have a leisurely breakfast, check out the parts of SJPdP that others miss as they race out of town, take a nice slow stroll up the hill, and arrive in Orisson stress-free and relaxed, knowing that you have a delightful communal dinner ahead of you!

 

[chinacat]

and visited more often by car for a respite from city life in Biarritz.

To be able to do this sounds just perfect ...

I have a feeling I’ve seen you refer to this ‘habit’ before ... and I don’t think this green tinge suits me anymore now, than it did then ...


@strangecreature

In 2009 I ‘phoned them, and was relieved to be answered by a native English speaker. (My use of the French language requires 24 hours or so to get going.)

 

[jac52]

In deciding whether to stay at Orisson, you need to consider your fitness level, whether you're used to hiking inclines/mountains, that this is probably your first day out, and that you don't know what the weather is going to be like. I had trained a fair amount at home, but mostly on flat terrain. The path from SJPP to Orisson gets pretty steep, pretty quickly. I did it in about 2 1/2 hours, but was glad of the decision to break the route into two. To do the whole walk over the mountain in one day would really have been 'trial by fire'.

 

[Cjoncas]

All due respect to John, but I loved Orisson. I've done that trek twice. The first time SJPP to Roncesvalles, the second time I stopped at Orisson. First, you don't NEED ,to begin walking at 7:30. Rather enjoy a nice b'fast and leave around 10. Get to Orisson in time for lunch, a shower, a beverage, maybe a nap, AND then enjoy a great family style meal with 30 of your close friend. Many of the folks we met in Orisson continued to be our Camino buddies. It's a great way to start. It is also a good way to break up one of the toughest part of the Camino. Relax and remember it is your Camino
Bob

Hi John! I cross the Pyrénées twice and I stayed twice in Orisson! Loved it, don’t miss it!

 

[kayagee66]

For the reply that says the average time to walk SJPdP to Roncesvalles is 6h 25m, I say balderdash. The reply also says most people leave between 6:30 and 7:30am. That implies that most people (quicker than average and average) will arrive between 1 & 2pm. Balderdash.
If the weather is good Orisson has the best terrace on the camino. The walk from SJPdP to Roncesvalles is in my opinion easily one of the best walks on the whole camino. Why not split it into two?
There is a great camaraderie to be found in Orisson. Of the people I met on the CF the ones I’m in regular contact with I met at Orisson. If you stay in Orisson you can have a leisurely breakfast and walk and still arrive in Orisson early. You will have to wait to check in anyway.
The following morning you can have another leisurely breakfast and start, knowing that those people who will be coming through from SJPdP will have to have started 2 hours before to get to the point you are at.
I have actually done both. Stopping at Orisson and going straight past. I’ve enjoyed both immensely. But the afternoon in the sun, sitting on the terrace, looking at the view and chatting to others is one of the best days I’ve spent anywhere.

 

[JamesVT]

Ask yourself: do you really need to stay in Orisson? When you set out from St Jean you will arrive in Orisson in two hours or less (it took me 1 hour and 40 minutes). Most pilgrims leave St Jean between 6:30am and 7:30am so if staying in Orisson you will have a very long day to contend with. The average time from St Jean to Roncesvalles is 6 hours 25 minutes. Don't waste your time by staying in Orisson. Stop there for a coffee but then keep on keepin' on!

I’d qualify John’s post above with the observation that many pilgrims will find the climb to Orisson to be demanding but doable, but also enough for the first day of the Camino. The group dinner at Orisson is warm-hearted and a good send off for the Way. But for walkers of average or less than average condition, the day’s hike to Roncesvalles may be draining and exhausting instead of invigorating and satisfying. John may have found the hike to Orisson easy enough for him, but I think it is a bit misleading to suggest that others, especially the ill-prepared, would not benefit from a night at Orisson and a chance to test their abilities before the longer trek to Roncesvalles.

 

[VAtoNC]

Buen Camino Everyone. I’ve looked through the many previous treads in booking at Orisson and I can’t find the specific answer I’m looking for.

I went to the Orisson site, tried to prebook a bed for September 3rd. They sent the email with the PayPal link and I paid through PayPal, I received an email from PayPal with my receipt but I never got any confirmation email from Orisson.

My question is, do they even send a confirmation via email or do you just show them the PayPal receipt? I wondered because all the post on here say they take forever to get back to you but they were all taking about the invoice (It did indeed come to my junk mail folder! Thank you forum members for alerting me to that)

So is there a confirmation email from Orisson and I just have to wait (it’s been 17days since I made the payment) or is the PayPal receipt all you get and I’m waiting for an email that’s never going to come? What do you show them at Orisson to prove you have a booking? Thanks everyone!

Same here -- I booked for September 7.

 

[twh]

What John did, as a 67 year old is an impressive achievement regarding pace and endurance. I would suggest his physical fitness is in the top 10% (if not higher) of 67 year olds walking the Camino and in the top 25% of all people walking the Camino over 45 years old. The point being, John is not the “norm”. If you are 45+ and have not walked from SJPdp to Roncevalles, your hike will most likely include some suffering that John did not have or that he has forgotten about.

Everyone walks the Camino for different reasons and “Physical Challenge” is one of them. It is as legitimate a reason as every other one out there. It’s not mine but if it were I guess distance covered per day would be the primary metric followed by speed of travel. If this is your primary driver then DO NOT stop in Orisson, it is a HUGE waste of TIME…you could be ticking off kilometers.

I think many on this forum would agree that the best moments of their Camino revolved around meeting and interacting with people…pilgrims, hospitaleros, bar tenders, grocers, and local Spaniards on the street. The dinner at Orisson successfully sets the stage for that state of mind for the rest of the trip. It’s a pleasurable initiation to the Camino that makes you feel like you belong to this whole Camino thing. Getting this the first night after you walk is truly a blessing. Receiving it in one of the most beautiful places along the Camino, where you can take the time to soak in the mountain scenery overlooking a lush valley is special. The side benefit of splitting a rigorous 1 day long hike to Roncevalles into a 2 day hike is the gift your physical body receives. It is not unusual for Pilgrims to have physical difficulties (feet and joints) that get progressively worse over the following days due to the abnormal stress received on that first big day to Roncevalles. Reducing the wear and tear with a short first day to Orisson and providing many more hours for recovery is a big deal. And this concept repeats itself on day two from Orisson to Roncevalles. Injuries received from one long day of rigorous walking are seldom repaired during the next day…so how does adding consecutive 30+ days at 25 km/day work out for one’s recovery? From a risk management perspective, a night at Orisson just seems like a really good decision. We all invest significant money and time to have this experience. Being distracted with physical pain and suffering for the next 34 days detracts from all the other good things going on around you.

Only a fortunate few Pilgrims can stay at Orisson due to supply and demand so make those reservations early. You won’t regret it unless your primary goal is distance and speed .

 

[Susan M Fron]

Or DON’T be a pilgrim who wakes up so early, have a leisurely breakfast, check out the parts of SJPdP that others miss as they race out of town, take a nice slow stroll up the hill, and arrive in Orisson stress-free and relaxed, knowing that you have a delightful communal dinner ahead of you!

That's my plan!!