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Possible to walk May 2021

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Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Spain is still in a "state of alarm" and there are restrictions on travelling. Specifically unnecessary movement from one province to another (and that includes by walking). These restrictions are enforced by the police. It really is impossible for anyone to predict the situation in May. The state of alarm is supposed to finish then, but who knows?

Santiago de Compostela is now relatively free of infections and it is possible to walk within the province of Lugo, but Navarra (in which Pamplona is situated) still has high infection rates, and seems to have had a spike within the last 7 days - see this interactive map maintained by the Spanish Ministry of Health.
 
I am also looking at mid May too but it’s anyone guess at moment. Either Norte or VDLP. There is great info on the ‘Lockdown’ thread and I feel a degree of optimism but that could be scuppered at any time!
 
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Can’t find any information regarding this.
Is it possible to start in Pamplona and walk to Santiago de Campostela in May 2021?
As the others have said, the simple answer for April 4th is ‘no’; for May it is ‘who knows?’. Any opinion is speculation.

I’ve flights booked for October, from the UK and - purely in my opinion - I’d say that is 60/40 in favour of it being possible.

I wouldn’t make any unrecoverable financial outlay for May, if I were you.
 
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Spain is still in a "state of alarm" and there are restrictions on travelling. Specifically unnecessary movement from one province to another (and that includes by walking). These restrictions are enforced by the police. It really is impossible for anyone to predict the situation in May. The state of alarm is supposed to finish then, but who knows?

Santiago de Compostela is now relatively free of infections and it is possible to walk within the province of Lugo, but Navarra (in which Pamplona is situated) still has high infection rates, and seems to have had a spike within the last 7 days - see this interactive map maintained by the Spanish Ministry of Health.
I check on Ivar's video every Monday. Keeps me up to date with current regulations. At the minute you cannot walk into Galicia but you can walk within it. If you fly into Spain, you cannot leave the province you flew in to. Personally would not make any plans to walk until the Spanish government say good to go. Dont want to put myself in the position of being disappointed again
 
Inter regional travel is not possible also the infection rate is rising and Easter may possibly have a negative effect on this. The last I heard is that Spain wants approx 40% of the population vaccinated before restarting tourism. To early to book anything for May at this stage.

 
Can’t find any information regarding this.
Is it possible to start in Pamplona and walk to Santiago de Campostela in May 2021?
Sorry but I think that's just unrealistic with new spikes in some areas along the CF route (eg Navarra) and the possibility that the "State of Alarm" may be extended beyond May?

At this stage even Sept/Oct may be doubtful so I'd refocus on 2022 (as I have!)

Buen Camino when it comes...
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Thanks again for all your answers.

If I understand correctly;
what hinders me, being a european citizen, from flying to Pamplona and walk to Santiago de Campostela are the closed regional borders.
Once those restrictions are lifted I am good to go?
 
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Are there flights to Pamplona from a city near you? That might be the first obstacle!
The closed regional borders are not the only possibility. In some provinces, eg Navarra, where they are having an upsurge, they may also impose lockdowns within the province. Remember when people were only allowed out of their houses for 1 hour a day? And then only to visit the nearest supermarket, or medical centre?
It seems unlikely that those extreme measures will come back, but after the last 12 months I'm not feeling certain about anything.
 
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Those who happen to be in the UK but reside in Spain: they don't have to travel to Belfast and hop on a bus to Dublin airport if they want to travel to Spain, as a poster had "advised". They can fly directly from London Heathrow and Stansted to Madrid or from Manchester to Alicante etc etc. Earlier restrictions, imposed by Spain in December on anyone who doesn't have a Spanish passport, had already been lifted on 30 March 2021 and today we already have the 8th of April ! Posters don't always seem to be up to date on current restrictions on mobility that are in force as to travelling from the UK to Spain (I'm talking only about the restrictions imposed by Spain!).

As to the rest of them: some people - perhaps most, hope springs eternal - actually strive to comply and not circumvent. They have it in them to be able to wait until there is no longer a need for tricks.

PS: Edited for clarification (passport/residency/flying from UK to Spain).
 
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My question/situation is similar to @Mr. Walker.

I myself wanted to go this summer in June (June 12) and I am a EU citizen. I just have to stay put at the moment and see how things unfold... As far as I understand, I can travel to Spain but it would be (more or less) difficult to pass from one region to another within the country? I am happy for @Gerard Griffin, but with my usual luck the Police would pick me and throw me in jail five minutes after crossing the regional border.

So annoying not knowing if I should buy a plane ticket or not. But as soon as restrictions between regions are lifted, and Spanish authorities welcome me, I am going in a heartbeat, that I can tell you.

I ususally go for long walks (coming back not until August) so in my case there is also the risk of things getting worse in the country while I am there. If Spain closes the borders again, I would be trapped!
 
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I am hopeful to start my 2nd Camino in SJPDP initially to Burgos, on June 27, 2 days after my second vaccin. But I am not yet booking, await the outcome of the lifting of the state of alarm and opening of the Spanish regions first and Spain feeling comfortable and safe with my arrival. So my plans are in charcoal for now, I await May 19 and decisions made in Spain. But my plans are all made and calculated, I am just waiting for the green light from France and Spain, to give it a go:)
 
My question/situation is similar to @Mr. Walker.

I myself wanted to go this summer in June (June 12) and I am a EU citizen. I just have to stay put at the moment and see how things unfold... As far as I understand, I can travel to Spain but it would be (more or less) difficult to pass from one region to another within the country? I am happy for @Gerard Griffin, but with my usual luck the Police would pick me and throw me in jail five minutes after crossing the regional border.

So annoying not knowing if I should buy a plane ticket or not. But as soon as restrictions between regions are lifted, and Spanish authorities welcome me, I am going in a heartbeat, that I can tell you.

I ususally go for long walks (coming back not until August) so in my case there is also the risk of things getting worse in the country while I am there. If Spain closes the borders again, I would be trapped!
I laughed out loud reading this since I consider myself being followed by bad luck pretty much where ever I go.
When reading I imagined myself in a rural jail somewhere along the camino.
All of a sudden a guard opens the cell door only to throw another person in there.

”Say hello to your new cellmate”, says the guard. (In Spanish of course).

I look up, not very suprised.

”Bad Pilgrim, I presume.”
 
I laughed out loud reading this since I consider myself being followed by bad luck pretty much where ever I go.
When reading I imagined myself in a rural jail somewhere along the camino.
All of a sudden a guard opens the cell door only to throw another person in there.

”Say hello to your new cellmate”, says the guard. (In Spanish of course).

I look up, not very suprised.

”Bad Pilgrim, I presume.”

This gives a whole new meaning to the label "Camino repeat offenders" ...! 😟
 
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Those who live in the UK and have an EU passport: they don't have to travel to Belfast and hop on a bus to Dublin airport if they want to travel to Spain, as you "advise". They can fly directly from London Heathrow and Stansted to Madrid or from Manchester to Alicante etc etc. Those restrictions, imposed by Spain, have already been lifted for EU passport holders who reside in the UK; they ceased to be on 30 March 2021 and today we already have the 8th of April ! You don't seem to be up to date on current restrictions on mobility that are in force as to travelling from the UK to Spain (I'm talking only about the restrictions imposed by Spain!).

As to the rest of them: some people - perhaps most, hope springs eternal - actually strive to comply and not circumvent. They have it in them to be able to wait until there is no longer a need for tricks.
Hi! Thank you for your post! As far as I am aware any person in UK cannot fly from there until at least until after 17th May irrespective of the passport they hold. Is that correct (I have noted that you say that you referring only to Spanish regulations) that is almost null and void is this instance or am I missing something? Thank you!
 
Hi! Thank you for your post! As far as I am aware any person in UK cannot fly from there until at least until after 17th May irrespective of the passport they hold. Is that correct (I have noted that you say that you referring only to Spanish regulations) that is almost null and void is this instance or am I missing something? Thank you!
I am sorry but I prefer to deal only with the Spanish side of the border, i.e. how to get into Spain and not how to get out of the 180+ countries of the world :). I had posted earlier about a bunch of Brits who had recently flown from Manchester to Alicante, to pick up their new Spanish residency cards if I remember correctly. There are passenger planes that fly every day from the UK to Spain and back. I don't know who's on it. The next one is due to arrive at Madrid Barajas airport within 30 minutes of posting this message (I checked the online real-time arrival board):

Barajas.jpg

How did I get involved in this conversation? Oh yes, my point was, if you are not entitled to enter Spain and/or not entitled to leave the UK, then don't attempt to circumvent it via the Common Travel Area between Ireland and the UK and don't try to encourage others to attempt it.
 
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Thank you for your quick response. I was just worriedI had missed a key development as you stated ‘As to those who live in the UK and have an EU passport...They can fly directly from London Heathrow and Stansted to Madrid or from Manchester to Alicante etc etc.’ but people cannot leave the UK until at least 18th May unless they fall into certain ‘essential travel’ categories. As you say planes still fly albeit much reduced) carrying ‘essential travel’ passengers and cargo!
 
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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I laughed out loud reading this since I consider myself being followed by bad luck pretty much where ever I go.
When reading I imagined myself in a rural jail somewhere along the camino.
All of a sudden a guard opens the cell door only to throw another person in there.

”Say hello to your new cellmate”, says the guard. (In Spanish of course).

I look up, not very suprised.

”Bad Pilgrim, I presume.”
I guess all I would say is get yourself in a position to act quickly should decisions go your way! Lots of airlines are offering ‘fee free’ changes on flights and of course hotels often have refundable policies. I guess the other thing for European folks is even if you have to buy a cheap non refundable flight, don’t ‘buy’ the baggage until you have more certainly!
 
Hi! Thank you for your post! As far as I am aware any person in UK cannot fly from there until at least until after 17th May irrespective of the passport they hold. Is that correct
As far as I am aware that is correct and I (we) did look into it quite carefully.
My son had to fly to Alicante (in order to quarantine for 3 weeks in our flat prior to flying back to HK where he lives...)
The only way he could do it (legally!) was to take the Eurostar to Paris and then fly to Alicante. He holds a French passport and could prove he was travelling for work and was not staying in France.
Who those people are who fly direct from London to Spain... I have no idea!
 
As far as I am aware that is correct and I (we) did look into it quite carefully.
My son had to fly to Alicante (in order to quarantine for 3 weeks in our flat prior to flying back to HK where he lives...)
The only way he could do it (legally!) was to take the Eurostar to Paris and then fly to Alicante. He holds a French passport and could prove he was travelling for work and was not staying in France.
Who those people are who fly direct from London to Spain... I have no idea!
Indeed London to Madrid will just have returning residents and some business traffic I guess. That route specifically carries a lot of people connecting down to Central and South America so that will have a few too. Lots of cargo too I would imagine ! Interesting journey to get to HKG and just illustrates the times we are in.
 
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Although not directly relevant for anyone who wants to travel to Spain to go on Camino, here is an interesting article of some relevance, and, besides, we have nothing better to read. The writer, a UK national with residency in Spain, describes a recent trip with his family from Madrid Barajas to London Gatwick and back.

It was published today in the online English edition of the Spanish newspaper El Pais: I just took a two-week trip from Spain to the UK with my family – here’s what it was like, and what it cost - English Edition editor Simon Hunter recounts tales of passport-stamping, eerily deserted airports and extremely expensive PCR testing in order to reunite his children with their grandparents.

Despite the "eerily deserted airports" in the subtitle, the writer actually reports that there were a surprising amount of people in Madrid’s Barajas airport considering all the restrictions. And quite a few people not being allowed to check in to our AirEuropa flight due to not having the right documentation. He also remarks right at the beginning: Now before we get into it, please spare me the outrage for having taken the trip, with some additional comments that you can read after you have clicked on the link above.
 
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I have tickets for a direct flight from Zagreb to Barcelona on June 22, 21.
I booked a sleep for two nights in Barcelona and then I should travel to Pamplona and start the Camino.
Expect to receive two doses of the vaccine by then and it will be possible to travel.
Time will tell if I was too optimistic.

 
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What we are doing, of course, is trying to assess the situation in a month's time or later, based on the situation as it is now, and we are looking for green leaves of hope peeking out of the ground somewhere.

So once you have sussed out the situation whether you can a) leave your own country and b) enter Spain, based on the country of your nationality, the country of your residency, or some other qualifying qualities you may have, you then need to suss out the mobility situation in Spain. And then the accommodation situation. And then the food situation. Yesterday, the 9th of April, the restrictions on mobility imposed in connection with Easter Week or Semana Santa ended, and today, 10th of April, the restrictions on mobility imposed as such started. The Spanish news media are full of information about it and the words to look for are cierre perimetral and restricciones de movilidad entre provincias. There are lists and handy maps. There is also the oddity of being allowed to cross a national border while the provincial border is closed. That's because the province has legal authority about its borders but not about the bit that is also a national border and where cross-border mobility is not restricted unless the national government imposes such restrictions and in Spain they haven't done this for all their external border bits (air, land, sea). To quote someone who shall not be named: "Not many people know this". 🤭

Now a very few people do currently camino walk and bike, despite it all and apparently even across provincial borders, and they don't get thrown into prison. Whether it is because the authorities couldn't care less about a handful of people as long as it remains merely a handful of people, or whether they are tolerated because there is an invisible pilgrim halo rotating above their heads, or whether there is a tacit or explicit agreement to let them pass provincial borders, or whether they are just ""lucky"" and begrudged, I don't know. My own personal interpretation is: If it's not allowed for the locals, it's not allowed for me.
 
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I firmly believe that May and the coming summer is highly insecure, in that even IF numbers go down, new mobility within Spain will surely bring new spikes and renemed high numbers.
Think, "Oh it´s just little Me taking a small trip without making any fuss" times a couple of thousand merry travelers, and you will get further spikes galore.
It is not ethical for us to go down there just now !!
Chuck it, and do smthng else....
Just now, I am spending my money on house renovating and local and national tours...
I have a list of albergues that need my donations when I feel low on Camino activity !!
 
I don’t think it’s an ethical issue if vaccinated people travel.
I know that my country, Croatia, needs tourists and that this summer millions will come to spend holidays with us again.
We subordinated everything to tourism last year and we welcomed the summer months with very few infected people, just so that tourists can come to us.
We will do the same this summer and this time we expect a large number of people to receive the vaccine, the plan is to vaccinate about 50% of the population by summer.
Travel is a need for people who travel but also for those who live from tourism.
 
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€149,-
Can’t find any information regarding this.
Is it possible to start in Pamplona and walk to Santiago de Campostela in May 2021?
I’ve stayed silent and read post after post of complete nonsense as to pilgrims wanting to walk in Spain during this pandemic. For goodness sake read a newspaper or watch the news as our poor people in Europe are battling there second and some third waves and some strains are even more deadly and contagious. We have no Covid in Australia that is not in quarantine and reading post like this only confirms why we are Covid free. We all want to walk the way of St James just be patient.
 
The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
The continued speculation on the unknown future opening of the various Camino routes is not helpful to anyone. None of us have any way of answering the question.

Advocating or encouraging the breaking or circumventing the law or regulations is absolutely not allowed on the forum.

These threads seem to always mutate into arguments and sharp comments.
This thread will be closed now.

Please do not start another thread with this topic.
 
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