I have walked the Camino Frances many times and the path coming down from the Cruz de Ferro is the worst - most difficult and treacherous - of any part of the CF. I vowed last time that
I will NEVER walk that part again. All the rest of the CF is easily walkable.
Don't be so sure that you will consider quitting! When I first walked the Camino Frances in Spring 2011 (when I was 65), I avoided the Pyrenees (too difficult!) and I avoided the meseta
(too boring!). I had such a wonderful walk that I went back in the fall and walked from St. Jean, over the...
off-topic, but...The man with the bird before Rabanal is STILL there??
I last walked the Camino in 2019 and he was there then, as well as many of my earlier walks to Rabanal.
I agree - and if you had a long flight to get to Spain, I would stay two nights in SJPP and then the next day walk only to Orisson. Even though it is less than a 3-hour walk to Orrison, I think it is the hardest 7.5km on the whole Camino Frances and it is especially difficult if it is Day 1 for...
I agree that Beilari is a wonderful experience and you can stay two nights. It is a great way to start your camino. I am still in touch by email and in-person with friends I met there in 2012 and 2014!
I remember one of my early Caminos (2011? 2012?) when someone asked if you could make reservations at the big albergue in Roncesvalles...the answer he got was,
"That albergue has 184 beds! You will never have to make a reservation!"
Never say never?
It may only be 5 miles, but I think it is the toughest 5 miles (7.5km) of the whole Camino Frances, especially if you are experiencing jet lag after a long flight to Spain and/or if you haven't done much walking with a full pack before leaving home.
The trail from St. Jean immediately goes...
Take the road! Walk behind the guard rail so you don't wander into the road and surprise drivers speeding up the hill. I think that the path that goes through the woods is the worst rocky path on the Camino - very scary. Good luck!!
I don't have information about trails in Norway, but the Hærvejen is an ancient trail that has been adapted to walking and cycling in Denmark, with lots of accommodations along the way, and it is also signed as a Camino de Santiago.
In Canada, there is the Sentier Notre-Dame, Kapatakan, in the...
I stayed in San Juan de Ortega a few years ago and the albergue was not clean and the Hospitalero was irritable and disinterested in his work. There was a meal, but it was definitely mediocre. I would never recommend staying at the albergue unless it has been kept clean and the Hospitalero...
My parents lived in Pasadena and then retired to Grover Beach and I loved visiting them - what a wonderful part of the world. I hope you have a good flight and a great Camino!!
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