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10 days only and need suggestions - please help :-)

forstalls

New Member
Hello

I'd be greatful if someone can make some suggestions to myself and a friend who would like to walk part of the Camino at the beginning of March next year.

We only have 10 days for our trip and would like of course to walk into Santiago and are anticipating 10 - 15 mile days only (no more).

Could anyone suggest an easily accessible place to start our trip?
Is our milage plan sensible in relation to where we might find places to stay i.e. is there generally accommodation available within these distances?
Will we be able to obtain a passport easily even starting our journey part way through?

Thank you for any help - sorry if these are silly questions, we are only just at the initial stages of planning this trip. :)
 
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Hi Forstalls, and welcome!

It's certainly possible to do your Camino in 10 days. Does that include travelling time to/from the Camino?

10-15m per day sounds good to me. Best to think in kilometres - 20km per day but with a bit of flexibility?

I've not been on the Camino in March, so others will give better advice about that time of year. However fellow peregrinos on this forum have advised that some albergues close for the winter until Holy Week (the start of April in 2012) so you might be limited for choice. On the other hand, you'll be on the most walked part of the Camino so accommodation should always be available somewhere.

One of the most common starting points is Sarria. That would only be about 5 days walking to Santiago. However as it is over 100km you would qualify for your Compostela, and also (possibly) have time to go on to Finisterre. You could fly in and out of Santiago and get the bus to/from your start/finish points.

Remember you might want to spend a day or so in Santiago to have a look around and go to the service at the cathedral.

You can get your pilgrim passport when you arrive in Spain; at albergues, churches etc. depending where you decide to begin. Let us know when you have firm plans and someone will tell you exactly where.

Sorry for being vague. Others will give you more detail.

Buen Camino!

Keith
 
In Chapter 4 of my book I list a few suggestions for 5 day, 10 day, 14 day and 21 day Caminos.

10 days

Camino Frances: 186 km
From Villafranca del Bierzo to
Santiago: Alsa bus to Villafranca del Bierzo
from Madrid, etc. or bus to Villafranca
from Santiago

Camino Ingles to Santiago and 3/4 days to 198 km
Finisterre: Bus or train to el Ferrol
Bus to A Coruña from Lavacolla airport
http://www.travidi.com/en/services.html

Camino Portuguese from Porto 232 km
Closest airport – Porto
Santiago to Porto Alsa bus

Or - you could walk the Via de plata to Santiago and on to Finisterre

Via de la Plata:
From Ourense to Santiago 108 km
Nearest airport Santiago
Bus from Santiago to Ourense
 
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Ponferrada to Santiago fits into a 10-day schedule. You can shorten some of these stages, or take a rest day, to use ten days.

1) Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo 22.4 22.4
2) Villafranca del Bierzo - Ruitelán 18.9 41.3
3) Ruitelán - Fonfría 21.4 62.7
4) Fonfría - Sarria 33.6 96.3
5) Sarria - Portomarín 22.4 118.7
6) Portomarín - Palas de Rei 24.9 143.6
7) Palas de Rei - Ribadiso da Baixo 25.7 169.3
8) Ribadiso da Baixo - Rúa 20.8 190.1
9) Rúa - Santiago de Compostela 20.8 210.9

If you fly round trip to Santiago, the bus to Ponferrada goes through Villafranca, so you could get off there, and save a day. Ponferrada is a good start because it has all services if you have forgotten something, or want to get a cell phone SIM chip. The listed Leg 4 is not that long if you go cross country from Triacastela to Sarria. The longer distance is through Samos, which is a good place to visit.
 
Thank you for your help and suggestions :)

My friend and I shall be travelling from Ponferrada into Santiago - we'll be starting end of Feb and hoping we won't freeze!

Very excited to be setting out, even though we can only spend a short time for now.

Thanks again!
 
Forstalls, I was in the area of Ponferrada around March this year, after walking from Pamplona. A cold-weather Camino is different, that's all. Though some albergues will be closed, many other cheap accommodation options are available. My Miam Miam Dodo guide had plenty of suggestions for pensions and modest hotels, and I scarcely needed to use my phone. Surprisingly, Vega de Valcarce can be tricky if you arrive on a weekend, as I did, but the wonderful albergue at Ruitelan is not far.

The suggestions by the other posters are excellent. You'll be fine, if you stay dry.

One tip for the cold: Why carry it when you can wear it?
 
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We are 2, 64 old ladies from Israel, wishing to walk for 10 days, 15km per day .
Please suggest the prettiest piece of the trail.
Peace,
Rivki
rivir@bgu.ac.il





tyrrek said:
Hi Forstalls, and welcome!

It's certainly possible to do your Camino in 10 days. Does that include travelling time to/from the Camino?

10-15m per day sounds good to me. Best to think in kilometres - 20km per day but with a bit of flexibility?

I've not been on the Camino in March, so others will give better advice about that time of year. However fellow peregrinos on this forum have advised that some albergues close for the winter until Holy Week (the start of April in 2012) so you might be limited for choice. On the other hand, you'll be on the most walked part of the Camino so accommodation should always be available somewhere.

One of the most common starting points is Sarria. That would only be about 5 days walking to Santiago. However as it is over 100km you would qualify for your Compostela, and also (possibly) have time to go on to Finisterre. You could fly in and out of Santiago and get the bus to/from your start/finish points.

Remember you might want to spend a day or so in Santiago to have a look around and go to the service at the cathedral.

You can get your pilgrim passport when you arrive in Spain; at albergues, churches etc. depending where you decide to begin. Let us know when you have firm plans and someone will tell you exactly where.

Sorry for being vague. Others will give you more detail.

Buen Camino!

Keith
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
Burgos to Leon. It has fantastic cathedrals at each end, good bus and train access, and is flat in between.
 
We are 2, 64 old ladies from Israel, wishing to walk for 10 days, 15km per day .
Please suggest the prettiest piece of the trail.

You could walk ± 150km of the Camino in 10 days and as you have posted this query under the Camino Frances section, I would like to suggest the following.

Pamplona to Santo Domingo de la Calzada ± 145 km (you might need to walk a bit further each day to find accommodation) or to Najera 123 km with shorter distances between places.

You will start off on a gentle, 3km walk to Burgette, and thereafter the Camino path undulates between Pyrenean hills covered in woods of beech, several varieties of oak, poplars and willows, crossing a number of streams and rivers. You will walk through pastures and meadows as well as many small villages on your way to Pamplona. From there to Najera you will walk through vineyards, olive groves and cereal fields, passing through ancient villages.

A suggested itinerary:

Pamplona - Uterga 16.8 16.8
Uterga - Cirauqui 14.9 31.7
Cirauqui - Estella 13.9 45.6
Estella - Villamayor de Monjardín 9 54.6
Villamayor de Monjardín - Los Arcos 12.1 66.7
Los Arcos - Viana 17.9 84.6
Viana - Logroño 9.9 94.5
Logroño - Navarrete 12.5 107
Navarrete - Nájera 16.2 123.2

Najera is a fairly large town with good transport connections to main cities.
 
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The Meseta, between Burgos (well - Castorjeriz) and Leon is one of my favourite stretches of the Camino but it is over 177km which means you'll have to walk closer to 18km on average - some days longer in order to cover the whole distance. If you are going in the fall it is not very pretty!! The majority of pilgrims who don't have a month to walk skip this section because it is flat and the scenery is rather monotonous.
 
rivir said:
We are 2, 64 old ladies from Israel, wishing to walk for 10 days, 15km per day .
Please suggest the prettiest piece of the trail.
Peace,
Rivki
rivir@bgu.ac.il
Hi Rivki!

The prettiest part? That depends on the time of day, time of year, the weather, your mood at the time etc!

My favourite is Navarra and La Rioja. You could walk from SJPP or Roncesvalles to Logrono, for example. That would take you all the way across Navarra with its changing landscapes and pretty Basque villages. It would also set you up to continue your Camino in future if/when you enjoy the experience.

I loved your country when there a couple of years ago. Shalom and Buen Camino!
 

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