4 days route wanted

[Dennersten]

Hi i have been reading and reading. Me and 4 friends wanted to have a sniff of the Camino. We only have 4 days from 7 - 11 May. After reading it seems that the part leading up to Santiago is not that exiting? It seems also that crossing the Pyrenees are not that fun this part of the year.

Could somebody please advice about a nice entry point and exit point? Ideally we would like some nice nature. Some villages. and easy transport to and from.Is That possible?

Thank you very much for your insights in advance!

Best

Håkan from Sweden

 

[waveprof]

4 days certainly is a small "sniff" of the Camino.

If you want to get your Compestella, you need to do the final 100 KM, which could probably be done in 4 days (25km a day).

Otherwise, pick the region that sounds prettiest to you that has enough buses to get you back at the end of your four days. Why not SJPdP to the other side of Pamplona? It is one of the prettiest stretches by all accounts, and you might not mind the difficulty of day one if you only have three more to go.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You can catch a bus at both ends:

1) Astorga - Rabanal del Camino 20.2
2) Rabanal del Camino - Molinaseca 24.8
3) Molinaseca - Cacabelos 23
4) Cacabelos - Ambasmestas 22.4

Total: 90.4

You get a great city, great views, and the Iron Cross.

 

[tyrrek]

Hi!

You could try the Camino Ingles. There are 2 routes - one starting from A Coruna (usually 3 days) and the other from Ferrol (usually 5 days). They meet in the middle and go down to Santiago, so a map of both routes is like a letter 'Y'.

The A Coruna route will not earn you a Compostela if that's important to you, but the Ferrol route will.

The Camino Ingles is much quieter than the Camino Frances, so there would not be so much company and accommodation is more limited. However you can walk a full Camino in the time you have!

To get to the start you can fly to A Coruna or Santiago. The train from Santiago to A Coruna is only about 50 minutes so if it was cheaper to fly both in and out of either city it's not a problem.

Buen Camino!

p.s. You could also walk between Santiago and Finisterre in about 4 days.

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hola

It depends if arriving in Santiago and getting a Compostela is important to you on this "taster" camino? If not then you have many choices on many routes. Madrid for example is very accessible and there are good transport links back to the capital from along the Madrid Route. Falcon has quoted a stretch of the Camino Frances. Tyrekk has mentioned the Camino Ingles - my own view is that the route from Ferrol is tight in 4 days but the lovely route from Coruna could readily take 4 days if you split the first long day into two.

Another option is the Camino Portuguese, flying in and out of Santiago. From Santiago take the train to Redondela:

Redondela – Pontevedra 20.5 kms
Pontevedra – Caldas de Reis 21.1 kms
Caldas de Reis – Padrón 17 kms
Padrón – Santiago 23.9 kms

Buen camino!

John

 

[RENSHAW]

I go along with a start at SJPDP or better still , Roncesvalles.
My second choice would be a start at Burgos with four days though the Meseta.

 

[JALAN JAUH]

Bit off topic but would like recommendations for a choosing a route starting from Plymouth to Santander ferry arriving on a July Monday, would like to consider the walk the English for 5 to 7 days to Santiago starting from Ferrol. The other choice is to fly to Porto from Stanstead and begin the walk from Tui on the Portugese. Back-tracking from Santiago by bus is not a suitable option as it takes the element of surprise looking at the same track one is going to walk in a few day'stime

Gaining a Compostela is not the main objective but the route should suit a reasonably fit 74 year old man who would like to take in the spiritual aspects of the Camino at a slow pace. Due to the need for age related frequent toilet visits he would prefer to stay in private lodgings and have allocated Euro 250 to cover the whole accommodation.

Hope there will be some helpful comments from the many experienced forum members.

Joe

 

[tipperary]

Hi Hakan
Since you plan to walk for only 4 days you dont want long bus journeys before or after your walk. If you can easily fly into Biarritz why not do 4 days from ST Jean.
If you can fly into Bilboa, there are good connections to Pamplona and back from Logrono. This is a good sample to encourage you back again and you can have the option of city breaks in Pamplona ,Logrono and Bilboa , what else could one wish for?
Let us know what you decide?
Buen Camino
Justin

 

[Dennersten]

4 days certainly is a small "sniff" of the Camino.

If you want to get your Compestella, you need to do the final 100 KM, which could probably be done in 4 days (25km a day).

Otherwise, pick the region that sounds prettiest to you that has enough buses to get you back at the end of your four days. Why not SJPdP to the other side of Pamplona? It is one of the prettiest stretches by all accounts, and you might not mind the difficulty of day one if you only have three more to go.

Thanks!

Hmm maybe we should extend it to 5 days. How long distance should we plan per day for 5 midage, not so trained slight overweight gentlemens

 

[Dennersten]

You can catch a bus at both ends:

1) Astorga - Rabanal del Camino 20.2
2) Rabanal del Camino - Molinaseca 24.8
3) Molinaseca - Cacabelos 23
4) Cacabelos - Ambasmestas 22.4

Total: 90.4

You get a great city, great views, and the Iron Cross.

Sounds great thanks! how are transportations in and out?

 

[Dennersten]

Hi!

You could try the Camino Ingles. There are 2 routes - one starting from A Coruna (usually 3 days) and the other from Ferrol (usually 5 days). They meet in the middle and go down to Santiago, so a map of both routes is like a letter 'Y'.

The A Coruna route will not earn you a Compostela if that's important to you, but the Ferrol route will.

The Camino Ingles is much quieter than the Camino Frances, so there would not be so much company and accommodation is more limited. However you can walk a full Camino in the time you have!

To get to the start you can fly to A Coruna or Santiago. The train from Santiago to A Coruna is only about 50 minutes so if it was cheaper to fly both in and out of either city it's not a problem.

Buen Camino!

p.s. You could also walk between Santiago and Finisterre in about 4 days.

Wow i am overwhelmed with all great suggestions Thanks! There will be a lot of reading. For me coming days. But easy transportation in and out is a huge advantage.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

how are transportations in and out?

You can get to Astorga by train or bus. From Abasmestas, you can get a bus to Madrid or Santiago.

 

[tyrrek]

How long distance should we plan per day for 5 midage, not so trained slight overweight gentlemens

I'd aim for between 20 and 25kms per day. You can amend that depending on the terrain, walking surfaces etc. Buen Camino!

 

[Dennersten]

I go along with a start at SJPDP or better still , Roncesvalles.
My second choice would be a start at Burgos with four days though the Meseta.

Thanks!