advice for terror filled newbie!

[cath2812Ireland]

My first Camino.........excitment and terror all at the same time :!: I have 3 weeks in which to walk . I love walking and would be reasonably fit (perhaps the only thing reasonable about me hehehe my kids would probably say!) Was thinking of starting at Burgos ? Good/Bad idea? Am flying into Barcelona so any ideas greatly appreciated as to how to get to Burgos from Barcelona (and those of you with sense of humour please refrain from telling me to take a walk )
Am travelling alone.

 

[RaphaelHythloday]

When i did my first camino alone i was 17 and was too a litlle terrified. The first few miles i'd walked i was so anxious that i could barely walk it was truly a sensation of imense freedom. But after the 5Km i guarante you that you will be completely envolved in the camino. It's an out of this world experience and you should realy go for it and not be scared.

About the starting point. SJPDP is a wonderful location to start you get the most challenging road of the camino in your first day, it's a good way to start. However 3 weeks is to short to do it from there. In Burgos your first will be kind of boring, walking around in the suburbs, but you can probably do it in 3 weeks if you walk abou 25 30 km per day.

 

[jpflavin1]

Cath:

Burgos is over 500km from Santiago. That means you will have to average about 25km per day. A reasonable amount of time but no room for dealing with feet issues or other minor infirmities that might slow you down. That being said, you will be on the Meseta which is relatively flat but very warm this time of year. You might want to start a little further down the road to give yourself a little more wiggle room. Maybe Castrojeriz, there is a nice climb in the morning, just outside of the town, that provides a beautiful sunrise if you time it right. Or Carrion de los Condes, stay at the Albergue with the Augustinian nuns a special stop.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[LuceBCN]

Hiya,

This is the site for train timetable info:
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html

I've caught the train in the opposite direction before (i.e. Burgos to Barcelona) and had to change once at Zaragoza. No dramas.

I think it's about 65-70 euros one-way (but my memory isn't so great!).

I'l be catching the train form Barcelona to Burgos to continue my camino in the next few days or next week sometime, depending on when the mood stikes me and what the weather forecast says. I had to stop my camino in Burgos last time because I had a rotten case of tendonitis. Lucky for me, I live in Barcelona, so it wasn't too tricky to come home and rest for a while. Now that my ankle is better, I'm keen to get back on the track!

Not sure what your dates are, but if you're leaving anytime in the next week or two, I'd be happy to sync up with you and catch the train together.

One last thing, the train station at Burgos is out of town; you'll probably need to catch a taxi into town. Taxi was about 10 euros from memory (again, my memory 100% reliable!).

Cheers,

Lucy

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The new train station is well NNW of town, and actually not far from the Camino as it goes toward Tardajos. If you have seen enough of Burgos on your first visit, just follow the road from the station on the south side of the train track until it intersects the Camino, and head for Villabilla de Burgos (albergue and 2 hostals), Tardajos (basic municipal albergue and restaurant), or Rabe de las Calzadas (where I would choose Albergue Liberanos Domine, Plaza Francisco Riberas, 10, Rabé de las Calzadas, Teléfono de contacto: 695 11 69 01; there is a hostile competition in town. Óspital albergue de peregrinos Sta. Marina y Santiago has a "reputation".). With Burgos a popular stage-end city, accommodations in Tardajos and Rabe (2 albergues) normally are easy to get.

 

[RENSHAW]

3 weeks from Burgos sounds good to me. You will soon meet other pilgrims and make pals , perhaps on your first night at the new Burgos Albergue which is right next to the amazing Cathedral .. so you won't be on your own.

 

[anniethenurse]

3 weeks from Burgos to Santiago sounds all right to me, too.

From Barcelona to Burgos -you can take bus, train or airplane.
Taking a bus is the cheapest and easiest way I think.
It takes quite many hours but you can follow the beautiful Spanish country side and the camino through the bus windows. The buses are quite comfortable, too.
Most buses leave from the Estacion Nord in Barcelona.
Why not taking a night bus and spend a whole day in Burgos (I love Burgos) and meet your first fellow pilgrims your first night in the excellent albergue by the cathedral or start walking right a way in the morning when you arrive and walk a short day of 10 km to Tarjodos.

I walked from Burgos to Santiago in 22 days in April 2011.

 

[cumbriahiker]

- I do hope you have good weather as you'd be going to the meseta right away - and if you are alone, this will invariably make you feel more alone (possibly) b/c there are fewer towns/villages than in other regions of the compostela (e.g. Pamplona to Logrono, which has many small villages and you would not be likely to find yourself without accommodation). Having said that, we did not manage to get to the meseta (it was raining, and we only had a specific amount of time to get to Santiago). I do wish you well, I hope that you have good weather and little physical irritation!!

best wishes
cumbriahiker

 

[jpflavin1]

I just rechecked the Brierley book and it is actually 512km from Burgos to Santiago. The 400km mark would be Terradillos de los Templarios. I distinctly remember celebrating there as the half way point.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[gregdedman]

Hi there Cath,

I fully understand your fear...its a topic that has been spoken about countless times on the forums but what you are heading towards is something that will truly change your life for the better. See it as a holiday, remember how excited we get when looking forward to a holiday, a break away from the mundane, the familiar, the same old faces and places?
The Camino will test you for sure and the bad days where you have a blister or aching legs to the point of tears are the days you'll look back on and chuckle.
These are also the days where the real transformation takes place, when you are fully out of the comfort zone and fending for yourself, you learn, you grow and you conquer.

The guys are right when they say you will meet people. I got on a bus alone in Biarittz heading to St Jean Pied de port to start my camino, there were five others. We walked together every day for the next 10 bonding, laughing, singing, crying together.
The people are what makes it for me and in the summer time there are plenty of friendships just waiting to be made.

Do little things to ease your worry.
Learn a little Spanish to allow you to converse in basic phrases.
Watch 'The Way' film to get a feel of the scenery and friendships.
Pack tremendously light, 'over the top' light to feel free with what you have on your back.
And also....a question for you....is there any way, any way at all that you could get enough time from 'commitments' to walk the whole route to eliminate the uncertainty of where to start, how much to walk.

I pondered this on my first Camino and in the end got fed up with trying to decide which parts to cut out so just told my boss that im away for 36 days, Ill take what holiday I have, take unpaid leave and work overtime when im home if i need...he understood. Besides, if you miss a week of the Camino, I assure you you'll be heading back sometime to finish it

Try not to get caught up in the minor details of it all, plans change all the time so flexibility is important. Rushing for a deadline is just like being at home, try and make the camino a start of a new way of living.

 

[nellpilgrim]

3 weeks from Burgos sounds good to me. You will soon meet other pilgrims and make pals , perhaps on your first night at the new Burgos Albergue which is right next to the amazing Cathedral .. so you won't be on your own.

Hi Cath,
Renshaw is right Burgos is a lovely city, a great launch for your journey and the Albergue is fantastic. You'll meet other pilgrims who are also starting their Caminos in the city to as well others, who are making the journey in sections, finishing up one of their stages.
Don't worry just start walking and, if time is a little tight later on or you want to have a rest day, you can always get a bus to 'leapfrog' down the road a bit. Be warned thought this three weeks may be something of a Camino 'appetizer for you and you could find yourself back 'on the road' next year in St Jean Pied de Port or even further afield :lol:
JP is also spot on about the Augustines sisters in Castrojerez-they are angels.

Nell

 

[cath2812Ireland]

A huge" Go raibh maith agat" gaelic for "thank you" to all who have taken the time to reply, and yes my knees are still shaking at the thought of the journey.
I would love to be able to take more time and walk all the way,(only going from Burgos) but there's only a certain amount of time that you can off-load 4 kids on and get away by yourself (hehehe)
If the companionship on this site is anything to go by.............roll on the Camino...... I need to make/ take this journey !
Along the way, to kindred spirits... I'll trade a foot massage for same after a long days walk.
x

 

[andy.d]

Cath,

when I walked (from Valencia, 18 months ago) I would have run home on the first day if I could have done it without anyone noticing. Staying and walking was one of the best things I have done. You'll be fine.

Go well,

Andy