Advice please: SJPdP or Valcarlos?

[JimP]

My wife and I will be arriving in SJPdP on Thursday 24th March 2016 between 1pm and 2pm. We intend to walk together as far as Logrono by Thursday 31st March (following John Brierley's guide). We want to take a day off on Friday 1st April and then my wife has to return home on Saturday 2nd April. I hope to complete the walk to Santiago (I have to return home on 30th April). I know the rout Napoleon will be closed so we're resigned to walking via Valcarlos to Roncesvalles. We are both quite fit but I thought it may be worthwhile going straight to Valcarlos or Arenguy on the first day so that we don't have so far to walk on day 2. This would reduce the walk on day 2 from around 25km to around 15 to 18km. Can anybody advise? Is 2pm to late to arrive in SJPdP and walk to Valcarlos or Arenguy? Should we just bite the bullet and (weather permitting) start on 25th and walk to Roncesvalles?

 

[mspath]

JimP,
You can walk from SJPdP to Valcarlos easily within 4 hours. Before you leave SJPdP pick up from the Pilgrim Office at 39 rue de La Citadelle the handy free schematic map illustrated with photos of the important turns to take along that way.

Buen camino!

PS.Here is an online copy of that map.http://www.aucoeurduchemin.org/spip/spip.php?article145

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

My wife and I will be arriving in SJPdP on Thursday 24th March 2016 between 1pm and 2pm. We intend to walk together as far as Logrono by Thursday 31st March (following John Brierley's guide). We want to take a day off on Friday 1st April and then my wife has to return home on Saturday 2nd April. I hope to complete the walk to Santiago (I have to return home on 30th April). I know the rout Napoleon will be closed so we're resigned to walking via Valcarlos to Roncesvalles. We are both quite fit but I thought it may be worthwhile going straight to Valcarlos or Arenguy on the first day so that we don't have so far to walk on day 2. This would reduce the walk on day 2 from around 25km to around 15 to 18km. Can anybody advise? Is 2pm to late to arrive in SJPdP and walk to Valcarlos or Arenguy? Should we just bite the bullet and (weather permitting) start on 25th and walk to Roncesvalles?

Wish you both a wonderful journey and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[wayfarer]

Jim, we walked to Valcarlos on a wet day in three hours, I was with my brother and he was not a regular walker. My advice if you wish to skip a bit, would be to bus direct to Roncevalles and start there. This is where the Spanish start their Camino, St Jean is/was a staging point for people crossing from France, it is not a "must start here" point for the Camino.
The Valcarlos route is very beautiful and IMO the nicest part is up to Valcarlos, after this its mostly on the main road to Roncevalles. Whatever you decide I wish you a safe and enjoyable Camino.
Buen Camino.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Hi JimP
The leg from SJPDP is a very gentle uphill so it's a nice easy 13kms to start your Camino that even at a moderate pace is not much more than 3.5 hours. Sunset isn't until almost 7:30pm that time of the year so lots of time. I took the alternate route of the west side of the river rather than trudging up the N-135. You find the small bridge a couple kms outside SJPDP and then it's back country roads with lots of peace and quiet to enjoy the walk to Arneguy. You can cross to the east side of the river (and road) at Arneguy and take another back road to Valcarlos however the last few hundred meters going down into the river valley and then back up to Valcarlos is very steep. To avoid that just stay on the N-135 for the few kms between Arneguy and Valcarlos!
Enjoy the experience and Buen Camino!

 

[JimP]

Jim, we walked to Valcarlos on a wet day in three hours, I was with my brother and he was not a regular walker. My advice if you wish to skip a bit, would be to bus direct to Roncevalles and start there. This is where the Spanish start their Camino, St Jean is/was a staging point for people crossing from France, it is not a "must start here" point for the Camino.
The Valcarlos route is very beautiful and IMO the nicest part is up to Valcarlos, after this its mostly on the main road to Roncevalles. Whatever you decide I wish you a safe and enjoyable Camino.
Buen Camino.

Jozero, many thanks for your advice. I'm looking forward to the walk to Roncevalles and wouldn't want to skip it. Three hours seems fine for the walk to Valcarlos. I'll play it by ear.

 

[JimP]

JimP,
You can walk from SJPdP to Valcarlos easily within 4 hours. Before you leave SJPdP pick up from the Pilgrim Office at 39 rue de La Citadelle the handy free schematic map illustrated with photos of the important turns to take along that way.

Buen camino!

Thanks mspath, the information about the illustrated map sounds particularly helpful.

Jim

 

[mspath]

Thanks mspath, the information about the illustrated map sounds particularly helpful.

Jim

Jim,

Here is an on-line copy of that map for you http://www.aucoeurduchemin.org/spip/spip.php?article145

Happy planning!

MM