Approximately 10 days to walk - where to stop

[trecile]

I want to walk the Frances again next year, and I have a friend that would like to join me for a couple of weeks. She will have two weeks off from work, so I think that with travel time, 10 days of walking would probably be realistic.
I was looking over my notes of my stages this year, to try to figure out a good place for her to stop that would be easy to get transportation.

These were my stages up to Burgos:
1. St Jean Pied de Port to Orisson 5 miles
2. Orisson to Roncesvalles 13.5 miles
3. Roncesvalles to Zubiri 13.5 MILES
4. Zubiri to Pamplona 9.6 miles
5. Pamplona to Puente la Reina 13.8 miles
6. Puente la Reina to Estella 14.3 miles
7. Estella to Sansol 17.7 miles
8. Sansol to Logroño 13.4 miles
9. Logroño to Najera 18.3 miles
10. Najera to Grañon 17.6 miles
11. Grañon to Villafranca Montes de Oca 17.3 miles
12. Villafranca Montes de Oca to Atapuerca 11.3 miles
13. Atapuerca to Burgos 13 miles

I'm thinking that Logroño should have good transportation, but that's just 8 days.
But maybe we could add a stage somewhere, or stay an extra night in Pamplona.
Ideally, I'd like to get to Burgos, but I'd rather slow down from last time rather than speed up. I'd really like to do a more leisurely pace - 'cause it's not a race!
I know that she could meet me sometime after SJPDP, but I think that she would like to do the Pyrenees crossing, since I've shown her my spectacular pictures.

 

[Tincatinker]

Hi Trecile, how lovely that your friend wants to join you on Camino. Easier answers to your question might come from knowing your and your friends entry point(s). If your friend is in and out of Madrid then there will be buses and trains from most of the major towns. I recall a bus from Logrono to Madrid as an opportunity to really enjoy the spectacle of the Meseta and the Alto Plano but also as a full day job, so travel times to and from will take some careful research and planning.

You'll be aware that the Pyrenees can be spectacular and /or completely obscured by the weather. Worth asking your friend what they really want out of their Camino. Spectacle; Community; quest; time with you...

Happy planning

 

[eviemonkey]

If I only had 10 days available to walk on the CF, I'd definitely want to start again at SJPdP. How about...

1. St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles
2. Roncesvalles to Zubiri
3. Zubiri to Pamplona
4. Pamplona to Puente la Reina
5. Puente la Reina to Estella
6. Estella to Sansol
7. Sansol to Logroño
8. Logroño to Najera
19. Najera to Grañon
10. Grañon to Villafranca Montes de Oca

11. bus from Villafranca Montes de Oca to Burgos

Only changes to your proposed schedule are a longer first day and you skip the Villafranca to Burgos walk, which I personally wouldn't lose sleep over. The walk from Villafranca to Atapuerca is nice enough, Atapuerca to Burgos not so much. Granon to Villafranca was one of my favourite stages, and would be a fitting last day's walk.

Good luck with your planning. Buen camino.

 

[Mark Lee]

Since you've walked it already, you have a pretty good idea on your pace, logistics, things to see or do, etc.
Maybe start together in SJPdP (walk all the way to Roncesvalles the first day) and walk together until Logrono, and from there I'm sure she can get transportation to the airport home. I think that would allow y'all an extra day in Pamplona.

 

[CdnDreamer]

In your first sentence you say "I want to walk" but then you appear to be planning your walk to fit your friend's 2 week time frame. By planning every night you and your friend will miss out on the spontaneity of the walk. If you stay in the same places as the first walk you may miss out on the adventure. Consider finding a few different spots where the bus system links up with the camino so you have many options and it won't become a race for Burgos. You can always travel by bus to Burgos or back to Logrono, say goodbye to your friend and then take the bus back to where you stopped walking.

 

[trecile]

I do want to plan the first part to fit my friend's time frame. I posted the stages that I walked last time to give people an idea of where I've been. There are places that I've been that I'd like to share with her, and places that I'm sure that I missed along the way.
I loved the experience at Orisson, and I'm not sure if she'd be up to SJPDP to Roncesvalles in one day. The difference between having a desk job and having no job, which allows me to stay fit and get a lot of walking in.
Perhaps some suggestions on places to stop before Logroño that I didn't stop at before.
Getting to Burgos is definitely not the goal. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it. I guess that I just want my friend to experience as much of the Camino as possible in the short period of time that she has available.

 

[whariwharangi]

Autobuses Jiminez provides bus service between Logroño and Burgos with stops at Najera and Grañon.

http://www.autobusesjimenez.com/horarios/

EstelleSA provides bus service between Pamplona and Logroño.

http://www.laestellesa.com/

There is at least daily bus service to most villages anywhere along the camino. You can then catch buses and trains from transportation hubs at either Pamplona, Logroño, or Burgos to anywhere Spain.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Just a thought SJPDP to Logroño bus to Burgos Then to Bilbao visit Guggenheim museum fly out from there.

 

[CdnDreamer]

For places to stay, I stayed at Orisson, Roncesvalles then Corazon Puro (very short day in the pouring rain - glad I had a reservation). I didn't want to walk as far as Zubiri on day 3 as that downhill section is so hard. The fourth night I stayed at La Parada de Zuriain with only 3 other people. We had so much fun there, playing a stone throwing game in the yard, sitting by the river and enjoying a great meal. I met so many pilgrims as they came by and stopped for a drink. My fifth night and part of the sixth day was in Pamplona and then I walked to the albergue at Zariquiegui, just before the pilgrim monument. I climbed that "hill" in the morning when I was fresh. There are so many different ways to do the camino - have fun with your planning. I was walking shorter distances, but I really enjoyed the days.

 

[Lisa HS]

you might consider an extra day in Logrono (there are several great museums..and the tapas scene, of course!), then she can go home from there. OR, walk that long day to Najera (which I loved), and then the next day to Santo Domingo (closer than Granon, and has a fabulous Parador which you can visit without staying). There are trains from Santo Domingo with one change back to Madrid (you didn't say where she will be needing to return).

 

[trecile]

you might consider an extra day in Logrono (there are several great museums..and the tapas scene, of course!), then she can go home from there. OR, walk that long day to Najera (which I loved), and then the next day to Santo Domingo (closer than Granon, and has a fabulous Parador which you can visit without staying). There are trains from Santo Domingo with one change back to Madrid (you didn't say where she will be needing to return).

Thanks. Santo Domingo sounds like it might be a good place to stop if there is good train service there.

 

[trecile]

I've been looking at Rome to Rio, and it looks like my friend should be able to get back to Madrid from just about anywhere that we would be in the region. Which is great, because I'd rather "wing it".

 

[Kanga]

A train to Santo Domingo? I don't see it. The nearest train station that I can see is either Logroño or Burgos.

 

[Kanga]

@trecile yes, buses from just about everywhere. I've got the Rome2rio app on my smartphone, very handy.

 

[trecile]

A train to Santo Domingo? I don't see it. The nearest train station that I can see is either Logroño or Burgos.

You're right Kanga. Looking on the Rome to Rio site, it looks like one would need to take a bus first, but the travel time isn't bad to Madrid.