Arriving in SJPP 4pm.. should we walk to Orisson??

[yogaflowjo]

We arrive in SJPP approx 4pm 31st March and plan to break our journey in Orisson.. we have two 14 year old boys in tow. If we overnight in SJPP, I should imagine we will get to Orisson around lunchtime the next day. Refugio Orisson looks quite remote... an entire afternoon with two bored teenagers does not seem like a good idea. Wondering if it is a better idea to arrive in SJPP, get our credentials and head off to Orisson the same day ... I see it is only 8 kilometers, but also believe it is very steep. We are all reasonably fit but would this be biting off more than we can chew so late in the day? :? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Jo

 

[mralisn]

Maybe stay the night in SJPdP, relax, have a lay in the next day not in a rush, get all you need for climb (food/passport/chocolate ), leave SJPdP later in morning/early afternoon because maybe good warmer weather than early morn, arrive in Orisson, relax, meet others (again), good meal, stretch, repack, start over the hill the next morning. No rush, no "boredom". Perhaps on the 1st of April, allow the kids to venture around town a bit on their own before going to Orisson. Maybe you'll arrive from far away, so a slow start could be nice.

What a great experience for them.

 

[DeadFred]

NO .. do not head out at 4pm the day of arrival in St Jean. I say this not from experience as I haven't cut my teeth yet on the Camino but rather from the 1000s of pages I have read of those that "have gone before me " :lol:

Take mralisn advice and chill, explore, prepare.

Joe - Arkansas

 

[CaminoGen]

I wouldn't recommand it since you'll get there after dinner is served. SJPP is a beautiful town, enjoy it.

 

[nreyn12]

If you arrive into SJPP at 4:00pm (train?), you probably won't start walking until 5:30/6:00pm, by the time you swing by the Pilgrim's Office for your credentials and/or stamps, pick up some snacks, maybe take a few minutes to get your bearings around town.

The walk to Orisson takes at least two hours, but likely longer. Sunset on Mar 31 is at 8:19pm, so you are cutting it close on daylight hours, and as CaminoGen said, you will miss the fantastic shared dinner at Orisson.

The Tourist Information office can probably suggest a few things to interest the boys in SJPP, and if you bring along a Frisbee, Nerf football, deck of cards, or whatever, they can goof around at Orisson when you arrive. Or perhaps the hosts at Orisson can suggest another short hike in the area for the afternoon.

 

[gittiharre]

Here is a very hardy pilgrim's honest opinion. Overall hard to say, we left SJPP in the am and got to Orrisson far quicker than we anticipated after about 3 hours or even a little less and had an extremely boring and uncomfortable cold afternoon and evening up there. After the amazing gites in France I did not warm to Orrisson at all. From 11 am to the next morning with nothing to do, nowhere comfortable to sit, cold, wet, fog, rain in the middle of July., I had one of the most miserable periods of my pilgrimages over 4500 km. The dorm felt damp and smelt of toilet, the showers were cold, there was no fire to make the cold damp afternoon bearable, the front door was open all the time and I wore all of my clothes and still felt cold. Dinner was late. No reading material or lounge space, just the stark restaurant accessed via an outdoor staircase from the dorm, so every time you toed and froed you got wetter and colder. If you were to arrive a little earlier in SJPP I would say go for it...from 4 pm it is a bit of a challenge, but doable if you are basically fit and totally organised and depending on the time of year and the light at the end of the day. There is always an option of getting a taxi even part of the way up to Orrisson and starting there, the actual walk up is boring, road walking, no big deal....I would opt of taxying up at least part way and starting in the am...of course if it is a beautiful day it would be nice to hang out on the terrace up there and admire the view and drink beer, cheers, Gitti

 

[scruffy1]

March? It gets so dark so cold so early, stay in SJPP.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

If you have come all the way from Australia, and haven't had time for your bodies to adjust for jetlag, definitely take a break in SJPP. As mralisn suggests, you could take your time leaving SJPP next morning, relax over breakfast etc. And as nreyn12 says, by the time you get to the pilgrim office and get your credentials, and maybe something to eat, it will already be very late afternoon.
Margaret

 

[newfydog]

Stay in SJPP. Go down to the bridge and watch the fat trout in the river. Get into Camino time.

 

[FatmaG]

This first part is indeed hard stuff, in the end of March days are still not very long, I would not take the risk to leave after 5pm.
You could indeed start late the next day in order not to arrive too early. (note: you have to reserve for the night in Orisson)

As to

Refugio Orisson looks quite remote... an entire afternoon with two bored teenagers does not seem like a good idea.

well, it might be a good idea to mentally prepare and imagine already some things to do because even if Orisson is one of the remotest places, there are still plenty to come...

All the best, it is great to hear that teenagers want to walk as well!

 

[julie]

I add another voice to vote for staying in SJPdP.

Saint-Jean to Orisson is steep but only takes a couple of hours. Why not visit the Pilgrim Office and explore SJPdP a little that evening and the next morning then head off to Orisson after lunch?

Orisson has a gite and nothing more. Yes, there is plenty of space for the boys to run around but Saint-Jean has more to offer in interesting exploration - the river and the Citadelle are two areas that the boys might find appealing.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Walk to Huntto? It takes about half the time of the walk to Orisson, a bit over two hours. It makes the remainder of the distance to Roncesvalles relatively easy.

 

[jpflavin1]

Jo:

You have just spent a whole day traveling. I would recommend you check in at Pilgrim office, take a walk around SJPdP, have a nice dinner, meet your new Pilgrim friends and get a good nights sleep.

I am not even sure Orisson will be open yet. March 31st, I believe is Easter Sunday. Check ahead of time. If it is open, you can get a late start after a nice breakfast in SJPdP and arrive in the early afternoon. Hopefully it will be a nice day and you will be able to enjoy the views. If it is not open, you can walk to Hunto or you can get an early start and walk to Roncesvalles. Everything is weather dependent in the Spring.

Orisson, if open, is just a two hour walk. Hunto is an option if you want to shorten your second day to Roncesvalles. I strongly advise you check as to whether these facilities are open yet.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[billmclaughlin]

Hmmmm. We don't know quite what you route to SJPP is, but....

Two teens will not be happy at all spending hours in SJPP or Orisson. I'm a big fan of breaking in Orisson, but you want to get there in the afternoon and definitely not after dinner, as your schedule now suggests you will. Spending hours at Orisson is a very bad alternative for anyone itching to get going. I can't imagine teens dealing well with that. SJPP is worth a stroll, but the teens will be itching to get going and antsy. The town is atmospheric but small. You want to get these kids on the move ASAP. I know SJPP has its fans, but I doubt there are (m)any teens among them.

Can you reconfigure your arrival? Instead of getting to SJPP at 4 pm, can't you spend the night in Bayonne. There's an old town to explore, some shops for the last minute purchases (food?), different neighborhoods, river banks, photo ops, etc. Then you train to SJPP in the morning, arriving toward noon as I remember, and head up to Orisson. The day unfolds naturally that way, and your hour in SJPP will be just right.

Just my two cents.

--Bill

 

[CaminoGen]

Well, if the teenagers can't handle spending an afternoon in SJPP, I think the Camino will be hard for them and for you... Most places on the Camino are hardly "touristic". Bill's suggestion may be the best in your situation.

 

[hotelmedicis]

For my two cents worth I would say stay in SJPP, there is no need to rush off. Visit the village and enjoy yourself.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Sunset will be at 2031 on March 31. Huntto is 5 km, and is open all year. Orisson is 7.5 km, and opens in April. Right out of SJPdP is a few hundred meters of steep slope. Then it becomes more gradual for a while, then steepens again to Huntto. After that it is steep to Orisson, then steep after Orisson for a while. It becomes more gradual up to the summit. Down from the summit it is pretty steep all the way.

You should be able to do a 2 kph speed to Huntto including breaks, and the same to Orisson. Overall you probably can plan on 3 kph to Roncesvalles, or about 8 hours including breaks.

Unless you are able to determine when Orisson will open this year, you probably should not plan a stop there.

Buen camino.

 

[yogaflowjo]

Just checking in to thank you all for your (once again) invaluable advice. My friend is coming in from UK and we from Barcelona so neither of us have travelled far.. however after reading what the eperts have suggested we have decided to stay in SJPP, have a leisurely dinner (some wine! ) and a good catch up. We will take our time to Orisson perhaps after lunch and hope for a pleasant day weather wise. For your information Orisson is open and we have secured reservations! Thanks once again for helping us make our first Camino a fun experience. By the way, our boys are well travelled and whereas I was worried about them being bored, it wasn't so much that they have to be entertained from a "touristic" sense, rather sitting still for a whole afternoon at the beginning of our big adventure! Jo

 

[Al the optimist]

Who knows what we will take away from the camino? Maybe the boys will surprise you. Maybe they will grow before your very eyes! What a wonderful opportunity that might be when you realise that they are becoming young men.
allan

 

[stephenp]

Hi, Both my son (17 - broken collar bone - no weight Dads the pack Mule) arrived in SJPP late into the evening of our first day last Aug 2012 and it was a real panic to get our Passport from the Office at 10:30 pm and get a bed for the night however; it was my intention if we had arrived early to move on to Orrison as you intend - NOT RECOMMENDED have a dring and move on. We set of from SJPP around 8am (big mistake - but we didn't know any better) stopped for some photos and picked up some pastries for breakfast and lunch (exceptionally wise even though it felt unconfortable at the time carrying them from a small bakery over the bridge on the left had side - get a large sandwich with everything in you'll need it for the climb). Its a hard climb to th top priot to dropping quite quickly through teh forest into the Monestry at Roncesvalles (have the Pilgrims Menue at the Hotel its great and you meet up with other Pilgrims and make friends.

It is recommeded that as previously stated stay in SJPP througout the remainder of your first day, get you Passport and buy food for the following days Breakfast and Lunch and set off at day break (thats not get out of bed but start walking) at a steady pace you should make Roncevalles early afternoon when you will have plenty of time to shower, wash your clothes (use the washingmachines and pay the extra for them to be dried - its worth it after a hard first day. Start your second leg for Larrasoana at day break again.

The only other piece of advice I woul give which was worth its weight in gold was the book A Pilgrims way to the Camino de Santiago by John Brierley - cannot praise it enough and your lads will be able to navigate using it which will get them involved.

Only final thought, the weather in summer whilst being extremely hot for us is likely to be a bit touch a go for you especially the first leg, I had a work colleague pick me up a Akubra Banjo Paterson Hat, best hat I've ever owned and worth considering for you trip.

Buen camino

 

[gittiharre]

Another little thought, if you end up staying night in St Jean, then spend the next morning in St Jean and walk up to Orrisson mid pm. You will get there in no time, it is not hard. Remember if the weather is not great, there is really absolutely nothing to do up there. Take a few ideas for games you can play using imagination and what is available in nature...to occupy the boys, it is good for kids to have to get creative with finding things to do that do not centre around computers and other electronic equipment, however it is something for them to adjust to over a few days. After long days walking they will be tired and they will find it challenging to walk day after day, it is a matter of easing them in and keeping the interest going in strategic ways....I don't think it is a good idea to get them up the mountain on day one and then sit there for hours on end .Have a great walk! Gitti

 

[Anthony18]

Here is a very hardy pilgrim's honest opinion. Overall hard to say, we left SJPP in the am and got to Orrisson far quicker than we anticipated after about 3 hours or even a little less and had an extremely boring and uncomfortable cold afternoon and evening up there. After the amazing gites in France I did not warm to Orrisson at all. From 11 am to the next morning with nothing to do, nowhere comfortable to sit, cold, wet, fog, rain in the middle of July., I had one of the most miserable periods of my pilgrimages over 4500 km. The dorm felt damp and smelt of toilet, the showers were cold, there was no fire to make the cold damp afternoon bearable, the front door was open all the time and I wore all of my clothes and still felt cold. Dinner was late. No reading material or lounge space, just the stark restaurant accessed via an outdoor staircase from the dorm, so every time you toed and froed you got wetter and colder. If you were to arrive a little earlier in SJPP I would say go for it...from 4 pm it is a bit of a challenge, but doable if you are basically fit and totally organised and depending on the time of year and the light at the end of the day. There is always an option of getting a taxi even part of the way up to Orrisson and starting there, the actual walk up is boring, road walking, no big deal....I would opt of taxying up at least part way and starting in the am...of course if it is a beautiful day it would be nice to hang out on the terrace up there and admire the view and drink beer, cheers, Gitti

Regarding your mentioning: "not warming up to Orisson at all"- I couldn't agree with you more. I did like the walk leading there, but to me, the joy of the camino started in Roncesvalles.

 

[C clearly]

Always an interesting discussion, but many things have changed over the past 8 years (see the date on the thread). We are all wishing we had that dilemma from the past!

 

[Anthony18]

Always an interesting discussion, but many things have changed over the past 8 years (see the date on the thread). We are all wishing we had that dilemma from the past!

I visited in 2019.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Yes

 

[David Tallan]

<somewhat tongue in cheek, considering the age of the thread>If you have a reservation.</somewhat tongue in cheek, considering the age of the thread>

 

[nissa]

Regarding your mentioning: "not warming up to Orisson at all"- I couldn't agree with you more. I did like the walk leading there, but to me, the joy of the camino started in Roncesvalles.

Really? I loved Orisson. Lovely pilgrim dinner. Everyone says where they are from and why they are walking. Been twice and enjoyed it very much.

 

[C clearly]

Most of the posts on this thread are 9 years old. Things change, and there are more recent relevant threads, so this one will be closed.