Burgos to Santiago de Compostela

[Roger M.]

Hello - I am planning to walk from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela in September thru early October. I am allowing 16 walking days for the 250 mile trek. In addition, I am allocating 3 rest/tourist days for a total of 19 days. Any thoughts or comments? Will the terrain in between allow this? I am a pretty fit old man. I can easily walk 2.5 miles in about 40 or 45 minutes with no pack. I figure I still have some training to do.

It looks like it should be an easy train/bus ride from Madrid to Burgos. I would also figure on taking a train or bus from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid for the trip home. Thoughts or suggestions? Thank you very much in advance. --- Roger

 

[NoQ]

16 days from Burgos to Santiago would be far too much for most people. I walked that section in 19 days over the summer and thought I was pushing it too far at times, with a couple of plus 35 km days. If you've got the time, allow a few more days than 16 and if not, start a little closer to Santiago. Sahagun would make your camino more comfortable. Or if you don't want to miss the amazing early meseta and beautiful villages / small towns of Castrojeriz, Fromista and Carrion, walk from Burgos to Carrion then bus it from Carrion to Hospital de Orbigo (my least favourite part of the Camino, but still well worth it if you have the time) and continue from there.

 

[colinPeter]

Hi Roger,
I could be wrong, but I think it's a bit over 300 miles from Burgos to SDC.
Buen Camino
Colin

 

[Rex]

Hello,
I just walked from SJPdP to Santiago in 26 days, including 2 rest days. From Burgos to Santiago was 15 days, including one rest day. If you are in shape and plan carefully, you can do this. However, you should plan on 2-3 days of 40km along the Way. By the way, this included 3 days on the Meseta where it was raining sideways in great sheets, so there was little else to do except walk 35-40 km.
The overall experience was wonderful, and for me, the secret to long walks were my trail hiking shoes (not my boots, which I shipped back to Seattle after one week).
Buen Camino.

 

[jpflavin1]

Roger:

Burgos to Santiago is around 490 km's or approximately 300 miles.

Is it walk-able in 16 days? Sure, but you will have to average 30 km's per day. If you walk all 19 days the daily average drops to 25 km's per day.

That said, if you want to start in Burgos and you fall behind you can always catch a bus to jump ahead.

If you want a continuous walk, you could start in Sahagun or Leon. You can get a train from Madrid to either one of these cities. Sahagun would be approximately 370 km's or 23 km's per day over 16 days. This would allow you the three free days you wanted.

There are several trains and buses daily from Santiago to Madrid.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[Roger M.]

A great big thank you for the replies to my post. Those of you that corrected my mileage estimate from 250 to appox 300 miles, THANK YOU! I agree, my initial estimate of 16 walking days was too low. I am going to bump that up to 21 or 22 with 3 or 4 days of rest and sight-seeing. Also, the information regarding travel from and to Madrid is very helpful.

Rex - thanks for the tip regarding shoes vs boots. I like the ankle support of boots, but if this is not important, shoes may be the better choice.

I want this trip to be a time of reflection. A hurry-up hike that resembles my Marine Corps days is not what I'm looking for.

Thank you all --- Roger

 

[jpflavin1]

A great big thank you for the replies to my post. Those of you that corrected my mileage estimate from 250 to appox 300 miles, THANK YOU! I agree, my initial estimate of 16 walking days was too low. I am going to bump that up to 21 or 22 with 3 or 4 days of rest and sight-seeing. Also, the information regarding travel from and to Madrid is very helpful.

Rex - thanks for the tip regarding shoes vs boots. I like the ankle support of boots, but if this is not important, shoes may be the better choice.

I want this trip to be a time of reflection. A hurry-up hike that resembles my Marine Corps days is not what I'm looking for.

Thank you all --- Roger

Twenty-one days should be more than adequate. If you need travel assistance, I can probably help.

Semper Fi
Joe

 

[colinPeter]

.....I like the ankle support of boots, but if this is not important, shoes may be the better choice.....

Hi Roger,
Shoes versus boots is an issue that everyone has an opinion on, as you'll see if you search the forum, and I'm no different.

I would definitely prefer ankle supporting boots, particularly on sections like La Cruz de Ferro to Molinaseca, to name just one. In the end, it will be just have to be your call, read what you can about the terrain, and go with what you think best.

Also, a bit of a "heads up", for arriving by train into Burgos, Burgos-Rosa de Lima (station) is about a 5klm walk from the cathedral (centre of town). However, there are buses & taxis.

Buen Camino
Colin

 

[whariwharangi]

Note there are two major train stations in Madrid and most trains do not stop at both stations. Atocha and Chamartin. When you determine the schedule for the train you want, you can click on the train name to get the itenerary.

Here is train website with schedule information. Renfe website:
http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/index.html

I note Alsa (the bus network) shows buses going from Barajas T4 (Madrid airport) to Burgos in 2hr 30 minutes. The bus station in Burgos is in the city center. The train is probably a better option for the longer return trip from Santiago.
http://www.alsa.es/en/buy-and-schedules/international/?searchType=international

I'd suggest planning on walking 20km or 12.5 miles per day.

If you overdo it you'll probably feel full of beans day one and it'll still be good on day two. Then on day 3 you will hit the wall. Its better to start with a conservative distance then crank it up a bit once the body is aclimatized.

 

[pipello]

Hello - I am planning to walk from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela in September thru early October. I am allowing 16 walking days for the 250 mile trek. In addition, I am allocating 3 rest/tourist days for a total of 19 days. Any thoughts or comments? Will the terrain in between allow this? I am a pretty fit old man. I can easily walk 2.5 miles in about 40 or 45 minutes with no pack. I figure I still have some training to do.

It looks like it should be an easy train/bus ride from Madrid to Burgos. I would also figure on taking a train or bus from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid for the trip home. Thoughts or suggestions? Thank you very much in advance. --- Roger

My husband and I walked that same route last Spring. We carried our packs and averaged about 15 miles a day with two rest days. We arrived early and so walked onto Finesterre, took the bus back to Santiago, went to Porto in Portugal and then the bus back to Madrid. My blog is pipello1@gmail.com if you'd enjoy mor specifics. You'll have the time of your life !

 

[Al the optimist]

Yes, as stated, if you plan shorter walking days and then "get your legs" there are many options available to you once you reach Santiago - some of the Portugese, Finisterra, Muxia or even the Ingles from La Corruna or Ferrol all easily reached by train or bus.

 

[amancio]

That makes good sense, 21 days will be more like it. As to ankle support, you are going to need it, the way down to Molinaseca is quite a tricky one, and also the way down to Triacastela and just before Portomarin are good places to wear boots, definitely!

The train to Burgos is a lovely ride, indeed, if you arrive at a reasonable time, you can even start walking from the train station on to Rabé or Tardajos for a short first walk.

Buen camino, amigo!!!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I am a pretty fit old man. I can easily walk 2.5 miles in about 40 or 45 minutes with no pack.

That description covers a range of ability!

I just did a sample itinerary that has stages from 18 to 26 km per day, averaging 22.3km per day. It takes 22 days to go from Burgos to Santiago. If you have not walked sequential half-marathons with a pack for 21 days, you may want to be careful about overestimating your abilities. There is a lot of up and down from Burgos (the highest spot on the Camino is after Burgos), and you will find that the repetitive stress builds so that after a week or so, lots of things hurt -- muscles, knees, ankles, feet, back, and hips. I am a big fan of buses and taxis, so if you set a tight schedule, you can always "catch up" using transport. It costs from 5 to 20E to cover an entire walking day in less than 1/2 hour!

Buen camino.

 

[Roger M.]

Thank you all for the additional info. I am looking to take this pilgrimage from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela from about 9/15 to 10/15 of next year.

I am researching for a good pair of ankle high hiking boots. I'll try and break in a pair this spring and see what works best so as to give myself time to come up with the best model/fit for next fall.

Based on a lot of the info you good folks provided, I will prepare to be able to walk an average of 23 km/day for 21 days. That will allow me to build in about 4 additional rest/tourist days. If I fall behind, I can always catch a bus/taxi to catch up as Joe said.

Some other topics I want to research for my pilgrimage is camping along the Camino. I think it would be cool to spend a few nights under the stars.

Again, thank you all for your feedback and help.

Buen Camino!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Start with: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/camping-along-the-camino-frances.12990/

There are several other threads on camping.

 

[Olivares]

I walked Burgos to Leon this past October (2013) and had amazing weather. My plan was to walk Burgos to Astorga in 7 days but infected small toes put me out of commision closer to Leon. Do not let the description "flatlands" lead you on to believe that this is an easy task; it may be easier to go for 30+kms, but you ARE walking those still....I say plan for it and play it by ear. You can always take a bus ahead in Fromista or Carrion de los Condes or take the train in Sahagun. I'll say try not to, but there are your options....

As far as getting to Burgos from Madrid, I just went to Barajas Terminal 4. Unfortunately, the next bus was sold out, so I just took the bus from Terminal 4 to Estacion de las Americas where there were plenty number of buses leaving for Burgos throughout the day. Some people like the train. The bus was much cheaper and VERY comfortable. The bus station in Burgos is also very centric; two blocks from Arco de San Martin, so a 5-10 minute walk to the Cathedral.

 

[Roger M.]

Start with: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/camping-along-the-camino-frances.12990/

There are several other threads on camping.

Thank you Falcon!

 

[cosan]

Hello - I am planning to walk from Burgos to Santiago de Compostela in September thru early October. I am allowing 16 walking days for the 250 mile trek. In addition, I am allocating 3 rest/tourist days for a total of 19 days. Any thoughts or comments? Will the terrain in between allow this? I am a pretty fit old man. I can easily walk 2.5 miles in about 40 or 45 minutes with no pack. I figure I still have some training to do.

It looks like it should be an easy train/bus ride from Madrid to Burgos. I would also figure on taking a train or bus from Santiago de Compostela back to Madrid for the trip home. Thoughts or suggestions? Thank you very much in advance. --- Roger

Thank you Falcon!

i landed in terminal 1 in Madrid & took the airport bus to terminal 4. Alsa buses depart from the ground floor. I had prebooked my bus seat online. The bus journey was pleasant, I arrived in Burgos at 4pm, had some food and then walked the 10km to Tarjados. I had booked a bed in La Casa Beli there.

 

[cosan]

i landed in terminal 1 in Madrid & took the airport bus to terminal 4. Alsa buses depart from the ground floor. I had prebooked my bus seat online. The bus journey was pleasant, I arrived in Burgos at 4pm, had some food and then walked the 10km to Tarjados. I had booked a bed in La Casa Beli there.

It took me three weeks to walk to Santiago