Buses and Taxis along the way.

Hi Jacqueline,

I don't think you will need to do a lot of advance planning here so long as your friend is willing to use both taxis and buses. Many pilgrims find they need or want to be transported from one place to another, and the options are several. First, you will find buses running between the bigger towns, e.g., Estella to Los Arcos and there will be stops in many of the smaller places as well. I don't know where you live, but most of us in the US are always pleasantly surprised (or shocked) to see how well connected these small out of the way towns are. You can always get up to date information on bus schedules at the albergues, in the tourist offices, or from residents.

If the bus schedules are bad or if you are in a smaller place without bus service, so long as the town has a bar you are likely to find a solution. The owner will either know who to call or offer his/her own services. In fact, I was once stranded on the Camino del norte in a hamlet about 22 km from Ribadesella - I went to one of the three houses there and the woman happily called me a cab from town. Though you may not get an official regulated taxi, I think it's safe to say that you can get transportation in one way or another between most of the places along the Camino Frances.

Laurie

A quick p.s. I forgot -- you may find that it's the accommodation rather than the transportation that's the bigger problem, since there may be some problem getting your friend into albergues, at least the "official" or "municipal" ones. Good luck.