can anybody help me?

[john_haynes]

Hi all, let me introduce myself, my names john, im 27 and im doin the camino at the end of april next year for charity. On a site i found with all the different pilgrim trails to santiago, http://www.csj.uk/map.htm I noticed that there was a trail from Budapest, Hungry. so as i sat in the pub with my friends and a few pints of the very fine reverant James, it was decided that, that was the route i was going to take, not just for Acorns chilrens hospice but also for my innerself. Now, i have worked out how far it is in distance (2095.63 miles) but i am unable to find any other details, can anybody possibly help me, it would be much appreciated.

 

[sillydoll]

Hi John,

Try these websites for starters.

Hungary – Budapest to Santiago: (I think these guys drove a car to Spain but they might be able to help you with maps and other resources)
http://www.reep.org/resources/easter2004/index.html

German/Czech border:
http://www.oekumenischer-pilgerweg.de/

 

[Bridget and Peter]

What an amazing plan! I can be of little help about routes but I'm sure you will get some clues from others here. I'm thinking practically -

how long do you have to spare? Look up Gareth on this forum who walked Worcester to Santiago this year - about 2000km if I recall correctly - for insight into months of walking.

What about accommodation? There won't be refuges until you get much nearer, I guess.

How much money do you have to spare? Even cheapest hostels etc will mount up. And you'll have to eat.

You will perhaps instead want to take a lightweight tent and sleeping bag. Obviously the lighter the better. See this forum (especially recently re ultralight backpacks) for vast amounts of experience on how much weight to carry. I found plenty of opinion about lightweight tents on the web when we were researching for a two man tent for cycling - ended up with a Coleman Phad but you'll want something much lighter. Maybe you will consider a bivvy bag? (You've really got my imagination going!!)

Are you already an experienced long distance walker? Training - another subject you'll get lots of advice on. I think the intention to start very gently and not try to keep to ambitious expectations for speed and daily distance would be vital. Over that length you will build up incredible fitness however you are at the start, so long as you don't injure yourself to the point of having to give up, at the beginning!

Please keep us all informed with your planning and progress - we'll be very interested! Will you have a blog? Justgiving?

 

[Bridget and Peter]

Try http://pilgrim.peterrobins.co.uk/

for routes. A comprehensive site which needs a bit of familiarisation to get the best from! Should have thought of it before!

 

[gittiharre]

Hi, just to let you know I walked 400 km of the route of st James through Austria this year, from near Vienna to Innsbruck, East to West. There is a guide book by Peter Lindenthal in German, which I took with me. I did not like the book as it focused on detailed route instructions which were really hard to follow. The maps were very unclear. The route is variably well marked and I got lost a few times. A lot of it is on concrete paths and as only a few hundred people walk it per year you are unlikely to meet many pilgrims. I met 8 in total compared to hundreds in Spain. You have to stay in B and B's, occasionally there is a monastery where you can stay for free or for a donation and I managed on 45 Euros per day all in. In Spain I managed on 30 Euros a day.
It was interesting, but for me a little solitary in terms of kindred spirit and lacked the exotic feel of being in Spain. It was a place on the way, rather than an in depth experience. Regards, Gitti

 

[john_haynes]

cheers people, for the help you have provided, it has been of great use. ony 4 months left, i can't wait but ive still got loads to organise. i've been told i need to get in touch with some group or other to get pilgrim badges and a card????? is this true

 

[berth41]

Hello John ,
regarding your post , there are no accomodations in Hungary and Austria especcially for pilgrims so you'll have to stay in B&B . Allso people are not used to pilgrims . Switserland and Germany are more adapted to pilgrims . Cheap lodging like in Spain is not available . Entering France , one can stay in Gites ( Albergues) with special pilgrimrates as I did . Michelin road maps and Google maps will help to track your itinarary in Hungary and Spain . Of course there are guidebooks of the pilgrimways in Germany , Switserland , and France but they will not be in English but in the native language . If you're interested I could send you some ISBN numbers.
Have you read the book : Pilgrim Snail by Ben Nimmo , he walked more than 3000kms from Canterbury to Santiago , it took him over 3 months.
I rode my bike from my hometown in Holland to Santiago 2790 kms it took me 37 days , if you were to walk this distance it would take approx 90 days .
regards and Buen Camino berth41

 

[gittiharre]

Hi, I walked 400km of the Route of St James through Austria in 2008, starting near St Goettweig and finishing at Innsbruck. I had a guide book by Peter Lindenthal, which relied heavily on detailed and very hard to follow descriptions. The waymarking was quite inconsistent and I lost my way on a few occasions. Apart from the initial bit through the Dunkelsteiner forest, there were seemingly endless bits on concreted surfaces, which was hard going. The scenery was beautiful in parts, just a little too civilized for me. I met a handful of pilgrims only and often in the early part walked for hours without seeing a soul. It was drastically different from Spain.
Accommodation was around 30 Euros for bed and breakfast. I got by on 43 Euro per day, but really had to watch every cent. I have written a blog which I could email to you if you like. A website to look at is http://www.radolf.at This is the ST Jakobs Bruederschaft in Austria. There were two great pilgrims accommodation, one was Stift Lamback, which was free. Beautiful room in monastery with ensuite and free food, the other was Zum goldenen Loewen in Maria Taferl, the son a pilgrim himself offers a wing with pilgrims rooms and pilgrims menu. Very welcoming. In Salzburg I stayed in an amazing place which offered pilgrims rooms, very athmospheric for 20 Euros per night, it was called Haus Wartenberg or similar. It will be in my blog. I was the first pilgrim to write into their guestbook.
In Salzburg is a galery, Galerie Welz which has a bookshop attached and Herr Binder who works there has created a pilgrims specialty section, shelves and shelves of pilgrim related literature.
Hope this helps you a bit. Regards, Gitti