gertrong415
New Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Hoping for summer (2020)
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I am just in the early planning stages for my first Camino to begin in May 2020. I have decided that Camino Frances is the right choice for me, but I am very conflicted on how to approach it. I want to experience the excitement of the traditional start in St. Jean Pied de Port, as well as the challenge and reward of crossing the Pyrenees. I also want to experience the mental, physical and spiritual challenge of traversing the meseta. I live in the US and I am at a point in my life where going back for more might be an option, but is certainly not something that is guaranteed. I can probably swing 3, possibly 4, weeks away from work/home, but the often quoted 35 days to walk the full Camino Frances is not realistic for me in one shot right now.
So... my question is this...
Is it possible to do something akin to the beginning, the middle and the end and skip some of the route in between? I know this is not the full experience and I also know there is no right or wrong way to walk the Camino. I am really just asking if this is logistically possible and if so, what are travel options between cities/towns/outposts? What sections would you skip? I realize there is no single answer, just looking for wisdom and thoughts from those who have walked this path before me.
Thank you.
There is no one 'starting point' of the camino. Start from wherever you wish.
You do realise that St. Jean has never been a traditional start of the Camino? Not until a certain film came out anyway!
Pick a start point that best suits your fitness and time frame
That's exactly what I would suggest given your available time. After all many other Caminos have nothing in common with Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port...
How about working out how many days you have to walk, work back in km per days from Santiago and start there. Then walk all the way to Santiago. Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos are also common starting points on the Frances and easy to get to.
...
Thank you for your wonderful succinct and practical information. I really appreciate it!Yes, it's very possible.
Here is a 22 day schedule I use for my Anniewalkers - it would work for anyone, and you hit all the "good" places, in my opinion. It would be an easy one to rework for your own use. For one person, I would bus between Viana/Logroño - Burgos - Leon instead of taxi. The bus is very reasonably priced and has morning departures for each city.:
Itinerary
Day 1: Pamplona
Day 2: Taxi to SJPP
Day 3: Walk to Orisson (8 k)
Day 4: Walk to Roncesvalles (13 k)
Day 5: Walk to Zubiri (22.2 k)
Day 6: Walk to Pamplona (21 k)
Day 7: Walk to Puente la Reina (24 k)
Day 8: Walk to Estella (21.9 k)
Day 9: Walk to Los Arcos (21.1 k)
Day 10: Walk to Viana (19 k)
Day 11: Taxi to Burgos
Day 12: Bus to Leon
Day 13: Bus to Astorga
Day 14: Walk to Rabanal del Camino (21.4 k)
Day 15: Walk to Molinaseca (26.5 k)
Day 16: Walk to Villafranca (23 k)
Day 17: Taxi to O'Cebreiro, then to Samos, walk to Sarria (15 k)
Day 18: Sarria to Portomarin (22 k)
Day 19: Portomarin to Palas de Rei (24.8 k)
Day 20: Palas de Rei to Castañeda (22.8 k)
Day 21: Walk to O Pedrouzo (22.1 k)
Day 22: Walk to Santiago (20.1 k)
Day 23: Enjoy Santiago - see the Cathedral, get your Compostela, see the museums
I get it. Thank you all for knocking some sense into me! I am not looking for a vacation. I’m looking for a pilgrimage.Nuff said..........
A Camino v a Hiking Holiday .............
You'll understand when you get there.........
Wonderful advice! Thank you so much. Now I can move on past that crazy thought and focus on what works best for me.That's exactly what I would suggest given your available time. After all many other Caminos have nothing in common with Saint-Jean-de-Port
Levante starts in Valencia, Ingles in Ferrol or A Coruna, Via de la Plata in Sevilla and so on.
So is it Camino or is it Camino Frances for you? That's the question I would try to answer first and then decide what, when, how and why etc.
Anyway Buen Camino!
Thank you so much! Excellent advice! I just want Camino. Enough said.That's exactly what I would suggest given your available time. After all many other Caminos have nothing in common with Saint-Jean-de-Port
Levante starts in Valencia, Ingles in Ferrol or A Coruna, Via de la Plata in Sevilla and so on.
So is it Camino or is it Camino Frances for you? That's the question I would try to answer first and then decide what, when, how and why etc.
Anyway Buen Camino!
Thank you so much for your sage advice. I will definitely pick a starting point and keep walking. No skipping.Yes you can skip along and do bits here and there, it's also possible to walk from St Jean like we did in 4 weeks. Personally I would not skip stages, the thing that makes the Camino more then another Spanish holiday is the commitment you make to reaching your goal, this means focusing as much as the journey within as the places you pass through. Pick a start point that best suits your fitness and time frame, As said above Pamploma, Burgos or Leon are all good start places if you are looking for a 4 week Camino and can only manage around 20kms a day.
Well said. Thank you so much for crystalizing that for me. It’s exactly what I needed.Others have said it and I just want to amplify their voices:
There is no need to cherry-pick this - it diminishes the experience.
Unless you're walking as a tourist, and then it doesn't matter - choose the 'nicest' parts and walk them. But just so you know - you'd be settling for the crumbs when the whole meal is completely within your reach.
Plenty of them to choose from:Thank you so much! Excellent advice! I just want Camino. Enough said.
I have decided that Camino Frances is the right choice for me, but I am very conflicted on how to approach it. I want to experience the excitement of the traditional start in St. Jean Pied de Port, as well as the challenge and reward of crossing the Pyrenees. I also want to experience the mental, physical and spiritual challenge of traversing the meset
I can probably swing 3, possibly 4, weeks away from work/home, but the often quoted 35 days to walk the full Camino Frances is not realistic for me
But it does take out the Meseta, which sounded important to you. And you are correct about the spiritual aspect of the Meseta. Many skip it because someone has told them it is “boring”. That is nonsense and a line many have fallen for when looking for a reason to not walk the whole thing. I agree with others that you would be better to start further along and then go continuously, if that spiritual connection is what you seek.Thank you for your wonderful succinct and practical information. I really appreciate it!
Glad you took the advice in the spirit it was intended. It's hard to pitch comments in the right tone without coming across judgemental, it's one of the reasons I usable stay of the CF posts. But I think the advice given to you by a number of posters is to encourage you to go and get the most out of your experience. There is no right way of doing it, as you will find out, your Camino will be the way you make it and only you can say if that was right for you.Thank you so much for your sage advice. I will definitely pick a starting point and keep walking. No skipping.
Thank you so much! BTW, your videos are some of the best Camino "memoirs" I have found.Nuff said..........
A Camino v a Hiking Holiday .............
You'll understand when you get there.........
Not super strong right now - have some training to do...Gestrong,
How many kilometers do you think you can do a day? How are you on uphills and downhills. More information will help us better answer your question.
It would be bel
You have posed a question that, is in reality, a cliche. What you haven't yet told us why you want to walk the Camino. It seems that you want to participate in an event. Something that will make good conversation when you return to your home???I am just in the early planning stages for my first Camino to begin in May 2020. I have decided that Camino Frances is the right choice for me, but I am very conflicted on how to approach it. I want to experience the excitement of the traditional start in St. Jean Pied de Port, as well as the challenge and reward of crossing the Pyrenees. I also want to experience the mental, physical and spiritual challenge of traversing the meseta. I live in the US and I am at a point in my life where going back for more might be an option, but is certainly not something that is guaranteed. I can probably swing 3, possibly 4, weeks away from work/home, but the often quoted 35 days to walk the full Camino Frances is not realistic for me in one shot right now.
So... my question is this...
Is it possible to do something akin to the beginning, the middle and the end and skip some of the route in between? I know this is not the full experience and I also know there is no right or wrong way to walk the Camino. I am really just asking if this is logistically possible and if so, what are travel options between cities/towns/outposts? What sections would you skip? I realize there is no single answer, just looking for wisdom and thoughts from those who have walked this path before me.
Thank you.
The Me says is the soul of the CaminoNote that Annie's itinerary skips the meseta, and you can walk some or all between those towns she's mentioned.
The only area of the meseta that can be troublesome to catch a bus out of, is between Hornillos and Castrojerez, between Castrojerez and Carrion de las Casas, and between Carrion and Sahagun. There are buses to those towns that will take you north or south (and maybe west) where you can transfer to something westward.
The downside to hopscotching along, is losing contact with your new friends.
The Mesata is the soul of the Camino. You don't 'skip it'. If you don't have the time to do the Camino it's alright to wait until you do.Note that Annie's itinerary skips the meseta, and you can walk some or all between those towns she's mentioned.
The only area of the meseta that can be troublesome to catch a bus out of, is between Hornillos and Castrojerez, between Castrojerez and Carrion de las Casas, and between Carrion and Sahagun. There are buses to those towns that will take you north or south (and maybe west) where you can transfer to something westward.
The downside to hopscotching along, is losing contact with your new friends.
None of the above. I want a pilgrimage. Since I first learned of the Camino 6 or 7 years ago, it has been calling to me. I want the physical, mental and spiritual test. I want to walk the path that millions of pilgrims have walked for centuries. I want to strip away the busyness and distractions of everyday life and be allowed to focus on what matters most in life. I want to prove to myself I can do it, but is it "another notch in my belt?" Not hardly. That's not how I work. I apologize for not providing more personal information in my original post, but I am a newbie here and this was my first post. I was writing from my desk at work, with limited time and trying to keep it simple for people to read. I realize now, though, that more information does help get more useful responses from others.You have posed a question that, is in reality, a cliche. What you haven't yet told us why you want to walk the Camino. It seems that you want to participate in an event. Something that will make good conversation when you return to your home???
So... What is the motivation??? Another notch on the belt??? Another accomplishment???
Sorry if I'm coming off as rude/abrupt, but your premise is unknown to me.
Many aspiring 'pilgrims' have questions, but give no clue as to why they want to have the experience.
Maybe you should start there...
Peace be with you.
@gertrong415, earlier I posted about the possibility of renting a bicycle to cross the meseta. Based on your followup post above if we were to have a conversation I would be inclined to talk you into starting from SJPdP and just keep on walking (until you have to quit to go to back to work; I don't suggest quitting work to complete the camino even though I think that thought will have entered your mind by Leon anyway). I think that trip will be your best physical, mental and spirtual challenge. Whatever way you go make it a good way. Buen camino.My concern is that by not having the opportunity to experience the physical challenge of crossing the Pyrenees or the mental challenge of the meseta, I would not fully experience the opportunity for introspection, personal reflection or the complete essence of the Camino. As I said, I am in early planning stages - still trying to figure out how much time I might be able to get away from work.
No Camino is a bad Camino. While it may not be your first choice, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. From Leon to SdC there are a lot of wonderful things to see. Enjoy and Buen Camino!...I am currently leaning toward starting in Leon and walking to SdC. I have many conflicting emotions about this and it is probably not my #1 choice/preference, but if I am being realistic, it probably makes the most sense
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