- Time of past OR future Camino
- May 2023
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Hi, I rented a bike in Burgos. From the Burgo's bike shop. The husband and wife who ran it at the time in 2018 were wonderful. Not sure if they are still operating the store or not.Hello everyone! My husband and I will start our Camino in SJPP in mid-May 23. We have been wanting to complete this pilgrimage for so many years, and for so many reason. We are planning to complete the full French Way, and we are also bringing our 5 adult children over to meet us in Valenca at the end of our pilgrimage (end of June) to walk the last 100 Km with us (maybe for the second time for us depending on how our journey goes. If we have already made it to SDC, we will simply walk again with them as a family).
This is also a transition journey for us as I will retire from my current career just prior to our pilgrimage. So we will be moving in time and geo and distance in a lot of different dimensions. Cannot wait!
We want to experience many different things on our pilgrimage, and so we are considering renting bikes and cycling for a few days on the Meseta. There was a previous thread on this topic but it had not been updated/received comments for quite a while.
Just curious if anyone on the forum has cycled the Meseta recently and if you have any top tips, thoughts or advice to share?
Thanks and Buen Camino!
Thanks!I have not bicycled so can't answer your specific query, but one of the disadvantages might be that you will break away from any friendships you may have formed in the first part of your walk, lose the rhythm of your walk, and miss the special meditative quality of walking the meseta.
Talking to friends who have walked and bicycled (not specifically the meseta) the comment was that on a bike you have to concentrate on the road or path all the time, whereas while walking your mind can wander and you are free to look around and see everything.
Thanks!Hi, I rented a bike in Burgos. From the Burgo's bike shop. The husband and wife who ran it at the time in 2018 were wonderful. Not sure if they are still operating the store or not.
Thanks,
I bicycled the Meseta last year. I had started the Camino as a walker but ended up buying a used bike in Pamplona because of an injury that prevented me from walking.Just curious if anyone on the forum has cycled the Meseta recently and if you have any top tips, thoughts or advice to share?
Thanks and Buen Camino!
Thank you so much for this thoughtful response!I bicycled the Meseta last year. I had started the Camino as a walker but ended up buying a used bike in Pamplona because of an injury that prevented me from walking.
The Meseta is quite easy and a bit fun to ride because it’s mostly flat. You can make quite big distances on parts of it. It doesn’t really get hilly again until Astorga, as I recall.
The bad thing about riding a bike it is exactly what @Kanga said above. You’ll lose your Camino family and you’re going a little too fast on a bike to make a new one. And you do really have to pay attention, because you’ll get hurt if you fall.
On the other hand, when you resume walking maybe you’ll find another family!
Just get the simplest bike you can, you dont need anything fancy and certainly not an electric. What they call a hybrid would be perfect. I had what they call a mountain bike. You’ll probably use more water as well. And make sure you have extra innertube in case you get a flat. Probably the bike rental places will have some sort of support mechanism, maybe bikes with tubeless tires, but you might not want to wait the hours they’ll probably take to come and get you or swap out the tire.
Some personal thoughts:
My gut feeling is to suggest that you forget this idea, because I really felt that I didn’t get the full Camino experience (I hope to go back and actually walk the entire Camino france one day). Even though you’ll have walked most of it, you may not quite be satisfied with yourself at the end. I think the Meseta is more interesting than people give it credit for, and the flatness of the landscape lend themselves to contemplation. (Even on a bike, it’s true.)
Hi DreholdenHello everyone! My husband and I will start our Camino in SJPP in mid-May 23. We have been wanting to complete this pilgrimage for so many years, and for so many reason. We are planning to complete the full French Way, and we are also bringing our 5 adult children over to meet us in Valenca at the end of our pilgrimage (end of June) to walk the last 100 Km with us (maybe for the second time for us depending on how our journey goes. If we have already made it to SDC, we will simply walk again with them as a family).
This is also a transition journey for us as I will retire from my current career just prior to our pilgrimage. So we will be moving in time and geo and distance in a lot of different dimensions. Cannot wait!
We want to experience many different things on our pilgrimage, and so we are considering renting bikes and cycling for a few days on the Meseta. There was a previous thread on this topic but it had not been updated/received comments for quite a while.
Just curious if anyone on the forum has cycled the Meseta recently and if you have any top tips, thoughts or advice to share?
Thanks and Buen Camino!
Thank youHi Dreholden
Last year after walking the Camino three times I decided to cycle it for a different challenge and oh boy was it a challenge. Having completed the first three days which I calculated as being the most challenging I thought the Messeta was going to be a joy ride but wrong it still had its surprises. I suppose having already put my body through it I should have expected it. Just some information for you though, hiring a bike costs 35-45 euros per day so depending on how many kms you intend cycling per day it could run you a couple of hundred euros and given how prices have increased recently the daily rate could be more definitely worth checking now. Good luck on your venture, I’ve decided to walk it one more time but all the way to Finistère.
Buen Camino my friends
Thank you!I’m going to preface this by saying of course, walk your own Camino; this is your journey. With that said, I wouldn’t bike the maseta and here’s why; the maseta is long, challenging and for some life changing. I loved it for these reasons. The maseta I walked had the additional challenge of being devoid of people which made it even more challenging. Now, as I live my ordinary life, I sometimes long for the calm, endless, meditative walk like I had there. I miss it as it was my favorite part. No other time in your life will you ever spend days on end engaging your body while your mind has nothing other to do but settle. Riding a bike on a portion of the Camino will leave you wondering if you could have walked the whole thing. I speak from experience which is why I also say, if you do decide to rent bikes, bring with you proper bike shorts. The extra weight will not matter as your seat will be oh so thankful. Good luck planning! Buen Camino!
And one thing I learned about the Camino, is that it makes fun of the best laid plans of mice and men. Since you’re traveling at a busy time on the Camino france, you might be advised to make a reservation in advance with your best guess when you will arrive in Burgos or wherever you want to rent a bike. At least as long as you can cancel it.Thank you so much for this thoughtful response!
I cycled my first Camino in 2016 and never hope to do that again. I walked my next 7 Caminos. While cycling, I covered a lot of ground very quickly, especially on the gently sloped hills and flat terrain of the meseta. I blew through many towns and villages and missed a huge portion of the Camino experience. Subsequent walking allowed for meeting many more Pilgrims and locals, more in-depth viewing of the architecture, buildings, monuments and landmarks along the way, and I got to know the "personalities" of the towns I passed through. Tips if you cycle: Stay off the Pilgrims' paths! They don't want you there, and you don't want to wait for them to get out of the way. I used Bike Iberia. They deliver the bike anywhere you want in Spain or Portugal and pick it up whereever. I did not need a fixed schedule. Mountain or hybrid bike will handle gravel and stone streets better than a road bike. Make sure you have fluorescent/high visibility clothing. My bike did not have lights, but I had brought my own. Make sure you have bright flashing head and tail lights--even in daylight!! Storing the bike while staying in albergues and hotels can be very difficult unless you dare to just leave it on the street chained to a post, etc. If you really must have the bike experience, get them in Santiago (maybe even free from other pilgrims), and ride to Finisterre. Far fewer pilgrims along that route for you to bother.Hello everyone! My husband and I will start our Camino in SJPP in mid-May 23. We have been wanting to complete this pilgrimage for so many years, and for so many reason. We are planning to complete the full French Way, and we are also bringing our 5 adult children over to meet us in Valenca at the end of our pilgrimage (end of June) to walk the last 100 Km with us (maybe for the second time for us depending on how our journey goes. If we have already made it to SDC, we will simply walk again with them as a family).
This is also a transition journey for us as I will retire from my current career just prior to our pilgrimage. So we will be moving in time and geo and distance in a lot of different dimensions. Cannot wait!
We want to experience many different things on our pilgrimage, and so we are considering renting bikes and cycling for a few days on the Meseta. There was a previous thread on this topic but it had not been updated/received comments for quite a while.
Just curious if anyone on the forum has cycled the Meseta recently and if you have any top tips, thoughts or advice to share?
Thanks and Buen Camino!
Thanks so much!And one thing I learned about the Camino, is that it makes fun of the best laid plans of mice and men. Since you’re traveling at a busy time on the Camino france, you might be advised to make a reservation in advance with your best guess when you will arrive in Burgos or wherever you want to rent a bike. At least as long as you can cancel it.
I mention this because I talked to several people who said the rental bikes were all sold out . And I was on the Meseta the first week of May 2022.
It might be best to decide when you’re on the ground what you want to do, because you’ll know better how you feel. Maybe you can’t wait for it to be over, or maybe you would prefer to walk for the next three months, ha!
Have a wonderful Camino! What a terrific idea to meet your family.
I cycled my first Camino in 2016 and never hope to do that again. I walked my next 7 Caminos. While cycling, I covered a lot of ground very quickly, especially on the gently sloped hills and flat terrain of the meseta. I blew through many towns and villages and missed a huge portion of the Camino experience. Subsequent walking allowed for meeting many more Pilgrims and locals, more in-depth viewing of the architecture, buildings, monuments and landmarks along the way, and I got to know the "personalities" of the towns I passed through. Tips if you cycle: Stay off the Pilgrims' paths! They don't want you there, and you don't want to wait for them to get out of the way. I used Bike Iberia. They deliver the bike anywhere you want in Spain or Portugal and pick it up whereever. I did not need a fixed schedule. Mountain or hybrid bike will handle gravel and stone streets better than a road bike. Make sure you have fluorescent/high visibility clothing. My bike did not have lights, but I had brought my own. Make sure you have bright flashing head and tail lights--even in daylight!! Storing the bike while staying in albergues and hotels can be very difficult unless you dare to just leave it on the street chained to a post, etc. If you really must have the bike experience, get them in Santiago (maybe even free from other pilgrims), and ride to Finisterre. Far fewer pilgrims along that route for you to bother.
... we are considering renting bikes and cycling for a few days on the Meseta...
Although I have not bicycled the meseta specifically, over a period of about 30 years I rode about 10 x multi-week bicycle tours in various countries, the earlier ones as part of a group, and the latter ones solo. The longest one was of about 5 weeks duration. The fact that I kept repeating the activity for decades evidences that I enjoyed it quite a lot.... Just curious if ... you have any top tips, thoughts or advice to share? ...
I have biked from Pamplona to Puente la Reina, many times between Estella and Logroño, once from Villamayor de Monjardín to Fromista, then south to Palencia, from Zamora north to La Bañeza, all around Burgos, from Burgos to León, and from Santiago to Fisterra and Muxia. For some of those trips, I towed a 37-kilo trailer. I know the meseta is fairly flat, so considering some of the other obstacles I survived, it should be easy. However, for a good portion of that, there was a lot of rain, and I would quickly pick up huge amounts of clay on shoes and wheels. With caliper brakes, the clay pushes against them and makes a LOT of resistance to forward motion. And yet, when you need to use the brakes, the clay has made the rim slippery and the brakes don't work. Moral of the story is, for biking the Camino, I recommend disk brakes!Talking to friends who have walked and bicycled (not specifically the meseta) the comment was that on a bike you have to concentrate on the road or path all the time, whereas while walking your mind can wander and you are free to look around and see everything.
I couldn’t agree more. Walking or cycling the Camino is really your choice but I agree with you, the solitude and reflection I found walking the meseta gave me a whole new perspective of myself and I miss that feeling every day, I often sit at home and look through my photos and instantly I’m returned to those days of tranquility not everyone can appreciate or understand.Thank you!
At the moment it is quite cold 4⁰ to 11⁰ but the winds are northerly. Headwinds can make it difficult.Hello everyone! My husband and I will start our Camino in SJPP in mid-May 23. We have been wanting to complete this pilgrimage for so many years, and for so many reason. We are planning to complete the full French Way, and we are also bringing our 5 adult children over to meet us in Valenca at the end of our pilgrimage (end of June) to walk the last 100 Km with us (maybe for the second time for us depending on how our journey goes. If we have already made it to SDC, we will simply walk again with them as a family).
This is also a transition journey for us as I will retire from my current career just prior to our pilgrimage. So we will be moving in time and geo and distance in a lot of different dimensions. Cannot wait!
We want to experience many different things on our pilgrimage, and so we are considering renting bikes and cycling for a few days on the Meseta. There was a previous thread on this topic but it had not been updated/received comments for quite a while.
Just curious if anyone on the forum has cycled the Meseta recently and if you have any top tips, thoughts or advice to share?
Thanks and Buen Camino!
Thanks for a positive review of biking! I totally love walking and biking. They both have their benefits. We just found out I am going to Malaga for work. So we are going to go a week early and bike the Meseta beforehand. Did you say who you rented from, also, if we go from Burgos to Leon, can we just leave the bike in Leon? How much was it?I biked the Meseta. It's one of the best memories I had. To feel the wind in my hair was a memory that has stayed with me, and yelled "buen camino" to all the people I passed. It's true... I "lost" my camino family along the way. But I think I also needed some time alone to be with my thoughts and rely on myself again. I also needed to heal up some blisters that I was plagued with. When I got to Leon, I returned the rented bike and decided to take a couple of days off. I then got a kidney stone which landed me in the hospital there. Wouldn't you know it... my camino family caught up to me. I wouldn't recommend this tactic.
My bike and I became good friends and I loved living out of paniers for a few days. It's true... there are some rocky parts, but I just pushed my bike through some of those parts.
It's hard to recommend to bike the meseta to someone as you really do fly past a lot. I did about two walking days in 1 bike day. And what I sure liked the most about it was getting to the accommodation before everyone else did and having time to chill, clean, and eat before the droves arrived (oh and usually the pick of the beds).
I think even my breaks were longer while biking. So I would stop for a leisurely lunch instead of something potentially quickly.
Regardless, you really can't beat the feeling of that warm rushing wind all over your body. I must also say... I didn't get a speck of rain.
Good luck in your decision.
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