Distances between towns

[sillydoll]

In my experience of walking, if I decide to walk an average of 25kms per day, I will invariably push my mileage upwards and cover up to 30kms a day. But, if I decide to walk an average of 20kms a day, I will rarely push myself to cover more than 25kms.
In 2002 we only had 30 days, which included travel days, so we walked from Roncesvalles to Santiago averaging 28kms per day for 27 days. We often did 40±km days.
Next year I can walk for 5½ weeks if I want to and based on my experience, I am trying to work out a daily schedule walking an average of 20kms per day from Roncesvalles to Santiago with a max distance of around 25kms.
I have looked at a number of on-line maps and have got a lot of resources - CSJ Guide (which doesn't always include the full mileage, eg: decimal points, so it is sometimes out by 2kms). I've got Alison Raju's Guide, Milláno Bravo Lozano maps etc., as well as maps from Red de Albergue, Ediciones Way. They all give different mileages!
I know that a few kms here and there don't really matter but if you want to walk a maximum of 25kms and the map is out by 5kms it can mean walking 30km and adding another hour onto your day.
EG: The Red Albergue strip maps show Murias de Rechivaldo as being 250,5kms from Santiago. The next town, Sta Catalina is 5kms away but they have printed 241km to Santiago. (So, is it 5 kms or 9kms away??)
Maybe I should plan a 15km per day walk!

 

[spursfan]

I found the John Brierley guidebook great for detailed maps and intermediate distances - and it's probably better to have a little flexibility on distances so that you can try to avoid refuges with poor facilities along the way

 

[Artemis]

Hi Sil, I used the Brierley book also. He gives distances not just to the villages but all the way to the albergues.

 

[Whalleyranger]

Have a look at http://www.godesalco.com - it can plan a day-by-day camino for you, and plot not only distances between towns and refugios, but terrain and inclines, so you can see exactly how steep the slope to O'Cebreiro is!

It has info on the Camino Frances, the Via Podensis and the Via de la Plata, in Spanish and English.

 

[sillydoll]

Thanks everyone for your help.
I don't have the 2006 Bierley Guide but know someone who has so will ask them if I can borrow it.

I have used the http://www.godesalco.com/plan web site (if you add the '/plan' after .com it takes you straight to the Camino Planner page) and it is excellent. It just doesn't have some of the alternate refuges - like Eunate, San Anton etc., which I really want to stay at this time.

My darling husband - who is not a walker-walker - will be meeting us in Sarria to walk the last 100kms with us. I am so pleased that, at last, he will be able to share some of the camino magic with me.

For the first time, I am planning to 'do' the camino both ways as they did in the old days. The difference is that we will walk to Santiago but will hire a car to drive back to Roncesvalles and Pamplona. I know it won't be the same as it was for pilgrims of old (up until the invention of the motor car) but we will follow the camino villages as closely as possible, taking about a week to reach Roncesvalles.
Joy and I drove a car from Pamplona to Lugo in 2004 and I know that if pilgrimage is supposed to include danger and stress, we will have our fair share of those by driving a left-hand drive car on the wrong (left) side of the road, going around circles the wrong way and trying to read exit signs in a foreign language!

This time I don't want to miss Oviedo. The CSJ site says:
Many pilgrims left the Camino francés at León and travelled north to visit the Cámara Santa (Holy Chamber) in Oviedo Cathedral. Extra indulgences were thus gained. "Quien va a Santiago y no al Salvador, visita al criado y deja al Señor" (“Whoever goes to Saint James and not to the Saviour, visits the servant and misses the Master.”)
We will also spend a day in Santo Domingo de Silas to attend a mass and hear the Gregorian chants.

Happy New Year to you all,
Abrazos,