Early Camino Frances Question

[StFina]

I have a limited time to complete my Camino Frances this summer, and am considering starting from either Pamplona or Roncesvalles to fit the trip into my schedule. Ho much am I missing by starting from one of those two points, as opposed to St. Jean? Any insight is appreciated.

 

[rometimed]

How much time do you have?

It's not that far from St Jean to Roncesvalles or Pamplona.

It's one day to Roncesvalles (unless you book in Orisson) and it's 3 or 4 days to Pamplona.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Many feel a sense of accomplishment crossing the Pyrenees, so you might miss that. A trek of 400 miles may provide plenty of feelings of accomplishment. I would not let others give you a guilt trip on your starting point. If you want a guilt trip, be sure it is your own guilt trip.

 

[dougfitz]

In a literal sense, you will avoid somewhere between one and three or four days of spectacular walking through the Pyrenees, together with some lovely small villages. Only you can tell whether you need those days to complete the cultural, spiritual or religious experience you might be seeking on your pilgrimage.

 

[Tincatinker]

You don't miss anything. Your Camino starts where you start it and ends where you finish.

That said I do remember a bar in Burguete that I would never miss if I was walking that way...

 

[Felipe]

Are you already looking for a good excuse for a second Camino?
This worked well to me (I started my first in Estella)...

 

[MTtoCamino]

Pamplona is a very interesting city, starting there would be fun. The only reason most begin @ SJPDP IMO is due to the movie. Roncevalles is the place many Spainish begin, It is a very lovely 2 day walk from there to Pamplona.
Have fun!!

 

[Mark Lee]

You are not missing anything by starting in Pamplona. It's a great city and a great place to start your Camino. Great city to visit. Lot's of places to stay at and easy to get to.
There's a misconception that one must start in SJPdP, or say even Roncesvalles to walk the CF and get the total experience, so to speak. Nope. Not true.
If you got a tight schedule, start in Pamplona. Easy peasy.

 

[gerardcarey]

By missing the Pyrenees you are missing the finest scenery of the Camino Frances.
Buen Camino whatever you decide.
Gerard

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Pamplona is a very interesting city, starting there would be fun. The only reason most begin @ SJPDP IMO is due to the movie. Roncevalles is the place many Spainish begin, It is a very lovely 2 day walk from there to Pamplona.
Have fun!!

SJPP has the a pilgrim town well before "the" movie. It would never habe occured to me not to cross into Spain by foot, starting in SJPP, and that was in 2007. I would much rather start in SJPP and stop in Melide.

 

[trecile]

SJPP has the a pilgrim town well before "the" movie. It would never habe occured to me not to cross into Spain by foot, starting in SJPP, and that was in 2007. I would much rather start in SJPP and stop in Melide.

I suppose that everyone has their own priorities. It was my goal to walk all the way across Spain, from the border with France to the Atlantic. To me Santiago was just another city on the way.

 

[MTtoCamino]

Seems there are so many miles yet the reality of life continues, so we each choose our own path. It would be wonderful to find the time every year to return, we simply do what we can. On the Camino I don't think there is a bad place to start. I just appreciate those who share the experience. The forum is a good window of those who walk.
Thanks to you all
Keith

 

[Kanga]

Every single day has highlights. I've been asked this before, and I did take one friend on a kind of "highlights" tour - but that was for specific reasons and from my perspective it missed some great things. So I say, if you want to finish in Santiago, then work backwards according to the number of days you have (minus two rest days) and how far you would like to walk each day, and start from there. Otherwise, start from somewhere that is iconic (e.g. SJPDP), walk out your time, and come back another year to finish.

 

[Bradypus]

The only reason most begin @ SJPDP IMO is due to the movie. Roncevalles is the place many Spainish begin,

25 years before the movie - and almost 20 years before the Gospel according to St John B - Don Elias Valina Sampedro produced what was then the definitive guide to the Camino Frances. Don Elias invented the idea of yellow arrows and personally painted many of the originals. In many ways the resurrection of the Camino as a popular and defined walking route was his vision. He begins his route description in St Jean Pied de Port. 'Nuff said on the authenticity question for me. We are not all jumping on the movie bandwagon. Of course people will start in many different places. Feel free! I've even heard rumours that there are some people who walk to Santiago without using the Camino Frances at all. Heresy!

 

[mspath]

25 years before the movie - and almost 20 years before the Gospel according to St John B - Don Elias Valina Sampedro produced what was then the definitive guide to the Camino Frances. Don Elias invented the idea of yellow arrows and personally painted many of the originals. In many ways the resurrection of the Camino as a popular and defined walking route was his vision. He begins his route description in St Jean Pied de Port. 'Nuff said on the authenticity question for me. We are not all jumping on the movie bandwagon. Of course people will start in many different places. Feel free! I've even heard rumours that there are some people who walk to Santiago without using the Camino Frances at all. Heresy!

To read more of the modern camino boom which mostly began with the scholarly historical research and extraordinary efforts undertaken by Don Elias Valina Sampedro who was priest at O Cebreiro in the latter 20th century read more about him in this link. It was he who painted the first yellow arrows which mark the modern route; he is buried in the O Cebreiro church and many churchyard inscriptions honor him and his work.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

You are not missing anything by starting in Pamplona. It's a great city and a great place to start your Camino. Great city to visit. Lot's of places to stay at and easy to get to.
There's a misconception that one must start in SJPdP, or say even Roncesvalles to walk the CF and get the total experience, so to speak. Nope. Not true.
If you got a tight schedule, start in Pamplona. Easy peasy.

I pretty much agree with Mark except that you will miss something by not walking the Pyrennees. But then if you walk the high route you miss the low route and vice versa. If you do the whole route but in a hurry then you miss spending time talking to people or lingering in an ancient church, etc. I suggest starting in Pamplona.

Or if you are really pressed for time consider renting a bicycle for a portion of the meseta.

 

[wally]

Hello & good morning
The walk from SJPDP to Pamplona is at least two tough days of hiking

another option is to take the bus from pamplona over to SJPDP, check-in at the pilgrim office, stay the night in France, and then the next morning take the bus back to Pamplona

buen camino

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The walk from SJPDP to Pamplona is at least two tough days of hiking

another option is to take the bus from pamplona over to SJPDP, check-in at the pilgrim office, stay the night in France, and then the next morning take the bus back to Pamplona

Not a bad idea. Here's another thought. If you do decide to bus in and out of St.Jean you may want to take a taxi from St. Jean to the Cross of Thibault (French highway D428). Then on the way back have the cab take a left at D128 to go to Argenay and pickup D933 back to St. Jean. That way you not only get a peak at St. Jean but a bit of the high and low routes to Roncevalles too.

See the interactive map at https://mappingsupport.com/p/gmap4.php?ll=43.102383,-1.261576&z=12&t=m

 

[ChloeRose]

I vote starting in SJPDP and crossing the mountains! You'll meet more people this way; everyone around you will have 'new adventure' energy and sociability. Especially in Roncesvalles, after that first hard day of walking, the camaraderie is spectacular and a big part of the Camino.

 

[DowtyCamino]

One thing I didn't see mentioned yet is the food. It seems it changes around Pamplona. I'm not sure we had fresh trout again from Pamplona onward. Oddly enough its something I'm really looking forward to in May when we come back. And oh....the mountains!

 

[Urban Trekker]

I have a limited time to complete my Camino Frances this summer, and am considering starting from either Pamplona or Roncesvalles to fit the trip into my schedule. Ho much am I missing by starting from one of those two points, as opposed to St. Jean? Any insight is appreciated.

You didn't say how many days you had to walk your camino. I walking the French way last April and May. I was on the camino for 34 days. I took 2 days to cross the Napoleon route and spent a extra day in Pamplona and Burgos. With the exception of crossing the Pyrenees I walked 15 to 18 miles a day. The time I took to go from Saint Jean to Pamplona was, for me, time well spent.

Buen Camino

Happy Trails

 

[Lance Chambers]

I vote starting in SJPDP and crossing the mountains! You'll meet more people this way; everyone around you will have 'new adventure' energy and sociability. Especially in Roncesvalles, after that first hard day of walking, the camaraderie is spectacular and a big part of the Camino.

Maybe it was just me but I found most people that arrived at Roncesvalles totally exhausted and just wanting to grab a beer or a coffee, fall into bed as soon as they had had their evening meal and get going early the next day - those that could still walk! Very little camaraderie until they had 'got into the walking' and that didn't really fire up until close to Pamplona - died IN Pamplona because we were spread widely all over the place and came back together in the smaller towns and villages. I found the same lack of 'closeness' among walkers in all the larger cities.

 

[ChloeRose]

Maybe it was just me but I found most people that arrived at Roncesvalles totally exhausted and just wanting to grab a beer or a coffee, fall into bed as soon as they had had their evening meal and get going early the next day - those that could still walk! Very little camaraderie until they had 'got into the walking' and that didn't really fire up until close to Pamplona - died IN Pamplona because we were spread widely all over the place and came back together in the smaller towns and villages. I found the same lack of 'closeness' among walkers in all the larger cities.

I know I lucked out with the group that I found and stuck with, but I did see other gangs getting close as of day 2 and 3. I think if meeting new people and making friends is a big part of your Camino, you won't have too much trouble finding other like-minded pilgrims