Excited newbies

[Julia Ashley]

hey fellow walkers!

My brother and I are two very keen New Zealanders, and have been planning to do the Camino trail on the 14th of sepember to the 25th, time restrictions and unknown factors have muddled our plans so I am seeking your knowledge!

#1 - We are leaving Barcelona on the 14th to bus to Pamplona and walk to Bilbao (have a flight on the 25th), do you think we can bus to SJPD on the 14th and start the 15th and still make it by the 25th?

#2 - Where can we pick up our passports in SJPD or Pamplona?

#3- Anyone walking the same time and wants to tag along the siblings-on-tour?

# 4 - any handy additional tips?

Excited to start!

 

[GerFol]

Hi Julia,

As I see it you have a number of options but firstly to mention that SJPP and Pamplona are on the Camino Frances and Bilbao is on the Camino del Norte which has a different starting point. That's not to say you couldn't do some of the Frances and then bus it to Bilbao for your flight.

Given your time constraints I recommend either of the following:

1. Camino Frances....begin in Pamplona...there are 9 walking days/stages to Burgos which is one of the major cities on the route. From there you can take a bus to Bilbao which takes 2 hours, several run daily.

2. Camino del Norte....begin in Irun...there are 7 walking days/stages to Bilbao.

The municipal Albergue in Pamplona issues Credencials.

Take a look at www.gronze.com. The site is in Spanish but you can type the web address into Google Translate for the English version....it outlines all the stages, elevations, accommodation etc etc.

Enjoy.

 

[C clearly]

As GerFol said, your question is confusing because you seem to be combining two different routes.

If you start in SJPP, and walk to Bilbao, you would not be following a marked Camino trail. I wouldn't recommend that to newbies with a time constraint who want to have the "Camino" experience. And it's probably not what you intended.

Assuming you want to walk the Camino Frances and then take a bus to Bilbao to catch your flight, some people could walk from SJPP to Burgos in 9 days, but 12 days is more typical and many people take more. You could walk as far as you get, and then take a bus, but that would require that you find a bus in the location you reach. If a bus does serve the village, it may only be once a day. But with this plan, you'd have uncertainties and be spending a lot of time getting to SJPP at the start and Bilbao at the end. If you are desperately wanting to walk from SJPP, maybe you could prepare by confirming in advance if there is convenient bus service from Logrono or Santo Domingo to, Bilbao. (Sorry, I don't have that information.)

So I'd agree with @GerFol that a good solution would be to start in Pamplona on the 15th, try to get to Burgos on the 23rd, and take a bus to Bilbao on the 24th. If you find that it is hard to get to Burgos by the 23rd, consider taking an bus or taxi on the last stage into Burgos.

 

[Julia Ashley]

Hi Julia,

As I see it you have a number of options but firstly to mention that SJPP and Pamplona are on the Camino Frances and Bilbao is on the Camino del Norte which has a different starting point. That's not to say you couldn't do some of the Frances and then bus it to Bilbao for your flight.

Given your time constraints I recommend either of the following:

1. Camino Frances....begin in Pamplona...there are 9 walking days/stages to Burgos which is one of the major cities on the route. From there you can take a bus to Bilbao which takes 2 hours, several run daily.

2. Camino del Norte....begin in Irun...there are 7 walking days/stages to Bilbao.

The municipal Albergue in Pamplona issues Credencials.

Take a look at www.gronze.com. The site is in Spanish but you can type the web address into Google Translate for the English version....it outlines all the stages, elevations, accommodation etc etc.

Enjoy.

Oh

 

[Julia Ashley]

Oh wonderful!! Thank you so much for your comprehensive reply. Appreciate it so much! Will get started in pamlona!

Very much looking forward to the walk!

 

[hel&scott]

Don't worry you are not the first to get confused. There are a number of marked ways to Santiago, all of which are Caminos. There are also lots of good sites with maps and breakdowns of routes. So do a bit of research and pick a route that matches what you are after in terms of experience, interests and time. In answer to your question over getting credentials, you can order one from the forum shop, but it might be tight to get it out to you if you are leaving on the 15 sept. But you can usually pick one up at the start of you Camino, usually at the main church or cathedral in the town you start in. We usually pick ours up in Barcelona, but it's a bit complex to explain where. You can even start a Camino route in Barcelona. Note the aim of these Caminos is to reach Santiago in Galicia, but you can just walk a section of it that interest you. But if you want to get a Compostella you will need to walk 100kms into Santiago, As you are new to the way then it's probably best to consider the main routes:

• French Way, yes you can start or St Jean (which is in France) but given your time constraints probably better to catch the train or bus to Pamploma and start from there, as suggested above. This can take you up to 4 weeks to get to Santiago, but you can start further along, such as Burgos or Leon, all of which are easy to get to from Barcelona.

• Northern Way, you can start in Bilboa but the markings on this route can be a bit complex and you may be pushing it for time.

• English Way, if you are pushed for time then you can start in Ferrol (typically fly / bus to get there) and walk to Santiago, this takes less then a week, so will give you plenty of time to sight see around northern Spain if you want.

• Portuguse Way, start in Tui (note this Spain this is a town and not a beer, or a bird) you should have plenty of time to get there and walk up to Santiago.

If you look on this site you will see details of these routes and others. Pack light, it's not like tramping in NZ. The way can be hard on your feet so and grease them before you start each day, you can thank me later.

 

[Bronte DownUnder]

Hi Julia you could consider beginning your walk in the small village of Roncesvalles just on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees mountains. The walk from SJPD is quite challenging for a first day but it seems most people want to begin from there. We (Aussies - so almost your cousins!) caught a train from Barcelona to Pamplona, then bus to Roncesvalles. The albergues there are good and you can take part in the Pilgrim mass the evening before you begin your walk - it adds a lovely element to your start. You could easily make Burgos in 9-10 days then as others have suggested, catch transport to Bilbao. Buen Camino

 

[Edward M LeSage]

Hi Julia,

As I see it you have a number of options but firstly to mention that SJPP and Pamplona are on the Camino Frances and Bilbao is on the Camino del Norte which has a different starting point. That's not to say you couldn't do some of the Frances and then bus it to Bilbao for your flight.

Given your time constraints I recommend either of the following:

1. Camino Frances....begin in Pamplona...there are 9 walking days/stages to Burgos which is one of the major cities on the route. From there you can take a bus to Bilbao which takes 2 hours, several run daily.

2. Camino del Norte....begin in Irun...there are 7 walking days/stages to Bilbao.

The municipal Albergue in Pamplona issues Credencials.

Take a look at www.gronze.com. The site is in Spanish but you can type the web address into Google Translate for the English version....it outlines all the stages, elevations, accommodation etc etc.

Enjoy.

Julia,

I thought GerFol's advice was spot on. Just wanted to wish you well. I did the Camino Frances last September through October. One of the best experiences of my life. May it be so for you. Buen Camino!