Favorite Zero Days

[linkster]

I am planning on walking the Camino Frances next September ~ October. I plan on starting in SJDP. I am not going to book a return flight home. I am going try to take my time and walk my walk. I want to incorporate some zero days maybe once a week or at some point of interest. Just relax, take in the sights, and culture. I assume I will have to stay in a hotel etc. as opposed to an albergue. What were your favorite zero days on the Camino and why?

 

[SYates]

There are two kind of zero days for me:

a) Extra days in a place I want to explore more, f.e. Leon
b) Extra / Nearo days in a place where there is nothing else to do than rest

Buen Camino, SY

 

[Robo]

That's a tough call. Rather like SY I would suggest there are different types of zero days.

1. Enforced. Your body just needs a break. And it might be in a small village with nothing to do but relax.
2. Sight Seeing. Depending on what you enjoy seeing, obvious places would be larger towns with lots to see. i.e, Pamplona, Burgos, Leon, Astorga
3. Unique Places. Lots of those. Places to just hang out with great views, interesting villages, places to eat, little churches. O'Cebriero, Castrojerez, Vianna, Los Arcos

The difficulty I found in taking days off, was actually 'stopping'.... My body needed the break but my head wanted to keep walking. I think next time I might try walking a few very short days as another way of taking a break.

 

[GreatDane]

There are two kind of zero days for me:
a) Extra days in a place I want to explore more, f.e. Leon
b) Extra / Nearo days in a place where there is nothing else to do than rest

I was going to mention b) but you beat me to it!!! I love arriving at the tiny villages like Granon and Boadilla del Camino early afternoon, showering and then wandering the entire town for a couple of hours. The smaller the population the more fun I have!

 

[Davey Boyd]

I am planning on walking the Camino Frances next September ~ October. I plan on starting in SJDP. I am not going to book a return flight home. I am going try to take my time and walk my walk. I want to incorporate some zero days maybe once a week or at some point of interest. Just relax, take in the sights, and culture. I assume I will have to stay in a hotel etc. as opposed to an albergue. What were your favorite zero days on the Camino and why?

Hi linkster!

Just to point out that there is no need to stay in a hotel on a day off (unless you wish to of course). There may be more than one albergue in the town/village where you want to stay. Also, private albergues will often let you stay two nights no problem. Albergue municipals have a 'rule' that you can only stay one night, but if you ask (as I have done on a few occasions) they sometimes let you stay another night especially if you offer to help clean the albergue! Most albergues will let you stay two nights if you are injured or ill though.

As for my favorite day off, well there are many I have loved, but I have special memories of having a day off in A Mesa on the Primitivo. Those that know A Mesa might be surprised - there is nothing there, no shop, no bar etc, just a tiny beautiful village. Me and my friend decided to stay, it was just so peaceful. We helped clean the albergue and hung out with the locals all day, learning what life must be like there in a tiny village like that, playing with the children, teaching them some English, helping herd some cows to and from milking. In the evening the next batch of pilgrims came in and we had a great evening too (Asturian cider - yum).

Best advice stop when either your body or your heart wants to! Having no time constraints at all helps, and is the best way to walk.

Buen Camino!

Davey

 

[gerardcarey]

I'm a one day off per week guy.
From SJPdP that meant Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon, Sarria.
Took 42 days in total.
Regards
Gerard

 

[VNwalking]

Lots of good advice already, so I won't repeat what others have said so well.
One thing to add:
Consider incorporating time a little way off the Camino into an 'off' day--there are a lot of things close by that are really worth the trip (monasteries, roman ruins, historical sites).
There was a thread recently that you might enjoy perusing:
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...ips-off-the-camino-frances.41811/#post-425753

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I had a short day to Portos and did an afternoon walk to Vilar de Donas (before Palas de Rei). It is a very interesting place with irregular open hours. For a complete day off, you may want more.

 

[linkster]

Thanks for the insight. I am working on re-calibrating my thought process to enable the journey to be the goal rather than the destination. I am going to try to listen to my body, and allow myself to wander. The trips off the Camino thread was interesting. I had not really considered busing off the Camino for a detour. I know there is more than can be experienced on a single Camino. Anything missed will provide an incentive for a 2nd, or 3rd, etc.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

For complete rest, on your arrival date, take a bus from Burgos to Santo Domingo de Silos for the vespers. The bus leaves about 1730 and arrives just in time for the service so head there directly. Check into one of the reasonably priced hotels, and take the bus back to Burgos the next day at about 0830. To tour the cloisters at the monastery, you will have to stay another night because they are only open in the middle of the day and there is only the one bus. When you get back to Burgos, tour the city and cathedral and stay the night, or tour the cathedral and head out for Tardajos or Rabe.

 

[aisbr]

I have to admit I'm not great for zero days. When I feel the body needs a break I usually do a shorter day which involves a late start and early finish. I did that going into Leon this year and also treated myself to a massage that afternoon in Leon and really felt the break did me the world of good and prepared my for the rest of my journey. When I got to Santiago I walked out to Finisterre and Muxia and took a rest day in Muxia before walking back to Santiago. Muxia is a wonderful place to take a rest day - lovely beach and relaxed atmosphere in the town - loved it!

 

[mspath]

If as Falcon suggests you head out towards Tardajos consider stopping at the comfy La Fabrica.

When walking November 2014 soon after leaving Burgos it began to drizzle then really pour. Totally soaked and cold at Tardajos I stopped at La Fabrica an old flour mill recently repurposed to be an albergue/hostal. It was a GREAT find.

Each heated albergue dorm room holds 4 pilgrims with fresh linens on the bunks and a sleek toilet/shower adjacent. My chatty dorm-mate was a Japaneze tour guide from Osaka; we were the only pilgrims. The price per bunk was 12 euros including breakfast. Regular tourist accommodation was also available. The busy ground floor bar/dining room was popular with locals as well as visiting hunters and the food was copious, tasty and good value. All in all La Fabrica was a pleasant stop before starting up the Meseta. Do consider it!
http://www.alberguelafabrica.com/

 

[xin loi]

When we walked in 2014, we had planned to spend one day per week in a hotel resting. However once we started hiking, it was impossible to stop. The one day of rest for us was a day that we only hiked 10 kilometers.

But if we had read Michener's book, Iberia, prior to our trip, I believe my Novia would have insisted on MANY stops. His book has a great section about the Camino and after reading it upon our return, we could not believe how much we had missed seeing.

Going back next week and intend to see some of the things in Iberia book.

 

[Priscilla NC]

I recently completed the CF. I did a rest day in Burgos and Leon -- Burgos turned into being about 2 days, as it was pouring rain and a met up with a couple of women who were looking to take a bus into Burgos from Atapuerca. I decided to join them, so we got to Burgos by 8:30 AM. So I really had 2 days.

I had booked a hotel room, which was pricey for me. I ended up walking a lot around the city, it felt like too much too soon. I was totally overwhelmed by the Cathedral. But I am glad I took a few hours at the Museum of Human Evolution. But I wouldn't stay more than one night there. And I'd stay in an albergue.

Leon was different: I liked it a whole lot better than Burgos, and I only stayed one night. Another time I might stay in Leon 2 nights. In a private albergue or pension.

I would have like to see more of Astorga and O'Cebreiro, and some other villages along the way. But I too didn't feel the need for many rest days. Walking was what my body and soul wanted to do.

Having said that, I would spend a few days relaxing in Muxia at the end. What a delightful place!

Buen Camino.

 

[KristinK]

I am planning on walking the Camino Frances next September ~ October. I plan on starting in SJDP. I am not going to book a return flight home. I am going try to take my time and walk my walk. I want to incorporate some zero days maybe once a week or at some point of interest. Just relax, take in the sights, and culture. I assume I will have to stay in a hotel etc. as opposed to an albergue. What were your favorite zero days on the Camino and why?

Zero day....I love the term! So my first zero day chose me in a tiny village 4.5 km from Puente La Reina. I'm there (here) now as I write. My knee is giving me hell so I stopped for a day that's turning in to 2! My host here in Mendizabal is utterly fantastic and we communicate only with broken words and google translator. I walked to Obanos for a knee brace and on my return (eating blackberries 'til my tummy is content) he's hosting a bar-b-que for friends from San Sabastian. THEY welcomed me with a spread of food fit for royalty, with a warmth only a broken ligament can appreciate, and with more vino tinto, Basque cider, and gin than a girl requires in a year.... THIS is WHY the Camino and why I say let zero days choose you!

Kristin

 

[linkster]

Zero day....I love the term! So my first zero day chose me in a tiny village 4.5 km from Puente La Reina. I'm there (here) now as I write. My knee is giving me hell so I stopped for a day that's turning in to 2! My host here in Mendizabal is utterly fantastic and we communicate only with broken words and google translator. I walked to Obanos for a knee brace and on my return (eating blackberries 'til my tummy is content) he's hosting a bar-b-que for friends from San Sabastian. THEY welcomed me with a spread of food fit for royalty, with a warmth only a broken ligament can appreciate, and with more vino tinto, Basque cider, and gin than a girl requires in a year.... THIS is WHY the Camino and why I say let zero days choose you!

Kristin

It sounds like you stumbled into nirvana. Sorry, that was a bad pun given the knee injury, but I could not resist. I hope you enjoy your break, heal quickly, and resume your journey as soon as you are ready.

 

[Rod Murray]

I am planning on walking the Camino Frances next September ~ October. I plan on starting in SJDP. I am not going to book a return flight home. I am going try to take my time and walk my walk. I want to incorporate some zero days maybe once a week or at some point of interest. Just relax, take in the sights, and culture. I assume I will have to stay in a hotel etc. as opposed to an albergue. What were your favorite zero days on the Camino and why?

I liked my extra day in Ponferrada and Sarria, and would have liked an extra day in Villafranca. If I was going back to this section, I would go Trout fishing on the Rio Valcarce as a rest day!

 

[Albertagirl]

I am planning on walking the Camino Frances next September ~ October. I plan on starting in SJDP. I am not going to book a return flight home. I am going try to take my time and walk my walk. I want to incorporate some zero days maybe once a week or at some point of interest. Just relax, take in the sights, and culture. I assume I will have to stay in a hotel etc. as opposed to an albergue. What were your favorite zero days on the Camino and why?

@linkster
On my camino last fall I scheduled extra time for rest days, planning on one a week, but except for Santo Domingo de Silos and Leon I did not take any. Somehow, the pilgrimage was pushing me onward and I did not want to stop. I am scheduling a longer walk this year and a slightly shorter time. I do not know whether illness or exhaustion or a desire to experience the camino more deeply may encourage me to stop more. My only short day last year was between Santo Domingo de la Calzada and Granon, since I strongly wanted to experience both and the distance between them is short. It was a good day, and perhaps that could be my way to rest and experience more in future.

 

[Shalaw]

I agree that you must account for rest days along your journey. You can try to plan them, but sometimes your body will let you know when it's time to take one. We knew we wanted to take a couple but just didn't know when. We started out from St. Jean and on about day 8 we stayed in Viana, and I felt like I was coming down with a cold. We were both also really tired and our bodies were weary, so we decided to get up the next day and have a nice light 10km walk into Logronos, where we got into town about 10am and settled into the town square and had such amazing coffee and toast. Then we booked the Carlton for that night and the next night. Well, on the day we had off we slept in on comfy beds (NO snoring!!), took like, 4 baths and we took a leisurely walk around town and had the most amazing burgers at Burgerheim!! Then the next day we set off again, feeling fabulous and refreshed!! Until my fiancé felt like he was coming own with a cold, right before Leon, so we did the same thing, only this time rented a room in a pension that had a kitchen. Even though he was feeling a bit tired and sick, we wandered into town where they had the most magnificent medieval fair, where we had a big plate of meat (lol) and paella and sangria!! Then got up the next day and were off again. Those were the two rest days we took and felt so rejuvenated and revitalized afterwards and agree that they were much needed!!

 

[jo webber]

Some of my favorite days have been a day off from vacation, during vacation.
Watching how people hung out the laundry, brought groceries home. One day in a tiny hostel in Ushua I watched cartoons in Spanish. In Paris I was ill for several days, so it wasn't much fun.

There is always so much to see and do and go to. After awhile I am overwhelmed. Friends that we have vacationed with think I am a bit off kilter.