First Camino: Starting March 24th, 2015, - SJPP to Santiago

[Markaphx]

Hello, I've been following the forum for awhile and have received plenty of great information. Thank you to all the knowledgeable veteran members!

My first exposure to the Camino was years ago from an article I saw and I remember thinking 'Why the heck would someone walk 500 miles?!" But I couldn't get it out of my head.

Now I have been officially granted the leave time from work and can go from wishful planning to actual planning.

My PLAN so far:

March 23, 2015 - I take a train from Barcelona to Pamplona, then bus or taxi (share?) from Pamplona to SJPP (depending on what buses from Pamplona to SJPP are running so early in the season).

March 24, 2015 - I start walking from SJPP with the understanding that if the pass is closed due to weather I may start in Roncesvalles.

Walk the Camino! I have like 33 walking days to make it to Santiago, then Madrid to fly home. If I MUST jump ahead a few days due to time constraints it will be over the Meseta. It's not my first choice to skip ANY days, but as I said, if I MUST.

April 25, 2015 - Fly from Santiago to Madrid, then home to Arizona from Madrid.

I'm in the process of putting my pack together and getting the weight right. I'm so excited to get going I have the fight the urge to pack everything now.

I have a lot of questions that I will be posting over the next couple months. My first big concern is actually getting to SJPP from Barcelona / Pamploma.

 

[colinPeter]

Hi Markaphx,
Welcome to the forum.
You'll be a few days ahead of us, we leave SJPP 26th of March.
Happy planning.
Buen Camino
Colin

 

[scruffy1]

Shalom and Greetings from Jerusalem! Welcome to the forum.

Great selection for a starting date, you will pass Easter on the Camino, a marvelous time! Ask everywhere you go, every village, town, and city regarding local or nearby celebrations, festivals, and processions they are marvelous do not hestitate to stop or to detour in order to participate.! No Spanish (Arizona? You should have some), no problem ask in the albergue, the pharmacy (pharmacists are almost always the best English speakers in town!), the ayuntamiento (local government admin office like city hall, Tourist information - not many of those around, and check the church bulletin board, festival, procession etc. are the same in both languages so don't miss! I will copy/paste this previous comment of mine, forum members will forgive and you may not have seen it. It decidedly cool since Semana Santa Holy Week - comes early next year. The weather has been a'changing but you should enjoy cool mornings and evenings 5 degrees Celsius, mid-day temperatures 15 C degrees very comfortable for walking. Expect anything, anything at all from beautiful sunny days to magnificent cloud formations over the mountains on the horizon, to mist and rain, to deluge, to snow, and blizzards. It's a great time to walk but the weather is hard to predict anymore. More importantly, you will follow the Spring across Spain. starting in Navarre the vineyards will be only dried looking sticks, as you progress those sticks sprout leaves and the roses planted at the head of each row to attract the bees will blossom and bloom, the first wild-flowers will appear so prepare yourself for a delight of wild cyclamens and crocuses (croci?), wild lilies and gladiolas, bee orchids and others of the wild orchid family, hillsides of blue lobelia, yellow broom, and secretive primroses (the primavera is a protected plant!), and finally poppies. The towns and villages will be blooming with pansies, lilies, iris, roses, and my favorite wisteria. The strange knobby looking things in gardens are all that remain of berza, that is collard greens, which are needed for the lifesaving caldo Galego, a so-called vegetable soup with the greens and despite the name, chunks of meat. Weather allowing, it should be glorious. Look for first wines now coming out of the barrels and through Navarra and into La Rioja watch for farmers off to the side of the Camino collecting snails-those which have walked on asphalt or stone considered inedible, you may find them in your salad or your soup – if you think this is a good thing yum yum if not you have been warned! The Valcarlos route is not as spectacular as Route Napoleon but you will have the satisfaction of starting at the "proper" place SJPP. Lastly, it's not 500 miles, its 850 kilometers. Make life easy and get used to kilometers and Celsius now constant conversions are a waste of time. Buen Camino and if there is anything elese on your mind, look around the forun or ask away! There is somebody here for just about anything.

 

[navybraat]

I will be starting my walk April 1st of next year from SJPP. This will be my first time also so I will be jumping in with a lot of questions also. I will be coming from John Wayne Airport arriving to CDG and then taking either a small plane or the train to Bayonne.

 

[RENSHAW]

............ starting March 24th 2015

There is something you shoud know - the Camino can be HIGHLY addictive. In 2003 I walked from Roncesvalles to Santiago in? ............ YES , 33 days. And I am a short little chap with a heavy pack. Getting to Roncesvalles is not a problem as there is a bus all year round. In Winter there are Snow ploughs on standby at any hint of snow - the roads are almost always clear .........well in a manner.
Here are a few pics from 8th March 2006. Starting at Roncesvalles at 8am ;we very nearly came to grief trying to walk on the camino path and once out of trouble we stuck to the road A t the next town called a taxi to take us to Zubiri , below the snowline.

 

[lettinggo]

Hola and welcome to the forum

Your plan sounds great and I am sure that some clearness about how you will get to Saint Jean will present itself before your departure.

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[Al the optimist]

First pic is the road down into Espinal after the long climb up the forest? Last one leaving Burgete?

 

[Stephen]

Does anyone else think that the pilgrim in the second from last picture has something of the look of Santa about him?

 

[neverlost4good]

Hello, I've been following the forum for awhile and have received plenty of great information. Thank you to all the knowledgeable veteran members!

My first exposure to the Camino was years ago from an article I saw and I remember thinking 'Why the heck would someone walk 500 miles?!" But I couldn't get it out of my head.

Now I have been officially granted the leave time from work and can go from wishful planning to actual planning.

My PLAN so far:

March 23, 2015 - I take a train from Barcelona to Pamplona, then bus or taxi (share?) from Pamplona to SJPP (depending on what buses from Pamplona to SJPP are running so early in the season).

March 24, 2015 - I start walking from SJPP with the understanding that if the pass is closed due to weather I may start in Roncesvalles.

Walk the Camino! I have like 33 walking days to make it to Santiago, then Madrid to fly home. If I MUST jump ahead a few days due to time constraints it will be over the Meseta. It's not my first choice to skip ANY days, but as I said, if I MUST.

April 25, 2015 - Fly from Santiago to Madrid, then home to Arizona from Madrid.

I'm in the process of putting my pack together and getting the weight right. I'm so excited to get going I have the fight the urge to pack everything now.

I have a lot of questions that I will be posting over the next couple months. My first big concern is actually getting to SJPP from Barcelona / Pamploma.

 

[neverlost4good]

My pack is ready---145 days
You will be done Before I hit the Meseta!

 

[karenfromcali]

My pack has been ready to go since my last camino! Never too early to pack
Buen camino!

 

[ezbeer]

Shalom and Helloo from Tel Aviv Israel, I will start my first Camino from SJPdP on 1 April 2015 as well. Flying into CDG on 30/3 and IDTGV to bayonne on the morning of 31/3.
My pack is ready and waiting to go
C U there, Buen Camino
Emanuel

 

[Al the optimist]

My pack is ready---145 days
You will be done Before I hit the Meseta!

Oh dear you just made me start counting! 182 before starting from Madrid.

 

[david g]

149, starting SJPP. No doubt weather will be more "iffy" this time around, compared to Sept./Oct. last time. But I am SO looking forward to seeing the fields and flowers in full color, rather than dead and brown.

 

[JohnMcM]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!
I didn't want to do countdown again this year but now you have all just gone and reminded me I have 165 days 8 hours 37 minutes and 16 seconds before I leave StJPDP again.
But who's counting anyway, and now it's 3 seconds
Buen Camino