First steps from St Jean

I have walked the Route Napoleon twice, and the Valcarlos route once. If I ever walk the Camino Frances from St Jean again then without doubt I would choose the Route Napoleon despite the much greater numbers walking it. In my opinion a more dramatic and beautiful route with more impressive views along the way. Physically more demanding but also more satisfying for someone who enjoys mountain scenery.

Hi Elsbeth. If you do a search - top right hand side of the page - you will see plenty of Valcarlos entries.

St Jean to Roncesvalles is eminently do-able in one day and most pilgrims do just that. It's the best option. Valcarlos I'm sure has its merits but the route is generally used only if the Napoleon is closed.

elsbeth said:

I have only a few days before I head to Spain and reading the recent threads on the first days walk brought questions to my mind......Everyone talks of the Napoleon route in one day or two but I see little or no mention of the Valcarlos route. I would appreciate some information on the Valcarlos route. I know there are times when it is necessary to take it due to weather but is that the only time? Which do you prefer and why? I had planned to walk from St Jean to Roncesvalles in one day.
Thank you for your thoughts.
elsbeth

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Hello Elsbeth, I start walking the CF next week too and hope to be leaving St Jean on Wednesday 19th. I have been tracking the weather over the Napoleon Route for the last week and it looks like its due to take a downturn next week. I'm currently minded to take the lower route to Roncevalles via Valcarlos. Been Camino.

elsbeth said:

I have only a few days before I head to Spain

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Me too Elsbeth - I will be walking the Valcarlos route.
Buen Camino - might see you

Bradypus said:

I have walked the Route Napoleon twice, and the Valcarlos route once. If I ever walk the Camino Frances from St Jean again then without doubt I would choose the Route Napoleon despite the much greater numbers walking it. In my opinion a more dramatic and beautiful route with more impressive views along the way. Physically more demanding but also more satisfying for someone who enjoys mountain scenery.

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Why not do both? I am considering that. Walk Valcarlos to Ronscevalles and then if I am not satisfied and want to go over the mountains then I will take a taxi back to SJPP or Orisson and go over the top

elsbeth said:

I have only a few days before I head to Spain and reading the recent threads on the first days walk brought questions to my mind......Everyone talks of the Napoleon route in one day or two but I see little or no mention of the Valcarlos route. I would appreciate some information on the Valcarlos route. I know there are times when it is necessary to take it due to weather but is that the only time? Which do you prefer and why? I had planned to walk from St Jean to Roncesvalles in one day.
Thank you for your thoughts.
elsbeth

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We will be doing our second Camino de Frances in August . We come from Florida where, as you know it is flat, flat, flat. The only cardio training we had was out treadmill, even though it was a commercial one, it was woefully inadequate to prepare us for the hike up from SJJP. Thankfully, we made arrangements to stay at Orisson in advance and we have this time too. Even Orisson was a grind for us and a friend (John) we made on the Camino, is visiting us now and he said ..."now I know why it was a struggle for you." He said you have no hills at all. Having terrain to walk that equates to the Frances makes a huge difference that no treadmill can replicate. Our advice, take it slow, make arrangements to stay at Orisson and enjoy it all

To echo what wcsjms said above, it very much depends on whether you are used to hiking hilly terrain.
I live near the top of a steep hill in England, and didn't really find the climb to Orisson overly strenuous (and I was 58 at the time). I found the actual distance harder.

In March this year I was walking from Astorga to Sarria, and met several people who had walked the Valcarlos route from SJPdP (the Napoleon route being closed). Without exception, they all said how hard they had found it; it is not a flat route - there is a rather steep climb after Valcarlos which takes you to Roncesvalles. It doesn't sound as though taking the Valcarlos route is really very much easier.

But from my perspective, crossing the Pyrenees (with an overnight at Orisson) was a fantastic experience, and an incredibly empowering one. Now, whenever I encounter a problem, whether at home or work, I just give myself a mental kick, and say something like 'come on, deal with this - you've crossed mountains, this is nothing compared to that' and I love that it works for me.

You've got this. You can do whatever you want, but it will be good whichever route you choose. Buen Camino my dear x