Hello from Australia

[dancuk]

My Name is Maria, and I have been reading the forum for a few weeks now and I have found many useful topics covered on this forum for my pilgrim walk, from shoes, saftey for women, travelling alone, socks, insoles, feet, rain gear, backpacks, ect.. I have covered off on all the essentials and have been preparing with local walks on my days off. However I am aware that I am not as fit as I would like to be only making the big decision to finally go 10 weeks ago. Therefore I will be arriving in Leon to commence my Camino on the 11th September 2009. Having a limited time to complete the journey I had a look at the altitude from Leon I got frightend at the attempt, I then changed my mind to start from Ponferrada only to find I have a bigger mountain to climb!! I have 20days to complete the walk and I am still debating whether to start at this point or in Leon given my limited time and fitness level, any suggestions would help. Thank you to all forum members for providing useful information.

 

[sillydoll]

Hi Maria,
Why not start at Burgos? You will have 5 days of relatively FLAT walking - promise, no mountains - and then you'll be fit enough to tackle the Irago Mountains: not difficult at all as you start from a fairly high elevation), and the Cebreiro 'mountain'. (Neither of these are true mountains - no scrambling or ledges to cling to.)
With 20 days to walk 488 km you could average 24.4km per day.
And, you'll get to see those wonderful palces on the meseta like Hontanas, the ruins of San Anton, Castrojeriz, Hospital San Nicolas (where the monks wash feet as part of their blessing) Boadilla - with its fabulous swimming pool - Carrion de los Condes, Moratinos - visit Reb!! - Bercianos, and Mansilla. And, if you get behind on schedule, you can get a bus to Astorga or somehwere else down the line.
Be brave girl - go for it!

 

[dancuk]

Hello Sillydoll,
Thank you for your reply and advice. Yes your idea may ba a wise one - as I would love to see the places that you have mentioned, and my fitness level would improve within the first few days. I guess the bus is always the the option if I get behind schedual. My train arrives in Leon however I am sure I would be able to get off prior at Burgos and start there. Back to the maps!. :shock:

 

[Janeh]

go for it Maria. Sil's suggestion is great and you'll have time to get into the groove. Having said that though, the mountains aren't that big really - I was feeling very nervous about walking up to O'Cebreiro but on the day I did it, it was not bad at all. Take your time, rest often if you need to and you'll be great. Yes, the bus is always there if you need it - I had to take a bus to skip a bit as I was behind schedule and you'll find everywhere there is a bus so don't worry. Just go! You'll be surprised how easy it all is once you're on the path. cheers, Jane

 

[dancuk]

Thank you Jane and Sil for your advice, I guess the first step is the hardest I will look through forum pages and get info on the Burgos section - only 10 days to go. thanks again. Maria

 

[nellpilgrim]

Hi Maria, This is sterling advice from Janeh and Sil. Burgos is a great starting point for you and the Meseta is a wonderful place to gently break yourself in to the Camino. That area was one of my favourite 'pure walking places' as you can get into a good pace and get the breathing right, fix/learn to live with any niggles with your gear etc. Perfect practice for the hills.
I was an unfit, overweight, hypertensive 50 year old and was so anxious starting in St Jean Pied de Port I could hardly breath! But, at the risk of sounding a bit evangelical, the amazing thing is that once you start, wherever that is, it will fall into place-you will get your pace, learn how much you can/can't do and make arrangements to suit you and your journey. Remember you will be with lots of other pilgrims in the same boat as yourself. I bet by the time you get to Rabanal Maria you will be one of the 'old hands' helping out 'novices' who started at Astorga' with kind words and wise counsel!
My top tip is:- in the excitement of Day One don't forget to 'breath'........I found it really helps.
Bonne route
Nell

 

[dancuk]

Thank you Nell,
Burgos it is then!
I will be arriving in Burgos by train how far is the Albergue from the station, does anyone have directions? Can I obtain a credential from the albergue or do I get it from elsewhere? Maria

 

[nellpilgrim]

Hi Maria,
Which Albergue are you planning to stay in?
Station is SW of the old city so you when you exit into Plaza Estacion go straight (north) across the river to Plaza Castilla turn right and walk along the river until you come to another bridge at this point turn left into the old city under Arco St Maria this takes you straight into Plaza st Maria and the Cathedral.
For Casa del Cubo veer to the left of the Cathedral complex and climb up a series of steps and then turn right continuing past church of St Nicolas to La Casa del Cubo-Lerma (sort of behind the Cathedral) tel ++ 947-461 922 administered by Burgos Pilgrim Association so even if you don't get a bed there (have 70 beds but may fill up early) they should be able to put you right on the credential. Its also bang on the the camino so no need to panic about finding the route first thing in the morning.
Or Divina Pastoa on c/Lain Calvo,10 above the La Capilla de la Divina Pastora (20 beds)
Or Burgos Youth Hostal on Av.de. Cantabria (110 beds)
And last but by no means least on the other side of the river is the Casa Parroquial c/San Pedro Cardena next to Jesuit college (20 beds) shared meal christian prayer and blessing which, whatever your belief, can be a reassuring way to launch your camino.
Bonne route
Nell

 

[dancuk]

Thank you Nell.

 

[anniethenurse]

Hi Maria,

Station is SW of the old city so you when you exit into Plaza Estacion go straight (north) across the river to Plaza Castilla turn right and walk along the river until you come to another bridge at this point turn left into the old city under Arco St Maria this takes you straight into Plaza st Maria and the Cathedral.

Nell

HI! I was supposed to take a train from Burgos May this year but he railway station on the Plaza Estacion was closed. Some fellow pilgrims told us that they were going to take a bus to the new railway station. We actually had walked to the railway on the Plaza Estacion and there was no rails on the tracks and all the windows and doors were blocked and it was very much closed down. Nobody there. The railway station is still on all the maps and I don´t know the directions to the new (permanent?) one. I walked back to the city to the bus station and took a bus instead.
So when you are arriving the railway station will be somewhere else - maybe you take a bus or maybe you can walk to the city.

Albergue La Casa del Cubo opened last year adjacent to the cathedral has almost 160 places and fills up quickly. They put mats on the floor if needed. Adress Calle de Fernán González right on the camino. Very nice and clean, good comfort for 3€!!!
http://www.europapress.es/castilla-y-le ... 24525.html

buen camino to you all
saludos annie

 

[sillydoll]

Hi Maria - Good on yer! I don't think you'll regret starting further back.
To plan your trip, with a print out of daily mileage, accommodation, sunrise and sunset, the profile and topography of the route:
http://www.godesalco.com/plan
Once connected to the site click on English
Click on the route you are doing – Camino de Santiago for the Camino Frances
Click on the circle to the left of the town where you are starting, eg: Roncesvalles
Scroll down to the town where you will finish, Santiago, and click on the right circle.
You can write your name in the space provided, then click on SEND THIS FORM

In the new page, the mileage between each village and town will be displayed. Click on each place where you would like to stay. If you are planning on walking 20km per day, click on the town closest to the 20km distance displayed to the left of the town. Eg: Roncesvalles is ticked. Click on Zubiri – 21,8km will be displayed.
Then click on Pamplona and 20,5km will be displayed.
Continue choosing your overnight stops until you have reached Santiago.
Enter the dates of your pilgrimage in the space provided.

Click on SEND THIS FORM
The next window will offer you different documents to download with your daily schedule, profile of the route etc.

 

[dancuk]

Thank you Annie, Nell and Sil,
The website is very useful and i will download this information, are the Michelin maps easy to obtain in Spain for the Camino maps 441-442. Maria

 

[nellpilgrim]

Hi Maria,

"HI! I was supposed to take a train from Burgos May this year but he railway station on the Plaza Estacion was closed. Some fellow pilgrims told us that they were going to take a bus to the new railway station. We actually had walked to the railway on the Plaza Estacion and there was no rails on the tracks and all the windows and doors were blocked and it was very much closed down. Nobody there. The railway station is still on all the maps and I don´t know the directions to the new (permanent?) one. I walked back to the city to the bus station and took a bus instead.
So when you are arriving the railway station will be somewhere else - maybe you take a bus or maybe you can walk to the city"

Thanks Annie that must have been a headwreak! As we walked in to Burgos I just referenced my city map for Maria-presuming it was right I'll know better the next time.However intrigued by the 'Phantom station of Burgos' I contacted a friend of mine who finished her latest stage in Burgos. She told me that there is a gorgeous new station but "it's plonked in the middle of nowhere- a good bit outside the city". My friends taxi fare from her hotel on Plaza St Maria to the new station cost 12 euro appox ,so a bus into the city would be a cheaper option. :?
bonne route
Nell

 

[dancuk]

Thank you Nell, will catch a bus into the city, will need to practice my Spanish to get me to the right spot. Maria

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The Albergue Divina Pastora in Burgos is an interesting place, but has an attitude that you must accommodate if you wish to stay there. They don't like pilgrims who do not walk in. We had started in Toulouse, but took a bus to Burgos then Santo Domingo de Silos, then back to Burgos. Even though the Albergue Divina Pastora was less than half full, we had to justify ourselves to the self-righteous hospitalero since we had not "walked" into Burgos that day. It rubs off on the patrons. It had been a rainy day (week, actually). When I put my socks on the radiator to dry, another pilgrim said, "They don't smell, do they?" I had been walking for three weeks; everything I owned smelled. But I told her, "No," and she seemed content. The next morning we stuck our heads into the new albergue to see what it was like. It was gorgeous! The tour was cut short on the ground floor by the hospitalera who was intent on getting everyone out, not letting anyone in, a really bad time to expect hospitality rather than efficiency. Efficiency prevailed, and we hurried on our way. In general, you will probably like the new albergue best. It is getting excellent reviews.

 

[anniethenurse]

Thanks Annie that must have been a headwreak!
Nell

Yes we were REALLY suprised there was no railway station in Burgos where it was supposed to be according to our map. Luckily we had not purchased our train tickets in advance so we didn´t really worry about the train. Just walked back to the bus station which was hard to find though inside a kind of a parking house. And got our bus tickets there. The new railway station wasn´t on the map we got.
annie

 

[anniethenurse]

The next morning we stuck our heads into the new albergue to see what it was like. It was gorgeous! The tour was cut short on the ground floor by the hospitalera who was intent on getting everyone out, not letting anyone in, a really bad time to expect hospitality rather than efficiency. Efficiency prevailed, and we hurried on our way. In general, you will probably like the new albergue best. It is getting excellent reviews.

the new albergue Casa del Cubo right next to the catedral IS GORGEOUS! All the facilities a tired pilgrim needs after a long day´s walk over the mountains from where you can SEE Burgos but SO FAR AWAY...and through the industrial areas finally to the old city of Burgos and the albergue is right by the camino, easy to find. Fills up quickly though...
annie

 

[Deleted member 3000]

the railway station on the Plaza Estacion was closed

I cannot find any evidence that this is correct. There are dozens of trains listed each day by Renfe from Burgos to various destinations, and no map search shows any Burgos train station other than the one on Plaza Estacion. Last fall there were many abandoned buildings along the tracks, but the station was still there if you looked in the right place.

 

[anniethenurse]

the railway station on the Plaza Estacion was closed

I cannot find any evidence that this is correct. There are dozens of trains listed each day by Renfe from Burgos to various destinations, and no map search shows any Burgos train station other than the one on Plaza Estacion. Last fall there were many abandoned buildings along the tracks, but the station was still there if you looked in the right place.

http://www.steane.com/egtre/es_info.htm - 2008 the 14th of December
The Burgos by-pass (San Mames - Rubena) with a new passenger station of Burgos Rosa de Lima, north of the city, opened on 14 December. The existing station and its approaches from the east and west closed on the same day.


http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estaci%C3% ... sa_de_Lima
http://www.qype.es/place/353325-Estacio ... ima-Burgos

I usually find my way...correctly but sometimes my Spanish is not fluent enough
annie

ps. we are now off the original topic here... far out

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Estación Burgos Rosa de Lima‎
+42° 22' 16.00", -3° 39' 58.00"

http://maps.google.es/maps?f=q&source=s ... iwloc=addr