CJ Williams
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- Via Turonense (1995)
Camino Francés (1996; 1999; 2001; 2005; 2008; 2011)
Camino Aragonés (2000)
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It is plowed, so once the snow has stopped, it may be passable. Shoulders may disappear, so the legally required (in Spain) high visibility vest should be worn. If there is blowing snow from drifts or if there is fog, road walking may be very dangerous. In good weather with a good road surface, Spanish drivers are not terribly pedestrian aware. :wink:-is the valcarlos route always kept open
falcon269 said:It is plowed, so once the snow has stopped, it may be passable. Shoulders may disappear, so the legally required (in Spain) high visibility vest should be worn. If there is blowing snow from drifts or if there is fog, road walking may be very dangerous. In good weather with a good road surface, Spanish drivers are not terribly pedestrian aware. :wink:-is the valcarlos route always kept open
No need for trepidation! Why worry about having the time of your life? Go for it and enjoy every minute, even the blistered ones. :cry: Buen Camino!Dcgrannell said:I too am hoping to start my Camino on the 10th of March, just added hi vis jacket to my rucksack....Looking forward to it with a little trepidation....Thanks for the advice
I don't think there's anything specific. If it looks like common sense to you it will look like common sense to them, I imagine. The Policia/Guardia Civil are quite pragmatic these days, especially with pilgrims. Buen Camino!TrishAlexSage said:Is there one specific vest Spain requires you to wear? If so, can we buy it in SJPP? Or is it possible to wear any kind of reflective vest?
Is there one specific vest Spain requires you to wear?
falcon269 said:Is there one specific vest Spain requires you to wear?
Yellow florescent seems to be acceptable:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... afety.html
I bought a 3XL so that it would go over the pack.Hi Vis vest will be obscured from behind by the rucksack
TrishAlexSage.TrishAlexSage said:I will have to admit that I'll be a bit disappointed if we're forced to road-walk a lot of the Camino, though. I hope enough of the deep snow is gone by mid-March to do most of The Way (as opposed to The Road).
Stuart79 said:Can someone please tell me if its easy to get transport out of StJPP if the snow is bad. I may start Pamplona if possible?
Thanks
Stu
The path between Roncesvalles and Zubiri is impassable at the moment. The road walk is about 27 km, and you will be competing with vehicles on a slippery road. Snow is expected through next Monday.I guess I'll take the chances and go to Roncesvalles...
mspath said:Stuart79 said:Can someone please tell me if its easy to get transport out of StJPP if the snow is bad. I may start Pamplona if possible?
If the snow is bad you might get a TER line 62 train out of SJPdP to Bayonne, another train from Bayonne to Hendaye/Irun and then a Spanish train from Irun to Pamplona.
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I'm looking at the possibility of having to start from Pamplona on 3/15 instead of SJPP, so I was checking out trains to Pamplona from France. Getting to Irun by train is not bad, but I'd check out the buses from there to Pamplona. The bus system seems much more direct, where the train ride involves a rather circuitous route and very long waits for transfers. The link below is very long; if it doesn't work try simply
http://www.autobusesdenavarra.com
http://www.autobusesdenavarra.com/siv/i ... n&chk_D=on
That might get you to the page which told be there were two buses a day from Irun to Pamplona; about a two-hour ride; about 7.5 Euros.
I'm going to keep close watch and hope for a SJPP start, but not at any serious risk. If I start from Pamplona, I'll come back there from Muxia and walk back over the Pyrenees to France.
Que le vaya bien,
newfydog said:If it makes anyone feel better, I have done the Frances twice, once from Pamplona, and once through SJPP. I didn't find the the SJPP to Pamplona to be one of the better pieces of trail---a big climb, followed by some nasty trail. Roncevalles is grim but interesting in a historic way. After Pamplona, the route is glorious.
Many will disagree, but that is my opinion. I sure would not bother going to SJPP to walk a road over the top. I'd hang out in Pamplona for an extra day, go see the Hemmingway statue, eat some tapas, and head out on the real Camino.
Rebekah Scott said:I think it is simple:
Just go to Pamplona, have a look, and then decide based on that day´s outlook. The weather "up there" might be really bad and roads impassible right now, but things will improve over the next few days and weeks.
Rebekah Scott said:Don´t risk your neck because someone told you the walk "over the Pyrenees" is fabulous -- even people with years of winter hiking experience can get caught out in stormy weather. The fabulous views are invisible in a storm!
Still, the weather changes day by day. Don´t cancel plans made for mid-March based on the forecasts for late February!
Navarricano said:I can help here and am happy to do so. If you're arriving later in March, keep your eye on this thread or please feel free to PM me. I will gladly help you stay on top of the weather situation, and I will stay in touch with the Guardia Civil in the valley. When the Route Napoleon and the walkers' trail from Roncesvalles to Mt. Erro are judged safe again, I will post it here.
Mo0904 said:I have seen a bus (Pesa) direct from Bayonne or Biarritz to San Sebastian which takes around 2 hours and then direct to Pamplona (with Movelia) which is another hour and a half. This is the easiest route I have been able to find online.
I'm the same - one Camino from Pamplona and a previous one from SJPP. I really didn't feel like I'd missed much 'just' starting from Pamplona the second time. On day one you get to the pilgrim monument, see the whole of Spain in front of you (well, kind of) and know where you're going. I'd like to do the Route Napoleon at some stage because I've only walked via Valcarlos, but it wouldn't keep me awake on my deathbed if I never got round to it.newfydog said:If it makes anyone feel better, I have done the Frances twice, once from Pamplona, and once through SJPP. I didn't find the the SJPP to Pamplona to be one of the better pieces of trail---a big climb, followed by some nasty trail. Roncevalles is grim but interesting in a historic way. After Pamplona, the route is glorious.
Many will disagree, but that is my opinion. I sure would not bother going to SJPP to walk a road over the top. I'd hang out in Pamplona for an extra day, go see the Hemmingway statue, eat some tapas, and head out on the real Camino.
vlebe said:Although I have stopped worring about the weather in the last couple of days (I'll just leave for the Camino to decide it for me), I was thinking about where to get a credencial in Pamplona.
Can anyone confirm if I can walk all the way from the train (renfe) station to Calle Compañia and get a credential in the municipal refugio (also, is the municipal Refugio still on that street?)?
vlebe said:I was also thinking, if I decide to start from Pamplona, about gettin the credencial in Calle Compañia and maybe start walking up to Cizur Menor, as it's just one hour away...
I mean, this is just a thought... On the other hand I'd love to spend one night in Pamplona having some tapas and copas.
I know the municipal refugio didn't accept pilgrims starting in Pamplona as well. Do you guys thing this is still true during winter? I know pamplona have several private hostels and hotels, but my budget is limited and I wanna try to stay only in the municipal albergues as I always did before.
SmithRebecca said:Thanks to everyone for alerting us about problems with the SJPP routes, due to snowfall this year. I begin my first Camino on March 25 and now think I will start from Pamplona instead of St. Jean. Unfortunately, I fly into Biarritz/Bayonne on the evening of March 25. Can anyone tell me the easiest way to get from the airport at Biarritz to Pamplona? It doesn't look like there are flights. Appreciate any suggestions. (The more detailed, the better!)
Don't change plans yet; the weather and the conditions can change dramatically in two weeks. Be flexible, and have a "Plan B" in mind, but make the final decision much closer to March 16.My original plans were to train from Paris to SJPP on March 16, meet a good friend there on morning of Mar 18
Fecha
vie 01 sáb 02 dom 03 lun 04 mar 05 mié 06 jue 07
12–18 18–24 0–6 6–12 12–18 18–24 0–12 12–24 0–12 12–24
Estado del cielo Muy nuboso Muy nuboso Nuboso Poco nuboso Poco nuboso Poco nuboso Intervalos nubosos Intervalos nubosos Intervalos nubosos Muy nuboso Cubierto con lluvia escasa Muy nuboso con lluvia escasa Muy nuboso con lluvia
Prob. precip. 0% 0% 0% 5% 5% 5% 5% 15% 10% 15% 60% 75% 85%
Cota nieve prov.(m) 1300 1200 1300 1500 1600 1800
Temp. mín./máx. (°C) 0 / 5 -1 / 7 -1 / 10 2 / 11 6 / 10 6 / 12 6 / 12
Viento Norte Norte Norte Norte Norte Sur Sur Sur Sudeste Sudeste Sudeste Sur Sur
(km/h) 20 15 10 10 10 10 15 15 35 35 20 15 30
Indice UV máximo 3 3 3 3 3
Avisos Sin Riesgo Sin Riesgo Sin Riesgo Sin Riesgo Sin Riesgo Sin Riesgo
Weather forecasts beyond a couple of days are very inaccurate, so any current bad weather will not effect you in Ponferrada. Check the weather closer to your departure date. Yes, there is new snow at O Cebreiro and the Iron Cross. It likely will be gone by your arrival.any news of bad weather as you head further west
Thank you for these updates! You are a wonderful resource for us soon heading out - and I have to say this is an amazing forum. BillNavarricano said:No, the snow in Roncesvalles and the surrounding valleys is most definitely not gone yet.
The Sierra de Perdón, on the other hand, looks clear from Pamplona and Cizur Menor. I will continue to update as I can, folks.
Mindfull said:Navicerrano,
Many thanks for your advice here. I'll be arriving Biarritz on 15th March and am strongly inclining to start Pamplona. This could have the advantage of letting me see San Sebastián and it gives me a few days up my sleeve, maybe even to go the coast.
A word of caution occurs as well- for those pilgrims comforted by safety in any numbers it would appear numbers might be less from St Jean.
Looking forward to the day!
kacacc said:Thank you so much for these updates. We are not beginning until March 22, 2013. Praying the snow melts by then. We have red rain ponchos. If we put reflective tape on them will that do?
amafrin said:what is the weather forecast from saint jean pied de port on Route Napoleon over the mountains to roncesvalles on Monday 11th march. is the pass open at the moment or is it snowed in, thanks Alistair
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