Is it possible to walk from Barcelona to Santiago?

[beccamitch]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

 

[trecile]

but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?!

Impossible? Not at all. You take a train to Pamplona, then a bus or taxi to SJPdP.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

It's doable. You want the Camino Catalan that starts at Monserrat. There are a number of ways to walk to Monserrat from Barcelona, at least three (and a train too). The Catalan splits with one way passing through Huesca and San Juan de la Peña to meet with the Camino Aragonese leading to the Francés at Puente la Reina. The other Catalan route joins the Camino del Ebro passing through Zaragoza and joining the Francés at Logroño.

I've done Barcelona to Puente la Reina and a fellow walker made it from Barcelona to SdC.

Two places I immediately can think of sending you to are:

The forum's sub-forum for the Catalan:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/camino-catalan-from-barcelona-monts-llanca.105/

Gronze's information on the Catalan:

Camino de Santiago Catalán | Gronze.com

El Camino Catalán parte del Monasterio de Montserrat y enlaza, en uno de sus ramales, con el Camino Francés en Logroño, y en el otro, con el Camino Francés por Aragón en Santa Cilia. El primer itinerario cruza los Monegros y, en Pina de Ebro, poco antes de llegar a Zaragoza, se une al Camino del...

www.gronze.com

 

[beccamitch]

Impossible? Not at all. You take a train to Pamplona, then a bus or taxi to SJPdP.

Okay cool, I had researched it quiet a bit and I was told that buses from Pamplona to SJPdP didn't run anymore? Other people had mentioned the timings of buses/trains means they had to spend a night in a hotel to wait for the bus/train the next day, maybe I just need to do a lot more research. Although now I've had the idea of starting in Barcelona I might just try make it happen!

 

[Tincatinker]

walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before?

Lots of people for maybe a thousand years. There are places where you can see the groove in the rock.

As a supplement to @Rick of Rick and Peg 's excellent post above. This website will provide most of what you need to plan a route: https://www.gronze.com/#todos Plenty of information on accommodations. It also provides a clear illustration that the Camino de Santiago (the pilgrimage route(s)) to Santiago de Compostela does not start in St Jean Pied de Porte. Though of course you can always start there if you want to: and @trecile has provided details of the simplest route from Barca.

This thread https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...4-timetable-announced-and-booking-open.84748/ provides detail of the 2024 service Pamplona to St J.

It's a long walk. Look after your feet. Happy planning and Buen Camino

 

[trecile]

Okay cool, I had researched it quiet a bit and I was told that buses from Pamplona to SJPdP didn't run anymore?

It's seasonal. The bus will run that route again starting in late March. Information on this thread:
ALSA bus Pamplona to SJPDP - 2024 timetable announced and booking open

Or you could start your walk from Pamplona. It's not necessary to start from SJPdP.

 

[J Willhaus]

Barcelona to Santiago would have some long walking days until you get closer to Puente la Reina on the Camino Frances. There is less infrastructure, but we had several pilgrims from that route when we served in Arres this year (a village on the Camino Aragones). I think it would help if you are a long distance walker. You won't meet many pilgrims until you get closer to the Camino Aragones.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

If you do take the train to Pamplona get a seat on the right/starboard side. The views are better, distant views of the Pyrenees.

I agree with Janet's comments above. After Monserrat I had one night with three Italians (but only one English speaker) heading the other way where the Camino Ignaciano coincided with the Catalan, one night with a faster Catalan perrigrino and one night with day hiker.

The Aragonese had three of us spending sequential nights at the same place. One was the fast pilgrim from the Catalan (he had spent several days in Huesca with friends).

 

[alexwalker]

Get used to this tool: It is very helpful for travel planning:

Barcelona-St,Jean:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

Barcelona - Pamplona:

Rome2Rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

In April, there should be at least a dozen trains per day from Barcelona to Pamplona. Just take a taxi/bus from the airport to Estacion Sants (The railway station in Barcelona) buy a ticket, get on the train sip some Spanish red, and enjoy the view. 5 hours later you are in Pamplona.

Edit: Welcome to this very useful Forum!

 

[Anniesantiago]

The route from Montserrat is on my bucket list.
I think next season...

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The route from Montserrat is on my bucket list.
I think next season...

Lots of orchards along the Catalan; it should be gorgeous in the spring. Colors were rather dull in late October (but more color in the foothills of the Pyrenees early November).

 

[Scott Sweeney]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

Our first walk was from Ceret, France to Saint Jean Pied de port and then tp Pamplona. Fly to Barcelona train to Girona for a couple days and bus to Ceret.

 

[JabbaPapa]

You want the Camino Catalan that starts at Monserrat.

The Catalan Way has multiple starting points and variants, including some starting points and routes in French Catalonia.

Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

It's a great Camino route, and though I went via Lleida, in hindsight I'd recommend the Huesca variant.

The number of Albergues is slowly increasing, but still somewhat low in comparison to the better travelled routes -- having said that, a major resource on at least part of it is the Camino Ignaciano website :

https://caminoignaciano.org/en/lodging/

On the Lleida variant, that situation improves after it merges with the Ebro Way.

 

[AlwynWellington]

I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago

The Ignatian Way is from near Montserrat to Zaragoza to Logrono.
The west arm of the Catalan and then the Ebro takes much the same route.

Gronze.com suggests 10 stages from Montserrat to the Ebro, then a further 9 stages to Logrono.

see Monserrat to the Ebro .. and .. Ebro, via Zaragoza to Logrono

Once at Logrono, it is but a hop, skip and a jump to Compostela.

Kia kaha, kia māia, kia mana'wa'nui (take care, be strong, patient and confident)

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The Catalan Way has multiple starting points and variants, including some starting points and routes in French Catalonia.

Yep. This may cause @beccamitch some confusion since she (?) just joined the forum today, with luck though having lurked for awhile. I personally consider the Camino Catalan to start either at the French border or Barcelona. Typically I think most here name the border to Monserrat trail the Camí de San Jaume and Gronze uses the name Camino Barcelona for the Barcelona to Monserrat trails.

To prevent some other confusion, Camí is Catalan for Camino and other Catalan words are also used. And, one more thing for the newbie, the Camino Ignaciano starts at Loyola in the Basque Country and goes to Manresa in Catalonia. This is walked west to east in rememberence of Saint Ignatius of Loyola's walk. It sometimes coincides with the ways to Santiago but is walked in the reverse direction.

 

[dagreen]

For someone new to long walks, I would recommend starting with the Frances in Pamplona or SJPDP. There will be relatively few walkers/pilgrims on the Catalan Way and additionally this option does not have a good system of cheap lodging/albergues. it is more “hard core”.

If you want to get to Pamplona for the 12:00 bus to SJPDP, you can take an early morning AVE or Ouigo train to Zaragoza followed by a bus to Pamplona. It is doable. Done right, you will even have time in the morning to walk around for a quick snack before catching the bus.

 

[dick bird]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

The Cami Catalan starts in Monserrat or in Barcelona and joins the Francés near Puente la Reina, so yes, very much so.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

For someone new to long walks, I would recommend starting with the Frances in Pamplona or SJPDP. There will be relatively few walkers/pilgrims on the Catalan Way and additionally this option does not have a good system of cheap lodging/albergues. it is more “hard core”.

Actually you are right. I think I got too excited about having another walker on the Catalan to think of this common sense recommendation. Another point in favor of the Francés is that I remember only two locals in three weeks speaking English. (Well, the albergue users did, other than the two Italians mentioned earlier).

 

[Saint Mike II]

WOW what a host of information my fellow pilgrims have and have graciously provided. Big thanks to you all.
I have never previously considered Barcelona to Santiago (just a bit too long). But the enthusiasm expressed above does encourage me the return (maybe 2025) to complete my Via De La Plata, say starting in Salamanca. Cheers to all!

 

[grumpsroj]

Many complete much longer routes. Taking it slow from Barcelona allows you to ease into the experience. Be sure to share your progress - would love to hear how it goes! Camino adventures always provide memorable experiences.

 

[Laurie Bryan Larson]

Get used to this tool: It is very helpful for travel planning:

Barcelona-St,Jean:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

Barcelona - Pamplona:

Rome2Rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

In April, there should be at least a dozen trains per day from Barcelona to Pamplona. Just take a taxi/bus from the airport to Estacion Sants (The railway station in Barcelona) buy a ticket, get on the train sip some Spanish red, and enjoy the view. 5 hours later you are in Pamplona.

Edit: Welcome to this very useful Forum!

I would add that Rome2Rio is good for general information and then to go to the specific bus, train, etc companies for better more accurate info.

 

[alexwalker]

I would add that Rome2Rio is good for general information and then to go to the specific bus, train, etc companies for better more accurate info.

Absolutely! That's what I do/use it for, too.

 

[Bothydave]

Illustrated map showing connections from Barcelona

 

[el-pe]

Great map!

 

[peregrina2000]

Illustrated map showing connections from Barcelona

That’s a great map, @Bothydave, where did you find it? Any site that has a map that good must have a lot of good written information, too! I’d like to see the routes that are marked in the south, but your photo cuts them out.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Illustrated map showing connections from Barcelona

View attachment 162582

Even this has at least two major routes missing :

 

[Bothydave]

That’s a great map, @Bothydave, where did you find it? Any site that has a map that good must have a lot of good written information, too! I’d like to see the routes that are marked in the south, but your photo cuts them out.

How’s that?

 

[trecile]

View attachment 162583


How’s that?

Do you have a link to the site where you found it?

 

[Bothydave]

Do you have a link to the site where you found it?

Sorry can’t remember
just google maps of route Camino de Santiago
lots of them on there plus links to the sites behind them

 

[Laurie Bryan Larson]

Sorry can’t remember
just google maps of route Camino de Santiago
lots of them on there plus links to the sites behind them

Here you go: https://activetraveladventures.com/el-camino-planner/

 

[trecile]

Here you go: https://activetraveladventures.com/el-camino-planner/

I'm interested in the map that @Bothydave posted in post #27

 

[CWBuff]

serious answers (some splendid with maps and charts) have been given.

I just want to dip into a 'lighter' side if you will and "pick-on" on the title, to whit - is it possible?
of course its possible. I do recall couple of years ago in one of similar threads I have showed (map included) the way of walking to SdC from like the Easter-most point in Russia (something like Dezhnev Peninsula it was). Yes it will take something like 2 years but it IS "Possible"

Good luck and Buen Camino

P.S. My personal preference would be to start in Barcelona (but then I am totally in love with the city) and walk Cami Catalan to Puerta La Reigna and then hopefully you have enough time to just stay on Frances to SdC

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

P.S. My personal preference would be to start in Barcelona (but then I am totally in love with the city) and walk Cami Catalan to Puerta La Reigna and then hopefully you have enough time to just stay on Frances to SdC

It took me 22 days from the beach at Barcelona to Puente la Reina de Jaca on the Aragonese to Puente la Reina on the Francés. I think that's a day slower than Gronze's stages because I had to squeeze in a night because there was no lodging at a Gronze stage.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

from the beach at Barcelona

Rick, I saw you off on your big adventure after our coffee meet-up in Barcelona. You were using your well used, old backpack, but have forgotten the story of why you still carried it..."if it ain't broken, why fix it"?

 

[rainforestgirl]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

Hi, In 2012 I walked from Barcelona to Monserrat then followed the Catalan Camino through Huesca and San Juan de la Peña to join with the Camino Aragonese and then the Camino Francés at Puente la Reina.
I was a 55 at the time and walked solo until i met a friend in Logrono. The route was quite isolated and I only met 4 others along the way. As a woman walking alone, I didn't encounter any problems. Before the Camino Frances, accommodation was a mix of small town hotels, school gymnasiums and the occasional albergue. It took me 43 days with a couple of days off along the way and a couple of days in SdC before carrying on to Finistere. It was a great adventure and experience. Mind you, I had walked various Caminos so was well prepared. You have a lot to consider if you are going to venture along the Way...buon camino.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Before the Camino Frances, accommodation was a mix of small town hotels, school gymnasiums and the occasional albergue.

I walked via Lleida, and to Lleida from Perpignan via the Perthus and Girona, in 2019 ; then Lleida > Zaragoza > Logroño in 2021 ; and I skipped Montserrat by walking directly Manresa > Igualada.

Between Perpignan and Igualada it was occasionally outdoors, often on the floors of Municipal or Parish premises, the odd bed in social housing, and not many Albergues ; but many more of the latter, plus places like Youth Hostels on the Camí Catalàn proper after Igualada ; the number of Albergues increases greatly after the juncture of the Ebro and Catalan Ways. And I have read of several new Albergues opening between Barcelona and area and Tárrega, where the Huesca and Lleida routes part ways from each other.

So sleeping possibilities have improved over the past 10-12 years, albeit less so on the more isolated tributary routes of that Way or between Lleida and Fuentes de Ebro on the Lleida route.

---

One thing that the region is doing is to try and promote the Camí Catalàn / Via Romea / Via Augusta route between roughly the Perthus and > Figueres > Girona > Sils > Sant Celoni > Sant Cugat del Valles > Montserrat as the new "normal" route of the Catalàn between France and the starting "zone" out from Barcelona and northern Barcelona, with improvement of the infrastructures including waymarking and new Albergues ; though the exact route still remains somewhat unclear.

 

[Eamonrodden]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

I started ttw

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with France

 

[Eamonrodden]

I walked as far as Zargoss

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

I walked as far as Zaragosa a couple of years back. There were enough places to stop. I stopped in Zaragosa as the temperature was up in the 40s by 11 am. Choose the time time you walk. There is a guide for the Catalan Caminos. I think Ivar sold me one. Good luck. I may finish it off one day.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Rick, I saw you off on your big adventure after our coffee meet-up in Barcelona. You were using your well used, old backpack, but have forgotten the story of why you still carried it..."if it ain't broken, why fix it"?

I already had a pack of the approximate size and that would fit in the cabin bin. It was a bit small because it was bought as a day pack for autumn but it did have a waist belt and a waist pack served as the pack's "brain". A nylon bag I found served well for food and safety.

The pack is pictured and discussed more here:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/on-the-camino-one-day-at-a-time-one-photo-at-a-time-7-0.71843/page-9#post-979366

 

[Eamonrodden]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

I walked as far as Zaragosa a couple of years ago. Weather was very hot over 40 by 11 am. Accommodation not a real problem. There is a guidebook. I think I got it from ivar

 

[beccamitch]

Hi, In 2012 I walked from Barcelona to Monserrat then followed the Catalan Camino through Huesca and San Juan de la Peña to join with the Camino Aragonese and then the Camino Francés at Puente la Reina.
I was a 55 at the time and walked solo until i met a friend in Logrono. The route was quite isolated and I only met 4 others along the way. As a woman walking alone, I didn't encounter any problems. Before the Camino Frances, accommodation was a mix of small town hotels, school gymnasiums and the occasional albergue. It took me 43 days with a couple of days off along the way and a couple of days in SdC before carrying on to Finistere. It was a great adventure and experience. Mind you, I had walked various Caminos so was well prepared. You have a lot to consider if you are going to venture along the Way...buon camino.

Heya, this is the route I've been researching and I'm keen to do! How did u split up the journey from Barcelona to Montserrat? Did you stop at Sant Cugat del Valles, Terrassa and then Montserrat?

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Heya, this is the route I've been researching and I'm keen to do! How did u split up the journey from Barcelona to Montserrat? Did you stop at Sant Cugat del Valles, Terrassa and then Montserrat?

I'm not @rainforestgirl but that is the way I took. I used an AirBnB in San Cugat for two nights (that is not one now) and a train to handle my no cheap place to stay in Terrassa problem. There is an albergue in Terrassa now.

This post shows where the camino enters a park to exit the city and get to San Cugat:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/information-on-barcelona-to-montserrat.70120/#post-924704

 

[Eamonrodden]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

The guidebook is the Camino Catalan by Callum Christie. I used it a couple of years back. Pretty reliable. Covers Caminos from Barcelona to either Puente La Reina or to Logrono. Good luck

 

[Stivandrer]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago,

If you have not been on any of the other routes before, you might not want to start off with the Catalan as your first...
I took it last November, not the best month, though, and it is not the most interesting one in parts, but it is doable..
Long sections, not many places open, small degree of coffee stops...you need to harness your frustrations.

There is of course a very good reason for taking the Francés first, it is here you can find your legs, service is good, lots of people to socialize with ( if you want to), and plenty of lodgings and places to eat and stock up.
Also the nescessary testing of the shoes, the back pack, what to bring and what not to....

Frustrations are sometimes galore, and you really need to get an Ahhh moment round the next corner: beauty, a horse, friends you just missed in the last town - to make up for the long slog that you maybe will do for the first time - and here the Camino Frances is a natural first....
So plz consider this too - ...
Hope you do not find this condescending in any way... I only know when starting out the first time, that this was smthng I could do, but I needed a way out if my feet/ legs/ back broke down and thankfully nothing did. But later had injuries on other caminos, so never say never...
And I am now going for the sixth time, this time to Almería...and I am glad for the education that I needed along the way...
Happy trails and Buen Camino

 

[NorthernLight]

If you decide against starting in Barcelona, and think getting to SJPDP is too complicated, consider starting at Somport and following the Camino Aragones. It has infrastructure, gorgeous scenery and is only a train to Jaca and a bus up to Somport.

 

[WGroleau]

You don’t have to go (somewhere) to start walking. Apple maps, Google maps, and probably others can give you a walking route from anywhere in Spain to anywhere else in Spain. A bigger question is …

I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

 

[WGroleau]

Apple maps, Google maps, and probably others can give you a walking route from anywhere in Spain to anywhere else in Spain.

Well, I just checked. Apple maps said it can’t do a walking route! But it can do Barcelona to Zaragoza, Zaragoza to Logroño, and Logroño to Santiago. Google maps can do the whole thing, and you can drag the route to include any place you want to pass through.

 

[BikeHikeChai]

but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?!

While I think the route from Barcelona to Santiago would be brilliant it’s also quite possible to take a train from Barcelona to SJPdP.

Depart 09:28 arrive 18:18. Change in Narbonne, Toulouse-Matabiau and Bayonne. Lovely scenery along the way.

From DB Navigator app.

 

[trecile]

While I think the route from Barcelona to Santiago would be brilliant it’s also quite possible to take a train from Barcelona to SJPdP.

Depart 09:28 arrive 18:18. Change in Narbonne, Toulouse-Matabiau and Bayonne. Lovely scenery along the way.

Or the train from Barcelona to Pamplona takes about 4 hours, then bus or taxi to SJPdP.

 

[beccamitch]

Hiya! I'm looking for some advice on walking from Barcelona to Montserrat and then Montserrat to Santa Cilia de Jaca (via Huesca). I've been doing lots of research and I'm planning on walking from Barcelona to Santiago. This is my first Camino but I'm a very all or nothing person and like challenging myself so I think I should be able to do it (fingers crossed), and I'm also aware that when I begin full time work the possibility of having free time to do something like this is very very limited so wanna make the most of it while I can. The route I'm keen to do is from Barcelona to Montserrat, then onto the Camino Catalan through Huesca then joining the Camino Aragones at Santa Cilia de Jaca then joining the Camino Frances and following it to Santiago (maybe onto Fisterra if I've got time). Planning on starting beginning/middle of April 2024.

From my understanding there's plenty of albergues on the Camino Frances and Aragones but I'm struggling to find information on accommodation on the Camino Barcelona and Camino Catalan. I've found some albergues but their locations are making me confused on how I should split my days up (don't know if I'm explaining that very well) I've also found some hotels, but I've just graduated uni so currently very very VERY skint so wanna do it as cheap as I can ahahah.

Has anyone taken this route through Catalonia recently that could share info on accommodation and advice on how they split up the journey? Or life advice in general ahahah? I need it lol.

 

[Barbara]

Well, I suppose the place to start research would be by looking for local associations but it's a pretty obscure route. How is your Spanish and/or Catalan? Because although Barcelona is very cosmopolitan the rest of the route will be pretty rural. You might consider a bivouac but I think a lot of it will be very ad hoc, rather like the Norte was thirty years ago. It's an interesting project, here's wishing you good luck and you can write the guide as you go for those who come after you!

 

[J Willhaus]

Some info at Gronze.com

Camino de Santiago Catalán | Gronze.com

El Camino Catalán parte del Monasterio de Montserrat y enlaza, en uno de sus ramales, con el Camino Francés en Logroño, y en el otro, con el Camino Francés por Aragón en Santa Cilia. El primer itinerario cruza los Monegros y, en Pina de Ebro, poco antes de llegar a Zaragoza, se une al Camino del...

www.gronze.com

We had two pilgrims who joined the Aragon Way last summer when we were at Arres. The stages they walked were quite long and they said it was very solitary. By the time they reached us at Arres, they were doing stages of 40 km per day routinely without difficulty.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Edit: The following was written for another thread that was started with post #50. The moderators joined that thread with this older one.

I did Barcelona to Puente la Reina in Oct/Nov 2019. Some accomodations have changed since then. Gronze should be reasonably up-to-date. I'll send you to an earlier post hat had a link to Gronze and other links. I'm pretty sure I'll be making more posts here later.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/is-it-possible-to-walk-from-barcelona-to-santiago.84804/#post-1215140

 

[peregrina2000]

I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

Here’s a link to a list of accommodations that shows a date of 2023, so it’s pretty up to date.

http://amicsdelspelegrins.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/servicios-cami-SJDLP.pdf

I walked this route in 2015 and we stayed in albergues almost every night. I don’t know if things have gotten better or worse since then, but this list is a good start.

 

[dick bird]

We are planning this route as far as Burgos starting in May, except that we are starting from Monserrat - the walk from Barcelona didn´t seem very inspiring. From Monserrat, there are pretty good options, mostly albergues, and we will be keeping to the Gronze stages, which seem to work but breaking them up towards the end to shorten the days.

 

[oursonpolaire]

As the traditional starting point is Montserrat, you should feel comfortable about taking the local train up there, taking a room at the albergue, and continuing on the next day. The hotel at Sant Pau de la Guardia has pilgrim rooms, but reserve in advance. Castelloli, on the way to Igualada, has an albergue-- Igualada has none! Then there is La Panadella, where the Hotel Bayona (note, in Spain as in France, truck stops are generally of very good quality) has a pilgrim price.

As well as Gronze, there are a number of threads on this route-- you will likely benefit by going through them and making notes on the accommodation available. Pilgrims are known on this route, but it is no Francese!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I started walking from the beach in Barcelona with the intent of finishing in San Sebastian, a sea to sea walk from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. That can be done also by continuing to Finisterre from Santiago. Six days more than a Monserrat to Santiago walk.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Hiya! I'm looking for some advice on walking from Barcelona to Montserrat and then Montserrat to Santa Cilia de Jaca (via Huesca).

The best resource for the Montserrat > Tàrrega section of your route is this one -- though you should use the other sources too !!

Lodging – Camino Ignaciano

caminoignaciano.org

 

[JabbaPapa]

As the traditional starting point is Montserrat

errrrrrr not really, that's an artificial "starting point" invented in recent decades.

Traditionally, pilgrims would start from their homes and parishes to a gathering point. Traditionally, far more will have started from Barcelona and Girona.

Having said that, Montserrat is a major pilgrimage destination in its own right, so that it is a perfectly natural gathering point for pilgrims heading towards Santiago, Manresa, and/or Rome.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Here's a warning about the Gronze guide for the Catalan stages after Huesca. Huesca to Bolea is fine but the next two stages that bring you to Santa Cilia on the Camino Aragonese are not. Gronze breaks this up into Bolea - La Peña Estación - Santa Cilia. Gronze doesn't list any accommodations for La Peña Estación.

I broke this up to be three stages: Bolea to Sarsamarcuello (giving you time to sidetrip to Loarre Castle), Sarsamarcuello to Ena (vulture watch sidetrip possible to Mirador de los Buitres), and Ena to Santa Cilia (visiting new and then old monasteries of San Juan de la Peña on the trail).

Seven and a half kilometers after Ena is the town of Botaya where it is also possible to stay but from what I see it is something like a hostel for kids on weekends and the summer. They do accept pilgrims but you must check ahead to see if they are open and have room. The advantages of Botaya are that you finally might share a night with people and it gives you more time to visit the monasteries the next day. On the other hand, at Ena you could have a really nice albergue to yourself (we have said the Catalan can be devoid of pilgrims, right?).

For three kilometers after leaving the monasteries the camino follows a trail down the mountain to Santa Cruz de Serós. I had no problems with this trail (I'm used to difficult trails at home) but many recommend following the road down instead. Look into this.

Once on the Camino Aragonese consider going out of your way and take some transportation to Somport in the mountains, on the border and also on the Aragonese. Due to weather and time constraits I did not but @peregrina2000 and @LTfit did for their camino. The Gronze guide has the walk from there back past Santa Cilia to Arrés as two days.

 

[J Willhaus]

Here's a warning about the Gronze guide for the Catalan stages after Huesca. Huesca to Bolea is fine but the next two stages that bring you to Santa Cilia on the Camino Aragonese are not. Gronze breaks this up into Bolea - La Peña Estación - Santa Cilia. Gronze doesn't list any accommodations for La Peña Estación.

I broke this up to be three stages: Bolea to Sarsamarcuello (giving you time to sidetrip to Loarre Castle), Sarsamarcuello to Ena (vulture watch sidetrip possible to Mirador de los Buitres), and Ena to Santa Cilia (visiting new and then old monasteries of San Juan de la Peña on the trail).

Seven and a half kilometers after Ena is the town of Botaya where it is also possible to stay but from what I see it is something like a hostel for kids on weekends and the summer. They do accept pilgrims but you must check ahead to see if they are open and have room. The advantages of Botaya are that you finally might share a night with people and it gives you more time to visit the monasteries the next day. On the other hand, at Ena you could have a really nice albergue to yourself (we have said the Catalan can be devoid of pilgrims, right?).

For three kilometers after leaving the monasteries the camino follows a trail down the mountain to Santa Cruz de Serós. I had no problems with this trail (I'm used to difficult trails at home) but many recommend following the road down instead. Look into this.

Once on the Camino Aragonese consider going out of your way and take some transportation to Somport in the mountains, on the border and also on the Aragonese. Due to weather and time constraits I did not but @peregrina2000 and @LTfit did for their camino. The Gronze guide has the walk from there back past Santa Cilia to Arrés as two days.

Our two pilgrims last summer walked from Ena to Arres as a last stage joining the Aragon Way.

 

[peregrina2000]

The advantages of Botaya are that you finally might share a night with people and it gives you more time to visit the monasteries the next day.

LT and I stayed in Botaya, having called ahead a day or two before. The owner gave us lunch and then drove us up to the monastery. After a couple of hours up there, we walked back down to Botaya. Since the monastery doesn’t open till 10 in the morning, and Botaya is only a few kms from San Juan, it would have meant for a very late start to the day. If you are going to stay in Santa Cilia, that wouldn’t much matter, since it’s only about 10 from San Juan to Santa Cilia. But we wanted to get up to Somport so we could walk the entire Spanish part of the route. I can’t imagine not stopping for a long visit in San Juan, so it’s something to keep in mind if you have the same idea.

 

[J Willhaus]

Or if you go back to Somport, you can make a trip up to the Monasteries from Jaca. We took a cab and then walked down to Santa Cruz de los Seros for the night before going on (take the road down ro Santa Cruz). The Camino route is steep, rocky, and treacherous.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

LT and I stayed in Botaya, having called ahead a day or two before. The owner gave us lunch and then drove us up to the monastery. After a couple of hours up there, we walked back down to Botaya. Since the monastery doesn’t open till 10 in the morning, and Botaya is only a few kms from San Juan, it would have meant for a very late start to the day.

FYI, using timestamps from photos this was my approximate Catalan last stage itinerary:

Left Ena: 8:30
Botaya: 10:30
Left road and headed up mountain trail: 10:45
Arrived new monastery: 11:45
Left new monastery: 12:30
Arrived old monastery: 12:45
Left old monastery: 2:00
Arrived Santa Cruz: 3:30
Then I lost track of time.

 

[Josep Montserrat]

Hiya! I'm looking for some advice on walking from Barcelona to Montserrat and then Montserrat to Santa Cilia de Jaca (via Huesca). I've been doing lots of research and I'm planning on walking from Barcelona to Santiago. This is my first Camino but I'm a very all or nothing person and like challenging myself so I think I should be able to do it (fingers crossed), and I'm also aware that when I begin full time work the possibility of having free time to do something like this is very very limited so wanna make the most of it while I can. The route I'm keen to do is from Barcelona to Montserrat, then onto the Camino Catalan through Huesca then joining the Camino Aragones at Santa Cilia de Jaca then joining the Camino Frances and following it to Santiago (maybe onto Fisterra if I've got time). Planning on starting beginning/middle of April 2024.

From my understanding there's plenty of albergues on the Camino Frances and Aragones but I'm struggling to find information on accommodation on the Camino Barcelona and Camino Catalan. I've found some albergues but their locations are making me confused on how I should split my days up (don't know if I'm explaining that very well) I've also found some hotels, but I've just graduated uni so currently very very VERY skint so wanna do it as cheap as I can ahahah.

Has anyone taken this route through Catalonia recently that could share info on accommodation and advice on how they split up the journey? Or life advice in general ahahah? I need it lol.

Hi beccamitch,

I highly recommend this guide.
You can also find it on Amazon.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/attachments/callum-jpg.155356/

I have walked the section from Port de la Selva to Vic and it has helped me a lot.
Bon Cami.

 

[jennysa]

The Catalan Way has multiple starting points and variants, including some starting points and routes in French Catalonia.

It's a great Camino route, and though I went via Lleida, in hindsight I'd recommend the Huesca variant.

The number of Albergues is slowly increasing, but still somewhat low in comparison to the better travelled routes -- having said that, a major resource on at least part of it is the Camino Ignaciano website :

https://caminoignaciano.org/en/lodging/

On the Lleida variant, that situation improves after it merges with the Ebro Way.

Is it possible to walk from Barcelona to Pamplona? Is it doable?

 

[JabbaPapa]

Is it possible to walk from Barcelona to Pamplona? Is it doable?

It would be a short detour after Monreal.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Is it possible to walk from Barcelona to Pamplona? Is it doable?

One fork of the Camino Catalan goes to join the Camino Ebro just before Zaragoza and you can take the Ebro to Logroño on the Camino Francés. From there head east on the CF.

The other fork of the Camino Catalan (via Huesca and San Juan de la Peña) connects the Camino Aragonese. You can go off camino at several places to reach Pamplona directly; Tiebas is the last place this makes sense to me because staying on the Aragonese you pass by the famed church of Santa Maria at Eunate. After that visit you can take an alternate track to Muruzábal on the CF, or continue on the Aragonese to Óbanos on the CF, or take another variant to Puente la Reina on the CF. I followed the Aragonese to the CF to Óbanos and continued on to Puente la Reina and walked the CF in reverse the next day to Pamplona. My walk took three weeks.

But why stop in Pamplona? Another week of walking gets you from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. That was my goal but the November weather told me to stop.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Is it possible to walk from Barcelona to Pamplona? Is it doable?

This should give you a better understanding of the options :

https://en.mapy.cz/turisticka?l=0&x=-1.6160065&y=42.7662189&z=12

Basically, branch off just after Monreal, then up and over a small sierra.

Or branch off at Biurrun then up a cycling path.

Or go all the way to Puente La Reina ; sleep ; then > Pamplona.

I guess there's a tarmac option too, via Noáin.

 

[Benito503]

Hiya! I have never done any of the Camino trails before, I haven't even done a walk that lasted more than 5 days, but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago, is that a crazy idea or have many people done it before? I've been really keen to do a Camino trail for quite sometime now and I'll be living in Barcelona until April making me think April is the time I should start my camino. I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?! Which made me think what if I were to walk to Santiago from Barcelona , rather than travelling up to to SJPDP. Does anyone have any experience on this route (I know there are probably multiple routes you can take)? I know there are plenty of albergues on the camino Frances but are there many on the route from barcelona until I join up with Frances?

It is possible. Not all routes lead to the Frances. I did a vatiety of routes to reach SDC from Montserrat in the spring of '22. This Camino Catalan is beautiful in the spring! Not many pilgrims but provincial hospitality! Didn't connect with the Frances until Burgos. Highly recommend the Ruta del Cister (the offshoot Cistercian way with three absolutely beautiful monasteries dating to the Aragon Dynasty. ) Also recommend taking in the Medieval festival at Mt Blanc if you can time it. The Catalan joins The Ruta del Ebro near Fuentes del Ebro. It is amazing. Recommend 2 days in Zaragoza after riding the bus in from about 20 km outside. Otherwise lots of industrial area walking. Upon leaving Saragosa, Then stay below the Frances by turning at Gallur (great albergue in Gallur is Municipal Hostel) tofollow the Soriano route across over Montcayo and on to the monastery at Santo Domingo de Silos where you can take in internationally acclaimed Gregorian Chant, 7pm each night. Then up to Burgos to connect with the Frances. At Ponferrada, divert again on the Invierno until it connects with LaPlata to take you in to SDC. It's long but well worth it! Enjoy!

I'm returning for the Portuguese this summer.
Buen Camino!

 

[BikeHikeChai]

It is possible. Not all routes lead to the Frances. I did a vatiety of routes to reach SDC from Montserrat in the spring of '22. This Camino Catalan is beautiful in the spring! Not many pilgrims but provincial hospitality! Didn't connect with the Frances until Burgos. Highly recommend the Ruta del Cister (the offshoot Cistercian way with three absolutely beautiful monasteries dating to the Aragon Dynasty. ) Also recommend taking in the Medieval festival at Mt Blanc if you can time it. The Catalan joins The Ruta del Ebro near Fuentes del Ebro. It is amazing. Recommend 2 days in Zaragoza after riding the bus in from about 20 km outside. Otherwise lots of industrial area walking. Upon leaving Saragosa, Then stay below the Frances by turning at Gallur (great albergue in Gallur is Municipal Hostel) tofollow the Soriano route across over Montcayo and on to the monastery at Santo Domingo de Silos where you can take in internationally acclaimed Gregorian Chant, 7pm each night. Then up to Burgos to connect with the Frances. At Ponferrada, divert again on the Invierno until it connects with LaPlata to take you in to SDC. It's long but well worth it! Enjoy!

I'm returning for the Portuguese this summer.
Buen Camino!

This sounds like an epic route. I especially like the way it barely touches the Camino Francés. I’ve put it all together into one KML file as best I can.

I’ve trimmed off most of the extraneous branches, but of course those could be useful if one would like to join from elsewhere (eg Bilbao).

I’m guessing about 1,800-1,900km so a tad longer than the VdlP.

For this version I have used the Camino natural del Ebro rather than the less wiggly Camino Jacobeo del Ebro, but I know nothing of their relative merits.

 

[peregrina2000]

This sounds like an epic route. I especially like the way it barely touches the Camino Francé

Equally epic, and probably more interesting and beautiful, would be to take the Camino Catalan option through Huesca, and then onto the Aragonés and then the Francés in Puente La Reina. Admittedly, I have not walked the option through Logroño, but I am very glad to have followed the advice from Forum members that the Huesca alternative is just gorgeous! And the Camino Aragonés is a five-star (maybe hidden) jewel, no doubt about it.

If avoiding the Camino Francés is one of your goals, in Pamplona you could start the Camino Viejo to Aguilar de Campóo, continue on the Olvidado to Ponferrada, and then the Invierno into the Sanabrés and then Santiago. That would surely be an amazing Camino.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I took the Catalan & Aragonese Oct 19 to Nov 9. The Aragonese was very nice but the Catalan until Bolea a day after Huesca was brown drab. The Catalan should be gorgeous in the spring though as it has many orchards that would be in bloom.

 

[peregrina2000]

the Catalan until Bolea a day after Huesca was brown drab

We had a lot of brown drab, too, but I would do this again in springtime. We walked in June, I think. It must be glorious in spring, at least if the drought has subsided.

Rick , do you think there would be an equal amount of brown drab going through Logroño?

 

[alexwalker]

I'm interested in the map that @Bothydave posted in post #27

You can upload the tracks of every Camino so it overlaps Spain in Google Earth. Here is a link to all tracks:

El Camino Santiago - Google Earth Maps for The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago

El Camino Santiago - Google Earth Maps for The Pilgrimage Road to Santiago

www.elcaminosantiago.com

In Google Earth, it will show up like this:



Click on any route, and you will get details like Camino name, length. You can also alter colour etc. for each Camino.

 

[peregrina2000]

I'm interested in the map that @Bothydave posted in post #27

Joining in with @trecile - what is the source of this great map? I’d like to see it in one piece and with the ability to click on the routes!

 

[Scott Sweeney]

It's seasonal. The bus will run that route again starting in late March. Information on this thread:
ALSA bus Pamplona to SJPDP - 2024 timetable announced and booking open

Or you could start your walk from Pamplona. It's not necessary to start from SJPdP.

The Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona or start at the Monastery of Montserrat.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

The Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona or start at the Monastery of Montserrat.

The Gronze website has it starting at Monserrat. I consider it starting in Barcelona as that is where I think most people walking the Catalan really start. There's a two or three day difference depending on which short Camino you take leaving from Barcelona. I believe there are three.

 

[trecile]

The Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona or start at the Monastery of Montserrat.

I know, but the question that I answered was

I was keen to do the Camino Frances, but getting from Barcelona to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port seems nearly impossible?!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Rick , do you think there would be an equal amount of brown drab going through Logroño?

Laurie, I thought you were the Camino expert.

The Aragonese in early November did have a lot of brown from the harvested and plowed fields but there was a lot of green. I enjoyed the scenery along it. The skies were grey through all of northern Spain as there was a lot of rain then.

I've only walked the CF once and that was May to July. My guess is that the stretch from Pamplona to Logroño will look similar to the Aragonese as I think the weather patterns would be the same and the agriculture would be similar. Once again I stress guess.

First photo was taken on October 28 on the Catalan and the second was the Aragonese on November 7.

 

[trecile]

Rick , do you think there would be an equal amount of brown drab going through Logroño?

This picture was from the day before I walked to Logroño in mid-May 2019

 

[CWBuff]

May 28, 2022 - just passed Bargota

 

[peregrina2000]

I know this thread has taken a lot of little detours, but I wanted to come back for a minute to the question whether the Catalán from Tárrega to Logroño in June will be greener than the brown we found on the Catalán from Tárrega to Huesca in June. Looking at a few pictures on different blogs, my guess is that it will be about the same. If you want to avoid brown fields on the Catalán, I think the best time to start in Montserrat, whether you go through Logroño or Huesca, would be early April to early May, so that you will get those gorgeous green fields and wildflowers.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

The Gronze website has it starting at Monserrat. I consider it starting in Barcelona as that is where I think most people walking the Catalan really start. There's a two or three day difference depending on which short Camino you take leaving from Barcelona. I believe there are three.

Yes it does officially begins in Montserrat and I noted that iny reply.

 

[Scott Sweeney]

I know, but the question that I answered was

In the original post the member said,
" but I've had the idea to walk from Barcelona to Santiago". That is why Responded the way I did.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Yes it does officially begin in Montserrat and I noted that in my reply.

I apologize Scott. I hope you think this is funny. I paid so much attention to what you wrote ("The Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona or start at the Monastery of Montserrat.") that I paid no attention at all to what you responded to in your post's quotation box or even that it came from you, whom I assume are a native English speaker. Without seeing those things my mind tried to make sense of your sentence and it came came up with the fiction that a non-native English speaker asked "Does the Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona or does it start at the Monastery of Montserrat?"

A symptom of advancing age? That's a rhetorical question; please don't answer it.

Edit:

P. S. To save others the trouble of going back a few posts, the sentence "The Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona or start at the Monastery of Montserrat." has the meaning "The Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona. Alternatively, you could start at the Monastery of Montserrat."

 

[JabbaPapa]

The Camino Catalan begins in Barcelona or start at the Monastery of Montserrat.

The Catalan Way has many starting points, including Perpignan in France (French Catalonia).

 

[Barbara]

The Catalan Way has many starting points, including Perpignan in France (French Catalonia).

You could say that any pilgrimage has as it's starting point the pilgrim's home, which would ( I think) invariably be correct. Just that the actual point at which the pilgrim started walking, or cycling, or whatever, might be somewhere else.
I would suggest also that nearly all pilgrimages start joining up as they near the destination and there are fewer route options. Seems obvious to me, anyway. Why are we arguing about this, and does it matter?

 

[JabbaPapa]

You could say that any pilgrimage has as it's starting point the pilgrim's home

You are preaching to the converted ...

I would suggest also that nearly all pilgrimages start joining up as they near the destination and there are fewer route options. Seems obvious to me, anyway. Why are we arguing about this, and does it matter?

I'm not sure we're "arguing" ... you're quite right in any case that the major "starting" points are historically rallying or gathering points, and Perpignan is one of them -- as are Montserrat, Manresa, Llançà, and so on.

As well as SJPP, Arles, Le Puy, Vézelay, and etc.

 

[Barbara]

You are preaching to the converted ...

I'm not sure we're "arguing" ... you're quite right in any case that the major "starting" points are historically rallying or gathering points, and Perpignan is one of them -- as are Montserrat, Manresa, Llançà, and so on.

As well as SJPP, Arles, Le Puy, Vézelay, and etc.

Looks like we are indeed in violent agreement, then. Let me know if you want to start walking at Poitiers or Châtellerault one day and I will buy you a drink while we have a good natter about things pilgrimage. There is a very good association run refuge in Poitiers close to St Hilaire and my spare bedroom near St Savin sur Gartempe. I can show you the Roman road between them.

 

[JabbaPapa]

Looks like we are indeed in violent agreement, then. Let me know if you want to start walking at Poitiers or Châtellerault one day and I will buy you a drink while we have a good natter about things pilgrimage. There is a very good association run refuge in Poitiers close to St Hilaire and my spare bedroom near St Savin sur Gartempe. I can show you the Roman road between them.

Kind offer ; I walked through there (from my home in Paris at the time) in 1994, so sadly I'm unlikely to go through there again.

 

[beccamitch]

After a month or so of planning, organising and deciding, I officially started my Camino this morning! From Barceloneta beach to Santiago, and then if I have time (and the energy) I’ll walk a few more days to the coast at the other side, maybe to Fisterra. Will maybe make a couple posts here about my journey as I go