Meseta, Cape Finisterre, or both?

[jasdre]

Greetings fellow pilgrims,
I am planning to start the Camino Frances in SJPdP on 1st May 2013, and have allowed exactly six weeks to complete the walk (I have pre-booked accommodation in Paris starting from 12th June).
I am unsure about whether I should skip the Meseta, but do want to continue on to Cape Finisterre, so I need to leave enough time to do so. An idea I had was to catch a bus in Burgos and travel about 2 thirds of the way to Leon, then I could at least experience the Meseta for 2-3 days, instead of a whole week. I don't imagine it would be a problem for the bus company/driver, as I intend to pay the full fare anyway, but has anyone done this before?
Thanks in advance for your advice, and buen Camino!

 

[Tincatinker]

It's your Camino. Personally I loved the Meseta and would not skip a single mile. Why not get the bus to Fisterra, several a day from Santiago.

 

[tyrrek]

Hi! In 6 weeks you may be able to do the whole route including to Finisterre if you walk at a fairly average pace. Just start walking and see how you're getting on. If you're behind schedule you could get transport from somewhere like Carrion to Leon, for example, to save a few days. Buen Camino!

 

[zammy]

Just walk as best as you can till Santiago and then decude whether you have time left to walk (3.5 days) and spend a day in Finister. things change while you walk, you might need more 'zero" days, you don't have to decide now .
As for the Meseta, don't skip it, one of the best part of the Camino.

 

[Peronel]

You have time to do both.

And you don't need to decide til you're there. At which point you'll have had plenty of the best thinking time you've ever had, and you'll know what's right for you.

(Personally, I wouldn't have missed the meseta for the worlds. The first couple if days out of Leon are magical. Then seeing the mountains come closer - first a jagged line on the horizon, then with some detail, then the foothills gradually appearing knowing you would soon be among them. But that was my camno.)

 

[Deleted member 3000]

An idea I had was to catch a bus in Leon and travel about 2 thirds of the way to Burgos

You may want to do the reverse of that (Burgos is before Leon). Leaving Leon is the end of the meseta, and is a gradual rise toward the highest elevation on the Camino Frances. Leaving Burgos has some great stretches, but if the heat gets to you, the scenery repeats itself, so you don't miss a lot if you catch a bus. Some find the end walk into Leon sufficiently tedious that they take the bus from Mansilla de las Mulas, and consider it 1.65E well-spent.

Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 07:43 08:05 0h 22min 1.65€ LMXJV
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 07:50 08:15 0h 25min 1.65€ LMXJV
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 09:05 09:30 0h 25min 1.65€ LMXJVS
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 09:55 10:20 0h 25min 1.65€ L X V
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 10:05 10:30 0h 25min 1.55€ LMXJVS
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 10:20 10:45 0h 25min 1.65€ M JV
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 10:20 10:45 0h 25min 1.65€ L X V
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 11:10 11:40 0h 30min 1.65€ L X V
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 11:30 12:00 0h 30min 1.65€ M JV
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 14:05 14:30 0h 25min 1.55€ LMXJV
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 16:05 16:30 0h 25min 1.55€ LMXJVS
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 16:50 17:15 0h 25min 1.65€ LMXJV
Mansilla De Las Mulas Leon 17:50 18:15 0h 25min 1.65€ D

 

[owms2323]

Greetings fellow pilgrims,
I am planning to start the Camino Frances in SJPdP on 1st May 2013, and have allowed exactly six weeks to complete the walk (I have pre-booked accommodation in Paris starting from 12th June).
I am unsure about whether I should skip the Meseta, but do want to continue on to Cape Finisterre, so I need to leave enough time to do so. An idea I had was to catch a bus in Burgos and travel about 2 thirds of the way to Leon, then I could at least experience the Meseta for 2-3 days, instead of a whole week. I don't imagine it would be a problem for the bus company/driver, as I intend to pay the full fare anyway, but has anyone done this before?
Thanks in advance for your advice, and buen Camino!

I would do the meseta, and bus to Finistere. Personally, I did not enjoy the walk to the cape, except for the walk up to the 0K marker, and then bus to Muxia. It was pretty.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

The question was posed in 2013. The asker has not visited the Forum since 2013...