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Hey all! So I am planning my trip to walk the entire Camino Frances at the end of May 2019. I graduate from college and am looking for the "break" between undergrad and law school.
I am traveling from Toronto, ON at 4:45pm and flying overnight to Toulouse, FRA, arriving at 9:05am. From there I am looking to take the 10:45am train from Toulouse Matabiau and arrive in St. Jean Pied de Port around 4pm.
My question is, once I am in St. Jean, what is my next step. I will be ordering my Camino passport ahead of time, so I have that covered. Should I settle in at a hostel and grab something to eat and prepare for my trek at 5am the next morning? When do most hostels in the area open their doors?
Sorry for all the questions... I am doing this alone and just want to be prepared as possible! Thanks
Hi Dave:
You wrote "2. Walk from St Jean to the Pic D'Orrison Statue of The Virgin Mary in the Pyrenees, which is on the way to Roncesvalles, and then return to St Jean Pied de Port via shuttle or taxi the night. It is roughly half-way (12 km) to this point of the Napoleon Route. The next morning, take the taxi or shuttle BACK to the Virgin Statue, and continue your walk to Roncesvalles or beyond."
If I may ask - how does this work? I didn't realize that was an option. how so you locate a shuttle or taxi? I'll begin the Camino at SJPP myself September of this year and am frankly feeling somewhat intimidated with the SJPP >Roncesvalles stretch.
I would stay at one of the many albergues in St. Jean. One good reason for that is by spending the night, you can link up with people to walk with the next day. It is a good practice every night. I recommend that you always link up with groups from an albergue to start each day.Hey all! So I am planning my trip to walk the entire Camino Frances at the end of May 2019. I graduate from college and am looking for the "break" between undergrad and law school.
I am traveling from Toronto, ON at 4:45pm and flying overnight to Toulouse, FRA, arriving at 9:05am. From there I am looking to take the 10:45am train from Toulouse Matabiau and arrive in St. Jean Pied de Port around 4pm.
My question is, once I am in St. Jean, what is my next step. I will be ordering my Camino passport ahead of time, so I have that covered. Should I settle in at a hostel and grab something to eat and prepare for my trek at 5am the next morning? When do most hostels in the area open their doors?
Sorry for all the questions... I am doing this alone and just want to be prepared as possible! Thanks
I was thinking this, too, having travelled from Toulouse airport to Matabiau railway station several times.Uh...a bit of unsolicited advice.
sorry to burst your bubble. But your never alone on the camino.Hey all! So I am planning my trip to walk the entire Camino Frances at the end of May 2019. I graduate from college and am looking for the "break" between undergrad and law school.
I am traveling from Toronto, ON at 4:45pm and flying overnight to Toulouse, FRA, arriving at 9:05am. From there I am looking to take the 10:45am train from Toulouse Matabiau and arrive in St. Jean Pied de Port around 4pm.
My question is, once I am in St. Jean, what is my next step. I will be ordering my Camino passport ahead of time, so I have that covered. Should I settle in at a hostel and grab something to eat and prepare for my trek at 5am the next morning? When do most hostels in the area open their doors?
Sorry for all the questions... I am doing this alone and just want to be prepared as possible! Thanks
Should I settle in at a hostel and grab something to eat and prepare for my trek at 5am the next morning? When do most hostels in the area open their doors?
Yes. If you have reservations at Orisson don't start your walk at the crack of dawn with those who are walking over the mountains to Roncesvalles. If you do, you'll arrive at Orisson well before lunch time, and have nothing to do. Spend the morning relaxing in St Jean - have a leisurely breakfast, poke around in the shops, then get on the trail around 11:00.Making a reservation at Orisson is a great way to avoid worrying about having enough time to get to Roncesvalles. You can explore the lovely town of SJPdP in the morning and still have time to get to Orisson before dinner.
Don’t for get to check into the Camino office, for any updates, full albergues list, and a free shell... and some good advice!Hey all! So I am planning my trip to walk the entire Camino Frances at the end of May 2019. I graduate from college and am looking for the "break" between undergrad and law school.
I am traveling from Toronto, ON at 4:45pm and flying overnight to Toulouse, FRA, arriving at 9:05am. From there I am looking to take the 10:45am train from Toulouse Matabiau and arrive in St. Jean Pied de Port around 4pm.
My question is, once I am in St. Jean, what is my next step. I will be ordering my Camino passport ahead of time, so I have that covered. Should I settle in at a hostel and grab something to eat and prepare for my trek at 5am the next morning? When do most hostels in the area open their doors?
Sorry for all the questions... I am doing this alone and just want to be prepared as possible! Thanks
Hey all! So I am planning my trip to walk the entire Camino Frances at the end of May 2019. I graduate from college and am looking for the "break" between undergrad and law school.
I am traveling from Toronto, ON at 4:45pm and flying overnight to Toulouse, FRA, arriving at 9:05am. From there I am looking to take the 10:45am train from Toulouse Matabiau and arrive in St. Jean Pied de Port around 4pm.
My question is, once I am in St. Jean, what is my next step. I will be ordering my Camino passport ahead of time, so I have that covered. Should I settle in at a hostel and grab something to eat and prepare for my trek at 5am the next morning? When do most hostels in the area open their doors?
Sorry for all the questions... I am doing this alone and just want to be prepared as possible! Thanks
There are taxis in SJPdP which travel the Napoleon Route up to the high point (Col Loepeder) prior to the descent into Roncesvalles. The Virgin is along that route, which is a narrow and mostly paved farm road. With a taxi, you can either arrange a time to be picked back up at the Virgin, or use a cell phone to call for your taxi.
Express Bouricott operates a shuttle service which is very reliable and convenient. They provide transport to and from various locations on Route Napoleon, including Orrison and the Virgin. It looks like the cost to return from the Virgin is about 7 Euro. Reservations are needed and are easily arranged. Here is their link:
https://www.expressbourricot.com/persons-transport/
The nice thing about this walking option is that, even though the walk to Orrison is the steepest grade and then moderates as you continue the walk to the Virgin, you can take a lot of time doing so. You can start later in the morning and easily reach the Virgen, stopping at Orrison for an extended food and fluid break, enjoying the views with long pauses, taking a lot of snack breaks, and just generally lollygagging.
AT the Virgen, you will have tourist and other pilgrims in the area, and it will be a great place to spend time with your thoughts or talking with others -- there is a lot of area to view the vistas off by yourself should you prefer. When you taxi or the shuttle arrives, you will have a grand view of the drive back.
The next morning, hop the shuttle or taxi and drive all the way to the Virgin, then continue your walk to Roncesvalles. You will have a less arduous walk this second day, although you will want to consider which route to take with the steepish descent to Roncesvalle once you reach that point.
I made a video of the entire walk from SJPdP to Roncesvalles which John Sikora added to his series. It is about 35 - 40 minutes, with the entire 9+ hours of walking in hyperlapse time.
I really enjoyed watching this, interspersed with moments thinking "I"m such a klutz! Please don't roll your ankle. Please don't roll your ankle. Please don't roll your ankle!!! There's nowhere to pee for miles just off the track. I can imagine rolling off down a gully like a giant baby with a large container on my back - how embarrassing!"The thing about watching this with the jaunty music in the background makes you think - meh - not that hard but I can only imagine feeling exhausted when I've only just left SJPDP and wondering what the hell I've signed up for! I'm walking the Camino Frances in May
Believe me, the route over Napoleon is not generally problematic as far as footing is concerned. The key to hiking over a steeper grade is to walk at a pace which you can maintain for 20 minutes at a time. DO NOT walk as fast as you can based on how rested you feel... that is how hikers crump in a short period of time and injure themselves.
Keep your pace as slow as you need and then at 20 minutes rest and drink and look around for two or three minutes. It is amazing just how rested you will be with muscle recovery in that short period of time; but again, do not start walking a faster pace just because your muscles are feeling a bit rested.
Grazing... constantly grazing!!! Keep fueling your engine as you walk. Trail mixes of nuts and chocolate and raisins is great. Keep a bunch of Snickers bars in your hip belt pocket, and frequently take a bite. Personally, I like eating energy gels with Snickers, and peanut M&Ms with raisins. I am also frequently sipping water from my water hydration reservoir since the mouth piece is right there.
There is no real set time frame for taking a longer break. Usually I will take 5 minutes or so at about 65 minutes. Because I find it takes more energy than the amount of rest given, I do not remove my pack until I get to my long breaks, which are 30 minutes or more.
None of the above is written in stone for me. Things come up which will dictate stopping times and lengths. Do I need to check a potential spot on my foot to see if it really is a hot spot? Did I miscalculate my layering of clothing and need to peel something off and stow it away? A lot of times, if something like this comes up, I will take a longer break so that the NEED to stop becomes a BENEFIT toward resting. I will take off my pack, air off my feet if I feel the need, take advantage of a water supply point to do a quick refill to my reservoir via my quick disconnect, etc.
I always have a daily mileage goal. The purpose of that is NOT to be a hard-nosed mileage collector, but to help give me incentive as I am walking; something to shoot for. If I find that my goal has bitten off more than I care to chew, I will modify my day's expectations. But my mind is a funny thing... sometimes I am physically fine, but my mental outlook becomes inexplicably 'lazy'. Having a mileage goal helps me look past that and evaluate whether or not there might be a real issue of fatigue, or if I can just continue forward.
Your pace is an individual thing. It is one of the things which makes traveling with others problematic sometimes.... trying to keep up with others. Be faithful to your pace and your needs for rest. If you travel with someone with a different pace and rest requirements, agree on where you will meet at the end of the day and allow yourself to go as you need to go.
Keep your goals in mind as you prepare for Camino, do what you can to pre-prepare, and relax. Hundreds of thousand and millions have gone before you, and you can do this, too.
That's also my plan. Stay in St Jean and then stop in Orisson (I've booked my first night there already). I so appreciate those wise souls who've been there before me and have plenty of great advice.I got to St. Jean by bus from Pamplona, did some leisurely shopping, had a delicious Jambon-Beurre Baguette, and walked to Orisson. One of my best days ever on or off the Camino. I still think Orisson had about the best communal dinner I've had so far since we were all new and mostly alone so it was a quick way to make Camino Friends. By Roncesvalles it was like we were old friends. Plus breaking up the climb seemed like a good idea on rookie legs. From the posts above it sounds like you wouldn't go wrong staying in SJPP so as usual there are no wrong choices on the Camino. Every "bad" decision just leads to a different adventure!
Yup, Orisson spoils you for all the communal meals to come on the Camino. Especially Roncesvalles.I still think Orisson had about the best communal dinner
There are taxis in SJPdP which travel the Napoleon Route up to the high point (Col Loepeder) prior to the descent into Roncesvalles. The Virgin is along that route, which is a narrow and mostly paved farm road. With a taxi, you can either arrange a time to be picked back up at the Virgin, or use a cell phone to call for your taxi.
Express Bouricott operates a shuttle service which is very reliable and convenient. They provide transport to and from various locations on Route Napoleon, including Orrison and the Virgin. It looks like the cost to return from the Virgin is about 7 Euro. Reservations are needed and are easily arranged. Here is their link:
https://www.expressbourricot.com/persons-transport/
The nice thing about this walking option is that, even though the walk to Orrison is the steepest grade and then moderates as you continue the walk to the Virgin, you can take a lot of time doing so. You can start later in the morning and easily reach the Virgen, stopping at Orrison for an extended food and fluid break, enjoying the views with long pauses, taking a lot of snack breaks, and just generally lollygagging.
AT the Virgen, you will have tourist and other pilgrims in the area, and it will be a great place to spend time with your thoughts or talking with others -- there is a lot of area to view the vistas off by yourself should you prefer. When you taxi or the shuttle arrives, you will have a grand view of the drive back.
The next morning, hop the shuttle or taxi and drive all the way to the Virgin, then continue your walk to Roncesvalles. You will have a less arduous walk this second day, although you will want to consider which route to take with the steepish descent to Roncesvalle once you reach that point.
I made a video of the entire walk from SJPdP to Roncesvalles which John Sikora added to his series. It is about 35 - 40 minutes, with the entire 9+ hours of walking in hyperlapse time.
I make these suggestions for your consideration:
1 training mind and body - work up to:
1.1 a trip of 15 km (10 miles) before stopping for breakfast
1.2 a trip with 700 metres elevation gain before stopping ...
When I walked with my son in 2016, we did a number of 15 km days near the beginning. We hadn't trained so it was sort of "on the Camino training". So I can empathize when you say that on some days that's a whole day's walk. Nevertheless, as our Camino progressed we found ourselves walking further and further before breakfast. I think it was from a desire to have more walking done before stopping and taking a break, reducing the number of breaks to arrive earlier before the heat of the day (Jul/Aug). By the time we were halfway through we were walking 12 to 15 km before stopping and I was calling it brunch instead of breakfast.You're kidding surely!
That would take me 4+ hours....
Some days that's a whole days walking for me
You will have cleared immigration in Frankfurt and, as you will still be in the Schengen area, will not need to do so again at Toulouse, so passage through the airport will be relatively swift.
Hello rksharp22Hey all! So I am planning my trip to walk the entire Camino Frances at the end of May 2019. I graduate from college and am looking for the "break" between undergrad and law school.
I am traveling from Toronto, ON at 4:45pm and flying overnight to Toulouse, FRA, arriving at 9:05am. From there I am looking to take the 10:45am train from Toulouse Matabiau and arrive in St. Jean Pied de Port around 4pm.
My question is, once I am in St. Jean, what is my next step. I will be ordering my Camino passport ahead of time, so I have that covered. Should I settle in at a hostel and grab something to eat and prepare for my trek at 5am the next morning? When do most hostels in the area open their doors?
Sorry for all the questions... I am doing this alone and just want to be prepared as possible! Thanks
Some days that's a whole days walking for me
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