Need to book accomm in St Jean PDP?/ breaking up 1st stages for novice?

[Hopeful Australian]

Hello, somewhat to my surprise I find it is nearly time to leave for Spain (will start walking in early April) and I have still not decided whether to start in St Jean PDP or not. IF I decide to, how far ahead ought I to book accomm, possibly for 2 nights?

Any recommendations?

My low level of fitness is a consideration, and I know not all 65 year olds are the same, but for what it's worth I am 65, with a touch of asthma. I had thought of starting in Pamplona, but had thought maybe I'd got to St Jean, walk up to Orisson & then go back to St Jean. Is it worth it to see that part? If I find I'm up to that, maybe then I'd go to Roncesvalles the next day and walk back as far as it seems sensible to go, returning to Roncesvalles the same day.

Is it even feasible to walk _back_ from Roncesvalles?

I'm thinking of breaking myself in gradually. (Osteoarthritis is a fairly new companion of mine and I am not sure what my limits are yet.)

I'm aware that St Jean is not mandatory. Its likely to be my only Camino, and would like to experience some of these iconic bits, but am trying to be realistic too.

Or would it be saner to start in Pamplona?

 

[Urban Trekker]

I'm 66 have a pacemaker and I'm going for it! Where you start is up to you. I made reservations, 13th in Saint Jean and 14th in Orisson. I would recommend reservations just to be safe. Buen Camino

Happy Trails

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

would it be saner to start in Pamplona?

With asthma it would be saner to start in Roncevalles or Pamplona but then the sane way to get to Santiago would be to fly.

You could start in St Jean and walk to Varcarlos the first day and then from there to Roncevalles. This is the recommended route if the weather in the higher Route Napoleon is bad. It is not as strenuous as the high route but you miss the mountain scenery. Or you could get to Roncevalles early and hike the camino in reverse to the border and back if you want to say you walked all the way from France.

In an earlier post I attached a profile of the high and low routes from St Jean to Roncevalles. See https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/how-steep-is-steep.38918/#post-386389

 

[scn]

Hiked the Valcarlos route last October. I'm 60, a 5k runner, but pretty creaky. Starting in SJPP is pretty cool. My wife and I stopped in Valcarlos the first night, a bit jet lagged. The second day from Valcarlos was a good challenge due to the big change in elevation (check out the elevation map in Brierley's book - it is not a walk in the park by any means). Valcarlos has a god bit of road walking and some traffic, but we thought it was interesting. My wife developed blisters between her toes, using shoes she had hiked 70 miles of camino in the previous spring - we figure it was the pavement, not the shoes; didn't have problems after that. An 80 year old guy from sweden hiked with us - nice and slow - I believe it was a big challenge for him, but he toughed it out and made it.

If we were to do it again, we would go over the mountain, stopping in Orrison, probably sending some of our gear ahead.

Option 1: Send non-essential gear to Orrison( if they will take it), hike to and spend the night in Orrison (reserve ahead). Send gear the next day to Roncesvalles, but maybe take transportation as far as you can from Orrison. When we arrived in Roncesvalles, we were surprised by the number of folks that had been dropped off on the road part way up the Napoleon route, and hiked over with day packs containing food, water and warm/wet gear. Sorry, I don't have any particulars on how they got transportation, the map in Brierley gives you an idea how far the road will take you. Do whatever way works for you and your physical condition, and don't be concerned with what other pilgrims think - save your body for the rest of the journey.

Option 2: less stress. Same as option 1 but skip Orrison and take transportation to the last spot where the road leaves the Napoleon trail.

The 2 days of out and back you described sounds nearly as challenging. I believe the elevation change from SJPP to Orrison is nearly 700 meters (2200 feet - a lot), and coming back down can be worse than climbing.

In any case, you'll get lots of opinions!

Buen Camino!

 

[nreyn12]

About your question to go to Roncesvalles and 'walk back' - - (I think you mean walking from Roncesvalles towards SJPP)

Here's a little bit about that part of the trail:

There are two routes coming into Roncesvalles once you start the descent on the high road. One is steep, and one is very steep. I would anticipate that going UP either might not provide the experience you are looking for, and then you would have to descend one of the steep sections to get back. Plus, if you are starting from Roncesvalles in the morning, you will likely be totally alone on the trail for several hours. Part of the experience of crossing the Pyrenees, in my opinion, is sharing the arduous journey with other pilgrims.

One of the two routes I've described (the less steep) one would take you past the lovely chapel at the Ibañeta Pass (no inside access), and then up to a spot with a lovely view of Roncesvalles and the next town of Burguete. It is a fabulous view in clear weather, and often you are above the clouds. The other route gets you to the same place, but via a forested area. Both routes cover about 1200 feet of elevation gain in approximately 5 kms (steep way) or 3.5 kms (very steep way).

I hope that helps you decide whether 'walking back' from Roncesvalles is a good option for you

 

[Hopeful Australian]

About your question to go to Roncesvalles and 'walk back' - - (I think you mean walking from Roncesvalles towards SJPP)

Here's a little bit about that part of the trail:

There are two routes coming into Roncesvalles once you start the descent on the high road. One is steep, and one is very steep. I would anticipate that going UP either might not provide the experience you are looking for, and then you would have to descend one of the steep sections to get back. Plus, if you are starting from Roncesvalles in the morning, you will likely be totally alone on the trail for several hours. Part of the experience of crossing the Pyrenees, in my opinion, is sharing the arduous journey with other pilgrims.

One of the two routes I've described (the less steep) one would take you past the lovely chapel at the Ibañeta Pass (no inside access), and then up to a spot with a lovely view of Roncesvalles and the next town of Burguete. It is a fabulous view in clear weather, and often you are above the clouds. The other route gets you to the same place, but via a forested area. Both routes cover about 1200 feet of elevation gain in approximately 5 kms (steep way) or 3.5 kms (very steep way).

I hope that helps you decide whether 'walking back' from Roncesvalles is a good option for you

Thank you very much ... I'm most grateful. Sounds like walking Roncesvalles -- > STJpdp isn't a good idea.

 

[Hopeful Australian]

Hiked the Valcarlos route last October. I'm 60, a 5k runner, but pretty creaky. Starting in SJPP is pretty cool. My wife and I stopped in Valcarlos the first night, a bit jet lagged. The second day from Valcarlos was a good challenge due to the big change in elevation (check out the elevation map in Brierley's book - it is not a walk in the park by any means). Valcarlos has a god bit of road walking and some traffic, but we thought it was interesting. My wife developed blisters between her toes, using shoes she had hiked 70 miles of camino in the previous spring - we figure it was the pavement, not the shoes; didn't have problems after that. An 80 year old guy from sweden hiked with us - nice and slow - I believe it was a big challenge for him, but he toughed it out and made it.

If we were to do it again, we would go over the mountain, stopping in Orrison, probably sending some of our gear ahead.

Option 1: Send non-essential gear to Orrison( if they will take it), hike to and spend the night in Orrison (reserve ahead). Send gear the next day to Roncesvalles, but maybe take transportation as far as you can from Orrison. When we arrived in Roncesvalles, we were surprised by the number of folks that had been dropped off on the road part way up the Napoleon route, and hiked over with day packs containing food, water and warm/wet gear. Sorry, I don't have any particulars on how they got transportation, the map in Brierley gives you an idea how far the road will take you. Do whatever way works for you and your physical condition, and don't be concerned with what other pilgrims think - save your body for the rest of the journey.

Option 2: less stress. Same as option 1 but skip Orrison and take transportation to the last spot where the road leaves the Napoleon trail.

The 2 days of out and back you described sounds nearly as challenging. I believe the elevation change from SJPP to Orrison is nearly 700 meters (2200 feet - a lot), and coming back down can be worse than climbing.

In any case, you'll get lots of opinions!

Buen Camino!

Thank you very much for your clear reply. I'm leaning toward starting at Pamplona .. will study elevation maps again

 

[Hopeful Australian]

Thank you for kind advice ... I'm more than grateful to all. I think I may start from Pamplona .. I'd be foolish to scupper myself for the sake of views that may well be obscured by cloud or snowed out.

 

[MilenaS]

I am in bad shape but wanted to experience the top of the mountain. So I have booked a shuttle transport til La Vierge. I am not sure how far I have to go from there to Roncesvalles but my mapreading and logic makes me belive it is a much more doable walk than all the way up the hill. I kind of feel like cheating a little bit. But I am at peace with the solution and think it is the best for me. EXPRESS BOURRICOT provides this service.

 

[scn]

Thank you very much for your clear reply. I'm leaning toward starting at Pamplona .. will study elevation maps again

Thank you very much for your clear reply. I'm leaning toward starting at Pamplona .. will study elevation maps again

Thank you very much for your clear reply. I'm leaning toward starting at Pamplona .. will study elevation maps again

If you have enough time in your camino journey, I would still consider a start from Roncesvalles; the terrain challenge is not very different than starting Pamplona, and not nearly as challenging as starting in SJPP. And its a really nice part of the camino between Roncesvalles and Pamplona. If you run out of time you could give up a few days on a much less interesting section of the camino near one of the big cities further on. Many, many pilgrims start in Roncesvalles - trout pilgrim dinner at La posada and church service afterward. 100% of the people in Roncesvalles are there for the camino vs being another tourist in Pamplona.

 

[Hopeful Australian]

If you have enough time in your camino journey, I would still consider a start from Roncesvalles; the terrain challenge is not very different than starting Pamplona, and not nearly as challenging as starting in SJPP. And its a really nice part of the camino between Roncesvalles and Pamplona. If you run out of time you could give up a few days on a much less interesting section of the camino near one of the big cities further on. Many, many pilgrims start in Roncesvalles - trout pilgrim dinner at La posada and church service afterward. 100% of the people in Roncesvalles are there for the camino vs being another tourist in Pamplona.

THANK YOU very very much for this excellent suggestion. As I said on another thread. I value this interaction with sources of advice greatly.

 

[Hopeful Australian]

I am in bad shape but wanted to experience the top of the mountain. So I have booked a shuttle transport til La Vierge. I am not sure how far I have to go from there to Roncesvalles but my mapreading and logic makes me belive it is a much more doable walk than all the way up the hill. I kind of feel like cheating a little bit. But I am at peace with the solution and think it is the best for me. EXPRESS BOURRICOT provides this service.

Thank you, this is something I'll look into further .. I hope your journey goes well, and since I haven't been yet, this may sound ignorant,
but I've seen many people say here "It's YOUR journey" .. 'cheating' is not the right word. I can't reach the top shelf in the supermarket, so
I "cheat" by asking for help. It would be foolish to deny that we all have different abilities ... It must be that this is how it is meant to be,
or we'd all be stamped out like machine parts. Go well.

 

[nreyn12]

I started my first Camino in Pamplona because I didn't know about Roncesvalles or SJPP (2005, no English-language guidebooks available!), and it was the perfect place to start. I have since completely fallen in love with that city! It is definitely worth an extra night to get your bearings, catch up on sleep, and enjoy the pilgrim energy of the beautiful historic center. For a warm welcome to your Camino, stop by the shop 'Caminoteca'. It is run by two Hungarian pilgrims who know the Way and love to assist pilgrims. Plus they will have anything you need for the trail, including the pilgrim's Credencial, scallop shells, and tons of fun Camino-branded items.