New Pilgrims

[Allister]

Hi Pilgrims
we are setting off from SJPDP. last week in August... Im sure Ive seen a route in 29 stages or less.. could anyone point me in the right direction please ?.... (hummm. Lost already).

 

[scruffy1]

Dear Allister and Greetings from Jerusalem,

You have dipped your toe into an ocean and discovered that it is very very wet! There is a Camino Frances and there are many many other Caminos running the length and breadth all throughout Europe, several dozen in Spain alone. Try and define to yourself the reasons which brought you to the initial considerations and decision to walk. Adventure? Spirituality? History? Tradition? Family heritage? Peer group experiences? Been there Done that? All are legitimate all could define a different Camino to walk perhaps even a different country to transverse. Your personal preferences also sould play and important part – can you handle crowds of people and what may be at times cramped living space or do you prefer to be alone? Do you speak Spanish or French or German? Can you walk your defined 29 days from SJPP to Santiago, a steady clip of 29 kilometers a day with no time off for good behavior? Would you prefer a slower pace and less real estate to cross? Will you stop to view fantastic historical sites in order to view amazing art and architecture or do such things leave you uninterested and you plan to mush on. There are also many options for prayer, meditation, and epiphany all along any of the routes. How important to you yourself is the Compostela document from Santiago. The Camino is thus many faceted, a diamond waiting there for you to pick it upo - now, next year, and in your next reincarnation, it will reveal to you whatever you are seeking, but first decide, you yourself, why, where, now that the first when has already been decided, the hard part begins. Walking? That's easy.
Scruffy

 

[Al the optimist]

West

 

[dougfitz]

I think it very much a set of personal decisions about when and where to stay on each night. The route is well marked, there are some options along the way, and the pressure on albergues will be starting to ease. Have fun - but remember that a 29 day pattern will be a stretch.

 

[GerFol]

Hi Allister and greetings from Ireland. I am also setting out from SJPP the last week of August. Unless you are super fit or have put in months of training I feel that 29 days may be a little ambitious, however, you know the potential of your own body best and that may work very well for you. I hope to get to Santiago in 33/34 days but have allowed 3/4 extra in case rest days are required. Enjoy and maybe our paths will cross on the journey.

Gerard.

 

[Allister]

We have done the Cleveland way and the Tabular hills in 8 days. A total mileage of 160 miles. A lot cooler I know but we did have hills every day

 

[dougfitz]

We have done the Cleveland way and the Tabular hills in 8 days. A total mileage of 160 miles. A lot cooler I know but we did have hills every day

There are a number of resources that show elevation profiles. Having carried a GPS on the Camino Ingles and Camino Finisterre this year, some like Brierley appear to under-estimate the amount of climb in any day. This is consistent with my experience on the Camino Frances in 2010, although I didn't compare my results to Brierley's guide then.

If you are leaving from SJPP, there are major climbs in the first couple of days, and then again to reach O Cebreiro. There are shorter climbs, some quite steep, regularly along the way. If you are used to walking in the north of England, you should not find anything too difficult on the CF.

 

[Allister]

Thank you Dougfitz that is very useful information

 

[nreyn12]

Here are two different charts for the Camino Frances.

The first is the one I have used for all of my walks. It shows 27 stages, but I break it up into shorter stages, as it suits me. Note that it's a bit outdated in terms of the albergues available, and it doesn't include the stage from SJPP to Roncesvalles. However, it does show most of the towns along the trail, and many now have services and albergues that weren't there when the chart was created 10 years ago.

The other document is the one the Pilgrim's Office in SJPP gives out. It shows 34 stages but doesn't show all the towns along the way.

FYI - there are now more than 300 albergues from SJPP to Santiago so you will find places to sleep in many towns, villages, and hamlets.

In my experience, the best way to plan your stages is to take 800 kilometers and divide by how many days you have to walk, then use the chart to approximate where to stop each day. Then follow your intuition, your heart, and your new Camino friendships to have the experience you desire.

Buen Camino!

 

[Allister]

Thank you nreyn 12 that is very useful