I have read this entire thread so far with interest. Having walked the entire CF from SJPdP twice and the last half, from Leon once, I offer the following suggestions:
1. Doing the entire route, from St. Jean Pied de Port to Santiago has a unique quality all its own and should not be diminished, at least IMHO, however, that stated...
2. If time, motivation, or interest simply does not permit, then I can offer two, viable methods to completing the entire route:
2.1 Break it into two or more, distinct sections. Walk from SJPdP to Leon, then bail out for the year. Save your credencial as it can be resumed the next time from where you left off. Then, perhaps next year, come back and walk the remaining two-weeks into Santiago.
2.2 If you are
NEVER returning to this part of the world, then I can suggest what I call the "Morse Code Camino." It is made up of dots (walking segments) and dashes (bus or taxi segments). Here are the basic steps, you can elaborate further using a
Brierley guide book for the
Camino Frances.
2.1.1 Start at SJPdP, walk over the Napoleon Pass, staying at Refuge Orisson (book ahead) and into Roncesvalles. This is a very special segment to most pilgrims. Try not to miss it.
2.1.2 Take a bus the following morning into Pamplona. Tour and remain overnight, walk up to Alto de Perdon and into Puente la Reina the next morning, after Pamplona.
2.1.3 Take a bus from Puente la Reina into Logrono, or beyond, remain overnight and walk from there the next day. But, walking across La Rioja is IMHO a high point of my journeys on this route.
Continue this pattern based on your understanding of the
Brierley guide book and the places and sights you want to be sure to see. When approaching a large city: Burgos, Leon, etc. avoid the industrial belts around the city by taking a bus to avoid the last day's walk into, and the first day's walk out of the city.
The initial 10 km in radius around Burgos and Leon are filled with warehouses, light industry, big box stores and very busy highways. I find them noisy, dirty, and generally without much to commend them to pilgrims. If I wanted to see this I could remain at home in the US. Logrono and Astorga have these regions as well, but they are shorter in depth and can be walked through.
Simply stop at a cafe and ask them to call a taxi if a bus is not convenient ("
Llame un taxi para [city] por favor.") It costs about one € per kilometer. Tip rounding up... Stay in the target city overnight and continue from there based on the pattern you establish for your journey.
Consider obtaining the ALSA bus app for your smartphone. Also see them at
www.alsa.com. ALSA has the government contracts for most of the inter-city (between town) eastern part of the
Camino Frances. Some town pairs are served by other bus lines. Check in at a local cafe for a schedule or when the next bus is due (
Cuando es el proximo autobus para [town]?). Some places have a single bus daily, so stay flexible.
I actually developed this method for my wife who is not inclined to walk the entire distance, but who wants to see it all... I have my "hobby," she has hers... We have yet to plan doing it.
The 'Morse Code Camino' can be done in three weeks by cutting out all the dreary bits, and leaving in all the highpoints. You can customize it to suit. You can walk the parts you like the most, for me that is the Meseta after Fromisa and before Sahagun. Or you can leap frog over the bits you choose to avoid on this journey. I still advise returning to walk it all, eventually.
Finally, providing you walk the final 100 Km or more, generally from Sarria, you qualify for the Compostela when you arrive at the Pilgrim Office at Santiago, regardless of how many rides you may take during your journey, BUT BEFORE the final 100 Km. Those last five-days you must walk.
Be certain to maintain the credencial with two or more rubber stamps (sellos) per day on the final 100 Km stretch from Sarria. Before that, one stamp / sello per day is sufficient to establish your line of march along the route.
I hope this helps.