"Sample Pilgrimage"?

[hanhiggins]

Hi there! Since I first heard about the Camino several years ago it has always been in the back of my mind. I kept telling myself that one day I would get around to doing it but lately I feel a renewed urgency to begin! In an ideal world, I would love to do the Camino Frances in one go but because of college and my summer job, it wouldn't be possible until I graduate ( not til 2017!!!). However I just feel I have to at least sample the pilgrim world much sooner than that. I can take about 10 days in April during my university's "study month" or maybe 7 to 10 days in early September. My question for you seasoned pilgrims is this: What section (7 to 10 days) of the Camino Frances would you recommend to a first timer? Bear in mind that I do intend to eventually "re-do" what ever bit I walk again when I have time for the full St Jean - Santiago so I'm not too fussy about starting in St Jean this time

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

Hannah
Cork, Ireland.

 

[mralisn]

This is such a great question Hannah. My first thought is to always start at "the beginning" in SJPdP. I know it's an awesome walk in the early summer, and I imagine it's just as beautiful in the spring. Maybe you can start there for however many days and then return later to walk more? Perhaps by 2017 you have done it all in sections and then reward yourself with one go all the way to Muxia and then Fisterra. Or on this same note, do in sections these next few years always beginning where you left off then walk the Camino Norte after graduation. Ohh....that would be pretty cool! The summer along the Spanish coast. Could you take the time in your study month and then return in September? You would miss both high temps and high numbers of walkers. You could nearly finish 1/2 the distance this year. Wahoo!

No matter what you choose, it's great to see you're now set to start taking steps without putting it off any longer. That's exciting!

Keep a smile,
Simeon

 

[tyrrek]

Hi Hannah and welcome. What a question!

You have to ask yourself what is important to you. What is it that you want to sample? Is it cameraderie, solitude, spirituality, culture etc. Do you want to end in Santiago or do you want to save that until you return to do your 'full' Camino?

Rather than seeing it as a 'sample pilgrimage' maybe you could just make it the real thing, and do it in stages over the coming years. You could walk from SJPP to somewhere like Logrono. You would see some of the classic sites of the Camino; the walk to Roncesvalles, the pretty Basque villages, Pamplona, the pilgrim monument, the fountain of wine, and get a prayer card in Los Arcos.

Buen Camino!

p.s. mralisn has beaten me to it with similar ideas!

 

[sillydoll]

Oooh - Hanna! How exciting to be planning a Camino, with a smorgasboard of routes to choose from!
Rather than a Sample of the Camino Frances, how about walking a complete route as an appetiser! Then you can do the Camino Frances as a main course in 2017 and thereafter, you can come back and do all those other charming routes as dessert!!

April can be beautiful but it can also be a cold, wet, snowy month. Early September is almost guaranteed to be warm. How about walking 5 days on the Camino Ingles from el Ferrol? You'll qualify for the Compostela and won't retrace your steps when you come back to walk the Camino Frances. And, you'll have a day to get to Fistera and visit the end of the world.

 

[fortview]

It is really exciting, and if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't know where to start either !
Great suggestions about walking the Frances in sections. A friend of mine wants to walk with me for a week in September, and I was thinking of maybe starting in Pamplona , since it would be easy to get flights to and from there.... But you are like a kid in a sweetshop really see what other suggestions come to you, and feel what your heart says too !
Buen camino,
Helen

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I would suggest the Sarria to Santiago stretch. Starting in SJPdP has two negatives to me: you will barely be over the pain before your have to go home, and if the weather is bad, all the effort to get to SJPdP will be wasted. From Sarria you will have some challenging terrain, but it is passable except in the worst weather, which you probably will not encounter in April. With regular stopping places, you will be less tempted to overdo or walk through blisters than you would be on the long stages out of France. You will be in the company of other pilgrims who start in Sarria, so you won't have to abandon new friends like you will with a SJPdP start. You will have to deal with the hubris of the pilgrims who conquered the Pyrenees, but it is easier with your band of Sarria-starters, and you will be able to get the Pyrenees-macho on your next walk!

If you get to Santiago with three days extra, you can walk on to Fisterra.

 

[hanhiggins]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions!!!

 

[ncali12]

I met a lot of people who began in Sarria and found the pilgrimage meaningful. I dont think any of them had any intention of returning again. I also met lots of people who were returning each year to walk sections always moving toward Santiago. If you plan to return to walk after you graduate you might consider doing a segment that leads to SJPP and then picking up again in SJPP or Roncesvalles when you come back again. I walked through the Pyrenees this past year in late April and it was fantastic--incredible windstorm, snow at the top. Whatever you decide, it will be a wonderful experience. If i were going to return another time to walk the while French route, i think I would plan to pick up the Puy route somewhere and walk into SJPP and end there. And it is certainly a charming mountain village with lots of Camino history. It would be a great destination along the way and a pilgrimage in itself.
Buen camino