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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Should I stay 2 nights in sjpdp ?

brooklyngirl813

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
August to September (2013)
I will be taking th 6:00 pm train in Bayonne arriving in sjpdp 7pm August 8. Should I stay 2 nights at sjpdp? If i do this, i can rest, buy my poles , go to pilgrims office and then start my camino on sept 10 early morning straight to roncesvalles . Or
Should I just stay 1 night in sjpdp then do my errands in the morning and start my camino around noon . Then, I can spend 1 night at orrisson august 9.
I initially preferred to stay at orrisson. However, I might still be jet lagged. I don't know if I need to take 1day rest at sjpdp. ( I'm travelling from NEw York to Madrid to Bilbao then bus to Bayonne and train to sjpdp) it's a long trip.
I would appreciate your opinion on this. Thank you.
 
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I stayed at SJPdP for 2 nights.

I went Vancouver to London and spent a night there.

Then a day from London to SJPdP. I was jet lagged. Slept on a park bench on top of the fort during the first day and couldnt sleep either night.

I got over the jet lag by walking to Roncesvalles. I had no trouble sleeping that night.

I didn't have the option of Orisson as it was closed for the season. Its a good idea to break the route Napoleon in smaller pieces if you can.

SJPdP is an interesting and historic place to visit. The fort in particular has nice views (and nice shady park benches) Its well worth spending a day there.

I was you I'd buy my poles in New York or wait at least till Pamplona. Prices in SJPdP (France) are higher than in Spain.

My advice is wait till the day of to decide how you feel. Its no problem to stay another night, you don't need to plan that in advance.
 
You probably will be jet-lagged, but it is not that long of a walk to Orisson (2 to 2.5 hours depending on your walking speed.) Plus, I have found exercise helpful is dealing with jetlag.

I would suggest one spending the one night in SJPDP, mostly because heading to Orisson splits up what is otherwise a long first day walking. Also (and your mileage may vary), when I got to SJPDP, the experience of getting off the train with about 25 other pilgrims, having a communal meal at the albergue and generally talking to other pilgrims had me in such a state that I would found cooling my heels for a day before I started frustrating.

edited to add: The challenge of playing it by ear is that Orisson has very limited accommodations, and in the middle of summer I would guess it would impossible to get a bed on the spur of the moment.
 
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Just walk to Orisson is a great idea-however-do remember that it is a small albegue and your two hour introduction to the Camino will be much much longer if you haven't made a reservation! Call now from home and fix the date or you may find yourself spending three days in SJPD-jet lag is not something to be ignored but long distance walking is a good way to beat it.
 
brooklyngirl813,

Indeed you have a LONG day's journey ahead of you before you start your camino. One never knows with connections. In the past my TER trains from Bayonne to SJPdP have been delayed due to ice on the line, which of course is hardly a possibility in August, and more recently two cows which got stuck in the tracks and blocked all travel in either direction for hours!

Thus planning to stop two nights in SJPdP would definitely give you more lead time. Try and reserve a place at least for your first night and then you will feel easier while traveling.

To help find space in SJPdP here is a link to the official list of ALL accommodation in SJPdP and the area prepared by the local Tourist Bureau. >> http://www.saintjeanpieddeport-paysbasque-tourisme.com/ To see ALL accommodation in the SJPdP area click DORMEZ on the purple bar. To see Pilgrim accommodation click Gites de groupe et pèlerins.. For b and bs click Chambres d'hotes and Hôtels, of course, are hotels.

Bon chemin and Buen Camino,

Margaret Meredith
 
Jet lag is not even in the top ten reasons for fatigue on the Camino! The best cure for jet lag is sunshine and rapid adjustment to the new time zone. Do errands, and head up the hill. Onthe Route Napolean, you can stop at Hounto after two and one- half hours, or Orisson after four hours. On the Valcarlos Route, Valcarlos pretty much splits the day in half.

Buen Camino.
 
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I am going to stay 2 nights in October. I am coming from Singapore to Barcelona then another flight to Pamplona and a taxi to SJPDP all in one day so I rather stay 2 nights at a nice hotel to recover. No point being a sick hero. There is plenty of time.
 
As you can see, everyone is different and you may have to find out the hard way what works best for you. My first camino, I didn't sleep on the flight over, had the world champion snorer in the bunk next to me in SJPdP and stopped over in Orrison to break up the first day of walking and was in a room with a couple who let's just say were enjoying each other's company most of the night, so I went my first three days without sleep. Also, I felt that I had missed getting to experience the beautiful town of SJPdP. This year on a different route, I spent two nights in Paris and two nights in Le Puy before starting out and that was too much. I, being the slow learner, have figured out that, for me, it is best to spend two nights in the starting town in a private room to try to get some rest, gather my thoughts and then start out very early on the third day. If you are in good shape, I would suggest staying an extra day, somewhere you can get some sleep, enjoy SJPdP, and then start early the third day, blowing by Orrison, which I felt was overrated (realize I am in the minority on this). Whatever you decide to do, by the second week, your decision will have been insignificant relative to the beauty and excitement you will experience on the Camino Frances.
Buen Camino
 
You're more likely to conquer jet lag in a place that's big enough to spend a full day exploring like Bayonne. Plan that and you'll avoid risking a missed train too.
 
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Sleep is overrated! You will be generally sleep-deprived for a month, so being rested on day one will have no long term effect. The sun is setting about 2200, and early risers will disturb you at 0500, so a sleep strategy of sleep mask and ear plugs will be useful. Rather than sleeping at SJPdP, make it a shorter day by stopping at Orisson or Valcarlos. Valcarlos splits the day evenly with day 2, and is a less strenuous first day.
 
If as Falcon suggests you do stop in Valcarlos the new municipal albergue is VERY comfortable and the showers GREAT. You can reserve in advance if you wish. For more info see http://www.luzaide-valcarlos.net/. Before climbing up to Ibaneta and continuing to Roncevalles the next day be well prepared with water and basic trail snacks; there are NO services other than one dicey water spigot on the 16 km between Valcarlos and Roncevalles.

MM
 
Brooklyn; I'm with billmc on staying in Bayonne for one night after NY, Madrid and Bilbao; you'll be knackered.

Everyone has their "tricks" about defeating jetlag following a journey such as yours and not two are the same, probably. Mine developed over 40 yrs of travelling across the Pond from Canada on average of at least once per year and, with your itinerary, an overnight stop in Bayonne would work for me.

Give you a chance to unwind a bit at one of the small, reasonably priced hotels adjacent to or nearby the Train Station --my choice now the Monte-Carlo (with decent bar/restaurant) since the Paris-Madrid was expropriated a few years ago-- but there's a few others you'll find on Google/Trip Advisor/etc. There's also the various "dorm" accommodations in town but for that first night after your long arrival trip, I'd want a private room.

From the Train Station area small hotels you're an easy 10 minute walk across the old, pedestrian friendly bridge into Bayonne proper. There you'll find several choices for picking up any last-minute/forgotten "essentials"; including hiking poles/gear, etc. Not as cheap as in Spain but cheaper than SJPdP, and you'll get to do a bit of evening or next morning sightseeing/LIGHT! shopping in a lovely, small town of much history.

It sounds like you're planning on arriving in Bayonne about 5PM so, instead of seeking the 6PM train to SJPdP; get to your Bayonne hotel of choice (book ahead that time of year), unpack/sort gear, scrape off the travelling grunge, a small hand wash in the sink of your travelling garments perhaps, get your bearings, and head across the (within spitting distance) river/bridge to "downtown" Bayonne.

When across the bridge, go to the right. Use Google to find the various sports/hiking shops & chains located within a few blocks of the bridge -no shortage of cafes, restaurants either.

Next day you can pick your train time of choice from Bayonne to SJPdP where, personally, I'd stay overnight as well, just for the experience. Will give you a chance to people watch/meet, to take care of any last minute details of paperwork, etc., and do a bit of a town "walkabout" to work out any lingering jetlag issues. The rest you'll work out while trudging to Roncesvalles..... :)
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
The part I am trying to understand even before trying to address your question is WHY (oh, why!)are you travelling to Bayonne from Madrid to then go on to SJPDP. Why not from Madrid go to Pamplona and then bus to SJPDP? :?:

Anyway, if flights are settle and this is unavoidable by now, then, do take a break in Bayonne. Head out to SJPDP the next day, do your errands, explore SJPDP (an amazingly beautiful town!) and rest. Daylight in August is longer so you will have time plenty time to explore at leisure. I got to SJPDP around 5:30pm (from Pamplona) and had time to explore the town, went to the Office of Pilgrims, bought fresh fruits and snacks for the next day, and had a great dinner at the Hotel Central. I left the next morning at 7:30am.
 
Like you, my family and I have a long flight ahead of us to get to SJPP. We're going from Adelaide, Australia to Paris which is going to take us anywhere between 26-36 hours depending on what flights we get.

As some of the others have suggested, we're staying in Bayonne as we won't get there until late afternoon and rushing on to SJPP will mean a very late arrival, jet lag issues, and a late start the next morning as we line up for credentials, etc. Plus, then we won't get to see much of SJPP!

I know I suffer from jet lag in a way that makes me very groggy and unable to balance properly for a day or two, and two of my other family members have never been on a plane for more than three hours, so we don't know how it'll affect them.

I think it's important not to rush through SJPP if you can avoid it. Your camino has already started and after coming all that way you don't want the first few days to be a blur.
 
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brooklyngirl813 said:
I will be taking th 6:00 pm train in Bayonne arriving in sjpdp 7pm August 8. Should I stay 2 nights at sjpdp? If i do this, i can rest, buy my poles , go to pilgrims office and then start my camino on sept 10 early morning straight to roncesvalles . Or
Should I just stay 1 night in sjpdp then do my errands in the morning and start my camino around noon . Then, I can spend 1 night at orrisson august 9.
I initially preferred to stay at orrisson. However, I might still be jet lagged. I don't know if I need to take 1day rest at sjpdp. ( I'm travelling from NEw York to Madrid to Bilbao then bus to Bayonne and train to sjpdp) it's a long trip.
I would appreciate your opinion on this. Thank you.

Brooklyngirl813,

My wife and I will also be leaving StJPdP at the same time. We fly into Bordeaux on the morning of 8/7/13 (stay the night). Train to Bayonne then to StJPdP arriving in the later afternoon on 8/8/13. Staying the night in StJPdP on 08/08/2013 and beginning our Camino on the morning of 8/9/13. This is the first Camino for the both of us, but after reading on this site and our own excitement level, we will want to leave the first available morning. With all the built up excitement of making this journey, staying another night in SJPdP would be almost torture (For us at least). I am sure we will run into eachother. Good luck and Buen Camino.
 
Olivares said:
The part I am trying to understand even before trying to address your question is WHY (oh, why!)are you travelling to Bayonne from Madrid to then go on to SJPDP. Why not from Madrid go to Pamplona and then bus to SJPDP? :?:

I guess personal preferences are a factor but in my opinion Madrid/Irun/Bayonne/SJPdP has much better transportation connections than Madrid/Pamplona/SJPdP.
 
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My wife and I will also be leaving StJPdP at the same time. We fly into Bordeaux on the morning of 8/7/13 (stay the night). Train to Bayonne then to StJPdP arriving in the later afternoon on 8/8/13. Staying the night in StJPdP on 08/08/2013 and beginning our Camino on the morning of 8/9/13.

How exciting. I might run into you then. I made reservations @ L'esprit du chemin so I can stay the night of 8/08/13 but they no longer have a space for me. Maybe I'll just find a nice place to stay on my first night so I can rest and get over the jet lag.
 
Olivares said:
The part I am trying to understand even before trying to address your question is WHY (oh, why!)are you travelling to Bayonne from Madrid to then go on to SJPDP. Why not from Madrid go to Pamplona and then bus to SJPDP? .

. I'm flying from NY :
Arrive Madrid 6:20am
Fly to Bilbao 8:00
Arrive Bilbao 9:05
Bus leaves from Bilbao 11:00am
Arrive in Bayonne 2:00pm
Take train to sjpdp around 6pm
Arrive in sjpdp around 7pm

The bus also stops in Biarritz so I also have the option of getting off there instead of Bayonne. I don't mind 4 hour stop in Bayonne Or Biarritz coz I can do my errands there. I have been to the basque region before. We drove from Bilbao to San Sebastian to Biarritz and passed by Bayonne.
 
whariwharangi said:
I was you I'd buy my poles in New York or wait at least till Pamplona. Prices in SJPdP (France) are higher than in Spain.
My advice is wait till the day of to decide how you feel. Its no problem to stay another night, you don't need to plan that in advance.

I would love to buy my poles here in new York but I don't want to check-in my backpack. I want to be in and out as fast as I can and avoid the risk of my bag getting lost.
I like your advise on waiting till the day to decide. I won't know how I will feel until then.
However, I do know that I am prone to jetlag Everytime I travel even if the flight is not that long. I usually have a hard time sleeping on the plane.
 
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Thengel1 said:
The challenge of playing it by ear is that Orisson has very limited accommodations, and in the middle of summer I would guess it would impossible to get a bed on the spur of the moment.
You have a very good point there. It's hard to get accommodations during summer. I just got denied by L'esprit du chemin. Now I'm looking for another nice albergue. If not I will stay in a nice hotel but then I will miss the experience of being with other pilgrims on my first night. I am in the process of trying to book orrisson. I emailed them but I did not get a reply. I might have to call them.
 
mspath said:
To help find space in SJPdP here is a link to the official list of ALL accommodation in SJPdP and the area prepared by the local Tourist Bureau. >> http://www.saintjeanpieddeport-paysbasque-tourisme.com/ To see ALL accommodation in the SJPdP area click DORMEZ on the purple bar. To see Pilgrim accommodation click Gites de groupe et pèlerins.. For b and bs click Chambres d'hotes and Hôtels, of course, are hotels.
Thank you for the link. I already tried to book my first night @ L'esprit du chemin but was denied. So I have to find another 1.
 

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