Skipping a section

[wsculpture]

I have gotten so much information from this forum about planning my first camino, so I thought this would be the best place to turn to for a suggestion on this dilemma. My wife and I are starting our camino the 8th of August in SJPP and we have about 25 days before flying from Santiago de Compostella back home, we know it is impractical, if not impossible to do the whole thing in that time, so the question is what section should we miss out? Or should we just walk and let the journey, and our bodies, tell when its time to catch the bus? we would rather have the experience of the whole trail but I suppose we could always come back for the parts we miss.
Thanks guys.

 

[anniethenurse]

Welcome to the Forum!!!

You are going to get many suggestions to take a bus from Burgos to Leon and not walk on the meseta. Many pilgrims mean this is the most boring part of the camino. But I loved this section - I walked this year in April from Burgos to SDC in 22 days - and had a lovely, lovely walk on the meseta.

While you take a bus in the middle of the camino you will save maybe 5- 6 days walking but LOSE all the friends you made so far.

So maybe better to walk from SJPP to whereever you walk in 24 days and continue next time to SDC... Or start in Burgos and walk to SDC in 22 days (23 k each day), get some rest in SDC and do the Pyrenees next time.

It is 790 k from SJPP to SDC - if you walk 24 days it means 33 k each day.
I prefer about 25 k in average = about 32 days for me for the CF.

What ever you decide for enjoy it!!!
Buen camino
annie


my stages if anyone would be interested:

Day 1 Burgos - Hornillos April 8 20.5 km 8/4 2011-- Albergue Municipal €5
Day 2 Hornillos to Castrojeriz 21 km -- Albergue Casa Nostra €6.50
Day 3 Castrojeriz to Fromista 25.5 km -- Albergue Municipal €7
Day 4 Fromista to Carrion de las Condes 20.1 km -- A Santiago Hostal €25
Day 5 Carrion de las Condes to Calzadilla de la Cueza 17 km -- Albergue Camino Real Network Hostel €7
Day 6 Calzadilla de la Cueza to Moratinos 12 km -- Peacable Kingdom Donativo 30E single room+dinner+breakfast
Day 7 Moratinos to El Burgo Ranero 27.6 km -- Albergue Domenico Laffi Donativo 5E
Day 8 El Burgo Ranero to Arcahueja 28.3 km -- Albergue La Torre €18 bed, meny and breakfast
Day 9 Arcahueja to Leon 8.4 km -- Albergue Santa Maria de Carbajalas Donativo 5E + 3E breakfast
Day 10 Leon to San Martin 26.5 km -- Albergue Vieira Privado €3- 9
Day 11 San Martin to Astorga 23.5 km -- San Javier Network Hostel €8
Day 12 Astorga to Rabanal del Camino 21.4 km -- Gaucelmo CSJ Donativo 5E
Day 13 Rabanal to Ponferrada 33.5 km -- San Nicolas de Flue Parish Hostel Donativo 5E
Day 14 Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo 23.7 km -- Ave Fenix de familia Jato Network Hostel €5
Day 15Villafranca del Bierzo to O Cebreiro 30 km -- Albergue Xunta Hostel €5
Day 16 O Cebreiro to Triacastela 20.7 km -- Albergue Refugio del Oribio €9
Day 17 Triacastela to Sarria 25 km -- Albergue Internacional €10
Day 18 Sarria to Portomarin 22.9 km -- Albergue Ferramenteiro Privado €10
Day 19 Portomarin to Palas del Rei 26.1 km -- Albergue Buen Camino €10
Day 20 Palas del Rei to Arzua 28.4 km -- Albergue de Arzúa Xunta €5
Day 21 Arzua to Villamayor 31 km -- Casa de Amancio Casa Rural €35
Day 22 Villamayor to SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA 9 km 29/4 2011 -- Pension Rúa do Vilar €32

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You will make new friends if you skip ahead, and the meseta is incredibly hot in August, so a bus from Burgos to Leon may be appropriate. You can take a bus from Ponferrada to Villafranca del Bierzo at the end (or start) of the day, and save another day.

 

[Corwen]

It seems pointless to me to start in an arbitrary place, walk for a while, and then skip ahead.

Remember that any given start point (aside from your home) is as arbitrary as any other, the route doesn't start in St Jean, or LePuy, it starts where YOU start walking.

Why not just start somewhere where you can comfortably walk all the way to Santiago in the time you have? The friends you make will be more special if you travel with them all the way and share the joy of arriving.

I think you'll feel you never really 'did' the pilgrimage if you leave out a section. The meseta in particular, while being dull at times also has a special beauty and a symbolic meaning.

 

[fraluchi]

My wife and I are starting our camino the 8th of August in SJPP and we have about 25 days before flying from Santiago de Compostella back home

You will be walking during the main holiday season with lots of people and high temperatures. Start by all means from SJPP and enjoy passing the mountains. When you reach Logroño (after 8 or 9 days), you'll have your body and mind adjusted. Review your plan and skip those sections of the "Francés" which might not appeal to you. You can bus from most main towns to other ones on the Camino. Your decision depends from weather conditions, average daily distances to walk, terrain difficulties, sceneries, cultural interests, etc.
But if you can consider coming back another time, just start walking and take a bus to Santiago one day before flying back home. (Astorga ? - check ALSA bus company)

 

[SDM]

But if you can consider coming back another time, just start walking and take a bus to Santiago one day before flying back home. (Astorga ? - check ALSA bus company)

ALSA
XACOBEO SEARCH ENGINE
This search engine will help you in finding the best options to reach your starting point of choice to the Way, and to return from Santiago de Compostela to wherever you choose.

http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa...toid=134d670686326210VgnVCM1000002301005eRCRD

Sarah :arrow:

 

[RENSHAW]

What ever you decide for enjoy it!!!
Buen camino
annie

Annie has been to a lot of effort here which demonstrates just what a fab forum this is - the first week of the Meseta is amazing - later on , the Camino gets busy and you may want to skip the last few days before Santiago.

 

[bluzman]

Re: Skipping a section-- maybe Bike a Part of it??

I too am statrting in SJPP but hopefully on the 3rd of August. I have to be in Holland on the 2nd of Sept. This is a push. I am thinking about hiring a bike for about 200 km. This will knock off about 6-8 days of time and allow me to do the whole camino.
I know there are comanies that allow you to pick up anywhere and drop off anywhere (at least their website says so..going to call some tomorrow)

I am really curious if anyone has suggetion of what approximate 200 km section would be best (and easiest) to bike ride!

Any comments on this would be realy helpful, for me and maybe Wsculpture too

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

The bike is a very interesting idea and I've never thought of doing that or met anyone who has.

It is worth serious consideration. The meseta is flat and may be the obvious choice but you would need a good map and/or cycling guide. Sahagun to León or maybe Burgos to León. I would prefere the former as out of Burgos is a little hilly and the Camino track very umur.

If you are unable to return to the Camino you will have the satisfaction of having travelled the whole of the Camino Francés. See your cycle as the medieval mule.

In 1998 for various reasons I had to jump a couple of sections and it drove me back in 2004 to walk all the way from SJPP to Santiago to Finisterrre and despite having gone back every year I still regret not insisting on completion in 1998. I would have taken the cycle option if it had been available.

One suggestion is to walk as far as you can then take the bus to Sarria. To obtain your Compostela you HAVE to walk the last 100km (200km by cycle) to qualify. That means starting in Sarria 113km which has a major bus station. Make sure you allow enough time to walk from there to Santiago and give yourself at least one clear day in the city before you fly home.

Then if you can come back another year, return to where you left off to travel to Sarria and then walk from there to Santiago. That way you obtain a Compostella for both of your journeys.

 

[annakappa]

I have to say that I often thought that hiring a bike for a section would be a good compromise. The problem here is your backpack. It can make you top-heavy when riding a bike. Probably you would have to send it ahead. I don't know.
In 2007 Adriaan and I started in Roncevalles and arrived as far as Nájera. We then had to return home. Therefore in 2008, we returned to Nájera and continued to Santiago and therefore completed our Camino. However, we thought that we should go for it one more time and in 2009, we returned to Roncevalles and it took us our nearly allotted 6 weeks to walk to Santiago. Last year we were Hospitaleros and then walked from Ourense to Santiago - but it wasn't the same. On this short walk, I didn't get any feeling of the Camino Spirit and arrived in Santiago rather disillusioned. This year, we will return to Roncevalles and, as we have only 33 days to complete the Camino, I already know that we will have to jump on a bus a couple of times. I would prefer taking the bus into and out of both Burgos and Leon, even although the alternate route into Burgos is very pleasant and also the walk out of the city is not too bad either. Adriaan thinks that we should take the bus from Carrillon to Sahagun, thats more or less 100 kms. I personally would prefer my choice. Time and circumstances will tell! Anne

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

Well at least you will have plenty of time to argue it Anna.

How you carry your rucksack did occur to me as well. It may be that a bike with panniers will provide some of the solution. You could then carry a much lighter rucksack on your back or, as you say, send it to the post office in the town where you give up the bike.

You are right about needing time to get into that Camino space though I think that other factors apaprt from time do come into play.

 

[Pieces]

well, what I am thinking is, what is the trip about, doing the whole thing and arriving in santiago or abouth the walking, the eperience and the people ?

having just returned from walking first Porto to Santiago (240 km in 11 days) and then Burgos to Astorga (230 km in 7 days) I am thinking that I would either attempt to make it in walking in 25 days or I would skip either the beginning or the end of the camino (probably the end). If you are lucky and dont run in to too much trouble maybe you can walk some long days as I did on the french. The mentioned stretch is nice easy walking.

For me it turned out to be so much more about the people and the walking (eg the journey rather than the destination) for others it ma be the achievement of walking from "start" to finish or something entirely different

so basically to put it short, what should be important is what do you want to acheive and the take it from there.

 

[Olivares]

Since the decision to skip a section(s) is already made (you took it when you decided to have only 25 days and depart from SDC) your question is definitely legitimate and practical. I would NOT miss departing from SJPDP; it is an amazing section and the sight of Roncesvalles from Collado Lepeder will energize your whole Camino. If you guesstimate 28 kms/day, substract the total from 790 and spread the difference around rather than picking a whole region/meseta. This will give you a chance to still be around /catch up with friends you had met. Another approach is to choose three sections with kms > 25 kms; say Skip Logrono to Najera (28 Kms) and from Castrojeriz to Calzadilla de la Cuesta (61 Kms). There, almost 90 kms shaved off, should put you in SDC in the allotted time.

 

[bluzman]

Hi, I have found a few companies that will let you hire a bike, they will drop it anywhere and pick it up anywhere, you just have to let them know a hotel at each point. I plan on calling bikeiberia tomorrow to check it out. They have both Mountain and trekking bikes and will rent panniers too. My plan would be to rent fro Burgos to Leon (probably 3 days cycle) and knock off probably about 5 or 6 days which will give me time and this looks to be the most level and easy ride to make up time. I really do wish to complete the entire Camino. After I start walking agian, I suppose if I am not meeting the schedule to make it to the end in time, I could also take a bus hear and there to knock off another day or two!
I will probably use the hikers trail as I hear it is quite smooth and easy to ride.(but I am told it a little easier and maybe quicker to use the road) I would rent paniers and empty my pack into them and then eiter strap the pack on the back or wear it empty so it does not rub. If you are interested I can post the other two sites I found, but most posts I have seen talk about BikeIberia.

I also started another post about doing this, so far one reply from Irish Walker which reiterates what I have found out, but definately helps to have confirm.

Good luck!