Skipping

[biloute]

I started in Le Puy this summer and am so far only in Livinhac today, which means I'm a few days behind where I'd like to be in order to get all the way to Santiago this summer. Does anyone have any recommended places to skip along the way? I don't like the idea, but I do want to get to the end before I have to leave since I probably would not be inclined to do the same thing twice. I'm not the kind of person to make multiple trips to the same location (meaning the entire Camino) twice within a few years, preferring to do/see new things each time.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Transportation routes in France tend to be perpendicular to the Chemin du Puy rather than parallel as they are in Spain. The baggage handling companies also take people, so check with the concierge to arrange to take a baggage van/taxi. Just randomly skip parts; you won't miss much, and you can see it through the window of the vehicle anyway!

 

[PANO]

Firstly, just as no-one forced you to start in Le Puy, no-one will condemn you for 'skipping'. That said, commencing the Camino in Le Puy is admirable, only 1.5% of all peregrinos do what you are about to achieve and I would therefore rather skip some of the well trotten bits on the CF. Which ones depends very much on your personal preferences. Some would circumference the large towns with their time-consuming suburbs, such as Pamplona, Burgos, Leon because you can always visit those directly later; others may prefer 'boring' stretches.
The Le Puy > SdC Camino is formidable accomplishment and to follow falcon269's advise to ease and speed-up does not lessen it, but I would essentially conquer the entire French part. Whatever you decide at the end will be good for you. Ultreya.

 

[Thomas1962]

My thoughts:
- how many days/km's of skipping are you thinking about?
- at least don't skip the first week of your camino from where you are now. There are still nice parts coming. Two years ago, I also started in Le Puy and due to circumstances I had to skip about 8 days. After some research we skipped Montcuq till Mourenx because it seemed to be a less exiting part, and from Mourenx it is nice to walking towards the mountains. Because I don't know what I missed, only people who did the whole stretch knows if I was right. Public transport was quite difficult so we did some hitchhiking, which worked out fine for me and my wife.
- Like said before, transport in Spain along the camino seems to be much easier then in France.
- To start on the frances (in Spain) while coming from another route was difficult for me and seems to be quit difficult cultural shock for everyone. From that pov, I would prefer to skip some spanish part
- If money is an issue: Spain is much cheaper than France. Better then to skip a french part.
- I don't know how you feel right now, but it might be that your body really gets used to walking, which can make your average a day going up. Because of that, only near the end you will know more about how much to skip and can now feel free to walk whatever you feel like.
- Personally I would prefer to skip a bigger part only once instead of skipping more times a smaller part. Skipping interferes my flow a lot and it also makes me loosing the people I got to know around me.
I second Pano's words: whatever you decide at the end will be good for you. Ultreya!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Just do it. Don't look back.

 

[Al the optimist]

If you skip will Johnnie Walker have to add a new category to his statistics?

 

[biloute]

Thanks for the feedback. I've finally gotten access to wifi, so I can check this. I might end up skipping both in France and in Spain just because I'm going so slow! I'll probably have to research public transport, though.

 

[whariwharangi]

I started in Le Puy this summer and am so far only in Livinhac today, which means I'm a few days behind where I'd like to be in order to get all the way to Santiago this summer. Does anyone have any recommended places to skip along the way? I don't like the idea, but I do want to get to the end before I have to leave since I probably would not be inclined to do the same thing twice. I'm not the kind of person to make multiple trips to the same location (meaning the entire Camino) twice within a few years, preferring to do/see new things each time.

Where does it say you have to finish in Santiago? I'd suggest to just keep walking till time runs out.

 

[wawpdx]

The other thing to consider is that the route from Le Puy has far more daily elevation changes than you will encounter on the Camino Frances. Falcon once said that it is like going from your thumb to your index finger via your elbow. With the same energy expenditure you will be able to average more km per day in Spain. And I agree, walk whatever you can walk until your time and/or energy runs out.

 

[biloute]

That's why I'm split. I'm about 7 days behind where I had thought to be at this time, some of which is because I've already taken a few rest days for one reason or another. People keep saying it's supposed to get easier and from looking at the Miam Miam Dodo maps, that's probably after Cahors. I just don't know if I'll be able to make up the lost days in Spain. And, although no one says that I HAVE to make it to Santiago, I can't imagine that it would feel like I've finished without that. And I just tend to be indecisive anyway, but I do know that I want to get to the "end" (meaning Santiago de Compostela, because traditionally that's the whole point of the pilgrimage even if reasons these days have changed).

 

[Deleted member 3000]

People keep saying it's supposed to get easier and from looking at the Miam Miam Dodo maps, that's probably after Cahors.

There is a lot of up and down terrain after Cahors. One of the days after Cahors climbed up and down the highest point on three hill ranges! They could not have made me climb higher unless the trail climbed the tree at the top. The last day into SJPdP covers a lot of "up." Any statement that it gets easier may be based on being in better shape. The day into Navarrenx was fairly flat and quite hot. When the terrain does not beat you up, the weather can.

 

[biloute]

Ugh! I may just skip ahead a bit after Cahors, then. I'm so tired of hills!

 

[Kanga]

Ugh! I may just skip ahead a bit after Cahors, then. I'm so tired of hills!

Ah - how could you, it's all lovely! And skipping after Cahors won't get you out of the hills - you need a canal to do that. The countryside of the Gers is gentle - and great food!

 

[Al the optimist]

This May I had intended to walk SJPdP to Leon, then Oviedo. After that I was going to Bilbao with a friend who works in Tineo to spend the weekend with his lovely family in Bilbao. The intention was to return to Oviedo and then walk the Primitivo to SDC. For various small reasons, which cumulatively added up to one - that I didn't feel it advisable nor the need or desire to continue at this point, I didn't return and continue. I decided that I would be quite happy to return maybe later in the year and do so. Where I would continue from, where I would walk and where I would walk to has become an interesting inner conversation. One thing that has changed during this Camino is that I am now happier about not following the exact marked route, am happier to detour, to skip, to whatever. So maybe skipping from Oviedo I have skipped into a new inner dimension? Buen Camino, skip as you see fit and as long as you enjoy you will gain from the experience.

 

[Kitsambler]

You can easily skip the section between Cahors and Moissac; there are good rail connections to do that, and it's only limestone karst country you're missing. (I did this one year).

 

[Kanga]

Montcuq, Lauzerte, the beautiful church at Montlauzun - I would not miss them!

 

[biloute]

I ended up skipping from Cahors all the way to Aire-sur-l'Adour. I will now arrive in SJPdP tomorrow. I suppose I can always go back at some point and do the part I skipped, but for now I'm comfortable with my choice. Thanks for the input!