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Solo first timer from SJPDP 1st May

jamesjd

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
Full Camino French Way 1st May - 9th June 2012.
SJPDP to Burgos 2013
Burgos to Santiago 20th May to 9th June 2014
Santiago to Finisterre 2nd to 4th June 2015
Hi I am a 45 year old male solo walker from Tipperary Ireland. I leave SJPDP on 1st of May and will stay in Orrison the first night. As a first timer just wondering what the 2nd day has to offer physically and could there be a problem finding accomodation in Roncesvalles as your site tells me May 1st is a public holiday in France and quiet a few people begin their Camino at this time. I want to ease into the Camino take baby steps the first week or so and build it up as I go along. 15 to 20km per day is my max at the moment.
I am in no hurry as I am not tied to deadline date to be back in Ireland but have allowed 44 days to enjoy the experience.

Any advice would be welcomed.

Buen Camino !
Jimmy :arrow:
 
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jamesjd said:
Hi I am a 45 year old male solo walker from Tipperary Ireland. I leave SJPDP on 1st of May and will stay in Orrison the first night. As a first timer just wondering what the 2nd day has to offer physically and could there be a problem finding accomodation in Roncesvalles as your site tells me May 1st is a public holiday in France and quiet a few people begin their Camino at this time. I want to ease into the Camino take baby steps the first week or so and build it up as I go along. 15 to 20km per day is my max at the moment.
I am in no hurry as I am not tied to deadline date to be back in Ireland but have allowed 44 days to enjoy the experience.

Any advice would be welcomed.

Buen Camino !
Jimmy :arrow:


Hi Jimmy,

A fellow Tipperary solo walker here! I'll be leaving SJPDP on the 15th of May so I wish you a bien camino! From reading other people's posts, arriving early, before the albergue opens, seems to be the thing, so it may be worth while to be on the road at half 6 to get to the next town. Although you do say 15-20 km is your max at the moment, going by my guidebooks, the average day's walking would be 23km, so if you are staying at towns in between these guidebook stages, they should not be too crowded. Enjoy the experience!

Dee
 
Thanks Dee for your reply. I am sure I could manage a few extra km but didn't want to pick up an injury early on which might ruin the whole experience. I wonder how many Tipperary people will be on the way in May ?

Slán and Buen Camino
 
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jamesjd said:
As a first timer just wondering what the 2nd day has to offer physically and could there be a problem finding accomodation in Roncesvalles.....
Hi Jimmy,
The second day is a wonderful day of walking from Orisson. Not to difficult, the last section down into Roncesvalles, can be a little hard on the knees, but it's downhill.
Usually best to start early, but I wouldn't be missing breakfast at refuge d'Orisson, which I think is still included.
Usually, there is plenty of accommodation at Roncesvalles, huge albergue plus other options as well.
Day three is still downhill and you can shorten that if you need to, but it doesn't take long to get used to walking the distance you need to.
Buen Camino
Col
 
jamesjd said:
. I wonder how many Tipperary people will be on the way in May ?

I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes peeled for the whitest legs on the camino or for the extremely tanned people around Tipperary afterwards :lol:

Buen Camino !
 
Hi Jimmy,

you should be able to complete the walk from Orisson in about five hours or so, that's at a comfortable pace and stopping for rests along the way. So getting a bed in Roncevalles shouldn't be a problem. Do take care on the descent into Roncevalles though as it can be very hard on the knees.

You should buy some food for the walk in St Jean the day before but failing that there was gentleman selling drinks, energy bars and chocolate out of a van when I walked the last time.

From experience, there is a shortage of water fonts between Larrasoaña and Arré which would most likely be on your fourth day. There's one in the car park of a public park, just off the Camino trail that I missed when I walked last August. Unfortunately that meant that I ended up short on drinking water and walking in the full heat of the afternoon sun with very little water. It's not something that I'd recommend. Again, there was a very enterprising man selling drinks further on so I'm sure that I'm not the first to be caught out like that.

If you take your time at the beginning, you'll find yourself growing in strength and better able to walk further should you want or need to later on. You'll also get a better sense of your physical limits and know when to push yourself and when to rest.

Good luck and Buen Camino!
Darran
 
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