More about posting things:
charlesx said:
I too, will be bringing extra clothing for the trek across the Pyrenees in early April (hopefully, via Route Napoleon). But I am concerned about posting them onwards to Santiago once I've crossed the Pyrenees. Aren't there two other mountain ranges that need to be crossed before one arrives in Santiago. Any comments? Suggestions? Reassurances?
Yes, there are two more mountain ranges, plus the meseta between Burgos and Leon which can be quite cold at times. The Correos has post restante service in - at least - all offices in major cities. You can send a parcel to any Correos office along the way for pick-up when you arrive into that city. I usually send a box to Burgos, then when I get there I send it on to Leon, then from there to Santiago.
The Correos offices are closed on Sundays, so be sure to plan accordingly.
Address your parcel as follows:
LAST NAME, First Name, PEREGRINO(A)
Listo de Correos
City Name, Post Code
A tip I got from a Correos employee in Pamplona: After the allotted holding period (two or four weeks, reports vary), the Correos will return you parcel to the point of origin where it will be held for another two weeks. If you use the same address for both destination and origin (return address), they will have no choice but to hold it for another two weeks.
Be sure you write your name as it appears in your passport, as you will need to present it to retrieve the parcel.
Pre-made boxes are available at each Correos office, for a small fee. Sizes:
Small box 230 x 140 x 80 mm
Medium Box 317 x 215 x 125 mm
Large box 390 x 280 x 190 mm
Extra large box 590 x 390 x 390 mm
The cost to send the parcel is based on weight and is quite reasonable.
The first Correos office you come to after SJPP is Pamplona. Then they are quite regular, so you can post things when you are ready to. The post codes for the major cities / towns are:
31080 Pamplona
31100 Puenta la Reina
26080 Logroño
09080 Burgos
24080 León
24700 Astorga
24400 Ponferrada
27600 Sarria
15780 Santiago de Compostela
Someone at the albergue (or Tourist Information office in the larger cities) can direct you to the Correos office in each town once you arrive. They are all quite central.
Hope that helps!
Nancy