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Stage 1, Napoleon or via Valcarlos?

Riley 2016

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
St Jean de pied to as far as I can go
Any suggestions on which way I should take? Starting June 2016?
 
Catalina Camino 80km retreat
Prepare for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island, Oct 27 to Nov 2
I walked the Napoleon and it was beautiful. I also drove the Valcarlos (I was a passenger) and it too was very picturesque. For beauty I don't think you can go wrong either way. I have not walked both so I cannot comment on the difficulty of each.

Buen Camino!
 
Thank you for your reply. Is one way easier or shorter than the other? Do you know if both ways equally used?
 
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I have heard that the Val Carlos has many fewer people walking. I have also heard they can both be quite challenging depending on your fitness level and how much your pack weighs. I don't know if there is much difference in the distance but I believe there are more options for accommodations and transportation on the Val Carlos.

Mike
 
Your information is much appreciated.
Marie Louise
 
I've walked both. Both are beautiful routes. Can't go wrong either way.
If you want a bit more solitude, definitely the ValCarlos. The Napoleon route can get quite busy during the peak months.
The ValCarlos is flatter for most of the route, but does get steep about 3/4 of the way to Roncesvalles.
I cannot recommend accommodations at ValCarlos or Orisson as I walked all the way to Roncesvalles every time.
Without knowing what you are looking for in a first day route, it's difficult to recommend one over the other.
Check out my photos on here. I have some of both routes.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
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.
Having walked both, I agree with Mark Lee (above) that they are both beautiful. But if the weather is clear and you don't mind having fellow wayfarers on the road, I would choose Napoleon, especially as a first-time route. The Valcarlos route is a little shorter, more forested and sheltered (therefore less windy), has much less pilgrim traffic (but more roadway and "civilization"), and is less steep until you get to the last 8 or so km, when it rises up, up, up. The Napolean route is wilder and more open from Orisson onward, has much more awe-inspiring views if the day is clear, and really gives one the sense of being on top of the world. It is quite unforgettable.
 
There are tons of info about both routes in this forum. Just use the search function.
The Valcarlos route is definitely easier (but anyway, implies quite an effort). It has also a good municipal albergue and many hostals (which allow doing it in who days). It is also less crowded. Picturesque (farms, then woods) with a section along a highway (not dangerous).
The Napoleon route has more spectacular views. Can be done in two days if you stay in Orisson. It is tough, especially for a first day, but doable. Lonely, it is not. Remember that it is closed from November to March, for safety reasons; and may be also closed if weather is bad.
The distances and times are about the same; 9-10 hours seems an average if you do all the way at once.
So, I think it this not about "recommendations", but about your priorities, fitness, and, on the spot, weather.
 
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We took the advice of the office the day we left from SJPP, that day it was Valcarlos(April 01). There is a small albergue in Valcarlos and if full like it was the day we left we found a place at the end of town a woman rents out rooms to pilgrims has a stamp etc. our room was a very cute apartment. The woman is very pleasant and it made our first long day a good one.
As one pilgrim put it " there is plenty of hill to hike on th Valcarlos route" I would take that route again.
 
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EXPRESS BOURRICOT - Transport
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
It would be interesting to know how to contact her, because besides the albergue, local hostals are good, but on the expensive side (at least for stingy pilgrims And since the Napoleon route is now closed from November to Mars, I would expect many more people spending the night in Valcarlos. The municipal may become insufficient.
 

Check this list of Servicios Turistios from Luzaide/Valcarlos municipal office. Tap each entry for more info including web site and email address.

Another source is this Gronze.com list for Valcarlos which includes some web and email addresses.
 
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Catalina Camino 80km retreat
Prepare for your next Camino on California's Santa Catalina Island, Oct 27 to Nov 2
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