Starting in St. Palais instead of St. Jean

[debbysdepartures]

I am looking forward to my Camino in the summer of 2015, and this is my first post to this forum! I was thinking of starting, though in St. Palais instead of St. Jean, because I saw a post on this forum about this idea from 2011, which suggested that this provides two days of warm-up walking before going up the Pyrenees. So I have several questions about this idea. Has anyone done this? Is this recommended? I have seen two ways to get there, either taking a train to Dax or Bayonne from Paris, and then a bus to St. Palais. Is the train to Dax or Bayonne better? Is there a map or guidebook for those two days, or would I need to get the entire guidebook for Le Puy Route, for example, which I could get, if needed? Would you suggest I book my accommodations ahead of time in St. Palais? Could I get my Pilgrim's Passport and my Camino Shell in St. Palais? My French is very limited, will that be a problem? I have read that instead of following yellow arrows, you follow red and white arrows from St. Palais to St. Jean, is that correct? Thank you!

 

[whariwharangi]

Transports64 provides bus service to St Palais from Bayonne and Puyoo.

You can get to Puyoo with TER 64 from Dax or TER 65 from Bayonne.

SNCF TER Aquitaine
http://www.ter.sncf.com/aquitaine

Transports64
http://www.transports64.fr/transports-64?lang=fr

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Two days of training before crossing the Pyrenees is more likely to leave you tired as you start the hike up. If you are in decent shape when you arrive in SJPdP, you will have an excess of energy the first day. If you are not in decent shape, two days training will simply deplete you. Saint Palais is on the Via Vezelay, if you want to look for maps.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I am looking forward to my Camino in the summer of 2015, and this is my first post to this forum! I was thinking of starting, though in St. Palais instead of St. Jean, because I saw a post on this forum about this idea from 2011, which suggested that this provides two days of warm-up walking before going up the Pyrenees. So I have several questions about this idea. Has anyone done this? Is this recommended? I have seen two ways to get there, either taking a train to Dax or Bayonne from Paris, and then a bus to St. Palais. Is the train to Dax or Bayonne better? Is there a map or guidebook for those two days, or would I need to get the entire guidebook for Le Puy Route, for example, which I could get, if needed? Would you suggest I book my accommodations ahead of time in St. Palais? Could I get my Pilgrim's Passport and my Camino Shell in St. Palais? My French is very limited, will that be a problem? I have read that instead of following yellow arrows, you follow red and white arrows from St. Palais to St. Jean, is that correct? Thank you!

Could not agree more with Falcon. There is no such thing in my book as "training" at all for the Camino, you can just get up and go, unless of course you have decided you must cover 30 km in a day, when you naturally could do 20, or you'll turn into a pumpkin. And this is even more the case if all you are planing on doing is making your feet and muscles work for 2 days before takling one of the CF's greatest challenges (O'Cebreiro being the other one). I would rather take on the Pyrenees with fresh feet, legs and arms.

 

[debbysdepartures]

Transports64 provides bus service to St Palais from Bayonne and Puyoo.

You can get to Puyoo with TER 64 from Dax or TER 65 from Bayonne.

SNCF TER Aquitaine
http://www.ter.sncf.com/aquitaine

Transports64
http://www.transports64.fr/transports-64?lang=fr

Thank you, whariwharangi. So it looks like a train to Bayonne, then the bus to St Palais would be easiest. Fortunately the SNCF website has a version in English, but the transports64 does not. Do you happen to know if there is an English version of transports64?

 

[Walter1407]

My suggestion would be to take three days from St. Palais to walk to Hondo on the flank of the Pyrenees, i.e. do a 400 metres ascent on your third day (almost one third of what you have to do to get to the top / the Spanish border). Spend the night in Hondo, and two if you are already tired. From there, the Pyrenees are not really that hard if you take it easy, i.e. if you walk at your own speed and don't try to keep up with anyone else. This is assuming that you don't carry one of those really heavy rucksacks.
On my walk from Hondo, I encountered quite a few people who had started in StJPdP but didn't get further than Roncesvalles. One guy was walking with a 16kg rucksack, others sped up really fast, and a young couple were trying to do the walk in medieval style sandals. An overweight American lady had to be taken back down the mountain due to exhaustion.
So, whether you start in St. Palais or StJPdP, my suggestion is that you spend a night in Hondo. I am sure you will be okay.
I don't know whether you'll get a credential and/or a shell in St. Palais. If you can get them at home (or online) you'll avoid the hassle of looking for them in France. As a weight minimisation freak, I got my shell from Felisa near Logrono (her daughter now sells the shells and other stuff by the side of the Camino on the descent just before Logrono). A credential however you should have in St. Palais already.
I would book ahead for your one night in St. Palais, as it is on a minor pilgrim route. St. Palais is about 3km from the main route, the Via Podiensis. On that route, you will meet other pilgrims, especially if you stop when you get to the Via Podiensis, at the Beneditenia stone (3 French caminos merge into one there). Most other pilgrims will have a Miam-miam dodo or a similar publication with information about the route to the Spanish border. If you have a smart phone, ask them whether you can take pictures of accommodation information. Accommodation tends to fill up in the French Basque country, especially during the main season, so as soon as you have the information, make a reservation for the following night.
If you want to take along a detailed map from Beneditenia to StJPdP, go to this site:
http://www.jakobsweg.ch/index.php/en/eu/frankreich-en-US/jakobswege-en-US/f-via-lemovicensis-b/
Click to enlarge the map and play around with the "Karten" function at the top right. Zoom in to what suits you and take as many "screen capture" pics (e.g. with PhotoScape) as necessary (I usually print on both sides of the paper to save a few more grams).
The map for the route from StJPdP to Roncesvalles you'll find here:
http://www.jakobsweg.ch/index.php/e...a-roncavalles-leon/st-jean-p-d-p-roncevalles/
Buen Camino!!!
Walter

 

[whariwharangi]

Thank you, whariwharangi. So it looks like a train to Bayonne, then the bus to St Palais would be easiest. Fortunately the SNCF website has a version in English, but the transports64 does not. Do you happen to know if there is an English version of transports64?

No there is not an English version. Its in French but its a bus schedule.

Find the map by clicking 'Interurbains' then 'plus de informations' under the title 'Reseau'. Under the map find a link to a PDF for a version of the map which allows you to zoom in.

Note the list of schedules under the map. Click on the ones you want to know more about.

 

[debbysdepartures]

Thank you, whariwharangi. So it looks like a train to Bayonne, then the bus to St Palais would be easiest. Fortunately the SNCF website has a version in English, but the transports64 does not. Do you happen to know if there is an English version of transports64?

Thank you! Helpful.

 

[debbysdepartures]

My suggestion would be to take three days from St. Palais to walk to Honto on the flank of the Pyrenees, i.e. do a 400 metres ascent on your third day (almost one third of what you have to do to get to the top and the Spanish border). Spend the night in Honto, and two if you are already tired. From there, the Pyrenees are not really that hard if you take it easy, i.e. if you walk at your own speed and don't try to keep up with anyone else. This is assuming that you don't carry one of those really heavy rucksacks.
On my walk from Honto, I encountered quite a few people who had started in StJPdP but didn't get further than Roncesvalles. One guy was walking with a 16kg rucksack, others sped up really fast, and a young couple were trying to do the walk in medieval style sandals. An overweight American lady had to be taken back down the mountain due to exhaustion.
So, whether you start in St. Palais or StJPdP, my suggestion is that you spend a night in Honto. I am sure you will be okay.
I don't know whether you'll get a credential and/or a shell in St. Palais. If you can get them at home (or online) you'll avoid the hassle of looking for them in France. As a weight minimisation freak, I got my shell from Felisa near Logrono (her daughter now sells the shells and other stuff by the side of the Camino on the descent just before Logrono). A credential however you should have in St. Palais already.
I would book ahead for your one night in St. Palais, as it is on a minor pilgrim route. St. Palais is about 3km from the main route, the Via Podiensis. On that route, you will meet other pilgrims, especially if you stop when you get to the Via Podiensis, at the Beneditenia stone (3 French caminos merge into one there). Most other pilgrims will have a Miam-miam dodo or a similar publication with information about the route to the Spanish border. If you have a smart phone, ask them whether you can take pictures of accommodation information. Accommodation tends to fill up in the French Basque country, especially during the main season, so as soon as you have the information, make a reservation for the following night.
If you want to take along a detailed map from Beneditenia to StJPdP, go to this site:
http://www.jakobsweg.ch/index.php/en/eu/frankreich-en-US/jakobswege-en-US/f-via-lemovicensis-b/
Click to enlarge the map and play around with the "Karten" function at the top right. Enlarge to what suits you and take as many "screen capture" pics (e.g. with PhotoScape) as necessary (I usually print on both sides of the paper to save a few more grams).
The map for the route from StJPdP to Roncesvalles you'll find here:
http://www.jakobsweg.ch/index.php/e...a-roncavalles-leon/st-jean-p-d-p-roncevalles/
Buen Camino!!!
Walter

Walter, Thank you very much for all this information. I was actually thinking of stopping in Orisson, so I can decide if I want to stop in Orisson or Honto. And part of the reason I wanted to start in St. Palais is to see the Beneditenia stone. I appreciate the other suggestions you gave me as well.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

This stone in Uhart Mixe?

 

[debbysdepartures]

This stone in Uhart Mixe?View attachment 15162

Yes, that stone.

 

[Whistling]

I am looking forward to my Camino in the summer of 2015, and this is my first post to this forum! I was thinking of starting, though in St. Palais instead of St. Jean, because I saw a post on this forum about this idea from 2011, which suggested that this provides two days of warm-up walking before going up the Pyrenees. So I have several questions about this idea. Has anyone done this? Is this recommended? I have seen two ways to get there, either taking a train to Dax or Bayonne from Paris, and then a bus to St. Palais. Is the train to Dax or Bayonne better? Is there a map or guidebook for those two days, or would I need to get the entire guidebook for Le Puy Route, for example, which I could get, if needed? Would you suggest I book my accommodations ahead of time in St. Palais? Could I get my Pilgrim's Passport and my Camino Shell in St. Palais? My French is very limited, will that be a problem? I have read that instead of following yellow arrows, you follow red and white arrows from St. Palais to St. Jean, is that correct? Thank you!

Hi Debby,

I started my Camino this year May from St Palais. I can surely recommend it. I took the train to Dax and than a bus to St. Palais. Busses from Dax to St. Palais don't go very often, so arrived late about 20.00 hrs. It was a bit of search to find the Albergue, the convent Les Franciscains, but it was very nice. You cannot make a reservation there but they have plenty of space.

It took me 2 beautiful (stopped at Ostabat) walking days to get to St Jean Pied de Port. You realy don't need to buy a guide. It is very wel marked with the yellow arrows!

 

[debbysdepartures]

Hi Debby,

I started my Camino this year May from St Palais. I can surely recommend it. I took the train to Dax and than a bus to St. Palais. Busses from Dax to St. Palais don't go very often, so arrived late about 20.00 hrs. It was a bit of search to find the Albergue, the convent Les Franciscains, but it was very nice. You cannot make a reservation there but they have plenty of space.

It took me 2 beautiful (stopped at Ostabat) walking days to get to St Jean Pied de Port. You realy don't need to buy a guide. It is very wel marked with the yellow arrows!

Thank you, Whistling. Good to know that you recommend it and had a good experience!

 

[FLEUR]

2012 Early train Bordeaux to Dax connected with the only Saturday bus service to St. Palais.(departs late morning buy bus ticket at the train station).
From there a beautiful walk to Ostabat. Next day we walked to St. Jean Pied de Port. I would recommend starting this way.