Starting on 1 May from St Jean Pied

[Gimoz]

I am planning to start my walk on 1 May. I am hoping that it will not be too cold to start with and not be too crowded. I would appreciate any advice from others that have done the walk. Thank you

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It probably won't be too cold, but there will be plenty of fellow walkers! Buen camino.

 

[Gimoz]

It probably won't be too cold, but there will be plenty of fellow walkers! Buen camino.

Thank you.
By the way, I don't plan to book my accommodation ahead but given that there will be plenty of fellow walkers, perhaps I should consider booking ahead. I just want to be more flexible and not be driven by my bookings. Is this being foolhardy?

 

[Deleted member 3000]

perhaps I should consider booking ahead

Only if you are the nervous type. Roncesvalles does not book all its beds, so it is not likely to be a problem. Just plan a little extra time in the major stops to find the open bed. If you stop by 3 p.m., it should never be a problem (emphasis on "should never").

 

[Bradypus]

By the way, I don't plan to book my accommodation ahead but given that there will be plenty of fellow walkers, perhaps I should consider booking ahead. I just want to be more flexible and not be driven by my bookings. Is this being foolhardy?

It might be worth booking for the first couple of days since you have chosen to start your walk on a national holiday for France, Spain and a number of other European countries. I would expect that to be a particularly busy time. Once you have a clearer picture of numbers and the demand for beds you can decide if further reservations are worthwhile.

 

[Douglas Christel]

I'll be starting May 1 from St. Jean. As Bradypus said, I booked my first 2 nights in St. Jean and Roncesvalles. Have a safe flight there. I hope to meet you on the Way.

 

[Gimoz]

It might be worth booking for the first couple of days since you have chosen to start your walk on a national holiday for France, Spain and a number of other European countries. I would expect that to be a particularly busy time. Once you have a clearer picture of numbers and the demand for beds you can decide if further reservations are worthwhile.

Thank you. I should have checked up on public holidays. My start date has some flexibility as I am walking solo. I am actually just flying to London from Australia, then planning to fly from London to Biarritz. The plan is to sort out getting there when I arrive in London. This is why I have some flexibility.

 

[Gimoz]

Only if you are the nervous type. Roncesvalles does not book all its beds, so it is not likely to be a problem. Just plan a little extra time in the major stops to find the open bed. If you stop by 3 p.m., it should never be a problem (emphasis on "should never").

I am not particularly nervous but I am walking solo and I am a more matured woman . I like to start my day early so I think I should be okay. I am looking forward to the walk. It has been on my long list of walks to do.

 

[RJM]

No worries. It really is a stress free walk.

 

[naplesdon]

You might be in luck because Labor Day falls on a Wednesday, the French normally like to turn these kind of holidays into 3 and 4 day weekends. Just keep in mind there will be numerous shop closings and don't be surprised with a few disruptions from the gilet jaune.

 

[Dorpie]

For fear of mistaking weather for climate I'll just say that when I set off on April 29th it was beautifully cool crossing the pyrenees and then if anything too warm for most of the rest of the walk.

Buen Camino,

Rob.

 

[Gabe_Way]

Thank you.
By the way, I don't plan to book my accommodation ahead but given that there will be plenty of fellow walkers, perhaps I should consider booking ahead. I just want to be more flexible and not be driven by my bookings. Is this being foolhardy?

I'm starting on May 5 from SJPD. I'm not a planner usually, and surely part of the fascination of the Camino would be for me to live it day by day, deciding when and where to stop. However, knowing that this route is getting more and more popular each year, and not wanting to stress out after hours of walking, I decided to use booking dot com's free cancelation policy to get all my stages set up. Just to be on the safe side. But I don't like it already, and knowing myself, all those reservations are probably going to be canceled. Because anyway, if I decided, or I had to stop for a not planned-day, every stage that I booked would slide forward, making all my silly planning effort worth nothing.

Buen Camino!

 

[Gimoz]

I'm starting on May 5 from SJPD. I'm not a planner usually, and surely part of the fascination of the Camino would be for me to live it day by day, deciding when and where to stop. However, knowing that this route is getting more and more popular each year, and not wanting to stress out after hours of walking, I decided to use booking dot com's free cancelation policy to get all my stages set up. Just to be on the safe side. But I don't like it already, and knowing myself, all those reservations are probably going to be canceled. Because anyway, if I decided, or I had to, stop for not planned-day in a place, every stage that I booked would slide forward, making all my silly planning effort worth nothing.

Buen Camino!

I share your sentiments. This is why I don't want to plan too much as I thought that if I liked a place, I may wish to stay longer. However on the flip-side with the increase popularity of the Camino, there is always a risk. Perhaps as suggested by others, I could book the first couple of nights only. Decisions, decisions, decisions

 

[Gabe_Way]

I share your sentiments. This is why I don't want to plan too much as I thought that if I liked a place, I may wish to stay longer. However on the flip-side with the increase popularity of the Camino, there is always a risk. Perhaps as suggested by others, I could book the first couple of nights only. Decisions, decisions, decisions

Right Though, I'd recommend you to book the first night in SJPDP and the next in Roncesvalles; the latter being a tricky one. Because it's a tiny little town, there are very few 'Pilgrims Albergues' or hotels in Roncesvalles, and during that period it's going to be quite crowded I believe. Anyway, as others have suggested, the huge former monastery - now run by a Dutch association - accepts limited reservations, so if you get there early enough, you should be able to find a bed. But why not book it just to make sure you'll have your spot? This is probably the only reservation of the many I have made that I would never cancel

 

[Gimoz]

Right Though, I'd recommend you to book the first night in SJPDP and the next in Roncesvalles; the latter being a tricky one. Because it's a tiny little town, there are very few 'Pilgrims Albergues' or hotels in Roncesvalles, and during that period it's going to be quite crowded I believe. Anyway, as others have suggested, the huge former monastery - now run by a Dutch association - accepts limited reservations, so if you get there early enough, you should be able to find a bed. But why not book it just to make sure you'll have your spot? This is probably the only reservation of the many I have made that I would never cancel

Just to be safe, I have booked for SJPDP and Roncesvalles. At this stage, there is nothing cheap in Roncesvalles. Anyway, I can cancel for free if done before the certain dates. Thank you

 

[Gabe_Way]

Just to be safe, I have booked for SJPDP and Roncesvalles. At this stage, there is nothing cheap in Roncesvalles. Anyway, I can cancel for free if done before the certain dates. Thank you

Did you check this one? http://www.alberguederoncesvalles.com It's the only real Albergue for pilgrims there. I reserved a couple of days ago a bed for 9 euros, plus I added dinner and breakfast, and it ended up costing me a total of 25 EUR. So, not bad.

 

[Nan]

I am planning to start my walk on 1 May. I am hoping that it will not be too cold to start with and not be too crowded. I would appreciate any advice from others that have done the walk. Thank you

 

[Gimoz]

Did you check this one? http://www.alberguederoncesvalles.com It's the only real Albergue for pilgrims there. I reserved a couple of days ago a bed for 9 euros, plus I added dinner and breakfast, and it ended up costing me a total of 25 EUR. So, not bad.

Oh, thank you. I found it and have now booked the full package with dinner and breakfast. Luckily I could cancel my other booking for free. Phew!

 

[Nan]

I walked with my daughter leaving St Jean 29 April ‘17. (I’m elderly more than mature!) Stayed first night at Orisson. We didn’t book anywhere, including St Jean, until after Sarria. Usually a hostel or albergue with seperate room. Snowing before and after Roncesvalles. Some really freezing days but overall a mix of all seasons. Wind, rain and heat.
Buen Camino. You will love it.

 

[Gabe_Way]

Oh, thank you. I found it and have now booked the full package with dinner and breakfast. Luckily I could cancel my other booking for free. Phew!

You are welcome! I'm glad you did.
So, enjoy this wonderful journey.

Buen Camino!