Suggestions for a rookie :)

[sanchezpizjuan82]

Good day,
I'll happen to have some free days in October, from 4th to 15th, and I have serious thoughts about spending them on the Camino Frances (a long dream of mine!)
(I'm fitted, I like to trek but never had such an experience before.)

Now my question is: what would be the best way to use those days?
Would it be better to set the goal in Santiago, and "plan" the route backwards according to the available time?
Or better to pick a starting place (Burgos) and walk from there until my time expire?
Or mixing walking days and some transportation (bus) I could start from Burgos and arrive anyway to Santiago?

All your feeling and suggestions would be very very much appreciated,
thanks
ciao
andrea

 

[scruffy1]

A day to to get there a day to return home doesn't leave you much time. Loving the Camino and seeing what it can do for people, I would say don't go on to Santiago but pick a nice section and walk there. You wouldn't want to develop a "Been there Done that" sort of thing and then never come back! Pamplona to Burgos is do-able, both places easy to get into/out of, will give you a good introduction, then come back and walk it all from Saint Jean.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Good day,
I'll happen to have some free days in October, from 4th to 15th, and I have serious thoughts about spending them on the Camino Frances (a long dream of mine!)
(I'm fitted, I like to trek but never had such an experience before.)

Now my question is: what would be the best way to use those days?
Would it be better to set the goal in Santiago, and "plan" the route backwards according to the available time?
Or better to pick a starting place (Burgos) and walk from there until my time expire?
Or mixing walking days and some transportation (bus) I could start from Burgos and arrive anyway to Santiago?

All your feeling and suggestions would be very very much appreciated,
thanks
ciao
andrea

Hi Andrea, as already stated begin in Pamplona and walk to..... and come back an other time and walk an other part.
At the end you will have to make a choice yourself.
Wish you well and a Buen Camino, Peter.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Ponferrada to Santiago is typically nine to ten days. It has some beautiful scenery!

 

[november_moon]

Neither my husband nor I can take enough time off work to do the "whole" thing, so we chose to walk from Leon to Santiago with the time we had. Unfortunately when we walked in 2014, we had to leave the Camino early due to an emergency, but we are going back next year to try again. And again, we can't take enough time off work to walk from SJPP, so we are starting in the middle and walking to Santiago.

It really is a personal choice though, and there are pros and cons for each choice. For us personally, getting to Santiago is important, so that's what we are planning. Perhaps in the future, we can come back and walk from SJPP, maybe in retirement - I really do hope that is the case, but I'm not banking on it - you never know what the future holds. So we are doing what we can now.

We considered the other options - starting in SJPP and walking as far as we could, then coming back another time (or multiple times to complete the journey) - or using buses to jump ahead - those options didn't feel right to us though.

 

[VNwalking]

I know this is not so helpful, but anywhere.
If you choose a place that is easy to get to and start walking until your time is about done (and you are at a place that is relatively easy to get away from), you'd experience all the gifts the Camino has to offer.
That said...
If you don't like crowds, avoid the last 100K
If you don't like hills...well, the Meseta is glorious and mostly flat
If I were in your shoes I'd be thinking Pamplona to Burgos or Logrono to Leon...both would take a few weeks. Starting at Logrono would give you the experience of the Meseta, starting from Pamplona would not. Your choice. Some people love it some people detest it (I'm in the former 'camp', obviously. I think it's sublime)

 

[mountaingoat999]

Andrea

if your coming back another time... I would do Pamlona to Burgos as mentioned other wise as mentioned Ponferrada to Santiago.......

I Can however recommend the Meseta also, many say its boring and skip this section..its very relaxing a has a charm all of its own

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

A day to to get there a day to return home doesn't leave you much time. Loving the Camino and seeing what it can do for people, I would say don't go on to Santiago but pick a nice section and walk there. You wouldn't want to develop a "Been there Done that" sort of thing and then never come back! Pamplona to Burgos is do-able, both places easy to get into/out of, will give you a good introduction, then come back and walk it all from Saint Jean.

walk from león and enjoy... buen camino

 

[sanchezpizjuan82]

Hey!
Thanks everyone for your nice and valuable suggestions and points of view
It is hard to predict the future, but I feel like starting in the middle and just walk without the goal of getting to SdC.
So that I can get a taste of the Camino, and then in the future resume it back and complete it all the way to SdC.

From what I read and heard, I find the Meseta very appealing, so I am thinking of start in Burgos and setting my goal in Leon (hopefully reachable in 9 or 10 days).
Also, being my days in October, I hope the Meseta would be dryer and less rainy than the Rioja and Pamplona region.
Does it make sense?

ciao
andrea