The best way to start

[Hélène Cholette-Lacasse]

Fellow pilgrims I need your advice - I will be arriving from Canada in SJPdP late afternoon-early evening on Saturday August 22 and I can't decide what to do: Should I start on Sunday and sleep in Orisson (is the Pilgrim office open on Sundays?)? Start on the Monday and sleep in Orisson? go all the way to Roncesvalles, weather permitting of course? I hear that a stopover in Orisson is nice to connect with the pilgrims who you will often run into during the camino.

 

[mspath]

In SJPdP the Pilgrim Office at 39 rue de La Citadelle is open every day of the year generally from early morning until the last train/bus arrives at night about 22:30.

In making your plans do remember that following a transAtlantic flight your body will be tired. Try NOT to rush right off walking but DO take time to acclimate.

Bon voyage and Buen camino!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I hear that a stopover in Orisson is nice to connect with the pilgrims who you will often run into during the camino.

Maybe. Most pilgrims go all the way to Roncesvalles, so the group you meet there will be hammering out journeyman stages.

The pilgrims you meet at Orisson are more leisurely, perhaps older, and using a backpack service as well. They may be slower and cover shorter distances than typical pilgrims. You might discover that you leave them behind.

Buen camino.

 

[smj6]

Hélène, reading posts from other pilgrims flying in from long distances, it appears that many who didn't take the time to rest on their first day, struggled with tiredness for a while. If you are not massively pressed for time, why not spend the first night in SJPdP which, by all accounts is a lovely French town, and start fresh on Sunday morning. You can then make the decision to stop at Orisson or push on to Roncesvalles - depending on your level of fitness, etc. If you do not fit into the group mentioned by @falcon269, you may discover - as he says - that you are too fast for them!
Whatever you decide ... buen Camino.
Suzanne

 

[movinmaggie]

Maybe. Most pilgrims go all the way to Roncesvalles, so the group you meet there will be hammering out journeyman stages.

The pilgrims you meet at Orisson are more leisurely, perhaps older, and using a backpack service as well. They may be slower and cover shorter distances than typical pilgrims. You might discover that you leave them behind.

Buen camino.

This is an very odd comment. Is the assumption that all who stay in Orisson are older and using backpack services? I doubt it. I think it makes good sense to stay in Orisson, particularly after jet-lag, general fatigue and especially after the Pyrenees. But reservations are filling up in Orisson. My friend who inspired me to do this pilgrimage said she only wished she had stayed in Orisson, but there were no vancacies (last year.

 

[camino-david]

My recommendation would be to have a rest day in St Jean to get over jet lag, and then, depending on your level of fitness, either stay at Orisson or go straight through to Roncevalles. But don't under estimate the 27km to Roncevalles. Because it is the first day's walk before you are 'battle hardened', I consider it the hardest day on the full Camino to Santiago.
I also find the comment from Falcon269 very strange. When I stayed there no one used the baggage service, and although one lady did get a taxi to Roncevalles, she completed the rest of the camino on foot.

 

[Hélène Cholette-Lacasse]

Thank you all for your comments. I have now made a reservation in SJPdP for 2 nights (since I will be arriving late Saturday) so I can start first thing Monday morning. I will decide as I go whether to stop in Orisson depending on the weather and what my body is telling me I guess this means taking a chance that there will be room for me in Orisson but it may be a little less busy by the end of August...I hear you camino-david, I do realize the difficulty of the first stage to Roncesvalles thus my questioning...

 

[movinmaggie]

Thank you all for your comments. I have now made a reservation in SJPdP for 2 nights (since I will be arriving late Saturday) so I can start first thing Monday morning. I will decide as I go whether to stop in Orisson depending on the weather and what my body is telling me I guess this means taking a chance that there will be room for me in Orisson but it may be a little less busy by the end of August...I hear you camino-david, I do realize the difficulty of the first stage to Roncesvalles thus my questioning...

I wouldn't assume there will be a bed at Orisson. I won't arrive there until Sept 27 and it was almost sold out. September seems to be getting much busier each year….Buen Camino

 

[Peregrino Falcon]

I would caution everyone not to overdue it the first four days, simply because you don't want to start a physical issue like tendonitis that can haunt you every step of the rest of the way. Also, in general, try to go easy and take great care on the steep down hills. Good luck!

 

[Hélène Cholette-Lacasse]

I would caution everyone not to overdue it the first four days, simply because you don't want to start a physical issue like tendonitis that can haunt you every step of the rest of the way. Also, in general, try to go easy and take great care on the steep down hills. Good luck!

Thank you my feathered peregrino friend. I decided to follow wise advice from all you seasoned peregrinos and booked one night in Orisson to break up that first segment between SJPdP and Roncesvalles. So hopefully the jetlag and anxiety of the last few months will subside with 2 nights in SJPdP and my body will most likely thank me for the pit stop in Orisson Again, thanks for your advice.

 

[marbuck]

My advice is to spend two nights in SJPDP if you have the time, it's a lovely village. Good food, nice wine and a great town to walk around in and rest after your flight. It puts you in the right mood to walk your Camino.

 

[Hélène Cholette-Lacasse]

My advice is to spend two nights in SJPDP if you have the time, it's a lovely village. Good food, nice wine and a great town to walk around in and rest after your flight. It puts you in the right mood to walk your Camino.

I hear you and am convinced! Thanks