To start or finish?

[needssomepeace]

Hello all,

I will be heading out on my first Camino in May and need some advice with my plan. I only have three weeks and can't walk the whole way so... should I plan my route to end in Santiago or start in St. Jean get as far as I can and return at a later date to finish it off. I would like to know I walked the whole way but will not have that time available for years to come do do it in one shot.

 

[wayfarer]

If it were me I would finish the camino, pick a spot that will take you to Santiago comfortably in the time you have, that way no matter what happens you will have completed a camino. You can come back when you can and do the whole lot. Either way enjoy it. :arrow:

 

[Pieces]

it really depends doesn't it ?

What is important the walking exprience or the getting to Santiago experience...

Having walked 3 bits and having had 1 walking arrival I personally have no doubt, for me the Camino is the walking not the arriving...

Having said that I've already walked into Santiago so its pretty easy for me to say (I actually found it to be an anticlimax)

Another consideration, if you are in Australia and you definitely want to arrive at some point then start by arriving because you just never know when you will come back, If you are in France coming back may be a lot easier...

Or maybe it is the other way around, I don't really know...

 

[tyrrek]

Hi!

Yes, this is an impossible question to answer as it really depends on what you're looking for.

One idea would be walking out from somewhere like Leon - which is easy to get to - and walk to Santiago. You'd have loads of time, and experience some of the highlights of the Camino Frances. With the extra time you have you could then walk the Camino Finisterre or Camino Ingles so you had walked a 'complete' route as well!

Buen Camino!

 

[mralisn]

Hello,

I agree with what has been suggested above, however, I'll add how I would start in SJPdP.

There is beauty, challenge, the beginning of camaraderie with others just starting, take in Pamplona for however long you like, and it gives a taste of what the Camino holds for you. Perhaps a great experience to get you to return as soon as possible and continue where you ended.

No matter your choice, you've made the right one.

 

[needssomepeace]

Thanks folks,

The more I read the more I understand. It's the journey not the destination that matters. So for me it will come down to logistics and how to best maximize my short time. Thanks again and I hope to see you out there.

 

[KiwiNomad06]

You might not really be sure what the best thing to do is until you get there and start walking. Last year I walked for four weeks in France, then after a break I travelled to Pamplona for what I knew could only be three weeks walking time. I didn't know when I arrived in Pamplona whether I would just walk as far as I could; or walk a bit then jump a bit so I could arrive in Santiago. It quite took me by surprise to discover that I felt this incredible 'pull' to finish in Santiago, as if this rushing torrent of past and present pilgrims was pulling me in their wake. So I walked as far as Santo Domingo, then caught buses ahead to Hospital de Orbigo- and finished walking in Santiago. For me, in 2012, it was the 'right' thing to do...
Margaret

 

[AJ]

One idea would be walking out from somewhere like Leon - which is easy to get to - and walk to Santiago. You'd have loads of time, and experience some of the highlights of the Camino Frances

I think this is a good idea. Leon to Santiago is an enjoyable stretch and you would get a good "feel" for the camino experience. You would also get the "arrival" experience. Now this obviously varies from person to person and from time to time. I have cried some times and I have felt nothing other times.

 

[caitwilcalifornia]

My mom and I had the same dilemma when we were about to embark on our first Camino. In fact, we had such a dilemma with it that we tried both ways. In 2010 we went from Sarria to Finesterre and in 2012 we went from SJPP to Burgos.

If you want to recieve your Compostela and walk into Santiago, just be warned that the last leg of the trip becomes increasingly touristy, therefore I REALLY encourage you to go onto Finesterre. When you reach the ocean it really feels like a proper ending. But if you would rather start at the "beginning" (SJPP), wherever you end up stopping may not feel like a "proper" end, but you'll see and get to experience more of Spain's diverse regions. Can't go wrong with either way.

Honestly, everyone's Camino will be different. I know some die-hard pilgrims will say that you have to go from SJPP to Santiago or its not a real pilgrimage, but nevermind them. I feel for you and your time restrictions, good for you for still making the trip and you'll still have a wonderful time!

 

[fraluchi]

I personally have no doubt, for me the Camino is the walking not the arriving...

...which I agree upon. Plan your stages and pick a stretch of the Francés which may fit in. When you start at Roncesvalles, you will generally find motivated and energetic first time pilgrims, with whom it will be a pleasure to share. Starting from Sarria could mean joining a rush of walkers (and percentage wise less pilgrims) who point for the Compostela. Experiences for a different atmosphere. :wink:

 

[tyrrek]

I love the arriving and the sense of achievement. I always have to sit outside a bar with a beer or two. After my first Camino I felt a bit dazed after I left the cathedral and really just had to sit for a while undisturbed and collecting my thoughts (although two lovely Canadian peregrinas thought differently so I had to put it off for a while as they bought me a beer and ordered olives...!) Buen Camino!

 

[Olivares]

Start in SJPDP. Spain isn't going anywhere and you will have the best reason to go back. It really doesn't matter when....I saw people in their 70's walking The Camino.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hello all,

I will be heading out on my first Camino in May and need some advice with my plan. I only have three weeks and can't walk the whole way so... should I plan my route to end in Santiago or start in St. Jean get as far as I can and return at a later date to finish it off. I would like to know I walked the whole way but will not have that time available for years to come do do it in one shot.

Have you thought about one of the other routes, maybe Oviedo to Santiago (Camino Primitivo). This would fit your time scale and also give you some peace if truly needed, but also other pilgrims in moderation. After Casa de Ponti you can choose whether to join the Francés at Palas de Rei or Melide.

There is a lot of info on the Primitivo threads and if you need less distance catch the ALSA from Oviedo to your chosen start point - any where up to Grandas de Salime. (For places beyond there you catch a bus the other way from Lugo to Fonsagrada.) Then you could walk the Francés in the future when you do have the time.

Buen Camino where-ever you choose to start and finish.

 

[Laynni]

From a strictly scenic point of view the last few weeks are probably a bit more interesting than the first two. However, there is something to be said for starting out with (most) everyone else as people seemed much more eager to make new friends early on. So starting late you'll have to meet people that have already grouped up, but starting early you'll have to leave your friends part of the way through.

So I would say if you are more interested in the beauty of the hike, or plan to be more solitary, finish in Santiago. If you are more looking forward to the camaraderie and excitement, start out in SJPP.

But as others have said, can't go too far wrong either way.

 

[methodist.pilgrim.98]

I started In León November 2012 and couldn't get to SdC (a football match got in the way) and got on with pilgrims who had started nearer to SJPP no problem.

We should also note that with the world in recession there appears to be a trend for pilgrims to start nearer to Santiago. You will probably find that you are not the only one to start in Leon.

When you get to Sarria you will probably wonder where all the extra pilgrims have come from.

A practical matter should be taken in to consideration. If you start, jump, then finish you might find that if you get a burning desire to come back and "complete" the Camino you will have the nuisance of catching buses etc and the journey may feel bitty.

In March 2012 I jumped from Leon to Astorga and left a couple of new found friends behind. In November I ended up walking Astorga to Ponferrada a 2nd time in a year. Not that I minded but I live on the doorstep - but if you live a busy life your time might be better spent avoiding such duplication.

Start in Leon and you could come back later and do SJPP to Leon (and if you have the time travel further).

With Tyrrek I heartily recommend the Camino Ingles if you find you have walked faster than you anticipated.

I offer this as someone who walked SJPP to SdC in 2004 and has completed it a second time via 7 trips which were not walked in sequence (and involved duplication).