Total Newbie: A couple of questions

[IntrepidTortoise]

Hi guys,

I am soon to be setting out on my first ever Camino! I am a little nervous (as I travel alone) but mainly excited (as I have heard such good things about the people and the path) as the departure date looms ever closer, I hope to be walking by the 2nd of October.

My main question: as I arrive in Biarritz latish around 5pm I aim to get the train to St. Jean and spend the first night there before setting off early in the morning of the 2nd. What I would like to know is how easy it is to secure accommodation on the day? Is it possible to just arrive and find and alburgue or would it be more prudent to book a place in advance?

Second question(s): I am starting in October and aim to be finished early November, can anyone with experience tell me what the weather is most likely to be like and what best to pack clothing wise. Also how many of the alburgue's/refugio's will still be open? I have heard they tend to close up for the winters months..

Anyway I hope to gain a lot and hopefully give something back on this journey and look forward to meeting some fellow pilgrims/travellers along the way.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

IntrepidTurtle

 

[grayland]

Welcome to the Forum!

Most people would advise you to book a room/albergues in St. Jean for the first night. Hopefully, someone will jump in with suggestions that are open in October.
Do you plan to walk directly to Roncevalles..or make a stop overnight. There is a good chance that the Napoleon Route will be closed for weather so be sure you have plans to go on either route. The other route is through Valcarlos and there are several options for overnight stops there.
Somewhere there is a list of Albergues that stay open. I hope someone can post a link to it for you.

The weather....this is tough any time of the year but October and November can really be hard to call. Remember you are walking all across Spain, including mountains and high plateaus.
You are very likely to have rain and wind. A poncho that covers your pack or a sealed seam Rain Jacket and Rain Pants are necessary. I use the rain jacket/rain pants/pack cover combo myself. I find that the jacket and pants are great windbreakers on cold days. Everything you take should have a double purpose if possible.
It is also probable you will run into some very warm days in October.
Others can add to this.

Buen Camino.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

My main question: as I arrive in Biarritz latish around 5pm I aim to get the train to St. Jean and spend the first night there before setting off early in the morning of the 2nd. What I would like to know is how easy it is to secure accommodation on the day? Is it possible to just arrive and find and alburgue or would it be more prudent to book a place in advance?

Second question(s): I am starting in October and aim to be finished early November, can anyone with experience tell me what the weather is most likely to be like and what best to pack clothing wise. Also how many of the alburgue's/refugio's will still be open? I have heard they tend to close up for the winters months..

You will be able to find a bed in SJPdP. The Pilgrim Office can help. Book ahead if it gives you peace of mind or you want a particular place.

Check any weather site for its almanac of last year's weather. Remember you are crossing 450 miles, so the weather will be quite different in Pamplona and Leon!

Albergues begin closing at the end of October, so verify what is open with a phone call or by checking gronze.com.

Buen camino!

 

[Marc S.]

I walked the CF twice in October / November. For me it was the perfect time to walk the camino, so I am sure you will have a great time. As stated by others, the weather can be anything. I had mostly sunny days, but be prepared for rain and a little cold as well. Concerning the albergues - most of them were open (my guess is 90 per cent) so there should be no trouble at all finding a place to sleep. Buen Camino !

 

[IntrepidTortoise]

Hi guys,

thank you for such swift replies, it reassures me to know that many of the alburgues are still open!

Grayland: I aim to walk straight on to Rocenvalles if all is well but will definitely pace myself and if I'm not feeling up to it I will stop early. Is it often the case that the Napoleon route can be closed at that time of year? I have heard it can be quite treacherous if the weather is bad.

Also another question: Is it relatively straightforward to get your pilgrims passport in St. Jean?

I am very much looking forward to it now!

Thanks again

 

[grayland]

Yes...the Napoleon route is often closed due to weather ..usually in later October thru mid April on a day to day basis. Different each year.

But there has been a very recent change announced that advises the route will be closed in "late October" thru March. I do not know dates..but someone will provide them.

The Pilgrim Office in St. Jean has credentials and shells. They also will provide the current weather conditions over the pass- both Valcarlos and Napoleon routes.

And...a list of albergues along the way and elevation charts for the Camino Frances.

The Pilgrim Office in SJPdP does an outstanding job of assisting Pilgrims starting their Camino.

Don't be disappointed if you find you must walk the Valcarlos route. It is not a piece of cake. It is a challenge for your first day. There are more opportunities to stop if the weather does get bad.

 

[mspath]

Yes...the Napoleon route is often closed due to weather ..usually in later October thru mid April on a day to day basis. Different each year.

But there has been a very recent change announced that advises the route will be closed in "late October" thru March. I do not know dates..but someone will provide them.

The Pilgrim Office in St. Jean has credentials and shells. They also will provide the current weather conditions over the pass- both Valcarlos and Napoleon routes.

And...a list of albergues along the way and elevation charts for the Camino Frances.

The Pilgrim Office in SJPdP does an outstanding job of assisting Pilgrims starting their Camino.

Don't be disappointed if you find you must walk the Valcarlos route. It is not a piece of cake. It is a challenge for your first day. There are more opportunities to stop if the weather does get bad.

During summer 2015 local authorities have decided that the Napoleon route will be closed from November 1, 2015 to April 1, 2016. Read more about that decision here.

For more on the Valcarlos alternate route see this earlier thread.
Since I am old this is the only route that I have ever (10 times!) followed. It is the original Roman way through the mountain pass and not over the mountain like the c 1813 Napoleon route.

Happy planning and Buen camino!

MM

 

[grayland]

Thanks Margaret for adding the actual closing dates. I was sketchy on them and did not want to be specific and misleading.

I think we are very nearly the same age and the Napoleon Route does not present a bigger problem than the Valcarlos route. Maybe you should give it a try next year???? The 7km climb out of St. Jean to Orisson is really the only actual steep climb. Once past Orisson it is simply a long walk uphill and then down to Roncesvalles. Piece of Cake!

 

[Seabird]

Buen Camino!

 

[IntrepidTortoise]

Thanks mspath, I really want to do the napoleon route as after all it was the way favoured by the great french general to get his troops in and out of the country. I will be well into my pilgrimage by November so the closing date won't affect me so all I can do is just pray for good weather on the day and hopefully some good views.

 

[mspath]

Thanks mspath, I really want to do the napoleon route as after all it was the way favoured by the great french general to get his troops in and out of the country. I will be well into my pilgrimage by November so the closing date won't affect me so all I can do is just pray for good weather on the day and hopefully some good views.

By the way Napoleon never was on this route but the French troops were successful at the Battle of Roncesvalles 25 July 1813 against the British led by Wellington. Read more here of this event in the Peninsular war 1808/1814 and check out the map of the battle.

 

[CaminoDebrita]

Hi guys,

I am soon to be setting out on my first ever Camino! I am a little nervous (as I travel alone) but mainly excited (as I have heard such good things about the people and the path) as the departure date looms ever closer, I hope to be walking by the 2nd of October.

My main question: as I arrive in Biarritz latish around 5pm I aim to get the train to St. Jean and spend the first night there before setting off early in the morning of the 2nd. What I would like to know is how easy it is to secure accommodation on the day? Is it possible to just arrive and find and alburgue or would it be more prudent to book a place in advance?

Second question(s): I am starting in October and aim to be finished early November, can anyone with experience tell me what the weather is most likely to be like and what best to pack clothing wise. Also how many of the alburgue's/refugio's will still be open? I have heard they tend to close up for the winters months..

Anyway I hope to gain a lot and hopefully give something back on this journey and look forward to meeting some fellow pilgrims/travellers along the way.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

IntrepidTurtle

Hey IntrepidTurtle!
I will start walking 1 October, and spend that first night at Orrison. Look for me. Bright red Deuter pack!

Deb

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I really want to do the napoleon route as after all it was the way favoured by the great french general to get his troops in and out of the country.

Napolean was never there. Some troops fought battles in the region. It is unlikely that they crossed on what is now the Route Napolean; they went through the Roncevaux Pass by way of Valcarlos.

The summer of 1813 in the Basque provinces and Navarre was a wet one, and with the army drenched by incessant rain and the decision to strip the men of their greatcoats was looking unwise. Sickness was widespread—at one point a third of Wellington's British troops were hors de combat—and fears about the army's discipline and general reliability grew. By 9 July, Wellington reported that 12,500 men were absent without leave, whilst plundering was rife. Major General Sir Frederick Robinson wrote, "We paint the conduct of the French in this country in very ... harsh colours, but be assured we injure the people much more than they do ... Wherever we move devastation marks our steps". With the army established on the borders of France, desertion had become a problem. The Chasseurs Britanniques—recruited mainly from French deserters—lost 150 men in a single night. Wellington wrote, "The desertion is terrible, and is unaccountable among the British troops. I am not astonished that the foreigners should go ... but, unless they entice away the British soldiers, there is no accounting for their going away in such numbers as they do." Spain's "ragged and ill-fed soldiers" were also suffering with the onset of winter, the fear that they would likely "fall on the populace with the upmost savagery" in revenge attacks and looting was a growing concern to Wellington as the Allied forces pushed to the French border.

Battle of the Pyrenees, 25 July 1813
Marshal Soult began a counter-offensive and defeated the Allies at the Battle of Maya and the Battle of Roncesvalles (25 July). Pushing on into Spain, by 27 July the Roncesvalles wing of Soult's army was within ten miles of Pamplona but found its way blocked by a substantial allied force posted on a high ridge in between the villages of Sorauren and Zabaldica, lost momentum, and was repulsed by the Allies at the Battle of Sorauren (28 and 30 July) Reille's right wing suffered further losses at Yanzi (1 August); and the Echallar and Ivantelly (2 August) during its retreat into France. Total losses during this counter-offensive being about 7,000 for the Allies and 10,000 for the French.

Roncevaux Pass
The pass is located between the towns of Roncesvalles and Luzaide/Valcarlos in Navarra, northern Spain. The closest town in France is Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, at a distance of about 8 km (5.0 mi) from the Spanish border.

 

[mspath]

Great info Falcon and similar to what was linked with the term Read more here in my post above. What sources did you use? ...The British victory at Roncesvalles eventually was memorialized in British North America by so naming a section of Toronto, Upper Canada with that name c 1850.

 

[Deleted member 3000]

What sources did you use?

Source in part: The Peninsular War: A New History by Charles Esdaile

 

[mspath]

Source in part: The Peninsular War: A New History by Charles Esdaile

Thank you for posting this. My source is Martin Gibson's encyclopedic blog War and Security.

 

[IntrepidTortoise]

Wow, well I stand corrected haha! Very interesting history though and I do hope to find out more when I walk out on my travels (its always been a bit of a hobby of mine but one I haven't had much time to expand upon). I must say this is an excellent community and if I receive as much friendly support on the camino as I have here then it will be an excellent journey.

p.s. a final question for any veterans out there who have a good grasp of the lingo: could you give me a couple of really useful spanish phrases that are used regularly on the camino? I asked my brother who has a decent grasp of spanish and he jokingly replied

"una cerveza por favor" ...


@CaminoDebrita I will certainly look out for you! I start from st. jean a day later than you but I'm sure our paths will cross

 

[grayland]

Your brother is a very smart man!

 

[Tincatinker]

Your brother might also have suggested "una otros" but may have been concerned for your welfare...

 

[KarolMT]

Good to see your enthusiasm on your first camino ... i'm starting my first one too but next year ...

Make sure you come back to tell us all about it !

Ultreia!

 

[Jim Kavanagh]

Hi guys,

I am soon to be setting out on my first ever Camino! I am a little nervous (as I travel alone) but mainly excited (as I have heard such good things about the people and the path) as the departure date looms ever closer, I hope to be walking by the 2nd of October.

My main question: as I arrive in Biarritz latish around 5pm I aim to get the train to St. Jean and spend the first night there before setting off early in the morning of the 2nd. What I would like to know is how easy it is to secure accommodation on the day? Is it possible to just arrive and find and alburgue or would it be more prudent to book a place in advance?

Second question(s): I am starting in October and aim to be finished early November, can anyone with experience tell me what the weather is most likely to be like and what best to pack clothing wise. Also how many of the alburgue's/refugio's will still be open? I have heard they tend to close up for the winters months..

Anyway I hope to gain a lot and hopefully give something back on this journey and look forward to meeting some fellow pilgrims/travellers along the way.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

IntrepidTurtle

 

[Jim Kavanagh]

When I started the Camino a few years back I had the same question about accommodation in St Jean and because I was arriving ( from Bayonne) late in the day it seemed that any place I might stay would be closed by the time I arrived so I stayed in a hotel beside the train station in Bayonne and took the train in the morning. So you would want to check about closing times of accommodation if you are arriving late.
One piece of advice I would give is to stay in the hostal in Orisson and book that ahead of time. The people in the pilgrim office were concerned that I had a place to stay on the way over the Pyrenees. Even though it is only about 8 km from St Jean it is a hard slog upwards and staying in Orisson lets you meet lots of people who you meet again and again on the Camino. If you do stay in Orisson then you might look to bypass Roncesvalles and go on to Burguete as you will have plenty of energy after the mostly downhill trek. The downhill part is quite hard on the knees and poles come in very useful. As a luxury traveller, I stayed in a hotel in Burguete and I do not know offhand if there is an albergue there. I got a peregrino's discount in the hotel. Hope this is of some use.

 

[Jim Kavanagh]

The email for the refuge in Orisson is refuge.orisson@wanadoo.fr.
I got the second last place in the refuge which was in a tent behind the refuge.

 

[Sherrie]

Thanks mspath, I really want to do the napoleon route as after all it was the way favoured by the great french general to get his troops in and out of the country. I will be well into my pilgrimage by November so the closing date won't affect me so all I can do is just pray for good weather on the day and hopefully some good views.

Dear Intrepid Tortoise, we began from SJPP Sep 15 and encountered fierce winds as we reached the steep switchbacks to Orisson albergue. I was blown to the ground; fortunate to land on the grassy hillside. The next day the winds were predicted to reach 85 kph (10 kph higher than the previous afternoon). We opted to be taken by the hospitaleros via back roads to Valcarlos to walk from there to Roncesvalles. While we waited a German couple we'd met the previous evening returned from the Napoleon route. The wife had fallen from wind and had broken her arm. Their Camino was over on the second day. We learned later in Roncesvalles that many peregrinos had been blown to the ground that day. On the Valcarlos route we also faced brutal winds and rain blowing horizontally at us. Today in Pamplona we were told that these were unusual cyclonic winds and that travel alerts had been issued. I say all this only to let you know that the weather can be unpredictable and that one must pay heed. The sun is shining in this festive city where we are enjoying a rest day. Tomorrow we walk onward. Wishing you Buen Camino.

 

[IntrepidTortoise]

Hi Jim, Yes I think because I'm arriving a bit later what I shall do is book a hotel in Bayonne and get up early the next morning and catch the train to St. Jean. Do you remember the name of the hotel you stayed in? Apparently the Paris Madrid hotel no longer exists.

Hi Sherrie, thanks for the information. I will make sure to be very aware of the weather on the day and take all the right precautions, sounds like you had some horrendous weather! Glad to hear you are having sun on your rest day and a special thank you for taking the time out from you Camino to give me the update on the weather

Buen Camino

 

[mspath]

In Bayonne the Hotel Monte Carlo is a good simple place with a restaurant/cafe. Ifdally located it faces the SNCF rr station.

 

[Jim Kavanagh]

Hi IntrepidTortoise.
I cannot remember the name of the hotel in Bayonne but having a look on booking.com leads me to think it might be Hotel de la Gare. The price I paid fits that hotel's pricing. There is another hotel close to the station - Hotel Cotes Basque - which is in the same price range but the entrance photograph does not stir my memory.
I hope I am not steering you wrong in suggesting that accommodation might be closed when you arrive in SJP as other people on my flight took the evening train there and seemed to have no problem.
The bus from the airport brings you to the station in Bayonne, which is quite convenient.
But do not do what I did. Arriving in SJP when all the pilgrims had left gave me no one to follow and - I am capable of doing this all the time - I got lost! Fortunately, I remembered there was a place called Honta along the way and enquired from two bemused locals for Honta and got the general direction. A bit later I came at right angles to the Camino where pilgrims were moving along. I reckon I did 14 or 15 km instead of 7 or 8 to get to Orisson.
To be sure about the situation you should enquire about accommodation closing times in SJP.
And Buen Camino.