- Time of past OR future Camino
- May - June 2024
For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Thanks for the feedback, Vacajoe. Starting in SJPdP and finishing in SdC are important to me for my first Camino. I definitely plan to come back at some point to experience what I miss as retirement is just a few short years away. I am making my way from Paris to SJPdP to start the Camino on May 14th. I already have plans to fly from SdC to Paris on June 11th for the return trip home. With the exception of pre-booking the first several days out of SJPdP, everything else is open.“A few days” meaning how many? If we know the total length of your walking time, it’s much easier to give advice. In general, I recommend an uninterrupted walk, simply walking without bus/train transport. if reaching Santiago is important to you, start closer to your goal. If starting in SJPdP is what you prefer, then walk until you run out of time, returning in the future to finish.
probably the best section to skip, entering and leaving león (end of the Meseta and the Páramo) can be tedious. i would make a pit stop n león though, at least a morning.I begin my first Camino in mid-May from SJPdP. Due to time constraints related to available PTO, I unfortunately have to skip a few towns along the way if I am to start in SJPdP and end in Santiago de Compostella. I am open to changing my plans, but I am currently planning to find transportation from Carrion to Villadangos or Astorga. Looking for feedback on recommended transportation options, the towns I'm choosing to "skip" or anything at all for that matter. I always appreciate the willingness of this group to share insight and experiences!
Thanks in advance.
Steve
Thanks for the feedback!I take my groups on a 3 week itinerary that you might find interesting. Maybe you can do some version of it. It hits the major cities. You start out and SJPP and go over the Pyrenees and you do the last 100 K Santiago. You can find the rough itinerary at this link.
PS: I am not fishing for people. Both of my groups are full this year. I am just sharing my itinerary.
Itinerary
Spring is a wonderful time to walk the Camino! The wildflowers are spectacular and the weather can be perfect for walking. Our Best of Both trip will cover your first 2 night's lodging in Pamplona...www.anniewalkers.com
This looks like a good option to consider. I think it gives me the cushion I need. Thank you!Much as I hate to suggest it, you could just skip from Burgos to Leon. That would likely be the easiest or if you want to walk the meseta, skip from Logrono to Burgos (good bus service). I don't know if that would give you the cushion you need for days, but those are probably the better transit opportunites.
Another grumpy old so-and-so here, not giving you the advice you are asking for. I strongly recommend what Vacajoe is suggesting and starting closer to Santiago and doing one long walk. If SJPdP is important to you then give it its fair due and make it the starting point for your epic thru-journey when you come back in retirement. And knowing it's still to be done will help keep you honest about returning ;- )I recommend an uninterrupted walk, simply walking without bus/train transport. if reaching Santiago is important to you, start closer to your goal
I hadn't even considered biking part of the Camino as an option. Thanks for the suggestion! Definitely something to think about.There are a number of companies in the Burgos area that rent bicycles that can be dropped off in the León area. That way you can see all of the meseta under your own power and save some days.
Thanks for the suggestion. Getting ahead of my walking pace on a bike is a good option to consider.It looks like you have 4 full weeks, How about biking a segment of the CF (say, from Burgos to Leon or Astorga), which could shave off a few days (versus walking)? That way, you wouldn’t need to skip any part of the CF.
Thanks for the insight! I'm very close to being a grumpy old so-and-so myself (if you ask my wife of 36 years, I'm already there) and I appreciate the straightforward response. My wife recently had her knee replaced and can't join me this time around but she'll be the one keeping me honest about coming back in retirement.Another grumpy old so-and-so here, not giving you the advice you are asking for. I strongly recommend what Vacajoe is suggesting and starting closer to Santiago and doing one long walk. If SJPdP is important to you then give it its fair due and make it the starting point for your epic thru-journey when you come back in retirement. And knowing it's still to be done will help keep you honest about returning ;- )
Start in Burgos and begin with that iconic stretch of the meseta that is the most photographed section of the camino. It's also one of the most peaceful. The wide flat plains will tire you after a while and then you'll see the mountains with both relief and a little trepidation. And if you find yourself with a few days left over at Santiago you can walk on to the Atlantic at Muxia/Finisterre
Thank you!I was thinking of biking through the Meseta (but didn’t go through with it) and started to explore rental companies, including the following:
- Bike Iberia: https://www.bikeiberia.com
- Cycling Rentals: https://www.cycling-rentals.com
- Burgos Bike Rental: https://bicigrino.com/en/rental-bikes-burgos/
You may or may not like these outfits but it’s a start!
I completely agree with @peregrino_tomAnother grumpy old so-and-so here, not giving you the advice you are asking for. I strongly recommend what Vacajoe is suggesting and starting closer to Santiago and doing one long walk. If SJPdP is important to you then give it its fair due and make it the starting point for your epic thru-journey when you come back in retirement. And knowing it's still to be done will help keep you honest about returning ;- )
Start in Burgos and begin with that iconic stretch of the meseta that is the most photographed section of the camino. It's also one of the most peaceful. The wide flat plains will tire you after a while and then you'll see the mountains with both relief and a little trepidation. And if you find yourself with a few days left over at Santiago you can walk on to the Atlantic at Muxia/Finisterre
I used cycling-rentals a few years ago and they were great!I was thinking of biking through the Meseta (but didn’t go through with it) and started to explore rental companies, including the following:
- Bike Iberia: https://www.bikeiberia.com
- Cycling Rentals: https://www.cycling-rentals.com
- Burgos Bike Rental: https://bicigrino.com/en/rental-bikes-burgos/
You may or may not like these outfits but it’s a start!
I’d stop then when you run out of time. Missing the Meseta is not a good idea. If you can come back, do. End where you stop, and return, pick up from there, and finish in Santiago.Thanks for the feedback, Vacajoe. Starting in SJPdP and finishing in SdC are important to me for my first Camino. I definitely plan to come back at some point to experience what I miss as retirement is just a few short years away. I am making my way from Paris to SJPdP to start the Camino on May 14th. I already have plans to fly from SdC to Paris on June 11th for the return trip home. With the exception of pre-booking the first several days out of SJPdP, everything else is open.
Steve
Another grumpy old so-and-so here, not giving you the advice you are asking for. I strongly recommend what Vacajoe is suggesting and starting closer to Santiago and doing one long walk. If SJPdP is important to you then give it its fair due and make it the starting point for your epic thru-journey when you come back in retirement. And knowing it's still to be done will help keep you honest about returning ;- )
Start in Burgos and begin with that iconic stretch of the meseta that is the most photographed section of the camino. It's also one of the most peaceful. The wide flat plains will tire you after a while and then you'll see the mountains with both relief and a little trepidation. And if you find yourself with a few days left over at Santiago you can walk on to the Atlantic at Muxia/Finisterre
I recommend an uninterrupted walk, simply walking without bus/train transport.
Thanks for the feedback, Vacajoe. Starting in SJPdP and finishing in SdC are important to me for my first Camino
I completely agree with @peregrino_tom
Starting in SJPdP and finishing in SdC are important to me for my first Camino.
Another grumpy old so-and-so here, not giving you the advice you are asking for. I strongly recommend what Vacajoe is suggesting and starting closer to Santiago and doing one long walk. If SJPdP is important to you then give it its fair due and make it the starting point for your epic thru-journey when you come back in retirement. And knowing it's still to be done will help keep you honest about returning ;- )
Start in Burgos and begin with that iconic stretch of the meseta that is the most photographed section of the camino. It's also one of the most peaceful. The wide flat plains will tire you after a while and then you'll see the mountains with both relief and a little trepidation. And if you find yourself with a few days left over at Santiago you can walk on to the Atlantic at Muxia/Finisterre
I recommend an uninterrupted walk, simply walking without bus/train transport.
Thanks for the feedback, Vacajoe. Starting in SJPdP and finishing in SdC are important to me for my first Camino
I completely agree with @peregrino_tom
Starting in SJPdP and finishing in SdC are important to me for my first Camino.
Not far younger, just a few years.and far younger @trecile
You should be able to rent a bike at Burgos and return it at Leon with little problem. Ask here. There are likely many forum members who can recommend bicycle rental places in Burgos.I hadn't even considered biking part of the Camino as an option. Thanks for the suggestion! Definitely something to think about.
Hi Steve. I’m starting my Camino from SJPdP on May 14th but planning to arrive in SDC on 11th June. I’m (unashamedly) going by bus from Burgos to Leon. I’m planning some very big days and some short days and whatever! Hope to meet you on the trail. Buen CaminoI begin my first Camino in mid-May from SJPdP. Due to time constraints related to available PTO, I unfortunately have to skip a few towns along the way if I am to start in SJPdP and end in Santiago de Compostella. I am open to changing my plans, but I am currently planning to find transportation from Carrion to Villadangos or Astorga. Looking for feedback on recommended transportation options, the towns I'm choosing to "skip" or anything at all for that matter. I always appreciate the willingness of this group to share insight and experiences!
Thanks in advance.
Steve
Hi Jude! I'm sure we'll run into each other!Hi Steve. I’m starting my Camino from SJPdP on May 14th but planning to arrive in SDC on 11th June. I’m (unashamedly) going by bus from Burgos to Leon. I’m planning some very big days and some short days and whatever! Hope to meet you on the trail. Buen Camino
You will be skipping the part where you are about to have that moment of epiphany...like being about to receive enlightenment and then the dinner bell rings, so you leave. I suggest you use your PTO days, then tell your employer you got sick in Spain and are quarantined. It's not about Santiago or getting the piece of paper or even walking the miles. The real meaning of the Camino is written between the lines. If you walk every step of the way and get to the finish, you will know what I'm talking about. You can see it in the eyes of the people who walked the entire way. They are different. If you skip ahead, you won't know what you've missed. Skipping ahead, you will be separated from your Camino family. At the finish you will be alone or with people you didn't really spend much time with. It's like switching schools a month before graduating.I begin my first Camino in mid-May from SJPdP. Due to time constraints related to available PTO, I unfortunately have to skip a few towns along the way if I am to start in SJPdP and end in Santiago de Compostella. I am open to changing my plans, but I am currently planning to find transportation from Carrion to Villadangos or Astorga. Looking for feedback on recommended transportation options, the towns I'm choosing to "skip" or anything at all for that matter. I always appreciate the willingness of this group to share insight and experiences!
Thanks in advance.
Steve
If you are already planning a return why not walk as far as you can and finish the route on your next journey. The first year I walked I met daily with a man during my first week who had walked from his home in Austria. Two weeks each year. What ever your decision enjoy the journey.Thanks for the feedback, Vacajoe. Starting in SJPdP and finishing in SdC are important to me for my first Camino. I definitely plan to come back at some point to experience what I miss as retirement is just a few short years away. I am making my way from Paris to SJPdP to start the Camino on May 14th. I already have plans to fly from SdC to Paris on June 11th for the return trip home. With the exception of pre-booking the first several days out of SJPdP, everything else is open.
Steve
I would point out that your boss would likely fire you rather than miss a single quarter's bonus and wouldn't lose a wink of sleep over it. You owe nothing to your boss and it has nothing to do with the Camino. If your boss cared anything for you he wouldn't let you skip any part of your pilgrimage. He would insist you finish the whole thing and would tell you "don't worry about it...tell us about your experience when you get back." I've done the Camino from start to finish 3x, not as much as many people, but you spend the first two weeks trying to deal with sore feet and if you take off ahead after two weeks, you leave every person you met behind and you start all over wherever you land. Why do people do this? So they can march in a 25km parade from Sarria and wait an hour in line to get a cup of coffee? The last 5 days is the least enjoyable part and it's only manageable because you've done the other 4 weeks to mentally prepare.Ummm...with all Respect Due, I do not believe that lying to your boss properly conveys "the real meaning of Camino".
Also, there's been enough threads on the topic of Camino Family. I for one was a slow walker. Anyone whom I started with more or less from Orisson disappeared within a week, maybe 10 days. I didn't get what I would consider to be my TRUE Camino Family until well past Sarria and most of them started in Sarria... and I liked what I saw in their eyes! Its not about who walked 'the entire way' ( and there are enough posts on that as well) it's about personal connections pure and simple...
I'm also not sure about "skipping the part where you are about to have that moment of epiphany...". HOw do you know where exactly someone else will have that moment? May it perhaps happen on the plane from say JFK to MAD and not happen again for the duration of the walk with say Muxia extention thrown in for a good measure?
We all had our Caminos which had our moments; I'm sure that @SideWinder will have his and it will be special to him no matter what he ultimately decides to do
Peace and Buen Camino
Thank you, @SimperegrinaJust a note to say that however you decide to walk your Camino, I hope you have a great experience. Buen Camino @SideWinder
I too took the bus from carrion to Leon. That worked out well for me. Note , There is an evening bus on Sundays and no bus on mondays .I was in the same situation as the OP on my first Camino, as I had a strict return date. Upon reaching the hub of Carrion de Los Condes, about halfway through the Meseta, I took a bus to Leon, spent a night, and then took another bus to Hospital D’Orbigo, from where I resumed walking the rest of the way to Santiago.
I returned later in the year to Carrion to walk the section I had missed ((about 6 days).
There is only one bus per day from Carrion to Leon, it leaves from outside the Cafe Espana (which you cannot miss) at 10:50 AM, although not on Sundays.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?