When was it more difficult than you expected?

[Deleted member 3000]

No one expects crossing the Pyrenees to be easy, but where were the tough spots that you were not expecting? Every time I leave Portomarin, I am amazed by how long it takes, and how tiring the walk is, to get to Gonzar. I can see that it is 8.1 km and uphill almost all the way in the guides, but it has always left me exhausted. The bar is usually jammed. The old hospitalero, a one-cup-of-coffee-at-a-time kind of guy, has turned over operations to a younger woman, so the wait for service is much shorter now. There is a new albergue, Casa Garcia, just before the bar.

 

[Abbeydore]

No one expects crossing the Pyrenees to be easy, but where were the tough spots that you were not expecting? Every time I leave Portomarin, I am amazed by how long it takes, and how tiring the walk is, to get to Gonzar. I can see that it is 8.1 km and uphill almost all the way in the guides, but it has always left me exhausted. The bar is usually jammed. The old hospitalero, a one-cup-of-coffee-at-a-time kind of guy, has turned over operations to a younger woman, so the wait for service is much shorter now. There is a new albergue, Casa Garcia, just before the bar.

Do you shorten your stride going up-hill a-lot; if really bad one boot lining up with the one in front(ie back-front), i know this may sound daft but it is so much easier, the reason is quite simple you are only lifting your body(& pack) half the height if you do shorten your stride, you actually go faster & get less poooofed. & you don't slip as much, also a good technique across 'loose stuff'

 

[mikevasey]

Leaving Carrion de le Condes, I had gone slightly feverish and the walk along the roman road seemed to take what little energy I had left. It did not help that the very first hotel/bar we walked in after that there was a dog curled up on the entrance steps, I went to stroke it and realised it was slightly colder than it should have been, it had just died in the last half hour. A flat, quite short day along a roman road was my hardest day.

 

[tyrrek]

Excellent question. For me it was that hill after Castrojeriz. Maybe it was just the time of day, weather etc, but I was absolutely...tired...by the time I got to the top of that one. I've got a photo of it and I look at it wondering why was it such a challenge? It just was.

I don't like tall bridges either. I can happily cope with the little, old ones like that one in Estella or Leon. (Not the footbridge over the motorway before entering Leon, because I didn't like that at all). However leaving Portomarin on that footbridge was a nightmare. It's metal, and I had a bus trip of Dutch pensioners walking behind me, who made the whole thing bounce. I just kept my head down and walked. Even worse was Pontedeume on the Camino Ingles, where there was a festival on, so all the hotels were full and I had to cross back over the horrific bridge to get a hotel room and then cross it yet again the next morning! :shock:

I still did it though! :twisted:

 

[sulu]

For me it was leaving Logrono until I arrived wherever, Najera I think. It is a walk through a park out of Logrono and should have been pleasant but I hated every step of it, and I hated all the people just going for a stroll through the park :evil:

 

[tyrrek]

Wow, Sue! I had a woman give me a huge beaming smile and a 'Buen Camino' on that stretch outside Logrono. It was so genuine it really spurred me on. It shows how all our experiences are so different!

 

[SabsP]

1. The for me boring walk next to the N 120 from Leon to Villadangos del Páramo...the albergue there was as dreary and dull and impersonal as the walk itself.

2. The descent to Molinaseca , stony, slippery and was all on my own...Was almost crying when I saw that the albergue was at " the end " of the village... :wink: But this was nice and welcoming place.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

It was a lot harder than expected going into Estella, maybe because I didn´t make it there. It was March. Cold rain poured down, one of my boots leaked, mud stuck to the bottoms of the boots and made me feel like a deep-sea diver with pounds of extra weight clinging to each step. The church bells rang at Lorca, so I stopped there for Mass (high point of the day), and opted to stay at the only open albergue... which was un-heated. Dinner was a Genuine Italian Lasagna fresh from the microwave, still frozen in the middle. The bread was moldy. A biker came in while I napped, and hung his filthy jersey to dry alongside my bunk while he went to shower (God knows how long that jersey had gone unwashed)...

And through it all a fellow pilgrim clung alongside me, talking talking talking talking talking about him him him him himself. :shock:
I thought I would lose my mind.

 

[andy.d]

In Laxa, the friend I was walking with did not emerge from the albergue dormitory in the morning. I went in to see if he was OK. He looked rough. "What's wrong?" "I just spent the night with Shrek"

 

[markloft]

Late June, 2003... middle of the worst heat wave Europe had seen in years. Got to the hotel in St. Jean Pied-du-Port late afternoon, no air-conditioning. Dinner at a cool restaurant nearby, then back to try to sleep in the hotel before crossing the Pyrenees next day. My hotel room was 95 degrees (about 35 degrees Celsius) all night, there was a festival going on with a band outside my window that played well into the night... didn't sleep much after flying/driving the previous 24 hours. Rough way to start. The next day was brutal, 39-40 degrees Celsius at the TOP of the Pyrenees mid-day with a 30 mph wind (48 km/hr). Blisters already... it was going to be a long journey to Santiago. Felt horrible by the time we got to Roncesvalles and that was only the 1st day.

By the time we got to O Cebreiro I had earned the nickname that loosely translated to "The Horse" for carrying a backpack way too heavy. This was my first backpacking trip and I obviously was carrying too much weight. Plantar fasciitis had developed in both feet and I was in terrible pain. I limped into Portomarin, literally walking the last 5 miles on my tiptoes to ease the pain. A doctor in our group said that rest was the only cure, so I took a bus to Santiago from Portomarin and rested for 3 days waiting on my group to catch up.

Advice: if you're going to do practice walks to train for this journey, do it with as much weight as you'll have in your backpack, maybe even a little more, and don't just walk 2-3 miles on your training walks... go ahead and put in the time... go for a 10-mile training walk, a 15-mile, a 20-mile... several times before you go. I know it takes a lot of time to do this but if you're not used to doing this already, your body will thank you.

 

[annakappa]

The worst was my first "trial" walk from Roncesvalles to Nájera. By the time I reached Estella, my heels were covered in blisters and, even worse, terrible heel pain. From there on, I limped as far as Nájera, where had to stop to return home. I always wondered that, had I had to, could I have carried on walking further!
However, not to be daunted, once back home, I devoured the internet for remedies for not getting blisters and heel pain. I bought myself a new pair of boots (the previous ones were men's) and started walking every day. The next year, we returned to Nájera to continue to Santiago and I had no problems whatsoever. Since then, I have walked the Francés twice more and part of the Sanabrés - no blisters - no heel pain!

For me it was that hill after Castrojeriz

. Yep Tyrrek, that "hill" after Castrojeriz is a beast! Steep, treeless and open to all weathers. (It's almost as bad going down the other side and is actually, even steeper). Anne

 

[Mina Sameh]

for me it was the hill after fromista, it was an easy hill actually, but not expected at all, specially that i had spent the night at fromista and left when it was dark, so i couldn't exactly see how high it is, and with everyturn i thought it was the end top of the hill, but it wasn't. Reached the top with the sunrise haha

 

[sulu]

Thanks for this thread Falcon, I love it.
It so often seems that everyone else found it a 'walk in the park'. So many interesting and different experiences. Our recollections obviously just depend on the way we feel on any day, but please keep them coming in

 

[dougfitz]

After leaving Burgos, I had hoped to reach Hontanos that day, but had not made the progress I needed and stayed the night at San Bol. I had not slept particularly well, and was still tired the next day when I started.

Shortly after leaving Hontanas, the trail joins the paved road leading to San Anton and then Castrojeriz. I had been watching my step fairly carefully descending from the meseta, but just at that point, perhaps thinking that I was already on the bitumen, I stepped on a round pebble and my foot rolled out from under me. My knee was badly twisted, and I had to slow down considerably to make that bearable.

By the time I got to San Anton, my mood was such that if there had been an airport at Castrojeriz, I would have been on my way home that afternoon. I rested in the ruins, but decided to push on. Just a little way further on, two women walking down a side road came up the road, stopped, and pressed a couple of little individually wrapped coffee candies into my hand, wished me buen camino and walked back the way they had come.

While not the first nor the last time I met such wonderful hospitality, it was obvious then that I couldn't quit, no matter how much I might have felt like it. I struggled into Castrojeriz, rested for the rest of the day, walked more carefully for a couple of days, and kept going.

I still have an individually wrapped coffee candy to remind me of how much difference those two women made at the time.

 

[sulu]

Wow, Sue! I had a woman give me a huge beaming smile and a 'Buen Camino' on that stretch outside Logrono. It was so genuine it really spurred me on. It shows how all our experiences are so different

One look at my face probably stopped anyone fron smiling at me But with hindsight it was not all bad, I was walking to Navarrete, not Najera, and when I slogged up the last hill up to the town there were 3 fellow pilgrims outside the bar and they gave me a cheer. I do remember that with a smile Things got better after that

 

[Gailsie]

Two rough spots for me. The first was the long walk into Castrojeriz. You can see it for kms but never seem to get closer. It was so hot and my water was hot and I remember counting forwards and backwards to one hundred - but I made it and kept on going. The second was the descent to Acebo, that almost killed me. It was so steep and I was so afraid that I would fall. I got a private room in an albergue and slept for 11 hours.

Gail Darby

 

[jpflavin1]

The first day from SJPdP to Roncesvalles. The upward climb seemed never ending and then the steep decline into Roncesvalles. I actually think the climb from Castrojeriz is great. If you stay there overnight and climb just before sunset you will be rewarded with one of the most spectacular sunrises I have ever seen. That said, if I had been walking all day that hill (12%) grade would seem pretty daunting.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[tyrrek]

But with hindsight it was not all bad, I was walking to Navarrete, not Najera, and when I slogged up the last hill up to the town there were 3 fellow pilgrims outside the bar and they gave me a cheer. I do remember that with a smile Things got better after that

Ha ha. I was so at peace with the world leaving Logrono that I stopped at the cafe by that reservoir to enjoy the sunshine and a beer. As soon as I set off again up that hill the weather changed and I was like a drowned rat when I arrived in Navarette. I admit I was less happy than before.

Maybe St James is looking down and making us earn our Compostelas.
"Ah, so you don't like bridges, Keith? Well I'll send a bus full of Dutch pensioners to make it bounce a bit, and then make you cross a different one 3 times. Feeling content and maybe a bit complacent, are you? I'll send a raincloud over to snap you out of that frame of mind!"

I doubt it, but I was generally so lucky with the weather, company and everything else on my Caminos that I can't complain!

Buen Camino!

 

[markss]

However leaving Portomarin on that footbridge was a nightmare. It's metal, and I had a bus trip of Dutch pensioners walking behind me, who made the whole thing bounce.

I share your bridge crossing sentiments. It was the bridge into Portomarin that was at issue for me. On the way out of town, there is an alternative concrete bridge a few meters beyond that rickety old metal thing. It is visible from the metal bridge and really not out of the way at all.

For more, check out the beginning of this youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLhnL9Mzgr8

 

[tyrrek]

I share your bridge crossing sentiments. It was the bridge into Portomarin that was at issue for me. On the way out of town, there is an alternative concrete bridge a few meters beyond that rickety old metal thing. It is visible from the metal bridge and really not out of the way at all.

Hi Markss.

Yes, you're right. I might not have liked the alternative bridge any more though. It's not that I think the bridge will collapse. It's a fear that I'll fall over the side, or even more weirdly deliberately jump. I'm not suicidal, there's just something that makes me want to jump off high places. I've heard other people say the same thing. One of them was a rock climber, who as soon as she got to the top of a cliff had to remove herself from the edge in case she was tempted to skydive without a parachute! We're strange beings.

Buen Camino!

 

[Whalleyranger]

Everyone will tell you about the ascent to O' Cebreiro but I didn't actually find it that bad. What no-one ever mentions is the climb a few kilometres later to Alto do Poio. That was a killer! And once you've made it up the top and want a drink and a rest, there's that awful cafe with the rude barista to contend with.

 

[grayland]

I did find the climb to O'Cebreiro pretty difficult in 2010....but the reason is that I started the day in Cacabelos and it was about 30 degrees. Only a couple of very short stops and was very happy to make O'cebreiro about 5pm. Everythng full but found a room in small pension.

For some reason I have never found the barista in the cafe at the top of the climb to Alto do Poio to be a problem. I know that many others have commented on this but maybe I have just been too tired and happy to make it to care or notice. :wink:

 

[tyrrek]

Everyone will tell you about the ascent to O' Cebreiro but I didn't actually find it that bad. What no-one ever mentions is the climb a few kilometres later to Alto do Poio. That was a killer! And once you've made it up the top and want a drink and a rest, there's that awful cafe with the rude barista to contend with.

That is a very good call (the climb, not necessarily the barista). It's made worse by the fact that you emerge sweating like a scabby dog in front of other pilgrims who are relaxing with a beer!

The elderly barista when I was there was lovely but, God bless her, she just couldn't count. I bought a beer for, say 2.40 Euros, gave her a 5 Euro note and she had to work out the change on paper. It took several minutes and she was obviously embarassed. It makes you appreciate how relatively recently some of these communities have got access to things like decent education that many of us can now take for granted.

The young women running the hostel across the road made me laugh, though. They're cheeky almost to the point of rudeness, but they're smart and can see someone who has a sense of humour or not! They also run a tight ship and the food was great.

Buen Camino!

 

[CaminoGen]

Everyone talks about the awful and scary descent into Roncesvalles but no one mentions that the next day, there is an identical one to Zubiri. I was supposed to make my way to Larrasoana but that descent did me in. By the time I got to the bridge in Zubiri, I knew that would be my stop for the night. My thighs were burning. Spent the afternoon waiting for the farmacia to open (first of many visits) by soaking my feet in the river and taking a nap on Zubiri-beach.

The stretch between Burgos and Hornillos del Camino was quite hard too. I left friends in Burgos so my boot felt heavier than usual and I ran out of water. There's a sign that says there's a fountain ahead...not true. Luckily I found nice people who shared some of their water.

 

[duncan pm]

Food poisoning from a Carlista bar before Pamplona lead to a few awful days. Another time really flagging with digestion on the Alto del Perdon.
I really agree about the climb out of Castrojeriz - I used to cycle that stretch often when I lived in Valladolid. The scent of wild thyme on the hottest of summer days is lovely though.
Further on leaving lovely Cacabelos on the main road with the tunnel is ghastly.
I love the open, massive meseta on the hottest of days.
Walking into Burgos is awful, always but these are known problems.
Problems are often as and when and idiosyncratic.

 

[bob4470]

Dougfitz said - By the time I got to San Anton, my mood was such that if there had been an airport at Castrojeriz, I would have been on my way home that afternoon. I rested in the ruins, but decided to push on. Just a little way further on, two women walking down a side road came up the road, stopped, and pressed a couple of little individually wrapped coffee candies into my hand, wished me buen camino and walked back the way they had come.

I remember those ladies! Assuming it was the same ones. I walked in September of 2011. I remember walking down the road with Castrojeriz way in the distance. Hot and dusty, and there are these two beautifully dressed ladies handing out wrapped candies and wishing me Buen Camino! What a great memory.

On the flip side, I would also probably vote from the climb up to Alto do Poio as the most difficult climb. Probably because it was so steep a climb in so short a distance. Not helped, of course, in that the last few steps are in full view of other peregrinos sitting under shady umbrellas and sipping cool beverages!

 

[Gailsie]

OMG Markss, I had forgotton about that second bridge outside Portomarin. I am afraid of heights and thought that I had psyched myself up enough to get across, but about half way I could hardly put one foot in front of the other, I was so afraid. It was only the knowledge that someone else was behind me that got me going and I almost ran across the last part.

Such horror, that I had almost forgotten it.

Gail

 

[Jeff Stys]

For me, walking into cities was the most difficult. The concrete does a number on my feet and the road just seems to go on forever.

Burgos was especially challenging along with Gijon on the Camino del Norte. If fact on my way into Gijon, I laid down and took a short nap in the middle of a busy traffic circle with my feet elevated on my backpack. After that it was another eternity to find a place to stay.

 

[antelope]

I haven't done the Camino yet, but I'm dreading the St Jean to Roncevalles section. I'm unfit and it's going to be hard work, and long. I'm tempted to start at Roncevalles, but feel that would be a cop out. I'll be going second half of April. Incidentally, what weather can i expect there at that time of year?

In Hape Kerkeling's book 'I'm off then!', he describes a section of road called the N6 which is an alternative to a very steep bit apparently known as the Camino Duro. His description of walking along this road is horrendous...he describes it as lethally dangerous. Does anyone know anything about this that they can share? ~The road in question is between Trabaldero and Vega de Valcarce.

 

[Yallah]

Antelope-- the section described so horrifically in Hape's book has been reformed. There is now a crash barrier between the road the pilgrim pass, and there is a huge flyover that has diverted most of the traffic away from the old highway.

The most dangerous section of the Camino that I recall was the bridge outside of León in Villarente. A very narrow bridge with full-speed truck traffic and a very slim shoulder.

I would definitely advise starting in St. Jean. Have you had a look at Orisson albergue? If you're worried about the distance over the Pyrenees I would suggesting booking a room at Orisson to break up the day a bit. It is a big climb, but if you take your time and bring plenty of water and snacks, you can certainly accomplish it! If it makes you feel better, there are some paved roads from time to time if you would have some kind of emergency and need a taxi off the mountain.

Another option is to take the Valcarlos route, which is not as big of a climb as the Napolean route and has intermediate accommodations in Valcarlos. While it is certainly not as scenic as the Napolen route, and is on the highway quite a bit, it is still a nice walk.

Personally, I absolutely loved every minute of crossing the Pyrenees. My personal "worst day" of walking was the NEXT day, when my feet felt like hamburger from the rocky uneven ground (stiff-soled boots help a lot, I had only trail runners). I did eventually make it to Larrosoaña, but remember feeling just a bit embarrassed when a French couple in their 70s breezed by me (I was 27!) while I gasped for air.

 

[antelope]

Thanks Yallah. That N6 bit had been bothering me!

I am out of condition. I'm also a smoker. So I'm expecting to find that first stage to be quite tough. But I'll take the regular route if I'm going to do it. I have a number of reasons for walking the Camino, and getting fitter is one of them. [I'm also hoping to lose 8 to 10 kilos over the whole walk. Which would make me very trim indeed!]

It's reassuring to know that there is a part way option should I need it, in the form of the Orisson. I won't book it, as I'm walking there in mid April when it should be quieter, and also, I want to try and make this walk as serendipitous as possible. So if I need it and there's no room, I'm supposed to carry on! So I will do.

I think I need to buy myself a guide!

Cheers
David

 

[tyrrek]

Hi antelope

Yallah's advice is excellent. I often suggest the Valcarlos route (probably because that's the only one I've done!). It does involve a few kms walking by a winding mountain road after Valcarlos. It's still scenic in a different way, though. The difference is that you're in the valley rather than on the mountain.

I'm also a smoker, was unfit, hadn't planned or trained etc, so Valcarlos worked well for me (with a night in the albergue there). When I was sitting with a beer in Roncesvalles watching people coming down off the mountain waddling like ducks I felt like I'd done the right thing. I met people who had blister upon blister after a couple of days! Not necessary?!

That said, I will have to go back and do the Napoleon route sometime! Either way you have to climb several hundred metres from SJPP to Roncesvalles so neither route is a walk in the park.

Buen Camino!

 

[jpflavin1]

Yallah:

I agree with you that the most dangerous section of the Camino is that bridge just outside of Leon. I know many people take a bus or taxi to avoid it. A single person can barely fit on that narrow walkway and the traffic is very busy.

Joe

 

[bjorgts]

Everybody knows that it is hard to walk from Saint Jean Pied de Port to Roncevalles. So why do you start there? In 2007 - Spring - I walked the French route. I decided to start where the road between Bayonne and Pau cross the Camino from Le Puy, just to make a few days walking in France before crossing the Pyrenees. I found that a good solution for me.

More difficult than I expected: Walking into bars and restaurants alone, sit down on my own alone at a table, people looking at me, but nobody talking to me. Even worse: Sometimes I had dinner at albergues where they served us cena in common around one table. Two times I experienced that the other peregrinos did not talk to me AT ALL (not a single word) during the whole meal. Of course, the solution on such a problem is to do the speaking yourself, but that is easier said than done when you are alone, and the others are couples and friends. So eating situations was more difficult than I had expected!

My most difficult day: Walking from Cizur Menor over Alto del Perdon to Puenta la Reina is a wonderful walk. I did it in 2003, and looked forward to it in 2007, but 2. April became my worst walking day ever. It had been raining for days and days, but this day, the clouds opened up and poured out the rest. Nobody warned us in the morning when we left Cizur Menor, and many of us did not realise how bad the situation was until we were out there on our own with water and mud everywhere. After a while we found it better to continue that return. I think that was not a good decision. There were small earth slides many places, the paths were rivers, the small rivers were almost impossible to cross. Up in the hillside to Alto del Perdon, I suddenly realised that parts of the road/path where sinking 10-30 cm down, leaving cracks in the earth. (This is a bit difficult to explain in a foreign language.) Then I really got scared!

We were splashing through the waters into Puente la Reina on roads where cars had problems. I went to Eunate on the way. It was difficult to get to the church because of the water, and nearby the camino was gone, taken by the river.

In the afternoon we tried to get warm and dry in the albergues, but all our clothes (also in the sacks) were wet. When we came out of the albergue on the other side of the river next morning, the road down to the bridge was filled up with earth from a slide.

I have been wet on caminos both before and afterwards, but have never experienced anything like 2. April 2007.

 

[duncan pm]

A powerful and inspiring account.
Makes me think.
Thank you for letting your experience of the Camino be known.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

This all sounds hair-raising. But in my experience, for every bad day there are many many more good ones. The camino is long and tough and it is def. not for everybody. But it´s also not so hard that many elderly, "disabled," and out-of-shape people don´t make the trip successfully every year!

 

[grayland]

The Camino is not a walk in the park. It would not be worth so many people doing it if it were not difficult at times. This is what makes the walking into Santiago such a great feeling of joy and accomplishment.
It is good that we do hear of hardship from time to time so that people who have not yet experienced it are aware that it will be more than a simple stroll.

 

[micbook]

For me the hardest time was more of a mental thing rather than physical-- when my mind and mental state wasn't as strong...the physical/outside world just seemed to respond accordingly...

Here's the story from a challenging day...
http://michalrinkevich.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/mind-over-matter/

Michal
--
http://michalrinkevich.wordpress.com/tag/camino-de-santiago/

 

[Portia1]

It was more difficult WHILE I was doing it. Once I settled for the night, had some food and drink and companionship, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought! Now the climb out Castrojerz (sorry for the terrible spelling--all this is totally from memory) was a nightmare because it was pouring down rain so the trail up was slippery and muddy. And once we got to the top, it was not only pouring but foggy. Mud and straw weighed down to boots (I swear they were 10 pounds each!) so that each step felt like you were carrying the weight of the world. It was in the midst of this that I realized I needed to pee--what's a person to do? I convinced myself that continuing on was the best bet.

And then there was the getting lost in the fog and sleet in the Pyrenees. Nothing like climbing up and down twice! I think it was scarier because it was at the very beginning and the thought of actually dying on the Camino became real.

The climb up to the German albergue, La Faba,was worse than the climb to O'Ceberio the next morning. Perhaps it was because it was at the end of a LONG day (I had taken the mountain route from Villafranca) and I was already whipped. But the albergue was very nice (and they had an extractor!!).

Many of you have mentioned other difficult days I too encountered. But all in all, it was harder AND easier than I expected.

 

[Ioannem]

Arriving in Burgos from the industrial zone was a difficult time for me (burning sun and pollution, not an enjoyable addition), but the "worst" was the two days before reaching Leon, I just felt physically and mentaly exhausted, maybe because of the landscape, desert and trucks. I thought it was far more difficult than the mountains, but I surely will do it again.

 

[Rhysman]

The most difficult time for me was the first day from SJPP over the Pyrenees in 2006. I left way too late after oversleeping and was climbing down at about 10:30pm, not getting to Roncesvalles until 11:30 with everything shut. Therefore, I had to camp next to the bins outside and cook myself a bit of pasta whilst shivering and very tired.

After that day and night, everything seemed a lot easier the rest of the way. So, in hindsight, it was a good thing I went through it. I always walked on knowing I would find somewhere to camp eventually and always managed to do so without any problems 8)