A Long Ride

[Leopold]

Folks,
I am putting together what is now becoming "my.Camino", starting on the 16 Sept 2015, very soon.

Stage_1, a 2oookm cycle journey from Austria over the Alps and down Italy's Adriatic coast to end in Santa Maria di Leuca within Italy's heel, approx 4weeks. Fixed in place.

Stage_2, to date, with the assistance of ideas from helpful people and my thoughts, I will exit Italy by flight from Brindisi to Biarritz, train/bus to St Jean-Pied-de-Port on/about 20 Oct 2014, to collect a cycle delivered from Lisbon (www.bikeiberia.com). I will then cycle to Oloron Ste Marie for it is here I wish to start this second stage of my journey. I will cycle to Jaca via the Somport Pass thence to Santiago, Finisterre, Muxia and back to Santiagofor a wee stop, say 3weeks.

Stage_3, will have me continuing to Lisbon, Portugal, again by cycle (end of Camino.) thence the Lisbon-Paris express to Paris for my connecting flight home, say 2weeks to Lisbon. I have 3mths or more.

At this juncture, I have little on the Portuguese Camino, though I am reading/researching.

Question_1; Any thoughts/Ideas on the hire of a cycle from Lisbon - delivery to St Jean-Pied-de-Port.

Question_2; Does anyone have ideas/thoughts to brighten what is to be a solo journey.?
Note, I'll be late in the season for Spain and Portugal.?

Question_3; Any other thoughts.

Regards
Leopold

 

[peregrina2000]

Wow, Leopold, that's quite an itinerary! I'm a walker so I can't give you any cycle-specific information, but you're right that the traffic on the Camino Frances will have dropped quite a bit by late October.

The most up to date and comprehensive accommodation list on Lisbon to Santiago is, in my experience, on the Via Lusitana website. http://www.vialusitana.org/en/albergues_eng/

The Confraternity of St. James also has two online guidebooks, for Lisbon-Porto and Porto-Santiago. http://www.csj.org.uk/guides-online.htm Though geared more to walkers, they may have some helpful information.

If you look through the Camino Portugues posts on this forum, you'll probably find some information that will be of help. http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/camino-portugues.13/

It looks like you'll be going Santiago--Lisbon in November. I have spent two Novembers in Lisbon -- one was sunny and wonderful, one was rainy, grey and depressing. Unfortunately you won't be able to pick. But the Portuguese people are wonderful, and the Caminho goes through some very interesting out of the way places. So I think that no matter what the weather, you'll have a good trip to Lisbon.

My last thought -- please have a bell and use it. There is nothing more disconcerting to a walker to vaguely be aware of a sound behind without knowing what it is. A reflexive move to one side of the path or another might be the wrong direction -- I have been involved in, and have seen, a number of not very happy incidents involving roughly those components.

Wishing you a wonderful trip, and there are lots of people on the forum who have walked the Caminho from Lisbon to Santiago, so you can get lots of answers if you have specific questions.

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[Farmer John]

HI Leopold,
Being both a biker and a hiker, I envy your trip. The upside to the bike is that you get to cover a lot more territory in much less time. The downside, to me, is that on the bike, especially trail riding, your are "solo" no matter how many friends are along. When hiking, the ability to chat while walking is so much one of the highlights of the Camino. So, try to combine the best of both by stopping often and making connections/friends with the walkers since there will be so many more of them than fellow bikers. The advice from Peregrina2000 re: the bell is spot on. In addition, when overtaking walkers, I will always give an "On your left" or "on your right" verbally when in hearing range. Bikers and hikers should be friends, but bad manners on either's part can make that difficult.

All the best,
Pilgrim Farmer John