Best place to start after the Pyrennees

[Tracey a]

Hi - this will be my first Camino and i will be arriving in Paris on the 1st July 2019. Due to a calf injury that isnt healing well i am unable to walk up/through the Pyrenees so wondering where would be the best place to start as close to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees as possible.
I have been cleared by my doctor to do the walk, probably at a bit of a slower pace than others, and i still have nearly a month of physio to go, so am hopefully that it will pretty much back to normal by the time i leave, i just dont want to push my calf right at the start with the uphill walking. Any suggestions will be much appreciated

 

[caminoagogo]

Pamplona is a fairly popular starting point after the Pyrenees. Good access into it and plenty of accommodation options. Buen Camino, @Tracey a

 

[Tracey a]

Pamplona is a fairly popular starting point after the Pyrenees. Good access into it and plenty of accommodation options. Buen Camino, @Tracey a

Excellent - thank you

 

[Miki Goldie]

After Roncesvalles coming into Zuburi is downhill diabolical. Then going up to those wonderful steel sculptures & down the other side of that hill is tough too. So I agree Pamplona it is. You can also ask for the distance certificate from Pamplona if you walk the whole way from there. Good luck, rest & heal.
Love

 

[Tracey a]

After Roncesvalles coming into Zuburi is downhill diabolical. Then going up to those wonderful steel sculptures & down the other side of that hill is tough too. So I agree Pamplona it is. You can also ask for the distance certificate from Pamplona if you walk the whole way from there. Good luck, rest & heal.
Love

fantastic thank you - Pamplona it is

 

[Deleted member 67185]

After Roncesvalles coming into Zuburi is downhill diabolical. Then going up to those wonderful steel sculptures & down the other side of that hill is tough too. So I agree Pamplona it is. You can also ask for the distance certificate from Pamplona if you walk the whole way from there. Good luck, rest & heal.
Love

If one wishes to avoid the Alto de Pardon, with its uphill slog and steep down slope, then wouldn't you avoid starting from Pamplona and make the starting point at Puente La Reina?

 

[Icacos]

Welcome to the forum, @Tracey a. I won’t add to the good advice you’ve been getting, but I do wish you continued healing with your physio and every success in your camino wherever you decide to start.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Hola, given your ailment I also support Pamplona. The other big advantage is that from here on your choice of albergues increases so that if you want to walk slow (say 15 km / 9 miles) per day there are lots of accommodation places. I was advised many years back that your first day should be your shortest, so given that out of Pamplona you have that climb up to the Alto del Perdon (the one with the statues cut out of iron) you can stop at Uterga which is just over 15 km. Buen Camino

 

[C clearly]

You can also ask for the distance certificate from Pamplona if you walk the whole way from there.

You can ask for the distance certificate no matter where you start. According to the Pilgrim Office website, "the Pilgrim’s Reception Office offers pilgrims the Certificate of Distance, a document issued by the Chapter of the Cathedral of Santiago certifying the number of kilometres they have travelled, whatever the starting point of their pilgrimage... It indicates the day and the starting point of the pilgrimage, the kilometres covered, as well as the day of arrival and the route of the pilgrimage."

 

[FLEUR]

Pamplona would be my suggestion too. A great city , easy to access and good accommodation choices.
If going up and down Alto del Perdon is too daunting then take a taxi there and back just to see these striking figures.

 

[David Tallan]

If one wishes to avoid the Alto de Pardon, with its uphill slog and steep down slope, then wouldn't you avoid starting from Pamplona and make the starting point at Puente La Reina?

Another advantage of Puente la Reina, from a historical perspective, is that it is where the main routes from France join. A lot of people start at St. Jean Pied de Port, as most of us know. That town wasn't picked at random. It is the nearest town to where three of the four French routes join. (Technically, they join by the village of Ostabat, about 20 km earlier, but that is much smaller.) So starting at the joining of the routes is a thing. Puente la Reina is the grand confluence of the routes from all of Europe across the Pyrenees.

 

[TMcA]

Since you'll be flying into Paris and are thinking about starting in Pamplona, I'll share how we got from Paris to Pamplona....

We (my wife and I) took an early morning TGV (high speed train) from Paris Gare Montparnasse to Hendaye. We were in a OUIGO coach on the train, meaning that we were in the train's budget coach since we bought tickets online in advance. Our tickets were not be cancellable, as I recall. (Link furnished below.) There were no transfers on our train and it took us to Hendaye, which is next to Irun and on the Spanish border.

I had communicated by email with the tourist office in Pamplona and had received information about the bus from Irun to Pamplona: schedule, name of bus operator, and where to catch the bus. The Pamplona tourist office was very prompt in responding to my questions.

This was four years ago and I think we arrived in Pamplona around 5PM. I had booked lodging not far from the bus station, but the heart of Pamplona is an easy walk from the bus station.

Except for taking almost an entire day, the trip was satisfactory. We bought food and drinks at the Gare Montparnasse to carry on the train with us and we enjoyed our first Basque meal in Irun which helped us kill time as we waited for the bus.

We have now spent time in Pamplona as part of three Camino trips and it is a delightful place to spend a night or two.

OUIGO Trains | OUIGO Train Tickets and Routes | Trainline

Discover where the low-cost, high-speed OUIGO train can take you in France. Compare prices, view popular OUIGO routes & journey information & buy your OUIGO train tickets online with us.

www.thetrainline.com

 

[gersevink]

[QUOTE = "Tracey a, bericht: 752081, lid: 88935"]
Hallo - dit zal mijn eerste Camino zijn en ik zal op 1 juli 2019 in Parijs aankomen. Door een kuitblessure die niet goed geneest, ben ik niet in staat om door de Pyreneeën te lopen, dus ik vraag me af waar de beste plek is om te beginnen zo dicht mogelijk bij de Spaanse kant van de Pyreneeën.
Ik ben door mijn arts geruimd om de wandeling te doen, waarschijnlijk in een langzamer tempo dan anderen, en ik heb nog steeds bijna een maand fysiotherapie om te gaan, dus ik hoop dat het tegen de tijd dat ik dat doe vrijwel weer normaal zal zijn. weggaan, ik wil mijn kalf gewoon niet meteen bij het begin duwen met het omhoog lopen. Alle suggesties worden zeer op prijs gesteld
[/CITAAT]
Starten als je helemaal hersteld bent!

 

[Bodi]

I had to travel from Pamplona to Paris earlier this spring so I will give you my route in reverse. Take the high speed train, as @TMcA said, from Gare Montparnasse to Hendaye. At Hendaye, switch to the Euskotren to San Sebastián. The Euskotren station is next to the main train station in Hendaye. It’s about a 50 minute ride to San Sebastián. (We actually spent a few days in San Sebastián. Great food, beautiful architecture and beaches!) Then take the bus to Pamplona. The trip is exactly 1 hour. It is a 10 to 15 minute walk from the Euskotren station to the main bus/train station. Just ask for directions at the Euskotren station. Starting in Pamplona is a good idea but on your first day you could just go to Zariquiegui which is only 11km. Then you would be fresh for the climb to Alto del Perdón in the morning. I hope your calf continues to heal well and Buen Camino!

 

[ShelleyS]

I hope to return to the Frances in 2020. I'll likely start at Zabaldika, about 8 km before Pamplona. Lovely donativa albergue with a blessing for pilgrims in an old church. I celebrated my 65th birthday here, so a very special memory for me in 2017. Buen Camino!

Albergue Zabaldika, a pause on the Pilgrim’s Way – RSCJ International

rscjinternational.org

 

[Davidmm]

If one wishes to avoid the Alto de Pardon, with its uphill slog and steep down slope, then wouldn't you avoid starting from Pamplona and make the starting point at Puente La Reina?

This is good advice!

 

[MaryLynn]

If you want to avoid a strenuous first day, consider starting in Logrono or Burgos, both accessible by train or bus.

 

[Tracey a]

After Roncesvalles coming into Zuburi is downhill diabolical. Then going up to those wonderful steel sculptures & down the other side of that hill is tough too. So I agree Pamplona it is. You can also ask for the distance certificate from Pamplona if you walk the whole way from there. Good luck, rest & heal.
Love

If one wishes to avoid the Alto de Pardon, with its uphill slog and steep down slope, then wouldn't you avoid starting from Pamplona and make the starting point at Puente La Reina?

thank you. I have reassessed after your advice and looking at the guide books at it looks like Alto de Pardon isn’t something I would like to do in my first couple of days as my leg is now.

 

[trecile]

Starting after the Pyrenees isn't going to help you avoid long steep uphills and downhills! You should consult a guidebook or website showing the elevation profiles of different stages to see what looks doable to you.

 

[Tracey a]

Welcome to the forum, @Tracey a. I won’t add to the good advice you’ve been getting, but I do wish you continued healing with your physio and every success in your camino wherever you decide to start.

thank you. This has been something I have wanted to do for so long. Everything was exactly the right moment and then I split my calf muscle in December and it won’t heal properly. But I’m at the point where if I don’t do it now I may never get another chance. I’m fortunate enough to not have a finish deadline so can take it a bit slower and easier.

 

[Thornley]

thank you. I have reassessed after your advice and looking at the guide books at it looks like Alto de Pardon isn’t something I would like to do in my first couple of days as my leg is now.

Puenta la Reina , avoid the down hill after Pamplona .
Book ahead , use good accommodation until you are comfortable with the leg and take your time Tracey.
Forget everyone , Camino Families etc , until you are right in yourself before committing walking the extra km's .
Retain this if you wish,
10 years ago we were stuffed after the walk from Rabanal to Molinaseca on a wild wet day.
The next day we walked 7km to Ponferrada and booked into a hotel.......it was the best decision we made in 35 days.
My wife thinks you should consider commencing @ Logrono , heaven forbid Tracey you skipped 100km from Roncesvalles however after you have warmed up walk to Muxia and then Finisterre to finish.....same distance and a wonderful way to finish.
As Marylynn said the access to Logrono is very straight forward.
The best tapas on the Way , good accommodation available and short distances if you wish for the next week and if there is any twitches in the leg / calf watch from Belorado to St Juan , make it a 2 day walk.
You will have a wonderful time ,
Buen Camino.

 

[Tracey a]

thank you all for your advice. I appreciate everyone taking time to respond. - I now have a guide book and am looking at the places suggested. I know it wont all be flat easy walking but I want to give myself the best chance by planning my first week not being too strenuous. I also don't want to skip large sections. I still have 3 weeks to go with the physio so hoping to see an improvement and will revaluate then.

 

[nevster1975]

Based on what you say look carefully the stages
- from Rabanal to Molinseca - climb up to Cruz de Ferro. I would definitely stop in Molinseca and the decent is a little tricky
- the stage to O Cebrerio. The climb to La Faba in particular is hard. I'd recommend stopping before it starts and tackling it in the morning. The section from La Faba to O Cebrerio is also hard. If you're really wanting to take it slow you could stop there also - theres a few ups and downs from there until you reach Tricastela.

Most importantly any recommendations on stages are just guidelines. There are many many ways to do it and places to stop.

For me I found it easier to keep revising my plan on route.

You'll have a great time.

If it were me I'd consider starting in Zubiri if you want to do most of the CF without SJPdP and Ronconvalles. but that depends on what time you have to split the longer days. I don't think the Alto del Perdon is so bad given what you'll have to tackle later, and it's one of the highlights of my Camino. Look at a way of splitting up the stage perhaps.

thank you all for your advice. I appreciate everyone taking time to respond. - I now have a guide book and am looking at the places suggested. I know it wont all be flat easy walking but I want to give myself the best chance by planning my first week not being too strenuous. I also don't want to skip large sections. I still have 3 weeks to go with the physio so hoping to see an improvement and will revaluate then.

 

[MaryLynn]

thank you. This has been something I have wanted to do for so long. Everything was exactly the right moment and then I split my calf muscle in December and it won’t heal properly. But I’m at the point where if I don’t do it now I may never get another chance. I’m fortunate enough to not have a finish deadline so can take it a bit slower and easier.

Another thought - Once your calf muscle is healed, start in Burgos and walk to Leon - there is only one significant hill after leaving Castrojeriz and the rest is fairly flat (the meseta), then decide on how your leg is doing. You could be fairly strong after a week and a half of walking, then if your leg is strong enough you could either continue walking to Santiago or take a train/bus back to St. Jean and walk from there to Burgos, skip ahead to Leon by train and finish walking to Santiago. You have lots of options since you don’t have a deadline to finish. Most importantly, listen to your body!

 

[Nana6]

If one wishes to avoid the Alto de Pardon, with its uphill slog and steep down slope, then wouldn't you avoid starting from Pamplona and make the starting point at Puente La Reina?

Is the Alto de Pardon on the way in or out of Pamplona?

 

[MaryLynn]

The Alto del Perdon is 13km after Pamplona. I have stayed in Pamplona and explored the city the next morning, then walked 11km to Zariquiegui and stayed overnight there. The rest of the hike up the mountain is not so difficult the next morning.

 

[Marbe2]

If one wishes to avoid the Alto de Pardon, with its uphill slog and steep down slope, then wouldn't you avoid starting from Pamplona and make the starting point at Puente La Reina?

Agree! Puente la Reina!

 

[Nana6]

The Alto del Perdon is 13km after Pamplona. I have stayed in Pamplona and explored the city the next morning, then walked 11km to Zariquiegui and stayed overnight there. The rest of the hike up the mountain is not so difficult the next morning.

Thank you

 

[Marbe2]

The Schlepp down hill to get from Alto del Perdon is initially quite steep before getting to Uterga! If you want to ease into your camino, look at the graph below from Gronze.com And decide if you can handle this.

 

[Marbe2]

If you decide to leave from Pamplona there is a bus you can take to Puente La Reina

Rutas Regulares - LA ESTELLESA

Rutas Regulares. Horarios y FrecuenciasFacilitar la vida y las comunicaciones por carretera entre las principales localidades de Navarra, La Rioja y...

laestellesa.com

 

[Thornley]

f you decide to leave from Pamplona there is a bus you can take to Puente La Reina

And you have only skipped 70km , 3-4 days
And the 4 - 6 days to Muxia - Finisterre will more than compensate , believe me .

 

[Robo]

Based on what you say look carefully the stages
- from Rabanal to Molinseca - climb up to Cruz de Ferro. I would definitely stop in Molinseca and the decent is a little tricky
- the stage to O Cebrerio. The climb to La Faba in particular is hard. I'd recommend stopping before it starts and tackling it in the morning. The section from La Faba to O Cebrerio is also hard. If you're really wanting to take it slow you could stop there also - there's a few ups and downs from there until you reach Tricastela.

Most importantly any recommendations on stages are just guidelines. There are many many ways to do it and places to stop.

For me I found it easier to keep revising my plan on route.

You'll have a great time.

If it were me I'd consider starting in Zubiri if you want to do most of the CF without SJPdP and Ronconvalles. but that depends on what time you have to split the longer days. I don't think the Alto del Perdon is so bad given what you'll have to tackle later, and it's one of the highlights of my Camino. Look at a way of splitting up the stage perhaps.

Good advice. There are a few sections that may challenge you.

FWIW the descent down to Molinaseca I reckon is the hardest part on the CF in terms of punishment on the legs. See how you are going. You can always call a taxi from the top, at the coffee caravan, as you come up to join the LE-142. Still there? Taxi signs everywhere. It's just on the road below the military radio mast, about 1.5 kms past Manjarin.

See Pic. Manjarin on the right, Military base on the left. Coffee Caravan on road below it.



Close Up. Coffee Caravan is just above the word Google centre bottom of map. Great views from here toward Ponferrada. But it gets steep downhill, real fast, most of the way to Molinaseca. So if you decide to taxi down, I would suggest decide here. You'll even find the descent to El Acebo (part way) tough if your legs are not too good. And it gets steeper after that.

 

[Thornley]

You'll even find the descent to El Acebo (part way) tough if your legs are not too good. And it gets steeper after that.

The last few times have commenced at either Rabanal and or Foncebadon and stayed the night in El Acebo .
Gret accommodation and if hot a pool.

 

[Robo]

The last few times have commenced at either Rabanal and or Foncebadon and stayed the night in El Acebo .
Gret accommodation and if hot a pool.

Yes we did that last year. But if someone has bad legs, even breaking the descent half way might be hard.
But by that stage @Tracey a you should be well aware of your limitations!