Big Dream - Your Favourites

[GuyA]

Hi,

I am planning (dreaming) on walking from Constance Germany to Cape Finisterre by following the Via Jacobi, Via Gebenennsis, The Puy, French Way and Finisterre Way routes...a total of appr. 2,400 km.

I am most interested in your experiences on any of the above routes with respect to:

Favourite places for one day rest days - I expect that I will want to include a number of such days on this adventure. Based on your experience what places along the way are special and warrant an additional day to explore...and why?

Favourite overnight accommodation - This could be small inns, hotels, B&B etc. What was special? Good value, hosts, location, good food, other?

Thanks for your input!

Guy

 

[Anna-Marie]

Hi Guy,

That sounds like an amazing trip. I walked the Chemin du Puy and the Camino Francés two years ago, and they're both wonderful routes.

Advice about places for rest days is a tricky, because it depends on what you're looking for. I'd say the most common rest stops along the route you're walking would be Conques, Moissac, Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Burgos, León, and maybe Astorga, because they're somewhat evenly-spaced, and most have a lot to see, in terms of art, architecture, etc. Conques and Saint-Jean are relatively small, but Conques is a heritage site and beautiful, and Saint-Jean is a good place to break before the Pyrenees. The other four are old cities with lots of sights.

But really, you might just want to play it by ear and stop when you either really need a break or you fall in love with a place.

I can't offer any advice on the kinds of accommodation you're talking about, since I mainly stayed in gîtes d'étapes in France and refugios/albergues in Spain (all dorm accommodation). You might want to consider staying in gîtes/refugios/albergues, though, since they're great places to meet and hang out with other pilgrims.

Personally, I can't imagine planning out every step of such a long route in advance. There's enough accommodation, at least on the Chemin du Puy and the Camino Francés, that you don't really have to decide where you're going to stay until the night before (depending on the season it's sometimes a good idea to make reservations a day or two ahead on the Le Puy route), or even just as you're walking through a town.

I hope this helps. Buen Camino!

Anna-Marie

 

[GuyA]

Hi Anna-Marie,

Thanks for your comments...much appreciated. Being a first timer and reading the various comments on the Forum re different types of accommodation it's difficult to know what the best approach will be for me. Forum readers seems to have definate opinions on the advantages/disadvantages of the various options.

Your suggestions about trying to plan things out too far in advance make sense to me...although having been a planner all my life it's tough to let go of this approach.

Take care,

Guy

 

[RestlessRose]

Hi Guy

When I decided to walk Camino Frances, I also decided I will plan as little as is possible, and try to go with the flow. Even then this to me meant I know where I would be sleeping on the first night, place is booked, and I know all the intended stages of my walk, marked, highlighted, measured, and I know my choices of accomodation, my first, second, third choices. You see, I too am a planner. I used to run projects, and needed to plan down to the last details. As they say "The devil is in the details".

During my walk, other than for the first night, nothing went according to plan. The stages differed depending on how far, how long I could walk, and depending on how I felt, each day. There were new accomodation options, as similarly some places were closed.

For a journey such as this, it would be hard to plan too much. It would help to have an indicative plan of the routes, and a list of interesting places to visit along the routes. As you walk, you will likely need to update your information by checking in with the tourist office or the pilgrim's office, ajusting your indicative plan, week by week, day by day.

But hey, another component to being a planner is being ready for any eventuality, and outcome - improvisation.

The letting go was for me, a frightening and exhilarating experience.

Good luck in your planning, enjoy your experience.

With the planning, your camino has started - Buen Camino.

 

[jl]

There are some on this forum who know that I plan to the last detail with my Caminos. However, when I get there, because of the research I have done, I then have the freedom to abandon it all and just go with the flow. The only accommodation I book is for the first 2 nights in order to rest and recover from jet lag. I use a mixture of albergues / gites / hostals / pensions and I have never missed out on accommodation. Make plans, but be ready to change them - all will be well - it always is on the Camino! Cheers, Janet