Camino completed! (Geneva to santiago/Finisterre)

[Davey Boyd]

Hi everybody! I have recently got back from my first camino, and it was a bit of a long one.

I set off from Geneva on Easter Sunday April 6th and finished in Leon on September 26th. I walked 3044Km (1,800 miles) and it took me 173 days, over five months. I walked to Santiago twice and Leon three times.

The route I took was as follows:

Geneva to Le Puy (via Gebennensis)
Le Puy to SJPdP (Via Podiensis)
SJPdP to Leon (Camino Frances)
Leon to Oviedo (Camino San Salvador)
Oviedo to Santiago (Camino Primitivo plus Frances from Melide)

Then I started off to Finisterre but got as far as Negreira when I decided not to finish. I wasn’t ready to end my camino at this point for certain reasons. My finish point was always Finisterre and if I got there I knew it was over. So I caught an over-night bus back to SJPdP.

From there I walked SJPdP to Santiago and Finisterre (Camino Frances)

Back in Santiago again I found transport back home really expensive, and the ferry wasn’t for another six days. So I set off again and did Santiago to Leon (backwards – very interesting), arriving September the 26th. Travel home to England was cheaper from Leon and I managed to get a coach back to the UK for 80 Euros.

Of course it would be very difficult (and long) to describe my journey in full here, so if you want to know anything in particular just ask away.

Personally I had the best experience of my life. I walked the first month and a half alone, and can honestly say I met myself for the first time. I walked with many beautiful people from around the world and had various camino families that inspired me so much.

I believe that it does not matter how long or how far you walk. I even enjoyed the last 100Km from Sarria and met many wonderful people walking from there. The most important thing is to just walk with open eyes and heart.

Sorry for the long post

Bon Chemin - Buen Camino

David from Brighton, England

 

[Sailor]

I am confused. Today is October 18th. Did you mean October 16th, or maybe September 26?

 

[Davey Boyd]

Ah yes I meant 26th September as the date I finished sorry! I've edited the post, thank you

 

[Sailor]

Thank you Davey for the clarification. Congratulations for an outstanding work. Que la luz de Dios alumbre su camino.

 

[Seabird]

All I can say is -- WOW! And felicidades!

 

[KinkyOne]

Amazing
Congratulations!

Ultreia!

 

[Kitsambler]

...if you want to know anything in particular just ask away....

Congratulations on your journey! And thanks for offering to take questions -- as we don't hear from many Anglophones on the Geneva-Le Puy section.

On the Geneva-Le Puy section: how easy was it to make lodging arrangements? Were there particular stages where lodging was difficult? How is your skill level in French? Or were you able to make arrangements in English?

 

[NualaOC]

Wow, what a journey! Congratulations - it sounds as though you had an amazing experience.

How does it feel to be home after such a long Camino? Was it hard to settle down again?

Nuala

 

[hecate105]

What a brilliant journey! Great you had the time - as it is sometimes very hard to finish a Camino, to be able to zoom off on another is fantastic. It is a totally different way of living and (I think) a much healthier one - physically, mentally and emotionally. Good on you!

 

[chrisje]

Great !! What an adventure

 

[Al the optimist]

Wow!

 

[gittiharre]

How inspiring!

 

[SabsP]

Wow! What an inspiration. Thanks for sharing.

 

[purplesage]

My respects !! Well done. This has been in my bucket list. God be praised

 

[Sandra S]

How exciting and inspiring! I have so many questions, but I'm overwhelmed by how awesome that sounds. Good on you!

 

[Davey Boyd]

Congratulations on your journey! And thanks for offering to take questions -- as we don't hear from many Anglophones on the Geneva-Le Puy section.

On the Geneva-Le Puy section: how easy was it to make lodging arrangements? Were there particular stages where lodging was difficult? How is your skill level in French? Or were you able to make arrangements in English?

Hi Kitsambler. I never booked at all for accommodation (first time I did was on the Primitivo which was packed because I was arriving Santiago on July 25th). I really did not want to book ahead, I like not knowing where I am going to end up! Also, because of the cost of walking in France I had a tent and camped out about half the time in France, both campsites and freecamping. But on the Geneva to Le Puy route there was no problem with accommodation. Apart from once, whenever I paid for accommodation it was never full. Also on the Geneva route there are so many Accueil Jacquaire's that lodging is no problem (though you should book these one day ahead, ringing in the evening). I only stayed in one, it was great, but I'm a bit shy so didn't stay in more. The once I had a problem was when I got to St. Juilien Chapteuil, the gite was closed (not open for the season yet), so I asked in a cafe in town. The cafe owner, her daughter and two customers all started ringing around to get this poor pilgrim somewhere to stay - and there was a thunder storm so I didn't fancy the tent. I ended up in a garden shed with no door or glass in the windows! But it was fine, and I got a free breakfast too!

Also, all through France there are many campsites. They are always worth checking out even if you have no tent, because they usually have very comfy chalets, often cheaper than a gite. They are a good alternative option, often overlooked.

Another reason I didn't book ahead is my French is almost zero! But that was a challenge, not a real problem.

 

[Davey Boyd]

Wow, what a journey! Congratulations - it sounds as though you had an amazing experience.

How does it feel to be home after such a long Camino? Was it hard to settle down again?

Nuala

Hi Nuala, Coming home was a culture shock! And yes I'm having real difficulty settling down to 'real' life again. I find at home nobody really understands what Im talking about, or what the Camino actually is (or isn't). And I miss my pilgrim friends so much, even though many of us are still in contact. But being busy planning my next Camino helps!

 

[Davey Boyd]

How exciting and inspiring! I have so many questions, but I'm overwhelmed by how awesome that sounds. Good on you!

Hi Sandra, feel free to ask away!

 

[Sandra S]

Hi Sandra, feel free to ask away!

Oh! All the questions! Some of them were answered above (about logistics of being on the trail). I also wondered how much the whole thing cost you, whether you cooked on a camp stove, how safe you felt (and whether you feel that might be different for a single female walking alone), how much food/water you needed to carry... and whether you could tell me more about what it was like to really meet yourself

 

[Davey Boyd]

Oh! All the questions! Some of them were answered above (about logistics of being on the trail). I also wondered how much the whole thing cost you, whether you cooked on a camp stove, how safe you felt (and whether you feel that might be different for a single female walking alone), how much food/water you needed to carry... and whether you could tell me more about what it was like to really meet yourself

Hi Sandra, sorry for the late reply

Cost

I’m not sure of the total cost in the end. When I decided to walk The Way I had all the time in the world. But I had no money. Cheekily I decided to post my intentions to walk on facebook and asked if anyone could help. The response stunned me and within a few weeks I was ready to go. So my Camino was donativo! I raised over £2,000 and used the income that I had coming in. I budgeted for 40 Euros in France and 30 Euros in Spain per day. This was more than enough for me.

How safe

Safety never crossed my mind. And the girls/women I met walking solo didn’t seem bothered in any way. The tragedy of Denise Thiem was a one off I think, or a very rare thing to happen. Both the Chemin and Camino are very safe in my opinion. Saying that, it seems to be mostly males that freecamp outside solo, so maybe females are more wary of sleeping outside.

Food/Water

On the Geneva – Le Puy section I always carried two days food and water. There just isn’t the shops regularly enough. And it was hot, and where the guide said there was water there wasn’t. We all used French cemeteries or asked locals for water. On the other routes it was my choice to carry for two days as I was freecamping outside regularly. I carried 16 Kilo’s the whole journey (tent was 1.5 Kilo, 2 Kilo’s of food, water usually 3 Kilo’s when it was hot, but I never carried a cooker or pots and pans etc). In Spain it is not really necessary to carry much food.

Meeting myself

Ah a big question! The Geneva route was very quiet and lonely; I walked for a month and a half on my own apart from a few days. With few distractions I had plenty of time to climb inside my head. I found things that really mattered to me didn’t at all, and visa versa. I discovered what I want out of life and what is unnecessary. I discovered who I was. The good and the bad about myself became clear. It’s very difficult to do this in ‘normal’ life with the day to day bustle going on. I can honestly say I came back a different person.

Another thing is that at home I don’t meet new people very often. When I was walking I met many many people of course. It was an eye opener to find out how these people saw me. I was not actually who I thought I was, for the better I’m glad to say! That was another way I found myself too.

I hope that was helpful
David

 

[MarciaS]

Hi everybody! I have recently got back from my first camino, and it was a bit of a long one.

I set off from Geneva on Easter Sunday April 6th and finished in Leon on September 26th. I walked 3044Km (1,800 miles) and it took me 173 days, over five months. I walked to Santiago twice and Leon three times.

The route I took was as follows:

Geneva to Le Puy (via Gebennensis)
Le Puy to SJPdP (Via Podiensis)
SJPdP to Leon (Camino Frances)
Leon to Oviedo (Camino San Salvador)
Oviedo to Santiago (Camino Primitivo plus Frances from Melide)

Then I started off to Finisterre but got as far as Negreira when I decided not to finish. I wasn’t ready to end my camino at this point for certain reasons. My finish point was always Finisterre and if I got there I knew it was over. So I caught an over-night bus back to SJPdP.

From there I walked SJPdP to Santiago and Finisterre (Camino Frances)

Back in Santiago again I found transport back home really expensive, and the ferry wasn’t for another six days. So I set off again and did Santiago to Leon (backwards – very interesting), arriving September the 26th. Travel home to England was cheaper from Leon and I managed to get a coach back to the UK for 80 Euros.

Of course it would be very difficult (and long) to describe my journey in full here, so if you want to know anything in particular just ask away.

Personally I had the best experience of my life. I walked the first month and a half alone, and can honestly say I met myself for the first time. I walked with many beautiful people from around the world and had various camino families that inspired me so much.

I believe that it does not matter how long or how far you walk. I even enjoyed the last 100Km from Sarria and met many wonderful people walking from there. The most important thing is to just walk with open eyes and heart.

Sorry for the long post

Bon Chemin - Buen Camino

David from Brighton, England

Hi everybody! I have recently got back from my first camino, and it was a bit of a long one.

I set off from Geneva on Easter Sunday April 6th and finished in Leon on September 26th. I walked 3044Km (1,800 miles) and it took me 173 days, over five months. I walked to Santiago twice and Leon three times.

The route I took was as follows:

Geneva to Le Puy (via Gebennensis)
Le Puy to SJPdP (Via Podiensis)
SJPdP to Leon (Camino Frances)
Leon to Oviedo (Camino San Salvador)
Oviedo to Santiago (Camino Primitivo plus Frances from Melide)

Then I started off to Finisterre but got as far as Negreira when I decided not to finish. I wasn’t ready to end my camino at this point for certain reasons. My finish point was always Finisterre and if I got there I knew it was over. So I caught an over-night bus back to SJPdP.

From there I walked SJPdP to Santiago and Finisterre (Camino Frances)

Back in Santiago again I found transport back home really expensive, and the ferry wasn’t for another six days. So I set off again and did Santiago to Leon (backwards – very interesting), arriving September the 26th. Travel home to England was cheaper from Leon and I managed to get a coach back to the UK for 80 Euros.

Of course it would be very difficult (and long) to describe my journey in full here, so if you want to know anything in particular just ask away.

Personally I had the best experience of my life. I walked the first month and a half alone, and can honestly say I met myself for the first time. I walked with many beautiful people from around the world and had various camino families that inspired me so much.

I believe that it does not matter how long or how far you walk. I even enjoyed the last 100Km from Sarria and met many wonderful people walking from there. The most important thing is to just walk with open eyes and heart.

Sorry for the long post

Bon Chemin - Buen Camino

David from Brighton, England

Hi David,

My husband and I are thinking of starting in Le Puy on April 1 and wonder what the weather is like in early spring. Any thoughts for us? Also, did you encounter enough other walkers to make it fun and interesting? I have previously walked the Frances, the Via de la Plata, and the Portuguese routes in April-May. Thanks so much. MarciaS

 

[Seabird]

Another thing is that at home I don’t meet new people very often. When I was walking I met many many people of course. It was an eye opener to find out how these people saw me. I was not actually who I thought I was, for the better I’m glad to say! That was another way I found myself too.

"I was not actually who I thought I was...." Wow, that's profound,truly. Almost makes me afraid to find out who I am.

 

[Davey Boyd]

Hi David,

My husband and I are thinking of starting in Le Puy on April 1 and wonder what the weather is like in early spring. Any thoughts for us? Also, did you encounter enough other walkers to make it fun and interesting? I have previously walked the Frances, the Via de la Plata, and the Portuguese routes in April-May. Thanks so much. MarciaS

Hi Marcia! The weather can be tricky in the Central Massive of France at the best of times, and on the Aubrac Plateau in particular. My advice is to go prepared clothing and mentally wise for anything, even snow. Follow advice from the locals, the gites you will stay in are good sources. You may have to switch from high routes on the GR65 to roads if it snowed in. But with the local advice it is all still doable. The Aubrac in snow is stunning so I have heard. In fact I will be walking from Geneva this year starting in March hoping to get some snow underfoot! (some being the word)!

From Le Puy you will have plenty of company, I was only truly alone from Geneva to Le Puy but even then there were still pilgrims around. Many people start in Le Puy. The morning I left Le Puy there were over 20 at the Pilgrims mass that morning who were heading off straight after. There were more who didn't attend mass of course!

I see you have walked a few times before, I think you will love the Le Puy route, the Via Podiensis, it is stunningly beautiful and challenging. I made some friends for life amongst both pilgrims and locals on that route.

Bon Chemin!

 

[Davey Boyd]

"I was not actually who I thought I was...." Wow, that's profound,truly. Almost makes me afraid to find out who I am.

Don't be scared Seabird, it is one of the magical experiences of the Camino. Even if you are sure who you are beforehand, the Camino will change you!

Buen Camino!

 

[Seabird]

Don't be scared Seabird, it is one of the magical experiences of the Camino. Even if you are sure who you are beforehand, the Camino will change you!

Buen Camino!

And I can only hope that my husband will still love the new me.