Cost and Route from Barcelona to Jaca Questions

[Anniesantiago]

We are still waffling between walking from Barcelona or from Toulouse.
I thought we had our minds made up, but I guess we still aren't sure.
We want to know more about this Cami St. Jaume route.

We are arriving in Barcelona on May 8.
We will stay there 2 nights, then bus to Monserrat.
We would like to walk as far as we can, then bus to Jaca by Friday May 18 and walk to Pamplona.

Can somebody who has walked this route give us the following information:

1. Where did you stop?
2. What was the cost of the lodging.
3. Advice on which village is the best place to catch a bus to Jaca.

Help?
Thanks,
Annie

 

[sillydoll]

Annie - I haven't walked this route but the bus service between Barcelona and Jaca is ALOSA.

http://www.alosa.es/rutas-horarios-precios/

 

[Anniesantiago]

Thanks Sil. I tried that website but can't get past the calendar.

I found information on lodging.

Now I'm wondering which stretches we have to be concerned about food and water.

 

[oursonpolaire]

I did this in 2007 and 2009 and the signing improved greatly. The Amics de Cami de S Jaume in Barcelona have a useful guidebook--I think it is in French as well as in Spanish and Catalan. There are not a lot of albergues on the route, but it has improved in recent years (new or improved albergues in Huesca, Barbastro, Linyola, and La Bolea, for example). In Igualada, La Panadella, Cervera, and Tarrega, and Linyola I stayed in hostales. There is an albergue in Tamareite de Litera but it was being used by fiesta-goers when I was there. I also used hostales in Balaguer, Alfarras, and Monzon.

As pueblos tend to be far apart (usually 15km), you will need to watch your water and pack some food for the day-- you cannot count on finding a handy café with bocadillos.

At every stop, people are helpful and welcoming. You may well be the only peregrinos that day or for the next few days. In two traverses of this Camino, I only met two other pilgrims, although there were some a few days ahead of me.

When I went last, there was no information on the Monzon-Huesca stretch in terms of accommodation, so I skipped that part and went by bus. Since then, I have discovered that there are hostales and albergues on that dry and lengthy stage. Loarre had only a hostal (a bit pricey) but there was a camping and restaurant on the road up from the pueblo to the Castillo de Loarre.

The crossing of the Sierra de Loarre should only be done in good weather, as there are no (as in No) facilities whatsoever between Sarsamarcuello and Estacion Santa Maria, where there is a restaurant near the railway station. On both occasions, I took the train from there into Jaca, as there was nowhere to stay, and absolutely nobody seemed to know if the albergue in Ena was legendary or not. Perhaps better information has become available.

There is a previous thread on this somewhere, where I may have provided more detail in a post a few years ago, and the Amics in Barcelona or the Huesca Association (who have a good reputation) may be able to give you a few more details on recent changes. I really liked the route, but it is very solitary.

 

[vanjohn]

Hi

I can confirm there is an albergue in Ena. New as in not much more that an year or two old.
Clean as it is so new with such little use. A lovely fire for you to light should you be cold. BYO food and drink as there is no shop.

This section from Loarre to Santa Cilla is unforgettabe in nature and scenery. An eagle crested a hill just 30 or 40 meters from me, it was moments like this that you savour.

Just over 40 km, one days walk, from Huesca as I asked a lady where would I get coffee in reply she offered breakfast and shelter from torrential rain. Sadly I lost my diary some days later and also the address of these kind people.

They wanted to bring me by car to the next village to avoid the heavy rain, there was a superb albergue there.
Sadly I do not have access to the guide books I used at present but I got both of them on the internet.
John

 

[oursonpolaire]

Vanjohn--- that is extremely interesting news about Ena. That will make the Loarre-San Juan de la Pena trajet workable. I had found a Catalan-language account where a student had slept at an albergue there in 2008, but repeated requests to a number of sources to confirm this came up dry and your report is the first news I have seen on this. Do you recall if there was a notice where the key could be obtained?

 

[vanjohn]

Hi

The guides used were http://www.camidesantjaume.cat/guies_ing.php from St Pere and http://www.gronze.com/camino-de-santiag ... ragoza.htm

Somebody else mentioned Barbastro but I was not there unless the Alzheimers is setting in!

There were times in Catalonia when the waypoints just vanished (ie I got badly lost). The way after Montserrat is quite well marked. How ever my Spanish is poor and my Catalan is non existent, but I still got by.

I used pensiones and albergues and found acomodation in Catalonia quite expensive at the start but got better at trying to keep to budget later.

The traget was coast to coast using the aforementioned routes to Puente La Reina and then the Camino Inverno at Ponferrada to enter Santiago from A Laxe

John

 

[camino-david]

Not sure if this helps, but according to Gronze (http://www.gronze.com) it is 320 kms from Montserrat to Santa Cilcia, and 236 kms from Montserrat to Huesca. From Huesca there are 8 Alosa buses (http://www.alosa.es) originating in Zaragoza and passing through Huesca to Jaca, from 0755 to 21.55, and taking 75 minutes to Jaca.
I found the Tourist Office for Cataluyna in Jaca (email: oficinaturismo @aytojaca.es) most helpful for details of the region. David

 

[Anniesantiago]

We've decided to bus to Toulouse from Barcelona and walk from there.
Thanks, everyone, for your comments and help.