Flights from North of England to First stop

[Sacred Heart]

Hi, could anyone help me? I want to know where I fly from in England to which airport to start the Camino? I am an absolute beginner so I have no idea.

 

[Sacred Heart]

Hi John, I am new to the forum. I can't see an answer to my question. Angie

 

[JohnMcM]

Hi Sacred Heart,
I very recently booked Ryanair - Stanstead to Biarritz for 24/05/14 so the summer flights are available. I got my tickets after a site search and booking there and then. Go to Ryanair.com.

I have booked with Easyjet for the return from SDC to Gatwick.

Those two choices were the best for me from Somerset.

There are also options of flying in and out using Ryanair from and then back to Dublin. Flight out goes to Biarritz. Not sure where the return flight leaves from though.

Good luck and Buen Camino.

 

[Sacred Heart]

Hi Sacred Heart,
I very recently booked Ryanair - Stanstead to Biarritz for 24/05/14 so the summer flights are available. I got my tickets after a site search and booking there and then. Go to Ryanair.com.

I have booked with Easyjet for the return from SDC to Gatwick.

Those two choices were the best for me from Somerset.

There are also options of flying in and out using Ryanair from and then back to Dublin. Flight out goes to Biarritz. Not sure where the return flight leaves from though.

Good luck and Buen Camino.

Oh thanks John for replying. I thought I would fly out in July, then I would of saved a bit more money on my low nhs wage and also I love the sun and I wouldn't have to carry as much (thats my theory anyway).
Do you think I have any chance of walking half in 2 and half weeks? Do you have any idea where I should start? and how far I would go in 2 and half weeks, walking roughly 20 miles a day? If it is too many questions, I understand

 

[piogaw]

Hi, could anyone help me? I want to know where I fly from in England to which airport to start the Camino? I am an absolute beginner so I have no idea.

hello sacred heart,

welcome to the forum.

easyjet flies from manchester airport to bilbao.

there are other flights to biarritz only in the summer months.

 

[Sacred Heart]

Thank you for replying. If I fly to Bilbao where would I travel to for the start of the Camino? I can only walk for 2.5 weeks. Do you have any idea where that would get me to if I walked roughly 30 km a day? I just need to get an idea of where I would fly back from? I wish I could walk the whole Camino in one go but money won't allow. Angie

 

[Sacred Heart]

Hi again. just to confirm that I will be walking in 2 parts and this would be for the start of the walk.

 

[JohnMcM]

Hi Angie,
Having a bit of a problem replying to you so you might multiple messages with nothing in them

To answer your question about 2 and a half weeks. I can't say, it all depends on you and how well you fare on your Camino. What I would say however is that a start from St Jean Pied de Port might give you a better chance of not spending so much money getting to the start point of your second half. Others more knowledgable than I will probably read this post and be better placed to give their advice based on their personal experience.

You'll also find oodles of information that will help you on this forum if you use the search forums faculty at the top left of this page.

You'll find on this forum you can never ask too many questions by the way. There are so many wonderful people on here who are so generous with their time and knowledge.

On a personal note, thank you so much for the work you do in the NHS, regardless of what that may be. Never forget there are so many people who appreciate NHS staff and the job you do.

Happy searching and Buen Camino.

 

[Sacred Heart]

Thank you, yes I think I think I will fly to Biarritz and start my walk from St Jean Pied de Port. Will this be the first time you have walked the Camino? Thank you for your time. Angie

 

[JohnMcM]

You are very welcome Angie and yes it will be my first Camino.

I've learned so much from others on here that I've added to my own experience of long-distance back packing that I feel so ready to go right now.

Buen Camino

 

[whariwharangi]

The closest airport to SJPdP is Biarritz (BIQ). Here is website:
http://en.biarritz.aeroport.fr/

Note the destinations section which indicates airlines.

There are connections to London Stansted with Ryanair and London Gatwick with EasyJet.

As far as I am aware EasyJet only flies to Biarritz in summer.

From Biarritz airport catch #14 bus to Gare Bayonne. See Chronoplus website
http://www.chronoplus.eu/

Chronoplus Bus map:
http://www.chronoplus.eu/ftp/Plan_reseau_chronoplus_jan2013.pdf

From Gare Bayonne catch TER 62 to SJPdP
http://www.ter-sncf.com/Regions/Aquitaine/fr/Default.aspx

Gare Bayonne
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_de_Bayonne

This is Aena website. Aena runs all of Spains airports. This is provided for planning the return trip.
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee...s/en/Page/1237548207921//Airport-Network.html

One strategy might be to buy a ticket Madrid to London and then catch a bus or train to Madrid from wherever you finish walking.

 

[piogaw]

Thank you for replying. If I fly to Bilbao where would I travel to for the start of the Camino? I can only walk for 2.5 weeks. Do you have any idea where that would get me to if I walked roughly 30 km a day? I just need to get an idea of where I would fly back from? I wish I could walk the whole Camino in one go but money won't allow. Angie

if you fly to bilbao, you can take a bus to the bus station from the airport. there are buses going from bilbao to pamplona, duration 1 1/2 hours and cost approximately 15 euros. you can always start your walk from pamplona. or if it is more convenient for you, you can fly from london stanstead with ryanair to biarritz and then take the bus, train to st jean pied de port. stay overnight and start your camino the next morning.

the best way in my opinion is to take the train or bus to madrid barajas airport to go home. train time high speed train - 2 h 42 minutes; regional train over 4 hours.

you will probably be around leon. this is a large town with good transportation link.

i want to emphasize to you i do not have experience of using bilbao airport. but i am familiar with biarritz airport. there will be many other peregrinos who are more knowledgeable than me to give you advice.

you have taken the first step to the camino. good luck with your plan. god bless.

 

[whariwharangi]

Thank you for replying. If I fly to Bilbao where would I travel to for the start of the Camino? I can only walk for 2.5 weeks. Do you have any idea where that would get me to if I walked roughly 30 km a day? I just need to get an idea of where I would fly back from? I wish I could walk the whole Camino in one go but money won't allow. Angie

There is bus service and train service from Bilbao to Bayonne (Bayona)

Bilbao airport
http://www.aena-aeropuertos.es/csee/Satellite/Aeropuerto-Bilbao/en/

Bilbao bus station
http://www.termibus.es/index.php?idi=en

Bus service provided by PESA
http://www.pesa.net/pesa/public_home/ctrl_home.php

Euskotren from Bilbao to Hendaye and transfer to SNCF at border from Hendaye (Hendaia) to Bayonne then Bayonne to SJPdP. Euskotren is a series of commuter rail line. There are transfers required at Atxuri and Amara before getting to Hendaye. Connection from airport is to bus station. Euskotren station San Memes is co-located with Bilbao bus station.

Euskotren
http://www.euskotren.es/

This Euskotren map is from wikipedia
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...a_euskotren.svg/2000px-Mapa_euskotren.svg.png

SNCF (France train network)
http://www.sncf.com/en/passengers

See description for TER train to SJPdP from earlier post on this thread.

 

[diverdavey]

Hi, Sacred Heart. I too live in the North of England & have to travel to Stanstead to get to Biarittz. It is easy to get the bus from the airport into Bayonne where you will get the train to SJPDP. I'm going this way in April or May, depending on my work.
Because you only have 2 & a half weeks, starting in SJPDP will enable you to enjoy the lovely Pyrenees, but you could consider starting in Leon or Astorga. Believe me, that too is a wonderful part of the Camino Frances. That would enable you to have a couple of extra days to travel & see Santiago once you arrive. That's the joy of the Frances route. You can dip in & out wherever you choose. I think your starting point will be determined by the ease of travel to get there. As you will have seen on this forum, help & advice is in abundance. Whatever you choose, good luck & buen camino.

 

[Al the optimist]

Check this link to a Saint Jean Pied de Port taxi company. I used them this summer. I booked a taxi (I think it was 70/80 euros). They then filled it with others wanting to travel the same day. I travelled on May 9th and there were I think 6 of us so it only cost me I think 12 euros. The driver was waiting where we exited customs and asked people carrying backpacks if they had booked with them. It was pouring of rain so couldn't really see the scenery but it looked nice when we could. It took a little over an hour so was a lot quicker than busing to the train and on from there. You might be as lucky as me, I found I had started a camino family before I got to SJPdP! Your Camino is YOUR Camino, start and end where you like, it is all a good experience. However I have encountered some who have having arrived at Santiago wish they had commenced their multi-trip in SJPdP or Roncesvalles. Hope this is useful, all the best with your caminos.

http://www.espritduchemin.org/en/node/191

 

[nedspencer]

Hi, could anyone help me? I want to know where I fly from in England to which airport to start the Camino? I am an absolute beginner so I have no idea.

You should probably look at flying from Stansted to Biarritz / bus from Biarritz to Bayonne / train from Bayonne to SJPDP
It is an easy train from London to Stansted (Stansted Express)
Travel to London - let the train take the strain?

 

[nedspencer]

Hi, could anyone help me? I want to know where I fly from in England to which airport to start the Camino? I am an absolute beginner so I have no idea.

ALSO - did you see thread re pilgrims in North possibly meeting up? (Manchester?)

 

[NicoZ]

Hi, could anyone help me? I want to know where I fly from in England to which airport to start the Camino? I am an absolute beginner so I have no idea.

If you go to skyscanner.net you can select UK for the search airport. This will bring up all the airports and you can pick the one closest or most convenient.

It's too early IMHO to even be thinking of booking for July. April is the earliest I'd consider booking.

How much walking do you do now? 30km might be too much if you don't already walk a fair bit.

 

[piogaw]

Hello sacred heart,

At this point i think imho the best for you is the following:

Make your way to london stansted airport. Timetable for flights to biarritz! sunday flight departs at 12:15 and arrive at 15:05, flight time 1hr 50 min. Spain and france are one hour ahead of uk. Monday to saturday - 12:15 to 15:05 . Timetable will change to an earlier flight at the beginning of april. Price is quite good now if you have firm plan to go ahead and book your ticket. But not to worry, ryanair is always having special promotion.

Take the ryanair flight to biarritz. Make sure your rucksack is a 35l capacity. Other peregrinos have larger rucksack up to 40l as carry-0n. Also make sure your rucksack weight is under 10 kg. don't take a chance with ryanair. Absolutely no walking poles. If you need them, buy it in sjpp. You might be lucky from here on to meet your future camino family.

Once you arrive in biarritz airport, you can link up with some other peregrinos to either share a taxi or a mini-van to sjpp. Or you will need to take a bus to the station and take a train to sjpp. Do not linger on at biarritz airport, go out the front door. There is a bus at the front to go to the station. Don't worry about getting lost at biarritz airport, it is a very small airport. Try to get to bayonne station as quick as possible.

Try to take the 15:03 train from bayonne, you will arrive at sjpp at 16:23, early enough to go to the pilgrim office to pick up a pilgrim passport and get an albergue to stay overnight. The last train from bayonne to sjpp is at 18:10 and will arrive at 19:36. The pilgrim office will remain open until the last train has arrived.

Once settled in, this will also be a good time to meet your fellow walkers. If you have to stay in a private hostel in sjpp, it is a good idea to partake in the enough meal as this the best time to get to know your fellow peregrinos.

As you are planning to split the camino frances in two parts. I would suggest you take your time and enjoy the camino and come back for the second part to enjoy it even more.

I am sure there are more exprience and veteran peregrinos to offer you better advice. So feel free to ask. My last cf was done in may/june 2012 from sjpp to sdc. And my recent one is the vdlp in february/march from sevilla to santiago. My next camino, hopefully, will be the caminho portugues in march 2014 with some short caminos like camino ingles, finisterre/muxia.

Sorry the thread is so long.

I wish you good luck in your planning for the cf. buen camino and god bless. Have a happy christmas.

 

[t2andreo]

Thank you, yes I think I think I will fly to Biarritz and start my walk from St Jean Pied de Port. Will this be the first time you have walked the Camino? Thank you for your time. Angie

Depending on where you are located in northern England, have a look at Manchester Airport. I recall they have a few flights to either Bilbao or Biarritz. However, they might be seasonal. So the information may not yet be on the internet. You may have to call the airline direct for the information.

I hope this helps.

 

[piogaw]

Check this link to a Saint Jean Pied de Port taxi company. I used them this summer. I booked a taxi (I think it was 70/80 euros). They then filled it with others wanting to travel the same day. I travelled on May 9th and there were I think 6 of us so it only cost me I think 12 euros. The driver was waiting where we exited customs and asked people carrying backpacks if they had booked with them. It was pouring of rain so couldn't really see the scenery but it looked nice when we could. It took a little over an hour so was a lot quicker than busing to the train and on from there. You might be as lucky as me, I found I had started a camino family before I got to SJPdP! Your Camino is YOUR Camino, start and end where you like, it is all a good experience. However I have encountered some who have having arrived at Santiago wish they had commenced their multi-trip in SJPdP or Roncesvalles. Hope this is useful, all the best with your caminos.

http://www.espritduchemin.org/en/node/191

hello al,

i don't know what happened to the previous post. i thought i would get it corrected.

we have not heard from you for a while. we miss your sense of humour. what happen to you? are you being enslaved by your lovely senora in espana? are you having such a great time that you have forgotten all about us in the camino community?

anyway i just want to wish you a FELIZ NAVIDAD. enjoy your nochebuena and novevieja with your lovely espanola. i hope you will be doing another camino soon. all those lovely and delicious spanish food will do you in. que tengan un buen dia y que dios os bendiga.

 

[Sacred Heart]

Hello sacred heart,

At this point i think imho the best for you is the following:

Make your way to london stansted airport. Timetable for flights to biarritz! sunday flight departs at 12:15 and arrive at 15:05, flight time 1hr 50 min. Spain and france are one hour ahead of uk. Monday to saturday - 12:15 to 15:05 . Timetable will change to an earlier flight at the beginning of april. Price is quite good now if you have firm plan to go ahead and book your ticket. But not to worry, ryanair is always having special promotion.

Take the ryanair flight to biarritz. Make sure your rucksack is a 35l capacity. Other peregrinos have larger rucksack up to 40l as carry-0n. Also make sure your rucksack weight is under 10 kg. don't c
Take a chance with ryanair. Absolutely no walking poles. If you need them, buy it in sjpp. You might be lucky from here on to meet your future camino family.

Once you arrive in biarritz airport, you can link up with some other peregrinos to either share a taxi or a mini-van to sjpp. Or you will need to take a bus to the station and take a train to sjpp. Do not linger on at biarritz airport, go out the front door. There is a bus at the front to go to the station. Don't worry about getting lost at biarritz airport, it is a very small airport. Try to get to bayonne station as quick as possible.

Try to take the 15:03 train from bayonne, you will arrive at sjpp at 16:23, early enough to go to the pilgrim office to pick up a pilgrim passport and get an albergue to stay overnight. The last train from bayonne to sjpp is at 18:10 and will arrive at 19:36. The pilgrim office will remain open until the last train has arrived.

Once settled in, this will also be a good time to meet your fellow walkers. If you have to stay in a private hostel in sjpp, it is a good idea to partake in the enough meal as this the best time to get to know your fellow peregrinos.

As you are planning to split the camino frances in two parts. I would suggest you take your time and enjoy the camino and come back for the second part to enjoy it even more.

I am sure there are more exprience and veteran peregrinos to offer you better advice. So feel free to ask. My last cf was done in may/june 2012 from sjpp to sdc. And my recent one is the vdlp in february/march from sevilla to santiago. My next camino, hopefully, will be the caminho portugues in march 2014 with some short caminos like camino ingles, ginisterre/muxia.

Sorry the thread is so long.

I wish you good luck in your planning for the cf. buen camino and god bless. Have a happy christmas.

ALSO - did you see thread re pilgrims in North possibly meeting up? (Manchester?)

Hi, Sacred Heart. I too live in the North of England & have to travel to Stanstead to get to Biarittz. It is easy to get the bus from the airport into Bayonne where you will get the train to SJPDP. I'm going this way in April or May, depending on my work.
Because you only have 2 & a half weeks, starting in SJPDP will enable you to enjoy the lovely Pyrenees, but you could consider starting in Leon or Astorga. Believe me, that too is a wonderful part of the Camino Frances. That would enable you to have a couple of extra days to travel & see Santiago once you arrive. That's the joy of the Frances route. You can dip in & out wherever you choose. I think your starting point will be determined by the ease of travel to get there. As you will have seen on this forum, help & advice is in abundance. Whatever you choose, good luck & buen camino.