How to make it fit Camino France

[john reubenicct]

Im an older pilgrim/bloke, 65 and in reasonable condition, I have hiked some 20 to 30 km days
with the walking groups that I have been involved with and survived.... just.I have continued shorter walks during the week.
My Camino starts in under 2 weeks.
Due to the great input from these informative contributors to this forum I feel that I can make it ok at my
pace. My challenge is due to my poor planning I have 34 days which is doable to reach Santiago if I average
about 23km per day every day but does not allow for layovers or time out to appreciate what this country and its people has to offer.
So I am considering bussing part of the Meseta as an option
all input is welcome
John

 

[nidarosa]

The poor Meseta - everyone wants to skip it! I'd say start a bit closer to Santiago, or consider getting buses or taxis into and out of the main cities - you'll only be walking on tarmac/asphalt through industrialised areas anyway, so bypass that and enjoy a day off in the city, then get a taxi a couple of kms out again the next day. Voilá a whole day in town sightseeing and chilling, no ugly and tiring tarmac walk, and you have time for the Meseta!

 

[clearskiescamino]

The meseta is my favourite section..so far. I loved it.
I would consider starting closer to Santiago and revisiting this wonderful part of Spain again.

 

[Dutch]

I walked it in 34 days incl 3 (of which were 2 forced) resting days. Longest day was 42km, shortest 7km. Maybe i had several longer days then 23km, but besides one time 42 in never really went higher then 28-30, but some days also werent higher then 20. The most enjoyable distance for me was 25km. Anything less was to short. Between 25-30 was still ok, but 30+ were the least enjoyable days.

Lots of people walk it in about 34 days from SJPP

Just tryimg to say, dont get to hung up on the 23km average. You will see that once you walk, you gain strenght and endurance, so you maybe can walk some more km's on flat days. 23km might be an average, but not always douable. There will be days where you have to choose...walk for instance 20 or 26 or 17 or 24. It all depends on where the next town/albergue is and it isn't always at exactly 23km.
Just take it one day at a time. And if you do decide you need a restday, then you can also decide if you want to skip a day somewhere. Just let it all rely on the moment. The more you worry about it, the bigger it will become in your head, while maybe in the end it won't be an issue at all.

 

[bokormen91]

It all depends on what you want

Personally I find that I do not like cities much when I'm off walking, be it on the Camino or somewhere else. My mindset changes after a few days, and I find the pace and amount of people in cities generally clashes with my walking "mood". Others enjoy the "sightseeing"

Some people like rest days, I don't as I find that rest days makes me really notice where I'm hurting, especially in the 1st couple of weeks...

Start gently - doing an extra 5-10km in week 3 will be much easier than in week 1, and less likely to cause you problems. Listen to your body, be kind to yourself - then make the decision when you're half way...

Buen Camino

 

[santiago_67]

Im an older pilgrim/bloke, 65 and in reasonable condition, I have hiked some 20 to 30 km days
with the walking groups that I have been involved with and survived.... just.I have continued shorter walks during the week.
My Camino starts in under 2 weeks.
Due to the great input from these informative contributors to this forum I feel that I can make it ok at my
pace. My challenge is due to my poor planning I have 34 days which is doable to reach Santiago if I average
about 23km per day every day but does not allow for layovers or time out to appreciate what this country and its people has to offer.
So I am considering bussing part of the Meseta as an option
all input is welcome
John

Hi John, Last year I started in Roncesvalles, took a bus from Burgos to Leon and then walked on to Santiago (32 days of walking slowly and enjoying). So many pilgrims told me how much they enjoyed walking the Meseta. So this year I have about the same amount of time to walk the Camino and I have decided to start in Logroño and not miss the Meseta. I am flying into Madrid and then getting a bus at the T4 Terminal at Barajas Airport that will take me to Logroño. That is the plan for this 68 year old. Buen Camino!

 

[jennie]

The meseta is my favourite section..so far. I loved it.
I would consider starting closer to Santiago and revisiting this wonderful part of Spain again.

thats interesting i am happy you enjoyed that section ,,makes it less of a worry ,,not long to wait and see it for myself.

 

[clearskiescamino]

thats interesting i am happy you enjoyed that section ,,makes it less of a worry ,,not long to wait and see it for myself.

Some hate it, some love it. Not sure why.
I'd definitely choose the meseta over the hills of Leon

 

[Scott Sweeney]

The poor Meseta - everyone wants to skip it!

one of my favorite parts of the Camino.

 

[CaptBuddy]

Walk to Sahagún from wherever you want to start. Take a train to Astorga (passes through Leon). You'll gain about 4 days and will have walked most of the best part of the Meseta. You'll miss Leon, but whatever.
The other thing you might do is set a date to be in Sarria, one that is compatible with your schedule. Then walk all you want, and take whatever transportation you need to to get to Sarria by that date.
I don't think you will regret it anyway you choose.
Buen Camino
(BTW - I'm almost 67 and ready to start my second Camino in September, both with time constraints. You can do it.)

 

[Magnara]

Im an older pilgrim/bloke, 65 and in reasonable condition, I have hiked some 20 to 30 km days
with the walking groups that I have been involved with and survived.... just.I have continued shorter walks during the week.
My Camino starts in under 2 weeks.
Due to the great input from these informative contributors to this forum I feel that I can make it ok at my
pace. My challenge is due to my poor planning I have 34 days which is doable to reach Santiago if I average
about 23km per day every day but does not allow for layovers or time out to appreciate what this country and its people has to offer.
So I am considering bussing part of the Meseta as an option
all input is welcome
John

The beginning and the end are wonderful moments, and it would be a shame to miss them. The middle offers lots of choices. We walked in the winter, and were struggling battle our way against the fierce bitter winds, miserable and exhausted. Catching a bus for 100 km to Leon saved our camino. After a few days rest we were eager and ready to go again. So my advice would be, don't agonise too much about these details. Just allow your camino to unfold. If you walk at your own pace and are a bit short of time, decide as you go what to do about that. Probably the only mistake I have seen a lot in three caminos is people pushing themselves too hard and getting injured. It's your camino, there are no rule books, do it your way. That way, however it pans out, you will have a wonderful and memorable experience. A lot of the camino is about going with the flow and experiencing the unexpected anyway.
Maggie Ramsay
(The Italian Camino - amazon)

 

[MaryLynn]

NO! Do not miss the meseta...it can be as (or more) beautiful than any other section of the Camino. Start in Pamplona, take a bus from Mansilla de las Mulas to Leon to save almost a day's walk through the least interesting part of the Camino (to me)...whatever...but do not miss the meseta! It's the meseta that most easily gave me the sense of being such a tiny speck in this great big beautiful world--I loved it!

 

[john reubenicct]

Im an older pilgrim/bloke, 65 and in reasonable condition, I have hiked some 20 to 30 km days
with the walking groups that I have been involved with and survived.... just.I have continued shorter walks during the week.
My Camino starts in under 2 weeks.
Due to the great input from these informative contributors to this forum I feel that I can make it ok at my
pace. My challenge is due to my poor planning I have 34 days which is doable to reach Santiago if I average
about 23km per day every day but does not allow for layovers or time out to appreciate what this country and its people has to offer.
So I am considering bussing part of the Meseta as an option
all input is welcome
John

Hi John, welcome to the forum

You have 3 possible choices.

1- Start where you planned and enjoy the walk. Don´t "push" to finish it. Take your time, stop when you feel like it. Then return sometime in the future and start again from where you left off. Reach Santiago and really feel that you have truly benefited from your Camino.

2- Start closer to Santiago. You´ll miss out on lots of things but you´ll reach Santiago.

3- Start where you´ve planned. "Run John run !" You won´t see a thing. You might make it .

Ondo Ibili !

 

[john reubenicct]

Thank you to all who have responded, it has given me many more options than I first considered
and the realization that your Camino starts wherever you want it to start and not some predetermined
spot on the map.

 

[lettinggo]

Hola John

Your physical capabilities as you describe them, makes me think that you should have no problem starting in St. Jean and arriving in Santiago.
I think may pilgrims experience than walking a month or so, makes the body stronger and that they in their second and third week walk much further than they ever had done.
My advice would be to just get to St. Jean, or your starting point, and take it a day at the time.
First week go slowly so your body adjust to what you are doing to it.
Once you are past the first week or two, you will know more about your possibilities to arrive at Santiago.
If you feel you are pressed by time, then jump a bus. You don't have to decide now.
And about the meseta I found it to be wonderful stretch, the mountains on the right hand, dust road ahead, a place for solitude and contemplation.

Buen Camino
Lettinggo

 

[Dutch]

MISS Leon?! OMG i love Leon! I would easily trade in one day of the meseta so i would not miss Leon.

Aaahh, opinions, opinions, you just gotta love 'm

 

[wayfarer]

Hi john, my brother, who was not a walker, and I walked the Camino from StJPP to Santiago in 34 days including two rest days, one in Burgos and one in Leon in 2012. He was 60 and I was a much much younger 58. IMO I would start in Pamplona, that will save you three hard days at the start. See how you go after that and if you are getting tight for time then bus forward. I would not miss the Meseta either.

 

[peregrina13]

Hi John,

You don't mention where you originally planned on starting, but I suspect that it was StJPP. As others have mentioned, it's your own completely unique Camino, wherever you start and however far you walk or bus it. However, if you're loathe to miss starting at a quasi-official point, you could do as I did and begin at Roncesvalles. I chose to start there as it's where many of the Spanish pilgrims begin, but also to save myself that first stage that I felt could damage my chances of going much further. In your case, it would give you an extra day to play with.

As many others have commented, I found the Meseta to be a wonderful part of the Camino, and it is invariably the image that I get when I hear the word 'Camino'. I echo Marylynn's sentiments; in essence, it is the distillation of what the Camino meant / means to me. Having said that, I met many peregrinos who couldn't bear it, so it is very much an individual choice.

I don't think that Marylynn was suggesting missing León completely, but rather just taking the bus instead of the walk in from Mansilla de las Mulas http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa...x.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken . (The earlier final 7 km stretch from Villfría into Burgos would be no great loss either, in my view. Linea 8 - http://www.aytoburgos.es/movilidad-y-transporte/mapa-lineas-autobus/gran-teatro-villafria) Personally, I would be quite happy to miss that short stretch but would not skip León itself at any cost. (That's despite having been incredibly ill most of the time I was there!)

I found it the most magical and special city of the entire Camino. The stunning Gothic cathedral, known as the House of Light literally brought me to tears. Here's the website, so you can make up your own mind: http://www.catedraldeleon.org/. There's much more to experience in León, such as the Romanesque Basilica de San Isisdoro, where the royal family were traditionally buried. http://www.sanisidorodeleon.com/ and the Monastry of San Marcos, now a luxury parador hotel: http://www.spain.info/en_GB/que-quieres/arte/monumentos/leon/convento_de_san_marcos.html . But then again, the historic sacred buildings of the Camino may not form part of your own camino. You need to do it your way, and that way can change as you go along.

Listen to your heart, listen to your body and I'm sure that you will end up on the right Camino for you.

¡Buen Camino!

Maria

 

[john reubenicct]

Hi John,

You don't mention where you originally planned on starting, but I suspect that it was StJPP. As others have mentioned, it's your own completely unique Camino, wherever you start and however far you walk or bus it. However, if you're loathe to miss starting at a quasi-official point, you could do as I did and begin at Roncesvalles. I chose to start there as it's where many of the Spanish pilgrims begin, but also to save myself that first stage that I felt could damage my chances of going much further. In your case, it would give you an extra day to play with.

As many others have commented, I found the Meseta to be a wonderful part of the Camino, and it is invariably the image that I get when I hear the word 'Camino'. I echo Marylynn's sentiments; in essence, it is the distillation of what the Camino meant / means to me. Having said that, I met many peregrinos who couldn't bear it, so it is very much an individual choice.

I don't think that Marylynn was suggesting missing León completely, but rather just taking the bus instead of the walk in from Mansilla de las Mulas http://www.alsa.es/portal/site/Alsa/template.PAGE/menuitem.a2b8c42c4264a03c66c766c7421000e5/?javax.portlet.tpst=28b12525bd34c9fec845c845421000e5&javax.portlet.prp_28b12525bd34c9fec845c845421000e5=_spageview=%2FSearchExpeditions.do&_kraview=1&javax.portlet.begCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken&javax.portlet.endCacheTok=com.vignette.cachetoken . (The earlier final 7 km stretch from Villfría into Burgos would be no great loss either, in my view. Linea 8 - http://www.aytoburgos.es/movilidad-y-transporte/mapa-lineas-autobus/gran-teatro-villafria) Personally, I would be quite happy to miss that short stretch but would not skip León itself at any cost. (That's despite having been incredibly ill most of the time I was there!)

I found it the most magical and special city of the entire Camino. The stunning Gothic cathedral, known as the House of Light literally brought me to tears. Here's the website, so you can make up your own mind: http://www.catedraldeleon.org/. There's much more to experience in León, such as the Romanesque Basilica de San Isisdoro, where the royal family were traditionally buried. http://www.sanisidorodeleon.com/ and the Monastry of San Marcos, now a luxury parador hotel: http://www.spain.info/en_GB/que-quieres/arte/monumentos/leon/convento_de_san_marcos.html . But then again, the historic sacred buildings of the Camino may not form part of your own camino. You need to do it your way, and that way can change as you go along.

Listen to your heart, listen to your body and I'm sure that you will end up on the right Camino for you.

¡Buen Camino!

Maria

 

[john reubenicct]

Hi Maria,
I did'nt mention that I was planning to start in StJJP. Now after you and several of the other much appreciated contributors have suggested I will miss a special part of the Camino if I by- pass the Meseta. I'm now deciding between starting at Roncessvalles or Pamplona. I would like to especially like to express my gratitude to you for the extra site details for the connections regarding transport and historical site info.
Buen Camino

John

 

[peregrina13]

Hi Maria,
I did'nt mention that I was planning to start in StJJP. Now after you and several of the other much appreciated contributors have suggested I will miss a special part of the Camino if I by- pass the Meseta. I'm now deciding between starting at Roncessvalles or Pamplona. I would like to especially like to express my gratitude to you for the extra site details for the connections regarding transport and historical site info.
Buen Camino

John

Good morning, John.

I am glad to have been of help. Again, you don't mention your arrival point in Spain but you will need to consider how you get to Roncesvalles, if that is your chosen starting point. You mention that you are starting in less than two weeks.
Please note that the twice-daily bus service drops to a single service from Pamplona from 1 September (the winter schedule). Until then, the departure times are 10.00am and 6pm, Monday to Friday and 10am and 4pm on Saturday. Under the winter schedule, you will only be able to get the 6pm service (M-F) and the 4pm service (Saturday). Journey time is approx 1hr 10mins.
Furthermore, there is no Sunday or public holiday service at any time of the year. The only option in this case is to get a taxi, though there is the possibility of arranging to share a taxi with other peregrinos through this site. For further information about this, see this thread: http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/taxi-share-thread-biarritz-sjpp.17935/

Here is the link to the timetable: http://www.autocaresartieda.com/?scc=roncesvalles The fare is quoted as €6. Bookings cannot be made online so just turn up at Salida de la Estación de Autobuses de Pamplona
C/ Yangüas y Miranda, 2 (c/ is short for calle -street)
Pamplona (city centre) https://www.google.ie/maps/@42.8115...m2!1sJAde_JqsBNXO6kxl8yBTXg!2e0!6m1!1e1?hl=en

The city of Pamplona authorities also have a useful site for visitors (available in English too!) with info on accommodation, transport, sights etc: http://www.turismodepamplona.es/verpagina.aspx?idpag=1&idioma=5

If you are arriving in France, you could contact Express Bourricot http://www.expressbourricot.com/en.html for shared rides from various airports, or just from StJPP. The rates seem pretty reasonable.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. There are also lots of existing threads about logistical info.

Buen camino,
Maria