Orisson: To stop or not to stop?

[Robo]

@Robo , well said.
Most damage done is the first day .
I still cannot believe why pilgrims do not go back 3 days prior on the GR65 and warm up before RON.

That's a great idea. What would the start point be?

 

[Mark Lee]

Tumblie Dear...are you saying that SJPP to RONCI can easily be done in 8 hours? I was hoping to leave around 7:00 a.m. to avoid the hot JULY sun. Do you think it would be reasonable to say that I will get to RON at around 5:00 PM? With a two hour break in between?

Three times over the Pyrenees from SJPdP to Roncesvalles. Twice on the Napoleon route and once on the Valcarlos. Every time I did it I left SJPdP at about 7:00 am and got to Roncesvalles somewhere around 3:00-4:00 pm, and that was with a fair amount of rest breaks and even a stop for coffee at Orisson.
I'm no super PT stud. In my mid-fifties and ain't the lean and mean bastard I once was . So yeah, reaching Roncesvalles by 5:00 pm is doable.
On my second Camino I even continued on to Burguete and spent the night there instead of Roncesvalles. It was only another 5k or so, all flat and easy walking.

 

[peregrina2000]

I do get concerned about some of these discussions. My fear is that it can be misleading for those who are yet to walk their first Camino. Particularly those who are not as fit as they could be. It was only a few months ago that I too would hang on every bit of advice gleaned from this forum.

My concern is about the capabilities of Pilgrims. Their age, level of fitness, experience of long distance hiking, the weight they are carrying, the suitability of footwear.....

We all vary so much. OK, I was one of the slowest walkers probably, most were of fairly average fitness, many very unfit and over weight quite frankly. They suffered early on, but soon got into their stride.

Maybe it's bravado. Maybe we have a smattering of hardened hill walkers amongst us. Maybe I'm just really unfit. But there seems to be a bit of 'chest beating' about "how fast I got to Roncesvalles"...... If you ran all the way in 4 hours. Great. Well done. But please don't try to tell a budding Pilgrim that it's easy.....

I certainly did not see many Pilgrims on my Camino that could breeze up from St Jean to Orisson and then on to Roncesvalles all in one day in 6 or 7 hours and not experience considerable discomfort. OK, there are obviously a few here. That's great. But I would suggest those people are the exception rather than the rule, and perhaps represent less than 10% or so of Pilgrims in terms of overall fitness and being 'Camino ready'. Perhaps they are regular walkers.

The other 90% huffed and puffed their way up the hill. Getting to Orisson in maybe 2 to 2 1/2 hours. I took 3. It's not far. It's 8 kms. But it IS Steep.

I could probably have done another 7 or 8 kms. I certainly felt that only 8 kms was a bit short. But the only other option was to walk another 17 kms. That would have been tough on Day 1. Of course lots do. Most Pilgrims do. There aren't that many beds at Orisson.

But let's be realistic. It's not exactly a walk in the park. Is it?


Sorry to rant a bit.....

I would just hate for some Pilgrim on their first Camino to have problems on day 1.

Robo, this is great advice. When I was figuring out whether to stop at Orisson on one of my first caminos, I looked at both elevation gain and distances. I found the following facts that helped me decide whether I was likely to be able to enjoy the walk to Roncesvalles:

St Jean Pied de Port to Roncesvalles
Altitude at departure: 180m/594ft.

On the way Orisson stands at 1095m/3614ft, then further on Col Lepoeder stands at 1430m/4719ft - this is the highest point on this route. There is then the descent to Puerto de Ibaneta and Roncesvalles.

Altitude at arrival: 920m/3036ft.

The toughest part is from St. Jean to Orisson because of the short distance -- 3100 feet elevation gain over about 8 miles.

That means that the total elevation gain is 4100 feet or about 1300 meters.

If those numbers don't mean anything to you, the likelihood is that you should not attempt to go all the way to Roncesvalles, because it probably means that you are not a hiker with a lot of experience, which in turn probably means that this will be very hard for you. And stopping in Orisson is a wonderful experience anyway, even if you could sail all the way through to Roncesvalles.

buen camino, Laurie

 

[MoniRose]

MANI DEAR...I am exactly where you are. It is a toss-up and I've voted on going the whole way. Those *astards at ORISSON are gouging people for 32 or 35 euro for a bunk bed. Have they lost their cotton-pickin' mind? So out of principle I say "NO"...let's not leave our hard-earned euro there. What I plan to do is go up that mountain gently even if it takes me four hours. Walking time is 7 hours. I will budget nine so I can take a couple of long rest periods. GOD BLESS! Let me know how you feel. regalsolomon@gmail.com

I skipped Orrison and did it all inone day. I began at 7:00am and arrived in Roncesvalles at 5:00pm. Went through the forest and saw nobody the whole time. I was scared to death and my feet were killing me, but I made it!! Good luck!

 

[Catherine Tierney]

I am debating on whether or not to stop for the night in Orisson or to continue to Roncesvalles on Day One. On the one hand, I don't want to push my self too fast, on the other, Orisson does not seem like much of a push for the first day. I don't want to regret booking ahead and paying for a room I don't use and I don't want to get that far and regret not not having a room. I know it seems minor but 32 euro is 32 euro. Any advice? I am walking alone and have been thinking a lot about this. Thank you! - M :arrow:

Hi there. I'm just back from the Camino and was one of the people who read these posts and decided to book Orisson before setting off. In case this is helpful for anyone trying to decide now, I wouldn't recommend stopping there if travelling solo and in case you connect in any way with fellow journeyers from St Jean. My experience as a solo walker was 1) that I didn't want to miss walking with these lovely people I'd met the day before and 2) that I realised I was able for more walking that day and 3) that I found the Orisson staff not very friendly. I arrived in Orisson, my fellow walkers moved on and after a lot of prevaricating of head (sensible) over heart (gut instinct), an hour later I asked the main Orisson lady if I was crazy to consider walking on solo at that late hour (130pm). Her reply was to shrug and say that I couldn't get my Orisson booking refund if I left. That decided me and so off I went. I never regretted it and caught up with my new friends along that way and had a fantastic camino. Buen Camino to anyone lucky enough to be setting off shortly!

 

[MoniRose]

Hi there. I'm just back from the Camino and was one of the people who read these posts and decided to book Orisson before setting off. In case this is helpful for anyone trying to decide now, I wouldn't recommend stopping there if travelling solo and in case you connect in any way with fellow journeyers from St Jean. My experience as a solo walker was 1) that I didn't want to miss walking with these lovely people I'd met the day before and 2) that I realised I was able for more walking that day and 3) that I found the Orisson staff not very friendly. I arrived in Orisson, my fellow walkers moved on and after a lot of prevaricating of head (sensible) over heart (gut instinct), an hour later I asked the main Orisson lady if I was crazy to consider walking on solo at that late hour (130pm). Her reply was to shrug and say that I couldn't get my Orisson booking refund if I left. That decided me and so off I went. I never regretted it and caught up with my new friends along that way and had a fantastic camino. Buen Camino to anyone lucky enough to be setting off shortly!

I had the same experience only I arrived at 9:30, felt great, and decided to keep walking. I told the gentleman I wasn't going to stay and he said "no refunds". I said, "Just give my bed to someone else who may need it." I'm sure they resold.
But guess what? Three weeks later I met a gal who said she needed to stop at Orisson on that day but was worried because she didn't have a reservation. She told me she was lucky because they had one bed left. I told her it was probably the one I gave up.
Gotta love the Camino!

 

[Thornley]

Just give my bed to someone else who may need it.

Not on Frances but Gr65 [Le Puy] we were sitting in the square in a village called Bach awaiting a good restaurant to open,
Young couple [kids] sitting nearby were buggered , could not afford the Gite in the village and Vaylats was booked out.
My wife asked them to ring the nuns , yes we had booked a double room and was paid by friends who lived nearby , yes we could swap it resulting in these kids having a wonderful present from us oldies.
Next day in Cahors two beers arrived at our table in a lovely rest. near the famous bridge on the GR as you leave.
The young kids smiled and continued on their chemin ,
The world is a good place Moni Rose , well done.

 

[HedaP]

Know your own limitations. What other people can do is not necessarily what everyone can do. For instance, and I acknowledge that this is an exceptional example, I met a woman this year who left Orisson at the usual time after early breakfast and didn’t arrive in Roncesvalles till 10:30 pm! She had real courage. And presumably a good torch.
When we walked the Napolean route in 2015 we got caught in an extreme weather situation and struggled to get from Orisson to Roncesvalles at almost 6 pm by which time we were in the overflow which BTW no longer exists and there were no dinner tickets left. I was so buggered I just went to bed unshowered unfed and was grateful to be able to do so.
Don’t want this post to worry anyone but there needs to be some acknowlegement that it may be more difficult for some people than others depending on fitness level, weather conditions, etc. etc.

 

[Robo]

Indeed. There is no way I can walk St Jean to Roncesvalles in one go...

 

[Thornley]

Indeed. There is mo way I can walk St Jean to Roncesvalles in one go...

Sorry Robo , i never replied about the 3 days prior to StJPP , Saint Palais [2] or Navarrenx[4]
Walking off the jet lag without stopping in Paris on arrival.
Both are connected to Bayonne/Biarritz and give a wonderful view of the whole mountain range as you approach , lovely Basque villages .

We normally go via Valcarlos as we have discovered a beautiful Casa Rural there thus resulting in Burguete being the next stop which has many options with food and sleep.

 

[domigee]

Hi there. I'm just back from the Camino and was one of the people who read these posts and decided to book Orisson before setting off.

I did the same thing on my first Camino! In the end decided to walk on as I had arrived much too early to call it a day and I felt fine. And like you, I am very glad I did.

HOWEVER.... I don'tknow where you are from but I'm thinking of all those peeps who come from far away and that may be a different story. I only have a 2hr or so plane journey to reach Biarritz. No hassle. In the days when I was flying from New Zealand (and I was much younger then) I don't think I could even have walked the 8km to Orrisson after such a long flight!

So it's something else to consider when you make those decisions: your fitness of course but also where you came from to begin with.
(Hope it makes sense...)

 

[carmodyelizabeth]

Remember you do not have to stop at Roncesvalles the next day you could walk on and stay in Burguete, perhaps at Hostal Burguete where Hemingway used to stay, or in one of the villages further on. Be flexible.

Of course you can pick up a stamp on your pilgrim passport at the monastery of Roncesvalles on the way.

This is what I did, had planned on staying at Roncesvalles (as had stopped at Orisson the first night) but got in about 12noon which was pretty early so then walked on to Burguete, its a sweet little village

 

[Dancing Rain]

If you start from St Jean in the morning you will be at Orisson well before noon. It should only take 2.5 hours or so.

Some of us take a lot longer .... it is steep!

 

[Doug Delfeld]

I am debating on whether or not to stop for the night in Orisson or to continue to Roncesvalles on Day One. On the one hand, I don't want to push my self too fast, on the other, Orisson does not seem like much of a push for the first day. I don't want to regret booking ahead and paying for a room I don't use and I don't want to get that far and regret not not having a room. I know it seems minor but 32 euro is 32 euro. Any advice? I am walking alone and have been thinking a lot about this. Thank you! - M :arrow:

Orisson is very special. The accommodations are fine and the people are very elcoming. The pilrram meal is very special and a great way to start your Camino.
The food is great and the wine flows but the best part is their orutual of having each Peregrino inrTraduce themselves and tell where they are from and why they are doing the Camino. It is a very special time and a precious way to start your journey.
Been Camino

 

[Kanga]

@Doug Delfeld and other new members - MoniRose started this thread in 2012. I think she would have well and truly passed Orisson by now! The thread is still running because it contains some interesting posts.

I try to remember to check the date of the post I am answering.

 

[MoniRose]

I think I've decided to stop for all the reasons mentioned above. I've already emailed them to book my spot. Thank you. This forum has been invaluable to me! - M :arrow:

Update: I got to Orisson at 9:30am, gave up my room, and kept going! My toes were killing me when I walked out of the beech forest at 5:00pm, but I made it! What a high to end my first day on the Camino, except I was so exhausted and hungry.
if I had to do it again, I think I would do the same.

 

[domigee]

Update: I got to Orisson at 9:30am, gave up my room, and kept going! My toes were killing me when I walked out of the beech forest at 5:00pm, but I made it! What a high to end my first day on the Camino, except I was so exhausted and hungry.
if I had to do it again, I think I would do the same.

Nice of you to update
Same story here on my first camino. Had booked Orisson but arrived at around 10.30, perfect for a snack and coffee but much too early to stop for the day. So gave up my room and carried on.
Wonderful first day!
Memories huh