Advice on where to Start/End for 1st Timers

[M&A]

Hey all,
My girlfriend and I are traveling to Spain in Aug and would really love to spend a few days on el camino during our time there. We do have a couple questions before we plan it though.

We would really like to start and end in a place with a train station so that we can get to our other destinations in Spain. We know some people in Pamplona and were thinking that we could start/end there.

-We were wondering if anyone had some suggestions on a section of el camino that we could walk in 3-4 days that would have train access at the starting/ending points?

-Also, we are backpacking through Spain and will most likely be carrying much more that 10% of our bodyweight (probably somewhere around the neighborhood of 20-30 lbs). Is there a good method of storing our extra stuff while we walk? We read that you could mail it to your ending destination but are not really sure how to go about that, and if the post office would hold those packages for us until we got there.

Thanks in advance,
Matt

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Matt ~
Since you're wanting to stick to trains and since you have friends in Pamplona, why not plan to do the 94 kms between Pamplona and Logrono? This takes you through some nice countryside, including vineyards of the La Rioja region, of which Logrono is capital. Some of the Camino's nicest towns are in this section, including Cirauqui, Villamayor de Montjardin, Estella, Viana, etc., and you'll get a flavor of the true Camino Frances.

You can plan your stages in more detail through the http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances website, which will help you with daily stops, albergue locations, elevations, etc.

I'm afraid I can't help on posting your belongings ahead. Perhaps to leave some of your stuff with your friends in Pamplona would be best, if they're willing. In 3-4 days you're likely to get only about 100kms from Pamplona, so you could take a bus there/back to pick up your stuff or perhaps talk/bribe them into bringing your belongings to Logrono for you. How well do you know these folks???? :-)

[M&A]

Hey HuskyNerd,

They are friends of a friend, so we don't know them too well. I think that probably taking the bus back to Pamplona would be our best bet. do you know a website where I can look up the bus timetables and/or if there are lockers at the station we could leave our stuff in?

Also, I'm not 100% sure that the folks in Pamplona will be around on the day we get there. Do you think that it would be a big hassle to just carry all of our stuff with us? We are 22 and are in pretty good shape. I'm a bit worried about the heat but other than that, is the trail difficult in that section?

Thanks again for all you help and advice on where to go and for the link to the planning website (I had no idea that this existed and it's going to be really helpful).

[HuskyNerd]

The bus between Logrono and Pamplona should be no problem. Go to the LA ESTELLESA. Autocares, autobuses, excursiones y viajes website for timetables. I don't know about lockers, but perhaps a call to the bus company can sort that out. Personally, I'd doubt that it's likely, but if you discover it is possible I'd appreciate if you could let me know.

If you have modern packs that fit well I would think it'd be very doable to carry your stuff with you for this relatively short distance. There are some hills, but not the biggest of the Camino. The hill up to Alto del Perdon outside of a Pamplona will be your biggest test. An even bigger test is the path on the way down. You'll find a moderate hill climb up to Monjardin, too.

Hope this helps! Buen camino!