Driving the Camino

[Yorkie]

I know this is a bit of a cheat - but having read The Pilgrimage I thought it might just be nice to tour the North of Spain in the MX-5 in June next year. The wife is all for it - and we plan to sail to Bilbao and commence the tour in Pamplona.

We have looked at the various names highlighted on the route (Logrono, Burgos, Sahagun, Leon, Ponferrada & Sarria) - but really have no idea of how much to try and take on during a day. For example we do like walking and would like to take in some of the more remote areas and see the sights (if there are any?). Not very spiritual at all - it's just a walking/driving holiday for a bit of relaxation.

Any of you out there tried anything similar?
Can you recommend the nicest areas to stop for a night?
Can you recommend places not to stop?

I expect to be chastised for even suggesting not starting at the traditional place, the French town just the other side of The Pyrennes, and the thought of using a car defeats the whole concept of a pilgrimage - but each to his own.

We look forward to some spirited responses with some novel and hopefully pleasant recommendations for our break. I'm primed already for an adventure - but I like to do a bit of planning rather than fly by the seat of my pants...if you get my drift.

Bob

[Sil]

Bob, don't be brainwashed by the Gortex-clad, foot-slogging, ipod and credit card carrying Pilgrim Fundamentalists with a return ticket home in their back pockets into thinking that there is only one way to be a 'real' pilgrim. 12 million pilgrims are expected to visit the tomb of St James next year and only a small percentage will walk there (about 10% of those will do more than 114kms)
I put figures for other pilgrimages on my blog recently:
200 million pilgrims have visited Lourdes since 1869, chances are that they did not walk there.
Over 4 million pilgrims visit Fatima and each year.
10 Million make the pilgrimage to Guadalupe each year and just as many to Rome, and Jerusalem. Only a miniscule fraction walk to these shrines.

A lot of what we know about the camino - which was dead for over 400 years - comes from a manuscript discovered in the 19th C, written by a Poitou priest in the 12th C. He didn't walk either! Neither did many others who have shared their pilgrimages with us - the German Knight Arnold von Harff in the 15th C (Pilgrimage of the Horseman) and the Italian priest Domenico Laffi in the 17th C (A Journey Westward to Santiago in Galicia and Finisterre).

There is a beautiful book for people wishing to drive le Chemin de St Jacque de Compostelle in France and Spain as well as maps for the motor-pilgrim in Spain.

Driving is a great way to see the camino, and the many detours that few walking pilgrims are able to make. My husband met me in Sarria in 2007, walked the last bit with me and we then hired a car and drove back to Pamplona spending nights in Finisterre, Lugo, Oviedo and Castrojeriz, then to Santo Domngo do Silos (home of the Gregorian Chants) and on to St Jean Pied de Port, a sleep over at Roncesvalles and back to Pamplona for a couple of days. I found driving into the bigger cities very taxing and would recommend sleeping over in the smaller, traditional towns and villages. I would plan carefully, and book places to stay because it will be very busy next year.
Have a look at some of the walk-tour websites for their itineraries - chances are they have worked out the best drive-walk-see schedules.
Spanish Steps, On Foot in Spain, Fresco Tours, Gap Adventures, Follow the Camino to name a few.
Happy planning!
Abrazo,
Sil

[Covey]

Last year there were a group of Trabant car lovers on their way to Santiago.

It is your Camino, and you do it your way!

[Yorkie]

A bit of an update for all you.

We have booked the ferry to Bilbao - and return in time for the World Cup knock out stages - Come on England! Might be a bit exciting seeing the group games - one on the ferry on a friday night should be OK!!

Looked at a number of websites and picked a round robin route - doing the north route from Bilbao and then going back via Lugo & Burgos. Not too sure yet - but we are very open about the whole trip. If we find a place we like we may stop there for a few days.

I'm just struggling to get my head around undeveloped Northern Spain.
1) Credit cards - are they readily acceped these days?
2) Mobile phone - it's a bit remote do they work?

Anyone suggest any nice places to stop over? The choice is immense and the cost varies from reasonable to down right extortionate! The wife like her comforts of home but we are not 4/5* hotel people unless it's a special occassion!

The car is getting very excited - the trip to Pompey will be fun! Poor old Pompey not only going down but penniless too. Just as well there's another club in Hampshire - the mighty Saints!

Brmmm, brmm or should that be zoom zoom?

[Covey]

Credit cards are accepted everywhere and Spain has a lot of different banks, so it is easy to find an ATM. Most ATM are Visa/Mastercard so your non Spanish cards should work OK, but I have found that the ATM's of some smaller banks have difficulties with foreign cards because of the connection times to overseas banks, resulting in the machine timing out and then rejecting the card.

I usually use Banco Sandanter if I can find one cos they always work.

Mobile phones work everywhere in Spain, and along the whole length of the Camino.

HOWEVER - remember that the terms of your mobile contract only work in your home country, and all those free minutes only work at home. Be especially careful of 3G or high speed internet access on your mobile. My mobile uses 3G for my email service and in the UK I pay ?10/month for unlimited broadband on my phone, but when I travel outside the UK they charge up to ?12 PER MEGABYTE (Switzerland) so unless you want a very unpleasant surprise on your mobile bill, turn off the 3G in Spain!!