Cycle/walk combination

[gemely]

Hi!
I'm starting the Camino from Saint Jean Pied de Port on the 21st September, this coming Tuesday. I'm going it alone but have had plenty of advice from friends/family members who have already been. I'm planning on doing the whole walk to Santiago de Compostella hopefully in four weeks or under. It just occured to me how much I'm going to miss my bike while on this trip as I cycle all the time! I was wondering if anyone could give me any advice on whether you can cycle for part of the Camino and then proceed to walk again or does anything like this exist? I'm going to be travelling light and have completed a hefty 90km cycle recently so it shouldn't be too hard cycling with gear.. or maybe I'm being too optimistic! If anyone has any info/suggestions that would be great!
Thanks, Emily

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Emily and welcome to the Forum. There are bike rental places for the Camino (for example: Tournride bike hire for the Way of St. James - Alquiler de bicicletas para el Camino de Santiago), so what you're proposing is certainly possible. I'd guess that the biggest issue would be what to do with your gear, namely your backpack and boots. Somehow you'd need to either drag this stuff along with you while you're biking or find some way to send it ahead so it'd be there when you're done with your bike portion. Perhaps the bike rental agency can help with ideas on this.

One thought: a big part of the Camino is the camaraderie of the pilgrim family you join as you walk. By biking part way you'll lose your pilgrim family and have to make up a new one when the biking's done. As one who's stopped and restarted the camino several times I can tell you this is a high price to pay. Another down side of biking is that you're skimming over the territory rather than really experiencing it, as you do on foot. Then again, if a person biked the Meseta they'd take several days off the trip, making a 4-week odyssey a little easier.

One final note: the Cathedral at Santiago insists that the last 100 kms be walked or the last 200 kms be biked at minimum in order for a pilgrim to receive a Compostela certificate. If you combo biked/walked w/i these parameters you might confuse the kind volunteers that check your credentials at the end.

Hope this helps. Buen camino ~
Sandy Brown

[gemely]

Thanks a million, that really helped! I suppose it would be better to just go back and cycle it another time and walk this one! I'll look into that site though and see if anything is possible, maybe by finding another person with a similar plan! If anyone sees this here and is interested, get in touch!

Also, you mention the 'four week odyssey', as a reasonably fit and active 23 three year old, how long would you imagine the full camino frances to take on foot?
Thanks for all the help!

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Emily ~

The full Camino Frances, starting from St Jean Pied de Port in France, is approx 800 kms. I think it's fair to say that 25 kms/day is average, which makes for a 32 +/- day walk. Add in a rest day at Burgos and one in Leon, plus an extra night in Santiago and you've got 35 days. Plenty of people aim for a higher avg distance per day, say 35 kms. That makes for a 23 +/- day camino. So it's very doable to walk the Camino Frances in 4 weeks.

Personally, I feel the Camino is something to be savored, so as I plan for my walk next year I'm setting aside 6 weeks. I'll do approx 25-27 kms/day, but I enjoy an extra day in Burgos and Leon, and I've never really explored Logrono or Pamplona. I have a favorite hotel in Santiago, so I'll do an extra night there. I'm going to add the 3+ days extension to Finisterre, and with 6 weeks I may be able to take a train to Barcelona for more fun and exploration afterward.

Not sure if you've seen this website http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances that you can use to help plan your stages. Add a day at the start if you're beginning at SJPP.

Hope this helps. Buen camino!

[mimmi]

Hi Sandy
I was planning to do the whole Camino by walking but have today discovered that my knee just won't hold up to the walk. Therefore I am looking at my next option which would be cycling but am a little concerned about finding the way as I will be by myself. However, I want to do the walk and want to leave within a week, at the end of Sept 2010, I will buy a bike and saddlebags where I am staying here near the French border.
Mimmi

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Mimmi ~
Sorry to hear about your knee. Cycling the Camino should be a good alternative. Hopefully you'll find others who are also cycling and be able to experience the joy of Camino community. Do you plan on cycling the Camino itself, or will you mostly be on roads that follow the Camino? Some cyclists I know have kept the Camino itinerary in one hand and a roadmap in the other hand as they've decided their route, then they choose whether they'll be on the road or the path based on which is either more direct or more fun.
Have a great Camino!
--Sandy

[mimmi]

Hi Sandy
Thanks so much for your very prompt contact.
Well, I have only decided today that I will have to look at other options to walking, so I am not sure of how to start the research, other than stumbling across this forum and reading other accounts from other pilgrims. Ideally, I would like to follow the walking Camino rather than the road route. I am planning to have a comfortable bike with 7 gears and mountain bike tyres, and am prepared to walk the steep bits.
So I would appreciate the answer to these questions:
Do you think I could follow the walking way on my bike?
Would it be best to start in Roncesvalles and avoid the steep first stage, or is this first stage possible by bike? (I'm quite fit)
Can I get maps and information once I arrive in either St Jean Pired du Pont or Roncesvalles?
Thanks, you have cheered me up a bit
Mimmi

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Mimmi ~
I'm glad you're encouraged. Many people bike the Camino each year and have a great time. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on this, but I did investigate it pretty thoroughly prior to this year as it was one of my options for my 2 week Camino.

I'd recommend starting at St. Jean and making certain to stop at the Pilgrim Office in order to get any info they will have on biking, as well as their great list of albergues along the way. While you're there you can look for a detailed roadmap of Navarre and La Rioja which will have major and minor roads. The albergue list gives you the itinerary and the roadmap gives you the bike/car route. Many cyclists keep the roadmap in a plastic cover right on their handlebars.

Much of the walking path is possible to do by bike -- I'd say 95%. In the very steepest places you'll want to walk your bike, as you mention. You'll also discover that the walking path is sometimes much longer than the paved road, so you'll almost undoubtedly succumb to temptation and take the road occasionally because it's shorter and easier. The long stretch between approx Burgos and Astorga will be bike-able 100% as it's relatively flat.

The alternate route from St. Jean might be your best choice for your first day. This goes through Valcarlos and, while it still has some climbs, is not as steep as the Route Napoleon.

There are many online walking guides, including Walking the Camino de Santiago | Camino Frances | St Jean Pied de Port-Roncesvalles in English and El Camino Franc in Spanish. You can download one of these and use it as reference.

Hope some of this might help. Buen Camino!
--Sandy

[mimmi]

Thank you so much. I am very impressed with the prompt and detailed information
Best wishes,
Meredith

[mimmi]

Hi again. Just want to know if I buy a bike here in France, do you think I can sell it in Santiago di Compostello? I'm spening about 500 euros on bike and panniers
Mimmi

[HuskyNerd]

I'd guess you'll be able to sell it, but at far, far less than what you paid. Have you thought about bringing it back home with you? Not sure where you live, but there are several companies in Santiago that will help you pack it and ship it back home for you.

Another choice is to rent a bike and just return it when you get to Santiago. There are several rental companies -- let me know if you want more info.

Buen camino!
Sandy

[mimmi]

Hi again
I live in Adelaide South Australia. Can you give me the contact names of companies that handle shipping bikes back to Australia please.

Thank you for all your help
Mimmi

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Mimmi ~
The easiest way to get your bike back to Australia would be to take it on your plane flight with you. There's often a charge nowadays for having a bike, but it's usually something like 75-100E which is much cheaper than selling your bike. Do you plan to leave for home directly after your Camino? If so, check with your airline for their price and their requirements. Usually they require that the bike be boxed. There are companies in Santiago that will box your bike and get it all ready for the airport.
All the best ~
Sandy

[mimmi]

No, I'm flying to Switzerland, then back to France and will be leaving from Paris in January. Now that you have suggested sending my bike back, the idea appeals and I would like to find a way to get it to happen. Do you think that the company in Santiago would be able to help me send it direct to Australia?
Mimmi

[Covey]

Those of us who regard ourselves as Baggage Mules and carry our kit on our backs often look at the various bikes that wiz past us each day and wonder if one day we might give it a try BUT............

The majority of bikes we see on the Camino Frances are fairly serious machines and sadly cost a lot more than the €500 you are thinking of investing. They tend to be the mountain bike style of bike but use lightweight alloy frames, 19 gears, high performance wheels, panier's etc etc and appear to cost up to €2000 and maybe more. Most of the cyclists seem to be members of cycle clubs and often you will find a group of 2 - 6 doing it as a team. This means they can share the spare tyre's, and tools rather than each carrying their own.

I was thinking that you might be better looking at Sandy's advice regarding renting again. The rented bikes will be suitable for the Camino and will probably cost a lot more to buy originally than whichever make you were thinking of buying. From an economic point of view you do not have the costs and hassle of shipping the bike home and you just rent it for whatever period you need, and then just hand it back.

Some bike hire companies run a sort of tour down the Camino Frances where you take the bike, but there is also a mobile support vehicle/workshop which you meet up with and someone else has the problem of fixing any problems. If you buy your own, you are on your own!! You will also have to buy a stock of spare inner tubes and tools and last year met a couple of Americans who were cycling and they said they were averaging 4 punctures a day! Whilst your fellow pilgrims are hunting for a decent meal, you will be hunting for a bike shop!!

[mimmi]

Thanks Corey
I feel a bit confused at the moment, as my original plan was to walk until my old knee problem flared up again. Perhaps I will take your advice and consider renting once I arrive in St Jean Pied du Pont. Maybe, by some miracle, my knee will have settled down and I can walk the Camino. Positive thinking usually works for me.
This is a wonderful forum, and the first time I have ever used a forum. Many many thanks, and I might continue to use the forum along the way

Mimmi

[Covey]

Sadly, those with knee problems need a little more than positive thinking to cope with the Camino Frances, either by foot or by bike. I suspect biking will put as much strain, if not greater, on your knee.

At least with walking you can vary your pace to suit the conditions, and if you need a break from the weight of your pack, then you can use the baggage service where you can have your pack delivered to the next albergue by van/taxi. This costs between €5 and €7 per hop. It gets a little expensive if you are doing it for 30+ days, but is a very useful respite for a couple of days if you find your knee starts telling you it has walked enough!

Have fun!

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Mimmi ~

A bike rental company that operates throughout Spain is Tournride bike hire for the Way of St. James - Alquiler de bicicletas para el Camino de Santiago . You can start with them in Pamplona (unfortunately, not SJPP or Roncesvalles) and at least this gives you a chance to return the bike when you're done right in Spain. I agree with Covey that this is the wisest option. You might be surprised, though, at how expensive the rental will be.

Shipping your bike home is not cheap either. Check out Bike Travel Made Easy | BikeFlights.com. The cost from Santiago to Adelaide is about $800. The cheapest way to ship is to take it on your flight with you in a bike box.

Buen camino!
Sandy

[Covey]

Mimmi, If you are worried about your knee, then I would suggest you look at starting at Pamplona anyway. The first day from St Jean to Roncesvalles "over the top" is fairly brutal with a 20km steep uphill road walk, followed by an even worse 8km steep downhill section to Roncesvalles. There is only one place to stop which is Orisson which is 10kms out of St Jean.

The "winter" road out of St Jean to Roncesvalles via Valcarlos is much less of a climb and there are plenty of places to stop and have coffee and a rest, but the last 8kms are a fairly punishing uphill climb through the forests to get over the hills to Roncesvalles.

After Pamplona, there are albergues every 10kms or so, and you can walk much shorter sections as you build up your track fitness and you can easily adjust the distance you walk to suit yourself. If your knee is OK then you can push on a little further, if not then you can just do say 10kms and send your pack on by the courier and take the strain off your back and knees. You ignore those who are aiming for 30kms a day and just do what your body thinks it is comfortable with.

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

[mimmi]

Hi Covey
Again, good advice. Having always pushed myself to overdo things physically, I think the lesson learned from my Camino will be "life is not a competition". Many thanks
Mimmi

[mimmi]

Hi Covey/Sandy
Can you tell me if I have to go to SJPP to get my Pilgrim Passport and then head to Pamplona to start the Camino (now that I have decided to miss the big climb) or could I go direct to Pamplona?

Mimmi

[Covey]

You can go directly to Pamplona and get your Pilgrim Passport issued at the main Albergue (called Jesus & Mary) which is about 100m from the main square in the centre of Pamplona.