Is 32 days enough to make the whole trip?

[Gina]

Hi everyone. Is 32 days enough to make the whole trip - from Saint Jean to Santiago de compostello? According to a travel agency I need to spend one night in Biaritz (because I will too late to catch the last train from Biaritz to Saint Jean) - and then one night in Saint Jean (to start walking early in the morning the following day). And then one night in Santiago before going home (Norway) - which means that 35 days should be enough to make the whole trip. Is this correct? Anyone?
Also according to the travel agency I need to make my booking for my return flights from Santiago to Norway before leaving (because booking flights only one way will be mutch more expencive, and to make sure that my booking is correct. I don't know if I take the chance to come to Santiago and all the flights are booked.
I'm very grateful for any advice.
Thank's.....

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Gina ~
You're in for a treat -- the camino is a great experience. In my opinion 32 days is a little tight in order to enjoy yourself. However it is doable. Here are some thoughts for you:

• Consider contacting Express Bourricot (Express Bourricot) for a van ride from Biarritz to St. Jean. I did this last May due to a late arrival at Biarritz and it allowed me to skip a night in Biarritz and get started the very next day in SJPP. You'll miss a couple of hours of wandering the town, but on a tight schedule you'll want to get started right away;
• The Brierley route for the Camino Frances is divided into 33 days/stages. If you're fit, you can blend some of the stages together, taking 3 Brierley days and walking them in 2, for instance. This could allow you a 30-31 day Camino. The advantage of that is:
• Plan on a couple of rest days. On this Forum we recommend a rest day in Burgos and one in Leon. If you can, plan to stay in a hotel at each of these cities so you can rest, take a bath, sleep in a nice bed, have your laundry washed in a machine, and (especially in Leon) have a night out on the town. The camino can be drudgery if you must walk every single day and, actually, your body does need a rest occasionally. You also want to spend an extra night in Santiago so you can enjoy the city for a day without rushing off. This gives you a chance to say your good byes to your pilgrim friends and to relax for a bit before you head home.
• If you get behind schedule, don't feel guilty about taking a bus, train or taxi ahead. Many plan on this whether they're behind or not at the approach to Burgos, the approach to Leon and the first 10 or so km after Leon.
• If there's any possibility of stretching your time some, do consider the 3 day walk to Finisterre. It's a beautiful end to a lovely month of walking and you'll find it a blessing.

Yep, you'll want to book your flight round trip in order to save $s. Most people do that, so it puts everyone in the same boat of having to anticipate when they'll make it to Santiago. My preferred time for the entire pilgrimage is 42 days, which gives me enough time to walk the entire route, take a few rest days, walk to Finisterre, spend an extra night here and there, and then, sadly, get on the plane back home to await my next camino.

Buen camino!

[smkymtnhiker]

Husky...Thks for this good advice. Sadly, my work allows me limited time, 3-4 weeks. I have struggled with deciding if I should cycle portions and walk the rest, start a shorter pilgrimage from the start or combine walking and some bus trips. Frustrating a bit but for my work, I would not be able to afford this venture. What combination would you recommend to offer me my best initial pilgrimage?

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Smokey Mtn ~
I'd suggest you start somewhere closer to Santiago and do a continuous camino. Here's why: a huge part of the walk is social. By sticking to a "normal" camino of uninterrupted daily walking you'll soon get to know dear, new camino friends. They'll become an inseparable part of your walking and a joyful memory. If you bike and/or bus you'll have to say "good bye" to your friends and pick up new ones -- something that tears a little at the heart.

So, if you have 4 weeks (28 days) you could start at Burgos, which is 489 km from Santiago, a relaxed pace of 17 km/day (roughly 11 miles/day). If you want something more aggressive, start at Logrono, which is 612 km from Santiago, for 22 km/day average, which is about normal.

If you have only 3 weeks (21 days) you could still start at Burgos, but your pace would need to be 23 km/day, with no rest days. After Burgos and until Leon the towns are quite small (with the exception of Sahagun and Carrion de los Condes). Of these two, Sahagun has the best connections (i.e. via train). If you started at Sahagun, 367 km from Santiago, you'd have a relaxed pace of 17 km/day. You could then spend an overnight at Leon and another at Santiago -- if you quickened your pace a little from 17 km/day.

All these distances can be scoped out at this helpful resource: http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances . Keep in mind that the average pilgrim pace is around 20-25 km/day, with more athletic pilgrims going upwards of 35-40 km/day (not highly recommended). We also recommend an overnight every so often so you can rest your weary feet and legs. On a full camino I always have an extra overnight at Burgos and Leon.

To me the biggest question of where you'd begin is determining what camino towns have the best connections from the US. If you're flying into Madrid, it's quite easy to get via train to the camino towns of Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, el Burgo Raneros, Sahagun, Leon, Astorga, Ponferrada and Sarria. If you plan your flights along with your train schedules you can then spend as little time getting there as possible, making for a longer camino. You can plan train connections at Renfe. Buses are a little more complicated since there are many Spanish bus lines, but the largest is Alsa Bus which connects with many camino towns, too.

Buen camino!

[smkymtnhiker]

Husky...Thank You! The advice is invaluable to me. More so, thanks for making me feel comfortable selecting a shorter route. I am looking for my experience and not a check on a bucket list. I have travelled all over this planet and some experiences have been lost chasing a "finish line". This one needs to be different for me. I'll start planning the route based on your recommendations. I have this feeling that this journey will be just the beginning.

[Feryn]

HI HuskyNerd,

You know a lot! I just posted on the thread titled 'Hello' which someone else started. I hope you see and offer me any advice you may have.

Thanks!

[LolaLil]

42 days, wow. I was going to try to walk from Pomplano to Santiago in 37 days with 5 days of rest days, but now I may have to make changes in my plan. I also am planning to go to Paris and then Frankfurt Germany after the pilgrimage to see friends, but now, maybe not! Thanks for the info you're providing in this forum. So helpful in planning this trip (leaving 8/27).