Sticks and Shells

[Covey]

You might have a problem!

The "usual" plan if you are limited in time is to start from which ever town allows you to walk to Santiago and finish within the days available.

As a rough guide, if you started in Leon, you would expect to be in Santiago within your 14 days assuming you were walking at 25kms a day.

Sarria to Santiago is 105kms and takes 4-5 days.

If I understand you correctly, you want to start at Roncesvalles and end up in Santiago in 14 days by a combination of walking and taking the bus.

I doubt the Pilgrim Office at the Cathedral in Santiago will issue you with a Compostella on completion because they will see that you could not have walked the distances you have travelled in a day!.

Many pilgrims start at Leon because they can walk to Santiago within their two week holiday period and at the end claim their Compostella.

If you are walking, then a lot of the enjoyment is walking with pilgrims you have met along the way. Doing it the way you seem to be suggesting means you will never be in a place long enough to make friends.

Leon is easy to get to, is a very beautiful city to start from and the first couple of days walk from Leon are easy and flat before you start the climb up in to the hills.

[maria]

hi Covey,
thank you for your insight. But I'm still confused on the fact that the Pilgrim Office may doubt may walking distances achieved from Roncesvalles. I'm a methodological person. When I wrote my plans, I give myself 1-2 days allowances and +/- miles error. When I added it up, it is more than 120 miles. not kms. So, for example, from Roncesvalles to Pamplona: 42km = 26 miles. I could do that in day. (I'm a triathlete here in Chicago), Then, rest a day in Pamplona...next day, proceed to Pamplona to Punta La Reina. that is 22km = 13.75 miles. Then, I would like to take the bus to Logrono. Then, start again in Logrono to Najera which is 26km =16.25 miles. Rest. Then, next day start again from Najera to Sto. Domingo de la Calzada is 13miles. then, take the bus from here to Burgos. Then, start again from Burgos......And the trend continues....until I reach Santiago in a span of 14 days.
You seem an experienced pilgrim so, I'm inclined to listen. But do you really think this plan wont workout? I mean, the Pilgrim Office wouldn't recognize that I have walked the required distance. Should it be done in a straight line and not in segments? If they measure if from point to point using Stamps from Various posts, then, I think, I got it right. for example, stamp from Roncesvalles to Pamplona shows that distance. Sleep over at Pamplona, to walk to Punta la Reina. Then, sleep over in PLR. That's another Stamp in PLR, and a proof of another distance. Next day, I could take a bus to Logrono. Now, from here--since, I dont plan to sleep in Logrono, could I get a stamp from bar or somewhere to show that I'm starting from Logrono?

Lastly, is there an email for Pilgrim Office? Maybe, they could explain to me the rules.

[Covey]

The majority of Pilgrims wish to get their Compostella from the Cathedral Pilgrim Office in Santiago as this shows that they have completed their Camino.

The actual requirement is to have walked 100kms to Santiago and this means the last 100kms from Sarria or any other 100km point on any of the other officially recognised routes to Santiago.

If you walk the 800kms in 32 days from St Jean or Roncesvalles you get the same Compostella that a pilgrim gets for walking the 100kms from Sarria in 4 days.

I have met pilgrims who have walked 2000kms to Santiago, but unless you walk THE LAST 100kms in to Santiago, you will not get your Compostella.

It is not ANY 100km stage, or combination of days here and there, BUT THE LAST 100 KMS. You can spread your Camino over a number of years as some do, but when you walk in to the Pilgrim Office behind the Cathedral in Santiago, all they are looking for are the albergue stamps to prove that you have completed the 100km minimum to get the Compostella.

If you are a cyclist the requirement is 200kms and I think 300kms by horseback.

You can of course be a pilgrim and never walk into Santiago. You can go to France/Spain and walk any of the stages you like, whenever you like. Because of the 100km requirement, the stage from Sarria to Santiago can get very crowded and if I just wanted 10 days out of London I would go and walk the Burgos to Leon section.

It is your Camino, so have fun doing it whichever way you wish.

[maria]

As always, your advise is very informational and useful. I called the Spain tourist office-Chicago and they get me intouch to the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago. Problem solved.

Thank you again.

[maria]

Done and got the Certificate too. Thank you for everyone's advises.

[HuskyNerd]

Hi Maria ~
I'm a little confused by your last post. How did you ultimately do the camino? Did you walk the 100 mile segment from Sarria to earn your Compostela? Or do I understand you to mean that you got your Compostela for walking an aggregate total of 100+kms spread out from Roncesvalles to Santiago? It would be big news, if you were given your Compostela for a 100 km total spread out over an 800 km route, because Covey is exactly correct in sharing the traditional understanding of how the Compostela is awarded. So please clarify if you would.
--HuskyNerd

[maria]

I decided to start in Sarria.

[HuskyNerd]

Ok. Thanks for your response, Maria.

[Covey]

Congratulations Maria!!

SO................. Are you going back next year to start at Roncesvalles??