Holy Year And Luggage Issues

[PipC]

Hi everyone,

I'm leaving Australia to do the Camino in a few weeks and I need to work a few things out... I'll be traveling in Spain for a few weeks before I go to the Camino and I need to do something with my extra luggage.... I've looked at the Madrid airport and the cost of leaving luggage there is pretty crazy - is there anywhere else??

I've heard if you start at Roncesvalles they will take your luggage and send it to your final destination... My issue is I've had cancer so I'm not entirely sure what I'm physically capable of so my plan is to start in Pamplona and just walk until I drop basically... I have just over 4 weeks on the Camino. Does anyone know if you can do the luggage thing from Pamplona and if I dont make Santiago I could just catch a bus there and collect my things?

The other issue is I'm going in holy year - do I need to take a tent due to the extra number of pilgrims or will there sill be enough at the refugios?

Thanks!

[Covey]

There is a baggage service all the way along the Camino Frances, and every albergue will have a notice on the board about how to arrange it. The usual cost is €5 per bag to the next stop which tends to be 20-25kms away.

However, if you are planning on using the service all the way along the trail, it can get quite expensive over 4 weeks.

You could try Luggage Storage in Santiago

I have never used them and have no idea of the actual cost but it would appear easier not to have to worry about arranging a baggage move every day.

The other problem with the daily baggage move is that it requires you to get to a pre-planned destination every night. One of the things I enjoy about the Camino Frances is the complete freedom to do what you like without having to follow a plan. As I have often said elsewhere on the Forum, when I leave the albergue at dawn, I have not decided where I am going to stay that night. It depends on the weather, the company, how I feel etc etc but when you use the baggage service, you have to be at a certain place in the afternoon/early evening to collect your bag, and you are back to having a rigid plan again.

I would not bother about a tent. Reports from along the Camino Frances state that although busy at present (1,184 pilgrims arrived in Santiago yesterday, Friday!) if you stop early afternoon, you will get a bed in an albergue. I think (hope!) the numbers will ease up after 25th July so when I go on 4th Sept to St Jean, the numbers will be back to nearer "normal".

Buen Camino