Camino de Santiago queries, info ...

glog

I have done that same trip - in my opinion the only sure way you will make it with that late flight time is to get a Taxi from Biarritz airport to Gare Bayonne.
The bus takes about 45 minutes but is, at best, every 30 minutes - it will be very tight.
You are correct - 18.12 is the last train, you can book it on www.trainline.eu (about €10)

I have also heard good things about https://www.expressbourricot.com/ - they will transfer you from Biarritz airport to SJPDP.

Depending on how many people you are or who has already booked for that day then it can work out reasonable, especially if you take into account the cost of Taxi to Gare de Bayonne.

If you end up staying in Biarritz overnight and you end up in SJPDP earlier, you could always walk to Orisson that day (8km uphill).
That would make the next day to Roncesvalle that bit easier - it is the hardest stage of the whole thing.
Orisson needs to be booked in advance.

btin

Glog,

Thanks for your help.

Barry

picaso30

Hi, I was thinking of doing seven days of the camino from about the 26th or 27th of October, starting in Largrono and just wondering is this abit of a gamble weather wise in the north of Spain? Any replies greatly appreciated.

Spanish Eyes

picaso30 wrote: »

Hi, I was thinking of doing seven days of the camino from about the 26th or 27th of October, starting in Largrono and just wondering is this abit of a gamble weather wise in the north of Spain? Any replies greatly appreciated.

Weather in Northern Spain can be similar to our own. You know, lucky one day, not so lucky the next! It's a gamble at that time of year.

But if you sign up to this site - Caminodesantiago.me https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/camino-frances.12/ you can see lots of similar questions, and can post one up yourself. The community is very knowledgeable about all things Camino.

I wouldn't worry though, just go and bring rain gear and enjoy Logrono - best tapas and Rioja ever!

Best of luck.

den1982

I’m looking at doing this trek and im from Ireland . Looking for tips on where is best to fly from and to ? Book a package deal or do everything things myself ? Any tips would be greatly appreciated

nice_guy80

den1982 wrote: »

I’m looking at doing this trek and im from Ireland . Looking for tips on where is best to fly from and to ? Book a package deal or do everything things myself ? Any tips would be greatly appreciated

How far do you want to walk?

den1982

nice_guy80 wrote: »

How far do you want to walk?

100km would be plenty. We only have 5 days to walk. We be travelling the other two days

Meself

Having walked the full route, my advise would be to do it yourself. Absolutely no reason to book a package deal. Really depends were you want to start from. A lot of people do the last 100 km in order to obtain the certificate. Personally I found the last 100km least enjoyable. Too busy with a lot of people. I'd recommend starting in St Jean piet de port. It's a tough first day but well worth it. Plenty of breatiful villages and you may get to pamplona.
Once the first 100km are done. You can start again where you finished the next time.
There will be a next time 😊 trust me. It's a wonderful experience that will stay with you forever.

SarahB191088

Hi, I'm thinking doing the Camino, the last 100kms in May this year. I will be travelling on my own, and I'm just looking for tips. I'm travelling on my own. Any help welcome

Mancomb Seepgood

Myself and the wife are just back from doing the Camino Ingles (English Way) to Santiago de Compostela and I thought I’d stick something up here as the route is not very well known.Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions.

The route starts in Ferrol, on the north coast of Galicia and is a total of 113 km which makes it ideal for someone who only has a week or so, and likes the idea of doing a route from start to finish. It can be done in 5 days, but we decided to split the first day in two. We flew with Aer Lingus to Santiago and took a bus to Ferrol, where we stayed at the Parador for a night. The stages were:

Ferrol – Naron (13km) – stayed at the Hotel Kensington
Naron – Pontedeume (16km) – stayed at Pension Casa Apilladeira
Pontedeume – Betanzos (20km) - stayed at Hotel Ville de Betanzos
Betanzos – Meson do Vento (26km) – stayed at Pension O Meson Nova
Meson do Vento – Sigueiro (26km) – stayed at Albergue Camino Real
Sigueiro – Santiago de Compostela(16km) – stayed at Hotel Rua Villar

Distances above are approximate. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of the above for accommodation, and all were good value, but do bear in mind we could have done this on a lot less staying in public albergues. We didn’t do this as we both turned 40 this year and wanted to treat ourselves, and getting a bunk in an albergue can leave you rather rushed to beat the crowds. That said, the traffic on this route is quiet which was a definite selling point.

We arranged to have a suitcase moved from place to place by Correos (Spanish post office) Paq Mochila service (see https://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/rucksack-transfer). This is a great service which only cost 20 euro for the trip – given we needed two new rucksacks if we’d been carrying our own stuff this made since financially and made the walk much more enjoyable!

The route covers a very different part of Spain than many Irish people would be familiar with. The countryside was green and lush, with woods and fields, as well as plantations of eucalyptus trees. With the exception of the first short day which went through some industrial areas of Ferrol, birdsong was a constant companion through the trip. Little houses with people growing their own plants, keeping their own chickens,goats and pigs were frequently encountered. Foxglove and other flowering plants were everywhere. There were frequent hills, some very steep, particularly on day 4, but nothing you could describe as a mountain, just rolling countryside. The food and drink was abundant and affordable – even a vegetarian like myself was able to cope. I would particularly recommend the delicious Betanzos tortilla when in that city! Others recommended "Pulpo a feira" octopus.

Weatherwise, Galicia gets a good bit of rain so bring a poncho or other rain gear. We were extremely lucky and managed to avoid it apart from some mist one morning.

Overall I would recommend this to someone who wanted to do the Camino, but has limited time to do it in. If you want to avoid the groups and crowds that throng the last stretch of the Camino Frances from Sarria this is a great option. Bear in mind that the cathedral in Santiago is being renovated currently for 2021 (which is a holy year) so the pilgrim Mass has been moved to the nearby church of San Francisco. This means that the famous Botofumeiro incense burner can’t be seen.

For myself, it has given me a taste of the Camino and I think another, longer trip is not out of the question – possibly the northern route from San Sebastian!

Spanish Eyes

Mancomb Seepgood wrote: »

Myself and the wife are just back from doing the Camino Ingles (English Way) to Santiago de Compostela and I thought I’d stick something up here as the route is not very well known.Feel free to drop me a PM if you have any questions.

The route starts in Ferrol, on the north coast of Galicia and is a total of 113 km which makes it ideal for someone who only has a week or so, and likes the idea of doing a route from start to finish. It can be done in 5 days, but we decided to split the first day in two. We flew with Aer Lingus to Santiago and took a bus to Ferrol, where we stayed at the Parador for a night. The stages were:

Ferrol – Naron (13km) – stayed at the Hotel Kensington
Naron – Pontedeume (16km) – stayed at Pension Casa Apilladeira
Pontedeume – Betanzos (20km) - stayed at Hotel Ville de Betanzos
Betanzos – Meson do Vento (26km) – stayed at Pension O Meson Nova
Meson do Vento – Sigueiro (26km) – stayed at Albergue Camino Real
Sigueiro – Santiago de Compostela(16km) – stayed at Hotel Rua Villar

Distances above are approximate. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend any of the above for accommodation, and all were good value, but do bear in mind we could have done this on a lot less staying in public albergues. We didn’t do this as we both turned 40 this year and wanted to treat ourselves, and getting a bunk in an albergue can leave you rather rushed to beat the crowds. That said, the traffic on this route is quiet which was a definite selling point.

We arranged to have a suitcase moved from place to place by Correos (Spanish post office) Paq Mochila service (see https://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/rucksack-transfer). This is a great service which only cost 20 euro for the trip – given we needed two new rucksacks if we’d been carrying our own stuff this made since financially and made the walk much more enjoyable!

The route covers a very different part of Spain than many Irish people would be familiar with. The countryside was green and lush, with woods and fields, as well as plantations of eucalyptus trees. With the exception of the first short day which went through some industrial areas of Ferrol, birdsong was a constant companion through the trip. Little houses with people growing their own plants, keeping their own chickens,goats and pigs were frequently encountered. Foxglove and other flowering plants were everywhere. There were frequent hills, some very steep, particularly on day 4, but nothing you could describe as a mountain, just rolling countryside. The food and drink was abundant and affordable – even a vegetarian like myself was able to cope. I would particularly recommend the delicious Betanzos tortilla when in that city! Others recommended "Pulpo a feira" octopus.

Weatherwise, Galicia gets a good bit of rain so bring a poncho or other rain gear. We were extremely lucky and managed to avoid it apart from some mist one morning.

Overall I would recommend this to someone who wanted to do the Camino, but has limited time to do it in. If you want to avoid the groups and crowds that throng the last stretch of the Camino Frances from Sarria this is a great option. Bear in mind that the cathedral in Santiago is being renovated currently for 2021 (which is a holy year) so the pilgrim Mass has been moved to the nearby church of San Francisco. This means that the famous Botofumeiro incense burner can’t be seen.

For myself, it has given me a taste of the Camino and I think another, longer trip is not out of the question – possibly the northern route from San Sebastian!

Glad you enjoyed it. It really is a wonderful journey.

We have been doing it in stages. But having a break now. Last stop was Burgos.

The Frances route is choc a bloc, and that does not appeal to me much anymore now.

So the roads less travelled are looking good, before they become thronged!

Smile111

Hi there,

Got a quote for the Camino for 895 to include accommodation, flights, transfers and breakfast and dinner.
Does seem reasonable?
Thanks

JustAThought

Smile111 wrote: »

Hi there,

Got a quote for the Camino for 895 to include accommodation, flights, transfers and breakfast and dinner.
Does seem reasonable?
Thanks

To where/which section, flying what day, what standard/star accommodation, and how many nights.
Seriously.
‘ I bought a nice car for 10k was it good value’

Smile111

Sorry mid September. 7 nights
Hotel Mendez Nunez and  Hotel Gelmirez.
The last section . Camino de Santiago.

You're aware that that's the Primitive route rather than the more popular French route?

(I actually prefer the Primitive route, but just want to check that you're aware. )

Smile111

I was told it was the most popular one.
What's the difference between the two?
Is that a good price given the info?
Thanks again:)

Smile111

Smile111 wrote: »

I was told it was the most popular one.
What's the difference between the two?
Is that a good price given the info?
Thanks again:)

The two primary difference would be that the Primitivo would be less crowded and the Primitivo is considered more difficult (but not by much).

Does that price include hotels, breakfast and dinner on every night or just the first and last night?

I've done 21 Caminos so feel free to PM me with any questions you might have about it too.

Smile111

Every day and night.
Would you book yourself or through an agency?

fiona_b

Good deal!

Smile111

Smile111 wrote: »

Every day and night.
Would you book yourself or through an agency?

Then I would say it's a fine deal considering it's the peak season. Removing the flights and transfers it works out at about 100 per night which wouldn't be be too far above the typical rate (assuming they're all 4+ star hotels). I'm sure you would save a bit of money if you booked everything separately (e.g. Hotel Méndez Núñez is about 60 euro in September without meals) but it depends on if you want the hassle.

Personally I would just book a hotel for the first night (so you have a proper sleep before you start) and the last night (so you can celebrate finishing with a proper sleep) and stay in albergues (hostels) in between so you get the proper "camino experience", but I also understand that that is not everyone's cup of tea.

Smile111

I'm curious as to 21?
Do you get a source of addiction?:)

billyhead

Do you get a single room for that cost. Might do it myself if you do.

billyhead

Do you get a single room for that cost. Might do it myself if you do.

Smile111

Smile111 wrote: »

I'm curious as to 21?
Do you get a source of addiction?:)

I lived on the Camino for a year (you can see my thread about it here and my photos here) and did 15 of them in that timeframe, with most of the other 6 being done beforehand.

So yes, I certainly had an addiction. :pac:

Smile111

Ah great. Thanks so much.:)

Smile111

billyhead wrote: »

Do you get a single room for that cost. Might do it myself if you do.

Sharing

billyhead

Smile111 wrote: »

Sharing

Can you pm me who the deal is with please.

sam22

Hi could you also pm me who you booked with thanks

billyhead

Op, Are you sure flights are included in the cost?

fillup

Hi

Are there still Camino Gurus out there or has this thread run out of road?

Tnks