Camino de Santiago queries, info ...

robo

I am looking for information on walking the Camino from St John through the Pyrenees in 1 day (think it is about 25km)
Has anyone else done this part and if so how did you find it?

irishwalker

walking for 5days in may from st jean pied de port , arriving in Estella , any idea how to get back to Biarritz airport thanks

Eoin Garvey

I'm looking to get in touch with somebody who can act as a walking guide for the Camino walk in Spain - maybe somebody might have an idea as to how I might go about this?

kerry4sam

Eoin Garvey wrote: »

I'm looking to get in touch with somebody who can act as a walking guide for the Camino walk in Spain - maybe somebody might have an idea as to how I might go about this?

Hi there Eoin Garvey & Welcome to boards.ie!

Their are numerous threads in our Independent & Youth Travel forum of people posting about the Camino de Santiago

Example #1 ; Example #2 ; Example #3 and Example #4 : Perhaps you could send a pm to one of those posters and they may be able to assist you

Hope that helps you,
kerry4sam

ruskin

Hey,
I am interested in doing the Camino de Santiago this summer and looking for anyone on here who may have done it and the experiences good/bad you may have had. I will probably have 14-15 days holidays so it wouldnt be possible to do the entire French Way; I'm currently looking maybe the Portugese Way. I don't happen to know anyone who would be interested in coming with me on this, and while I suppose doing it on my own would be alright, does anyone know of any good groups (maybe Irish) who do this?
Cheers!

notsobadinc

Hi.

Did you get anyone on here interested in doing the Camino with you?

I'm planning on heading over at the beginning of July and taking 15 or so days off to complete some route as there is so many to do-it will be 10 yeaqrs since i done the inca trail so a wae up call for me to start getting out and training again! ;-)

notsobadinc

actually meant to include this-yes there is a few Irish groups heading out in late june and mid july that i know off but I will be doing this alone which is cool.

best of luck with your trip..

Legs.Eleven

Hi guys,

Quick question: I'm looking to do the Camino De Santiago (French Way) this year from the last week of July 'till the end of August and I'm hoping to do the full thing. I did half of the Northern Way a few years ago and if I left early (4am), I'd no problem getting a place in the CDS hostels. Money is tight, so I won't be able to splash out too frequently on normal hostels. Would I definitely be able to get a place on the French Way at this time of the year if I get to my destination early in the morning?

Thanks for your help!

edeldonlon

You should not have a problem finding places along the way to stay. I did it in 2011 and never had an issue. If you have a google you will find all the hostels along the way that accept a donation. It might get a little harder when you hit the last 100km but if you budget for the hostels during this stretch you will be fine.

Legs.Eleven

edeldonlon wrote: »

You should not have a problem finding places along the way to stay. I did it in 2011 and never had an issue. If you have a google you will find all the hostels along the way that accept a donation. It might get a little harder when you hit the last 100km but if you budget for the hostels during this stretch you will be fine.

Great! Thanks a million. I remember we'd a few problems getting a place in the special hostels on the last 100kms doing the Northern Way (all the caminos meet up then as you know). Just checking for the rest of the way. Thanks!

edeldonlon

Buen camino!

seablue

notsobadinc wrote: »

Hi.

Did youget anyone on here interested in doing the Camino with you?

I'm planning on heading over at the beginning of July and taking 15 or so days off to complete some route as there is so many to do-it will be 10 yeaqrs since i done the inca trail so a wae up call for me to start getting out and training again! ;-)

I've just got the OK to take holidays in July and am planning to do part of the French Way, probably from Ponferrada to Santiago over 10 days, starting 5th/6th July.

mezuzaj

ruskin wrote: »

Hey,
I am interested in doing the Camino de Santiago this summer and looking for anyone on here who may have done it and the experiences good/bad you may have had. I will probably have 14-15 days holidays so it wouldnt be possible to do the entire French Way; I'm currently looking maybe the Portugese Way. I don't happen to know anyone who would be interested in coming with me on this, and while I suppose doing it on my own would be alright, does anyone know of any good groups (maybe Irish) who do this?
Cheers!

Hi, I am doing the portuguese camino in mid sept. I did the last 250k of the French way 2 years ago. Really liked it. Same as you I don't have long hols to do the full french way.

But its a great way to chill out. Probably one of the best holidays I have done.

Hi, I'm looking for any recommendations for a travel company who do escorted tours of the Camino de Santiago, that don't cost the earth.
Basically want to get vouchers for someone in their sixties who wouldn't be comfortable doing it alone.
I was speaking to one company with offices in Dublin but it would be 900 euro for a week, not including flights! I was hoping for something around the 600 euro mark?

Any personal experience?

Nobody any experience with this?

kerry4sam

bubblypop wrote: »

Hi, I'm looking for any recommendations for a travel company who do escorted tours of the Camino de Santiago, that don't cost the earth.
Basically want to get vouchers for someone in their sixties who wouldn't be comfortable doing it alone.
I was speaking to one company with offices in Dublin but it would be 900 euro for a week, not including flights! I was hoping for something around the 600 euro mark?

Any personal experience?

There are countless threads in the Independent & Youth Travel forum from people who have toured El Camino de Santiago. Perhaps you could contact some of those people directly and ask them. They may not see your thread here.

Just a suggestion,
kerry4sam

dolly47

Hello, i am planning to do the last part of the camino of santiago, the french way, next year in February. Has anyone done it in February before? Would you be able to advise on how many clothes would i need for a week? Would you know a good site/book to consult about this? Thank u!

spurious

Moved to more appropriate forum.

kerry4sam

dolly47 wrote: »

Hello, i am planning to do the last part of the camino of santiago, the french way, next year in February. Has anyone done it in February before? Would you be able to advise on how many clothes would i need for a week? Would you know a good site/book to consult about this? Thank u!

You could have a look at some similar threads here. Numerous on Santiago de Compostella, I am sure you'll find the answers you're looking for.

Hope that helps,
kerry4sam

braddun

http://caminoways.com/weather-on-the-camino-de-santiago#.VKBeIAO4A

jaw17

Hi,

I'm planning on doing part of the Camino this Spring - I'm a bit uncertain exactly how my trip will pan out.
At the moment I plan to do the Portuguese Way from Lisbon to Santiago, and most likely I will cycle it as I only have about a week off from work. Is this fairly doable? I don't cycle at the moment but I plan to over the next few months to prepare for this trip!
Alternatively, I could just travel from Porto to Santiago but I'd prefer to start in Lisbon as it would give me a chance to see more of Portugal which is a bonus of doing the trip I guess!

I've looked into renting a bike and it's set to cost €182 for 7 days with separate pick-up and drop off locations - does anybody have experience of this or does this seem reasonable? It's with a company called CyclingRentals.

Also, where can I get a Camino Passport?! It costs €10 from Irish Society of the Friends of St.James but I was under the impression that it would be much cheaper!??

I'm planning to travel here from 14th to 21st of March or else 30th of March to 6th of April - so wither over Paddy's Day or Easter to take advantage of the Bank Holidays and reduce the number if days I need off work!
Does anybody have experience of doing the trip over Easter - would it be very busy? I know people say the Portuguese Way isn't the busiest of routes but would the last stage be really busy??

Where can I get a list of accommodation for the Portuguese Way - the only thing I've been able to find is all inclusive trips, etc. but I'd prefer to organise the trip myself.

I plan on doing the journey alone - have people found this OK? I don't normally travel alone but that's a bit of the attraction to kinda get some time to myself and away from normal day to day stuff! And I guess a week isn't that long to spend alone! I hear that people along the route are really friendly too so I'm sure I'll make a few friends along the way!

I'd really appreciate any advice - thanks!

MyNameIsMethos

Do NOT pay for a passport. Anyone charging for one is a shiester. They are free and ultimately unnecessary: an A4 sheet of paper will do you for stamps unless you wish to have the passport itself as a memento. *With exclusion of your last 200 (as your cycling) kilometres, even the stamps are unnecessary towards collecting your compostella at the end. After that point though you must have at least two per day to prove your journey.

Unfortunately, I can't really give advice towards the Portuguese way; I've not travelled it. I would assume that there is some Camino info centre in Lisbon which could give info towards accommodation along the way though.

I would guess that Easter would be a pretty busy time for every route and the road does get significantly more populated as you get closer. You probably won't be alone in your soloing either: all my walks were solo but I met travel-buddies along to path&they were as a vast vast majority good people.

Above all else, test out your packing skills before you head, along with your method of carrying your stuff. Pack very light. Pack evenly if using dual saddlebags.

When you arrive in Santiago, there is a place called the parador hotel just off the square. For three days after completing your route, it is possible to receive a free meal there if you are one of the first 10 to arrive into their underground garage enterance at the correct time. This is the remnant left over from when the parador was a hospital, as opposed to a 5star hotel jammed in the guts of a national monument, to care for pilgrims in need at the end of their journey. The breakfast was usually never filled from what I saw&experienced.

Whichever route you take&whatever time, I hope you have fun. Since you'll be cycling, I'd suggest checking out a bit of the finisterra/muxia route once you finish your main journey. Nice countryside&there's the odd dolmen to be seen if you go the right way:)

Oh! Also!! For donation-based accommodation for your night after you reach Santiago, you've two options, if things are still the same:

1: There's a monastery/seminary of sorts to be found just off the route linking the main square to the city library. Look for a big green door along a cobblestone road which runs downhill &to the left off the route towards said library.

2: Head out the French route until you reach the first small village (5-6km). Find the Pope John Paul centre. It's a campsite, but the people were phenomenally kind on any time I popped in to them. I cannot more strongly recommend this place over the monastery. There is a true humanist atmosphere to the place.

Turoe Clover

Hello all,

I am planning on doing a section of the French way (Ponferrada to
Santiago de Compostela) and I am looking for any advice those who have
experienced this walk have to offer. As I have just started planning
my trip, I am unsure of what airport I should fly to and how to get to
my starting point in Ponferrada. Also any tips or tricks on the best
places to say would be greatly appreciated. My proposed route is
subject to change and I plan to travel at the end of April. I would
like to be at the finishing point for my 30th birthday on May 2nd
See proposed stops below:

1: Ponferrada to Villafrance del Bierzo ~23Km on 27th
2: Villafrance del Bierzo to O Cebreiro ~28Km on 28th
3: O Cebreiro to Sarria ~42Km on 29th
4: Sarria to Palas de Rai ~44Km on 30th
5: Palas de Rai to Arzus ~28Km on 1st
6: Arzus to Santiago de Compostela ~37Km on the 2nd.....the big three
zero celebration

My plan at the moment is to travel on the 26th of April and fly back
on the 4th of May. This will give me 6 walking days (from the 27th to
the 2nd), 2 travel days and 1 day to relax after the walk.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Fiona x

theenergy

I too would love to do a week of the camino in march of this year

any suggestions on how to go bout this?

Skinfull

I'm doing a bit of research into doing this myself.

Did you get a list of suitable accommodation along the way?
Like you I'm reluctant to do an "all inclusive" trip also and would prefer to just hit the road and see where I land for accommodation.

We're planning on cycling too but on the coastal route from Porto to Santiago and we're planning a week to do this.

I see your dates have you just about to head off, so I'd be really interested in hearing about your experience, cycling grade, accommodation, food / water en route etc.

chewed

I was hoping to do part of the Camino walk later this summer. There seems to be a plethora of sites out there offering deals, but I'm so confused as where to start and end.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a good site that could organise:

- Flights
- Walks/Maps
- Luggage transfer
- Accommodation

Ideally I would like to fly out, land and then start the walk. And then finish up end the end of the week near an airport where I can fly back to Dublin.

fits

You don't need anyone to organise for you. I flew into Biarritz. Got train to st jean pied de port. Registered there and started walking next day. You can carry your own gear. ( see outdoor pursuits for packing list). Easy enough to stay under 5kg. Walked to logrono and got bus to Bilbao for flight home.

chewed

Thanks fits! I'll check that out.

fits

chewed wrote: »

Thanks fits! I'll check that out.

As for accommodation the albergues are on the route. Cost under 10 euro. If i were doing it again id avoid roncevalles (1st night) but the rest were grand. And to be fair i met loads of people there.

blackpool123

Hi Fiona,

Well how did you get on? I have done two legs of the Camino before but not this route. I would have given you some advice only I just saw this post now.
I am going to ask you for advice now as I am planning to walk from Sarria into Santiago this august.
Did you stick to your plan?? you were putting in some long days!

Buen Camino,

Niall