Camino de Santiago?

[kunzman]

Anyone ever hike this trail?
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Way_of_St._James

It's the setting for the 2010 movie, The Way.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_(film)

Wife not interested in the AT but saw this and said she may be interesting in doing it someday together.


Todd

[Sly]

One of the most hiked trails, it seems to getting even more popular. Several people I know have hiked it, or are planning to.

[takethisbread]

March 20th I'll be there


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[rafe]

European hiking is a much more civilized pastime than anything on the AT. There's hardly any comparison. My wife doesn't care much for AT hiking but loved walking the Coastal Path in England. Those who rail against shelters on the AT will probably not enjoy the European notion of hostels and auberges. OTOH those who enjoy their beer and adult beverages might enjoy a cozy pub practically every night. (Not sure if that holds in Spain but it seems to hold on the British Isles.)

[Old Hillwalker]

I have done it twice. September/October 2013 and September/October 2014 Second time was from fairly deep into France over the high pass of Somport (Summus Portus in Latin from the Roman Legionaires days), and down into Spain. I enjoyed the non-traditional route of this summer because it wasn't crowded. However once my route (Camino Aragon) joined the conventional route (Camino Frances) the crowds made it a zoo and I cut my walk short and went home. Never again. However I have all the recent maps and guides for the Spanish Pyrenees traverse on the GR 11 and if I can I will go back to hike that. I really do like Spain, and the Pyrenees are pretty sweet, and even have glaciers on the French side. The Refuges on both the GR 11 in Spain, and its counterpart the GR 10 in France are common enough to allow you to sleep and eat in great surriundings almost every night. The GR 11 guidebook I bought this past Spring outlines a 44 day traverse with only about two nights where Refuges are not available.

Here are some of the Refugios on the GR 11 Some Refugios are full service and staffed, and some are bare bones with only a caretaker.

I think my pre-trip planning incorporated a total cost of about $50 US a day for food and lodging. My mishap within Mahoosuc Notch in July caused me to cancel my GR 11 hike and I switched to do the Camino again. I still have mixed feelings about whether my decision was good.

[Old Hillwalker]

GR 11 Refugios http://www.lospirineos.com/refugios-pirineos/

[Mrs Baggins]

I'm doing it Sept 2015 along with hubby and a friend of ours. Already have our first night's reservation at Refuge Orisson. I'm hoping that that will be the ONLY time we have to make reservations for staying anywhere as I wanted this to be a free-flowing trip, without that worry. We'll be celebrating hubby's 60th birthday, 40 years of marriage, and 48 years of friendship with our friend.

[Mrs Baggins]

European hiking is a much more civilized pastime than anything on the AT. There's hardly any comparison. My wife doesn't care much for AT hiking but loved walking the Coastal Path in England. Those who rail against shelters on the AT will probably not enjoy the European notion of hostels and auberges. OTOH those who enjoy their beer and adult beverages might enjoy a cozy pub practically every night. (Not sure if that holds in Spain but it seems to hold on the British Isles.)

Hubby and I did The West Highland Way this past September. Absolutely LOVED having a hotel and a pub to look forward to every night. Our bags were ported ahead every day so that all we needed were small day packs for food/water/rain wear and other small items.

[Mrs Baggins]

Read all of the books that you can get your hands on that other peregrinos have written. As usual some are better than others but you can learn from all of them. The movie, as much as we love it and have watched it many times, really does gloss over the difficulties. Look for a new DVD just out "Six Ways to Santiago" (I believe that there's a website for it). It's excellent and has an "extras" disk that is very good.

[Miner]

Squatch who has done several PCT and AT documentaries did one on the Camino de Santiago called Wayfaring. His movie emphasis is usually on the people hiking rather then the trail itself though.

[SYates]

I actually joined the forum here because I want to learn more about the Appalachian Trail, but as I know the Camino de Santiago very well, I am more than happy to answer any questions that you might have. I walked the CdS for the first time in 1999 (starting in Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees) and the last time October/November 2014 (as part of my "little walk" from Prague to Santiago). But enough of me, here some things to consider, especially when you have already some "wilderness hiking" experience:

It is very crowded, more then 200,000 pilgrims did it 2013 either on foot, bike or horseback, add to that bus tours, day hikers ect ...
The trail is open year round with the main season going from Easter to end of September and the really crazy months being July and August.
You don't need to speak Spanish to get along, but it increases the fun.
You don't need to be religious, but you should be tolerant of those who are.
You don't need to carry much, the way passes through several villages, small towns and the occasional city every day.
Winter hiking is perfectly possible for those that are looking for a quieter, less crowded experience, but some hostels and other services are closed, so it is also a bit more challenging in that respect. And yes, there can be quite a lot of snow in some parts of the way.

The above refers mainly to the Camino Frances, but there are other pilgrimage routes in Spain that are less crowded but have also less infrastructure.

Ok, enough from me, again, if you have any questions regarding the Camino, please feel free to ask me. I will be bothering you all with questions about the AT soon enough, so I am happy if I can help in any small way in exchange. SY

[takethisbread]

I actually joined the forum here because I want to learn more about the Appalachian Trail, but as I know the Camino de Santiago very well, I am more than happy to answer any questions that you might have. I walked the CdS for the first time in 1999 (starting in Roncesvalles in the Pyrenees) and the last time October/November 2014 (as part of my "little walk" from Prague to Santiago). But enough of me, here some things to consider, especially when you have already some "wilderness hiking" experience:

It is very crowded, more then 200,000 pilgrims did it 2013 either on foot, bike or horseback, add to that bus tours, day hikers ect ...
The trail is open year round with the main season going from Easter to end of September and the really crazy months being July and August.
You don't need to speak Spanish to get along, but it increases the fun.
You don't need to be religious, but you should be tolerant of those who are.
You don't need to carry much, the way passes through several villages, small towns and the occasional city every day.
Winter hiking is perfectly possible for those that are looking for a quieter, less crowded experience, but some hostels and other services are closed, so it is also a bit more challenging in that respect. And yes, there can be quite a lot of snow in some parts of the way.

The above refers mainly to the Camino Frances, but there are other pilgrimage routes in Spain that are less crowded but have also less infrastructure.

Ok, enough from me, again, if you have any questions regarding the Camino, please feel free to ask me. I will be bothering you all with questions about the AT soon enough, so I am happy if I can help in any small way in exchange. SY

I have many questions:
I moved my start time to Sept 20.

-I am thinking of carrying a tarp so I don't have to sleep in albuerges every night. Is this a good idea. I like to start late and get in late, in late sept /oct do I need to worry about getting space in alburgue ?

2. Will the winds on the camino be a problem for a tarp?

3. As a thruhiker how aggravating will the crowds be?

4. How much Spanish should I know to really enjoy this trip? I know zero now

5. How far from finesterre is Bilbao or Santander that I can catch a ferry to the UK (I am continuing my trek onto the west highland way in Scotland)

6. How much money aside from flights should I expect to spend. I am giving myself 31 days to get to the ocean from French Pyrenees.


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[SYates]

1. Don't take a tarp / tent, wild camping is officially forbidden in Spain and without speaking Spanish it is hard to ask for permission from the farmers. Sept/Oct is quieter and there shouldn't be any problems to find a free bed in an albergue. If 'start late' means after 8 o'clock then you might run into a few problems as that is the average 'kick out time' for albergues.

2. No, unless you try to camp on top of the Pyrenees.

3. Depends on you, Sep/Oct is not anymore high season, but you can still count on meeting lots of other pilgrims on the way.

4. You can, and many do, walk the way perfectly without any knowledge of Spanish, but you will enjoy it more if you have some.

5. Around 800km, more or less, Santiago is well connected by bus and train.

6. If you live very frugally, no museums, restaurant meals, snacks, beers ect, you can get by with 20 Euro or even less per day.

Buen Camino and fire away anymore questions you have or anything that is still unclear, SY

[ninebeans]

I have to disagree with not taking a tarp or tent. Depending on which route you take, a tent can be a good idea to have another option when the albergues are full, or if you just want some private space. On the northern route there were usually a few tents outside the albergues. Sleeping in an albergue often means going to sleep and getting up at pre-set hours which doesn't suit everyone. There are campgrounds in Spain and in some areas they also permit dispersed/wild camping, you have to do your research ahead of time like any good traveler.

If you don't speak good Spanish you can carry a little card with you explaining in Spanish that you're a peregrino, you're respectfully asking permission to spend one night in the field, you'll move on in the morning and leave everything as you found it. Remember peregrinos bring tourism and money into the camino regions and Spaniards are happy to see respectful, clean peregrinos and generally want to help them out. I was never turned down when I politely asked permission to tent in a field overnight.

[SYates]

Ninebeans, I agree, to a certain extend:

Depending on the time of year / route chosen a tent/tarp can be helpful. BUT

You really need to be able to communicate in Spanish, oral or written - and be able to understand the answers given.
The Camino Frances is very, very crowded, especially in summertime. Frankly, local farmers are fed up with finding people camping without permission on their land. Other routes are different.
Official camp grounds, there are only very few on the Camino Frances, not enough of them to rely on them for the whole journey.

As I understand it, your experience is mostly from the Camino del Norte, which is a very, very different beast to the Camino Frances ;-) SY

[ninebeans]

The laws vary regionally, that's why a blanket statement like "Don't take a tarp/tent, wild camping is officially forbidden in Spain and without speaking Spanish it is hard to ask for permission from the farmers" isn't useful. I laugh when I think of how many times I heard that before my camino and every time I used my tent I was glad I had ignored it, done my research and HMOH. There are lots of sleeping options, albergues and tenting included. I hit full albergues on the Frances even in September and October. Again: research is key.

Si or no is pretty easy for anyone to understand. Spaniards are happy if you try to make yourself understood. The little translation cards worked fine for the few people I saw use them.

[SYates]

Hi Ninebeans,

Seems we have here the classical situation 'blanket statement versus anecdotal evidence' ;-)

Here a link I posted already in the other Camino thread: http://thespanishbiker.wordpress.com.../free-camping/ This article gives a good overview about the local legislation regarding wild camping.

I am glad that you had such a good experience with your tent, but that doesn't mean others will have the same good experience. Research is key, as you said, and a lot depends on route and time of the year chosen. Oh, and just for background info, I not only walked the Camino several times, I also lived 4 years in Spain as a hospitalera and took care of pilgrims and albergues. I heard more stories about tents/tarps posted home/ ahead to Santiago than I heard 'I wish I had brought a tent'.

Just let's agree to disagree and Buen Camino with or without tent!
SY

[BrianLe]

I have to agree with SYates on this, about the sort of "standard" Camino route (St. Jean Pied du Port, 800 or so km to Santiago) --- I don't recall seeing much at all in the way of legal camping. And to connect with a local field owner, first you have to find them, no?

I have one or two friends who are thinking of stealth camping along that trail this year, but as SYates says, the trail is just hammered with lots and lots of people. Hiking in September in 2013 my wife and I hoped we would be past the "busy" time, but we had problems getting places in albergues. Fortunately my spanish is good enough to call ahead and make reservations, so I did that along the way, to reduce stress levels.

On the whole my wife and I enjoyed the trip very much. I have a friend (or two) starting it in late September of this year, and danged if I'm not tempted to join him if I can swing it. It's quite different from long distance hiking in the U.S.
I like both experiences. The Martin Sheen movie didn't contain much I saw that was "wrong", but neither does it do a very good job of giving a good picture of what day-to-day life is like on the trail --- it's much more about the story, the drama. If you've hiked one of the long trails in the U.S., get ready for a pretty relaxed and luxurious experience. If you've not hiked much at all however, your feelings about it might be quite different (!).

If I do join my friend(s) on the Camino this year, I'll have a bit of a quandry, very much related to this tent/no-tent discussion. I might just go without tent/etc even though my friends will bring them, and just stay in a closest albergue, picking a town to meet at an inevitable cafe each following morning. Not a problem if we spend part of each day apart.
In fact, even if you do hike the camino with other people, I highly recommend that you spend part of each day apart, just to make it easier to strike up conversations with others. Meeting and talking with others en route is a lot of what's great about this trail; staying "tight" with a tight-knit group all along the way could perhaps isolate you from this wonderful experience.

[ninebeans]

Asking a farmer is as easy as walking up to one, or knocking on a door. No problem.

[ninebeans]

SYates - we will have to agree to disagree. I will continue to speak up each time someone says "don't bring a tent/tarp" and encourage prospective peregrinos to do their research and HYOH.