Walking Forum
Main Boards => Long Distance Walks => Topic started by: peterjohn42 on 01:27:48, 11/01/17
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Hi guys,
I am looking at walking the Way of St James starting April 2018 and was wondering if there are other walkers out there who also would be interested in doing this walk, it is a 490 mile (790km) walk starting in France, a town called St. Jean de Port, walk over the Pyrenees into Spain then follow the pilgrim trail north of Spain to Santiago de Comostela with a option of a 56 mile extension to Finisterre, I plan to do the walk in around 40 days to Santiago, average 20km (13miles) per day, accommodation is plentiful as we stay in Albergue's, basic accommodation for walkers only.
I have done this walk last year in stages and now looking to do it again in one visit, I found it a great walk, well worth doing.
I am looking for company on the walk, any age or sex, all I ask I to have the desire to complete the walk.
If interested please get back to me on here, if you need to know anything else please ask.
Peter.
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Hi PeterJohn42.
I am fulfilling a long time wish and starting the Camino Frances in early April.
As you have walked before then you will know that you will rarely be on your own.
No matter what the weather is I want to walk the traditional route which is now classed as the low route via Valcarlos to get over the Pyrenees. Thereafter I was hoping to gradually build up to doing 35 km per day.
My plans include a few offshoots to see some interesting places.
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I hiked The Way of St James (GR65) from Le Puy en Velay (beautiful and a very easy place to enjoy yourself) and then onward to Figeac last July. For me an excellent hike, miles of open country, towns and villages, all very interesting, the hospitality of the locals was first class, also loads of English speakers just waiting to practice on you, lots of good food and wine and the route is easy to camp, which is what I did. Great memories! At Figeac I then turned off on the GR6 into the Dordogne and on to Bergerac. Most people were hiking in my direction were going to St. John-pied-de-port and then onto the Spanish part of the trail.
I've been to St. John-pied-de-port before, when I hiked the GR10 in 2015. Again, a very attractive little place and the camp site is right in the middle of the old town.
Personally I've never felt the urge to hike the Camino, having heard more negatives about it than positives. I'm not into religion so from that point of view there is nothing other than a hike in it for me. From what I have been told (negatives) by some hikers, the best advice to get a good experience, is to blaze your own trail across Spain to avoid having to walk alongside a lot of busy roads, being wind and noise blasted by lorries, coaches and the overwhelming drone of other vehicles on the tarmac.
At this moment I am considering a hike to St. Jean-pied-de-port on the GR6 starting from the South of France starting in April or May. I just haven't made my mind up yet. Enjoy your hike and when you are in the Basque region lay into loads of the local Basque Tart, wonderful with a large coffee!
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Planning to walk the Santiago de Compostela this April. We are starting at Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and staying at albergues.
we're not religious in anyway just doing a long walk for fun O0
I have walked 'The Way' many years ago 1985-6 I think.
The first day is the hardest, all up hill .
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I have never met the guy who did it with a donkey but I have met the donkey. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-My-Donkey-Pilgrimage-Santiago/dp/0312320833
It lived in the next village to us and as of 2011 it was still alive and well and still taking folk for walks.
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I am not taking a donkey with me, I will never get it to sit still on the plane, lol
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I am not taking a donkey with me, I will never get it to sit still on the plane, lol
I would be hard to get through customs anyway with it, they might think it's a drug mule :D
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I've seen a fair few donkeys on my trips, even more when I hiked the Stevenson Way. I think R.L. Stevenson started a trend!
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I would be hard to get through customs anyway with it, they might think it's a drug mule :D
Ha ha ha, good one.
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I would be hard to get through customs anyway with it, they might think it's a drug mule :D
Ha ha ha, good one.
You could try shetland pony, they're small ;)
John, == Buen Camino
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We walked the route from St Jean to Santiago, and thoroughly enjoyed it. However, I'd completely accept it is not for everyone - it's not always scenic (not often, some say) and there is a LOT of road walking.
Whether you are religious or not is almost immaterial - the main appeal is that the walk operates as a community all progressing west at roughly the same pace, so plenty of time for making new friends and chatting with familiar faces.
Our favourite section was between Burgos and Leon - across the Meseta - where we met with a great bunch of people, about 20 in all, and enjoyed some memorable times including a birthday I will never forget. O0
Loved it!
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I found the Meseta the most boring, flat and straight, my favorite was going into the mountains after Leon.
I want to return to go the walk in one attempt, doing the loop after Santiago.
Walking the Way of St James is a wonderful experience, fond memories and I made new friends from all around the world.
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Walked from Le Puy to Conques................fantastic countryside and met many really nice people.
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I did a part of it in 2015, Leon to Santiago. Met up with a nice German guy on day 2 and walked the whole way together. Had a great time.
We met again in 2016 to walk the Malerweg in Germany, ending in Dresden just in time for Dresden day, fantasic fireworks display to end the walk.
Its not so much the walk, as the people you meet.
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Those of you who have walked before may be able to help me out. I have a morbid hatred if ticks. I have read a lot about their cousins infesting a lot if the hostels across the Camino Frances, bed bugs! I have got my wife to sew up a bed bug double sheet into a bag so that I can put my sleeping bag inside to deter the criteria. I intend to spray that bag just before I go to enhance its bug killing properties and carry some anti allergy pills for bites. I will also put my rucksack in a binbag on arrival at the hostel to ensure I don't carry from one place to the next.
Do I need to do anything else.
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News travels fast on the Camino, we heard about one hostel that had bugs, (not ticks by the way, they are much more dangerous) and that place was bypassed by many walkers. i am sure they sorted out the problem pretty quick, as they would have lost money daily.
I washed my sleeping bag in permethrin, and slept in that. Bag was sprayed too on the outside. Many places now use disposable paper sheets and pillow cases.
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I washed my sleeping bag in permethrin, and slept in that. Bag was sprayed too on the outside.
Yes we will be using permethrin.
We've decided in April to walk the Northern Way and then pick up the Original Way. Starting from Irun (Camino del Norte 817km) into Santiago de Compostela, less busy :)
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I've never been keen on hotels either. When I sleep in a hostel my routine is to bring in my inflatable mattress (I do not inflate it) and lay it on top of the bedding already there. I then sleep in my own quilt, at least I know I'm the only one who has used it. Not a perfect solution to not get bed bugs and the like, but good enough.
I always carry a bug comb and check myself every few days. My procedure in part has been caused by my life experience. When I was 18yrs I worked in our local hospital and was often rostered on duty on a Friday or Saturday night in the Accident and Emergency Dept.
Us young blokes were the 'muscle' to help control drunks and generally out of control people who were often bought in fighting! I remember distinctly two of us were ordered to 'gown up' because a drunk had come in covered in lice! We had to hold him down, he also scratch my face and hand (no HIV etc, problems then, it was the 60s) and tried to punch and bite us! I was fast and nimble then!
We shaved him from head to foot, applied green gunge and sent him on his way. Two days later I was itching! Ho9rrible experience!
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What do you actually buy when you say permethrin, I have been advised to use dog tick spray as it contains permethrin. Safe enough for dogs I suppose, so maybe OK for us humans, but I'm not sure.
Can anyone recommend the best permethrin buy?
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I just went on amazon and searched for it. Bottle cast about £8. It's a chemical so not aware of any being better than others just bigger or smaller amounts.
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And just saw, it was a spray I used not in a wash. Sorry.
Ex-4 antimosQuito about £9.amazon UK.
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Many thanks. Will go for that.
Just found out that bed bugs are insects and ticks are arachnids (like spiders).
I really hate the idea of ticks and having seen pictures of people following a bed bug rave , have decided I really don't think much of them either.
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Ticks are very common in the U.K.
High risk in the south south-west; the lakes are low-med, although we did spot two on my wife's
Rucksack at 'Black Sail' in Sept last year.
Basically you get ticks where there are sheep or deer.
Ever wondered why walkers have trousers tucked into their socks. ;) O0
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Even though I have my own concern about ticks and so on, I am also aware that if we listened to all the things that could happen to us, or what we could catch, we might never leave the house! When I was young and in my teens I was blissfully unaware of most dangers. Falling out of trees for example! Near to where we lived there was a large wood with lots of slender trees. Our 'thing' was to shin up as high as we could and try to bend the tree with our body weight and then grab and move onto the next tree and so on. I once did about 50yds, I was totally exhausted with the effort but it was great fun. I fell out of the trees, got cuts and bruises galore so many times, as did all my mates, it was what we did. I cannot remember ever being told by mum and dad about 'danger', certainly not from people anyway, perhaps they did, but would I have listened anyway?
I saw the same thing done on the film 'Hidden Tiger, Crouching Dragon' years later!
So for me, has 'real' danger from ticks and everything else increased since I was young? I have been bitten by this and that, I just try to accept it as part of the hiking experience! I'm not going to lose sleep over it, because I know that I cannot plan for all eventualities, there is always an element of risk in day to day life.
Mind you, I do know a couple in the next road who have a son and daughter (about 4 and 7) who I genuinely believe have never been in a wood and certainly have never been dirty! They are always, but always, immaculate, dirt, bugs, etc would never dare get near them!
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I have a friend with Lyme disease caused by ticks. I do NOT want it. I always wear gaiters, rarely wear shorts but I usually wear zip offs. Will definitely use permethrin spray on bags etc. Also I do NOT want to be covered by angry itchy blebs from head to toe.
Actually I do listen to all the things that could happen to us, I then work at reducing the risks without reducing the enjoyment of life. Not doing anything out of fear is never an option. Ergo gaiters and permethrin.
I try to allow my neighbours to live their own lives without judgement, there just isn't enough time to do so. ( They may reciprocate and I certainly don't want that! :) )
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Even though I have my own concern about ticks and so on, I am also aware that if we listened to all the things that could happen to us, or what we could catch, we might never leave the house! When I was young and in my teens I was blissfully unaware of most dangers. Falling out of trees for example! Near to where we lived there was a large wood with lots of slender trees. Our 'thing' was to shin up as high as we could and try to bend the tree with our body weight and then grab and move onto the next tree and so on. I once did about 50yds, I was totally exhausted with the effort but it was great fun. I fell out of the trees, got cuts and bruises galore so many times, as did all my mates, it was what we did. I cannot remember ever being told by mum and dad about 'danger', certainly not from people anyway, perhaps they did, but would I have listened anyway?
Totally agree, I was a outdoor child, in my teens often camping up on the south downs or the back of Portsdown Hill. O0
I don't worry about such things. :)
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I walked Camino 3 times (the French way), I definitely recommend it for everyone. It changed my perspective on life and my relationships with my family.