Post by Timeon on Dec 26, 2013 20:01:04 GMT
This thread is for an easy reference and record of information regarding the Camino de Santiago trip of summer 2014, being done by myself, friends and some board members. While Google Docs remains essential, having a fixed thread to keep all the links and some records would be useful.
People who seem to be interested:
Me
Kerrah
devius
Ashenmoon
Wulfang
Zula?
Sergejs (real life friend, watched Iron Sky with us during Malta meet-up)
My sister (just for a part of the way)
-
Which route do we take?
Options -
[/b] Varied, beginning with the ascent and/or descent of the Pyrenees then passing through the undulating meseta (tableland) of the central part of the route between Burgos and León. After that the camino enters the Montes de León with some of its formerly abandoned villages now come back to life before entering Galicia, green, wooded and criss-crossed with old walled lanes.
Distinctive features of the route/General. Formerly a quiet, solitary route the Camino francés has become extremely popular in recent years. In 2003 over 65,000 pilgrims of all ages, backgrounds, motiviations, abilities and nationalities walked, cycled or rode all or part of this route. By 2010 this had reached 272,703. As a result accommodation is in short supply during the busy periods. In a few places along the route churches/religious orders have pilgrim services/vespers.
[li]Camino Primitivo[/li]
Terrain. It is a hard route through the mountains with a great deal of climbing and descending, but mainly on well-made paths. There is also a fair amount of road walking, especially between Villaviciosa and Oviedo and after Lugo. There are some fantastic views if the weather is kind.
Weather/When to go. The weather can be harsh, even in summer, as well as damp and cold. As in all mountainous regions it can change very quickly. You can have many superb days of sunshine with magnificent views, you can also be shrouded in damp mist for the whole day and become wet-through and miserable. You should really have had some other hill walking experience before going this way. It would be wisest to restrict yourself to the summer months if you are contemplating taking this route.
What's it like? Although it is a hard route there are sufficient compensations in the scenery and the experience of travelling through relatively remote areas to make it worthwhile.
[li]Camino del Norte[/li]
The Route. After crossing the border from France, at Irún, the coastal plain is followed, usually as far as Galicia before turning inland towards Santiago. The main towns on the route are San Sebastián/Donastia, Bilbao, Castro Urdiales, Santander, Ribadesella, Gijón, Avilés, Luarca, Ribadeo, Mondoñedo, and Sobrado dos Monxes, joining the Camino francés at Arzua. Total distance from Irún to Santiago de Compostela 825 km (depending on route chosen).
Some pilgrims leave the coastal route at Villaviciosa to visit the largest Asturian monastery, and church of San Salvador (El Conventín), at Valdediós. They then continue to Oviedo where they join the Camino primitivo to Lugo.
Terrain. Essentially the route runs parallel to the sea, which means that there are numerous rivers to be crossed with the attendant descents and ascents that this implies. The cumulative height gained on some days is considerable. It is not easy. There are tremendous views in places but you may not have sight of the sea for many kilometres. There is a similar amount of road walking to the CF. The good walking sections make the journey worthwhile. There are some parts that enjoy a lot of mountain tracks, such as much of the walking from Irún to Bilbao.
What to see. Some superb ecclesiastical architecture at numerous places; also some beautiful old bridges and other buildings. Many exciting old town centres, often in some of the most unlikely places e.g. Bilbao, Hondarribia, Avilés. A diversion into Oviedo is worth making, (good bus and train services from both Gijón and Avilés). Some superb coastal and mountain range views.
[/ul]
Info taken from here
There are many other routes, and what we need to decide is how much time we have. Obviously, we don't have to start from the furthest point if there are time and other practical limitations. Nobody is going to prevent us from skipping a stretch of land either, although that's only something we should do if strictly necessary.
There are some alternate, smaller routes that might be worth checking out.
People who seem to be interested:
Me
Kerrah
devius
Ashenmoon
Wulfang
Zula?
Sergejs (real life friend, watched Iron Sky with us during Malta meet-up)
My sister (just for a part of the way)
-
Which route do we take?
Options -
[/b] Varied, beginning with the ascent and/or descent of the Pyrenees then passing through the undulating meseta (tableland) of the central part of the route between Burgos and León. After that the camino enters the Montes de León with some of its formerly abandoned villages now come back to life before entering Galicia, green, wooded and criss-crossed with old walled lanes.
Distinctive features of the route/General. Formerly a quiet, solitary route the Camino francés has become extremely popular in recent years. In 2003 over 65,000 pilgrims of all ages, backgrounds, motiviations, abilities and nationalities walked, cycled or rode all or part of this route. By 2010 this had reached 272,703. As a result accommodation is in short supply during the busy periods. In a few places along the route churches/religious orders have pilgrim services/vespers.
[li]Camino Primitivo[/li]
Terrain. It is a hard route through the mountains with a great deal of climbing and descending, but mainly on well-made paths. There is also a fair amount of road walking, especially between Villaviciosa and Oviedo and after Lugo. There are some fantastic views if the weather is kind.
Weather/When to go. The weather can be harsh, even in summer, as well as damp and cold. As in all mountainous regions it can change very quickly. You can have many superb days of sunshine with magnificent views, you can also be shrouded in damp mist for the whole day and become wet-through and miserable. You should really have had some other hill walking experience before going this way. It would be wisest to restrict yourself to the summer months if you are contemplating taking this route.
What's it like? Although it is a hard route there are sufficient compensations in the scenery and the experience of travelling through relatively remote areas to make it worthwhile.
[li]Camino del Norte[/li]
The Route. After crossing the border from France, at Irún, the coastal plain is followed, usually as far as Galicia before turning inland towards Santiago. The main towns on the route are San Sebastián/Donastia, Bilbao, Castro Urdiales, Santander, Ribadesella, Gijón, Avilés, Luarca, Ribadeo, Mondoñedo, and Sobrado dos Monxes, joining the Camino francés at Arzua. Total distance from Irún to Santiago de Compostela 825 km (depending on route chosen).
Some pilgrims leave the coastal route at Villaviciosa to visit the largest Asturian monastery, and church of San Salvador (El Conventín), at Valdediós. They then continue to Oviedo where they join the Camino primitivo to Lugo.
Terrain. Essentially the route runs parallel to the sea, which means that there are numerous rivers to be crossed with the attendant descents and ascents that this implies. The cumulative height gained on some days is considerable. It is not easy. There are tremendous views in places but you may not have sight of the sea for many kilometres. There is a similar amount of road walking to the CF. The good walking sections make the journey worthwhile. There are some parts that enjoy a lot of mountain tracks, such as much of the walking from Irún to Bilbao.
What to see. Some superb ecclesiastical architecture at numerous places; also some beautiful old bridges and other buildings. Many exciting old town centres, often in some of the most unlikely places e.g. Bilbao, Hondarribia, Avilés. A diversion into Oviedo is worth making, (good bus and train services from both Gijón and Avilés). Some superb coastal and mountain range views.
[/ul]
Info taken from here
There are many other routes, and what we need to decide is how much time we have. Obviously, we don't have to start from the furthest point if there are time and other practical limitations. Nobody is going to prevent us from skipping a stretch of land either, although that's only something we should do if strictly necessary.
There are some alternate, smaller routes that might be worth checking out.