Sunday, February 17, 2013

An Itinerary for the Camino

I've been working on our itinerary. I feel I may have been over-preparing and somehow, I am worried that some of the magic and serendipitous moments might be lost. However, bottom line is I can't help it. I have to prepare.

For this trip, I looked at quite a number of itineraries for ideas on scheduling our trip.


Itinerary 1: 32 days

I first worked with the general itinerary given by the Spanish government which I found in the Camino Frances 2.0 app which I downloaded into my Android. The Web application version is in http://www.ign.es/ign/layoutIn/csantiagoportada.do, however, since I have an Ubuntu OS, that didn't work for me.  This itinerary is scheduled for 32 days, starting from St Jean Pied de Port.

Day 1:    Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Roncesvalles (24.7 kms)
Day 2:    Roncesvalles - Larrasoaña (27 kms)
Day 3:    Larrasoaña - Zizur Menor (19.7 kms)
Day 4:    Zizur Menor - Puenta La Reina (18.7 kms)
Day 5:    Puente La Reina - Estella (22.6 kms)
Day 6:    Estella - Los Arcos (22.1 kms)
Day 7:    Los Arcos - Logroño (27.6 kms)
Day 8:    Logroño - Najera (28.4 kms)
Day 9:    Nájera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada (20.8 kms)
Day 10:  Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Belorado (22.6 kms)
Day 11:  Belorado - Agés (23.7 kms)
Day 12:  Agés - Burgos (24.9 kms)
Day 13:  Burgos - Hontanas (31.1 kms)
Day 14:  Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino (28.4 kms)
Day 15:  Boadilla del Camino - Carrión de los Condes (24.8 kms)
Day 16:  Carrión de los Condes - Terradillos de los Templarios (26.3 kms)
Day 17:  Terradillos de los Templarios - El Burgo Ranero (30.3 kms)
Day 18:  El Burgo Ranero - Mansilla de las Mulas (18.7 kms)
Day 19:  Mansilla de las Mulas - León (18.4 kms)
Day 20:  León - San Martin del Camino (24.5 kms)
Day 21:  San Martin del Camino - Astorga (23.6 kms)
Day 22:  Astorga - Rabanal del Camino (20.2 kms)
Day 23:  Rabanal del Camino - Ponferrada (32.2 kms)
Day 24:  Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo (23.2 kms)
Day 25:  Villafranca del Bierzo - O Cebreiro (29 kms)
Day 26:  O Cebreiro - Triacastela (21.6 kms)
Day 27:  Triacastela - Sarria (17.2 kms)
Day 28:  Sarria - Portomarin (21.7 kms)
Day 29:  Portomarin - Palas de Rei (24.2 kms)
Day 30:  Palas de Rei - Arzúa (28.3 kms)
Day 31:  Arzúa - O Pedrouzo (19.2 kms)
Day 32:  O Pedrouzo - Santiago de Compostela (19.4 kms)


Itinerary 2: 31 days

This itinerary comes from a terrific resource, the Eroski Consumer link. This one is for 31 days. This website gives basic information as well as nice reviews on albergues to stay along the way.  It is in Spanish but Google Translate takes care of that. Compared to the itinerary above, Day 2 to 7 also covers Roncesvalles to Logroño but the stops are different, i.e. Zubiri, Pamplona, Puenta la Reina, Estella, Torres del Rio.
Day 18 -19 is compressed to 1 day, from El Burgo Ranero - Leon with a 37 km distance. Day 21 in Astorga stops in Foncebadon instead of Rabanal del Camino. Then from Day 23 in Ponferrada onwards, the itinerary is the same as that of Itinerary 1.

Day 1:    Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Roncesvalles (25.7 kms)
Day 2:    Roncesvalles - Zubiri (21.5 kms)
Day 3:    Zubiri -Pamplona/Iruña (20.4 kms)
Day 4:    Pamplona/Iruña - Puenta La Reina/Gares (24 kms)
Day 5:    Puente La Reina/Gares - Estella/Lizarra (22 kms)
Day 6:    Estella/Lizarra - Torres del Rio (29 kms)
Day 7:    Torres del Rio - Logroño (20 kms)
Day 8:    Logroño - Najera (29.6 kms)
Day 9:    Nájera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada (21 kms)
Day 10:  Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Belorado (22.7 kms)
Day 11:  Belorado - Agés (27.4 kms)
Day 12:  Agés - Burgos (23 kms)
Day 13:  Burgos - Hontanas (31.1 kms)
Day 14:  Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino (28.5 kms)
Day 15:  Boadilla del Camino - Carrión de los Condes (24.6 kms)
Day 16:  Carrión de los Condes - Terradillos de los Templarios (26.6 kms)
Day 17:  Terradillos de los Templarios - El Burgo Ranero (30.6 kms)
Day 18:  El Burgo Ranero - León (37.1 kms)
Day 19:  León - San Martin del Camino (25.9 kms)
Day 20:  San Martin del Camino - Astorga (24.1 kms)
Day 21:  Astorga - Foncebadon (25.9 kms)
Day 22:  Foncebadon - Ponferrada (27.3 kms)
Day 23:  Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo (24.1 kms)
Day 24:  Villafranca del Bierzo - O Cebreiro (28.4 kms)
Day 25:  O Cebreiro - Triacastela (21.1 kms)
Day 26:  Triacastela - Sarria (18.3 kms)
Day 27:  Sarria - Portomarin (22.4 kms)
Day 28:  Portomarin - Palas de Rei (25 kms)
Day 29:  Palas de Rei - Arzúa (28.8 kms)
Day 30:  Arzúa - O Pedrouzo (19.2 kms)
Day 31:  O Pedrouzo - Santiago de Compostela (20 kms)


Itinerary 3: 34 days

Here's another itinerary for 34 days, based on the Stage Profiles pdf file. This adds 2 extra days to the 1st itinerary above.  Differences are in Day 7 to Day 9, where an extra day is added here to cut up the Los Arcos - Najera leg into 3 days instead of 2. Day 12 stops in San Juan de Ortega instead of Ages, to shorten the next day's hike to Burgos. Day 14 stops at Hornillos del Camino, and adds an extra day before Carrion de los Condes. Day 17 to 18, stops at Bercianos del Real Camino instead of El Burgo Ranero to even up the hiking distances. Day 22 to 23 stops at Villadangos del Paramo instead of San Martin del Camino. There are different stops from Day 25 onwards, i.e. stops at Molinaseca, Cacabelos, Vega de Valcarce, Alto de Poyo, Calbor, Portomarin, Ponte Campana, Ribadiso, Arca de Pino.

Day 1:    Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Roncesvalles (27.1 kms)
Day 2:    Roncesvalles - Larrasoaña (25 kms)
Day 3:    Larrasoaña - Zizur Menor (20.7 kms)
Day 4:    Zizur Menor - Puenta La Reina (20.4 kms)
Day 5:    Puente La Reina - Estella (22.4 kms)
Day 6:    Estella - Los Arcos (21 kms)
Day 7:    Los Arcos - Viana (19.5 kms)
Day 8:    Viana - Navarrete (21.5 kms)
Day 9:    Navarrete - Nájera (16.5 kms)
Day 10:  Nájera - Santo Domingo de la Calzada (21.2 kms)
Day 11:  Santo Domingo de la Calzada - Belorado (23 kms)
Day 12:  Belorado - San Juan de Ortega (24.3 kms)
Day 13:  San Juan de Ortega - Burgos (26 kms)
Day 14:  Burgos - Hornillos del Camino (21 kms)
Day 15:  Hornillos del Camino - Castrojeriz (20.5 kms)
Day 16:  Castrojeriz - Fromista (25.5 kms)
Day 17:  Fromista  - Carrión de los Condes (20.9 kms)
Day 18:  Carrión de los Condes - Terradillos de los Templarios (26.6 kms)
Day 19:  Terradillos de los Templarios - Bercianos del Real Camino (23.8 kms)
Day 20:  Bercianos del Real Camino - Mansilla de las Mulas (26.3 kms)
Day 21:  Mansilla de las Mulas - León (20.4 kms)
Day 22:  León - Villadangos del Paramo (20.4 kms)
Day 23:  Villadangos del Paramo - Astorga (26.4 kms)
Day 24:  Astorga - Rabanal del Camino (20 kms)
Day 25:  Rabanal del Camino - Molinaseca (25.5 kms)
Day 26:  Molinaseca - Cacabelos (23 kms)
Day 27:  Cacabelos - Vega de Valcarce (24 kms)
Day 28:  Vega de Valcarce - Alto de Poyo (21.8 kms)
Day 29:  Alto de Poyo - Calbor (27.5 kms)
Day 30:  Calbor - Portomarin (27.5 kms)
Day 31:  Portomarin - Ponte Campana (28.5 kms)
Day 32:  Ponte Campana - Ribadiso (22.5 kms)
Day 33:  Ribadiso - Arco de Pino (22 kms)
Day 34:  Arco de Pino - Santiago de Compostela (20 kms)


Our planned itinerary: 31 days, 22 days Logroño to Santiago de Compostela

For our itinerary, since I arrive earlier, I am allotting 9 days for my first leg from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port until Logroño, after which I meet up with my sister, and we hike together from Logroño to Santiago de Compostela.  We plan to finish this second leg in 22 days instead of 24, thus making for longer hiking days. The below itinerary was planned with Camino Planner. Here, we try to shorten the Najera to Burgos schedule into 3 days instead of 4, then follow the 12 day Burgos to O Cebreiro schedule of the 31 day itinerary, after which the last 6 days will be from O Cebreiro to Santiago de Compostela with stops at Samos, Ferreiros, Airexe, Melide, O Pedrouzo.  In this schedule, average hiking days will be about 25.8 kms with a very long hiking day from Villafranca de Montes de Oca to Burgos of 37.7 kms.

First Leg: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Logroño (9 days)
Day 1:  Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port - Honto/Orisson (5 kms)
Day 2:  Hontto/Orisson - Roncesvalles (22.1)
Day 3:  Roncesvalles - Zubiri (21.8 kms)
Day 4:  Zubiri -Pamplona (20.7 kms)
Day 5:  Pamplona - Puenta La Reina (23.5 kms)
Day 6:  Puente La Reina - Estella (22.1 kms)
Day 7:  Estella - Los Arcos (21.1 kms)
Day 8:  Los Arcos - Viana (17.9 kms)
Day 9:  Viana - Logroño (9.9 kms)

Second Leg: Logroño- Santiago de Compostela (22 days)
Day 10:  Logroño - Najera (28.7 kms)
Day 11:  Najera - Grañon (28.6 kms)
Day 12:  Grañon - Villafranca de Montes de Oca (27.3 kms)
Day 13:  Villafranca de Montes de Oca - Burgos (37.7 kms)
Day 14:  Burgos - Hontanas (30.8 kms)
Day 15:  Hontanas - Boadilla del Camino (28.5 kms)
Day 15:  Boadilla del Camino - Carrión de los Condes (24.4 kms)
Day 16:  Carrión de los Condes - Terradillos de los Templarios (26 kms)
Day 17:  Terradillos de los Templarios - El Burgo Ranero (30.4 kms)
Day 18:  El Burgo Ranero - León (37.2 kms)
Day 19:  León - San Martin del Camino (24.8 kms)
Day 20:  San Martin del Camino - Astorga (23.4 kms)
Day 21:  Astorga - Foncebadon (25.7 kms)
Day 22:  Foncebadon - Ponferrada (27.2 kms)
Day 23:  Ponferrada - Villafranca del Bierzo (22.3 kms)
Day 24:  Villafranca del Bierzo - O Cebreiro (28.6 kms)
Day 25:  O Cebreiro - Samos (30.7 kms)
Day 26:  Samos - Ferreiros (28.1 kms)
Day 27:  Ferreiros - Airexe (26.5 kms)
Day 28:  Airexe - Melide (22 kms)
Day 29:  Melide - O Pedrouzo (32.8 kms)
Day 30:  O Pedrouzo - Santiago de Compostela (20 kms)

Third Leg: Santiago - Finisterre (3 days)
Day 31:  Santiago de Compostela - Negreira (21 kms)
Day 32:  Negreira - Olveiroa (33.4 kms)
Day 33:  Olveiroa - Fisterra/Muxia (34.9 kms/32.5 kms)
Day 34:  Fisterra/Muxia - Santiago de Compostela (bus)

I think that should be enough itinerary planning for now.  We will try to follow this schedule as much as we can, and hope it works out!

---
Update:
After more reading, I realized that on Day 25, going from O Cebreiro - Samos means veering off the regular route.  The idea is to visit the Benedictine Monastery in Samos, although this would mean going through a longer route (by about 6 kilometers).  An alternative schedule for Days 23 to 30 follows:
Day 23:  Ponferrada - Pereje/Trabadelo  (27.8/32.3 kms)
Day 25:  Pereje/Trabadelo - Hospital dela Condesa (29/24.5 kms)
Day 26:  Hospital dela Condesa - Sarria  (38 kms)
Day 27:  Sarria - Gonzar  (30 kms)
Day 28:  Gonzar -  Melide  (30 kms)
Day 29:  Melide - Santa Irene/Rua/O Pedrouzo  (30.7/32.1/32.8 kms)
Day 30:  Santa Irene/Rua/O Pedrouzo - Santiago  (21.4/20.8/20 kms)

No comments :

Post a Comment