STAGES AND PATHS OF THE CAMINO FRANCES

August/September 2007:

Anneliese, my companion on the Camino last year (a Dominican nun) said:

"I think God collected all the stones and rocks in Spain and scattered them along the camino to test us."
Many of the paths consist of rocks, or river boulders, gravel pits, torrent courses, pebbles or shale. Others are mud, dirt, clay or stone.
Using the Brierley guide for the Camino Frances, which splits the miles for each day into “paths: quiet roads: main roads” the 798kms from St Jean works out like this:

505 km on paths/tracks

202.6km on quiet roads (mostly through small villages)

90.6km on main roads

1. The first 50kms, starting in the Pyrenees, comprise a difficult start straight up to the Ibaneta Pass, a severe downhill to Roncesvalles and then an undulating roller coaster path through woodland until you reach Pamplona. " From Najera we climbed very steeply into the hills and were accompanied by dozens - perhaps hundreds - of vultures flying overhead. Someone said that they circle the pilgrim road waiting for one to fall!

2. The next 200 + km are varied - across Navarra and the La Rioja vineyards with several hill ranges to cross.

3. For ±230 km between Burgos and Astorga you are on the meseta – hot in summer and bitterly cold in the winter with fewer villages and therefore, fewer monuments along the way.

4. The mountains of León take you up to 1,500 metres over 2 days to the highest point on the camino just after Manjarin, then very steeply down to the Bierzo plain. Two days later you have the Cebreiro range, again reaching 1,400 metres. Neither of these is as severe as the day from St Jean, because you start higher up

 5. From Astorga to Sarria – 145kms takes you to the highest point at 1500m close to Manjarin. Then, after Ponferrada, you climb again to O'Cebreiro which is at 1400m.

6. The last 115 kms from Sarria are surprisingly arduous with sharp up hills and steep descents.
As you leave Mont de Gozo, these statues point the way to Santiago and to the cathedral.