30-08-2017, 10:03 PM
(This post was last modified: 30-08-2017, 10:03 PM by Nick Salmon.)
(30-08-2017, 08:51 PM)Reckless Rat Wrote: Having just been back to the UK for a few days I had a few beers with a couple of old chums and during the chat I mentioned that one day I wanted to do the pilgrimage route to Santiago di Compostella in western Spain. Not on foot (my knees are too knackered for that) but in the Austin Seven. Having chatted about if for a while we decided it was a go-er and I've got a definite sign-up for a Co-Pilot and possibly also a galley slave to ride in the back.
From where we live in southern France, we're not that far off the actual route, which starts from St-Gilles between Nîmes and Arles. The return journey is in the region of 3000km and the plan is to try and get there in four days, stopping overnight south of Carcassonne then Pamplona, Leon and then Santiago following as close is as reasonably practicable to the waymarked pilgrimage route.
The plan is to do it in late summer/early autumn 2018 after the schools have gone back and the weather has cooled down.
The first day's run (280km) will take us to a little village to the south west of Carcassonne - there's someone there who I know who has a gîte/ B&B. The second day will be a longer run (430km) ending in Pamplona and crossing the Pyrenées from Oloron-Sainte-Marie via the Pic d'Orhy at 2017 metres (just because we can, and providing the pass is open). After an overnight in (or around) Pamplona we will have another long stint (again 430km) to get us to Leon and then the final day to Santiago di Compostella will take a further 340km. Roughly 1480km in total.
This will be a good challenge to my 85 year old RP saloon. It will be carrying three adults and luggage, plus a few spares. We'll be on our own with no back-up apart from a mobile phone.
I'll keep you updated as to progress as things develop.
Reckless - I happen to have just finished reading Tim Moore's hilariously funny book ' Spanish Steps - Travels with my donkey' about his journey on the Camino. Might be worth having a read of it as there are undoubtedly places worth seeing - and a few you might wish to avoid.