Cutting out parts of the Camino

On my first Camino I started from St Jean, got to Logrono and then took a bus to Leon as I had very tight time constraints on when I had to arrive in Santiago.

Last year me and Becky cut out 30km or so before Burgos partially because we were worried about time (which we needn't have been seeing as we had 5 days to n Santiago) and partially because we had heard that this section wasn't very nice. We wondered as we waited for the bus if we would later regret this decision but don't - the day we arrived in Santiago we met a guy we remain friends with who introduced us to the group of people who became our 'Camino family' who we would have had no chance of meeting if we had walked that 30km.

One of these guys was in Santiago this year when we arrived and we were able to see him for an hour. He told us about the special certificate produced this year to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis' pilgrimage to Santiago; without seeing him again we wouldn't have known about this certificate.

Don't worry if you need to cut parts of your Camino out - it's your pilgrimage and you complete it however feels right to you and wonderful things can happen if you do.

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Route Napoleon closures: November-March

For anyone thinking of setting off on the Camino anytime soon just a reminder that the Navarrese Govenmnet closes the Route Napoleon over the Pyrenees from November 1st - March 31st each year (and longer if need be). Roncenvalles in the snow The official notification for this (from last year) is below.

The Camino Primitivo

The Camino Primitivo (or the Original Way) is reportedly the very first Camino Way to Santiago in the 9 th century when most of Spain was under the control of the Moors and it runs from near the city of Ovideo in Asturias as it starts in Villavicosa (which also lies on the Camino Norte so many people follow this Way from Basque city of San Sebastian (Donosti in Basque) or in from the French border at Irun ( this route then hugs the Bay of Biscay passing through Guernica, Bilbao, Santander, Llanes before going under the Picos de Europa and then heads along the coast to Ovideo) before branching off onto the Primitivo which goes across the mountains and through the city of Lugo before joining the Frances at Melide. The route is 320km long. Image taken from https://viaalpina2013.wordpress.com/2013/04/14/camino-del-norte-camino-primitivo/

Albergue - Arca

126 beds in large rooms but sectioned off into 6s - two bunks and two single beds. Lights above each beds and lockers (but no locks on them). Large kitchen - the best equipped in Galicia as far as I know. Showers are hot but open and mixed. A little tired in appearance but I do stay here every time I'm in Arca!

On the Camino

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