Possible Change Of Plans

I’ve been thinking about the moto trip up North and am having trouble imagining it as a the getaway I want to detoxify myself of an absurd amount of time in front of a monitor and keyboard. I remembered another great trip idea I had toyed with awhile back when reading Tim More’s book Travels With My Donkey. In that book the author makes a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. The route is known as the Camino de Santiago or The Way Of St James as relics of St James are believed to be buried there. The route itself dates back to Medieval Times when pilgrims from all over Europe would walk from their homes in England, Germany, France or beyond to visit the cathedral in Santiago, at the northwest tip of Spain. Today people still walk it, for spiritual reasons or for fun. Some even ride horses or donkey’s as Tim did in his book. But its also acceptable to ride a bike, which is what I would like to do. When I say acceptable it is because as you move along the Camino, you receive stamps on a “passport” in each of the stops along the way. Each stamp entitles you to discounted food and accommodation at various albergues located on the Camino. At the end of the trek, when you arrive at Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrim’s office checks your stamps and allows you to sign a book to record your achievement. On such short notice there are a number of planning issues that must be resolved. First and foremost I would need a bicycle to do this trip. I’m not sure yet if it makes sense to take my own bicycle, which is perfect for such a journey, or to rent one, or to buy a bicycle there and ship it back afterwards (as a souvenir and around-town toy). Second, there are numerous routes to choose from. The most popular is the Camino Frances but the one the piques my interest the most is the Camino del Norte. However, the northern route is more mountainous which involves more climbs (but as I see it more descents as well!) and in October there is the possibility of snow in the mountains. Most people do the trek between May and October because in Galicia during the winter months it rains/snows a lot. Then there are incidental things like getting a bike (if I brought it) from Madrid to Irun, by train or bus, and figuring out the average mileage. I estimate about 40 miles a day over 12 days for the northern route but am not sure if that’s realistic in the mountains. So planning is underway… My favorite site so far for info on the camino, some of it specific to bicycling it, is:

http://caminodesantiago.consumer.es/

It has the stages for all the various routes shown on the map at that link including the Camino del Norte and of course the Camino Frances.

Info on taking bikes on Renfe trains