Camino Frances: Camino de Santiago, Saint Jean Pied de Port to Logroño (170km)

Early September, shortly after walking the South West Coast Path, someone told me about the Camino de Santiago trail, The French Way (Camino Frances), starting in southern France, ending in western Spain. I still felt inspired to hike, so I decided to go :) and walked a chunk of the first part - about 170km. The whole Camino is just under 500 miles and can take a month! I would love to return one day and complete it or do the coastal version - Camino del Norte. There are different trail routes you can take for the Camino de Santiago - you can look these up here: http://bit.ly/3F5Q3f8.

Hiking over the Pyrenees on the first day from Saint Jean Pied de Port, France

The start of Camino Frances begins in Saint Jean Pied de Port, Southern France and you walk across the border into Spain, finishing on the Western side of Spain. The first day of the trail is when you walk across the border and is known for being the most challenging, steepest ascent of 1400m, then descending around 650m. The most challenging but also one of the most stunning parts of the trail as you see the vast landscape and hills in the morning sun. Usually clouds still hug the mountains and disperse as the sun rises. 

First day hiking over the Pyrenees, and crossing the border into Spain from France

To start this trail I flew from the U.K. into Bordeaux and then caught a train from Bordeaux into Bayonne. There I took another, much smaller train to Saint Jean Pied de Port. It’s a really pleasant train journey and you see lots of the French countryside on route. I did begin to feel quite nervous as this was my first proper trail abroad alone and I had a brief wave of fear. Particularly as I only speak Spanish (and English) and my French is school grade. However, the train from Bayonne to Saint Jean is filled nearly with all hikers as it’s a fairly small carriage. Once I made it to Saint Jean Pied de Port I met people from around the world that I would see along the whole trail and all fears of being alone vanished. In fact I felt more part of a collective similar to hiking the South West Coast Path, in Cornwall England.

The Camino Shell that marks the route

In Saint Jean you have to pick up a small booklet from the official Camino Santiago tourist office. This booklet is important as you collect stamps along your route from cafes and places you stay. With this booklet you get to sleep in Albergues every night, which are like hostels but reserved only for hikers (also known as Pilgrims) on the Camino Frances. They are traditionally donation based or a very affordable price of €10-15’s. It’s a great experience as you share a space with other hikers and can eat food together if you wish, sharing tales of your day or any tips on navigation.

Buildings outside my window where I stayed on a sofa in Saint Jean Pied de Port

I didn’t book any accommodation in Saint Jean Pied de Port thinking I would find something. However, everything was booked! I recommend booking the first couple of nights on the trail so you have a bed. In the end I haggled for a sofa in a hostel. It was in a small reception area and I slept in the room with another lady from Italy who had the adjacent sofa. My sofa was next to the window and I could hear people celebrating into the night as there was a small festival on. The Italian lady was incredibly friendly and everyone else I met there too was welcoming. There was a father and his son from Italy, and lots of people from Germany and Spain. I soon discovered there were a lot of Italians and Spanish hikers on the trail and not many English people at all. I went to bed early for the early start the next day. 

Crossing the mountains Day 1

This trail was very different to my experience on the South West Coast Path (SWCP). By day three I was up at 5am and out by 5:30am. I also managed to walk roughly 25km a day on the Camino, finishing around 10:30 - 11am which I wouldn’t have been able to manage on the SWCP due to the constant ascending and descending in Cornwall. The terrain on the Camino Frances was predominantly flat and easy to walk, passing through towns as you go. I felt quite strong and in good shape so I could handle the slight inclines on the Camino Frances with relative ease. I remember seeing people walking in sandals and socks as the terrain was gentle to walk upon. 

On the first day you climb 1400m, sometimes walking through clouds

On this particular trail I decided to finish my journey in Logroño on Day 8 at 170km as I felt I had received what I needed from the experience and my time was limited. My journey ended in the most magical way and a perfect send-off. I stayed in the Albergue in Logroño which was hosted by Italians and Spanish people. They invited all the pilgrims to a meal upstairs in the loft. Upstairs there were two, long rectangular wooden tables with bread baskets placed on top. We were gifted a starter, mains and dessert and the hosts gave a little speech about the history of the Camino Santiago, blessing us a safe journey. 

We all then went downstairs through a small passage way, into the church next door which was closed to the public for the evening.  It was late at night and the only lights were candles gently flickering in the darkness from the cool drafts in the old church walls. We sat down on some wooden benches facing opposite each other. The Albergue hosts gave a small blessing to us all in different languages from the pilgrims present. It was a very authentic, heart-felt experience. I’m not religious in the typical sense but I am spiritual, studying yoga and meditation as a Yoga Teacher, so the kind message resonated with me. We were then led into a smaller room to collect a stamp for our 'Pilgrims booklet' and finally went back to bed upstairs. Overall, it was one of the most authentic stays at an Albergue I had experienced on the journey and I highly recommend staying at this place.

Traditionally people wish each other ‘Bon Camino!’ along the trail. There is a real sense of collectivity and welcoming community - I can understand why people return to do the other trails of the Camino de Santiago. I plan to complete this trail one day but perhaps do Camino del Norte first - the coastal trail in northern Spain, as I love the wildness of the sea. 

You can watch my Camino Frances journey in two parts below on Youtube.

FUN FACTS

Start: Early September
End date: 1 week
Route: Saint Jean Pied de Port to Logroño (170km est.)
Sleeping: Albergues every night (The official Pilgrims Hostel)
Daily average walked: 20 - 28km (The terrain is relatively easy to moderate, except for the first day!)
Longest Day: 28km on route to Sansol.
Cutest animal: Wild Ponies on day one.
Scariest animal: None :)
Trail Feature: You pass through multiple Spanish towns everyday so water and food is plentiful. Eat some tapas and chill in the sun if you can move your legs after the days hike!
Tip: Aim to get to the Albergue early (before 12/1pm) if you want to get a bed. You can't book Albergues in advance usually (although you can for some the night before). I rang up the day before - in the morning - and asked in Spanish if they had a bed for me for the night to check. You don't have to pay a deposit, just give your name. Learning basic Spanish phrases like  "Do you have a bed for tomorrow night please?" ("¿Tienes una cama para mañana, por favor?") is useful :).

WATCH THE VLOGS

PART 1

 PART 2