James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia, in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the saint are buried. James) is the name of any of the pilgrimage routes to the shrine of the Apostle St. Interested in cycling Spain’s Camino de Santiago? Find out more about our 8-day cycling adventure along the famous trail here. Rediscovering the world step by step with our hiking guides. Check out the FAQ on our Cycling Trips page for more info. Our bikes are all proven brands, well maintained and specifically chosen for Camino conditions. Like all Intrepid cycling tours, you can either fly your own bike, or just hire one on the ground. RELATED: 10 NEW CYCLING TRIPS THAT SHOULD BE ON YOUR TRAVEL RADAR FOR 2019 4. Guidebook detailing the 850km cycle route from St Jean-Pied-de-Port in southern France to Santiago de Compostela, following the original pilgrim route, with optional road variants. There’s some good info here if you’re looking for specific food tips. Of course, if you’d like to explore, eat garlic wild mushrooms, crush some tapas and drink a few glasses of Tempranillo, that can be arranged too. It’s quick, easy and delicious (and cuts down on food wastage). Starting point Irún, a town in the Basque Country on the border with France. You’ll find most towns along the Camino do something called the ‘Pilgrims Menu’, which usually includes a small bowl of pasta or salad, some chicken, fruit and yogurt. The Northern Camino is one of the pilgrimage routes of the Camino de Santiago. You’re in northern Spain! The food is delicious (we wouldn’t run a dedicated food trip up here if there was nothing to eat). You’ll see more CaminoĪ quick snack at the pub. A few extra minutes riding each day lets you stay in unspoiled and uncrowded villages, where your money can really help locals. The success of the Camino as a tourist destination is great for the towns along the route, but it’s a little like building a freeway bypass: there are dozens of beautiful, historic towns just off the Camino that never see a single tourist dollar. Cycling the Camino is an accepted way to complete a Pilgrimage and your credential stamps are as valid as walkers are. PREFER YOUR ADVENTURES A LITTLE LESS ACTIVE? CHECK OUT OUR SPAIN TOURS HERE 4. Although cycling is a relatively new way to undertake the Camino de Santiago it is an excellent choice for those who want to experience as much of ‘The Way’ as they can in a shorter time frame. Reaching these detours on foot can add days to your trip. Places like the ruined castle of Clavijo (18 kilometres south-west of Logroño) or the Santo Domingo de Silos monastery near Burgos. Because you can cover more ground by cycling, you can branch out, hitting smaller towns that most ‘pilgrims’ never get to see. Most travellers hit the major towns (Pampolona, Burgos, Leon etc) and pretty much follow the same well-worn path. The Camino is beautiful, but it’s quite linear. The best advice is to be prepared: start training a few months in advance and practice cycling routes of similar length and terrain. You should also look into exercises to strengthen your knees and your core. It was work, but clearly, the $2700 in savings made the effort worth it.Houses along the Old City wall in Astorga. This is a moderately athletic activity which you should already be used to, and it’s a good idea to practice cycling uphill. It took the better part of two days at the computer, but I found and booked places to stay, companies to transfer our luggage so we will only walk with what we want during the days, and necessary transfers to St Jean Pied de Port from Pamplona for the start, and transfers across the Meseta (because we are disinclined to walk that for a couple of reasons).Ĭompared to quotes we got from tour operators, we saved about $2700 for the two of us, and we also upgraded places we want to stay along the way and even built in two layover days to lounge by the pools. We wanted to ensure we had a bed and a shower. You can grab a place each night on your own if you're inclined. The link will take you to a more detailed description of each route. We also considered using a tour operator for our walk to book lodging, etc. The Top 6 Most Popular Camino de Santiago Routes. Cover about 55 kilometers per day on your bike, and this pace results in about two weeks on the trail, which can be a much more manageable chunk of time to get away than the month or more it takes to walk the same route. One of the videos we saw about a couple riding told how they rented the bikes prior to the start, but any mechanical failure was theirs to deal with and repair. The Camino Francés is about 775 kilometers, just under 500 miles, from Saint-Jean to Santiago. We opted to walk the beginning and end of the camino. We considered riding the camino and watched A LOT of YouTube videos about it.
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