Camino planning 2024 - the Fatal Schedule

Seeing in the new year with a trip to do the mozarabe way was a great plan. As ever St Jacques provided lots of lessons and perhaps the greatest was check the weather over the week/month of your camino and adjust accordingly. We did. I saw Almeria and wandered around enjoying the sunshine and heat. I looked how cold it was in the mountains as we would arrive at Granada and decided the coast was unashamedly the place to be. On the way back I stopped at Almenucar, a town we would visit again. I found a great beach front that stretched perfectly for a 12k-24k stroll and swim. 

When Stu Simon and I went back it was a rerun of the last night in Santander with Simon playing the roll of Mark as he took a tumble at 2am. No wonder he had more steps than me the next day. I'd got home to bed by 12 from our night out in the rock'n'roll bar. 

I'd taken them earlier in the day to the place that I deemed, serves the best tapa in town. 

An unassuming place next to the very old phoenician factory for fish preservation. Trying saying that after a few glasses of Mencia. 

Its a lovely old building/ruin that dates back long long ago and is interwoven with a new gallery and garden layout full of sculptures. From there we sallied forth and found ourselves crossing the high point of the town before sliding down through the myriad of alleyways before arriving at the previously mentioned rock'n'roll bar. Now, I am aware in writing this that I was reeking and delighted to have navigated across town from Bar La Cabana, past the magnifico botanico-arqueologico El Majuelo all the way up and down to Rock Shox in the Calle Aduana vieja. As I say I made it home but for those who stayed out after the video camera went home, check out the posting on google maps, I think there might be a video or two left for posterity. As Simon was to recount the next day, "I felt sober when you put your coat on Al, it was just after you waved buenos noches and the door shut I felt pissed." I staggered home at 11.45 according to my AI tracker a fate made possible by ability to stop drinking at critical times. My alcoholism clearly seems to be about exercising control and the ability to drink the next day. Simon's on the other hand was not quite paying attention to how slow Stu was drinking ( 1 for 2) and the consequential effects it had on our sobriety. The image of him sleeping under the tree in Almenucar will live long in the memory. So to the next challenge, when are the dates good? As ever these are the crafty camino cid's own plans which once firmed up you're welcome to ignore or join in the madness. Edinburgh flights from Ryanair now include Biarritz which makes the norte and St Jean pied du porte an easy trip. 

Flying into Biarritz and out of Santander is a joy. Even having a wee trip to London from Bilbao or Irun (San Seb to City) demonstrates just what a dawdle all this stuff is becoming. As ever flight prices at the weekend seem to be £100+ while midweek are £20. One other foible is returning from a different airport is often cheaper. 

Sunday 7th April until Kelso on the 15th or the Scottish National at Ayr on the 20th is my first walking window. If I can ditch the Kelso shift there's a flight back to Edinburgh on the 15th at 5pm or the 18th at 16:25 for buttons. Both work really well for some high ridges and sea views. The morning flights on Wednesday 17th/friday 19th from Santander are even cheaper at 21.99/27.99euro. As I say thats a shift that appeals and I might even put Jackie and Caitlin into a nice place in Bilbao and walk around them. Wednesday the 10th April to Santander is buttons as is Thursday to Biarritz. I'm quite inclined to do a 3-5 day trip to fill in the gaps like Markina to Gernika or Laredo to Santander. I suppose I've just got to ditch that kelso shift and see what the weather is doing. The Norte as Rich, Stu and I found is 1-2km per hour if wet and muddy, or 5kmph on the asphalt pavements. My next window in May is a short one. May 9th - 14th. There is one flight that jumps right out at me and its a return to Biarritz. At £58.03 its a bit over my budget but it leaves at 12.35 on Thursday 9th May and returns Monday 13th May at 17:00. Really good lazy flight times and would allow checking into the albergue donativo in Irun around 6pm and a stroll down to the front before a good full days walk to San Seb on the Friday, another 30k to Zarautz on Saturday and then choosing an end on Sunday to coincide with a Monday flight plan, or keep going until Santander. The bad weather fall back would be to climb Monte del perdon outside Pamplona and then jump bus to Logrono for tapa lunch and walk out to Navarette. Naverette to Azofra Albergue on the Saturday, Azofra to Villafranca (part of 50k by bus) and Villafranca montes des oca to cardenuela on the Monday, Burgos on the tuesday and I'd get that early flight back from Santander on Wednesday. On my own the accomodation would be dorms but there are a few decent flats if there were more than me. The Santander flight gets into Edinburgh at 11.25 on the wednesday, just enough time for me to get up to Perth for my evening shift from 3pm-8.30pm. At less than 30 euros it makes it do'able. Next up is after Cartmel/Kelso May 25/26th, musselburgh june 1st and June 9th in Perth for Simon's 62nd birthday, then musselburgh again on 13th. So although it would be roasting hot the norte flying out lunchtime monday 17th (£46) or Thursday (£25) 20th works, the flights back are not too expensive at £55 but waiting until July 1st its £38 or flying back for £21 on the thursday you fly out! Monday 24th flying to Edinburgh at 17:40 from Santander is another option, but as previously mentioned its getting to be the Euros and also Caitlins show/graduation time so possibly best to not study it too much. Moving swiftly along then to September October November, my plan would be to have 5 weeks some with Jackie and the bulk loaded onto the back end. Flying out Monday 16th September to Biarritz is my starter for 10. This is a similar time to the big 500 mile caminos Simon (2007) Harry (2011) and Paul and Stu (2015). Whether its Monday or thursday or Monday 23rd will pretty much depend on whether JAckie comes for 4-5 days first. Ideally I'd start from St Gien Pied du Porte but if it was Pamplona I'd start on Monday 26th. Walking in and out of the various communities is a huge part of any camino and by flying out and back in I'm sure not to over stay the welcome! The weather is superb, the wine festivals in full fling and my ambition would be to fly home and back out. The flight times as previously mentioned are superb and so my only question is fly back after 7 days or 10. I normally abandon my allotment at the wrong time so thats why I'm going for chunks. I like to walk with the community so I'd probably fly back out to Santander on October 4th returning on friday 11th. Its currently £80. If I get my days right I'd head down to Burgos and walk out to Cardenuela Rio Pico (Friday night) and walk to Burgos (Saturday), Hornillos (SUNDAY) Castrojeriz (Monday) Fromista (Tuesday) Carrion (Wednesday) and back to Fromista (thursday) train up and stay Santander thursday night.