Bicigrino tips.
One of the most common questions asked by those considering the Camino de Santiago is apparently simple:
where does the Camino de Santiago really begin?
Today we usually respond with specific names: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, Roncesvalles, Sarria, Oporto…
But this way of understanding the Camino is relatively recent if we compare it with its history.
To truly understand where the Path begins, you must first change your focus.
When the Camino did not have a marked beginning
Nowadays we travel by plane, train, car or bus to the point from which we decide to start our Camino. We choose a city, organize dates, pick up the bike and start pedaling.
For centuries, this did not exist.
In ancient times, the Camino de Santiago did not begin in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port or Roncesvalles.
The Camino started at the door of the house.
The pilgrim left his village, his city or his country and, from that moment, he was already on the Camino to Santiago de Compostela. There was no previous transfer or “zero point”. Everything was Camino.
And there is a fundamental detail that today is almost never taken into account:
the Camino included the outward journey… and the return.
Those who arrived in Santiago had to walk back to the place from which they had departed. The pilgrim was a pilgrim twice: a one-way pilgrim and a return pilgrim. The journey could last months or even years and was part of life itself.
Recognizable pilgrims without credentials
At that time there were no credentials, stamps or documents. And yet, pilgrims were easily recognizable.
Those who walked the French Way -most of them coming from Europe- always walked from east to west. For long days, the sun always beat down on the same side of their faces.
The result was unmistakable:
- a much more tanned, weathered and aged side of the face
- the other, noticeably paler
In inns and hospitals there was no need to ask questions. The body itself gave away the meaning of the trip.
Symbols were not worn on the way there, they were earned on the way back.
Today many pilgrims start the Camino already with Jacobean symbols: the shell, the scallop, ornaments on their backpacks or bicycles. Historically, this was not the case.
In ancient times, pilgrims did not carry symbols on their way to Santiago.
The authentic symbols were obtained at the end of the Camino, and were linked to the return.
The famous scallop was neither bought nor delivered at the beginning.
It was harvested on the beaches of Finisterre, then considered the end of the known world.
That shell was physical proof of having arrived, an indelible reminder of the journey and a visible testimony to the community. When the pilgrim returned home, he needed no explanation: the shell spoke for him.
The Camino today: choosing a starting point
With the passage of time, the Camino was structured in more defined routes. Today we speak of the French Way, the Portuguese Way, the Northern Way, the Primitive Way or the Via de la Plata.
For the majority of people who walk the Camino for the first time, the French Way is still the most common option due to its signage, services and historical richness.
Within the French Way there are two classic starts: Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Roncesvalles, each with its own logic and difficulty.
There is no single true beginning
Beyond the specific names, there is a key idea that should be internalized:
the Camino does not start in a specific place, it starts when you decide to do it.
It used to start when you crossed the threshold of your home.
Today it starts when you choose a starting point and take the first pedal or the first step.
A very common mistake in today’s times (and one that is very expensive)
At Bicigrino we talk every day with people who want to plan their Camino: where to start, how many days they need, how to divide stages or which route to choose.
And there is a mistake that is constantly repeated, especially on the French Way by bicycle, and which we consider a serious error.
Forcing a journey of almost 800 km in 7 days, leaving from Roncesvalles or Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, usually ends in marathon days, rushing, stress and frustration. The Camino becomes a race, not a journey.
A complete French Way by bicycle should reasonably be done in 12 to 13 days from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port.
If less time is available, the sensible thing to do is to choose the right starting point – for example Burgos or León – or to divide the Camino into several years, as has been done historically.
Organized Path or Flexible Path: the key nuance
At this point, a fundamental nuance should be introduced.
An excessively organized, rigid and closed Camino is not the same as a Camino that is well known, well informed, but faced with a flexible and realistic approach.
El Camino excessively closed
When everything is planned to the millimeter – fixed stages, hotels booked, luggage sent – any unforeseen event becomes a problem.
A stage that on paper seemed manageable can become very hard because of:
- a mechanical failure
- heavy rain or thunderstorms
- strong headwind
- cold, snow or extreme heat
What was once a pleasure, in adverse conditions can be a real hell.
And if the destination is fixed, there is no margin for decision: you have to get there.
The Way with knowledge and flexibility
In contrast, there is another approach that is much closer to the original spirit of the Camino.
Know the route, know what distances are logical and have a clear overall objective, but allow yourself to adapt each day to reality.
One day we thought we would finish the stage in a place and we arrived there at 12 noon.
We thought: what are we doing here all day?
And we continued a little longer, without pressure.
On another day, just the opposite happens: we were planning to reach a specific point, but we are excessively tired and we understand that stopping earlier is the best decision.
Or we pass through a city that is in a festive season, with a special atmosphere, and we decide to stay and enjoy the moment.
If we take a logical approach in the background, understanding that:
- a few days we will make more kilometers
- other days we will do less
- and that the Camino is not a rigid succession of stages
then true freedom appears.
The important thing is not to meet an exact number each day, but that at the end of the journey the objective is met, without having experienced the Camino with stress, haste or frustration.
Freedom also has nuances
This flexible approach is not always valid in every context.
In busy months such as May or September, going without reservations can become frustrating if everything is full and there is nowhere to sleep. It also depends a lot on the route, the time of year and the number of people.
It is not the same to go with two or three people looking for accommodation in a flexible way than to do it with a large group, which by sheer volume needs planning, reservations and assured logistics.
As in almost everything on the Camino: balance
The Camino de Santiago is not black and white.
It is not all organized or all improvised.
It is necessary to find the balance between:
- sufficient planning to avoid problems
- enough flexibility to enjoy
This balance depends on the moment, the route, the number of people and previous experience.
Epilogue – The Way begins when you learn to listen to it
The Camino de Santiago is not a straight line that must be traveled at all costs, nor a sum of kilometers to be completed with military discipline.
It never was.
For centuries, the Camino has been adapted to the people who walked it: to their bodies, their strength, the weather, the unexpected and also to unexpected encounters. Today we have maps, tracks and tools that facilitate the journey, but the deep meaning remains the same.
Planning is necessary.
Knowing the route is fundamental.
But listening to the day, the body and the Camino itself is what makes the difference.
There will be days in which you will advance more than planned and others in which you will stop earlier. There will be decisions that were not in the initial plan and moments that you did not know you were going to live.
Because the Camino does not begin in Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port nor does it end in Santiago de Compostela.
It begins when you stop fighting with him and learn to walk -or pedal- at his pace.
And when that happens, it doesn’t matter so much where you sleep each night, but how you are living the journey.
