I bumped into a couple of cycle tourers tonight and one of them recommended the El Camino de Santiago as a great ride. A quick google reveals this

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/features/rides/el-camino-de-santiago-the-cycling-pilgrim.htm

Keen to hear from anyone who has done this as I think they did a road option.

Thanks

I’ve been following this blog for the last couple of weeks. The photos alone are pretty inspiring. The fact there are places to stay along the way make it even more inviting.

I quite fancy it myself.

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=tS&doc_id=16081&v=6O

The fact there are places to stay along the way make it even more inviting.

If you can tolerate the snorers : ) we stayed in an alberge one night and bivied the rest, the snoring in the dorms wasn’t the main reason but it was pretty bad. The walkers route is good riding but go early / late season. It can get busy. Worth carrying on past Santiago to Finisterre if you have time, Santiago is really nice though and worth staying a few days before the return flight.

was it easy to bivi along the way? Sounds ideal rather than dorms

I know somebody who did this and their FB updates made it sound utter hell. There is a lot of bike carrying if you stick to the pilgrim path, and the stops are designed for walking not biking pace. And you can’t (or they neglected to, not sure which) book ahead. So they got trapped in a cycle of arriving in a town, exhausted and starving, all the hostels are full, ride to the next town, collapse at 10pm, then repeat the process the next day but as they were late, exhausted and starving they set out at the first crack of 1100, to repeat the process again as all the early people have got the hostel places.

I think I am saying plan it properly !

There are many routes, don’t just look at the main pilgrim route as It may not be the best suited for riding.

was it easy to bivi along the way?

Yes, usual rule #1 applies and all was ok. We were gone by 7am most mornings.

There is a lot of bike carrying if you stick to the pilgrim path,

None that I remember, we we on rigid 29ers with about 15lbs kit. There’s a few rocky sections that are average welsh/lakes standard, the rest is just good XC terrain. Saw a few people on 4-panniered, 700×32 euro-trekking bikes and I expect they carried or pushed those at times.

So they got trapped in a cycle of arriving in a town, exhausted and starving, all the hostels are full, ride to the next town, collapse at 10pm, then repeat the process the next day but as they were late, exhausted and starving they set out at the first crack of 1100, to repeat the process again as all the early people have got the hostel places.

With respect to them that is quite predictable when you look at what the route is, and how popular it is (more so every year I think).
It is a walker’s route so I think you need to fit in with that aspect – ie ride longer days or be more self-sufficient. We only did 70 miles a day average, pretty relaxed pace. Or do a different route that isn’t full of walkers ; ) The CDS is the popular one but as scandal42 says there’s loads of others.
The main reason we bivied well beyond the main albergue towns and started early was to be out of synch with the walkers and not disturb them. We’d pass groups early-mid morning after the next town as they all start early too but after that it was more spread-out and the pace-mismatch can work well for a rider who’s camping.

I asked a bit ago and got some good info – not sure about holy years etc but may well be worth checking with someone who does (25th is a Saturday this year, I think)

AFAIK, you can’t book ahead. Many walkers get up and out before 7 and are done by 2 or 3pm, so the “official” hostels can fill up quickly

Hostels are also typically reserved for walkers over bikers, so even if you arrive early they may not offer you a bed until later in the day.

I’ve planned this out for October15 but I’m staying in more plush B&B/Hotels just slightly off the route each night. I’m not one for hostels I’m afraid, bivi’s fine but I’m not planning on doing that on my trip.

I asked all the same questions as others have and spoken to an old fit cycling couple I know who did it back in 10′ on Dawes Galaxy’s and panniers. They too slept in nice B&B/Hotels and recommended that Accom rather than Hostels.
Whilst Hostelling is good, I’m not saying it isn’t, they too had a couple of nights of frantic finding somewhere to sleep. They then took a day off and scoped out the rest of the route via Hotels.

Route wise I’ve been told the cycle route deviates a little from the walking route, don’t mind that. What I’m concerned about is early morning departures and catching groups up along the way until Lunchtime, from then on it’s quiet and this is where most of my miles will be caught up. Conscious of the Pilgrim element I’m not keen on annoying anyone. Back to the cycle route, some of the deviations are on farm tracks rather than the path, there are a couple of distinct deviations going through a couple of Towns, this I’m grateful for as thats where the hotels are.

Food & Water. I was told take enough for 9hrs riding whether you do that or not. Water can be hard to come by in between the villages, just a thought.
Time of year, I’m specifically doing this later on. It’ll be well warm enough in Oct and walkers will have diminished a little.

Ferry, booked the Poole/Santander with a cabin.

Kit, just got hold of Apidura seat bag and bar bag. Fairly new to long distance Gnarrrmac adventures (only done two this year) so I’ll refine my kit over the next couple of months.

Bke, CX’er. My Giant TCX Adv1 will be kitted out with either Clem’s X’plor MSO 40’s or Griffos (though these might be a little thin so the X’plors will probably be used) Other than that GPX, Maps, take some lube and a multi tool/tubes.

We really should keep this thread alive as a few of us seem in mind to do it. Lets try and share knowledge eh..

I too will carry on to the coast after the Church…

Route home, couple of options not finalised. There is a Bus/Coach that carries a trailer for bikes that takes you back to Santander, think I might book this but still haven’t scoped out the operator, I know it exists as the old couple used it. It’s specific to the tourist/pilgrims and used to knackered walkers/bikers.

Other bikes doing it. I was told it’s popular. Old couple bumped into about 20 on their trip and about 200 walkers.

Time/distance, old couple did it in 10 days not hard peddling. I’m planning 3 weeks all in as I will add a day or so on the front end then a few days in a swanky hotel at the end.

8)

Another thing, I’ve got the route the old couple did, not on GPX but maps they bought and scribbled over. I’ve yet to analyse them but a lot of the notes are there in detail (he’s a retired Accountant)

You can buy the route off Apple Books. It’s not that comprehensive but does give a “follow me” guide with towns/hostels/drinking holes all marked on.. beware though as a few pages in it are just a black wobbly line with nothing else on it 😆 but the rest is there. Form what I’ve read of it you really could just use this. It’s written by a guide of that area/route so to them it’s detailed enough for the rest of us to follow.
I’ll dig the name of Author out when I get home.

A chap in the office rode it last year (late summer) and one recommendation he had was to get “out-of-synch” with the guide books. It seems many people get into the habit of following the itinary so the book’s hostels/towns get full. He found it better once he tried staying in intermediate towns.

Heres the Author and Map Book name;

Camino de Santiago Maps, seventh edition: St Jean Pied e Port to Santiago, John Brierley, published 18th Jan 2015.

Riding the Camino is on my bucket list for sure. The logistics of getting to the start and home from the end look difficult anytime I’ve looked though.

My mate came home from doing this a couple of weeks ago. Looked ace, and he had a guide book but not sure exactly what route he took.

Getting there and back – he went with a dedicated cycling bus company
http://www.bike-express.co.uk by the looks of one of his photographs on Facebook, (though the last part painted on the side of the coach is obscured by a tree, so might me .com)

edit – definitely .co.uk ‘cos the forum auto populated the URL.

Riding the Camino is on my bucket list for sure. The logistics of getting to the start and home from the end look difficult anytime I’ve looked though.

Loads of flights available to Madrid, and the Camino is an easy to follow marked route from here.

I have been looking at this for years, need to get off my ass and actually do it.

I did think of riding down the West Coast of France then up into St Jean then catching it there. I’ve been told there are lots (loads!) of routes that link up to it, a few from France and the West Coast one is a well worn route. I’ve been told it’s called the “way of the Roses” or something like that and starts up near La Rochelle?? then almost down the coast. Clearly it’ll start from a Cathedral or other important religious hub as thats what this is really all about.
It could be a route all on it’s own IMO as thats quite a long way from LaRoch to Biaritz as it is 😀

Would like to do some of these long distance paths on an old boneshaker so as not to get obsessed on distance/times etc