I'm planning to walk part of the Pilgrims Road to Santiago de Compostela in September 2004. Probable duration of trip 2weeks. I would like to fly to Barcelona, spend a couple of days there then pick up the route at a point that would allow a 7 day walk finishing in Santiago.
Advice from anyone who has walked this route would be appreciated. I would particularly like advice on the following:
Places to stay along the route and in Barcelona and Santiago.
Is not being able to speak Spanish going to be a major problem (my guide book suggests it could be)?
Public transport connections from Barcelona to start of walk and from Santiago to Barcelona.

Hi,

(I found this list in 20 seconds by searching Google with the words 'Camino De Santiago' and 'The Way of St James')

• The Confraternity of Saint James
  
• The Camino Routes
  
• Galicia Tourism
  
• Galicia - Camino Info V. GOOD SITE !
  
• Santiago Tourism
  
• Camino Santiago site
  
• Bugbog Walking Tours
  
• Daily Telegraph One-Stop resource
  
• Wilderness Travel
  

also, if you get the chance to end your pilgrimage on 24th and 25th July, that is the fantastic and very important Feast Day of St James Festival which is marked by a great number of pilgrims making their way to Santiago ...

they have an amazing celebration on the night of the 24th July with a burning of a mock-facade of the Cathedral in the Praha Obradoiro followed by brilliant fireworks ...

then on the 25th (which this year falls on a Sunday, making it a Holy Year) they have the religious and cultural ceremonies...

If you go as a religious pilgrim and you're a catholic, I highly recommend you try to attend the Pilgrims Mass which usually takes place on a Friday and Saturday and Sunday in St James Cathedral in the mornings. This year as I say St James Day falls on a Sunday making it a Holy Year, so it's likely to be especally important and moving for all concerned...

The Church has this huge 3 foot incense burner called the botafumeiro and 8 acolytes lift it up on a rope and swing it in a huge 30 meter arc accross the transept, over the congregation. That's a sight and experience not to be missed, even if you're not a catholic, but just a respectful traveller it's worth trying to attend... language difficulties notwithstandings. In the early days of the pilgrimage during the 12 and 13th centuries the pilgrims used to sleep in the Cathedral, so this was used to fumigate the place at the end of the Mass... therefore this is now a reminder to todays pilgrims and travellers of the history of the Way of St James.

For information on the Feast of St James see this site:
Whats on When - 'Feast Day of St James', Santiago De Compostela

For your specific question about starting in or close to Barcelona, may I draw your attention to a map of Spain! :)

Barcelona is on the opposite end of the country (Eastern Spain, nearer France) to Santiago - you'd be better flying to Madrid, visiting somewhere on the route like Pamplona or Leon or Burgos, then get transport to maybe Villafranca which is the 24th stage, and I think is about 7 days walking away from Santiago...or perhaps Astorga - which is also about 8 or 9 days walking to Santiago at around 25 KM per day...

see the site links above, and particularly there are descriptions of 31 days (31 stages !) of the Camoino in Spain on this url:
Camino De Santiago - Step By Step - you may have to scroll through the pages till you get to the last page!

Finally, yet more good info from experienced pilgrims can be found here:

Camino Links

Trains & Buses in Spain

• RENFE - Spanish Trains (in English)
  
• The BusStation: Buses all over the place!
  

If you go for the 24th July you might run into me as I'm travelling there, but by train on one of the great train journeys of Spain - Leon to Santiago De Compostela

Happy Surfing ...

Philip

'Just land the damn thing'

Buzz Aldrin to Neil Armstrong, July 1969

[This message was edited by deadstone on February 15, 2004 at 04:34 PM.]