Infrequently-asked Questions
OK: we get a good many questions through the website, too varied to go on to the FAQs page, but - well - if they mattered to someone, they might also matter to you. If you haven't found a FAQ covering your concern, you just might find something here.
(As this page grows, it's becoming a bit of an archive of the things we
get asked. The questions aren't in any special order: they're given
in the order they reached us, the most recent at the end.)
"I want to walk the Camino from west to east"
The first thing you should bear in mind is that the Camino is conceived of, nowadays, as a one-directional pilgrimage, despite the fact that the earlier pilgrims had to return home the way they came. The first consequence is that, yes, the signs are placed so as to be read from east to west, not the other way. This isn't just a matter of the way they point, but of where they are placed. They are placed so as to be seen when you are heading west, and yes, it's quite easy to get lost going the other way. I remember going back a little way to collect a straggling companion, and reaching a point where three paths branched off: clearly I had come down one of them, but couldn't for the life of me remember which. The westward route was duly marked, but since the route up to the junction, from the west, was clear, there was no need for waymarks for quite a way before the junction: so no amount of scouting up each of the possibilities in turn would necessarily have got me right. And while you tell yourself you'll turn back in 5 minutes if you don't find a waymark, do you in fact do so ?
It's true that such difficulties aren't common, and often enough there'll be someone to put you right. Pilgrims going the "proper" way will of course help, but they tend to come in batches (because everyone stays in the same places, and leave within say an hour of each other, you get a squad of pilgrims crossing the countryside, and then very few until the same time next day). Equally, the experience of people walking back is that they are exasperated by the number of times locals tell them they're going in the wrong direction !
Accommodation could also be a problem: the refuges are for pilgrims with a credencial, proving their pilgrim status, and stamped to show where they've been. Also, for homeward-bound pilgrims with a Compostela certificate of having completed the pilgrimage - neither of which you'll have. There are plenty of hotels, but that can get expensive.
Given, also, that it's so much a pilgrim route, walking among pilgrims without being one yourself could feel a bit odd. Have you read Nicholas Crane, "Clear Waters Rising", Penguin, 1997 ? He walked from Finisterre to Istanbul, along the highest paths he could find - but began on the Camino, and describes a little of what you propose.
This isn't to put you off, if it's what you want to do. The above difficulties reflect the nature of the available guides and maps as well: the maps are generally very poor, and the guides (which tend to include strip-maps, not to scale) are designed to supplement the yellow-arrow waymarks. There is nothing equivalent to the British Ordance Survey maps, or the French IGN. Sure, with a compass and (eventually) GPS you wouldn't go far wrong. This isn't the outback !
France will be easier, since the signs on the GRs are bi-directional, and the maps (eg the IGN Green 1:50,000 series) better. Of course no refuges, and relatively few gites d'étape, except on the way to/from le Puy - carrying a tent makes life easier and cheaper.
"What about doing the Camino with children ?"
I guess you could start them as young as they are able to tolerate the boredom of a largely adult holiday. I've seen 6-8 year olds, amply bribed with ice-cream, doing the walk. And know a family who spent all their summer holidays for 10 years, starting when their youngest was 6, and finishing when he was 16. They walked from le Puy.
I think much would depend on the physique/power-weight ratio of the child/children, and only you could judge that: some would be ready at 6, some perhaps much later, depending on how they develop.
There are no special difficulties in the refugios, which are open to all.
Your children wouldn't find many others of their own age; and I think you might have to adjust both the length of your days, and the length of time you spend on the camino at any one time, to accommodate what they will put up with. A "taster" - say a week's walking from your probable starting point, but no more, to see how they like it, with the possibility of going back to carry on next year, might be a good idea.
Whatever you do, don't cycle with your infant in a trailer behind you, at the level of the exhaust fumes, and exposed to all the fast-moving lorries and cars. I've seen it done, and wish I hadn't.
"How about taking our baby in a stroller ?"
“My wife and I have plans to walk with our 8 month old in a nice 3 wheeled jogging stroller with shocks (the 6 yr. old is staying home with grandma), late June/early July and hope to walk at least 100 to 150++? km... What are your thoughts? About staying in refugios, a reasonable length of walking, and per day mileage? Any other info? We can stay in hotels, etc. if advisable. I am wondering what would be a safe for all. What route/ stops to take and good places to stay would be helpful.”
To take your questions in a different order. Part of the answer depends on whether you want to end up at Santiago. The last 100-150 km of the pilgrimage route includes some very stony paths - and I mean boulders - which would be difficult with the stroller. If you use the roads, be aware that there are no sidewalks, and your infant would be at exhaust-pipe level.
Further away, you'd be surer of finding easier footpaths, and be more likely to be away from roads - walking between Burgos and León would be a possibility.
Another thought is the heat, which will be almost at its maximum. Another again is the crowds - you're looking at almost the most popular time of year.
Nothing to stop you staying in the refugios, apart from the crowds. It's first come first served, and people get up earlier and earlier to race each other for a bed in the next refuge. It’s unseemly, though understandable, but whether you'd want to involve an 8-month old in such a scramble, I don't know. There are plenty of hotels, but they also could be full at your time of year.
You're a little bit bound by the distance between places to stay, when it comes to your daily distance. Buy/look at our guide to the Camino Francés, and you'll see the distances involved. An averagely good walker shouldn't have any trouble covering 150 km in a week (25 km a day for 6 days).
I suggest you do a bit more reading - eg the guide by Millan Bravo Lozano, and the book by David Gitlitz (the second is available through our bookshop, the first isn't, because it's widely available elsewhere).
On the whole, my feeling is that you might be better walking with your child nearer home, at a more temperate time of year. See how you and he/she get on in say a week's hiking, with slightly rough conditions, before committing yourselves to coming so far for an adventure which might be too much for the child, and so spoil it for you.
[Note added October 2007] We've just heard from a couple who walked from León with a 16-month old, and describe their experience in their website, www.kidsoncamino.com .
"I'm coming from Canada: where should I fly to ?"
Something depends on whether you intend to start from St Jean Pied-de-Port (as many people do, despite the toughness of the first day's walking) or Roncesvalles. Since the cross-border journey isn't altogether simple, this would determine which of the 2 countries you fly to.
Thereafter, consider schedules and prices. Generally, the less popular the airport, the higher the fare. It could turn out to be so much cheaper to fly to Paris than Toulouse, for example, that the TGV journey from Charles de Gaulle airport to Bayonne (one train, no changes), and thence to St Jean, costs less than the difference in air fares. It would take longer, but not much, because of the quality of the rail link.
Similar considerations would apply to flying to Madrid instead of Bilbao, for example. Spanish bus services (ALSA) are good, and you'd easily get from Madrid to Pamplona, and then up to Roncesvalles, for example.
Click here for links to relevant travel companies.
"I suffer from Sleep Apnoea and have to travel
with a CPAP machine"
The basic answer is that yes the refugios do have power (220 volts), but whether there would be an outlet near your bunk (or even in the dormitory) is another matter. Some might. I suspect that many wouldn't. I base this on seeing mobile phones left on charge in various parts of the refuges, but not necessarily adjacent to their owners' bunks (the obvious place if you want to keep an eye on them). On the whole, the refugios offer simple basic accommodation, and I doubt if many of them have installed a more comprehensive electricity supply than they have to. I know of one which only has sufficient power for lighting, not for anything that draws a higher amperage
In addition, there is a certain competition for bunks: near the washrooms for those who need to get up in the night; on the lower level, for those who don't like climbing up; near the door for those who want to leave early. Needing a bunk near an electrical socket could - for example - put you in conflict with somebody who just must have that bunk because ... I mustn't over-emphasise this, but you'd better be warned.
The dormitories tend to be noisy at the best of times, with the ubiquitous snorers, and the squeaky springs. Again, I don't know how much noise your machine makes, but do remember that you'll be sharing often cramped quarters with a great many other people.
One solution often adopted by people who can't stand the snoring is to sleep outside the dormitory (eg on one of those thin rubber mats which don't soften the floor, but do keep the cold away). You soon get used (especially after a day's walking) to sleeping on the floor, and if you were prepared to do this when necessary - eg to be beside a socket, and away from anyone else you might disturb - it might be a solution.
There are small hotels all along, and while they're more expensive than the refugios, they do offer a possible alternative, and of course are much more likely to meet your needs.
(I see you ask about gites as well. Much the same applies, except there's not quite the same pressure on the beds. It depends on the time of year of course.)
A year or two after posting the above, we got the following message - many thanks, John !
"Greetings, from New Zealand!
My wife and I have just returned from four months in Europe, which included walking the Camino, from mid-Sept to early Nov, 2004. I have severe Sleep Apnoea, which requires me to use a CPAP (Constant Positive Air Pressure) machine, in order to get any sleep. I carried my machine throughout Europe, including on the Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago.
Apart from the weight, I had no problems. A few Refugios we had to simply walk past (eg San Anton), because they had no electricity; but the vast majority have a power point somewhere, (mainly, so that people can charge their mobile phones!) As you pointed out in your reply to a question about this, you usually can't choose which bed you get to sleep in, and the power point(s) available may not be near you. I carried, in addition to the CPAP machine, a 10-metre extension lead, which I HAD to use three times, and which was useful several other times.
I also carried a letter, which my daughter had translated into Spanish, addressed to the hospitalero, explaining my need to use the CPAP machine, and that this used very little power (a concern for some hospitaleros). The other concern you mentioned, of noise disturbing other pilgrims, certainly isn't a problem with the Resmed machine I have; I think all CPAP machines nowadays are pretty quiet. Certainly, less than even a quiet snorer! I asked many people if they heard my machine; none said they had.
The only other problems, of course, are for the person carrying the machine. It adds several kg to your pack, especially with the extension cord; and you MUST keep it dry, no matter how wet everything else in your pack gets. We had continuous rain, all through Galicia, and I simply wrapped my CPAP machine in three sound plastic bags.
So - Yes, it can be done. Of course, try to do without it, if you possibly can; but if, like me, you can't, then don't let that stop you making your Camino! And it does have a couple of advantages. Because you sleep so much more soundly, you don't have to get up during the night for toilet visits. AND, you can ABSOLUTELY guarantee that you do NOT contribute any snoring to keep people awake - it is impossble to snore, when you are wearing a CPAP mask!
Here's the text of the letter I carried:
Senor <my name> sufre de Apnea y requiere la ayuda de un aparato
respiratorio para dormir. Esto significa que <Sr. xxx> necesita acceso a
una toma electrica durante la noche. La cantidad de electricidad usada es
minima, pero es esencial para su confort y salud. El enchufe debe estar en
un radio de 12 metros de donde duerme el <Sr. xxx>. Muchas gracias por su
ayuda.Buen Camino!"
"Is it true that the plenary indulgence is only available for a 2-week period either side of 25th July ?"
The plenary indulgence is granted throughout each Holy Year - while the Holy Door is open - to those who make their confession, attend Mass, pray for the intentions of the Holy Father, and undertake some work of charity (which can include a charitable donation). However, if (e.g. through shortage of time or pressure of numbers) confession and communion cannot be made on arrival at the shrine, they can be made 15 days either side of your arrival date, and you will still qualify.
"Is it safe in the Basque country ?"
On the whole, not much to worry about. The pilgrimage route is a very narrow corridor through (mostly) rural areas, and pilgrims are in any case instantly recognisable, and by and large respected, despite their numbers, by the local people. I've never heard of pilgrims having trouble in the Basque country - and there really are a great many of them !
"Tell me about the Accueil St Jacques at St Jean Pied-de-Port"
1. "I'm hoping to pick up a credencial from the Accueil St Jacques at St Jean Pied-de-Port. Should I contact them beforehand ?"
No need. Provided you satisfy them that you are making the pilgrimage under your own steam (i.e. without a support vehicle) they will issue you with a credencial on the spot (they make a small charge).
2." I have booked flights through cheap airlines and I have a very tight schedule when changing planes in London Stansted. Othervise I have only hand luggage (my sack) but I need to take along also my walking sticks (two, nordic style) and swiss knife. Nowadays it is not possible to take those in the cabin anymore and there is no time to wait for luggage in London. Do you know if Accueil Saint Jacques would agree to keep my sticks and knife there in their posession, if I sent them by mail before I leave ?"
I think the Acceuil might be reluctant to keep these items for you (too many pilgrims to deal with). I advise you to send the parcels to yourself at Poste Restante, 64220 St Jean Pied de Port and collect them there. (Take your passport and ask them to check both of your names)
.
3. "I'd like to serve as a volunteer at the Accueil"
See our special page devoted to this.
What about flying to Bilbao ?
"I have booked to fly to Bilbao. Do you know of any suitable accommodation there ? And do you have information on bus services between Bilbao and Pamplona ?"
The Rough Guide etc have hotel details in Bilbao, or there is a Youth Hostel, Carretera Basurto-Casrexana 70, 48002 Bilbao. Our Guide which covers Bilbao mentions several hotels (but with no comments):
Vista Alegre, Pablo Picasso 13, tel 944 43 14 50
Hostal Gurea, Bidebarrieta 2, tel 944 16 32 99
Hostal Begona, Calle Amistad 2, tel 944 23 01 34
Hostal Jofra, Elcano 34, tel 944 21 29 49
Hostal Martinez, Villarias 8, tel 944 23 91 78According to an older timetable on Tuesdays there are buses 'La Union' to Pamplona at 0730, 1000, 1315, 1600, 1900, from Termibus de Garellano.
Which was that guide with the separate strip-maps ?
"I walked the Camino last year without any maps or other information of the route, and that was quite hard, but I met a lot of people, that had a very good book in English about the way and the facilities along it, and besides they had loose mapcharts over small sections of the way, and they were very good. In your bookshop I can't decide which one of your books contains those loose mapcharts. Will you please inform me about it. I hope you understand what I mean despite my poor language!"
The book you are thinking of is The Practical Guide for Pilgrims by Millan Bravo Lozano, published by Everest.We do not stock it, but you can order it by mail order from www.stanfords.co.uk
We do now however stock Elias Valiña's book of handdrawn maps, which although a little out of date, are quite a good guide. Go to the Books from Other Publishers section of our Bookshop.
How about making the pilgrimage on a motorbike ?
"Forbidden for health reason to do the Camino by the traditional methods, can I “do it” by motor bike - but in such a manner as to adhere as closely as possible to a true pilgrim route ?"
This is two questions in one: how to follow the route as closely as possible, and how to make the journey in as authentic a manner as possible.
As far as the first is concerned, I don't think you'll be in a position very different from that of cyclists, obliged to stick to roads. Some parts of the path are possible on a mountain bike, but on the whole it's discouraged because it does inconvenience and sometimes endanger the walkers. So (thru' our online Bookshop) buy our guide to the Camino Francés (assuming that's the route you're interested in) and our notes for cyclists, The Cycling Pilgrim. The strip-maps accompanying Millan Bravo Lozano's Guide (see previous question) will show you the relationship between the footpath and the nearest roads - which often coincide in any case.
The second question is less simple. Your greatest problem is going to be sleeping in the refuges, which are formally barred to people not travelling under their own steam. I know it's tough on people who genuinely need a vehicle, but it's a rough and ready distinction, and the wardens haven't time, sometimes not the inclination, to judge too finely. And it's in the refuges, of course, that you meet the other pilgrims, often many times over, and this is an important part of the experience. Equally, your pace is going to be faster than any walkers, and possibly faster than cyclists', so you're likely to outdistance all the others anyway. I don't think there's much help for it, I'm afraid: it will be simpler just to stay in small hotels, and seek out your fellow pilgrims in the bars and restaurants in each place you stop.
The essential thing however is ones own private motivation, and any journey undertaken in a spirit of pilgrimage is an authentic pilgrimage. It's the pilgrim himself who gives value to the Compostela given at the end of the journey: in itself it's meaningless. That said, if you have been unable to make the journey with a credencial you should ask, at the cathedral, for a certificado instead of a compostela, which, for you, will be just as good.
Music along the Camino
"We were disappointed not to find any choral or organ music, Gregorian chanting etc. in any of the churches or cathedrals during an otherwise memorable pilgrimage, especially in the Cathedral at Santiago."
A number of choirs travel the Camino singing in churches as they go, but whether any one pilgrim will encounter them is a hit and miss affair.
There are only a few places where one knows that there will be 'good music'. Santo Domingo de Silos (60 km south of Burgos) is famous for its Gregorian chant. At Rabanal del Camino the monks now installed in the monastery beside the church sing Gregorian vespers every day.
If you were in one of the bigger cities on a Sunday there could also be notable music, and from time to time music festivals are held in towns along the way; but we usually receive information too late to inform pilgrims.
In Santiago there is a wide variety of liturgical music in the cathedral, and I always describe Santiago as a city where music comes out of the walls! A little-known treasure is the Monasterio de San Pelayo de Antealtares to the west of the cathedral where the nuns sing beautifully.
Do we need credenciales to stay in
the refuges between Santiago and Finisterre ?
"We did as you suggested and asked about this in the Pilgrim Office in Santiago – they assured us that no pilgrim passports would be required at all to gain access to the albergues on the route. At the end of day 1, we got to Negreira to find a notice on the door along the lines of “no admittance without credencial”. The hospitalero finally turned up at 21:30, and issued our friends with photocopies of the standard Spanish credencial, which they were then able to use at Olveiroa and in Finisterre itself. So the story is – yes, despite what the pilgrim office say it is a good idea to have one, but you can get a photocopy of one at Negreira anyway."
"Can we get a credencial in Sarria ?"
"We're restricted by time, so plan to start in Sarria. I would be most appreciative if you could offer any advice as to where we could get the pilgrim record. Are they given out in Sarria, or should we stop somewhere on our way from Bilbao to pick them up?"
To be on the safe side, stop in one of the big centres - Burgos, León, for example - and ask at the cathedral, the tourist office, the local refugio. If you find yourselves in Sarria without a credencial, ask at the refugio, the ayuntamiento, or the parish church.
"Will my students be intruding ?"
"I am taking a group of students from a private, religious school to Paris to study French history. As part of our course of study, I would like to introduce the students to the concept and importance of pilgrimage to medieval Christians. While we cannot, unfortunately, make the entire pilgrimage, I would like to take them to Le Puy and walk the first stage of the pilgrimage. My concern is that we not disturb in any way the spiritual experience of the true pilgrims. In your experience, would it be acceptable for a group of religiously sensitive young people to participate in the activities at the cathedral in Le Puy, and then to set off on the first stage, always keeping a low profile?"
I very much appreciate the thoughtful tone of your question: I wish all enquirers about the Santiago pilgrimage were as sensitive to the inner journey of the pilgrims themselves! Some thoughts in reply:
I don't think you need worry about the danger of your group intruding, partly because relatively few of those starting from le Puy have a settled idea of what the journey is going to mean for them (that tends to develop as you go along); partly because plenty set off with little spiritual motivation in any case; partly because quite a lot haven't time to do the whole journey, so, like yourselves, do a more or less short stage before picking up again in later years. In any case, the route from le Puy is one of the more popular French long-distance footpaths, so is frequented by ordinary walkers as well as pilgrims.
I tend to resist the distinction between "true" and other pilgrims, because the pilgrimage is a subjective experience, and no-one is entitled to judge what's going on in someone else's heart and soul. Who knows how each of your students will respond?
If you have time to walk for 10 days, your group could reach Conques, a worthwhile destination in any case, and capable of giving your students a strong sense of pilgrimage without making the enormous journey to Santiago. Having done that, return to Paris via Rocamadour?
If you should go as far as Conques, stop at Estaing, and stay at the Hospitalité St Jacques - run by a family from Paris who were so much affected by the pilgrimage that they gave up their professional careers to welcome and care for pilgrims. I think a night there - it includes shared meals and shared worship - would give your students an important insight into the nature of the pilgrimage.
Encourage your students to participate in the pilgrim blessing at le Puy (check the time when you arrive): the same at Conques.
"Can I get my luggage carried for me ?"
Be careful with the notion of having your luggage carried for you. I've no doubt you could have taxis carry your bags for you from place to place, but the point is that the refugios are exclusively for people travelling under their own steam. This means either walking or cycling, and carrying their own luggage. People with support vehicles - and I think your proposal would be regarded as having a support vehicle, even if it's a different one each day - are expected to stay in hotels. Moreover, you might well find that the cathedral makes difficulties over the issue of your compostela document. This may not matter to you, but the fact that you are joining the CSJ suggests that you intend to apply for our Pilgrim Passport, which a) gives you (provided you are indeed travelling under your own steam) access to the refugios, and b) proves to the cathedral authorities, when you arrive - and they do look closely at the stamps which you are supposed to get each day - that you have made the pilgrimage the "authentic" way.
I know this seems tough, but the point is that most pilgrims do carry their own stuff, and there have been abuses in the past: people with support vehicles have had the driver go on ahead, and reserve beds in the nextrefugio, so that those who deserve them least get the beds, while those who deserve them more arrive later and find all the beds taken - moreover by people who have arrived fresher than them !
Staying in the refugios, at least some of the time, is definitely part of the experience; and most people value the compostela certificate at the end. If, in the light of what I've said, you decide to eschew the refugios, and ask for the certificado instead of the compostela, it won't make you any less of a pilgrim (since it's your own private motivation that counts and which no-one else can judge): you just need to be aware that those along the route providing the infrastructure are forced by sheer pressure of numbers to discriminate.
Have a look at the kit list we include on our "Planning your Pilgrimage" page. I think you'll be surprised at how little you really need, and how light you can make your rucksack. Don't ignore the value of training beforehand either: build up the distance to harden your feet and legs (blisters are NOT an essential part of the experience), and then add weight in your rucksack until you can comfortably carry something like the final weight for 12-15 miles in a day.
"Tell me about pilgrimage for the disabled"
“I have information about the pilgrimage to Santiago from the Internet, but only for the able bodied. I am disabled and would plan to walking the last 100km to Santiago and carry the credencial or pilgrim passport to qualify for the compostela. Please could you supply further information for the disabled. How does one get to the last 100km to Santiago ? Where would I find refugios ? If I wanted to walk, would there be other disabled groups going ? Where I would get the credencial ? ”
Some of your questions - location of refugios, where to get the credencial - are the same as those of any other pilgrim.
The rest depends on your own particular needs - the key thing being, I think, whether you need a support vehicle. You talk about walking the last 100 km, which implies that you are not a wheelchair user - but are you able to carry a rucksack ? If not, you will need someone to drive a car with your luggage, and hard-pressed hospitaleros cannot be relied upon to see that you are special case: generally, the rule is that people with a support vehicle cannot use the refugios (I know it's tough: but this is my experience of accompanying disabled pilgrims.) It will be easier if you avoid the high season, when the pressure on the refugios is at its highest - but it's getting greater throughout the year.
I don't think that any letter confirming your special need will help: my group of people with learning disabilities had a letter from the Archbishop of Santiago himself, and if anything, it antagonised the hospitaleros.
The chances of your finding other disabled pilgrims are negligible.
The last 100km begin at Sarria in Galicia - this is reached by bus from Santiago. Our Guide lists the refugios - see our online bookshop. However, the last part of the way includes some very rough stretches. Again, much depends on the nature and severity of your disability. But I should think it would be advisable to have a friend with you, in case you need help over rough ground.
Get hold of our guide, I suggest, and plan your stages carefully. I don't know how far you are able to walk in a day, but the guide will tell you the distances between possible places to sleep. Be prepared to go to small hotels if you find the refugios full - again, it's tough on the slower walkers, because the rule is first come first served.
Do not expect any of the refugios to have disabled access: generally the dormitories, and often the loos and showers too, will be upstairs.
All this seems depressing, but I mean it to be realistic; and I certainly don't mean to put you off making the attempt. The pilgrimage is OK for the fit and able-bodied, and it's high time it was made easier for the disabled. The only way that can happen is for some brave pioneers to do it, and show that it can be done. All power to your elbow: let us know if we can give you any more practical information - and above all, let us know (send us a copy of your diary for the library) how you get on !
By the way, the Confraternity has recently established the St Christopher Fund, to help with expenses for a companion to travel with elderly or frail pilgrims who need this sort of support. Please ask for more details if this might help you.
"I have difficulty with hills"
“I have no problem walking on flat surfaces for long distances - but do have problem with elevation. What portion of the walk will be over mountains ?”
The answer depends on where you're planning to start from. If, as many do, you start from St Jean Pied-de-Port, the very first day involves a climb of 1,200 metres, then a short descent to Roncesvalles. If you start from Roncesvalles itself, it's a steady downhill walk for 2 days to Pamplona.
Thereafter it certainly isn't flat - I guess I'd call it undulating - till Belorado, after which you climb the Montes de Oca (an hour's climb ?, then a plateau) to San Juan de Ortega before dropping again to Burgos.
The meseta which follows is a pretty level plateau at about 800 metres, and takes about a week to cross.
The mountains of León take you up to 1,400 metres over 2 days, then very steeply down to the Bierzo plain. 2 days later you have the Cebreiro range, again reaching 1,400 metres, and climbed in one day (or 2 if you chose). But neither of these is as bad as the day from St Jean, because you start higher up.
After Cebreiro it's generally downhill all the way to Santiago, but that doesn't mean that there are no more climbs !
Only you can judge what you're capable of. If you really can't climb at all, think seriously about not trying the pilgrimage, because on no sections can you be sure of avoiding hills. If you can climb a bit, consider taking buses or taxis to avoid the mountains of León and Cebreiro (and don't try starting from St Jean).
Remember too that for many people going downhill is worse than climbing. The descents I've mentioned are steeper than the preceding climbs.
How does the botafumeiro work ?
Click here for an erudite account in German, but with plenty of diagrams.
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