I am walking the VDLP and I decided to take a break from it to walk the Frances for a while and train my body like that and then return to the vdlp. Because of this sudden decision, I have no information on the current situation on the Frances. I am arriving in Logroño tonight in the evening...
I love poles and I would never hike without them. I entertain myself by spinning them a lot and they help me with keeping my hands up so they don't swell from dangling. Also they are great at distributing my weight and just helping me push myself when I cannot be bothered to use my legs properly.
I stayed in Leon for three nights for Semana Santa and I still finished the Camino in 32 days, with no long treks. You can definitely do it in 42.
However, if you wanted places to skip:
Sarria - Santiago in my opinion makes the camino lose all its charm. It's commercial, it's crowded and people...
Certainly possible!
My two cents added to this:
1. I don't know whether you are planning on crossing the mountains or taking the lower road on the first days, but surprisingly I found the lower road more tiring than the mountain way. It goes up and down continously and the view while still...
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