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Best route to take while walking with a seven year old.

Time of past OR future Camino
2013
Has anyone had the experience of walking the camino with a seven year old child? I hope to go in 2013 around may but I've read that in previous years the weather has been terrible! The last thing I want to do is give up after a few days. We can go at any stage really. We have 3-4 weeks in total. I at least want to do the hundred kilometres and eventually finish in finisterre. I thought to go to Leon and take a bus to start maybe in astorga or even further on. Ideas please! Also wondering if it would be a good or a bad idea to bring her bicycle? What type of shoes would be best for her to wear? Are there huge distances between hostels if the weather gets bad or for some reason we need to take an extra night? All advice greatly appreciated! Thanks! P
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Ask your doctor about a seven years old boy ability to walk at least 15 km a day for 25 days.
Won't he get bored? there won't be other kids around to play with.
It means you will have to carry his stuff or use the trans baggage service.
The Camino is not hard for the trained. train him.
 
Thank you! She is a girl. I don't doubt that she will be able to walk 15km per day but I wouldn't expect her to do it for 25 days. That's why I asked if anyone else has done it with their children and which route would be the best. As for asking my doctor if she could do it.....he would probably laugh at me and give me a prescription for antibiotics. . . Just incase. . :lol:
Thanks for your response! P
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
Have a look at Johnnie Walker's blog:

http://johnniewalker-santiago.blogspot. ... o-157.html

Elaine and 4 year old daughter Matinée walked together without the aid of pram or buggy from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago. Elaine said on the Pilgrims’ Office day book: “The Camino from St. Jean Pied de Port with my 4 year old (no stroller) daughter: what an adventure! An achievement, at the same time: sorrow, joy, pain, difficulty, the extraordinary, the discouragement, the wonderful, the intense. We enjoy the small pleasures of this life and together they make us smile every day.
Elaine and Matinée from Canada were just two of the pilgrims who have arrived this year from 157 different countries.
 
Maybe John can help you make contact with that mother?
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
JohnnieWalker said:
sillydoll said:
Maybe John can help you make contact with that mother?

Alas we have no contact details. Isn't there a website about walking with children?
Thank you johnnie, I will continue to search but all I have found is info on taking a child under the age of 4 who can be carried or over the age of 10 who can walk themselves. Whatever I find we are still going. It's better to just go and see what happens, it's all a learning experience!!! :D
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Seven is pretty young, but you know your daughter better than any of us. I walked in parallel with an Australian 10-year-old. It was her idea, her planning, and her mother just supported her. It was to be her transition from home schooling to public school. She did great! (Sorry Busy Bee, if I am under-describing your role. :D )
 
Hola,
You could check out the Kiwi Family posts starting here Kiwi Family thanks.....
and also their blog Pilgrims' Progress. Their youngest was 6 years old when they walked from Astorga.

We saw a young Spanish couple on the Camino, around Melide, with two young children, probably about 5 and 7 years old. They were obviously walking at the childrens' pace and the children had very small packs.
Buen Camino
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
As already mentioned, we just walked for three weeks with 6 and 8 year old (and another six aged ten and up). I'm happy to correspond with you directly if you like, but in case it's useful to others I'll put some initial thoughts here too.

We started in Astorga and made it to Santiago comfortably in 19 days.
The six year old walked 15km easily without grizzling. She managed 21km, although she grizzled the last couple of km (because we had told her we would be stopping in the next town, not realising there would be a tiny hamlet before Triacastela and that hamlet constituted a town in her thinking!) That night she ate a full pilgrim's dinner all by herself! On that day we took her pack (she carried a hydration bladder) for the last bit....MISTAKE....thereafter she would complain (maybe after only 3km) and ask for someone to take her pack! So we had a deal - if we had to walk more than 15km, we would carry her pack from the 15km point onwards.
We had ummed and ahhed about her acrrying anything. Our gut instinct was to let her walk unencumbered by anything. We listened to advice on this forum and tried her out with carrying water at home. Bottles were a dismal failure, but she loved wearing the pack and coped fine with it, so we took it. If I walked again with a 6 year old (or with that particular 6yo!), I would be inclined to stick with my instinct - while they can manage to carry a couple of litres (which diminshes over the course of the day), you make it much easier for them if they avhe only their own body weight to drag along (or to skip along as the case usually was - and even when she was grizzling she could stomp her feet with much effort!)
The 8yo, on the other hand, carried her 2kg of clothes and toiletries without any trouble - even when she broke her arm. But I'm glad one of the others carried her sleeping bag liner, towel and rain jacket - we seemed to hit the sweet spot for her.
You will need to carry your 6yo's gear. I advise taking one set of clothes to wear when walking and one set to change into in the evening/sleeping (shorts, tshirt and underwear)....plus a pair of longs for if it's cold, a thermal top and longjohns, a fleece and rain jacket. No more.
I would also advise having a secret stash of nuts and dried fruit just in case the place you plan to buy lunch does not have anything for sale (it happened to us and 17km is a long way to walk on an empty stomach - we didn't have the stash at that stage)

Before you go, do lots and lots of walking. Walk instead of taking the car (we have always done this and so our kids were used to walking). We also hike at weekends and we knew they could do 20km. What we weren't sure about was how they would manage walking day after day. Having gone further, I would say if you keep your distances to around 15km, you will be fine (assuming your daughter can do it at home). We found that needing to push to 20km some days was also possible, but less pleasant for the little legs.

Feel free to PM me if you like.
 
:D thank you sooooo much kiwi-family!!! This has been very helpful! There seems to be very few posts on walking with this age group. My lady would be well used to walking, she would have a 4-6 mile walk at least 2 or 3 times per week and into the spring we will be able to increase that. What I'm wondering about is what are the chances of getting to a hostel and finding that it is full? Because obviously with a child we will be walking much slower than most other people. Are there other alburgues along the way or in between the main towns that we can stay at instead? Also I'm curious about what type of shoes she wore? Hiking boots or light runners or sandals? I guess that is a personal choice really though. What was your experience with the alburgues? Bed bugs? :? Many of them? :shock: my original plan was to walk like ye from astorga to Santiago but now I think it will be sarria to Santiago then santiago to finisterre and muxia. Big thanks to you!!! I will definitely be keepi g in contact with you if that's ok? I think I will have many silly questions to ask!!!! :D
 
I remember all those questions! :wink:
We were a group of eleven :shock: eight kids, two parents and Grandpa. There was only one night when the albergue we wanted to stay in (the cheap municipal one) was full and we had to check in to a pension instead. Because we were not going 30km in a day, it was easy to make sure we arrived by lunchtime-ish and stood in the queue eating our bread and salami and cheese, waiting to claim a bed. So you might be walking slower, but you are also likely to walk fewer miles.
We all wore Keens sandals - different styles depending on what fit was best for each person.
Bed bugs. Unfortunately yes. Some of our kids were BADLY attacked and I'm sorry to say we bought a can of poison and sprayed beds thereafter. Teatree oil and lavender oil eased the itch.

We did not get out to Finisterre (had to spend a day at the hospital in Santiago and it was going to be too rushed, not to mention expensive to get back again so we are saving that for another time!), but frm what I understand, the albergues are less frequesnt along that stretch - as in you HAVE to walk over 20km, one day closer to 30km to get from one to the next. If that is the case, I'd advise starting at Astorga and just taking your time. You can spend a few days easily in Santiago at the end too.
Astorga to Santa Catalina is a very easy way to ease into the walk. And there's even a playground at Santa Catalina - always a hit with little ones!
If you like I could send you a breakdown of the days and distances we walked, with comments etc.
Don't hesitate to ask silly questions! No question is silly.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
that would be fantastic thank you! ive heard that there are now options to break the walk up even more between santiago and finisterre but i do like the sound of starting in astorga as that what i had originally planned. im really freaked out about the bed bugs! bugs in general dont bother me, its the diseases they carry...can they make you sick? ive never seen one! even in my year travelling australia. maybe there is a witchy spell or something to help repell them :lol: or this might be the month when finally i decide to make friends with the can s of poison!! thanks so much for your help kiwi family! looking forward to seeing your itinery!
Kiwi-family said:
I remember all those questions! :wink:
We were a group of eleven :shock: eight kids, two parents and Grandpa. There was only one night when the albergue we wanted to stay in (the cheap municipal one) was full and we had to check in to a pension instead. Because we were not going 30km in a day, it was easy to make sure we arrived by lunchtime-ish and stood in the queue eating our bread and salami and cheese, waiting to claim a bed. So you might be walking slower, but you are also likely to walk fewer miles.
We all wore Keens sandals - different styles depending on what fit was best for each person.
Bed bugs. Unfortunately yes. Some of our kids were BADLY attacked and I'm sorry to say we bought a can of poison and sprayed beds thereafter. Teatree oil and lavender oil eased the itch.

We did not get out to Finisterre (had to spend a day at the hospital in Santiago and it was going to be too rushed, not to mention expensive to get back again so we are saving that for another time!), but frm what I understand, the albergues are less frequesnt along that stretch - as in you HAVE to walk over 20km, one day closer to 30km to get from one to the next. If that is the case, I'd advise starting at Astorga and just taking your time. You can spend a few days easily in Santiago at the end too.
Astorga to Santa Catalina is a very easy way to ease into the walk. And there's even a playground at Santa Catalina - always a hit with little ones!
If you like I could send you a breakdown of the days and distances we walked, with comments etc.
Don't hesitate to ask silly questions! No question is silly.
 
You have good luck???!
ive never seen one! even in my year travelling australia
Australia facing bedbug invasion
Cassie White

Updated Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:25am AEDT

Australians are being warned there is no escape from the bedbugs which are currently staging a jet-setting comeback in hotels on both sides of the Atlantic.

After being all but wiped out by banned pesticide DDT years ago, the little brown bugs are reportedly increasing in numbers, generating some bad PR for tourist hotspots New York and London.

Bedbug cases in both cities are on the rise as the parasites hitch a lift in luggage, aircraft seats and clothes to wherever people sleep or rest.

Infestations are common in backpacker-friendly suburbs like Bondi and Coogee, but it is not just overseas travellers who are being attacked.

A bedbug infestation almost ruined Brisbane resident Cori's life after her flatmate brought them home from a three-star hotel in Cairns.

Three rounds of intense fumigation and thousands of dollars later, she says the bedbugs came back for a fourth time. The incident happened almost two years ago, but Cori says to this day they cannot bring themselves to talk about it.

"We fumigated the whole house and threw out anything we weren't attached to, plus fumigated our cars. At this point we were also getting changed in the garage downstairs before going inside," she said.

"It was a really expensive exercise that costs thousands of dollars each time. We were up to the $10,000 mark the third time around and they came back again.

"In the end they won. We put the remains of our stuff in storage for a year-and-a-half. That was everything; furniture, clothes, books - we just started again from scratch."

The ordeal lasted more than four months and almost sent Cori and her flatmate over the edge.

"Basically we thought we were going insane. We always thought we were itching, we couldn't hang out with people because no-one wanted us in their home, so we found ourselves homeless quite quickly," she said.

"It escalated into this really horrendous psychological nightmare.

"Everything we own that went through that process still smells horrendous today; our clothes and cars still smell like the fumigation."

Eventually the girls had to move out of their unit completely because there was just no escape from the critters.

But the horrific ordeal did not end there.

"I stayed at my boyfriend's place and ... I was stripping off at the door every day, putting on a towel and going straight to the shower," she said.

"I'd put the clothes I was wearing outside in a bag so the next time I left - often in his clothes - I'd take them to the laundromat and put them in 140 degree temperature water.

"I wasn't even able to work because I had no clothes or books, so I basically gave my teaching load to someone else.

"I'd often lie there at night and if I felt any itch at all I'd think 'Oh my god'. So I became a real hypochondriac thinking I'd brought them in and we'd have to do the same thing with my boyfriend's stuff."

These days bedbugs are found everywhere from backpacker hostels to five-star hotels, on public transport, and increasingly in homes.

Brisbane pest controller Roger Goode says bedbugs are extremely common in Australia and suspects they will become even more of a problem.

"We get an enquiry about them every two days. The main way they get around is in planes and other public transport in luggage and other cracks and crevices," he said.

"With the rate of the dollar and also the number of people coming in, I think there's a great opportunity for us to get an infestation on the same level [as other countries].

"They can live up to three months without a host. They like cracks and crevices in rooms, behind powerpoints, mattresses and mattress buttons are a good place to hide.

"They like to be in the dark, in the warmth and don't mind being claustrophobic at all."

Sydney pest controller Rita Kokontis agrees travellers are the main culprits responsible for bringing bedbugs to Australia, after they come from countries with a high infestation.

"In Sydney we'd probably do five bedbug jobs a week minimum and they're very difficult to shift. [They are mainly concentrated] in areas like Bondi and Coogee where there's a lot of travellers," she said.

"Usually one treatment won't be enough. A lot of the time the mattresses will need to be discarded and you still need more treatments.

"A lot of people are under the misconception that if you get rid of the mattress you get rid of the problem, but you can actually find the bedbugs on the frame and under the skirting boards, behind picture frames and in bedside tables."

But Ms Kokontis warns people not to think they out of harm's way if they do not do a lot of travelling.

"[They also infest] homes after people have had guests staying from overseas," she said.

"It's not necessarily unhygienic, it's just the exposure to them.

"When there's a lot of people sharing beds, like in a hotel, people are packing their bags and taking them with them. They then might put that bag on your floor and then they can infest your home."
 
Oh my good God! I was there for one year and not once did I see them! A gecko in my bed was as bad as it got. I must be lucky! I'm not so worried now. :D
falcon269 said:
You have good luck???!
ive never seen one! even in my year travelling australia
Australia facing bedbug invasion
Cassie White

Updated Fri Feb 11, 2011 10:25am AEDT

Australians are being warned there is no escape from the bedbugs which are currently staging a jet-setting comeback in hotels on both sides of the Atlantic.

After being all but wiped out by banned pesticide DDT years ago, the little brown bugs are reportedly increasing in numbers, generating some bad PR for tourist hotspots New York and London.

Bedbug cases in both cities are on the rise as the parasites hitch a lift in luggage, aircraft seats and clothes to wherever people sleep or rest.

Infestations are common in backpacker-friendly suburbs like Bondi and Coogee, but it is not just overseas travellers who are being attacked.

A bedbug infestation almost ruined Brisbane resident Cori's life after her flatmate brought them home from a three-star hotel in Cairns.

Three rounds of intense fumigation and thousands of dollars later, she says the bedbugs came back for a fourth time. The incident happened almost two years ago, but Cori says to this day they cannot bring themselves to talk about it.

"We fumigated the whole house and threw out anything we weren't attached to, plus fumigated our cars. At this point we were also getting changed in the garage downstairs before going inside," she said.

"It was a really expensive exercise that costs thousands of dollars each time. We were up to the $10,000 mark the third time around and they came back again.

"In the end they won. We put the remains of our stuff in storage for a year-and-a-half. That was everything; furniture, clothes, books - we just started again from scratch."

The ordeal lasted more than four months and almost sent Cori and her flatmate over the edge.

"Basically we thought we were going insane. We always thought we were itching, we couldn't hang out with people because no-one wanted us in their home, so we found ourselves homeless quite quickly," she said.

"It escalated into this really horrendous psychological nightmare.

"Everything we own that went through that process still smells horrendous today; our clothes and cars still smell like the fumigation."

Eventually the girls had to move out of their unit completely because there was just no escape from the critters.

But the horrific ordeal did not end there.

"I stayed at my boyfriend's place and ... I was stripping off at the door every day, putting on a towel and going straight to the shower," she said.

"I'd put the clothes I was wearing outside in a bag so the next time I left - often in his clothes - I'd take them to the laundromat and put them in 140 degree temperature water.

"I wasn't even able to work because I had no clothes or books, so I basically gave my teaching load to someone else.

"I'd often lie there at night and if I felt any itch at all I'd think 'Oh my god'. So I became a real hypochondriac thinking I'd brought them in and we'd have to do the same thing with my boyfriend's stuff."

These days bedbugs are found everywhere from backpacker hostels to five-star hotels, on public transport, and increasingly in homes.

Brisbane pest controller Roger Goode says bedbugs are extremely common in Australia and suspects they will become even more of a problem.

"We get an enquiry about them every two days. The main way they get around is in planes and other public transport in luggage and other cracks and crevices," he said.

"With the rate of the dollar and also the number of people coming in, I think there's a great opportunity for us to get an infestation on the same level [as other countries].

"They can live up to three months without a host. They like cracks and crevices in rooms, behind powerpoints, mattresses and mattress buttons are a good place to hide.

"They like to be in the dark, in the warmth and don't mind being claustrophobic at all."

Sydney pest controller Rita Kokontis agrees travellers are the main culprits responsible for bringing bedbugs to Australia, after they come from countries with a high infestation.

"In Sydney we'd probably do five bedbug jobs a week minimum and they're very difficult to shift. [They are mainly concentrated] in areas like Bondi and Coogee where there's a lot of travellers," she said.

"Usually one treatment won't be enough. A lot of the time the mattresses will need to be discarded and you still need more treatments.

"A lot of people are under the misconception that if you get rid of the mattress you get rid of the problem, but you can actually find the bedbugs on the frame and under the skirting boards, behind picture frames and in bedside tables."

But Ms Kokontis warns people not to think they out of harm's way if they do not do a lot of travelling.

"[They also infest] homes after people have had guests staying from overseas," she said.

"It's not necessarily unhygienic, it's just the exposure to them.

"When there's a lot of people sharing beds, like in a hotel, people are packing their bags and taking them with them. They then might put that bag on your floor and then they can infest your home."
 
The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
The earlier in the year you go the less likely you are to see bedbugs. May should be fine. They spread west it seems from June onwards most years, if you read folks posts and reports.
The best thing is to check the beds, if you are concerned, for little evidences of their presence:- black dots/specks etc.
Personally we have had no problems in May and do not spray our things as we have problems with chemicals. However Terry's original Camino he had a bag-liner that came treated and it was OK to use.
Buen Camino
 
Pollyappleseed: Once you get to Santiago look us up! We have a 9, 7, and 5 year old and it would be fun to have you over for an afternoon/ evening and have your daughter play with our kids. My email is faith@thesweetroad.com. Meanwhile, enjoy all the planning. You'll be building such great memories with your daughter - I'm sure she'll never forget her Camino adventure! Take care.
 
natefaith said:
Pollyappleseed: Once you get to Santiago look us up! We have a 9, 7, and 5 year old and it would be fun to have you over for an afternoon/ evening and have your daughter play with our kids. My email is faith@thesweetroad.com. Meanwhile, enjoy all the planning. You'll be building such great memories with your daughter - I'm sure she'll never forget her Camino adventure! Take care.
Wow! How kind of you! Thank you so much! That will be fantastic for aoibheann. I'm not sure how she will cope for the week walking without other children around. I thought to ask one of my friends if I could borrow their daughter for a few weeks just to keep aoibheann entertained :) well I will definitely be in touch! Thanks again!
 
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
Pollyappleseed said:
natefaith said:
Pollyappleseed: Once you get to Santiago look us up! We have a 9, 7, and 5 year old and it would be fun to have you over for an afternoon/ evening and have your daughter play with our kids. My email is faith@thesweetroad.com. Meanwhile, enjoy all the planning. You'll be building such great memories with your daughter - I'm sure she'll never forget her Camino adventure! Take care.
Wow! How kind of you! Thank you so much! That will be fantastic for aoibheann. I'm not sure how she will cope for the week walking without other children around. I thought to ask one of my friends if I could borrow their daughter for a few weeks just to keep aoibheann entertained :) well I will definitely be in touch! Thanks again!

Make sure you get together with them. We bumped into them one morning and had a lovely chat just standing on the side of the road - they are a delightful family! (I'd have sworn they had four kids, but maybe I was in more of a dream than I realised in Santiago!)
 
Greetings,

My seven-year-old and ten-year-old daughters will walk with me from SJPP to Santiago. We'll begin mid-March in 2013.

My kids are serious hikers -- we live in the White Mountains of NH and both of them hike mountains weekly with me (10+ miles with 3000 feet+ elevation gain is common). They've each been hiking "grown-up sized" mountains since they were four. They're used to hiking in all kinds of weather, above treeline and in frigid conditions, with crampons, facemasks, etc., even in subzero temps and windchills. They LOVE getting out there and they are both very excited for this trip.

That being said, they are still kids and would therefore LOVE to meet other kids out there. When it gets closer to the time you plan to go, please send me a pm and let me know where you think you might be and when. If you're out there in late March/April, then perhaps we will see you out there somewhere. It would be very nice to meet you!

We have a website dedicated to our preparations for the Camino (and our fundraising efforts for the two nonprofit organizations we're hiking for)-- http://www.girlsontheway.com.
 
Wow that's fantastic trishalexsage :) love the name sage! Presume its your daughter. My daughter wouldn't be anywhere near as fit as your kids actually I probably wouldn't be anywhere near as fit as your kids :D I do think she will be well able for it though but not having other children to keep her amused could make things a little more difficult for her. It would be fantastic to meet up but I think we will be arriving too late. We leave from sarria 24/th 25th of may and do the 200 km to finisterre. Which is a pity because it would have been great to walk some of the way with ye. Ill be on touch closer to the time anyway incase my plans change and we decide to leave earlier. I look forward to hearing how it all goes. I think the sleeping part is going to be the most challenging :D
Slainte!
Pauline
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Kiwi-family said:
Pollyappleseed said:
natefaith said:
Pollyappleseed: Once you get to Santiago look us up! We have a 9, 7, and 5 year old and it would be fun to have you over for an afternoon/ evening and have your daughter play with our kids. My email is faith@thesweetroad.com. Meanwhile, enjoy all the planning. You'll be building such great memories with your daughter - I'm sure she'll never forget her Camino adventure! Take care.
Wow! How kind of you! Thank you so much! That will be fantastic for aoibheann. I'm not sure how she will cope for the week walking without other children around. I thought to ask one of my friends if I could borrow their daughter for a few weeks just to keep aoibheann entertained :) well I will definitely be in touch! Thanks again!

Make sure you get together with them. We bumped into them one morning and had a lovely chat just standing on the side of the road - they are a delightful family! (I'd have sworn they had four kids, but maybe I was in more of a dream than I realised in Santiago!)

Oh I sure will! Aoibheann will be badly in need of some kiddy company at that stage I recon. Oh, I was telling my friend about he kiwi family :D and he said he met ye! Small world eh!
 
Pollyappleseed said:
Wow that's fantastic trishalexsage :) love the name sage! Presume its your daughter. My daughter wouldn't be anywhere near as fit as your kids actually I probably wouldn't be anywhere near as fit as your kids :D I do think she will be well able for it though but not having other children to keep her amused could make things a little more difficult for her. It would be fantastic to meet up but I think we will be arriving too late. We leave from sarria 24/th 25th of may and do the 200 km to finisterre. Which is a pity because it would have been great to walk some of the way with ye. Ill be on touch closer to the time anyway incase my plans change and we decide to leave earlier. I look forward to hearing how it all goes. I think the sleeping part is going to be the most challenging :D
Slainte!
Pauline

Once we're out there, I've no idea how fast or slow we'll go, so it's possible we're still be on the trail in lat May. I know how my kids dayhike, but the day-after-day thing is new to us, so we're going to take it one day at a time and go as slow/fast as they like. I feel relaxed and slower would be better than fast and furious. I want the girls to enjoy this and not feel pushed or rushed at anytime. Therefore, pelase do let us know of your final plans when the time comes.
 
Kiwi-family said:
Pollyappleseed said:
natefaith said:
Pollyappleseed: Once you get to Santiago look us up! We have a 9, 7, and 5 year old and it would be fun to have you over for an afternoon/ evening and have your daughter play with our kids. My email is faith@thesweetroad.com. Meanwhile, enjoy all the planning. You'll be building such great memories with your daughter - I'm sure she'll never forget her Camino adventure! Take care.
Wow! How kind of you! Thank you so much! That will be fantastic for aoibheann. I'm not sure how she will cope for the week walking without other children around. I thought to ask one of my friends if I could borrow their daughter for a few weeks just to keep aoibheann entertained :) well I will definitely be in touch! Thanks again!

Make sure you get together with them. We bumped into them one morning and had a lovely chat just standing on the side of the road - they are a delightful family! (I'd have sworn they had four kids, but maybe I was in more of a dream than I realised in Santiago!)

kiwi-family - we DO have four kids, you remembered correctly, haha! :) But I didn't think our 2-year-old would be as good company for Aoibheann as our other three older ones :)
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hello!

We walked from St. Jean to Burgos with our 6 year old daughter and 8 year old son. We did bring a hiking chariot to give them breaks on the long flat stretches. That being said, they didn't want to use it for fear others would think they were babies LOL. The longest day my daughter walked was 18 miles. We didn't force her, she just wouldn't stop walking! So kept going as long as she did.

She carried a small pack with a barbie, writing materials, and light snacks. I carried her water and change of clothing. Food was difficult at times. When we arrived in a town of 30 people and everything is closed, we had to eat from the vending machine. I learned to carry bread because when nothing is available bread will do until the next meal. Fruit is great but heavy and often we found ourselves eating it first thing in the morning in order to lighten our load. :) I will also say that the hostels were helpful in getting us set up in an area more private or away from adults when they had room. I would call ahead or tip someone at the front desk to call for me and ask for something private. This took a little planning as we had to guess where we would end up the next day. Sometimes having to cancel our reservation and move to another. We were lucky and did not encounter bed bugs. I was pretty diligent about using out sleeping bag with a silk liner. Both kids wore hiking tennis shoes and flip flops for the showers.

It was difficult as first but the kids built up an endurance and enjoyed exploring new towns.

Let me know if you have any questions!
Mandy
Arizona, USA


We are returning in February to continue the remainder of the camino. Burgos to Finisterre.
 
I've been doing the Camino in spurts, to accommodate family and professional obligations, and this allowed me to take my two daughters (and their dad) with me for a short leg. Most of the Camino I have walked (and will finish) alone, but I did three days with my girls ages 8 and 11 (at the time) and it was very satisfying to share some of my Camino experience with them. But it was very different from how I managed things while walking alone. I felt compelled to have a firmer plan with them, and did several shorter days rather than the longer recommended stages. The best distance was about 13k, the last day we had to do 17k and it was a bit rough for them. I don't think my two girls, at this age, would be up for the entire walk, but perhaps yours are more robust than my "city kids." They carried smaller day packs and I carried more of their things myself, which added weight to my pack, and I noticed that!

May will be good because you don't need sleeping bags just a silk sheet -- that was okay for me and I guess I am lucky we did not meet any bed bugs -- which lightens your load. I did most of my walk in May and early June and was very comfortable. Did the family bit in July, so we had to rise very early to get on the road and walk in cooler temps, arriving at our albergues or hotel by noon. Worked hard to keep them hydrated!

But it was a special time, and they both tell me that when they are older, they want to walk the entire route, and with me -- we'll see if they still say that after their teenage years -- and so I have this to look forward to...

If you are curious, click the link in the footer of my message which links to the Camino tag of my blog. There's a post about the days I did with my family.

Good luck and Buen Camino...
 
While this is not direct information on walking the Camino, there is a principle that may be useful to share. I wanted to take my four year old daughter to India, as I went each year as part of my business. All the conventional advice was not to do so. Anyone who professed knowledge of travelling in India was horrified, and warned me of all kinds of terrible possibilities. On the India Mike website, I found some good practical advice from a couple who had taken two small children, with no problems. I took her for three weeks and we had a ball. She has since been a further three times and it has deeply enrichened her life, and we have never had problems or any of the difficulties we warned of. A bit of common sense and awareness of her needs, and then ensuring she had some good fun each day has worked well. I am hoping to introduce her to the camino next year.
 
Perfect memento/gift in a presentation box. Engraving available, 25 character max.
I don't have kids, so take everything with a pinch of salt!

My parents are very keen walkers and, every year, our family holiday was two or three weeks in Switzerland, hiking in the alps. This was from age 18 months (my brother) and age three (me). Up to 20 miles a day by the time we were five or six. Every day. Now, we weren't carrying a pack, and were sleeping in the same bed every night, but I remember it as an absolute blast.

One point that hasn't been addressed is whether it's a good idea to take your daughter's bike. I'd say no. The stretch from Astorga is mountainous, on rough, uneven paths. Actually, that's an overstatment - none of it is tricky or technical hiking, so don't worry. But most of it isn't bike friendly, either.
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles

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