Children

[raydercha]

I plan on walking the Norte with my nine year old son. He is fit and has a good constitution, I'd love to hear of others experiences with walking with their children or seeing them on the Camino.
Best regards,
Will

 

[Stellere]

Here's a great blog by a mom who walked with her two girls:

http://www.girlsontheway.com

 

[mspath]

Hi Will,

Welcome to the Forum!

What fun it must be to plan a camino for you and your son!

Be sure to scan the many Forum topics on routes, accommodation, equipment, etc. for lots of helpful info; past pilgrims love to share their advice and experiences. Such sharing is a large part of the camino spirit; besides being informative for future pilgrims it help keeps memories current for experienced pilgrims as we recall our journeys anew.

Here are a few earlier Forum threads regarding walking with family, with children, or with a young child.

Buen Camino to both of you,

Margaret Meredith

 

[raydercha]

Excellent I will read away and try to master this search function so I don't clog the airwaves with repetitive chaff. Aces to y'all.

 

[raydercha]

Here's a great blog by a mom who walked with her two girls:

http://www.girlsontheway.com

Thank you stellere. I just read some great stuff on the blog. Unfortunately the other threads are no longer available?

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hola and welcome. If you click on the word 'children' in your first post here it will show 23 threads which might help you. Particularly check Kiwifamily - they walked with several children including a 6 year old (Francés) and part of the family are planning on walking again this year.
Buen Camino

 

[raydercha]

It keeps saying the requested thread could not be found?

 

[Susannafromsweden]

It keeps saying the requested thread could not be found?

They worked when I tried them. But if you try this link? Maybe it's better.
http://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/tags/children/

 

[raydercha]

Thank you Susanna, that link got me exactly what I was looking for. Cheers

 

[MKalcolm M]

Hi Will,
I walked the Norte this spring, and afterwards was contacted via this forum by someone who was thinking of doing this with their ten year old son. Below are some of the points which ensued in our discussion.

1. Have you walked any of the caminos before? I am a parent of a nine year old daughter, and I would love to take her on the camino, but wouldn't consider it until she is at least in her mid teens. Walking the Norte was a great experience, but I found it a really hard slog, both physically and mentally challenging, and I know I couldn't have done it with my daughter. For me the fun times were meeting other pilgrims and sharing times in the bars and cafes and having a laugh together, and the camraderi shared along the way. This does not equate to fun for a child and it is hard to see how your son could enjoy himself. I would urge you to consider walking the route by yourself the first time, or if you want to take your boy, then walk on the Frances, where the path is much easier and the breaks at cafes and distances between albergs are shorter.
   
   I'm happy to discuss the route in more detail and the possibility of taking your son, so feel free to message me for more details if you would like to.
   
   Malcolm
2. Begin June 24, 2014 on the Norte with my 10 year old son
   Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I have not done another camino. But I have had a teenage daughter and traveled abroad with her often, and it was awfully annoying with her running up a phone bill and whining about what she was missing back home. 9-12 are great years! I don't have the option to leave him home for a month, and my husband will join us, probably around Santander. I think that I would dislike a crowded Frances in the summer, and prefer the sea to the meseta. I will note the areas to bus, and give myself the permission to do that to go at his pace, not mine.
   Buen camino every day,
   Lisa
   
   
   Hi Lisa,
   
   Thanks for your reply, which has given me food for thought. A few basic ideas have occured to me regarding taking your son on the Norte.
   
   If your husband is joining you, then it may be realistic that sometimes one parent spends time doing more child oriented activities with your son, then they take the bus, while the other adult walks the camino, and you all meet up at the next alberge. This way your son could get a break from walking and do things which he enjoys, which will make it more of a holiday for him. I walked with several pilgrims that I met along the way (one of whom I fell totally in love with) and sometimes we would divide up, some walking, those who were tired or too blistered to walk taking the bus, then we would meet up for an evening meal.
   
   My experience walking was, the first week you adapt physically, the second mentally and the third week you start to enjoy yourself. The first week was very hard physically, after a few days if I had been asked to describe my experience in one word, it would have been "painful". Apart from my arms, every part of my body hurt, and I came very close to giving it all up. You need to take account of this when asking a child to walk. Can you get in as much walking as possible before you go? Also footwear which is well broken in and won't blister is essential. As light a pack as possible and experience of walking while carrying it befor you go will help.
   
   The mental adjustment needs to be catered to. I could get lost in my thoughts and reflect on things I needed to deal with, but a child needs entertainment. My daughter loves listening to pre recorded books via headphones, and music, this could be worth looking into, also something to do in the alberges when you arrive. You may well be very tired, and busy washing clothes, planning the next day, organzing food, and this is a point when a complaining child will test your patience to the utmost. Something to entertain him at this point will make your life much easier.​

 

[raydercha]

Thanks for all the thoughtful input. He is a beach boy so I will still take the Norte. I am not aversed to taking trains and buses at all. I'll also have a tent. So making it to the next amenities shouldn't be an issue. Part of the fun will be rolling with it and tailoring the experience like a custom made suit. If he's not enjoying himself I won't push him. We don't really do too much by way of screened electronics. We will be taking probably book five of Narnia because we should be finished with four by then.

 

[raydercha]

I am open to whatever, I might meet a group of people with 9 year olds at the airport doing the Frances and change plans? I may get to blibao than bus to the Frances. It is all very exciting.

 

[RobertS26]

Thanks for all the thoughtful input. Part of the fun will be rolling with it and tailoring the experience like a custom made suit.

Exactly! The best plan on the Camino is to have no plan. Let it unfold in front of you. Experience it. If you trust the Camino it will provide what you need, when you need it. I know you will have a great trip.

 

[raydercha]

Thank you Robert.

 

[shefollowsshells]

With your tremendous flexibility you will be fine!!!!
It sounds like you are willing to do what it takes to make it work...and with that attitude I would say, "Buen Camino"!
This will be a wonderful time for you both!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Remember everyone has their own experience - so one person here has a child who would NOT enjoy this kind of holiday and would need to be "be entertained". You know your child and how he will go.
We were fortunate to walk with kids who enjoyed the experience - and we're going back for more. Perhaps one important thing to remember is that you don't need to travel 25-30km each day. In fact, with a 9yo, it's probably advisable not to - often people think something is too difficult or dangerous or whatever because they are thinking of it from a "how they did it as an adult" perspective....but if you attempt to cover only 15km, the very same walk becomes much easier. Your attitude of allowing the child to set the pace and determine what happens will see you go far.
Buen Camino!

 

[mspath]

....but if you attempt to cover only 15km, the very same walk becomes much easier. Your attitude of allowing the child to set the pace and determine what happens will see you go far.
Buen Camino!

Rachael,

This is GREAT advice for 'children' of any age!

Margaret Meredith

 

[miles]

I plan on walking the Norte with my nine year old son. He is fit and has a good constitution, I'd love to hear of others experiences with walking with their children or seeing them on the Camino.
Best regards,
Will

We walked from Porto to Santiago with our daughter who was 9 and turned 10 on the camino. She loved the experience for so many reasons. Now she is 14 and we are walking from Le Puy in late April. She has already said that she plans to walk the camino with her children one day. You know your own child and whether they're up for it. It is an amazing life experience to share.

 

[Kes Shearer]

I plan on walking the Norte with my nine year old son. He is fit and has a good constitution, I'd love to hear of others experiences with walking with their children or seeing them on the Camino.
Best regards,
Will

I walked the Comino to Santiago when I was 9 years old from Saint Jean Pied de Port, French side of the Pyrenees, amazing experience, I guess it shaped the person I am really. I went on to walk the route a further three times when I was in my teens. this was done with my Father and we walked the whole way, took us 6 weeks.

Would be a gift to give your son

Much love
Kes

 

[Otro_Mas]

One of the best things I've done in my life has been walk the Camino with my three children.

We walked a week per year from Roncesvalles till reach Santiago. At the beginning they were 14, 13 and 10, just cellebrating the two youngest birthday.

I (the father) walked alone with them most of the time. My wife came with us in some parts, and a friend with his two boys also did it one year.

Here you have a blog where you can see their faces and decide how it was for them: http://llegandoasantiago.blogspot.com.es/.

No books, no elctronic devices, just a ball and a deck of cards is enough. Patience form the parent is also wellcome.


Buen Camino

 

[Kiwi-family]

A ball and a deck of cards! Yes!! We are walking right now and came with the cards ( and a journal each). We have made a ball with screwed up old undies that Daddy was going to throw away and duct tape!

 

[Kiwi-family]

By the way, I said earlier on this thread that you probably shouldn't do 30km with a nine year old. I take it back - we've done more with a just-turned-8-year-old. BUT we only planned 15-18km each day.....we have increased the distance because the kids are happy with it. We talk to so many people who are struggling and mostly they've gone too far too fast.

 

[angulero]

Hoy vi una cosa que no me pareció muy normal. Salí esta mañana a dar una vuelta en bicicleta cuando, bajando por la carretera nacional, a la altura del puente que cruza el río nalón, vi a una pareja de peregrinos que bajaban caminando. Intercalado entre ellos iba un niño de no más de cinco o seis años en bicicleta. Lo siento, pero me parece muy irresponsable que un niño de esa edad, que aún no tiene mucho equilibrio sobre una bicicleta, y menos yendo velocidad muy reducida, esté haciendo el camino de esa manera. Además, teniendo la opción de ir por la antigua carretera, que es por donde está marcado el camino, bajan por una carretera con mucho tráfico.

Today I saw something that did not seem quite normal. I went out this morning to take a bike ride when, down the national road, up to the bridge crossing the river nalón, I saw a couple of pilgrims walk down. You sandwiched between them was a boy of no more than five or six years cycling. Sorry, but I find it very irresponsible for a child of that age, who does not have a lot of balance on a bike, and less going very low speed, is making the way of that. Also, having the option to go the old road, which is where is marked the way, go down a road with heavy traffic.

 

[sillydoll]

This is a really good series of videos taken by a family walking with their 6 months old baby.

 

[NadineMc]

I plan on walking the Norte with my nine year old son. He is fit and has a good constitution, I'd love to hear of others experiences with walking with their children or seeing them on the Camino.
Best regards,
Will

Hello Will. I also plan to walk one of the Camino routes with my daughter in June of 2015. I'd love to do the Norte because this is one Camino I haven't done yet. But I'm also considering the Frances because it's familiar to me and maybe easier than the Norte??? How difficult was the route for both yourself and your son? I'm just concerned my daughter won't have the stamina and I sure don't want to hear complaining for a whole month!!! She is 12 years old, by the way. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated, if you have the time. Thanks, Nadine

 

[shefollowsshells]

Hello Will. I also plan to walk one of the Camino routes with my daughter in June of 2015. I'd love to do the Norte because this is one Camino I haven't done yet. But I'm also considering the Frances because it's familiar to me and maybe easier than the Norte??? How difficult was the route for both yourself and your son? I'm just concerned my daughter won't have the stamina and I sure don't want to hear complaining for a whole month!!! She is 12 years old, by the way. Any tips or suggestions would be appreciated, if you have the time. Thanks, Nadine

That is a hard decision...
I so wanted my children to experience the Frances (after I had done it), then I did the Norte and they really wanted to walk along the cliffs, beaches and water. I think my kiddos would chose the Norte over the Frances if they had to chose.
They really want to do both...but there are so many factors to consider, as of now that is the plan though.
Then my 7 year old says, "I'll go next time mommy"...as if this will be a yearly event or something (which obviously it won't)...
Buen Camino!
I think your daughter will enjoy this Camino.

 

[Kiwi-family]

My kids (aged 8-13) said they far preferred the Baztan, Salvador and Primitivo routes over the Frances or Fisterra - although they did like the frequency of chocolate pastries on the Frances!

 

[Kelly Scherer]

Hi everybody! I love reading that more and more people are wanting to bring their children along for the journey! I walked from Pamplona to Burgos last May, and while i do plan to complete the Camino Francis one day, i find myself planning the Camino Portuguese now so that i can bring my 6 year old along with me Financially, this is going to be tight, but so worth it! My question is this... even if we share a bed, will the albergues still charge per person? I am asking so that i may properly budget. Thank you!