First time walking the Camino in August/September 2011

[carolejcrosby]

Just starting to plan & train to do the Camino this fall. How is the weather this time of year?? I am considering some BIKING on long flat stretches. I would love to hear from anyone who has already done this. I am also learning some Spanish.

 

[sun is shining]

I'm starting my Camino on the 6th of August in Logrono - hopefully see you around!

buenas suerte with learning Spanish!

 

[Deleted member 3000]

Check out this section on Biking the Camino:

biking-the-camino/

 

[alipilgrim]

I was looking at bus fares on Alsa.es yesterday and noticed that they have a big Camino advertisement. They are targeting pilgrims, showing the different camino routes and which cities they service, offer return tickets, and they carry bikes too!

 

[carolejcrosby]

Check out this section on Biking the Camino:

biking-the-camino/

Thanks so much for the reference. It certainly seems that there is a lot of research to do to get adequately prepared for all that will be encountered on the journey to Santiago.,,not to mention the 'training' !!

 

[carolejcrosby]

I was looking at bus fares on Alsa.es yesterday and noticed that they have a big Camino advertisement. They are targeting pilgrims, showing the different camino routes and which cities they service, offer return tickets, and they carry bikes too!

Being just in the planning stages, I hope we will be able to do as much as possible without motorized transport....somehow cycling still seems like 'work' but could save valuable "time".

Certainly Hape Kerkeling didn't hesitate to take a bus !! All options are worth considering in a time of need !! Thanks.

 

[carolejcrosby]

I'm starting my Camino on the 6th of August in Logrono - hopefully see you around!

buenas suerte with learning Spanish!

So much to do !! & so little time !! August will be here before we know it & we are still working out the details. Good luck to you & my Spanish is coming inch by inch !

 

[carolejcrosby]

Any recommendations for companies transporting luggage & booking lodging?? We need a group that is flexible with start times. Any such thing as local SPANISH companies that offer such a service??
We are looking at late August/September.

 

[pcurtin]

Carole, I'm a first timer, starting from St Jean on 5/8, my email address peter.curtin1947@hotmail.com; I have maps and I have general direction in which to travel, that's the fun of walking.
Peter

 

[sun is shining]

So much to do !! & so little time !! August will be here before we know it & we are still working out the details. Good luck to you & my Spanish is coming inch by inch !

Tell me about it After walking 6 miles yesterday my confidence is not as big as it was before - going to be a long summer of walking!

 

[Red1too3]

First time walking the Camino in September/October 2011

What better way to celebrate our birthdays than to do the Portuguese Way of the Camino from Tui to Santiago. We hope to start on 9/30/11 and end on 10/8/11. We have begun our training in earnest and are diligently training in preparation.

If anyone can provide any information, tips, help, anything on doing this for first timers such as us, please feel free! We are flying over from Detroit, Michigan. We are not sure which airline to us to get as close as possible to Tui or if we should save money flying into Lisbon or Porto and taking a train or bus to Tui to begin.

Can anyone tell me of a website to get the paperwork for getting our shells and Camino passport for stamps?

Again, being newbies, all help is welcome!
Six months and counting down!
Red

 

[ksam]

Red...Welcome!

Use the search option on this forum there is enough information here to keep you reading for the next six months!

The Camino Portuguese is beautiful, everyone couldn't have been kinder or more helpful (at times when we didn't want or need it!) Personally I'd say check for cheapest flights to Lisbon or to Porto and then train it! We landed in Lisbon, grabbed the train to Porto, spent the night, grabbed a local to Valenca (on the Portuguese side of the river from Tui) and then spent a leisurely day wandering the town and then across the bridge to Tui. It was easy and not very expensive. Wow...this does bring back the memories!!

There are some of the most helpful people here on the forum...just search and ask ! Hope you have as much fun on yours as we did! Buen Camino, Karin

 

[Deleted member 3000]

You can get the credential here:

http://www.americanpilgrims.com/camino/ ... l_req.html

From Detroit you probably will connect through Chicago of New York. Iberia Airlines has a fare from Detroit of about $2,150 to Porto, Portugal returning from Santiago de Compostela, Spain. A round trip to Madrid with train or bus connections to your starting and ending points probably will be less.

 

[pcurtin]

So much to do !! & so little time !! August will be here before we know it & we are still working out the details. Good luck to you & my Spanish is coming inch by inch !

Tell me about it After walking 6 miles yesterday my confidence is not as big as it was before - going to be a long summer of walking!

Im walking 14kms x 4 times per week with 12kg pack, amongst the sand hills near my home here in Sorrento, Victoria Australia, I realise and clearly understand this walk is 840kms, yet my mind is only thinking on 27kms per day, taking the big picture out. Alos walking with 3-4 people in agroup also helps thake your mind off the trek in hand. Make sure you pack your bag with only the items you really need.
Peter

 

[CLA]

I am also planning my first time walk in late August-early September 2011.

In the process, I have reviewd several companies that offer self-guided tours. These included, Follow El Camino, Al Fresco Tours, Tee Travel and Spanish Steps. Some of the routes offered start in Sarria, Leon and Lugo.

I will be flying into Asturias Airport and plan to drive to one of those cities to begin El Camino (the last 100 kilometers).

I am interested in recomendations for the trip. My total travel time cannot exceed 14 days.

Thanks.

Carlos

 

[Deleted member 3000]

It is a solid fourteen days from Leon to Santiago (yes, I know there are those who have done it in a week), so Lugo or Sarria would be easier if you are concerned about your level of fitness. If fitness is not problem, then Leon is an excellent starting place.

I am not sure what a self-guided tour operator brings to the table except an end to your possible insecurities about organizing the walk yourself. Tens of thousands walk the Camino each year with nothing more than a guidebook. If you want advance reservations at hotels or a baggage service, then the tour operator will be doing a little something, but you can arrange your own when you get there by copying phone numbers from the nearest bulletin board, and making two phone calls daily (or having a tourist office make the calls). The routine is not complex: get up, walk, find a bed, and follow the other pilgrims to a restaurant. Repeat daily for two weeks. Go to the airport, and go home.

I recommend that you do whatever makes you the least anxious. Anxiety is one of a half-dozen things that can ruin a Camino, so avoid it.

 

[Karin Camino]

CooWee.
Any fellow West Australians walking the Camino de Frances late August (prob starting around 22 August+) from SJPP?
I'm arriving via London Stansted/Biarritz/Bilboa (gotta see the Gugenheim Museum) and then bus or train to SJPP.
Ive been reading this forum for months and I think I am finally all kitted out, following many recommendations, for my first Camino.
I climbed Emai Shan in South China in 1984, the Himalayas in Nepal 1987, Mt Augustus (twice the size of Uluru in West Australia) in 1988, over the jungle mountains of Choisel Island in the Solomon Islands in 1990, The Andes-Machu Pichu in 2009, The Dolomite Mountains in 2010 and now its time for El Camino. Viva Espana!!
By the way, my physical training consists of a 30 minute walk per day!
My mental training consists of positive thinking every other waking minute of the day..
Maybe I will meet you along THE journey.
Karin

 

[ffp13]

Hi Karin,

August will come very quick! But the following 22 days will seem like an eternity.

Regards frank

 

[ElizabethB8246]

Just an FYI for those planning to walk starting in August --

World Youth Day 2011 will be in Madrid this year August 16-21. During this worldwide gathering of Catholic youth, it is said that that traffic on the Camino (most likely the Frances, but who can say for certain) will pick up with pilgrims who are walking the Camino as part of their WYD pilgrimage experience (either before or after). Not meant to deter anyone from the timeframe, just something to keep in mind.

On a more selfish note, only 128 days until I fly to Spain to start my first camino.

God Bless all of you!
Elizabeth
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Gaudemus Igitur.