How to decide how long to walk for

[unsicher]

I've been reading about the different routes etc and I have seen that the longest route is over a month, but also that some people just walk for a weekend or a few days or a week.

I want to do a 'long walk' meaning probably 2 weeks minimum, because I love the idea of it. But I'm also not sure I 'need' to walk for the full month, and getting that much time off work might be hard too.

Can people here relate their experiences in terms of how important the duration was, and what they got out of doing more time vs less time, and also what's a good possible route that might be, eg, 3 weeks long or something similar

 

[Pafayac]

My feeling is that the minimum is a week, because during the 3-4 first days you have not the benefit of walking, only the drawbacks. I consider that you need at least two weeks to disconnect.
The maximum depends on your wishes, and the time left by your partner, your boss, your pet...

 

[MinaKamina]

Hello @unsicher welcome to the forum. I see that you are from Ireland. If you like, you can simply start your Irish camino on a weekend or even a Sunday afternoon to see what it is like. The Irish caminos connect with the Caminos in Spain, so it is a win-win.

More info for starters here:
https://www.killeshandracamino.ie/camino-walk-ireland/

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

I've been reading about the different routes etc and I have seen that the longest route is over a month, but also that some people just walk for a weekend or a few days or a week.

I want to do a 'long walk' meaning probably 2 weeks minimum, because I love the idea of it. But I'm also not sure I 'need' to walk for the full month, and getting that much time off work might be hard too.

Can people here relate their experiences in terms of how important the duration was, and what they got out of doing more time vs less time, and also what's a good possible route that might be, eg, 3 weeks long or something similar

This is such an individual thing. Some of us like @Pafayac or myself take a few days to get into the swing of things and start to gain any real benefit. Others seem to only need a day or two. The distance you walk per day will also greatly affect the length of the Camino and therefore the suggestions that we can give you. As will your fitness level and what level of infrastructure you require. (Lots of fellow pilgrims, plenty of cafes and bars many accommodation options - or few of all of the above). As will whether or not it is important to you to finish in Santiago de Compostela - or not.
@MinaKamina has given you an excellent suggestion, get out on your local camino and start getting some experience. It will give you a very good feel for it - including how far you can comfortably do on a daily basis (so long as of course you do several days in a row).

You ask for personal experience. Last year I walked the Camino Inglès, just 120km / four and a half days. I was left feeling unsatisfied, it was far too short. Had I had the time to go on to Finisterre (an additional four days) I would have felt significantly better.

A couple of months later I walked the Primitivo, 320 km over 12 days, now that left me feeling much more satisfied.

 

[Murk]

I'm not a walker, but I've gone on plenty of bicycle trips and I think in this aspect the two are comparable.

For me, the first 3-5 days are mainly exciting. You still have energy reserves, everything is new, the trip might be challenging but it feels like an adventure.
So if you're looking for a worthwhile but predominantly pleasant trip, stick to a week max.

Around one-two weeks I hit the bottom of my enthusiasm. That's when I get tired-of-being-tired, of getting up early, of long days of physical exercise and being away from loved ones. There's always a point where I think: "Why am I doing this? I wish I was home."
For me that's an important point to reach, because moving past that point is essential to the personal growth and sense of accomplishment that I'm looking for.
So if you want to overcome something (or feel like you sacrificed something to reach your destination), I'd say one week minimum, preferably two.

Then after week two I fall into a routine and find peace with it. That's when I start to feel like I could do this forever. That being somewhere new every day and seeing new faces every day and working hard every day is just... part of daily life.
That too is an important point for me to reach, because it feels like the most "long term" mental benefit. The previous two points mentally still feel like exceptions: once you get back home, they're easy to write off as something of the past. But at about three weeks it feels like the experience impacts the rest of my life.
So if that is what you want, I'd say three weeks (minimum).


But indeed, it's a highly personal thing. Maybe the above will take a completely different timeline for you - or it won't happen at all. I can't make guarantees!

 

[davejsy]

Something also to bear in mind is your longer term attitude based on your chosen length/duration. At what point does the inevitable end start to detract from the present experience (granted this may not be the case for everyone).

Somebody asked a similar question recently, and I immediately replied how I fell in love with the Camino after just 3-5 days so that's all I thought I'd need to get the "Camino experience". But, what I hadn't thought about was the fact that I still had another 30 odd days ahead of me, which at the time seemed blissfully years away and really added to less worries about home/work/post finish stuff!

 

[Kathy F.]

The first 10 days are for your body.
The second 10 days are for your mind.
The last 10 days are for your soul.
Welcome to this forum! You won’t find better advice anywhere.
Buen Camino.

 

[MesaWalker]

The beauty of walking a camino, for me, is completely unplugging from "regular" life and living day-to-day and moment-to-moment. At the beginning of a Camino, there's an adjustment period to disconnect your mind from daily habits and concerns in your normal life. And toward the end of a Camino, I start to fret about all the obligations piling up at home and what re-entry will be like. Those two periods for me are probably 4-7 days for each, but that will vary for each person.

For me the sweet spot is that time in between those two adjustment periods, and the longer the in between time the better. I'm retired, so I've done two long caminos (5 weeks and 8 weeks), and never became bored or wished it was shorter. But you just need to do what works for you. However long you choose, I am sure it will be a terrific experience.

 

[J Willhaus]

On our first Camino we walked 47 days and that was really too long for me. I was really ready to he done. Since then we walk shorter distances and partial Caminos which seems a better choice for us and leaves us looking forward to the next time.

 

[Kathy F.]

On our first Camino we walked 47 days and that was really too long for me. I was really ready to he done. Since then we walk shorter distances and partial Caminos which seems a better choice for us and leaves us looking forward to the next time.

Were you tired or bored? Just curious.

 

[J Willhaus]

I had a sprained ankle on one side and plantar facsitis on the other foot. It was hot (July) and I really wasn't that into it and was mainly doing it because my husband wanted to do it.

He became very ill in Melide and we had to end our Camino. (Devastating for him and a relief for me.)The real Camino came to me on that day.

A waitress in the local bar explained how to access the emergency pharmacy (coincidentally we had a common language in German.) The pharmacist through his open bedroom window dispensed some remedies after a pantomime of vomiting and diarrhea. Back at the bar, the waitress called us an early morning taxi.

A couple who owned a hotel in Arzua welcomed us out of the taxi at 9 am. The man gently helped Phil to a room and carried his pack. The wife made him home pureed apple sauce after looking up the recipe online. They fussed over us trying to help. They didn't know us and we didn't speak the same language. It was then I understood the spirit of the Camimo with people we did not know caring for us and helping us in a time of real need.

Of course we've been back almost every year since returning the kindnesses shared with us as hospitalero volunteers.

 

[HeidiL]

People are different. We walked for 19 days the first time, and for me, the last week was dull, painful, and felt a bit pointless. Yes, it was nice to get to Santiago, but for me, that didn't feel like the point of the whole thing. Since then, we have walked between 7 and 15 days many, many times, and are happy enough about that to keep coming back, when we can arrange it, several times a year.

 

[lt56ny]

Ask 10 people and you will get 15 answers. Take the maximum amount of vacation time you can. Start to walk and just see what happens. If you hate it you are already in Spain and you can take a vacation. It is Spain and there is lots to see and do.

 

[MassNative]

We walked 42 days back in 2022, and the last week of walking we were doing shorter days to stretch it out a little bit. Did not want it to end. (We finished on Nov 2nd and we had heard that Nov 1st, All Saints Day, would be very busy in Santiago. So we opted to finish on a quieter day.)

Towards the we were in such good "walking shape", that the days were easy and pleasant. Rainy days were the only down side at that point, Portomarin to Eirexe was a monsoon day!

 

[LTfit]

Two weeks would be the minimum for me but if I can swing it I prefer at least 3 weeks. I tend to walk long stages and walk fairly fast so I can cover quite some distance in 3-4 weeks. One year I was away for almost 6 weeks combining 2 Caminos and that was a bit too long for my liking. Since then I have a dog and a grandchild so I prefer not to be away for so long.

 

[naplesdon]

I do not want to one-up my friend Laurie, but in 2017 I walked numerous Caminos for nearly 3 months. I was living in Biarritz at the time and could go any time I wanted. In addition to my walking I also volunteered at San Anton for two weeks, I wish I had kept a log of how many k's I did that summer. For me, the first several days are a break-in period and you are still connected to "what's going on at home." Then the bliss starts and you enter a zone that Paulo Coelho described in his book, not that I believe anything he ever wrote about his Camino experience.

 

[unsicher]

Hello @unsicher welcome to the forum. I see that you are from Ireland. If you like, you can simply start your Irish camino on a weekend or even a Sunday afternoon to see what it is like. The Irish caminos connect with the Caminos in Spain, so it is a win-win.

More info for starters here:
https://www.killeshandracamino.ie/camino-walk-ireland/

great idea, i will look into this, thanks!

 

[unsicher]

Everyone, thanks so much for the great advice. It has inspired me to get more time off later in the year and do a longer walk! Really interesting to read about all your experiences

 

[Homely]

The longest I have walked for without a break is two months. You just settle into a routine after a couple of weeks and keep on going, so do you want to get to that stage, or stay in more holiday mode. It was very wet when I was walking and I was camping. After four weeks my leather boots lost their form and stopped standing up, they never recovered.

 

[JerryStroebele]

On our first Camino we walked from Hendaye, France on the del Norte to Santiago over about 45 days. I have returned to different Caminos about a dozen times, for two to three weeks walking plus a full week traveling to/from the US and train or bus rides from/to Madrid or Paris to beginning or end of the Camino. (I prefer the train.). I am retired but this makes it easier for me to meet my family responsibilities and for family members to join me. However I am looking forward to another full 5 weeks on the Camino Frances this fall. Buen Camino

 

[MikeJS]

The longer you walk the easier it gets. I find the first week is for settling in and by the end of the second week is normally when I get the first day when everything feels fine and then it normally stays that way. I think the longest I did was about 6 weeks from Alicante and the last few weeks of hiking were just simple and the only think that limited my distance was the daylight!

 

[David Tallan]

I've walked longer Caminos (e.g. 51 days) and shorter ones. I think there is a noticeable difference between a month long Camino and a one or two week Camino. But I also have to admit that people have had life changing experiences on Caminos that just last a week, so I wouldn't dismiss a shorter Camino as "not a real Camino".

I would generally advise walk as long a Camino as you have time available (up to a month or six weeks for a first Camino, you may not want to commit to a six month walk for a first Camino if that is how much time you have available).

 

[david g]

I've been reading about the different routes etc and I have seen that the longest route is over a month, but also that some people just walk for a weekend or a few days or a week.

I want to do a 'long walk' meaning probably 2 weeks minimum, because I love the idea of it. But I'm also not sure I 'need' to walk for the full month, and getting that much time off work might be hard too.

Can people here relate their experiences in terms of how important the duration was, and what they got out of doing more time vs less time, and also what's a good possible route that might be, eg, 3 weeks long or something similar

My recommendation is always the same, if possible go for at least a month, which happens to be enough time to complete the French route. In my opinion this gives you enough time to really become immersed in the life/culture of the Camino which in turn opens you up to all the good lessons and insights that the Camino can provide. If you were to go for only a week you’d find yourself immediately thinking that you only had x number of days left before returning home. A longer time away let’s you cut the cord that ties you to everything at home.

 

[WalkingLester]

Go for as long as you possibly can and walk for as long as you possibly can