What I've found on my longer Caminos (more than 1,000K) is that, outside twisted ankles or whatnot, and when I was still young and healthy, it gravitated towards one rest day after 10 days or so of walking. But not always on a shorter one, less than 1,000K and about four weeks. (I need far more than that nowadays !!)
Thank you for that , think we all ask ourselves questions and my conclusion is to listen to what our bodies are telling us , the only days I be planning anything will be Holy Week and the last 100km where it be busy on the Camino .
Just wing it. Your body will tell you if you NEED a rest day. And if it says rest - then rest. You may, however be inspired to take a rest day in a certain town or city because the location is calling you to stay. As long as you have built in "extra days", there is no rush. But you also have no obligation to take a rest day if you find that you just want to keep walking. Rest days can be a little jarring after walking days on end and you may get ancy to move forward. If you end up with extra days at the end you can walk to Finisterre/Muxia or spend more time in Santiago or Madrid (if your flight is out of Madrid)
I have no set day to fly back to the UK that is why I just brought a one way ticket to France so it take me as long as my body see fits
My experience of rest days are if you stop at the bigger towns and cities and view the sites , by evening you will have walked as much as if you kept going and you are no way rested
That can be true as I don't really like busy places even my own town yet a village setting where everyone is chilled out and welcome outsiders especially pilgrims with a beer and a chat with the locals seems a better experience .My experience of rest days are if you stop at the bigger towns and cities and view the sites , by evening you will have walked as much as if you kept going and you are no way rested
A nice village with a good bar and company is a nicer rest day .
As I said earlier I have no time limit when I be finishing as its in God's timing when I reach Santiago so if my body tells me I need a day off then I be more and happy to be in a village setting and have a picnic lunch under a shaded tree and just chill out and watch the world go by ...
Hello Cardifflad from a Brummie Lad. (I use the term Lad despite pushing 70)
Thank you Vince for the message and advice ..being that I am leaving the UK on Friday I have been asking myself questions on many things and no doubt so have others ..I am going out there with an open mind and follow in the footsteps of the Saints before us with a positive attitude and not rush or take any risks just enjoy what lies ahead .. normally when on a ldw (long distance walk ) I divide it into 3 equal sections 1. Comfort break 2. Light lunch break 3.My final destination ..this is what I will be doing on a daily basis on the camino
It sounds like you have a good approach. I have never booked a return flight as I have gone out with the attitude that it will take as long as it takes. Early on in my first Camino i developed a system which seemed to suit me. I would set off between 6 and 7 in the morning, walk for about 2 hours and stop for a breakfast and a rest. I would then go again for about 2 hours and stop for lunch and a rest. At this point I would consult my guide book and choose an alberque roughly about another hour away. This would have me checked in and showered by early afternoon and ready to head out with others for a Pilgrim's Meal and a relaxing evening. It may or may not work for you but it has done for me.
This is the bottom line of when you should take a rest day. Rest when your body tells you to rest. If you only feel like walking 10-15k one day that walk that distance. I believe, especially for a new pilgrim walking a few k less rather than pushing yourself and walking a few k more is better. Learn your body and your rhythm. If you join a camino family and they are pushing on when you need to stop than stop. There are always wonderful people just coming up over your shoulder. If you want an injury the best way to do it is be in a family and push on when you shouldn't. Remember would your mom, dad, or any family member walk on if you needed rest or were feeling unwell? Of course not.
This may be true if you just want a rest day. If you are sick or injured most albergues will allow you to stay longer, especially the private ones. Private albergues will almost certainly allow you to stay. Also you will soon learn that walking when walking on the CF if your albergue says they can't accommodate you for a second night in most villages and towns you can walk down the street to another albergue and avoid sleeping in a hotel or pension.
I have only booked a one way ticket for Friday to Biarritz
I myself have only booked a one way ticket to Biarritz from Stansted on Friday as I do not intend to come back that way ..instead when I am approx 3 days away from Santiago I am thinking of booking my return flight from Porto to Bristol as I only be an hour from home and I don't fancy flying into London from Santiago ..so it be a lot easier to get the flixbus to Porto after a two day rest in Santiago..but like you i be taking my comfort break and lunch break on a daily basis while using the guide book by John Brierley
I think it depends on how you feel, of course. I took one day and would not take one again unless I had an injury. I feel it’s better to take some shorter days to give your body some rest.
Oh I agree Hike the Hike I have no intentions of keeping up with other pilgrims as that will cause me some sort of injury ..I know my walking limit and though I only done the Inglis before over 6 days I know the Frances will take as long as it takes ..I can always go in the pilgrim office in SJ and ask them for a list of alberques as it's only a few doors away on the same street as I am staying in .
You can always download Wise Pilgrim, Buen Camino or Camino Ninja apps. Also check Gronze.Com they do a great job of letting you know open/closed albergues. The apps and websites are all free and with a couple of them you will have a GPS (although it is pretty tough to get lost on the CF) as well as an abundant list of places to sleep.
Thank you for that , I check them out later , as you say it be hard to get lost , that's if John Brierley's guide book is all one would need as I only have 12gb data a month on my phone so not sure if its enough to use the GPS
You can download the GPS and use the offline with great accuracy with both the WIse Pilgrim and the Buen Camino apps. I have never downloaded anything from Camino Ninja so I do not know.
I know the feeling , up to a couple of weeks ago I was working 4 nights a week where I be on my feet for 11 hours and when I came to having my normal 3 days off my body could not charge itself properly as it was still in the night mode needing to work but gradually doing less time helped it so I certainly will cur the longer days in half to give the body a rest
I took a planned rest day in Burgos, then another one in Sarra, whilst waiting for my wife to join me.
Yes! Walking the complete Frances with two friends, we took rest days in Logrono, Burgos and Leon. These days provided great opportunities to explore and experience local culture. Without planning for it, we were able to enjoy medieval festival in Burgos and harvest festival in Leon. In terms of walking, a rest day occurred every 6 or 7 days. Rest locations are reallypersonal choice based upon what appeals about specific places. We chose larger centres.
One will never tell until they are on the Camino , I be a solo traveller myself
In 2015 we took a rest day just to see the city of Burgos. And a few days later, as we entered Carrion, they were just setting up for an agricultural festival, so we stayed over the Saturday night to take in that event. Burgos was planned to some degree, but Carrion was a decision made on the spot.
Pamplona, Burgos and Leon are obvious candidates for a day or two off - sightseeing, coffee, local food, resting...
Thank you for the suggestions , I be walking through Holy week so I expect something will be going on everywhere I go in blind with nothing planned and see where it takes me bit would prefer a village setting as I day of rest so I can just chill and watch the world go round , but I definitely look out for any festivals .
Yes, if you DO take a rest day... the first night you probably should stay in a hotel or hostel that allows a later checkout (most albergues kick you out by 8 or 9 and those that do allow you 2 nights stay may still ask you to leave mid-day for cleaning). I either do 2 nights in a private room as part of my rest plan (preferably with a bathtub to soak in) or 1 night in a private room and the 2nd night in an albergue (save on cost this way, and you still get the advantage of the later checkout for your rest day while having to leave early the following day).
I think you hit the 'nail on the head'. Some of those Frances towns are very hard to leave in your wake. My wife and I also spent a couple of nights in the Hotel de la Plata in Astorga. We had to book an hour in the spa...which was then reserved just for us (Covid protocol). A very relaxing couple of nights in Astorga...one of our favourite stops.
If you mean staying two nights in the same town, no. But I did walk a few very short days, 10k. I also took the bus early in the morning to Leon to skip the industrial area and to make sure I got to town early enough to switch my phone service and to enjoy the city.
In my first week I am splitting one day into two to allow my body to adjust ..so day 2 and 3 will only be 11 miles each with set comfort break after 6km and a light lunch a further 6km later ..I find it a lot easier when dividing each walking day into 3 sections
I always stop in Pamplona Burgos and Leon and have a day off in each , mainly because they are so beautiful, you benefit from the rest and enjoy the cities
I agree, take a day off when you need it, or as in my case, whenever there is something worth seeing that is off the Camino. Santiago will still be there whenever you reach the end of the Camino!
I walked the Camino from Roncesvalles to Santiago in one trip with my brother and sister. We are in our 60's and trained hard for the three months before we started. Even though we were in good shape, we found it very beneficial to take a rest day in all of the large cities, so we rented a VRBO in downtown Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon and Villafranca del Beirzo and spent two nights in each. Those rest days let my feet recover, and let us recharge our strength before continuing. Besides, it allowed us to see some of the museums, churches and cathedrals in each city. It also compensated us for having to slog our way thru the urban and industrial wastelands on the way in and out of each of these big cities, particularly Leon. I recommend it.
Well I got into Pamplona just after mid day and all is OK I have a private room with my own en suite but when I hit the road tomorrow it be back to Alberques ..as for staying over in one place for an extra day I see how the weeks go ..a few aches and pains which is expected a nice soak and a massage be good but that's wishful thinking
