The best thing to do, I imagine, is to make contact with any companies providing the service and asking them.
You've mentioned May to August but don't actually say how long you plan to be in Spain.
If you plan on walking no more than 10km per day Sarria to Santiago will take 10 days ish....
No reason why you couldn't go on to Finisterre? Or maybe using public transport head back to places like Leon, Burgos, Pamplona, etc. to soak up some of the Camino atmosphere with less of the stress. In fact no reason that you couldn't do that first, no? Walk a little, bus a lot, visit the places you want to visit then walk from Sarria?
Is it necessary that you spend the extra time (after Santiago) walking?
Spain is a pretty big and diverse place. It might be interesting to see the non-pilgrim side of it too? (Apologies for the heresy on a Camino forum
)
By the way .... June, July and August are amongst the hottest times of the year. This year wildfires affected pilgrims on a few different routes to Santiago.
Absolutely all good questions!
Yes I will contact one or two companies. I have spoken to a few about doing a custom Camino because I don’t want to sleep in hostels; I’m a super light sleeper and I don’t want to get woken up at 5 AM and have to hurry to get the next booking. I would love to share some meals and wouldn’t mind doing that once or twice but mostly I want my own room, a nice hotel with a pool, centrally located, or maybe a parador/monastery/castle or some such unique accommodation, and I plan to take two or three rest days to explore the bigger towns, & do some different form of exercise like yoga or swim.
At this point all I know is I’m free around the end of the first week of May. I might be free as early as April 30 ( The trial I have to do is scheduled to finish April 28, but it may be extended a few days ), but if I do have April 30 to May 5 free, I plan to visit my friend in Oslo as there is a salsa dance conference there. I can really take as long as I want and go to Spain whenever I want within that 4-mo period. My original plan was always starting the Camino June 15, taking about two weeks, because my sister may be free then. I like it warm, & want to take advantage of the longest daylight.
I have many other plans for the 4 months: I will be taking a week to see a friend in Georgia and study Russian, before visiting Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Mongolia. I was in Georgia before in July and it was very hot, but I like it that way. There is a dance festival May 17 in Spain I would like to go to, so I was thinking possibly Seychelles, Mozambique, and Madagascar for the first two weeks of May, because the southern beaches in Spain I don’t think would be hot enough at that time of year for me and I really would like some beach vacation when I first finish work.
Then the dance festival, Tunisia & southern Spain (Cadiz, Alicante, Marbella, Málaga, a tennis workshop in Barcelona, Ibiza, then start the Camino.
Finisterre is an excellent idea. I could leave my pack with my friend and Santiago and I will suggest that to my sister. How many kms walking that segment?
That would take me up to July 3, when my sister has to go back to work. Then I could do transport as you suggest to Leon, Burgos & Pamplona, then go to the ‘Stans. I know Pamplona would be crazy around the San Fermin festival, but now that you mention it, maybe I’d like to do that! I did La Tomatina a few years ago and that was hilarious and fun.
Thanks so much for your ideas!
