New Pilgrim Planning

[Fay Clarke]

My name is Fay, l am an Art teacher and on my long service next year l am planning to walk the Camino with a dear friend of 30+ years. We have decided to do a self guided walk with a company that will take our main luggage each day and have our rooms booked. I have just had shoulder surgery and this arrangement l feel will ensure success for me on this pilgrimage. I am wondering if there are companies that people have used and would recommend? We have looked at Utracks, Raw and Camino ways. I am wanting to be prepared as much as l can physically, mentally and spiritually so l am willing to listen and learn. Happy to be joining this community.
Fay

 

[notion900]

Hi Fay and welcome. If it makes you feel better to use a company, that's great, but you will be paying a lot more for your experience. Also bear in mind that the schedule they set could possibly put you under its own kind of pressure.

You absolutely don't need a full service company for its bag transfer service - this is available on the spot everywhere for a few euro per day. Also you don't need a company to book private accommodation, you can use booking.com on your phone as you go, or get one hospitalero to phone ahead to the next place for you.

I personally feel people who use these companies get sucked into a 'system', and miss out on a lot. Time and flexibility are the solutions to most challenges on the camino - if you are not in a rush you can solve most problems yourself, and will feel very empowered and free by doing so.

 

[SabsP]

And which Camino will you be walking? If it is the Camino Frances then especially it works itself all out.Lots of accomodations.
Like @notion900 said try to arrange it yourself , it will save you alot of money.

Good luck!

 

[notion900]

And which Camino will you be walking? If it is the Camino Frances then especially it works itself all out.Lots of accomodations.
Like @notion900 said try to arrange it yourself , it will save you alot of money.

Good luck!

From the savings you can probably walk another camino! And I just looked again at your original post. Don't worry about 'success'. Even if you walked for two weeks and had to give up and put it off for another year, that's not 'failure'.

 

[SabsP]

From the savings you can probably walk another camino!

And book yourself a nice beachresort hotel at the end...if that is what you fancy

 

[simeon]

fay, rather than suggesting not to use a company which i would also suggest. a friend of mine used Camino ways and had a mixed experience with them. Some of the accommodation required a taxi trip at the end of the day. It would be worth checking out how far from each days end the accommodation is. It would also be interesting to see as well if others who used a company experienced a Camino "family" or was it more of a solitary experience.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

My name is Fay, l am an Art teacher and on my long service next year l am planning to walk the Camino with a dear friend of 30+ years. We have decided to do a self guided walk with a company that will take our main luggage each day and have our rooms booked. I have just had shoulder surgery and this arrangement l feel will ensure success for me on this pilgrimage. I am wondering if there are companies that people have used and would recommend? We have looked at Utracks, Raw and Camino ways. I am wanting to be prepared as much as l can physically, mentally and spiritually so l am willing to listen and learn. Happy to be joining this community.
Fay

Great decision!

I can recommend one, but better in private if you are interested.

Cheers

 

[Fay Clarke]

How do we do this?

 

[Fay Clarke]

From the savings you can probably walk another camino! And I just looked again at your original post. Don't worry about 'success'. Even if you walked for two weeks and had to give up and put it off for another year, that's not 'failure'.

 

[Fay Clarke]

Thank you l appreciate that. I will be going just after my 60th birthday and want to give this as a gift to myself.

 

[Tia Valeria]

How do we do this?

Hola Fay and welcome.
To start a conversation with a specific person just left click on their name at the left of their post. Then you will get a panel with a few links including 'start a conversation'. Click and it will open a new conversation, give it a title, write your message and click post/send. When there is an answer you will see an 'alert' at the top right of the page on the forum. 'Inbox' is next to post 'alerts'.
Hope that helps.

 

[Sue Kranz]

Can anyone recommend a good albergue in Pamplona?

Thanks!

 

[mspath]

Sue,

I have often stayed at
the Marist albergue in Trinidad de Arre which does accept reservations. In season sitting in the riverside garden is a pleasure and always, the hospitality of the Marist fathers is most gracious. Here is their web site with contact info.

Good luck and Buen camino!

 

[SabsP]

Can anyone recommend a good albergue in Pamplona?

Thanks!

I particularly like the small Casa Paderborn run by the German confraternity..., next to the nautical club.

https://www.gronze.com/navarra/pamplona/albergue-casa-paderborn

 

[linda piso]

Hey Fay! go for it. I used Camino Ways on my first Camino (The English Way) and I don't feel like I missed out on anything...I am doing the Portuguese this fall and again I will move my pack forward. The expense is worth it to me even though I pack quiet light, I don't want to carry a pack all day long. I had no problems with Camino Ways, my pack was at the next stop each time I arrived.

 

[trecile]

I think that recommendations should be posted in the thread, rather than private messaging, so that other members can benefit from the information. There are people who read the posts here to gather information, but rarely post themselves, who would be interested in the recommendations too.

 

[Lance Chambers]

If you are taking an Android device with you I'd suggest you check out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.moemke.android.mycamino&hl=en

The app is free to download and I strongly suggest you download the maps (you can use google maps but that will use up your download).

You can make a donation and if you do you will get todays and the next two days weather at your current location.

I have used in on both of my trips on the Frances and will be using it again this year.

 

[Fay Clarke]

If you are taking an Android device with you I'd suggest you check out https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.moemke.android.mycamino&hl=en

The app is free to download and I strongly suggest you download the maps (you can use google maps but that will use up your download).

You can make a donation and if you do you will get todays and the next two days weather at your current location.

I have used in on both of my trips on the Frances and will be using it again this year.

 

[Fay Clarke]

Thanks for the info. I will be taking an iPad l think and will downloads of the maps you mentioned. Won't be there until April 2018.