Confused, suggestions for short routes to Santiago please

[ceri whitby]

Me and a friend are planning to walk a section of the Camino to Santiago starting out on 26th Oct (this is our travel day from London) and finishing on 31st Oct (this is also our travel day back to London). Up until yesterday we had planned for a longer trip but unfortunately this is now impossible. Can anyone suggest the best route? We are both relatively fit. Ideally we would like to get the Compostella but we aren't sure whether this is possible for such a short time frame.
We were going to do Sarria is suggested is this doable in our timeframe? Other people on the forums have suggested Ourense or Lugo. Any suggestions extremely welcome. Thanks in advance.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Hi , you have to walk at least te last 100km. to Santiago when you want a Compostela .
I would say begin in Sarria and when you do you need at least two stamps a day in your Credential.
Wish you a wonderfull time and a Buen Camino , Peter .

 

[Bradypus]

You will have to walk 25+km days to finish in that time scale. For someone reasonably fit and used to walking long distances that should be practical. The big bed rush should be over, weather is probably fairly cool and there should be no reason not to walk on until late afternoon if needs be. All of the routes ending in Santiago are fairly straightforward in the final 100km with no major hills or other serious obstacles. The Frances from Sarria, the Sanabres from Ourense, the Primitivo from Lugo, or the Camino Ingles from Ferrol. I would suggest the Camino Ingles as the most attractive and varied of the options. There is also a little extra satisfaction in walking a "whole" Camino from start to finish even if it is a very short one

 

[ceri whitby]

Thank you so much Peter and Bradypus. It sounds like doing 100km in our time-frame is time-frame is doable(fingers crossed). I will have a look into the Camino Ingles as an option.

 

[Bradypus]

I will have a look into the Camino Ingles as an option.

If you feel you are very pressed for time on the Ingles from Ferrol it is possible to shave some of the distance by crossing the bridge over the estuary directly to Fene rather than following the marked route around the northern end of the inlet.

 

[SYates]

Any starting point ~100km, as you aim to get a Compostela, will do but end of October Sarria to Santiago would be the easiest one due to the excellent infrastructure. Buen Camino, SY

 

[nycwalking]

Buen camino whatever route you decide to take.

 

[KinkyOne]

...All of the routes ending in Santiago are fairly straightforward in the final 100km with no major hills or other serious obstacles. The Frances from Sarria, the Sanabres from Ourense, the Primitivo from Lugo, or the Camino Ingles from Ferrol. I would suggest the Camino Ingles as the most attractive and varied of the options. ...

There are 4 more routes that are eligible for Compostela:
- Invierno from Monforte de Lemos (connects with Sanabres in A Laxe),
- Norte from Baamonde (??? - I don't know that for sure, sorry, and it connects with Frances),
- Portugues from Tui and
- the "back" walking from Fisterra or Muxia (you have to combine them) to SdC.

Although I haven't walk all of them I think Sarria would be the best start for your first Camino. Or maybe Ingles because it's the Camino (from Ferrol) in its own. This one you can even shorten with walking at least 25km in your own country (be sure to obtain at least two sellos per day!!!) and then walk from A Coruna to SdC.

Buen Camino!

 

[trecile]

This site is excellent for planning stages on the Frances: http://www.godesalco.com/plan/frances

Looking over my notes from last year I walked from Barbadelo (4.4 km past Sarria towards Santiago) in 4 days, so I'd definitely say that it's doable.

 

[Deleted member 29041]

planning to walk a section of the Camino to Santiago starting out on 26th Oct (this is our travel day from London) and finishing on 31st Oct (this is also our travel day back to London).

Ingles because it's the Camino (from Ferrol) in its own. This one you can even shorten with walking at least 25km in your own country (be sure to obtain at least two sellos per day!!!) and then walk from A Coruna to SdC.

If I were in your situation, I'd take a weekend trying out my gear by walking those 25 km KinkyOne mentions. Do remember to get the necessary stamps on your credencial. Then try to catch a flight to A Coruña and start walking from there. Depending on the arrival time of the flight, you may be able to take a bus to the city, get a stamp (any café, tourist office or hotel, etc. will do) and start walking right away. A good alternative, is a flight to Santiago, bus to the city and bus to A Coruña.