limiting stages to 15km

[Kiwi-family]

I know I could go on gronze and do my own research (and may yet need to resort to that) but I just wondered if someone knows off the top of their head which route is the best for tackling stages of no more than 15km. I'm guessing it will be the Frances. Yes? No? Others?

 

[OssieMate]

Hi Kiwi -family.

Both.

I just completed the Roncevallees to Santiago Camino in May 2015 and the French side from Le Puy en Velay to Roncevallees in 2014. The French side was the most scenic and memorable, but harder. You can travel 15 kms on both routes, no problem with accommodation..

Here is a great link to the website where you can actually plan your days and how many kms you wish to cover between towns/villages, I used this to plan both my walks.

www.godesalco.com

Change the site to English (it usually comes up in Spanish).

Go to the bottom of the screen and look for Camino Planner (Planificidor)

It can be a bit difficult find it, but don't give up

Once in, options are provided for the various routes, select Camino de Santiago & Chemin du Puy route, and once in, you will see the towns. You click the button of 2 towns and it automatically calculates the distance between the two - easy.

Good luck


Ralph

 

[GAUVINS]

www.godescalo.com

I believe that you mean godesalco.com

 

[OssieMate]

I believe that you mean godesalco.com

Hi GAUVINS.

Thank you for correcting the web address.

I have edited my entry.

Kind regards

Ralph

 

[scruffy1]

Chemin Le Puy will fit your 15 kilometer restriction - however - your lodging will be far more expensive a-n-d assuming the whole Kiwi Family are starting off, the Le Puy route is more difficult to walk. From Le Puy until past Conques you will face a good steep climb every morning and a good slippery descent every evening - not the best option if walking with young children. It is indeed very beautiful.

 

[Castilian]

On the camino francés, you would have to make an exception of your 15kms max. rule on the leg from Carrión de los Condes to Calzadilla de la Cueza (17kms with no village and no accommodation in between). And if you start in SJPP, I think you would need to go to Roncesvalles (aka Orreaga) through Valcarlos (aka Luzaide).

 

[Kiwi-family]

Thanks for feedback. Difficulty of walk is also a factor for us to consider. I would be walking with 2-4 of the kids who have no trouble walking (they danced up the Hospitales route on the Primitivo and frequently walk over 30km). 83-year-old Grandpa would also be coming and it is for him we are seeking out short distances. Six months ago he was lying in hospital at death's door with a spinal infection not knowing if he would ever walk again. While he is still in constant pain, it is mild and he has just cracked 10km. It may be that he will manage 20km, but we are trying to put together a worst-case 15km plan which would be certainly achievable. I am hoping a route other than the Frances might fit the bill. Steep climbs will rule out Le Puy (unless they are under 400m elevation gain)

 

[jmcarp]

If you can stretch your average day to 20km, here's a sample itinerary based on the Dintamen/Landis guidebook: http://www.hikingthecamino.com/plan/fast-and-slow-itineraries (it's the "slow" one).

 

[Kiwi-family]

If you can stretch your average day to 20km, here's a sample itinerary based on the Dintamen/Landis guidebook: http://www.hikingthecamino.com/plan/fast-and-slow-itineraries (it's the "slow" one).

Thanks for that - but making the Camino Frances even slower is actually easy!
The question is: are there any other short-stage routes?

 

[Kitsambler]

The Jakobsweg through Bavaria is well-served with accommodation, and bus and train for hops.

 

[CaminoDebrita]

It seems a lot of activity "every day" for someone who has just cracked 10 k, as you say.

However, if he is really into going with you, what I always tell myself when traveling with elderly relatives (I do a lot of that, and have done for years), make it "their trip"--not "my" trip. You may need to walk one day, and rest the entire next, and hopscotch that approach for the whole thing. I make it their pace, not mine.

I've also done this approach with many adults with disabilities. I think that trying to "keep up" with a group is very stressful for people less abled, unless it is made clear that they will set the pace, and that there are no expectations but for their enjoyment.

 

[MTtoCamino]

I am very impressed you are working this out. Thank you for being such a good example of a family pilgram.

 

[Kiwi-family]

It seems a lot of activity "every day" for someone who has just cracked 10 k, as you say.

However, if he is really into going with you, what I always tell myself when traveling with elderly relatives (I do a lot of that, and have done for years), make it "their trip"--not "my" trip. You may need to walk one day, and rest the entire next, and hopscotch that approach for the whole thing. I make it their pace, not mine.

I've also done this approach with many adults with disabilities. I think that trying to "keep up" with a group is very stressful for people less abled, unless it is made clear that they will set the pace, and that there are no expectations but for their enjoyment.

ABSOLUTELY!!!! This is ALL about it being my father-in-law's trip. This is why we are looking at 15km (25-35km is my favourite range, but that's not on the cards this time!) And please don't fear - we are thinking of next (northern) summer; there is no way he could walk that distance every day right now. It may even need to be 2017 - right now the planning is giving some added motivation to the long slow rehabilitation process.
We have already walked together (pre-surgery) and it was duly noted that Grandpa needs - psychologically - to be near the front of the pack. I always make sure at least I am behind him!
If we pull this off, it will totally be HIS walk. For myself, I intend to practise sketching every day....and I'll be carrying all his gear so that will slow me down

 

[mspath]

More power to both of you! Ultria!

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

Don't you just get fed up with folk who say "I walk 30 kms a day - no problem!" Some say 40 kms, and one guy I met seemed to average 50 kms. But he didn't have time to smell the wild roses, or talk to the sheep [in Spanish, of course ]
I'm just back from the Ruta del Ebro. I averaged around 15 kms a day, several days only 10 kms. A few of 20-24 kms [after each of those I took a day off.] And, dear Kiwi-family, don't be ashamed/worried/feel your 'cheating' to take a train or bus or even taxi on stretches with no suitable accommodation available.
You can check distances I walked in my diaries on my web site, but I certainly wouldn't suggest the Ebro route.
I am, of course, much younger than granpa: if we were at school together, he wouldn't even talk to me !
Good luck with your planning .... I always find the planning is part of the fun!

 

[oursonpolaire]

Given the grandfather's situation, there is no shame in calling a taxi to finish off a stage if it gets too much. Just stop in at a cafe as you head out or pass by and they will have numbers available for you, which you can use if need arises.

 

[sillydoll]

The attached is from my booklet which offers 4 different walking schedules. This is the 10km to 15km per day schedule with accommodation suggestions.

 

[journeycakes]

I have walked significant portions of the Camino Frances during two trips to Spain. In Sept-Oct 2013 I had great plans to walk the entire distance from SJPP to Santiago in the time I'd allotted myself. My first 3 days got me as far as Zubiri. By then I had blisters, a streaming cold, and a long day with my late arrival to Zubiri found me with no accommodation, so I hunkered down with friends in the municipal albergue's overflow area and waited for morning. The next day I took the bus to Pamplona and spent a few days recovering from my assorted maladies. Then for a few days I was a bus pilgrim and kept pace with my Camino family. However, at Burgos I started walking on the meseta at MY pace which saw me covering 10-15 km per day. By some miracle I occasionally met up with various friends I'd made. I bussed ahead a couple of times and walked the parts of the Camino that especially interested me before taking an entire week to walk from Sarria to Santiago. In Santiago I met up with nearly all of the good friends I'd made over the month I'd been on the Camino. I received my compostela and felt reasonably content with my journey.
I knew I would return to the Camino and walk the pieces I'd skipped, and indeed I did return this past May. After my arrival in Zubiri I walked 10 km to my first day's destination of Zuriain where my painful legs with knees snuggly braced with neoprene sleeves with the help of my walking sticks got me into a small eatery where I relaxed over a café con leche after which my tired wobbly legs climbed into a taxi. I said farewell to the restaurant owner and returned to Pamplona. The next morning after a taxi ride back to Zuriain I entered the same eatery (for a café con leche!) where the owner and his wife were amazed to see me looking fit and rested and ready to walk again. I spent the next few hours walking the 8.8 km to Trinidad de Arre where I hopped on a bus to downtown Pamplona. The next day I returned by bus to Trinidad de Arre where I'd left off the day before and I walked the 3.8 km to my lodgings in Pamplona. After a short rest and refreshment I took the bus ahead to Cizur Menor and walked back to Pamplona with a total of 9.7 km walked that day. Having Pamplona as my base camp for my first 3 days was great. I developed a nice rapport with the hospitalero at my private albergue and I thoroughly enjoyed eating pinchos in lieu of dinner every night while in my favourite city along the Camino! I also experienced great feelings of joy and satisfaction for having completed this particular segment of my pilgrimage that had felt like so much unfinished business from my first camino.
The next day I sent my bag ahead to Uterga and I took a city bus to my day's starting point of Cizur Menor. My arrival at Alte del Perdon with its iconic pilgrim sculpture was especially satisfying that day as it was one of the sites I'd been looking forward to seeing up close! This landmark was followed by a very difficult and long (for me) descent for the first part of the remaining 3 km to Uterga where I had a bed reserved and my bag awaited me. Walking short distances and sending my bag ahead was how I managed to walk from Zubiri to Estella and from Fromista to Sahagun during this Camino, although I did bite the bullet and I walked the grueling 17 km from Carrion de los Condes to Calzadilla de la Cueza in one day after phoning a taxi company and making inquiries in my best Spanish about the feasibility of doing it in two stints which they said was impossible for them to consider helping me with. In retrospect, had I asked the same question of the taxi company in Calazdilla de la Cueza or if I had gone walking as far as a crossroad I'd noted on my map I think I could have pulled out my phone and called a taxi for transportation, but with the answer I'd been given, I decided it was best to just put my mind to it and walk the distance as my trip was about walking parts of the Camino I'd missed before, and not skipping them again! I had gotten to know my feet during my previous Camino so I was able to protect some vulnerable spots with moleskin, so I got no blisters on my feet this time. I knew what to expect of myself in terms of stamina and I was able to stop and enjoy some places along the way such as "The Abbey" (located a short distance past Zubiri) whose restoration I'd been following on their facebook page. I hope that life leads me back to the Camino Frances so I can complete some remaining segments while my legs are still up to walking a couple of weeks' worth of 10 kilometer days!

 

[NormaStafford]

Last year 4 of us walked the Camino Portuguese from Porto to Santiago, 3 months after I had a hip replacement. (I'm 73.) We used a tour company to make reservations for us because we were such novices! Our shortest day was about 12k and our longest was about 22k. We could have gone shorter distances but since we had reservations we had to keep walking. (We are doing the same Camino this year with other friends.....this time we made our own reservations.) We chose to stay in small hotels/inns because of age/privacy/etc., but had we stayed in alburgues we could have easily shortened those longer days. It is a beautiful Camino! We started our walk on September 12 last year. We did have several days of rain, but the temperature was not cold so we were ok in spite of heavy rains at times. I think it's a wonderful thing that you are trying to complete this family trek!

 

[journeycakes]

This spring my pre-Camino reading included Sonia Choquette's "Walking Home: A Pilgrimage from Humbled to Healed." Her Camino involved the use of a tour company that transported her luggage and pre-booked her into all of her accommodations ahead of time, and saw her walking typical distances so that her Camino fit tidily into her month or so of vacation time. Occasionally the distance and her speed were mismatched for various reasons to do with her well-being on a particular day so at times she pushed herself beyond her endurance and a couple of times she took a ride in a vehicle. Because I am a slow walker who knows her limits it was vital to have a bed arranged for the end of the day and to take a rest day when I needed one, and not be tied into a relentless schedule that wasn't of my own creation. On my last Camino I relied on hospitaleros who were willing to phone ahead on my behalf to reserve a bed for me and I'd usually find a pay phone and arrange the bag transport myself. Because hospitaleros often were busy and because pay phones are becoming extinct, this time on the Camino I decided to buy a basic Spanish cell phone with a "pay as you go top up plan" and make my own arrangements each day for my next day's accommodation and bag transport. The phone gave me great freedom, security and flexibility along with a generous helping of relief such as on the day I couldn't easily find the private albergue where my bag, dinner and bed awaited me and for a few times when I've needed to phone a taxi. I am thankful for all the Spanish courses I studied in university and for many trips to Mexico where I've practiced the language and built my confidence and vocabulary to the extent that using the phone has become comfortable enough when a patient and friendly voice speaks clearly and cheerfully on the other end. In addition to using the phone I sometimes use Booking.com and facebook messages to arrange accommodation online so that unlike that aforementioned night in Sept 2013 when I arrived in Zubiri as a Camino newbie to find no bed for my night's rest, I always manage to find a bed and not have to walk an extra distance in search of a place to sleep. On rare instances I've even assisted others who have needed a phone call made for them as it is simple to do and not expensive, and a way to pay forward for some of the times when I've received the help of a "Camino Angel!"

 

[HeidiL]

I would not recommend walking in the summer for someone his age - could you go for spring instead? Much cooler, less bustle on the Camino Frances, and you will need less water...

 

[Kiwi-family]

The Ingles. Investigation pending! (Thanks for the suggestion Mendiwalker)
The Portuguese. We have just returned from that - I think the cobbles would be a real problem.
Albergues - no problem - he loves them!!
Summer - well, yes actually we are thinking either May/June or September/ October, so technically spring or autumn!

 

[Kiwi-family]

I found it. Very helpful thanks MendiWalker - espeically the notes on where you stayed. What has happened to San Lazaro?

 

[Kiwi-family]

We stayed there in 2012 and 2014, but never received key, blanket or towel so we might not notice any difference!!
Our stays there were enjoyable and we always just walked in to town. The staff were most helpful and lodged us as far away from school groups as was practical!
This last trip with just my hubby....we stayed in a little air bnb attic!

 

[Kiwi-family]

Always nice to try something different! Hope you have a good experience.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Hola @Kiwi-family. Are you aiming to reach Santiago or aiming to walk part of the Camino?
We are just back from the Camino Inglés and it has some challenging hills although with use of stages like Sil's (or ours) it can be cut into short days.
Part of the Norte between Barreda (west of Santander) and Ribadasella can be good and as far as Oviedo can be cut into 15km days. There is a mix of side roads and tracks and accomodation plus transport if needed.
In our experience May and just into June is better walking than September into October which can still be quite hot during the day.
Happy planning

 

[Kiwi-family]

Thanks for those suggestions. In this case Santiago doesn't have to feature. In fact, the strongest contender right now is Pamplona to Leon in 50-something days!