For 2024 Pilgrims: €50,- donation = 1 year with no ads on the forum + 90% off any 2024 Guide. More here. (Discount code sent to you by Private Message after your donation) |
---|
Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
Welcome! I was older than you when I started looking for signs that it would be possible for me to walk the Frances! You say you are planning for 2023. That gives you oodles of time to get into walking mode. As in, an hour, then two, then three. At the end of that, you have at least 12km under your belt! Believe me, it is very possible. Next trick, two hours together. and the same the day after. Include plenty of climbing stairs, or little hills if they are available. Fact: I practised for 150km over about five months. As soon as you set out on your camino proper, you will begin to build up stamina by walking day after day. Then you will, as noted above, see that you have lots of energy left at 11 to do a little more. You can cover 800km at 10km a day in 80 days. At 20km a day, 40 days. At 15km a day, it would take you less time than at 10 a day, but I can't work that out, sorry, I am on my lunch break! you will have so much fun working all of the tips out, adding them in as options.... enjoy it all!Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
You can use this planning tool
I actually use the Buen Camino app to plan (and re-plan) stages. It has a great stage planning feature.That is a very cool tool. Do you know if there is anything like that available for some of the other routs?
The Buen Camino app will be in English (or the language of your choice). Their website is in Spanish though.Thanks, guess I should start looking at Spanish language resources.
There is an excellent video (in English!) that explains how the app and its features work, including the option for planning individual stages, as short or as long as one wants them to be. The video starts with a short 1-minute introduction in Spanish but then switches to an English narrator. Recommended! (I have no commercial interest or connections to the company who produces it).The Buen Camino app will be in English (or the language of your choice). Their website is in Spanish though.
Hi Kerry, an Australian pilgrim friend of mine introduced me to the brilliant concept of the guilt free "5 to 10 Camino" (5 to 10 kms a day if you want) so you won't be alone out there taking short days (if you do, I found that it is terribly difficult to walk short days ... comes to 11am and the energy is still there!). What you may find is that after a few days you will become fitter and find that you are walking further.
Though you don't say where you are starting - is a big haul up and over from St Jean .. so you could start in Roncesvalles or Pamplona perhaps?
On the Frances there are many refugios and b&b's all along the way with just a few sections that may be more kms in between.
On Camino 54 is a youngster! just an egg! - plenty of pilgrims out there in their 60s, 70s, 80s, even 90s!
I think that the best Camino guide is the Brierley but the mistake so many people make is that they read it as a 'rule' book rather than a 'guide' book. So - it is Not necessary to walk the given day stages, just stop when you get tired. One of the benefits of this is that if you miss the big day stage stops you instead stop at small and wonderful refugios in between, where you will meet many other 'walk at my own pace' independent pilgrims who also see a guide book as only that, a 'guide' book.
What a fantastic step .. drop the young (finally!) off at college and go off on Camino - how utterly perfect! (Just don't get the bags mixed up on that day).
To survive well this last twenty years you will have had to be terribly organised so the trick is, on Camino, is to let the attempt to control go ... don't overplan, don't try and 'organise' it .. do what I think you have already decided to do .. let go, take it as it comes, breath deep - enjoy!
By the way, Pamplona to Santiago is about 700 kms so if you do walk 10 kms a day it would take you 70 days - 10 weeks ........ sooo.... what will you do? Start in Pamplona, walk until your time is up and go home and come back next year and take up where you left off?
Buen Camino!!
Thank you for the wonderful advice and the words of encouragement! I 'm even more excited now than I was before! I think I'm going to adjust my timeline to 8 weeks based on this information. I really don't want to rush my Camino. I think it has a lot to teach meHi Kerry, an Australian pilgrim friend of mine introduced me to the brilliant concept of the guilt free "5 to 10 Camino" (5 to 10 kms a day if you want) so you won't be alone out there taking short days (if you do, I found that it is terribly difficult to walk short days ... comes to 11am and the energy is still there!). What you may find is that after a few days you will become fitter and find that you are walking further.
Though you don't say where you are starting - is a big haul up and over from St Jean .. so you could start in Roncesvalles or Pamplona perhaps?
On the Frances there are many refugios and b&b's all along the way with just a few sections that may be more kms in between.
On Camino 54 is a youngster! just an egg! - plenty of pilgrims out there in their 60s, 70s, 80s, even 90s!
I think that the best Camino guide is the Brierley but the mistake so many people make is that they read it as a 'rule' book rather than a 'guide' book. So - it is Not necessary to walk the given day stages, just stop when you get tired. One of the benefits of this is that if you miss the big day stage stops you instead stop at small and wonderful refugios in between, where you will meet many other 'walk at my own pace' independent pilgrims who also see a guide book as only that, a 'guide' book.
What a fantastic step .. drop the young (finally!) off at college and go off on Camino - how utterly perfect! (Just don't get the bags mixed up on that day).
To survive well this last twenty years you will have had to be terribly organised so the trick is, on Camino, is to let the attempt to control go ... don't overplan, don't try and 'organise' it .. do what I think you have already decided to do .. let go, take it as it comes, breath deep - enjoy!
By the way, Pamplona to Santiago is about 700 kms so if you do walk 10 kms a day it would take you 70 days - 10 weeks ........ sooo.... what will you do? Start in Pamplona, walk until your time is up and go home and come back next year and take up where you left off?
Buen Camino!!
You can use this planning tool to plan out your stages. Between St Jean Pied de Port and Santiago I can think of 2 places where you would need to walk 17 km, unless you are willing to take a taxi - between Orisson and Roncesvalles, and between Carrion de los Condes and Calzadilla de la Cueza.
Planificador - Camino de Santiago - Godesalco.com
Perfiles altitudinales, planificación de etapas y archivos GPS para el Camino de Santiago.godesalco.com
Thank you for the wonderful advice and the words of encouragement! I 'm even more excited now than I was before! I think I'm going to adjust my timeline to 8 weeks based on this information. I really don't want to rush my Camino. I think it has a lot to teach me
Do you mean the Camino Francés? If so, loads of taxi possibilities. fewer on the others, but not impossible.Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
I know it is possible to do the last 120k or so in 10k or less blocks. But in earlier stages, especially in the early stages, accommodation could be an issue unless you are willing to take taxis and buses to shorten the day’s walk - btw, taxis between villages are apparently not too hard to arrange. One woman who walked some of the distance with us was taking taxis for part of the walk almost every day.Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
As to age; I was 82 when I began the Camino Frances. How much time and can you do 10 or km per day: my longest day was 11 km. Since I usually stopped at lunch time, and even then sometimes called ahead to reserve a bed, I never ran into a situation where there were no beds in the town where I wanted to stay. I used the Brierley guide book; it gives several options for most towns. GO! You will have a great time.Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
I'm nursing a foot injury.We are planning the Via de la Plata, but will walk the shortest days possible and use a taxi on occasion if needs be. I know that people will say do the Frances as albergues are so numerous, but we have wanted to walk the Plata for years.Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
Profile | ||||
"Stage" | From | Ending | Km | |
6 | Villamayor Monjardin | Los Arcos | 12.5 | |
7 | Torres del Rio | Viana | 10.8 | |
8 | Logrono | Navarette | 12.8 | |
9 | Ventosa | Najera | 11.0 | |
12 | Villafranca Montes de Oca | San Juan Ortega | 12.3 | |
14 | Burgos | Tardajos | 11.5 | |
18 | Carrion de los Condes | Calzadilla de la Cueza | 17.5 | |
19 | Sahagun | Bercianos | 10.0 | |
20 | El Burgo Ranero | Religios | 13.0 |
Hello my friend,Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
I was 72 when I did the Camino Norte and part of the Frances with a knee replacement, back problems, and NO problem. I averaged about 22 km a day and had three 30 km days. You can do itSorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
I walked the Camino de Frances from Roncesvalles in 2015, when I was 70. I had an artificial knee in one leg, was missing an eye, had bad lungs from smoking and bad feet from alcohol abuse. It was the greatest experience of my life and I worried a lot, like you, before doing it. You need not worry, it is a walk in the park, it's just a very big park. Very few stages are physically demanding and there is plenty of accommodation, which increases every year. My advice is to start early and finish early. Get off at 0730 and call it a day at 1400 when the alberges open. Try to be the first one in!! Get a good bed, first use of shower, have a siesta and enjoy your evening exploring your location and/or drinking wine. Do not overplan. If your leg plays up, ask permission to stay a second night or walk only to the next open accommodation. DO NOT HURRY!! There are plenty of cheap hotels along the route, use them two or three times a week to get clean, rested, do your laundry. Stop two or three nights in the cities, again, in a cheap hotel. You can get a single room with bath for 30-40 Euros. Enjoy it. See the sights, have a proper meal. If it rains, hole up for a day or two.Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
Whoa! That is a great summary of how to enjoy it, irrespective of pace.I walked the Camino de Frances from Roncesvalles in 2015, when I was 70. I had an artificial knee in one leg, was missing an eye, had bad lungs from smoking and bad feet from alcohol abuse. It was the greatest experience of my life and I worried a lot, like you, before doing it. You need not worry, it is a walk in the park, it's just a very big park. Very few stages are physically demanding and there is plenty of accommodation, which increases every year. My advice is to start early and finish early. Get off at 0730 and call it a day at 1400 when the alberges open. Try to be the first one in!! Get a good bed, first use of shower, have a siesta and enjoy your evening exploring your location and/or drinking wine. Do not overplan. If your leg plays up, ask permission to stay a second night or walk only to the next open accommodation. DO NOT HURRY!! There are plenty of cheap hotels along the route, use them two or three times a week to get clean, rested, do your laundry. Stop two or three nights in the cities, again, in a cheap hotel. You can get a single room with bath for 30-40 Euros. Enjoy it. See the sights, have a proper meal. If it rains, hole up for a day or two.
You need more time. It took me 52 days on the road and I walked every step!!
Use a smartphone with Booking.com on it and reserve your first three or four days to make sure the distances are small. Use it again after Sarria, when it might get crowded. You will get fitter and stronger as you go on. Do not overload with food and water, you will not need it except on a few stages. The water in public fountains is safe and delicious and marked "No Potable" if it isn't. Read the guide book every evening for the next stage. Never be ashamed of stopping early or resting up. You will see more than any of the "fast" people and enjoy it more. Get used to being overtaken!! Don't worry about what you look like and get your pack to a minimum, then less, then halve it again. No paper except the guide and your journal!! Paper is heavy. If you have a Brierley cut the pages out when you've used them! Enjoy, enjoy and enjoy more!! Buen Camino!!
Thank you for the wonderful advice and the words of encouragement! I 'm even more excited now than I was before! I think I'm going to adjust my timeline to 8 weeks based on this information. I really don't want to rush my Camino. I think it has a lot to teach me
Just go for it!!!Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
Sorry for the rambling mess that follows. I'm in the very early stages of planning and a little nervous/excited. Which route offers the most albergues along the way? If I can only do 10 km or less a day, but have plenty of time is it possible? I have a knee injury I'm nursing so I'm worried about showing up to a town and the albergue being full and not being able to walk to the next town. How often does this happen? Have you had luck finding a hotel when you have run into this? I'll be 54 when I start my Camino. Wondering if most folks are substantially younger? Best guide books for people who want to take it slow? I am budgeting about 6 weeks. I'll be starting right after we drop our youngest off at college. I'm really interested in the adventure aspect of the Camino. After having provided a safe, steady consistent home for my children for the past 20 years I'm excited to meet new people and experiencing something new outside of the safe and sanitize world I've spent so much energy creating
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?