1st Time Walking CF in May 2018

[Uygsan]

Hi everybody

I am Glenda and I will be doing the CF 3rd week of May 2018. I will only be able to do a portion of the route due to other commitments. I am in an ok condition though i have not hiked multiple days for a while. The longest i’ve done was walking to Machu Picchu via the Salkantay Trail for 5 days a couple years ago - and I did carry my own pack. I still hike / walk but not on multi-days.

I have been reading a lot of the posts as preparation for my Camino - thanks so much to this forum. I still have some questions and I apologize if some were already answered in other posts. I plan to start on May 22 and pretty much open on the number of days until I have to be at the Lisbon airport morning of June 12 to pick-up my aunt. I am also hoping to spend a day or 2 in Porto after my Camino as that will be my way to Lisbon.

1. Burgos or Astorga as starting point. I hope to finish and arrive in SDC in 12 days. I have been planning Astorga until this afternoon
2. Recommended place to stay in Astorga- albergue, pensionne or even hotel - if I do start from here.
3. I have 3 more weeks of “family travel” after my Camino so I plan to send my bigger / heavier pack from Burgos to SDC with Correos. Will it be easy / quick to claim it at SDC? Any other company that can do this?
4. I also want to do the Finisterre and Muxia caminos - is this possible in 5 days if I average 20 -25 kms. per day.
5. Recommended app with detailed route and information of CF. Something that will work offline would be great. My biggest fear for this Camino is getting lost / off track since I will be walking on my own.
6. Anybody used “portable WiFi” recently? Which company did you obtain it from? Is this better than getting a local SIM?
7. How is the weather mid-May to early June along the CF?
8. Any other recommendation for my 1st day of walk? I have requested my credential from americanpilgrims.com (thanks guys) so no need to worry about that.

Le agradecemos de antemano todos. Your inputs are greatly appreciated.

Glenda

 

[AZgirl]

Welcome to the forum! I'll try to answer a few.

As for starting points, I suggest just doing the math and being honest with your current fitness. (And if you are like me then minus a few km per day, I am overly hopeful in how my body will hold up).

2. I just stayed in the muni albergue kinda on the edge of town, it was perfectly pleasant but larger than I prefer.

5. While the route is very well marked, and an app is not really needed, I understand the need . When I did the Madrid I used wikiloc, which was great as you can download the tracks to use them offline. It was maybe 5$ for full access for three months.
6. I bought a Orange SIM and it worked great (make sure your phone is compatible, I think Verizon phones maybe aren't with Orange? )
Also lots of places have Wi-Fi.

Enjoy your camino!

 

[Uygsan]

Thanks AZ.