2 weeks to walk.....any thoughts?

[katebmills]

I would like to walk as many miles as possible, but am confused on the best way to accomplish this.

I would welome any thoughts such as flying in (Barcelona vs Pamplona) and routes to take. I'm trying to make this trip in August and need to start planning. Haven't been to Europe and will be travelling alone, the camino has been burning a hole in me for 8 years and I couldn't be more excited!!

Thanks in advance.

 

[Chev.Jerry]

Kate,
Most people figure how far they want to, or can, walk per day, how many days they have, the plan backwards. Allow for getting to the starting point, and returning.
Buy a guide book and figure your stages. We used Brierley's guide.
Ponferrada is a good starting point, you can bus from Santiago to there, then walk back. Brierley has that as 9 days walking. You might need to be in prety good shape to make that time.
There are cheap flight from Madrid to Santiago.
Leon might work with great flight/bus/train connections and maybe an extra day or two...
You really can't do it wrong. Listen to your inter guide.
Buen Camino
Jerry

 

[Rambler]

We are in the same boat and chose to start in Leon and go to Santiago. That should be 12-14 days.
Hope this helps.
Rambler

 

[sillydoll]

Hi Kate,
The camino Frances has record numbers on it now - in May - and by August, which is the busiest month of all, it will probably be even more crowded. Perhaps a different route would be better? You could walk the Camino Ingles from Ferrol to Santiago and then the Fistera-Muxia Way as well?
You could walk the Portuguese route from Porto.

 

[Nellas]

Last year I wanted to walk the Camino, and I had only 15 days to spend. I chose to start in St Jean Pied de Port. My last walking day I stopped in Carrion de los Condes and travelled by bus to Vallidolid.
This august I am going to walk the rest of the Camino
So this is another way to walk the Camino if the time is short.

 

[Mouse]

We also have only 2 weeks to walk and have decided to start at SJPP and just walk until the end of the 2 weeks and see where we've got to (very difficult for me as I'm a bit of a control freak and like to have everything planned exactly!!!).

We felt that the reason for walking the camino is not the certificate at the end but to rather enjoy the journey itself.

Planning to go back another year and walk from SJPP to Santiago - something to look forward to.

 

[La La 31]

Hi

When I started planning my Camino a few weeks ago, I chose the most popular Camino Frances route. In order to plot my starting point I decided that I wanted to end in Santiago and I worked backwards from here.

I made use of John Brierley's guide book (ISBN 978-1-84409-069-3: A Pilgrim's Guide to Camino de Santiago) which a friend has used for 4 years in a row. She says it's fabulous and that a vast majority of pilgrims carry this guide along the route. So with the help from my friend and Brierley's guide book I planned where to start my journey. (I looked at the maps in the book which show gradients per stage and distance per stage and one can calculate how many stages can be covered in xx days.) I would advise you to walk from Astorga. I was also going to walk for 14 days starting in Astorga, but I decided to rather walk for longer.

I sort of know how much distance I can average per day so that was helpful in planning my journey. When I say plan, I mean that I have an idea of how much distance I can cover per day, but I want to keep things flexible. So the start and end dates are fixed and the rest is flexible. There are alternatives like public transport and rest days and one can walk longer or shorter days. It's basically a go-with-the-flow trip. Love it! ...

I am doing my first Camino on foot on my own and will be walking from Leon to Santiago (starting on 03 July 08). Yay, so excited!! :lol:

Buen Camino

 

[brendan nolan]

Hi Kate,
I'm a bit late on this discussion but would just say that while understanding that you want to start as far from Santiago as possible, getting the miles in is a dangerous way to approach this sort of journey. I reckon it actually takes about 10 - 14 days for your body to get into the rhythm of walking every day with a pack on your back. To try to walk long distances not having been on the road for a decent amount of time is asking for trouble - injuries, and that can also mean misery :cry: . So it would be good to follow the advice of other folks on the forum and start somewhere like Astorga or even a bit nearer Santiago, and enjoy the journey. Last time I was on the Camino it took me 11 days from Astorga to Santiago but I had many miles in my legs already.
Enjoy your planning and Buen Camino,

Brendan

 

[Deirdre]

Hi Brendan,
Interestingly, we had exactly that conversation at the hospitalero training in Ontario last month.

The question came up ( as often does) about reserving beds for Pilgrims who began ....(SJPdP, Roncesvalles, Pamplona, wherever) and walked longer, arriving later, as opposed to those Pilgrims who have only begun to walk and are only going the minimum (or set, at the end, distance). I'm not trying to disparage anyone here, but you know what I mean.

Anyhow, during the discussion, we all realized that for those of us who began in or near France, by the time we arrived in Galicia, we were used to our pack, walking every day, pace, weight, breaks and yes, even those damnable ampollas! (blisters)

Many of those who start out later on, are suffering considerable pain, and have not gotten accustomed to walking as have those who've already been on the Camino a minimum of 20 odd days. (or considerably more!)

My point is, I agree with you completely. What one is able to walk at home cannot be automatically transferred to the Camino. At home, you go out to walk, return to your own home, own bed, own food, etc. And you don't have to get up to do it again tomorrow. The Camino is not a race, it isn't about distance ... it simply is.

Lo importante no es llegar, sino que te llegue.

Buen Camino,