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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

30 days - from St Jean Pied de Port to Santiago - is it possible without stress?

vladasbarto

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
France
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!

Hi and welcome here.

Is receiving the Compostela important for you?
Pamplona or indeed further is then maybe a better choice. Or would you consider transport when you have to?

Being of a younger age is no guarantee for walking painfree or without obstacles either.

This tool/planner might be of help.


Happy planning!
 
Hi @vladasbarto welcome to the forum. If this will be your first “hike” then it is likely that 30 days to Santiago will be difficult. If you are an experienced walker used to multi-day backpacking then it is doable. But you will have little time to relax and enjoy.
Starting in Pamplona or even Burgos will give you a wonderful walk and the opportunity to enjoy the people and places you encounter.
Happy planning
 
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Depends.....
Thirty days is a tight schedule from St Jean, but you're only forty years old and if you are in good shape you can easily do it, but you will still have long walking days and perhaps less time to relax and smell the roses.
Keep in mind you are seeking advice in that particular topic from forum members who are in all likelihood at least twenty years older than you. :D
I suppose I would fall under the category of an average walker in distance and time on the Camino Frances. If I only had 30 days I personally would start in Logrono, so as to not be rushed, and Logrono is a great city. You are not cutting yourself short by starting there.
 
My usual suggestion to people who would like to walk the "complete" Camino Francés but are just a bit short of time is to bicycle part of it. Although I really enjoyed walking the meseta, previously thinking I would hate it, there are people who truly hated this stretch. Fortunately, this is the place where entrepreneurs shine to help those people.

I'll direct you to an older post of mine about bicycle rentals. The links may lean heavily to rentals near Burgos. I've never rented nor rode bikes on the camino so I can't give any recommendations.

 
I suppose it depends on why you are walking, as has been suggested above.

Pardon my going out on a limb here, but I think most members of this forum walk for more than just the hiking experience. They have heard stories of the mental, emotional and spiritual experience of walking in the steps of those who walked 1,000 years ago and want to try to get a piece of it.

So, since you're here, I assume you want more than just a hiking experience, which can probably be gotten on trails closer to home.

The most often repeated advice on this forum is - slow down. However, this is not going to mesh well with quickly walking the Camino in order to meet a deadline.

Therefore, choose to go slow.

Do what many time-crunched pilgrims do - do this over several weeks/months/years. No shame there!!

Take transport if you must. But realize you might miss the best part of your Camino if you do - your soon-to-be life-long Camino family might have been walking 30 feet ahead of you on that part you skipped.

Don't start in SJPdP. Start closer to SdC.

What if you decide to go with your 30-day plan from SJPdP to SdC and the Camino decides to slow you down (I know, it sounds crazy, but many here will attest to it). An injury, weather, unforeseen circumstances - any number of things can put the kibosh on your well-thought out plans.

You are asking here because you are drawn to this experience. Don't deny yourself! We are all with you! But go easy on yourself. College athletes have been injured trying to do the Camino faster than the Camino wants to be done.
 
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If everything goes well without any surprises, I'd say yes. That is enough time. My 16-year-old daughter and I (46 at the time) took 31 days and that included one forced rest day due to extreme diarrhea. If you don't make it, don't worry. It is such a wonderful place to keep returning to. :)
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!

If you are going to make it you cant have problems. First thing, buy HOKA Speedgoat 5, or another similar shoes that fits you. Superlight backpack, or ship it daily. You will have much more pleasure of the walking.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
If you are going to make it you cant have problems. First thing, buy HOKA Speedgoat 5, or another similar shoes that fits you. Superlight backpack, or ship it daily. You will have much more pleasure of the walking.
Or read @NobleHiker s thread on his remarkably rapid CF only a few weeks ago. With no ‘technical’ equipment; no fuss and a diet which consisted entirely of pork sandwiches and beer he made the trip in well under 30 days. He did keep up a constant conversation with an alcoholic stuffed-toy though; so there were some grounds for concern.
 
He did keep up a constant conversation with an alcoholic stuffed-toy though; so there were some grounds for concern.
I have walked the Camino Frances 3 times - with gaps of 12 and 14 years in between. The first was about 20 days I think (my diary of that walk was lost years ago). The last one was the slowest at 26 days. Now I prefer to walk very solitary routes at quiet times of the year. In Sweden and Norway I saw 3 other pilgrims over about 600km of pilgrim path. My usual warning that things are going a bit pear-shaped mentally is when I start speaking to my knees and feet as if they are separate living beings. That's when I know it is time to find human company, a large drink and a long rest...
 
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Only you know if it’s possible! It would be 30 days of long walks every day - some can do it with zero planning, others could never achieve that. How about taking a 20 mile walk tomorrow with a 15lb pack, then do it again the next day. That leaves you time on Sunday to make the decision of whether 30 days straight if that sounds doable and interesting to you.

Or start closer or walk from SJPdP and settle for wherever you end up. It’s really dependent upon what’s important to YOU: the distance, the starting point, the destination, or the journey. Answer that and the rest will fall into place.

Buen camino.
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
I'll be doing my first Camino in July. Like you I only have 30 days so decided to start in Pamplona as I wanted to save my knees from the first few days and give myself a little breathing room. Personally , while I certainly want to walk the whole thing, I realize I might have to bus some sections. 43 years old with 80 year old knees .
 
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Thank you very much to all of you!
I read with great affection the advice of each of you!

I have a question, which maybe I should ask under another topic, and please excuse me if it's sacrilege, but an idea came to mind: if I start in France on foot, but in Burgos I get on a bike and cycle to Leon, and in Leon leave the bike and complete the way from Leon to Santiago on foot again...?

Again - maybe it's a sin to think that, forgive me :) but what's your opinion on this?
 
Only you know if it’s possible! It would be 30 days of long walks every day - some can do it with zero planning, others could never achieve that. How about taking a 20 mile walk tomorrow with a 15lb pack, then do it again the next day. That leaves you time on Sunday to make the decision of whether 30 days straight if that sounds doable and interesting to you.

Or start closer or walk from SJPdP and settle for wherever you end up. It’s really dependent upon what’s important to YOU: the distance, the starting point, the destination, or the journey. Answer that and the rest will fall into place.

Buen camino.
Thank you very much! I will try do that!
Unfortunately, it's possible that I can't today, but I had exactly thought about it and will do it tomorrow. Thank you very much!
It seems that at least I've started to align thoughts with the friends of Camino! :)
 
I have a question, which maybe I should ask under another topic, and please excuse me if it's sacrilege, but an idea came to mind: if I start in France on foot, but in Burgos I get on a bike and cycle to Leon, and in Leon leave the bike and complete the way from Leon to Santiago on foot again...?
If this suits you best, go ahead ;-).

Just keep in mind that you would loose contact to all the other pilgrims you've met on your way up to Burgos and you'd meet a complete new bunch of pilgrims when starting to walk again in Leon. That would be one point I'd consider, if the concept of meeting and walking with other pilgrims who you've started walking with/ having a Camino familiy is important to you.

It was not very important for me on my first Camino. Since I walked rather slowly, I'd always meet new pilgrims on my way. That was also nice, but when I took the bus from Burgos to Leon (due to time constraints) I then met pilgrims I already had seen and talked to before which was very nice.

This is one of the reasons why I am now working on being able to walk longer distances on my next Camino, because it was an enchanting experience to come across familiar faces now and then.
 
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I walked 29 stages in August 2020 from SJPDP with two rest days in Burgos and Ponferrada on top and am considerably older than you so assuming you are in even reasonable shape it is definitely doable.

I find there is a lot of personal satisfaction in walking contiguous stages, so if you are really doubtful then starting in Pamplona would make sense. The other thing is that while SJPDP to Santiago is a relatively comfortable Camino, going all the way to Finisterre in 30 days does take you into more arduous territory. You may find that people you get to know are going to carry on and that it appeals to you as well. So if you start in Pamplona and it goes well (i e you are in good shape and are enjoying it) you can do it quick enough to do the c90km to Finisterre which would more than compensate for missing the Pyrenees.

I always find that I walk longer stages as Caminos go on, so once you have your legs you can generate some more time by walking some longer flat stages (eg Burgos to Castrojeriz).

Most of all look after your feet. Anything can throw you off but these are the most likely source of trouble.

Buen Camino.
 
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You didn't mention, if the 30 days include travel and where you are traveling from. Also, what is your hiking experience, have your trained on hills and are used to carrying a backpack. I have walked many and would never attempt to or want to walk it in 30 days. Obviously, there are those that have. I mentor a lot of people and without a doubt the probability of not having the Camino you wished for goes up significantly. The injury rate goes up, among those that go faster and many never make it to Santiago. Also, I often hear from those going 28-30 days that they did not have the same experience with making friends as they were constantly leaving new friends behind. This may or may not be important to you, but you will not necessarily know before you go. The other pilgrims that I get that were not altogether happy with their experience are those that skipped around. They felt disconnected from the pilgrim population. Now, I realize that not everyone feels this way, I am only giving you feedback from my experience working with many pilgrims over the years. Honestly, if I only had 30 days I would probably start in Logrono but certainly not before Pamplona. This would give you plenty of time and if you stay healthy and get to Santiago before you need to leave, you could go on to Finisterre.
 
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Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
Of course it is possible. I have done it 5 times from when I was 57 years old to this year while I am 61. I do it stress free, stopping for coffee often and other snacks. I just walk a longer day than most, starting by 0700 and walking until 1400-1900, what ever I feel. My longest time was 25 days, but I took an extra day in Leon. Shortest was 22 last year. Some days I stop early after 20 km. But usually do about 35. Rarely I do 45 or 50. Do your training and practice hikes
 
A few years ago I did my first Camino which was a short one from Lugo to Santiago, I walked back to the airport and spoke to several pilgrims who asked why I was walking the opposite way. One of these was a young 40 something year old woman who had started in Saint Jean and walked the entire Frances in 25 days which I thought was some going ! But therefore 30 is possible. I start from Saint Jean in July and intend to walk 15 to 25miles each day. But we will see ?
 
Of course it is possible. I have done it 5 times from when I was 57 years old to this year while I am 61.

I am 60 in a few weeks time. My pattern of walking and daily distances sound very like yours. But I would hesitate to say "Of course it is possible" to someone I have never met and who says they have not walked long distance before. The last time I walked the Frances I took the Valcarlos route to Roncesvalles. The previous night in Beilari I had chatted with a 70+ year old man who was anxious about his fitness for the following day. He opted for the Valcarlos route too. As it turned out I met him a couple of times during the day. He was way ahead of me in the morning and stopped for coffee in Valcarlos. He took off like a rocket up the road afterwards and I doubt I would have seen him again before Roncesvalles if he had not slowed down to support and encourage a German man in his twenties who was struggling badly towards the end of the day. Age really is not a solid indicator of fitness.
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
Absolutely you can do it! I’m older and did it. For my thought starting from St. Jean Pied de Port adds something to your story and the Pyrenees are by far the most beautiful part of the Camino and would be a hole in your heart that you wish you would have done. Stress is something that you put on your self so focus on the journey not the destination.
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
We did it in 32 days. You will have to walk some over 20 mile days (we never did, it was comfortable).
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
My husband and I were concerned about the time constraint with work obligations in September of 2018 and so we decided to begin in Pamplona. We ended up making it in 28 days by making 3 stages into 2 somewhere in the Meseta I think. we believe we could have done the whole thing but didn’t. Still had the time of our lives and a life changing experience. Will be doing our 4th Camino this September, this time from SJPP to Finisterre. Guess we do feel like we have Unfinished business. LOL. Walk YOUR Camino. everyone’s experience is idifferent, but they’re ALL authentic Caminos. There is no ONE way to do it.
 
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My usual suggestion to people who would like to walk the "complete" Camino Francés but are just a bit short of time is to bicycle part of it. Although I really enjoyed walking the meseta, previously thinking I would hate it, there are people who truly hated this stretch. Fortunately, this is the place where entrepreneurs shine to help those people.

I'll direct you to an older post of mine about bicycle rentals. The links may lean heavily to rentals near Burgos. I've never rented nor rode bikes on the camino so I can't give any recommendations.

30days is pretty tight. You will not want to count on consisent 30k days - stuff happens and what's the point of rushing through? Starting in Paploma only cuts 3 days. I second the idea of biking the Meseta - it's long, hot and after a day or 2 - you get the idea... You will want to savor the eucalyptus forests and all the wonderful cows in Galicia. Another idea is to take a taxi or bus when it suits to skip a stage or so (thunderstorms, blisters, etc.) - just not after Sarria
 
Transport luggage-passengers.
From airports to SJPP
Luggage from SJPP to Roncevalles
I turned 67 while doing the Frances, in 31 days in 2021. I added about 100 miles in "walking around", too, so I averaged a hair under 20 miles/day. And I am a long-time walker, for years doing 5-20 miles per day, averaging about 7-8. And I found it a bit tiring on the 35km+ days (I put in some extra miles for 1-2 days before all the "big" towns - Pamplona, Logrono, Burgos, Leon, Lugo (via Sarria) and SDC - so I could get there before noon).

I haven't seen this suggestion on this thread, so I would add: If you have a long day planned (or needed), I think an easy and effective way to take the edge off a really long day is to arrange for a taxi to pick you up early in the morning at your lodging, and take you 5-10-15km down the road.
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
Hello viadasbarto, in 2019, my brother, 66 and I, 64 did the Frances from SJPDP to Santiago in 30 days without stress. Not experienced hikers, slow and steady as they say and we never felt rushed or behind. We had allowed 5 weeks so with the extra days and euphoria we felt from arriving in Santiago, we continued to Muxia and Finnisterre. Enjoy yourself and don’t worry it’s an awesome experience.
 
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Hei,
tämä on ensimmäinen vaellus. Olen 40-vuotias ja minulla on 30 päivää. Onko mahdollista saada Santiago St Jean Pied de Portista?
Minun täytyy päättää tänä viikonloppuna, koska lomani alkaa kesäkuun toisella viikolla, kun aion aloittaa Caminon.
Auttakaa minua päättämään.... Haluaisin aloittaa Ranskasta, mutta näen paljon neuvoja, että ehkä 30 päivän ajan paras tapa on aloittaa Pamplonassa tai kauempana...
Kiitos!
Hei,
tämä on ensimmäinen vaellus. Olen 40-vuotias ja minulla on 30 päivää. Onko mahdollista saada Santiago St Jean Pied de Portista?
Minun täytyy päättää tänä viikonloppuna, koska lomani alkaa kesäkuun toisella viikolla, kun aion aloittaa Caminon.
Auttakaa minua päättämään.... Haluaisin aloittaa Ranskasta, mutta näen paljon neuvoja, että ehkä 30 päivän ajan paras tapa on aloittaa Pamplonassa tai kauempana...
Kiitos!
 
Hei!
Jos olet hyvässä kunnossa, voit kävellä Saint Jean Pied de Portista Santiagoon 30 päivässä. Kävelin saman matkan vuonna 2019 ollessani 63-vuotias. Minulla oli yksi vapaapäivä Leonissa. Mutta ole valmis kävelemään keskimäärin 28 km päivässä.
 
Hi @vladasbarto welcome to the forum. If this will be your first “hike” then it is likely that 30 days to Santiago will be difficult. If you are an experienced walker used to multi-day backpacking then it is doable. But you will have little time to relax and enjoy.
Starting in Pamplona or even Burgos will give you a wonderful walk and the opportunity to enjoy the people and places you encounter.
Happy planning
I tend to disagree. Everyone is different of course but if one is fairly fit it is surely possible to walk from SJPdP or Roncesvalles to Santiago in 30 days.

I hadn't done multi-day backpacking in probably 30 years, live under sea level, never practiced with a backpack and was 54 the first time I left SJPdP and arrived in under 30 days. 8 years later (and many Caminos on) I repeated the Francés and did it again under 30 days.

It really all depends on how your body reacts to walking day in day out and how well you recover. You won't actually know until you start!
 
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I did the Frances in 2019 at the age of 69, and completed it in 28 days, mainly because I had an appointment the day after I arrived. To do so though I had no rest days, so if tourism in some of the wonderful places you pass through is important to you, start closer to SdC, as many people have suggested.
 
I tend to disagree. Everyone is different
We can agree on that ;). I think my first StJ to Santiago took 28 days. I know i did Sarria to Santiago in 3 days and in time for mid-day Mass. But I'd been a long-distance hiker and hiking in Spain since the late '60s. If it hadn't been for the distractions of Logrono, Burgos, Leon and the wonderful red wines of Bierzo I'd probably have been faster.

It was the OP's use of the phrase "this will be my first hiking" that caught my attention and reminded me of my first attempt on the Pennine Way. Teenagers think they're invincible until they meet Vince ;)
 
Don't forget the milk. I think that it was one serving of milk for every three beers.

I believe that it was 19 days in total.
Five years ago, I met an amazing woman, from Taiwan, who did it in 18 days. She was an ultra-marathoner.
If you are in good shape, you can do it in 30 days. At 77, I fell in with a fast group, and did it in 29, but regretted leaving so many friends behind…. Pamplona would be a great choice for you.
Buen Camino.
 
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Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
The answer is Yes. I first walked when I was 60 and did it in 28 days. I did not take a rest day and only had a couple of what one might call long days. But it is achievable and is an experience not to be missed.

Buen Camino
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
I walked this Camino in 28 days five years ago when I was 67 years old. I didn't have any problems at all during my walk. BUT next time I do a Camino I'm going plan in two or three stops for a day or two.
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
In my 63rd year I walked that distance in 30 days with 1.5 days off.
 
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if I start in France on foot, but in Burgos I get on a bike and cycle to Leon, and in Leon leave the bike and complete the way from Leon to Santiago on foot again...?
It is fine. It is not sacrilege. Pilgrims visit Santiago de Compostela to venerate St. James. Some fly, others bus, take trains or drive. That doesn't matter, faith matters. To honor others that show physical effort to reach the cathedral the church will reward them with a compostela. Many may travel to a bit over 100 km to start their walk and others to a bit over 200 km to bicycle into SdC to qualify for a compostela. If the church recognizes their achievement who can say you did less to express your faith.

On a more eartly matter is whether you need to bicycle at all. If you arrive in Burgos on day 10 or 11 or earlier then you are pretty much on schedule to get to SdC in 30 days, especially since you probably will be walking slower in the early third of your camino. Consider at that time your mental and physical condition. If you feel fine then skip the bicycle rental. If something slows you down later you could either take some transportation (but not past Sarria, to get the compostela you need to walk from there) or do what many others do, come back some other time and resume walking from where you stopped.

There is a bicycling subforum here too.
 
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I’m sure you received lots of wisdom from the 39 replies on this thread and listen and read all of them. I hiked the full French way four years ago at age 36 in 27 days. I’ll admit, it was an aggressive hike. Some days I just didn’t feel like stopping at 2pm and just hiked 2-3 more hours. So it’s definitely doable, if, as some of the responses say you’re in good shape and you’re used to multi day or multi week hikes. It will require a couple long days, a 35 and a 40 K day here and there. If it’s your first time doing a long hike like this then it may take some getting used to the foot pain. But at the end of the day I say go for it, because if you find yourself pacing at 31 to 33 days, you can always take a cab or take a train or take a bus and skip a few days. Ask the Albergue host and they’ll help you call a cab or find a bus. And if you’re an addict like everybody else on this forum (including me, on my seventh Camino right now in Esposende Portugal on the coastal way), you’ll go back the next time and see the days you skipped.
 

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Thank you very much to all of you!
I read with great affection the advice of each of you!

I have a question, which maybe I should ask under another topic, and please excuse me if it's sacrilege, but an idea came to mind: if I start in France on foot, but in Burgos I get on a bike and cycle to Leon, and in Leon leave the bike and complete the way from Leon to Santiago on foot again...?

Again - maybe it's a sin to think that, forgive me :) but what's your opinion on this?
To get your credential they will only look at the last few days from Sarria (barely). So your credential can have hiked from Porto, sjpp, Burgos, with any series of random stamps. As long as you have the last 100k. Not sure they care too much… at least that has been my personal experience in Santiago.
 
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I’m sure you received lots of wisdom from the 39 replies on this thread and listen and read all of them. I hiked the full French way four years ago at age 36 in 27 days. I’ll admit, it was an aggressive hike. Some days I just didn’t feel like stopping at 2pm and just hiked 2-3 more hours. So it’s definitely doable, if, as some of the responses say you’re in good shape and you’re used to multi day or multi week hikes. It will require a couple long days, a 35 and a 40 K day here and there. If it’s your first time doing a long hike like this then it may take some getting used to the foot pain. But at the end of the day I say go for it, because if you find yourself pacing at 31 to 33 days, you can always take a cab or take a train or take a bus and skip a few days. Ask the Albergue host and they’ll help you call a cab or find a bus. And if you’re an addict like everybody else on this forum (including me, on my seventh Camino right now in Esposende Portugal on the coastal way), you’ll go back the next time and see the days you skipped.
Thank you so much to you and everyone else writing here! Yes, I have read carefully, lovingly and openly each of the comments! And I loved the photo that you shared! :)
 
As I wrote to @adam lapp , thank you very much to all of you! I have read carefully, with love and with an open mind each of the comments! I'm very grateful!
Each comment added, it was important for me, and I felt the support of all of you!
I actually feel that I have already started the Camino, and I already feel accompanied!
 
As I wrote to @adam lapp , thank you very much to all of you! I have read carefully, with love and with an open mind each of the comments! I'm very grateful!
Each comment added, it was important for me, and I felt the support of all of you!
I actually feel that I have already started the Camino, and I already feel accompanied!
Have a wonderful time, whatever you choose.

The walk over the Pyrenees from SJPDP is tough but spectacular and rewarding (just my opinion of course). Perhaps you could start there, and just see how you go. At some point if you think you will be short of time, then get a bus for a few sections to ensure you meet your deadline for arriving in Santiago. Buen Camino. You are in for a treat! 😊🙏
 
A selection of Camino Jewellery
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
It's doable. I personally did it from st.jean to santiago in 28 days and that included a rest day in belorado and one in burgos. But it also meant doing 30+km a day from day 1. I didn't aim for doing it in 28 days, it just turned out that way. Mind you - I'm used to walking every day and wear hiking shoes as my everyday shoes.
 
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
If it’s your first hike 30 days could be a bit of a stretch depending on how fir you are. But don’t be scared of the prospect. It’s not so much a hike as a long walk with a few tricky bits.

I did it in winter in my 70th year. Snow, sleet, rain etc nearly all the way except for some lovely weather through the Meseta. I weigh in around 70kg and started with a 16kg pack which I whittled down to 12kg from Ponferrada. My idea was that in a sense “tradition “ meant starting from St Jean pied de Port. Took me 26 days with half day tests in both Burgos and Ponferrada. But I was really under the pump ( terrified of my wife and sister in law whom I had to meet) and I was fit. So unless you have similar structures and circumstances take it easy and start closer..

Interestingly there were few walkers but a varying group of around 20 or so I crossed paths with all did it in around the same time.

De Colores

Bogong
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
Why not! It's only 26 km/day. When you start early in the morning, you have enough time for enjoying the day.
 
Took me 26 days with a rest day in Leon although I walked at least 20kms that day. Didn’t feel tough at all and most people seemed to be on similar schedule. I’m 56 with average fitness, slow but with good stamina. I don’t thing you need training or experience! It’s just a bit of a slog. None of the altitude or food challenges of say Kilimanjaro or Everest Base Camp! You literally just need a good session after breakfast and a good session after lunch,
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Hello,
this will be my first hiking. I am 40 years old and I have 30 days. Is it possible to get Santiago from St Jean Pied de Port?
I need to decide this weekend because my holiday starts in the second week of June when I intend to start the Camino.
Please help me to decide....I would like to start in France, but I see a lot of advice that maybe for 30 days the best way is to start in Pamplona or further...
Thanks!
I personally would want to start at st Jean. I walked at 75 years old and bussed the Meseta from Burgos to Leon. Did it in 31 days. Just go and watch the dates. Bus a section if you have to. No need to have it set in cement! Camino provides.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.

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