Any advice for bringing a child in the 5-7 yr. range on the Camino Frances

[Steve Hackman]

Hi all! I completed the Camino Frances with my 17 yr old son last May (2015) and we had the most wonderful experiences. Now, I would like to take my wife (who is a bit jealous of the experiences we had) and do it again. We are looking to do the Frances again in April / May 2017 but we have a younger son who will be 6 at that time. I'm trying to figure out how much we can do together, should we start in SJPdP? (I would like to) or would it be better to start in Leon or Burgos? Having done the Camino previously I am somewhat familiar of what to expect but I wasn't seeing it through the eyes of a 6 yr old. Some of the children threads seem here to have examples of toddlers (who could be carried or strolled part of the way) or pre-teens. Any experience of families with children in that 5-7 yr old range with words of advice?

 

[HeidiL]

My husband and I walked with our son, who was 8 1/2, from Carrion de los Condes to Santiago the very first time. It took us 19 days, including a rest day.

The first three days were really, really hard, with tears and complaining, and then he ran ahead of us the rest of the stretch and didn't want to stop. We met Ivar in Santiago and he can probably testify that our son seemed to like it!

He has walked with us another 6 times and will be walking from Merida with us next month - he's 19 now.

My advice would be to involve the kid as much as possible in the planning, ensure his shoes are perfect and a bit too big, let him stop and get sellos absolutely everywhere, bring lots of chocolate and nuts, buy zumo natural every time it's available, and try to walk at a time when there are many other people around - our son learned to talk English properly that first time because he got bored talking just to us and made new friends instead. And be flexible about distances.

He will get A LOT of attention from the locals, who will boast and make him feel very "valiente".

 

[Al the optimist]

Welcome. Look up our member "Kiwi-Family". She has a wealth of knowledge to share on this topic. Buen family Camino.

 

[Kiwi-family]

Our youngest was 6 when we first walked. We just went from Astorga.
IF we had limited our days to 15km or shorter we would have had no troubles at all! Indeed we were aiming for that, but ended up some days going over 20 which did bring on some grizzles.
I would err on the side of keeping it enjoyable (but without pandering to every little whim).
A trick we employed with the kids when they were younger and might complain of being tired was to agree to stop for a break whenever they needed to. They would get to choose when to start walking again (generally after a maximum of three minutes!)
Another tip- always carry some food.
But try to avoid giving it out as a reward for complaining;-) We ended up having a little routine which helped our younger ones - after walking for about an hour we would take a sitting down break for a few minutes. Another hour later would be another break and they knew there would be a snack then. The next break was usually the end of the day.
Last tip: walk now. Get used to walking together. Find out what your collective capabilities are.
Oh, one more thing. Our 6yr old did not carry her gear. She wanted a pack so we let her take a hydration bladder which became a point of power struggle some days. Daddy carried it for her one day then she thought she shouldn't have to carry it again! We reached the agreement (or rather, imposed it on her) that daddy would carry her pack after 20km! It worked.
Oh yes, don't expect romantic bliss. We had days of providing pilgrim entertainment on the path! They saw tears and foot stomping and screaming! We refused to walk on with bad attitude and so one of us would wait with her until she was ready to walk sans sighing and scuffing shoes and complaining. I would do that again.
We also had wonderful times. The younger kids were given so much chocolate and fruit and other treats - yet at the same time were treated as equals.
When this six year old was eight she walked 1,000km. We are returning to do the Via de la Plata this year.
You'll have a great time! (BTW, only you know whether your particular child can manage starting from SJPdP - but if in doubt, I'd start at Pamplona and make the beginning less difficult.)
All the best

 

[Steve Hackman]

HeidiL and Kiwi-Family, thanks so much for taking the time to share your experiences. We have quite a few decisions to make (like where to start). We may have grandparents joining as well that may bus some days so that may provide an occasional respite if we start from SJPdP.
Thanks again...and we'll have treats ready!

 

[simply B]

@Steve Hackman -

I think you have great advice for the "Camino Care and Management" of your 6-year old!

That said, give a thought to grandparents. (Being one, I may be a bit prejudiced!)

On my first Camino, I was:

- careful on the descent from the Col but not concerned...until I got into the "Enchanted Forest" area the last few km before the albergue. It was wet from rain a couple days prior, slick and the slyly hidden tree roots all combined a few times to make for a near disaster. There is a road detour that is probably safer.

- careful on that walk down into Zubiri, but not concerned ...but it was dry. The second time around it was wet, slick and very tricky footing calling for absolute caution on the descent.

- careful on the descent from Alto de Perdon....but it was dry. It also was wet the second time around and as bad (maybe a bit worse) as the Zubiri experience.

My point is that, early on, if the grandparents' fitness levels and walking experience are up to the rigors of these conditions in the wet - - no problem. Otherwise, these are the sections they might want to bus/taxi around if you wish to start in SJPP.

After that, they will be pretty darn fit before you get to the next area of bad footing (that I remember) from Cruz de Ferro down to Molinaseca.

Buen Camino,

B