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) |
---|
I'm expecting it to be busy when I start walking the Camino Frances from July 3, and so I'm wondering how best to deal with that, in terms of my walking strategy.
Based on previous Caminos (slightly earlier in the year in 2012 and 2013), I've come to realise that I enjoy walking earlier in the day. Tumbling out of an albergue by 6.30am doesn't feel like a hardship to me. I quite like the idea of clocking the kms early in the day and ideally reaching my stop point by around 2-3pm. Aside from being content to start early, there's also a practical consideration, given that I'm fair-skinned and so really shouldn't be exposing myself to peak daily sun if I can avoid it.
Also, while I find the Brierley guide useful, I'm very much aware that it's not a good idea to be a slave to the stage suggestions, and would be wiser to almost make point of stopping short or just beyond those recommended stop points.
So, I'm just wondering, for those with insight on this issue, would the combination of early starts & finishes combined with choosing stop points that break with the Brierley guide be a good idea to avoid possible problems with meeting the dreaded 'completo' signs at albergues? And I'd also be more than happy to hear any other suggestions!
Hi
My second camino was during July and August of last year and I never had problems finding a bed. Let me explain why
I'm not really an early bird and most of the times I would be the last one leaving the albergue and probably the last one leaving the town because I refuse to walk without having a proper breakfast
I always plan where I would like to walk the next day and check my guidebooks for some information about the towns ect, if I want to stay somewhere I just call and make a reservation ...some people find this cheating or not spontaneous enough...well maybe is not spontaneous , but I enjoy my day so much this way.
You can have as many breaks as you want, smell the roses and why not...take a nap whenever you want
While taking it easy I see people stressing out so much about a bed...how can you enjoy the camino when the only thing you think about is a bed
Just make a reservation and enjoy smelling the roses
You may also consider other options than Camino Frances. Guides are useful, but they have given the wrong idea that there is an only "official way" to Santiago. There are many interesting options, much less crowded, in Spain, Portugal and France, well signposted and with albergues availability.
Buen camino!
How about a solar power air-conditioner under your hat? You would never know it now after this long cool wet Spring but come July August you should be ready for the heat - drink often and drink plenty of water - drink until you need to find a tree - you can't drink too much, headache dizzy talk funny? just drink and fill your water bottle whenever you see the aqua-potable sign but always check to see if there is water in the pipe before fiishing off whatever is left or dumping the hot water from the bottle!- there are many cafe/bars along the Camino which can help and the owners will often put up a sign Cafe/Bar -> 150 meters, the Golden Rule is if you can't see the place don't go since the owners are not so good at measuring distance! - a hat with a good wide brim and not an American style baseball cap, a real hat a real brim (see me to the left!), a rest break in the sun is great for your tan but if you want to rest in the shade please, easy if you follow a few rules, Buen Camino.
If and when I get onto the Frances from the Arles route this is going to be my plan, I don't mind walking/napping under a hot afternoon sun and as long as I know there is a bed ahead, getting in late afternoon is not a problem for me. I realised that after a few days of walking the Arles route that the best days are where I don't keep company while walking but got into my own inner spaces, the evenings are for good company which is just as important but a different need.Hi
My second camino was during July and August of last year and I never had problems finding a bed. Let me explain why
I'm not really an early bird and most of the times I would be the last one leaving the albergue and probably the last one leaving the town because I refuse to walk without having a proper breakfast
I always plan where I would like to walk the next day and check my guidebooks for some information about the towns ect, if I want to stay somewhere I just call and make a reservation ...some people find this cheating or not spontaneous enough...well maybe is not spontaneous , but I enjoy my day so much this way.
You can have as many breaks as you want, smell the roses and why not...take a nap whenever you want
While taking it easy I see people stressing out so much about a bed...how can you enjoy the camino when the only thing you think about is a bed
Just make a reservation and enjoy smelling the roses
This would be my solution too. Don't worry before, but see how it goes and react only to that. I also like to see where to sleep as I walk. If it gets too bad, you can always start to make reservations.If it turns out that I'm hearing "completo" more than I'd like and having to walk on to neighbouring towns, then I may well look at the reservation solution, but certainly for the first week or so I'll see how it's developing before opting for that solution!
Love the heat! Starting 10 July in Pamplona. I live in Thailand and have been training in 36c+ temps. Don't do cold...I'd be tempted to walk in July/August but the heat would be a big deterrent. It can be very hot - over 30c. With a big bag on your back you are going to be sweating a lot. It depends on how you handle the heat. I would find walking in anything over 25c too uncomfortable. Others can handle the heat and don't sweat as much. I'd imagine the hostels would also be very warm at night. I guess if you start walking at 6am and finish by 12pm, you would be avoiding a lot of the heat. I'm thinking of doing some walking on the Camino Ingles or the Camino Norte to avoid the summer heat.
I'd be tempted to walk in July/August but the heat would be a big deterrent. It can be very hot - over 30c. With a big bag on your back you are going to be sweating a lot. It depends on how you handle the heat. I would find walking in anything over 25c too uncomfortable. Others can handle the heat and don't sweat as much. I'd imagine the hostels would also be very warm at night. I guess if you start walking at 6am and finish by 12pm, you would be avoiding a lot of the heat. I'm thinking of doing some walking on the Camino Ingles or the Camino Norte to avoid the summer heat.
Love the heat! Starting 10 July in Pamplona. I live in Thailand and have been training in 36c+ temps. Don't do cold...
Well I will be in Pamplona from 9th... but spending a day even though it will be crazy as I will never have the chance again. You never know... I might just catch up to you! Not likely...I think I'd find walking in 36c+ a bit challenging! You shouldn't have to worry about cold, though. I recall from my walk in May/June 2012 that over 5 weeks, there was only one night when I felt even close to cold. Of course, cold is a relative feeling, I'm willing to bet definitions differ between Ireland and Thailand.
I expecting to be passing through Pamplona on July 6, so I'll be a few days ahead of you. Not a long gap per se, but quite a distance in Camino terms!
Well I will be in Pamplona from 9th... but spending a day even though it will be crazy as I will never have the chance again. You never know... I might just catch up to you! Not likely...
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?