Camino Virgin

[bribaby]

Hi there, I am well into the planning stages of my first Camino. I will be walking from Sarria to Compostela starting on April 17th. Now the New Year has started I feel the first tremors of anticipation (dread?, nah ). Flight from Valencia is booked , training is up to 15k a day, and the pile of necessary equipment is slowly starting to accumulate!.
Today I managed to find a site listing the bus timetables from Compostela to Lugo, from where I am reliably informed connections to Sarria are available. (link at end of posting).
I would dearly have loved to do the whole Camino, but at 72 yrs old I will see how the Sarria trek goes!
http://www.empresafreire.com/html/ingles/seccion3a.htm
Look forward to meeting some of you on the Camino,
Bribaby

 

[Sagalouts]

Hi and welcome.
know what you mean about the tremors,still if you are training up to 15k a day no worries.plus 72 is too old to still be a virgin.
good luck, though I have a feeling you wont need it.
Ian
http://sagalouts-theroadtonowhere.blogspot.com

 

[sillydoll]

You will find your bus from Lugo to Sarria here: http://www.monbus.es It takes about 1/2 an hour.
Lugo has one of the best preserved Roman walls in all of Spain built between 265AD and 310AD. Its worth staying for a while - walk around city on the top of the wall - its a favourite running, walking circle for the inhabitants and is just over 2km long.

 

[Anniesantiago]

The walk from Sarria is beautiful!
We stayed in a very nice alburgue in Sarria - they had a lovely reading room with an open fireplace, garden,and free drinks. The name is Alburgue Don Alvaro, CL Mayor 10. Their telephone number is 982.531.592. A very nice place.

 

[30daystosantiago]

Congrats on the decision to walk the Camino. I would not worry much about age - as long as you're training and as long as you go at your own pace, you should be fine! Worth noting - during my own journey, I met a fellow pilgrim who was your age and in way better shape than I was (I was in my late 20s and thought I was in good shape). We walked the same distance most days and saw each other in the refugio. But in the mornings he would always get up earlier than everyone in the refugio and would arrive to the next refugio several hours ahead of me...in fact by the time I arrived, he would usually have already showered, lunched, and napped! He was an inspiration - as I am sure you will be! Anyway, isn't 70 the new 40? Good Luck!

 

[sillydoll]

Just one thing to bear in mind when planning your daily stages, some of the municipal albergues will not take pilgrims who have walked less than 20km. This should not be a problem as there are other, private albergues to head for that don't have this rule. You can even phone ahead and reserve beds in the private albergues.
Galicia is very pretty - almost like walking through Yorkshire with its dry stone walls, patchwork fields and forests. Its also hilly (no mountains between Sarria and Santiago) but quite undulating so you'll be traipsing up hills and down dales. There are many dairy farms so besides the sweet smell of spring flowers and Eucalyptus, you'll also have the sickly sweet aroma of cow shit most of the way!

 

[Des]

Hi everyone,
My wife and I are definitely doing the Camino but the usual questions arise. Do you just start the walk a a place of your choosing (I thought Sarria) and head off or is there a registration thing necessary. Do you need to book accomadation or is it OK to turn up.
What about maps and the physical route where will I get that information? any help would be appreciated

Des & Beryl

 

[William Marques]

Des and Beryl

You can start wherever you like.

If you are looking to stay in refugios/albergues or wanting to obtain a compostela you will need to get a credential (generally from the albergue or church where you start) or pilgrim passport (the same thing but issued by the confraternity of your home country). These documents are stamped at the albergues (and many other places) and show the officials in the pilgrim office in Santiago that you have walked the Camino.

If you are staying at albergues you cannot book. If you are staying in hostales or hotels then you can book ahead though whether it is necessary or not depends on when you are walking. Easter and Mid Simmer are the busiest times.

If you are starting from Sarria the route is well signposted so maps are not necessary but there are many guidebooks and all you need to do is search this site for many recommendations.

 

[sillydoll]

There is a chain of private albergues where you can book ahead - and have your luggage carried to them - but you still need a 'credencial' to stay there. You can pick up one of their leaflets in most albergues or download one from their website.
http://www.redalberguessantiago.com

 

[lorax]

Hi there.... is it true that you HAVE to walk 20 k a day to stay at the alberques??? I was planning a much slower camino.... will I have trouble finding a cheap place to lay my head????

Just one thing to bear in mind when planning your daily stages, some of the municipal albergues will not take pilgrims who have walked less than 20km. This should not be a problem as there are other, private albergues to head for that don't have this rule. You can even phone ahead and reserve beds in the private albergues.
Galicia is very pretty - almost like walking through Yorkshire with its dry stone walls, patchwork fields and forests. Its also hilly (no mountains between Sarria and Santiago) but quite undulating so you'll be traipsing up hills and down dales. There are many dairy farms so besides the sweet smell of spring flowers and Eucalyptus, you'll also have the sickly sweet aroma of cow shit most of the way!

 

[sillydoll]

Lorax, the original post was from a member who is planning on walking from Sarria to Santiago.
We had planned on stopping at Ferreiros after 14km but there was a sign on the door advising pilgrims that the albergue was for pilgrims who had walked from at least Triacastela and that those from Sarria should continue on to the next albergue - 10kms further. There was also a sign listing taxi numbers in case you were injured/ill/exhausted.
Generally the minimum 20km rule doesn't seem to apply anywhere else but there are the odd hospitaleros that check your credential and then tell you to move on because you haven't walked far enough. Some albergues only have space for a dozen or so pilgrims and prefer to keep the beds for those who have walked longer distances - especially if the next albergue is another 10km down the line.
Remember, this rule doesn't apply to the private albergues.