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Camino with children: May 2022

js6747

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
2022
Looking for advice/recommendations. My family of 4 (kids: 10 & 12) are hoping to walk the Camino Ingles (and then hopefully Finisterre/Muxia) in May 2022. Wondering if anyone has walked this route recently or has insight into this route during pandemic times. Knowing this route is less traveled and with pandemic related closures, we're concerned about finding places to stay/eat, etc. Also, though we don't mind a less crowded Camino, we don't want to miss the opportunity to meet at least some people along the way since it seems to be such an important part of the journey. Better to walk the final 100 of the Frances? Thank you in advance for any suggestions and advice!
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Looking for advice/recommendations. My family of 4 (kids: 10 & 12) are hoping to walk the Camino Ingles (and then hopefully Finisterre/Muxia) in May 2022. Wondering if anyone has walked this route recently or has insight into this route during pandemic times. Knowing this route is less traveled and with pandemic related closures, we're concerned about finding places to stay/eat, etc. Also, though we don't mind a less crowded Camino, we don't want to miss the opportunity to meet at least some people along the way since it seems to be such an important part of the journey. Better to walk the final 100 of the Frances? Thank you in advance for any suggestions and advice!
Hi and welcome on this forum.
I can highly recommend the Ingles. It is a perfect mini Camino.
Lesser travelled? Not recently. The Ingles does attract enough numbers. Even to the point that some albergues fill up quickly.
Lots of people seem to prefer this Camino just because it is a good alternative for the Sarria-Santiago stretch.

Take into consideration that in May Spain does have some paid holidays where people have time off from work and will be walking a Camino.
Labour Day on the first of May and in Galicia also Galician Literature Day ( 17th ).

With a family of four it is also perfectly doable to book a familyroom in a hostal /pension, making it possible as cheap/expensive as four times an individual albergue bed.
You and your children might enjoy to stay in an albergue though and then the one from the Galician Xunta in Betanzos might be a good introduction.

If you want details about some specific lodgings ,feel free to ask me.

Happy preparations!
 
Subject to Pandemic restriction applying in May next year that sounds a great plan and one that should meet your requirements. The Xunta Albergues in Galicia are open. There will be other Pilgrims and the Galician hospitality trade will be pleased to see you.
 
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Hi and welcome on this forum.
I can highly recommend the Ingles. It is a perfect mini Camino.
Lesser travelled? Not recently. The Ingles does attract enough numbers.Even to the point that some albergues fill up quickly.
Lots of people seem to prefer this Camino just because it is a good alternative for the Sarria-Santiago stretch.

Take into consideration that in May Spain does have some paid holidays where people have time off from work and will be walking a Camino.
Labour Day on the first of May and in Galicia also Galician Literature Day ( 17th ).

With a family of four it is also perfectly doable to book a familyroom in a hostal /pension, making it possible as cheap/expensive as four times an individual albergue bed.
You and your children might enjoy to stay in an albergue though and then the one from the Galician Xunta in Betanzos might be a good introduction.

If you want details about some specific lodgings ,feel free to ask me.

Happy preparations!
Thank you so much for your reply!
We are aiming for days on or after the 20th of May so hopefully that will be a good time. Great advice about booking a family room. We were thinking a private room could be a better option with children but are totally flexible if nothing is available.

We've just started to practice long walks with our hiking backpacks and the children are enjoying it immensely. I'm just about to order a guidebook or two but, of course, would love first hand accounts about favorite places to stay (as well as places to avoid).

Believe it or not, this is my first forum post on any forum so it's exciting to receive such an encouraging reply! Thank you again.
 
Subject to Pandemic restriction applying in May next year that sounds a great plan and one that should meet your requirements. The Xunta Albergues in Galicia are open. There will be other Pilgrims and the Galician hospitality trade will be pleased to see you.
Thank you for your reply! We've just started to practice walking longer distances with our hiking backpacks and the children are enjoying it very much. They are so excited to walk the Camino! They are also learning and practicing Spanish so we hope they will be able to communicate even if just a little along the way. If you think of any must-haves or must-do advice between then and now, we're open to it all! Thanks again!
 
I have just added a tag - "children" - to the top of this thread (under the title). If you click on that tag, you will be taken to many other threads that address the question of walking with children on the camino. This new thread will be a great addition, and it will be interesting to get a fresh view now.

this is my first forum post on any forum
You are hooked now!
 
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I have just added a tag - "children" - to the top of this thread (under the title). If you click on that tag, you will be taken to many other threads that address the question of walking with children on the camino. This new thread will be a great addition, and it will be interesting to get a fresh view now.

You are hooked now!
That is so helpful. Thank you!
(and yes, I will definitely be hooked if everyone continues to be so great ;)
 
Thank you so much for your reply!
We are aiming for days on or after the 20th of May so hopefully that will be a good time. Great advice about booking a family room. We were thinking a private room could be a better option with children but are totally flexible if nothing is available.

We've just started to practice long walks with our hiking backpacks and the children are enjoying it immensely. I'm just about to order a guidebook or two but, of course, would love first hand accounts about favorite places to stay (as well as places to avoid).

Believe it or not, this is my first forum post on any forum so it's exciting to receive such an encouraging reply! Thank you again.
In Ferrol you will have plenty of choices but Hostal Cairo is a good option as is Hostal Zahara.


In Pontedeume I can recommend Pension Restaurante Luis.

Betanzos is more pricey but as a family Garelos hotel might be an economical choice . A single room was quite expensive.
But there are more choices now than when I walked the Ingles years ago.

Hotel Canaima in Hospital de Bruma.

Then my alltime favourite because of the nicest hosts ever!
Hostal Sigueiro.

The Gronze website is a very good source to explore all types of lodgings.

 
In Ferrol you will have plenty of choices but Hostal Cairo is a good option as is Hostal Zahara.


In Pontedeume I can recommend Pension Restaurante Luis.

Betanzos is more pricey but as a family Garelos hotel might be an economical choice . A single room was quite expensive.
But there are more choices now than when I walked the Ingles years ago.

Hotel Canaima in Hospital de Bruma.

Then my alltime favourite because of the nicest hosts ever!
Hostal Sigueiro.

The Gronze website is a very good source to explore all types of lodgings.

Welcome to the Forum!

I second the Hostal Sigueiro, lovely place to stay and hopefully they'll still be using the same paper place mats

1638388166855.jpeg

Tip for this section: the "official" route will try to take you alongside the autoroute (protected by a wire fence but noisy never the less) better to take to the country road that runs parallel and delivers you to the same spot: a lovely open air swimming pool.

@Elle Bieling Bieling has kindly posted her .gpx satnav track somewhere on the forum . . . I just can't find it but it'll be useful if you use satnav.

Buen Camino
 
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
In Ferrol you will have plenty of choices but Hostal Cairo is a good option as is Hostal Zahara.


In Pontedeume I can recommend Pension Restaurante Luis.

Betanzos is more pricey but as a family Garelos hotel might be an economical choice . A single room was quite expensive.
But there are more choices now than when I walked the Ingles years ago.

Hotel Canaima in Hospital de Bruma.

Then my alltime favourite because of the nicest hosts ever!
Hostal Sigueiro.

The Gronze website is a very good source to explore all types of lodgings.

@js6747 Just in case you are not aware, @SabineP has exquisite taste and a very good eye for quality and so anything recommended by her is bound to be very special.
 
In Ferrol you will have plenty of choices but Hostal Cairo is a good option as is Hostal Zahara.


In Pontedeume I can recommend Pension Restaurante Luis.

Betanzos is more pricey but as a family Garelos hotel might be an economical choice . A single room was quite expensive.
But there are more choices now than when I walked the Ingles years ago.

Hotel Canaima in Hospital de Bruma.

Then my alltime favourite because of the nicest hosts ever!
Hostal Sigueiro.

The Gronze website is a very good source to explore all types of lodgings.

Thank you so much for taking the time to include your recommendations with links! You've been very helpful.
 
Welcome to the Forum!

I second the Hostal Sigueiro, lovely place to stay and hopefully they'll still be using the same paper place mats

View attachment 114252

Tip for this section: the "official" route will try to take you alongside the autoroute (protected by a wire fence but noisy never the less) better to take to the country road that runs parallel and delivers you to the same spot: a lovely open air swimming pool.

@Elle Bieling Bieling has kindly posted her .gpx satnav track somewhere on the forum . . . I just can't find it but it'll be useful if you use satnav.

Buen Camino
Such great tips! We'd much prefer a country road over the autoroute scenery when that's an option. Thank you!
 
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Have your kids look for Horreos (granaries) along the Ingles. Take photos so they can compare and contrast them as they are each a little different. Count stone Crucieros along their path. Bring sketchbooks so the kids can journal and draw what they see.
 
Have your kids look for Horreos (granaries) along the Ingles. Take photos so they can compare and contrast them as they are each a little different. Count stone Crucieros along their path. Bring sketchbooks so the kids can journal and draw what they see.
Fantastic ideas, especially for my daughter who is an aspiring artist. Thank you!
 
Join the Camino Cleanup in May from Ponferrada to Sarria. Registration closes Mar 22.
Hi JS6747,

I envy you, my wife & I walked Santiago to Finisterre in 2016 with our then 12 & 9 year old girls. It was without doubt amongst the most memorable times we have ever spent together.

We made sure to book either private albergues (with private rooms) or hotels, we didn't really "rough it" but then it was also our summer holiday & with the kids I didn't want to take any chances of disheartening them as things would go "downhill" very fast if that were to happen.

Beautiful scenery, beautiful weather & beautiful people. I remember endless "I spy" & word games as we walked, all led by our 9yr old. Frequent & tasty pit stops throughout the day & card games during the warm evenings. Happy Birthday being sung in 6 different languages to a fellow pilgrim, including as gaeilge by my girls.

We took 5 days to walk it, stayed in Negeira, Santa Maria, o Logoso & Cee until finally throwing ourselves into the beautiful water on Finisterre beach. We stayed in Finisterre 2 nights before going back to Santiago for a couple of nights.

No matter what route you take cherish it & the time you have with your children........
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Take into consideration that in May Spain does have some paid holidays where people have time off from work and will be walking a Camino.
Labour Day on the first of May and in Galicia also Galician Literature Day ( 17th ).

With a family of four it is also perfectly doable to book a familyroom in a hostal /pension, making it possible as cheap/expensive as four times an individual albergue bed.
You and your children might enjoy to stay in an albergue though and then the one from the Galician Xunta in Betanzos might be a good introduction.

If you want details about some specific lodgings ,feel free to ask me.

Happy preparations!

Indeed, pilgrims should be aware of holdays along popular routes of Spanish caminos in high season. On these special occasions occupancy gets tight and prices go up in private accommodations considerably! Many places are fully reserved already! If you think you may be in one of these towns on one of those dates, especially when they border a weekend, my suggestion is book considerably ahead. Most booking sites allow free cancellations from 1-7 days ahead, without prepaying. Always read the fine print. And early booking could be a substantial savings.

As @SabineP mentions, May 1 is one of those holidays.
We will be in Ponferrada on Friday, April 29-30, ‘22. The inventory is very low already in private facilities there. We booked a twin room for two about 6 weeks ago at a hotel for €73 which at other times would be circa €60. Last week the few rooms left were over €150! Now there is no availability at all….even on that hotels website.

I am sure you will be mindful that we will still be dealing with a pandemic and you would probably want to ensure as little exposure to the virus as possible for your family. Finding private accommodations in an albergue would likely be more economical and also limit your family’s exposure to illness. Private rooms are limited in smaller towns so contacting them in advance may be prudent when walking with young children.
 

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