Couple of questions..

[EvilPickle]

Myself, the wife and our 8 year old daughter are planning on doing the 100km of the Camino de Santiago in order to get 'Dual Pilgrim'. I'm getting really depressed though when searching about information for the Camino. We've been hiking the Kumano Kodo here in Japan over the last year or so and love it. Reading about how the Camino is mostly road and very little trail hiking has really depressed us. Add to the fact that everyone seems to talk about how busy it is. I guess the Kumano Kodo really spoiled us as far as true nature hiking.

We've decided to do the Camino anyways. But we want to do the fastest, easiest route possible in order to be able to spend some time in other parts of Europe. As nice as I'm sure northern Spain is, it's never been on our radar as a place we wanted to visit with limited vacation time in Europe.

My questions are...

Where is the best place to start to do 100km's and finish at Santiago?

Is it possible to make reservations at places costing around $30-50 a night? While I'm sure we would enjoy some of the cheap albergues, the idea of not having a place reserved for my family is not something I'm willing to do. I've read that there are some very nice ones(albergues) with private rooms, and while I would have no problems staying there, again, I'm not taking the chance of not having a place reserved well in advance.

From everything else that I have read, it seems like the hike should be pretty easy and straightforward. Plenty of places to eat and get water. Lots of nice things to see. While this probably won't be the hike of our dreams, It sounds like a good way to see some of the European countryside and should be fun.

Thanks in advance for any help or information.. And please let me know if you have any questions about the Kumano Kodo!!

 

[VNwalking]

EvilPickle, there are less busy ways to Santiago than the main Camino Frances drag. And a lot of the way is off road. But you're right. It's definitely not wilderness walk.
Accommodations can definitely be had for that price, and yes, you can book. It's pretty straightforward.

As nice as I'm sure northern Spain is, it's never been on our radar as a place we wanted to visit with limited vacation time in Europe.

So...you want to walk in a place that you have little interest in, just for a piece of paper? Why not save your money and go someplace that really speaks to your heart? Life is short and you can't take pieces of paper with you when you go.

 

[nycwalking]

Sarria on CF is one starting point about 125kms from Santiago. You might be surprised at how much those pilgrim crowds add wonders to your pilgrim experience. You neglected to mention time of year planned for walk. That will determine number of pilgrims on the way.
Buen camino.

 

[EvilPickle]

Thanks for the quick replies. Guess my complaints about crowds came out a bit wrong.. I personally don't really care how many people are on the trail. My family is really friendly and we make new friends everywhere we go. My only concern was making sure that we had a place to sleep every night without having to deal with sleeping in a large room of other people. While we're friendly in certain situations, sleeping time is not one of them. Really would prefer having our own room. It's mostly due to the fact that I can't sleep if anyone is snoring. Even the wife's heavy breathing will keep me a awake some nights. =/

As for the time of year that we plan on going.. really does not matter outside of when my daughter can get out of school. Right now it's looking like the end of March, early April as she has about 3 weeks out of school.

 

[VNwalking]

End of March and early April are great times to go.
And not to worry; there are plenty of options for quiet sleeping. Private albergues often have private rooms and there are plenty of pensions, casa rurales, etc.
You could walk from Sarria, or if you wanted a quieter way there's the Ingles or Portugues.
This recent thread is a discussion of the many options and it may help you in deciding where to walk.

 

[Robo]

Welcome @EvilPickle

I have only walked the Camino Frances, so others will have advice on other Routes.

OK, first the tough question. Do you really want to walk part of the Camino? And why?

Whilst they are very special routes, most are not 'hiking' routes in the commonly accepted sense. Wilderness, camping, wild animals, away from civilisation, whatever..... Nothing like that.

The Camino Frances in particular, is more akin to a walk through your local park and community, for a few hours........everyday.....one after another. Along roads, footpaths, prepared trails, and rarely, narrow dirt tracks. Maybe 30-40 % along roads.

If you want a Compostella, then of course you need to walk at least 100 kms ending in Santiago. So that limits your options.

The Route from Sarria to Santiago I have walked twice. Once on a lone Camino from St Jean, where I was dreading the Sarria section. I actually enjoyed it. (it just took a bit of adjusting) Sure it is much busier and more commercialised, but the scenery is still great, and of course all the history etc.

Last year I only walked from Sarria, with my wife. And she loved it. I really enjoyed it too. Next year we will both do a longer Camino starting in St Jean.

So if walking that Sarria section, I would suggest. Based on it being a busy time of year, think April to October?

1. Book all accommodation ahead, before you get there if possible. (some of the smaller places you may need to call, as they won't be on booking.com or have websites)
2. Try to stay in the smaller places rather than the 'traditional' stopping points.
3. That way you can avoid a lot of the crowds and the competition for beds.
4. Maybe start later than most. (9am)

It's about trying to stay out of the main 'wave' of Pilgrims.

In doing that, my wife and I had a couple of days where we hardly saw anyone else on the path.

But again, I would suggest you challenge your reasons for going there. You won't see a lot of Europe or Northern Spain on the Camino. Just a few rural areas and small villages.

Is the Camino really calling you ? If not, you might enjoy walks in other parts of Europe far more?

I'm sure you'll get heaps of advice here, sometimes conflicting, but all well intentioned

 

[EvilPickle]

Robo, thank you for the response..

Our one and only reason for going is to get the Compostella. And Sarria sounds just as good as anywhere else we could start. Is it easy to get to by bus?

I'll definitely be talking to the wife about this more.. thanks again for all the info. It's really helpful.

 

[hel&scott]

I was going to suggest doing part part of the Vdlp, around Merida or Salamanca, as it is lovely in Spring, but as you posted above that your reason for going is to get a Compestella, then you many want to stick to the French route, Sarria is easy to get to by bus, accommodation options are wide and well publicised on this route and it has fabulous history. But if you want something with less road walking then check out the English route from Ferrol, or the Portuguese from Tui. Remember there is more then one way to Santiago.

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Myself, the wife and our 8 year old daughter are urope.

My questions are...

Where is the best place to start to do 100km's and finish at Santiago?

Is it possible to make reservations at places costing around $30-50 a night? While I'm sure we would enjoy some of the cheap albergues, the idea of not having a place reserved for my family is not something I'm willing to do. I've read that there are some very nice ones(albergues) with private rooms, and while I would have no problems staying there, again, I'm not taking the chance of not having a place reserved well in advance.

!!

Sarria
Yes
And yes, book in advance though

 

[Robo]

Robo, thank you for the response..

Our one and only reason for going is to get the Compostella. And Sarria sounds just as good as anywhere else we could start. Is it easy to get to by bus?

I'll definitely be talking to the wife about this more.. thanks again for all the info. It's really helpful.

Hi.

I think Sarria is easy to get to from Santiago, via Lugo. Others will know.

When we did it, we did it a rather strange way

As it was my wife's first Camino experience I thought it would be nice to experience a short section prior to Sarria. A bit of the 'real' Camino as it were.
So it took a bit of Logistics. But we went:

Landed in Madrid, stayed there a couple of nights.
Train to Astorga. Quick look around.
Pick up by car to Foncebadon. Stayed there the night.
Walked up past the Cruz de Ferro very early the next morning.
Picked up again just short of Acebo.
Lunch at O'Cebriero
And then on to Sarria. To start.....

So I'm not sure how to get to Sarria by bus/train.

But....

You will enjoy the section from Sarria. Lovely towns and villages, great country side, lots of old Churches.

Just expect the coffee stops to have a bit of a queue sometimes

We stayed at some nice places, but not many were in the e30-50 range you are after.
More like e50-70 (room for 2 with breakfast)
You will find them though. Private rooms in Albergues, Casa Rural...
There are lots to choose from. Just book early.
Both times I booked my Sarria to Santiago accommodation before I got to Santiago.
That means of course, you have to decide on your walking distances......

You'll enjoy it.

After note. This part of our Blog was the Sarria to Santiago section.
Lots of pics and videos. Will give you an idea of what it's like.

Sarria to Santiago 2016
Sarria to Santiago 2015

The first page shows the Cruz de Ferro day.
Next page starts at Sarria.

 

[Kiwi-family]

If you want some nice scenery to add to your piece of paper then the Sanabres route would qualify. The Primitivo would too, but would require more time.
It's a pretty piece of paper, but not worth racing over ground you have no interest in IMHO.
I'd much rather take a little longer and do a scenic route.

 

[EvilPickle]

I think my decision on whether or not to actually do this will be a bigger journey that the actual hike.. lol Those of you saying that it might not be worth going if it's not something that I really want to do have given me thought. Like I said, I have never considered going to Spain during a trip to Europe. Some friends mentioned how much they loved Barcelona so I thought about adding that to our vacation, but until we completed the Kumano Kodo, we never considered northern Spain as a destination.

Part of the problem is that I only get so many days for vacation and the thought of spending 5 days of that hiking in one area is a hard pill to swallow. BUT.. I also can imagine the things we would be able to see and the people we would meet. I don't want to be one of those people that crammed so much into a vacation that they never stopped to actually enjoy it..

Again.. thanks for all the info an suggestions. It's greatly appreciated and has been a big help already.

 

[Deleted member 43985]

Hi EP - reading your posts and replies I thought I'd share a thought with you. I'm presuming you understand this is a Christian Pilgrimage to the remains of St James and the Compostela is a document provided by the Catholic Church for those who stand in Santiago and answer that they have come for Religious or Spiritual reasons. Honestly, I'm not really feeling that in the slightest from your responses as to why you are walking the Camino. Further, it's my humble opinion that walking 100kms doesn't make one a 'Pilgrim', especially when one is looking for the 'fastest, easiest route possible' to get there to collect a piece of paper to hang on their wall.

If you are looking for a walking holiday that's a fine reason to walk a portion of the Camino and you'll be in good company as many do the same thing. For those people there is a certificate of distance walked you can receive in Santiago if you meet the minimum requirements.

It's a beautiful country with wonderful people, traditions, culture and scenery. I hope you are able to carve a little time out of your schedule to experience this for yourself. Never know... maybe you'll start to understand what all the fuss is about

 

[Robo]

I think my decision on whether or not to actually do this will be a bigger journey that the actual hike.. lol Those of you saying that it might not be worth going if it's not something that I really want to do have given me thought. Like I said, I have never considered going to Spain during a trip to Europe.

I take about 50-60 days leave in a block. I'm lucky that I can.
40-50 of that will be walking the Camino.
10 might be sightseeing elsewhere in Europe

We all have our priorities

 

[Robo]

It's a beautiful country with wonderful people, traditions, culture and scenery. I hope you are able to carve a little time out of your schedule to experience this for yourself. Never know... maybe you'll start to understand what all the fuss is about

And become an addict like most of Us here

 

[Deleted member 43985]

And become an addict like most of Us here

I'm not an addict... I could quit any time I want to...

Sigh... nope. My name is Jordon and I'm a Pilgrim.

 

[EvilPickle]

jozero.. totally understand. I'm not a Buddhist, but I've probably been to more buddhist temples and shrines than I have any other religious building. 2o years in Japan will do that.

Besides I'm still getting the family into doing multi-day hiking. We usually just do a one day hike and go home. So I think anything more than 5 days would be hard to convince the wife to do anyways. =)

 

[Robo]

I'm not an addict... I could quit any time I want to...

Sigh... nope. My name is Jordon and I'm a Pilgrim.

My name is Robo and its been 490 days since my last Camino.

But it's only 224 days till the next!

 

[Robo]

Besides I'm still getting the family into doing multi-day hiking. We usually just do a one day hike and go home. So I think anything more than 5 days would be hard to convince the wife to do anyways. =)

Never really thought of it as Hiking

More like, walk a couple of hours ..... 2nd breakfast.
Walk a couple of hours....coffee
Walk a couple of hours.......lunch
Start thinking about where to stop.
Check in.
Have a Siesta.
Dinner.......

Repeat..........

At least on that Sarria section.....

 

[EvilPickle]

Never really thought of it as Hiking

More like, walk a couple of hours ..... 2nd breakfast.
Walk a couple of hours....coffee
Walk a couple of hours.......lunch
Start thinking about where to stop.
Check in.
Have a Siesta.
Dinner.......

Repeat..........

At least on that Sarria section.....

See.. that's why I wanted to talk to some people that have actually done it. The hiking we've done here is 99% woods and not a lot of time to get to the village.

 

[Jill81]

Hi EP,

As others have said, you will have no trouble with the logistics of booking accommodation for your family on one of the routes to Santiago. But the Kumano Kodo is a totally different sort of environment than the last 100 kilometres to Santiago and I hope that if you decide to walk in Spain you will embrace and enjoy the experience and not fall into the trap of comparing the two.

Yes, there can be crowds, but also tremendous comradery. You might find that in comparison to the silent, forest trails of the Kumano Kodo the more urban landscape of the Camino will surprise you! If you decide to walk a Camino perhaps the best approach would be to to focus on the journey, not the certificate, despite how appealing the 'Dual Pilgrim' might seem.

 

[Robo]

See.. that's why I wanted to talk to some people that have actually done it. The hiking we've done here is 99% woods and not a lot of time to get to the village.

Look at the link I posted. You can 'see' what it's like.
It's a really nice section. Lot's of bits through nice woods, farmland.
But you'll hit a small village every hour or so.
The Sarria bit starts here. Just past Sarria. http://robscamino.com/2016/28th-of-april-camino-day-1/

 

[domigee]

Myself, the wife and our 8 year old daughter are planning on doing the 100km of the Camino de Santiago in order to get 'Dual Pilgrim'. I'm getting really depressed though when searching about information for the Camino. We've been hiking the Kumano Kodo here in Japan over the last year or so and love it. Reading about how the Camino is mostly road and very little trail hiking has really depressed us. Add to the fact that everyone seems to talk about how busy it is. I guess the Kumano Kodo really spoiled us as far as true nature hiking.

We've decided to do the Camino anyways. But we want to do the fastest, easiest route possible in order to be able to spend some time in other parts of Europe. As nice as I'm sure northern Spain is, it's never been on our radar as a place we wanted to visit with limited vacation time in Europe.

My questions are...

Where is the best place to start to do 100km's and finish at Santiago?

Is it possible to make reservations at places costing around $30-50 a night? While I'm sure we would enjoy some of the cheap albergues, the idea of not having a place reserved for my family is not something I'm willing to do. I've read that there are some very nice ones(albergues) with private rooms, and while I would have no problems staying there, again, I'm not taking the chance of not having a place reserved well in advance.

From everything else that I have read, it seems like the hike should be pretty easy and straightforward. Plenty of places to eat and get water. Lots of nice things to see. While this probably won't be the hike of our dreams, It sounds like a good way to see some of the European countryside and should be fun.

Thanks in advance for any help or information.. And please let me know if you have any questions about the Kumano Kodo!!

And I think you're having us on!

 

[EvilPickle]

Hi EP,

As others have said, you will have no trouble with the logistics of booking accommodation for your family on one of the routes to Santiago. But the Kumano Kodo is a totally different sort of environment than the last 100 kilometres to Santiago and I hope that if you decide to walk in Spain you will embrace and enjoy the experience and not fall into the trap of comparing the two.

Yes, there can be crowds, but also tremendous comradery. You might find that in comparison to the silent, forest trails of the Kumano Kodo the more urban landscape of the Camino will surprise you! If you decide to walk a Camino perhaps the best approach would be to to focus on the journey, not the certificate, despite how appealing the 'Dual Pilgrim' might seem.

Oh we're well aware, after about 10 minutes of Googling, that the Camino is nothing like the Kumano Kodo. Think the wife was a bit disappointed, but I've been showing her some pictures and I think she's come around.

 

[EvilPickle]

Look at the link I posted. You can 'see' what it's like.
It's a really nice section. Lot's of bits through nice woods, farmland.
But you'll hit a small village every hour or so.
The Sarria bit starts here. Just past Sarria. http://robscamino.com/2016/28th-of-april-camino-day-1/

I checked out some of your videos.. very nice. It does look like a nice.. walk. =D

 

[Robo]

I checked out some of your videos.. very nice. It does look like a nice.. walk. =D

It is! Very nice. Just not a Wilderness walk ....

I just added another link for that Sarria section, from 2015.
More pics, videos etc. http://robscamino.com/31st-of-may-the-start-of-the-final-hundred/

 

[Rebekah Scott]

I think you should consult with a travel agent who specializes in the Camino.

 

[EvilPickle]

I think you should consult with a travel agent who specializes in the Camino.

I was actually looking at a couple online sites. I think we would have zero problems doing this on our own, but after looking at booking.com and the dates that we can go, March, it may be a bit harder than I thought as almost everything is booked up already.

Anyone know how kids are treated as far as the hotels/pensions/albergues in reference to price? Our daughter usually sleeps with us and probably wont eat what they offer for breakfast as she is super picky(we're working on that). And she doesn't eat all that much anyways so will probably just eat off of our plates. Will they charge us for 3 people or can we get away with just getting charged for 2? Any experience with this??

 

[trecile]

I was actually looking at a couple online sites. I think we would have zero problems doing this on our own, but after looking at booking.com and the dates that we can go, March, it may be a bit harder than I thought as almost everything is booked up already.

Anyone know how kids are treated as far as the hotels/pensions/albergues in reference to price? Our daughter usually sleeps with us and probably wont eat what they offer for breakfast as she is super picky(we're working on that). And she doesn't eat all that much anyways so will probably just eat off of our plates. Will they charge us for 3 people or can we get away with just getting charged for 2? Any experience with this??

They will likely charge you for three people.
While many albergues offer breakfast, I found that most don't. I rarely like the types of food that are offered for breakfast, such that it is - usually toast with jam and coffee. Sometimes cold cereal. Often packaged pastries. Therefore when breakfast is included in the price I rarely partake, as I prefer to eat something a bit more substantial after I've walked an hour or so.

 

[Former member 49149]

I think you should consult with a travel agent who specializes in the Camino...quote from Rebekah.
I add to that, a real travel agent, with an office. Sounds like you might need to have your questions answered on the spot, before you book. I do hope you find what you are looking for.
Buen Camino.

 

[C clearly]

after looking at booking.com and the dates that we can go, March

Good Friday is on March 30, 2018, so the Easter crowd will begin walking on the previous weekend, March 24. The stretch from Sarria will be very busy that week.

 

[EvilPickle]

Good Friday is on March 30, 2018, so the Easter crowd will begin walking on the previous weekend, March 24. The stretch from Sarria will be very busy that week.

Ahh.. Didn't know that. That's the only time that my daughter is out of school long enough besides summer.

 

[Robo]

Ahh.. Didn't know that. That's the only time that my daughter is out of school long enough besides summer.

Probably along with everyone else's kids

We always took ours out during term time to avoid the peak periods

Re your comment about booking.com
Those booking sites generally don't show much availability when you look long term.
They are not actually 'full'. More a case of no rooms available via that site. Yet..
Hotels don't release rooms to them until nearer the time.
Logical really, as they want to try to sell rooms at full price, before 'filling' up with bookings from consolidation sites who will charge a commission.

Nearer your dates, you should start to see availability.

 

[Gumba]

Re your comment about booking.com
Those booking sites generally don't show much availability when you look long term.
They are not actually 'full'. More a case of no rooms available via that site. Yet..
Hotels don't release rooms to them until nearer the time.
Logical really, as they want to try to sell rooms at full price, before 'filling' up with bookings from consolidation sites who will charge a commission.

Nearer your dates, you should start to see availability.

Didn't know that! Of course it makes sense now that you have pointed it out - I was a little worried that there was such slim pickings on the various booking sites.

Thanks for pointing out the bleeding obvious!!

 

[EvilPickle]

Probably along with everyone else's kids

We always took ours out during term time to avoid the peak periods

Re your comment about booking.com
Those booking sites generally don't show much availability when you look long term.
They are not actually 'full'. More a case of no rooms available via that site. Yet..
Hotels don't release rooms to them until nearer the time.
Logical really, as they want to try to sell rooms at full price, before 'filling' up with bookings from consolidation sites who will charge a commission.

Nearer your dates, you should start to see availability.

Thanks for that info.. Luckily my co-worker is Hispanic and I'll probably have him start shooting emails off to potential places to see about availability and making reservations for me.