daily distances

[Debbyisakiwi]

Hello everyone, this will be our first camino [Del Norte] and a friend has come up with an itinerary of 11 days to start from Navia. The first two days of our walk she has suggested a 31km distance from Navia to Ribadeo [to take approx 7 hours] followed by a 30km distance from Ribadeo to Lorenza-Vilanova [ditto 7 hours]. The 230km total journey to SdC is expected to take 11 days [with one rest day in the middle]. I suspect she might have given the hard slog at the start of the route due to Accommodation issues [not sure but will ask!] - is this overambitious? We don't want to endure the Camino but enjoy it so thought I'd ask for advice.

 

[C clearly]

The total of 230 km in 11 days is not so bad at 21 km/day. I'm not sure if the 11 days includes the rest day or not. However, if you are not accustomed to walking a lot, then blisters or injury from those first 2 days will be with you for the duration. I would not recommend it. Break the first 61 km into 3 days, even if it means you miss a "rest" day.

 

[Gillean]

The total of 230 km in 11 days is not so bad at 21 km/day. I'm not sure if the 11 days includes the rest day or not. However, if you are not accustomed to walking a lot, then blisters or injury from those first 2 days will be with you for the duration. I would not recommend it. Break the first 61 km into 3 days, even if it means you miss a "rest" day.

I would definitely agree with C clearly's comments and also suggest that you be very, very careful with your feet the first two or three days. If there is any sign of a hot spot stop immediately and put some moleskin or similar padding on it. This is sometimes difficult to do when you are travelling with a group or even one other person. The tendency is to wait until the next break to take care of a "minor" problem. But I have seen people trash their feet so badly in the first day or two that they can't continue.

 

[NualaOC]

I agree with the previous comments - pushing yourself too hard on the first couple of days can be a really bad idea. However, this depends on your walking experience and ability. If you are regular walkers and accustomed to these distances, it might be OK, unless you're tired or jet lagged.

Also - if you're walking with friends, you need to base your decisions on the pace/ability of the slowest walker - especially if you want to remain friends after your Camino

Good luck and Buen Camino!

 

[SYates]

Unless you are a very fit hiker, I wouldn't suggest doing 30+km the first days. Buen Camino, SY

 

[jsalt]

Hi, what @C clearly, @Gillean, @NualaOC, and @SYates said

 

[craigmiller]

Hello everyone, this will be our first camino [Del Norte] and a friend has come up with an itinerary of 11 days to start from Navia. The first two days of our walk she has suggested a 31km distance from Navia to Ribadeo [to take approx 7 hours] followed by a 30km distance from Ribadeo to Lorenza-Vilanova [ditto 7 hours]. The 230km total journey to SdC is expected to take 11 days [with one rest day in the middle]. I suspect she might have given the hard slog at the start of the route due to Accommodation issues [not sure but will ask!] - is this overambitious? We don't want to endure the Camino but enjoy it so thought I'd ask for advice.

If you need to ask if it's overambitious, then it probably is. An experienced walker already knows what he/she is capable of. If you don't know, then be overcautious. 31 km in 7 hours works out to about to almost 4.5 km/hr, which is a fast pace and doesn't take into account rest stops (recommended 1 per hour), meals, difficult terrain, or losing your way. The other posts to this question raised important considerations; to those, add fatigue, heat stress, tendonitis, ....

 

[TerryB]

Hello everyone, this will be our first camino [Del Norte] and a friend has come up with an itinerary of 11 days to start from Navia. The first two days of our walk she has suggested a 31km distance from Navia to Ribadeo [to take approx 7 hours] followed by a 30km distance from Ribadeo to Lorenza-Vilanova [ditto 7 hours]. The 230km total journey to SdC is expected to take 11 days [with one rest day in the middle]. I suspect she might have given the hard slog at the start of the route due to Accommodation issues [not sure but will ask!] - is this overambitious? We don't want to endure the Camino but enjoy it so thought I'd ask for advice.

The first question I would ask is:- Are you used to walking long distances together? The thread "Walking with a Companion" :-
https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/walking-with-a-companion.11101/ has a lot of sound advice for those planning their first walk together.

Enjoy your planning and then your Camino
Blessings
Tio Tel

 

[Orford girl]

Hello everyone, this will be our first camino [Del Norte] and a friend has come up with an itinerary of 11 days to start from Navia. The first two days of our walk she has suggested a 31km distance from Navia to Ribadeo [to take approx 7 hours] followed by a 30km distance from Ribadeo to Lorenza-Vilanova [ditto 7 hours]. The 230km total journey to SdC is expected to take 11 days [with one rest day in the middle]. I suspect she might have given the hard slog at the start of the route due to Accommodation issues [not sure but will ask!] - is this overambitious? We don't want to endure the Camino but enjoy it so thought I'd ask for advice.

Break it up. This should be fun. There is so much to see and the villages are great on the Camino del Norte. Let your body enjoy it. Our plan was NOT to have a schedule but to go by how we felt, what we wanted to enjoy, i.e.: people, food, sites.

 

[SimiK]

Hello everyone, this will be our first camino [Del Norte] and a friend has come up with an itinerary of 11 days to start from Navia. The first two days of our walk she has suggested a 31km distance from Navia to Ribadeo [to take approx 7 hours] followed by a 30km distance from Ribadeo to Lorenza-Vilanova [ditto 7 hours]. The 230km total journey to SdC is expected to take 11 days [with one rest day in the middle]. I suspect she might have given the hard slog at the start of the route due to Accommodation issues [not sure but will ask!] - is this overambitious? We don't want to endure the Camino but enjoy it so thought I'd ask for advice.

It does sound like a lot, but it depends on how you have been training. If you've done similar distances with your pack in advance of your Camino, it shouldn't be as big an issue as if you haven't worked up to this level beforehand,

 

[Mailo]

It does sound like a lot, but it depends on how you have been training. If you've done similar distances with your pack in advance of your Camino, it shouldn't be as big an issue as if you haven't worked up to this level beforehand,

Totally agree with the comments and of craigmiller and many others.
And why not start from Irun? Think the first parts of the camino del norte are so beautiful.. but guess that is another discussion not related to your question.
overall would not rush it but just take the time you will need and enjoy the camino as much as possible!