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Thanks for the great replies... feeling excited... such a long wait until September
The hard part was sorting through the gear I would normally take on a hiking trip and leaving a lot of it behind
Only if you are rigid in following it!this removes the ability to be open to whatever comes along
Hello again
Another walk and another questions... how much did you plan before you walked?
I've found a few tools online that can calculate how far you walk each day and what accommodation is available and a quick search on google provides lots and lots information... but I was wondering is there much point in planning too much?
I like to be organised but I'm thinking that maybe there's no point as my feet/legs will tell me if I need to stop... or the weather... or a group of new friends and so on. I've booked my first night at Orrison and there are a few places that I would like to visit en-route... and I have the time to take my time... and ultimately my big aim is simply to get to Santiago in one piece but out of curiosity...
Did you know where you would stay overnight ... even just for the first few nights?
Did you book hotel/accommodation in advance before you left?
If you did plan... did you stick to the plan or was it pointless once you started walking?
Just curious to see how others managed their walk
I like to be organised but I'm thinking that maybe there's no point as my feet/legs will tell me if I need to stop... or the weather... or a group of new friends and so on.
Everyone agrees with that, I think. One of the stresses of the pilgrimage is the scheduled plane to be met at the end (by most on this Forum). However, a schedule is not the same as a plan. A plan can show you where you need to be to meet that plane, reducing that stress. Even when you are off-plan, it is a useful gauge. Yes, anyone rigidly sticking to plan can create difficulties for himself, but that is a matter of how one uses the plan, not making one. I don't think anyone wants to fly with an airline pilot who has no plan, even if crosswinds take him off that plan occasionally.walk my Camino to a schedule
But rest assured that having/not having a plan will not spoil your Camino.
Agreed - but what I think the original poster is seeking here is reassurance that she is setting out on the Camino with the appropriate level of prepared-ness. And it seems to me that, as it is clear that there is no accepted 'standard' of preparedness, she and all other first-timers are good to go!Most of us have a "plan" because we have a known distance to cover in a known time. For me, I had to average 12.5 miles a day to catch my flight. But that did not mean that I walked 12.5 miles each day. Some days were 21 miles and other days were 5 miles. What made me sad for some people was there obsession to stick to their highly planned, D-Day invasion styled, this is exactly where I have to be, schedules. Sure, each night I scouted out the next day in my guide book, but I was more than ready to change plans during the day when I found a particular village appealing or the weather not suitable to walk a long distance. I am not trying to discourage planning, but high-centering over minute details and obsessing about what has to be accomplished each day seems to diminish the magic of the Camino for some.
Coming from the UK, as I do, and from France as you do, we can afford to be more flexible than those who fly half-way round the world and have a non-exchangeable return ticket as an ever-present deadline.
You got it. The more you try to control the Camino, the louder it laughs in your face. The Camino is to be experienced, not planned. I now realize that there are only a couple of things you really need to do before you go: get properly fitted by a professional for the right backpack, get properly fitted by a professional for the right boots, and break the boots in before you go. The Camino will teach you, and provide you, with the rest.
I did the train ride Burgos to Bilbao return to view the Guggenheim. Had a one night stay. Good train ride, good city Bilbao, good art gallery.All i have "planned" is the first night in Orisson march 31! I'll for with the flow! I do plan of staying extra nights in a few places like burgos and Leon, and i'm considering on getting off the camino from burgos to go to Bilbao! (Being so close, it would be a shame not to go, the Guggenheim there has been on my must see list!)
Holy Week will fall in the middle of my Camino! So i don't know how it will impact my Camino (maybe saying longer at certain places to fully live the religious traditions!)
I've been doing some reading on the places we'll be walking through, and i hope to be able to make the most of the Camino! One step, one arrow at the time!
Hello Les Brass, we did minimal planning and I am glad we did. Of course, I exclude, the transport to the starting point (airplanes, buses, etc.) and back home. Apart from that, no reservations anywhere on the Camino, even no information which albergues to avoid or not to miss. We carried the list with all the albergues, though, you can find it on this website, as it is really good to know how many km you have until you reach the next village with a place to stay.
For me, one of the lovely charms of the Camino is exactly the unknown - waking up every day, knowing that you are off to a new place you have no idea about. It is so refreshing. With small exceptions, we slept in wonderful albergues, and we chose them on the spur of the moment. The only time we missed the way was out of Villafranca del Bierzo when there's an alternative way, but that was due to the fact we started at dark (and we almost missed the alternative route after Triacastela for the very same reason).
In the tourist office in Santiago, before setting off to Finisterre we were given some materials and from then I knew what lay ahead of me - like, for example, 5 km. of rapid ascent and so on. Knowing did not do any good to my motivation
But, of course, this is so individual. Some people love planning and enjoy knowing they have their journey scheduled. It also depends on the season you are walking in. We were walking in September - so - many many people to ask if you have any doubts.
I took the train from Jaca to Zaragoza and back for an overnight there. It was not in the plan, but it was in my execution of the plan.I did the train ride Burgos to Bilbao return to view the Guggenheim.
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