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Search 69,459 Camino Questions

Dithering big time over Go decision.

Time of past OR future Camino
Future (2018)
I've dithering quite a bit. I'm struggling to make the final commitment to walk the Camino Frances beginning third week of September (probably 18th to fly out). It's nerves. It's such a big thing. I'm aiming to fly from the UK to Biarritz and start at SJPP. I am late-ish 50's with reasonable fitness, a modest prescription pill regime and a few extra pounds. I've the time and the money and I've been preparing a while as though the decision has already been made by updating my gear and shoes and hitting the inclined treadmill at the gym. I'm torn between missing my family for so long and looking forward to a break from them! And them me, I'm sure! I've done long distance walks in the UK before, but I was so much older then. I'm conflicted and haven't done an act to fully commit myself (ie. Flight & initial accommodation bookings). Is this sort vacillation perfectly understandable and all part of the journey?
Ian.
 
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It is perfectly normal.

To help with longing, remember there is wifi and you can message/skype your family often.


And you dont have to start in SJPP, that is a very arbitrary point. Maybe Pamplona? You wont be away for so long and start in a very easy to reach, travellung friendly city.
Whatever you decide, make it your camino and enjoy it, peregrino!
 
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The first edition came out in 2003 and has become the go-to-guide for many pilgrims over the years. It is shipping with a Pilgrim Passport (Credential) from the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela.
I've dithering quite a bit. I'm struggling to make the final commitment to walk the Camino Frances beginning third week of September (probably 18th to fly out). It's nerves. It's such a big thing. I'm aiming to fly from the UK to Biarritz and start at SJPP. I am late-ish 50's with reasonable fitness, a modest prescription pill regime and a few extra pounds. I've the time and the money and I've been preparing a while as though the decision has already been made by updating my gear and shoes and hitting the inclined treadmill at the gym. I'm torn between missing my family for so long and looking forward to a break from them! And them me, I'm sure! I've done long distance walks in the UK before, but I was so much older then. I'm conflicted and haven't done an act to fully commit myself (ie. Flight & initial accommodation bookings). Is this sort vacillation perfectly understandable and all part of the journey?
Ian.
Hi, Ian,

You really don't need to do this to yourself. Just go. UK is still in EU and there are no phone roaming fees. If you have done LDWs before (I guess you were so much younger, not older, hahaha) I guess you were in contact with your family every day. It will be the same in Spain. And there will be plenty of other pilgrims, some with no experience, complete first-timers that were sitting behind the desks their whole life and some will be very experienced. That's kinda first aid. And then there you have hospitaleros who are dealing with pilgrims every day and can help you.
There are all sorts of pilgrims and you will definitely not be the one sticking out.

Go out and just do it!!!

Ultreia!
 
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Much of what you wrote could have been written by me. All I can say is that my Camino in 2015 was life changing. I’m walking again in 2019. I can’t recommend this Camino to you more highly. You had a reason to walk. I’m betting that reason still exists. I look forward to wishing you Buen Camino when you embark on your Camino.
 
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Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
It is perfectly normal.

To help with longing, remember there is wifi and you can message/skype your family often.


And you dont have to start in SJPP, that is a very arbitrary point. Maybe Pamplona? You wont be away for so long and start in a very easy to reach, travellung friendly city.
Whatever you decide, make it your camino and enjoy it, peregrino!

Thank you Anamya!
 
It’s all,part of the process.

I was much the same way but as soon as I booked the international flights I was in. Sure I could have cancelled but it was just the right catalyst to get on with the rest of the planning.

Cheers Dave, I dare say my flight will be cheaper than the one you made. From the UK on my chosen date, it's currently £14/$18 to fly to Biarritz. The train to the airport costs way more than that! Crazy.
 
That would be me in 2001! You must know the old tag about only regretting things you didn't do?

GO. If you don't like it you can always come home - as Lissie says it's not so far.

Off for my daily walk now (only 8km) or should I stay home? ;)

Don't forget to keep us updated!
 
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Hi, Ian,

You really don't need to do this to yourself. Just go. UK is still in EU and there are no phone roaming fees. If you have done LDWs before (I guess you were so much younger, not older, hahaha) I guess you were in contact with your family every day. It will be the same in Spain. And there will be plenty of other pilgrims, some with no experience, complete first-timers that were sitting behind the desks their whole life and some will be very experienced. That's kinda first aid. And then there you have hospitaleros who are dealing with pilgrims every day and can help you.
There are all sorts of pilgrims and you will definitely not be the one sticking out.

Go out and just do it!!!

Ultreia!

Thank you K1. Lots of good sense in your post. And the older/younger thing.....I was quoting Dylan (My Back Pages)! The UK summer is starting to wane and so maybe, a relocation further south would be a good idea ;)
 
Just Go, you know you want to. Trust me. 95% chance you will love it. If the unlucky 5% at least you will have tried and not be wondering.
I start tomorrow on my third in a year. Only regret is that I waited so long before I did it.

Thank you Nomad. "you know you want to".....this is very true!

So you have started again today! I hope you are currently floating up the big uphill. Buen camino,
 
That would be me in 2001! You must know the old tag about only regretting things you didn't do?

GO. If you don't like it you can always come home - as Lissie says it's not so far.

Off for my daily walk now (only 8km) or should I stay home? ;)

Don't forget to keep us updated!

I certainly DO know that old tag Jeff. You're right. There are plenty of exit points if it doesn't go well. I'm off for a walk too. With the pack. In search of a hill or two.
 
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You are slightly younger than I was when I started my journey. I'm still on it. I did the same training, but I'm only moderately fit, and I started from Le Puy, which is harder going than the CF, even the Napoleon route over the Pyrenees. (Do that if you possibly can, you won't regret it. Hell, you'll remember it for the rest of your life!)

There is no law that says you have to do a whole Camino in one bite. If you get injured/ill/homesick or just fed up, step off, come home and take up where you left off at a later date. I promise you won't want for company, and, as others have pointed out, communicating with home is easy and cheap. (Too easy - on my last walk, my wife rang me to say she'd had a car accident - in my car!)

The CF isn't the retreat from Moscow - much of it is easy walking in pleasant countryside between picturesque towns, with the prospect of a good meal and (usually) a comfortable bed. I've met 16-year-olds walking it. And an 84-year old.

Go - and let us know how you get on. Buen Camino!
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
I've dithering quite a bit. I'm struggling to make the final commitment to walk the Camino Frances beginning third week of September (probably 18th to fly out). It's nerves. It's such a big thing. I'm aiming to fly from the UK to Biarritz and start at SJPP. I am late-ish 50's with reasonable fitness, a modest prescription pill regime and a few extra pounds. I've the time and the money and I've been preparing a while as though the decision has already been made by updating my gear and shoes and hitting the inclined treadmill at the gym. I'm torn between missing my family for so long and looking forward to a break from them! And them me, I'm sure! I've done long distance walks in the UK before, but I was so much older then. I'm conflicted and haven't done an act to fully commit myself (ie. Flight & initial accommodation bookings). Is this sort vacillation perfectly understandable and all part of the journey?
Ian.

As Nike says....”just do it”. So many times in life I get stuck on the I’m going to do it stage...totally normal. Mandela says it not what we can’t do that scares us but what we can do....im heading over Sept 5th and will start walking about the 7th or 8th...get you bag packed and I’ll meet you there!!! Cheers a Linda
 
If you haven't done it, you don't know what you're missing. I got the plane to Biarritz, a nice lady in a mini-bus took 12 of us strangers to SJPdP and the following morning I had a wander round town, bought some lunch to eat en route and set off for Orisson. It was a joy all the way. A quarter of a million people are walking it every year. It it wasn't great people wouldn't do it!
I spoke to my wife almost every day via wi-fi at some bar or restaurant. I posted photos on Facebook for friends and family to see where I'd been and what I'd done. I had a deadline to finish my walk because I had to be back for my granddaughter's christening where I met up with the whole familiy, which was a lovely thing to come back to.
 
I've dithering quite a bit. I'm struggling to make the final commitment to walk the Camino Frances beginning third week of September (probably 18th to fly out). It's nerves. It's such a big thing. I'm aiming to fly from the UK to Biarritz and start at SJPP. I am late-ish 50's with reasonable fitness, a modest prescription pill regime and a few extra pounds. I've the time and the money and I've been preparing a while as though the decision has already been made by updating my gear and shoes and hitting the inclined treadmill at the gym. I'm torn between missing my family for so long and looking forward to a break from them! And them me, I'm sure! I've done long distance walks in the UK before, but I was so much older then. I'm conflicted and haven't done an act to fully commit myself (ie. Flight & initial accommodation bookings). Is this sort vacillation perfectly understandable and all part of the journey?
Ian.
I think it is part of the journey. My husband and I walked from St. Jean to Santiago in June and we are in our mid 60’s. It was quite a challenge but worth it for us. I am glad we did it. At least walk to Pamplona and see how you feel. Poco a Poco. One step at a time.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
The hardest part of any journey is the decision to do it.

For my first camino this is not true.
I am sitting here..... some hundreds of meters west of the cathedral in Santiago.... after my camino. I will go back tomorrow.

I have thought what is a 'true camino-pilgrim' for me now at the moment. I would say...
someone who gets in some way camino-addicted
and
'integrates' the pilgrim's way of life in some way in his 'normal life'.

Getting camino-addicted was easy.... it was such a great experience for me.
The hard part is saying good-bye (and probably come again in a long time) and try to live it in the normal life.

But that was not the question.... was I nervous before starting? Yes....
Is it good to make a final commitment if you are interested in the Camino? Yes....
 
Last edited:
Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Gosh, this has been my exact thinking this week! I’ve been planning and researching for months and finally booked this week to fly from Australia on 5 September. It was difficult to commit, but now it feels great to know I’ve started the journey.
Go ahead Ian - book the flight.
 
Thank you K1. Lots of good sense in your post. And the older/younger thing.....I was quoting Dylan (My Back Pages)! The UK summer is starting to wane and so maybe, a relocation further south would be a good idea ;)
My Back Pages - One of my favourite Dylan songs. Those particular lyrics '...I'm younger than that now'. have always struck me. Recognised them straight away as I read your post. Mr Tambourine Man is my absolute favourite - once again it's all in his lyrics. I was 12 yrs old at the time when these came out - and feel privileged to have grown up in an era that gave us such fantastic music.
I'm commencing the Camino Frances from SJPP on Sat 22 Sept. I'm travelling from the UK too - but via ferry! I just got fed up looking at the list of restrictions that you have to comply with if you fly added to which was the small but finite risk of the rucksack (too big to go as cabin luggage) ending up in Adelaide or wherever. French rail strikes put me off the idea of any kind of transit through France. I live just 3 miles from Portsmouth so it's Brittany Ferries for me. A leisurely 25 hr crossing to Santander, arrive 18:15 local time which should allow me to sort out a Spanish SIM card before the Vodafone shop closes at 20:00, then stay overnight. Then on Thurs 20 Sept take bus to Pamplona, stay overnight and continue to SJPP on Friday 21 Sept arriving 12:30. Plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere of the place prior to the Big Off next day Saturday 22 Sept.

I've given quite a lot of thought to opening up a communication channel between myself and relatives as being away fro 5-6 weeks is quite some time. Also being from the 'older generation' smartphone technology has been slowly passing me by. So I've coopted my daughter as technical expert on such matters and I'm the proud possessor of the Samsung phone that she used prior to the one she currently uses. I'm now more aware of WiFi, Whatsapp, Data usage, Phone chargers etc than I was at the start of the year. Obtaining a Spanish SIM card is the first objective/obstacle upon arrival in Santander. Very luckily I'm reasonably fluent in Spanish. Having said that I find the problem is the rapidity with which they speak back to you if they decide to continue the conversation in Spanish. Additionally there are many local dialects in Spain and it sometimes takes a little while to 'tune in' the ears adjust to how it varies from the grammar book Spanish. I'm hopeful that this first encounter at the Vodafone shop doesn't prove too embarrassing.

In contrast to the preparations for getting out there I have nothing at all planned for getting back, other than the expectation that I'll be coming back at some stage in the first week of November (I'm intending to do the final bit to Finisterre). I'll play it by ear as I go along.

I hope you make your decision to go as given your timings we may well bump into each other at some stage.
 
Hi Ian - I was in that place last week - hesitating to book my air and then I just did! And once I did, felt great and knew it was the right decision. I start walking on Sept 24th.

Less than a month away for you Denise. I may not be far behind you as I think I might delay a week until the 25th as it still looks very hot in Northern Spain right to the furthest reach on the BBC forecast (September 8th as of today). I'll report back to this thread just as soon as I book the flight and first few nights stay. So much positivity here. Thank you SO much everyone. Thank you Denise.
 
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You are slightly younger than I was when I started my journey. I'm still on it. I did the same training, but I'm only moderately fit, and I started from Le Puy, which is harder going than the CF, even the Napoleon route over the Pyrenees. (Do that if you possibly can, you won't regret it. Hell, you'll remember it for the rest of your life!)

There is no law that says you have to do a whole Camino in one bite. If you get injured/ill/homesick or just fed up, step off, come home and take up where you left off at a later date. I promise you won't want for company, and, as others have pointed out, communicating with home is easy and cheap. (Too easy - on my last walk, my wife rang me to say she'd had a car accident - in my car!)

The CF isn't the retreat from Moscow - much of it is easy walking in pleasant countryside between picturesque towns, with the prospect of a good meal and (usually) a comfortable bed. I've met 16-year-olds walking it. And an 84-year old.

Go - and let us know how you get on. Buen Camino!

Lots of good sense in there Glenshiro, thanks very much. It "isn't the retreat from Moscow". Had a big laugh at that! I also read somewhere that you are never more than a few km's away from your next coffee! I think I may even pretend to myself that it's just a short flight to Biarritz followed by a few days of walking to Pamplona where there is an exit opportunity to Bilbao airport. And at the same time, make sure I have enough money to make the through hike. A journey like this take place in the mind as well as in the body. Although that doesn't help the feet any after 25km of paths! Le Puy eh? That is SOME journey!
 
As Nike says....”just do it”. So many times in life I get stuck on the I’m going to do it stage...totally normal. Mandela says it not what we can’t do that scares us but what we can do....im heading over Sept 5th and will start walking about the 7th or 8th...get you bag packed and I’ll meet you there!!! Cheers a Linda

Thanks Linda. It might be a big ask to meet you there as that will require a lot of catching up on my part and I hope your journey does not go so slow as to allow that possibility! But as I know you mean that we will likely be on the same path at the same time in different positions, we will meet in spirit. Thanks for the quote and the encouragement.
 
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My Back Pages - One of my favourite Dylan songs. Those particular lyrics '...I'm younger than that now'. have always struck me. Recognised them straight away as I read your post. Mr Tambourine Man is my absolute favourite - once again it's all in his lyrics. I was 12 yrs old at the time when these came out - and feel privileged to have grown up in an era that gave us such fantastic music.
I'm commencing the Camino Frances from SJPP on Sat 22 Sept. I'm travelling from the UK too - but via ferry! I just got fed up looking at the list of restrictions that you have to comply with if you fly added to which was the small but finite risk of the rucksack (too big to go as cabin luggage) ending up in Adelaide or wherever. French rail strikes put me off the idea of any kind of transit through France. I live just 3 miles from Portsmouth so it's Brittany Ferries for me. A leisurely 25 hr crossing to Santander, arrive 18:15 local time which should allow me to sort out a Spanish SIM card before the Vodafone shop closes at 20:00, then stay overnight. Then on Thurs 20 Sept take bus to Pamplona, stay overnight and continue to SJPP on Friday 21 Sept arriving 12:30. Plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere of the place prior to the Big Off next day Saturday 22 Sept.

I've given quite a lot of thought to opening up a communication channel between myself and relatives as being away fro 5-6 weeks is quite some time. Also being from the 'older generation' smartphone technology has been slowly passing me by. So I've coopted my daughter as technical expert on such matters and I'm the proud possessor of the Samsung phone that she used prior to the one she currently uses. I'm now more aware of WiFi, Whatsapp, Data usage, Phone chargers etc than I was at the start of the year. Obtaining a Spanish SIM card is the first objective/obstacle upon arrival in Santander. Very luckily I'm reasonably fluent in Spanish. Having said that I find the problem is the rapidity with which they speak back to you if they decide to continue the conversation in Spanish. Additionally there are many local dialects in Spain and it sometimes takes a little while to 'tune in' the ears adjust to how it varies from the grammar book Spanish. I'm hopeful that this first encounter at the Vodafone shop doesn't prove too embarrassing.

In contrast to the preparations for getting out there I have nothing at all planned for getting back, other than the expectation that I'll be coming back at some stage in the first week of November (I'm intending to do the final bit to Finisterre). I'll play it by ear as I go along.

I hope you make your decision to go as given your timings we may well bump into each other at some stage.

A ferry journey eh! The Lundy ferry was the last time I will ever venture onto water. Longest journey of my life. It's certainly a novel way of starting the camino. I plan to fly to Biarritz. I updated my rucksack to an Osprey Stratos 36 and realised after that it's a few inches longer than carry on size. So I returned it for the Osprey Tallon 33! I think it's £6 to guarantee it as carry on or else I will have to join it in the hold. I've had a smart phone for a few years but have only recently got to grips with using it properly. I already had that embarrassing conversation. I went into the Three store to find out how you got extra data once the 2GB had run out. They patiently showed me that you can, with a few selections on the screen, simply buy it! I can top up to 10GB for a fiver. That sounds like A LOT! And I hear there's a lot of wifi to be had along the way? What xtra does a Spanish SIM give you? At this point, people much younger than myself will be shaking their head at my imbecility over this matter! I could write the whole of my Spanish language on the back of a green shield stamp (the "40" big stamp). I'm attempting to address that with some language cd's. It's only polite to be able to be polite to locals in their own language. Even if it gives them a big laugh. I'm also not planning to book a return flight.

And yes, we've grown up with some fabulous music. And thanks to spotify etc and super deluxe editions of our favourite albums and bands, there is no necessity to ever check out anything new or lament that there is nothing epic anymore. We can flesh out the massive areas of recorded sound that it wasn't humanely possible to keep up with at the time.

I
 
Thank you to everyone for the kind encouragement and supportive words. I am now booked on to a flight arriving in Biarritz on Sept 17th and have accommodation booked as far as Zubiri. From there, I'll wing it day by day!
 
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Just go. Greatest thing I have ever done/experienced (aside from spouse/children stuff)! Best wishes for you.
 
I've dithering quite a bit. . .

Really, Ian? Seriously? What kind of answers do you really expect from this audience? It should not be a surprise that everyone on this forum encourages you to walk it.

May I suggest a different approach. . . Imagine you're really old (like, 60 or something. . . tee hee), and you're sitting on your porch, and a child comes up to you and says, "Hey Mr. Ian, tell me a story about your life". What story would you like to tell that child?
 
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So glad you committed Ian!
It took me a while to do that too but once I booked my flights (from the west coast of Canada) all my trepidations stopped. The hardest part for me was the decision to leave my family for 6 weeks! I am a wife, a mother, a grandmother; I turned 69 this August and ... well I just knew I had to do it while I still can.
Eight more sleeps and I'll be on my way...headed to St Jean Pied de Port.
Best of luck to you and .... Buen Camino!
 
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In every aspect of life I have noticed that most people never get to the start line. And most regrets are not for what people did, but for what they didn't do. Don't be most people. Go forth and enjoy! Buen Camino.
 

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