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You are 70+, you walk from Sarria, you want to do shorther stages, make your life easier and book ahead with Gary!
Buen Camino, SY
I think anyone who wants to book ahead with a company should do so but don’t like the implication that people over 70 have more need for this service than others. I have walked 2 caminos at age 70 and 71 and had no difficulty making reservations when I needed to do so. I also enjoyed having flexibility. Again, people who want to hire a tour company can, but after 70 we don’t lose our ability to plan a trip. Hoping to walk Primitivo next year, probably alone, and even at the advanced age of 73 not hiring anybody.You are 70+, you walk from Sarria, you want to do shorther stages, make your life easier and book ahead with Gary!
Buen Camino, SY
Excellent suggestions. I like the idea of slowing down or increasing mileage depending if our 'vintage' bodies adapt. Appreciate your info.You could very easily use booking.com to book accommodations yourself, at much less cost, and with more flexibility. Bronze,com also has the contact info for accommodations along the route. You can make a plan for the whole route before you go, or else book a couple of days ahead, keep in mind Sept is very popular. Contact Caminofacil or Jacotrans to transfer your luggage.
The first time I went was through a company, but since then I have booked for myself and my companions as it is very easy to do. Just make sure your accommodations are relatively close to the centre of town. Good luck, and pm me if you would l8ke more info
BCHi Ted,
Walking the camino between Sarria and Santiago you do not have to book an organized trip. This would rob you of any flexibility, e. g. if you like a town and want to stay or if you still feel like walking on as it is still early in the day and you do not like the place....
There is plenty of accomodation. Most of the albergues can be booked in advance (only the public "Xunta" albergues do not accept reservations). "gronze.com" is a spanish websitde (but almost self-explaining) and app which has links for booking via your mobile phone.
If booking in advance at all (which should not really be necessary), you can decide day by day.
There are also various offers for luggage-transport if you need it. But here again - it gives you security and will make your walk easier, but it will also prevent you from changing your plans spontaneously. Better carry only the things in your backpack which are really necessary (packing-lists published in this torum may be a useful reference).
BC
Alexandra
I'm with SYates on this one - if it fits your budget go ahead and use a service! The experience is great regardless of whether you book ahead or wing it, or walk 15 km or 30 km a day. It's a pilgrimage either way.
The deciding factor for me is that you only want to walk ten miles per day, and that you want to use a luggage transfer service. This will put you in a lot of smaller towns. While there might be hundreds of pilgrims in the more popular stops, and lots of helpful hospitaleros, this is often not the case in the smaller places. There might only be three or four other pilgrims, they might or might not speak English, there might be a note on the door of the albergue to ask the bar next door to call the hospitalera to let you in ... and you only see her for five minutes in the evening.
Use booking.com to reserve accommodations.My wife and I are 70years old planning to walk from Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2018. Should we hope to find Albergues each night or should we book with a company to arrange nightly stays? We've looked into arrangements with Garry at Spanish Adventures and Shanda at Follow the Camino. We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives we think it prudent to forward heavy items ahead to keep pack weights low. Any advice welcome.
Thanks- Ted
Hola Ted,My wife and I are 70years old planning to walk from Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2018. Should we hope to find Albergues each night or should we book with a company to arrange nightly stays? We've looked into arrangements with Garry at Spanish Adventures and Shanda at Follow the Camino. We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives we think it prudent to forward heavy items ahead to keep pack weights low. Any advice welcome.
Thanks- Ted
Am 75 and just finished my first Camino Frances in November. I would personally opt for putting yourself out there, making yourselves vulnerable as much as possible. Especially for such a short piece of it all. Try not to book ahead, don’t decide exactly how far you are walking each day, let your body tell you from day to day, really lighten up your pack and try carrying it. But that is just me!My wife and I are 70years old planning to walk from Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2018. Should we hope to find Albergues each night or should we book with a company to arrange nightly stays? We've looked into arrangements with Garry at Spanish Adventures and Shanda at Follow the Camino. We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives we think it prudent to forward heavy items ahead to keep pack weights low. Any advice welcome.
Thanks- Ted
The OP is a tyro pilgrim and was seeking for advice, I'm a mere juvenile at 66 but would do the same in their situationI think anyone who wants to book ahead with a company should do so but don’t like the implication that people over 70 have more need for this service than others. I have walked 2 caminos at age 70 and 71 and had no difficulty making reservations when I needed to do so. I also enjoyed having flexibility. Again, people who want to hire a tour company can, but after 70 we don’t lose our ability to plan a trip. Hoping to walk Primitivo next year, probably alone, and even at the advanced age of 73 not hiring anybody.
The OP and wife are in their 70's and trying to lighten their load and you're suggest carrying a tent? Which camp grounds would you suggest they use?My general advice to all pilgrims is not to book ahead. Part of the experience is seeing what the Camino brings you. The Camino teaches us to trust in providence. To pray that things will work out--and we see that they do! If you are open to camping, you can bring an ultra light tent and use it if necessary. If you want to sleep indoors, there are many municipal albergues in Galicia, and they don't take reservations.
Most of the British, Canadians and New Zealanders will - not sure about the AustraliansBC
Like how you think. We've travelled independently often. But we were younger with less wear on our joints. We've been practicing Spanish phrases. Hope people understand English
Thanks Ted
Also Jesus does not charge a planning fee.
My husband and I completed our Camino a month ago. We are both almost 80 and in pretty good shape. We started in Pamplona and covered over 200 miles - on foot, a train from Pamplona to Burgos, a bus for another 25 mile stretch, horseback up to O Cebrerio and a couple of cab rides. We made all our reservations through Booking.com and we used Camino Facile to transfer our large back pack so we just needed a small day pack. I suppose we averaged 10 miles a day.My wife and I are 70years old planning to walk from Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2018. Should we hope to find Albergues each night or should we book with a company to arrange nightly stays? We've looked into arrangements with Garry at Spanish Adventures and Shanda at Follow the Camino. We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives we think it prudent to forward heavy items ahead to keep pack weights low. Any advice welcome.
Thanks- Ted
We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives
You went up O Ceb on a horse? - respect! It was bad enough looking down into the valley from eye level.My husband and I completed our Camino a month ago. We are both almost 80 and in pretty good shape. We started in Pamplona and covered over 200 miles - on foot, a train from Pamplona to Burgos, a bus for another 25 mile stretch, horseback up to O Cebrerio and a couple of cab rides. We made all our reservations through Booking.com and we used Camino Facile to transfer our large back pack so we just needed a small day pack. I suppose we averaged 10 miles a day.
You certainly don’t need to use a “tour guide/ company” - it was so much more fun to plan our own trip.
The only problem with making reservations ahead of time is that if you need a break or if you find a place you would like to spend more time in then you lose that option. I personally need to know where I am going to sleep each night but that is because I am getting old.
Good luck with your planning - it’s almost as much fun as walking. Buen Camino.
My wife and I are 70years old planning to walk from Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2018. Should we hope to find Albergues each night or should we book with a company to arrange nightly stays? We've looked into arrangements with Garry at Spanish Adventures and Shanda at Follow the Camino. We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives we think it prudent to forward heavy items ahead to keep pack weights low. Any advice welcome.
Thanks- Ted
Love your attitude. Thanks. What language is Kia kaha?Hi @Opa Theo , look like you have a lot of useful advice. I would place a lot of store in what @SYates has to say.
I would like to add a different touch. Yes, that is me in the image holdong a grand ice cream. And I am on the same side of 70 as you.
You don't say what expereince you have in walking 16 km (10 miles) day after day. So here is my tuppence worth.
The first few hours out of Sarria involves quite a bit of climbing. Similalry the few few hours out of Portomarin. You may think about making those stages a bit shorter than 16 km, if accomodation allows.
Kia kaha (take care, be strong, get going)
New Zealand Maori, Te Reo. A most expressive language.Love your attitude. Thanks. What language is Kia kaha?
You might be interested in this from today's London Guardian.New Zealand Maori, Te Reo. A most expressive language.
Welcome aboard. I’m 69 years old and completed 6-week El Norte with friends, 4-week Lisbon to Porto solo, Cape to Cape trek on Australian West Coast, and doing the Geneva to LePuy in four weeks with one son. Bookings was great as was BnB. MAPS.ME is great for downloading your route maps in case you stray off course without Internet service so explore its multitude of information.
Remember - it’s a path, not a road, so if you know WHERE you are, you’re not lost. Tolkien: All who wander are not lost.
Interesting the story has reached so far afield. My husband is a native Te Reo speaker, and has worked for many many years in TV and education to revive the language.You might be interested in this from today's London Guardian.
My wife and I are 70years old planning to walk from Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2018. Should we hope to find Albergues each night or should we book with a company to arrange nightly stays? We've looked into arrangements with Garry at Spanish Adventures and Shanda at Follow the Camino. We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives we think it prudent to forward heavy items ahead to keep pack weights low. Any advice welcome.
Thanks- Ted
My wife and I are 70years old planning to walk from Sarria to Santiago at the end of September 2018. Should we hope to find Albergues each night or should we book with a company to arrange nightly stays? We've looked into arrangements with Garry at Spanish Adventures and Shanda at Follow the Camino. We hope to average ten miles a day. Since we're showing wear and tear of active lives we think it prudent to forward heavy items ahead to keep pack weights low. Any advice welcome.
Thanks- Ted
Hi Michael,
I can not agree with you on that point.
On the Camino Francés and especially from Sarria onwards you will always have hospitaleros attending the albergue without previous calling. I can only remember calling the hospitalero on the Via de la Plata twice and in Southern Portugal (before Coimbra) once. But this is definitely not necessary on the Camino Francés.
On the Camino Francés you will also always find somebody speaking English, either the hospitalero himself or some fellow pilgrims. If you are not able to do phone calls in Spanish and want to make a reservation for the next day, you may ask them to call for you or you use an app like "booking.com".
Sometimes you may arrive at an albergue and the hospitalero is not in. But then, usually, they leave a note there in Spanish and in English, informing you that they will be back at a certain time and that in the meantime you may take a bed and have a shower.
So don't worry, just walk.
BC
Alexandra
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