First time on the Camino

[MathildeDD]

I'm planning on walking the Camino in July and have about 10-14 days to do so. I don't want to walk the whole way from St Jean to Santiago, because it'll take too much time. So I was thinking where will be a good place to start if I had 10-14 days and wanted to end in Santiago? I'm a 22 year old girl walking alone who's never been in really good shape. Do you guys have any suggestions? I want to get the most out of it, and my reason to walk is to challenge myself mentally and come out stronger and more independent.

Hope you'll be able to help!
- Mathilde

 

[ghostinyou]

Maybe Leon? I think you can get to Santiago in 14 days. We are going Leon to sarria in 10. I've already done sarria to Santiago and that took 5. I walk slow though. I believe it's reasonable and doable to drop a day from both if my timelines though. But based on what u said of yourself, maybe Leon to Santiago in 14 would be just right. Buen camino

 

[jefferyonthecamino]

Start in Ponferrada, easy to get to by bus or train. Leon might be a bit far but possible. I am assuming you are on the French Way. Burn Camino!

 

[Olivares]

Per your message, let's estimate that you should be able to walk about 21 Kms/day average. Consequently, that means that if you start at Ponferrada you should make it to Santiago in about 11 days. This is a conservative approach that would allow you also buffer days in the event you need to take a couple of days off, and still be able to make it to Santiago. I should be on the Camino in July,more specifically I am planning to be around Ponferrada around the 4-5 July. If you happen to be "in the neighborhood", let's meet, share some vino and exchange Camino stories!! Have fun planning! Buen Camino!!

 

[Travel Diva]

Looks we'll be there too. I started at SJJP last July and walked to Logrono then in September walked from Logrono to Monlinaseca now I am starting from Astroga and waking to Muxia/Finisterre.

Looks we'll all be there around the same time, lets connect.
Buen Camino

 

[Olivares]

I am starting from Astroga ....

Hey Traveldiva!-- do you have a guesstimate around when would you be in Astorga? my guesstimate is around 2 July....?

Unfortunately, I cannot stay in Santiago long; I have to catch a flight to Krakow. I've been to Santiago before and definitely worth a couple of exploration days.

 

[Travel Diva]

Hey Traveldiva!-- do you have a guesstimate around when would you be in Astorga? my guesstimate is around 2 July....?

Unfortunately, I cannot stay in Santiago long; I have to catch a flight to Krakow. I've been to Santiago before and definitely worth a couple of exploration days.

Too bad I am going to miss you by a week, looks like I will be reaching Astroga July 8
If your plan changes let me know.
Buen Camino!

 

[Mark Lee]

I arrived at Leon on the 8th and got to Santiago on the 20th. I was 52 and did not walk all that fast, and my only really long day of walking was Arzua to Santiago and that's only because I missed the turnoff to Pedrouzo (Arca O Pino). So for me Leon to Santiago was 12-13 days I suppose.

Leon is a very beautiful city. Worth seeing, but if that is too far, maybe Astorga. Nice town as well. It took me 10 days from Astorga to Santiago.

First photo I attached is of Leon, the second is of Astorga.

Buen Camino.

 

[roving_rufus]

Hi
Last spring I did Leon to SdeC in 12 days but that meant several days of 30km. Last year I arrived recovering from the flu (meaning I had done no training for 6 weeks and lost much of what I had gained in training) and was seriously struggling for the first few days - and about 22km probably should have been my limit (but I did really push my second day which was silly as I arrived shattered in Astorga) but the last couple of days before SdeC I had no problem with a couple of 30km days back to back.
Astorga might be a good option for the start or for a shorter one try Ponferrada. But it depends whether you want to try over two mountain ranges or one - Astorga will give you two and the tradition of passing the Cruz de Ferro but if you start from Ponferrada then you only climb up to O'cebreiro. It all depends on how much you want to push.
So you could easily do from Astorga in 12-14 days but Ponferrada could be done in 10 days without completley killing yourself but maybe stretching a few longer days too if you wanted too.

 

[alexwalker]

If you start in Ponferrada, it is easily accessible by train, and you can explore the castle of the knigts Templars from the 10th century before you leave. If you are not top fit, it would give you some slack, and a nice overall experience.

 

[jmcarp]

You could also consider starting from Astorga, which is 264 km from Santiago and 11 days if you follow the Brierley stages. We did it that section in 15 days, which included a couple of very short days due to illness and plantar fasciitis issues, plus we were generally slowing down from our overall average 20 km/day by then.

 

[Sacred Heart]

Thank you so much for your replies. I will be doing the Camino from the 13th September. I only have 2 weeks holiday. I think Proferrada sounds like a good starting point, I will then have a couple of days in Santiago. I have Brierleys book so I will investigate that.
Does anyone know if the train or bus goes to Proferrada on a regular basis? Is Santiago the nearest airport?
Buen Camino. Thank you again.