I am planning to walk from St Jean at the end of August and have really only 30-32 days to do it in. I a mfairly fit and a good walker. All that I have read tells me that it takes between 28 days and 35 days to complete. I also know that rest days are important... so my question is (and I know it is silly) but from experienced walkers how long does it take?
Scott
Hey Scott, your question is impossible to answer -- probably you couldn't even answer it yourself.
The question is contingent on daily hiking speed, which is the far more important factor than your hourly speed or your training speed.
Only you will know what your comfortable daily speed is, and then only after a week to 10 days or more of walking.
Having said that, 30-32 days is probably sufficient, if you're a good walker -- good walkers typically take about 4.5 weeks, and if you're good and strong enough to be capable of picking up your pace when needed, even if that might mean leaving some people behind sooner rather than later (it's inevitable regardless), then you should be OK from the sound of it.
A more pedantic answer to your question is that, fastest to slowest, the Camino can take anything between 10 days and two and a half months. That information will not help you as such, but it may hopefully help you realise that you will only know how long it takes after you've done it.
Personally, my first "proper" Camino in 94 (though the 93 one was
vital personally) ended up as SJPP to Santiago in 3 weeks (longer to there from Paris) ; my last one in 2014 took about 2 months for a similar distance, and 69 days from Lourdes.
Bottom line -- you'll see when you get there, but from the sound of things I'd say that you have a good handle on it.
Buen Camino !!