- Time of past OR future Camino
- Frances 2016, del Norte 2019
Hello all,
First of all many thanks to all who have contributed info about el Salvador and Primitivo, which I have perused in detail and have found so very helpful. We are a group of four older walkers from the U.S., all of us with extensive Sierra Nevada and Grand Canyon backpacking and international travel experience. We will be starting our first Camino in June of 2016. Due to work schedules, only two will be starting in St. Jean, the third will join around Burgos and the fourth in Léon. As of now we are planning to arrive in Santiago on July 23rd as one of us is a music teacher very much interested in the musical aspects of this feast day and we all love a good fiesta!
Right now we are seriously considering the option of peeling off the Frances and doing the Primitivo, primarily to have a more wilderness experience and avoid the crowds, although we do realize it will be crowded if we re-join the Frances from the Primitivo at Melide on and of course very crowded in Santiago. Using Gronze's calculator it appears that this would add 120 km to the total trip. We will remain flexible and decide in Léon whether or not to split off or stay on the Frances. We figure on around a medium pace of 24 km (15 miles) a day.
We are thinking of 41 days of walking total, which includes five rest days or shorter days. What we are now trying to figure out is how many days we should budget to get to Léon, as well as how much time most people take to do the Salvador/Primitivo. Also interested in hearing about the best towns and recommendations for private hotels on these routes in addition to the alburges, as we may want to take a rest day or two on either of them. Also interested in hearing whether or not you feel this is too much or sufficient time to do this combination.
Thanks in advance for your help!
First of all many thanks to all who have contributed info about el Salvador and Primitivo, which I have perused in detail and have found so very helpful. We are a group of four older walkers from the U.S., all of us with extensive Sierra Nevada and Grand Canyon backpacking and international travel experience. We will be starting our first Camino in June of 2016. Due to work schedules, only two will be starting in St. Jean, the third will join around Burgos and the fourth in Léon. As of now we are planning to arrive in Santiago on July 23rd as one of us is a music teacher very much interested in the musical aspects of this feast day and we all love a good fiesta!
Right now we are seriously considering the option of peeling off the Frances and doing the Primitivo, primarily to have a more wilderness experience and avoid the crowds, although we do realize it will be crowded if we re-join the Frances from the Primitivo at Melide on and of course very crowded in Santiago. Using Gronze's calculator it appears that this would add 120 km to the total trip. We will remain flexible and decide in Léon whether or not to split off or stay on the Frances. We figure on around a medium pace of 24 km (15 miles) a day.
We are thinking of 41 days of walking total, which includes five rest days or shorter days. What we are now trying to figure out is how many days we should budget to get to Léon, as well as how much time most people take to do the Salvador/Primitivo. Also interested in hearing about the best towns and recommendations for private hotels on these routes in addition to the alburges, as we may want to take a rest day or two on either of them. Also interested in hearing whether or not you feel this is too much or sufficient time to do this combination.
Thanks in advance for your help!