Have been doing it wrong all these years

[Jeff Crawley]

I apologise in advance - this post is a bit wordy!

A work colleague is thinking of booking a "walk the Camino" holiday in September and asked my views on her trip - will she be getting the full "Camino experience"? Is it good value for money? She's going on an unguided tour from Leon. She's mid 40's and a regular hiker.

This is the itinery taken straight from the company's trip notes - the only change I've made is the highlights in bold. The trip is costing about €1600 not including her travel to and from Leon.

Not quite sure what to tell her . . .

Day 2 - Leon to Molinaseca
After a 1hr transfer to Cruz de Ferro, a remote hilltop chapel high in the smoky Montes de Leon, the Camino winds downhill through fragrant pines where once the Knights Templar protected pilgrims from bandit attack. An easy path lined with wild chestnuts, cherries, peppers and fennel leads to riverside Molinaseca, where you'll meet your hosts Noemi and Javier.


Day 3 - Molinaseca to Ambasmestas
After a short transfer (30 mins), you ascend the Rio Valcarce valley, climbing into moody oak woods strung with lichen and strewn with early purple orchid. O'Cebreiro is an C11 village in the heart of the Cordillera Cantabrica. Walk to the viewpoint above the village for a perfect sunset and views over four ranges of hills before a transfer back to your hotel in Ambasmestas.


Day 4 - Triacastela to Sarria
After a short transfer we drop you off at Triacastela. As the Camino meanders between heather clad villages overlooking the Monastery of Samos, you can hear the bells ringing! On reaching Sarria - the antiques capital of Galicia, you'll be whisked to Javier and Raquel's elegant country rectory, (10 mins), complete with chapel and al fresco dining patio area.


Day 5 - Sarria to Portomarin
A Roman bridge leads out of Sarria up the Celerio Valley, where you'll traverse the hamlets of the southern flank of the Sierra del Paramo. Descend into Portomarin - the original village was flooded by the Belesar Reservoir, and houses still shimmer below the surface! This evening, meet Mario's horses and enjoy wine from his vines, before a waterside stroll after dinner.


Day 6 - Portomarin to Lestedo
Drop into Portomarin's church then follow the Torres stream passing between cornfields lined with ox-eye daisies. Stamp your pilgrim's passport in country churches dedicated to the Order of St James before arriving at your home for this evening, a beautifully restored rectory.


Day 7 - Lestedo to O Coto
Country lanes lead past fortified farmhouses into the hillside town of Palas del Rei (Palace of the King) as you enter the province of A Coruna. You'll pass typical raised Galician granaries and chickens scamper across narrow streets as you enter vineyards, with views east to the Montes del Vacaloura.

Day 8 - O Coto to Arzua
Your first stop is Melide; a thriving country town with tavernas brimming with locals enjoying Galician seafood in specialist pulperias (octopus restaurants). Drop into the Romanesque church to admire the frescoes, before lanes lined with bright yellow celandine bring you into the lively market town of Arzua. Continue on to your elegant manor house, surrounded by tranquil countryside, just outside of town.

Day 9 - Arzua to Rua
Arzua's colonnaded streets lead you into open country where local farmers wear berets as they tend vines and build haystacks with pitch forks. Your route rises and falls through river valleys crossing rushing streams. This evening you can marvel at Javier and Maria's breath-taking converted water mill, where original machinery has been turned into spectacular period features!

Day 10 - Rua to Santiago de Compostela
Excitement mounts as you set off towards Monte do Gozo - the Mount of Joy - where pilgrims of old caught their first glimpse of the spires of Santiago. It is a bit busier these days! On reaching Santiago's historic centre, congratulations are everywhere as a steady stream of pilgrims reach journey's end below the cathedral's spectacular Baroque facade. Drop into the Pilgrim Office to collect your certificate if you wish, before checking into our historic hotel near the old marketplace, still a riot of colour!



Essential Equipment and Clothing
Light walking boots (good walking trainers will suffice)
Small daypack for camera, guidebook, etc.
Water bottle to use when walking and sightseeing
Sun cream
Hat
Sunglasses
Waterproofs
Warm clothes

Optional items:
Walking poles
Swimwear

 

[Deleted member 3000]

I am going to have to pull out my textbook on creative writing and adjectives before I can parse the accuracy of the description! I sense a description by a desk bound travelogue writer with too much time on his hands.

 

[colinPeter]

I think if it fits her budget & time frame, it sounds great.
I've met and walked with people on similar trips and they seem to love it.
Not my choice but that really doesn't matter.

 

[Cam1952]

I am sure your friend will be satisfied with this experience but also suspect this tour will be a powerful catalyst for your friend to come back and walk from SJPdP. (without the tour)

 

[nidarosa]

If I understand you correctly, her question to you is whether she will get the full camino (not necessarily pilgrim) experience, and whether it is good value for money. In my opinion staying in places where there are few or no other pilgrims makes it less of a 'full' camino experience, as the social aspect is one of the highlights for many. Also in my opinion this is not at all good value for money - I did my 6 week camino for £1600 and that was including the flights. As this is an 'unguided' trip, she will have to walk and find her way herself - not a huge difference to walking by herself, other than an enormous saving to be made!

All the poetry will probably just lead to disappointment when she arrives at the Cruz de Ferro, essentially a pole next to a road, more a parking lot than a 'remote hilltop chapel high in the smoky Montes de Leon', and as for the 'easy 'path' down to Molinaseca, this crosses the border from fantasy into lie ... but then there are other experiences planned too, maybe they are attractive.

If she would prefer to travel with a company, that is her choice. Before I answer her, I would ask if she has considered doing it by herself (think of all the hotels she can stay in for that money!) and if she hasn't, maybe get a guide book and see if it's something she could do? If the answer to that is a firm no, then by all means pay for the service. I'm just not sure if doing it this way - being picked up, transferred, making for a disjointed journey - is really what people want, or if they think they can't do it themselves and think this is the only way they can manage the trip.

All my opinion and not a bad word about people who use these services. I have just met quite a few who thought this was the only way - maybe because so many companies come up when you google the camino? - and who would have preferred to go it alone when they saw how relatively easy it is.

 

[Lydia Gillen]

If your friend can get from home to Leon and from Santiago home, which must involve some changes I am sure she could organise herself along the Camino with a considerable saving of money.

She could get a bus from Santiago to Ponferada for about €18.50. There are several during the day from 7.00 am until 21.30 each bus taking about 4. hours. This gives her a tour of the countryside.

If she has any worries about accommodation she can book in advance.

Wish her Buen Camino from me.
PS. Not for all the comfort any hotel could offer would I miss attending Mass in Triacastela.

 

[CaptBuddy]

I think if it fits her budget & time frame, it sounds great.
I've met and walked with people on similar trips and they seem to love it.
Not my choice but that really doesn't matter.

I agree. Some folks just don't want to, or need to, walk 500 miles. I've met folks on these tours, they seem to be enjoying themselves, and having a unique travel adventure. I know some people who would love to do the Camino, but can't bring themselves to take the leap; this would be ideal for them.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I cannot help but think that after reading these descriptions your friend is going to be very disappointed by the reality of what it feels like to walk rather than visiting chapels at the top of hills, and being wisked away and meeting her hosts. What I want to know is the contact information foe the person who wrote these descriptions and have her work on my résume!

 

[GettingThere]

Nothing wrong with using a tour company but I would think twice about any outfit that uses such overblown and at times downright false descriptions. My advice to your friend would be to shop around - there are plenty of reputable Camino tour companies out there.

 

[fraluchi]

[...] Not quite sure what to tell her . . .[...] Optional items: Walking poles, Swimwear

Tell her to take time and ask specific questions on this well-informed Forum. She'll receive free advice and spend less on her intended "Camino experience".

 

[AnnieS]

I am going to have to pull out my textbook on creative writing and adjectives before I can parse the accuracy of the description! I sense a description by a desk bound travelogue writer with too much time on his hands.

Ha! As a writer, I've been doing it wrong all these years! I should be using adjectives much more creatively

 

[Kanga]

@Jeff Crawley your friend asked you what you think. I'd be honest. My response would be "Why are you paying €1600 for something you could do yourself, easily, for half that". Then guide her to to booking.com or some similar site where she can book herself private accommodation every night, and one of the bag carrying companies.

And send her a link to the forum!

 

[Rebekah Scott]

Not sure this is the same Camino I know. There is way too much Whisking and Marveling going on, not to mention the natives "brimming" the pulperias and pitch-forking all over the place.

 

[Robo]

We all do it differently

This would appear to be a coach tour with a bit of walking thrown in. If that is what she wants.....fine.

Though.......

"An easy path lined with wild chestnuts, cherries, peppers and fennel leads to riverside Molinaseca"

That path almost ended my Camino! The hardest part of the whole 800 kms for me........

 

[Anniesantiago]

I had one client on my trip last year who only walked about 5 kilometers every day or two. The rest of the time she took a taxi or a bus.
She had a wonderful time meeting up with the rest of the group at the end of the day.
She enjoyed getting to the hostel/hotel/albergue early and getting things ready for the others.
In Santiago she was honest about how much she did walk and got a Certificate and was very happy.

People are different.
Not everyone wants to walk 25-30 kilometers a day for 6 weeks.
There's enough Camino to go around...

 

[Jacobus]

I hope this is taken with a spirit of humour which was the intent...

I can't wait to float down out of the heavens into Molinaseca where angels will caress my aching muscles and cherubs attend to my every whim. While being hand fed grapes and cave aged cheddar cheese the angelic masseuse will pause in her labours to offer only the best that the Mercia grape can offer via the French Oak barrels. I will then be whisked away by a unicorn drawn pram to my sleeping loft high in the Cathedral.
After the Pope blesses me I am "whisked" back to the Camino where my fellow pilgrims douse me with a pail full of cold harsh reality.

 

[pudgypilgrim]

Nothing wrong with using a tour company but I would think twice about any outfit that uses such overblown and at times downright false descriptions

Are there any that don't do this?

I couldn't help noticing, for instance, that Camino Ways says this about the section of the Voie de Tours that runs through les Landes:

Moreover, if you feel tired and need a rest, you often will find bars and restaurants along the way.

Which sure was news to me.

 

[Kanga]

This thread has sent me scurrying to the Internet to find the company with the most creative descriptions. It's a bit like real estate advertising. Decoding could be a whole new game.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

Your tried . Does anyone recognise the accommodations mentioned in the trip description? One is obviously 10 minutes by car off the Camino Francès but the others seem to be nearby: a water mill, a monastery, a rectory, a grand farmhouse - I love these kind of places!

PS: I think I found the watermill: http://www.omuinodepena.com/ - wow!

Would hâte to look forward to an old monastery and expect a 4 star hotel and end up in San Juan de Ortega.

 

[David]

Personally I don't get it, but then, I have never been on a package holiday so don't know what they are like - and this is what it is, not a pilgrimage but a package holiday.
If she has the spare money and that is what she wants to do who am I to say it is wrong - ... but it isn't a pilgrimage it is an expensive supported walking holiday that takes place on the Camino where she will meet pilgrims.
Her decision - she wants to go, she wants to be supported, she has the money ... you could talk to her about pilgrimage and what it means but it would be sad to deflate her dreams.

 

[susanawee]

I hope this is taken with a spirit of humour which was the intent...

I can't wait to float down out of the heavens into Molinaseca where angels will caress my aching muscles and cherubs attend to my every whim. While being hand fed grapes and cave aged cheddar cheese the angelic masseuse will pause in her labours to offer only the best that the Mercia grape can offer via the French Oak barrels. I will then be whisked away by a unicorn drawn pram to my sleeping loft high in the Cathedral.
After the Pope blesses me I am "whisked" back to the Camino where my fellow pilgrims douse me with a pail full of cold harsh reality.

Laughing out loud at this response Jacobus.....just lovely.

 

[susanawee]

I am going to have to pull out my textbook on creative writing and adjectives before I can parse the accuracy of the description! I sense a description by a desk bound travelogue writer with too much time on his hands.

My sentiments exactly.......goodness me, such a lot of very flowery language and most un-Camino like descriptions......".Farmers wearing berets as they build Haystacks with pitchforks" -' meandering along country lanes lined with........" hmm.....does not sound at all like the Camino I know and love....

 

[Margaret Butterworth]

In May this year, I happened to be staying in the same hotel in Santiago as a couple who had just done this Exodus tour. They were perfectly happy with it, and especially enjoyed the security of having a bed booked each night in an interesting and comfortable hotel.

A few years ago, I did the last part of the Camino with Fresco Tours, another organisation that has lots to recommend it. It gave me the confidence to walk on my own in future years. I sometimes stay at the hotels from my original trip, including the lovely converted rectory at Lestedo, which is directly on the Camino before Palas de Rei.

 

[SeaHorse]

10 days = 300 euros. Its unguided, so she can just as well print the description and have a phone/ask hospitaleros to book in advance if she feels insecure about accommodation.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

My colleague, Carolyne, thanks you all for your contributions - I've suggested she signs up here for the full weight of knowledge and experience. In the light of it she has now decided not to go from Leon this September but to walk the whole way from SJPP to SdC next May.

I now get asked questions on an almost daily basis and my most often response is "have you registered at caminodesantiago.me yet?"

 

[John Leone]

Has anyone done the Camino from St Jean Pied de Port in December? I'm thinking of going over just after Christmas but am somewhat wary of the weather

 

[mspath]

Has anyone done the Camino from St Jean Pied de Port in December? I'm thinking of going over just after Christmas but am somewhat wary of the weather

Be sure to search the Forum for various earlier threads re walking in winter such as this link. It is most important to be prepared!

 

[Anemone del Camino]

My colleague, Carolyne, thanks you all for your contributions - I've suggested she signs up here for the full weight of knowledge and experience. In the light of it she has now decided not to go from Leon this September but to walk the whole way from SJPP to SdC next May.

I now get asked questions on an almost daily basis and my most often response is "have you registered at caminodesantiago.me yet?"

I take it she will npt be hiring the flowery wording company for that trip?

 

[clearskiescamino]

If she is expecting such as romantic experience, then she may be let down.
As others have said, she should shop around. I personally would offer to arrange it for her

 

[CaptBuddy]

I had one client on my trip last year who only walked about 5 kilometers every day or two. The rest of the time she took a taxi or a bus.
She had a wonderful time meeting up with the rest of the group at the end of the day.
She enjoyed getting to the hostel/hotel/albergue early and getting things ready for the others.
In Santiago she was honest about how much she did walk and got a Certificate and was very happy.

People are different.
Not everyone wants to walk 25-30 kilometers a day for 6 weeks.
There's enough Camino to go around...

My vote for "Best Post of the Thread".
And there are a lot of marvelously exquisite posts in this superbly structured, and fabulously informative thread.

 

[LauraK]

Has anyone done the Camino from St Jean Pied de Port in December? I'm thinking of going over just after Christmas but am somewhat wary of the weather

John: I walked in January-February and loved it. Solitude but still small groups of pilgrims to talk to on most nights. I was actually surprised how many people I met at this time of year. I also worried about the weather and found this forum to be all I needed to prepare. Weather is variable. I experienced both freezing weather and sunny weather (where I was hot and got a sunburn). I encountered one bad snow storm which required a layover day in Burgos (we were warned by several people the day before). I warm up a lot when walking so never had a problem with the cold. However, many albergues only turn the heat on for a couple of hours so you need a good sleeping bag. I also spent a little more on hot coffee and snacks since it was generally more comfortable to take breaks in a warm bar. I will walk in the winter again...