Hello! First Camino April/May

[Maartje1]

Hi! Nice to ‘meet’ you all.

From about early/mid April I hope to be on my first Camino. I have until about mid May. Every day different ideas arise for routes, from Camino Frances (busy!), or Camino Norte (rainy!) to a combo of Madrid-Salvador-primitivo (messy!) Or even to finish my Camino by walking ‘the wrong way’ from Compostela to Porto (airport). Whether to walk a few days in the middle (Salvador) with my partner, or to stick to one Camino and go solo all the way. The options are overwhelming! Also things like potential bed races (not appealing), the weather, pleasant solitude vs loneliness vs the Camino vibe/family make for difficult decisions! Your insights are very welcome. All in all I am very excited where the road will take me
Cheers,
Maartje

 

[TimVranizan]

Hey There! Like you, I'm heading out on my first Camino in April 2024! Can't wait!

 

[drea68]

Hi there, I'll be walking the Camino in 2024 too!

 

[Kiwi-family]

There are no bad choices!
By the way, Madrid-Salvador-Primitivo is NOT messy. But you might find the Madrid to be too quiet.

 

[arfajajc]

I'm planning my first Camino too. I'm travelling from New Zealand and have decided on the Frances from SJPP starting early/mid April. It may be a bit busy but I'm sure all will be fine and the bonus will be meeting other peregrinos/as during my travels!

 

[David Tallan]

Hi! Nice to ‘meet’ you all.

From about early/mid April I hope to be on my first Camino. I have until about mid May. Every day different ideas arise for routes, from Camino Frances (busy!), or Camino Norte (rainy!) to a combo of Madrid-Salvador-primitivo (messy!) Or even to finish my Camino by walking ‘the wrong way’ from Compostela to Porto (airport). Whether to walk a few days in the middle (Salvador) with my partner, or to stick to one Camino and go solo all the way. The options are overwhelming! Also things like potential bed races (not appealing), the weather, pleasant solitude vs loneliness vs the Camino vibe/family make for difficult decisions! Your insights are very welcome. All in all I am very excited where the road will take me
Cheers,
Maartje

The Madrid-Salvador-Primitivo combination is a nice one (I walked it myself this year) but I wouldn't recommend it for a first camino. For a first camino I would generally recommend one with plenty of infrastructure. More infrastructure = more flexibility = better able to adapt to what you discover works for  you while you are on the Camino. It isn't until you are actually on the Camino that you will learn how far your body is ready to walk each day, or you will discover how much you enjoy the company of other pilgrims vs solitude. Reading in advance is no substitute. That is why the Frances is generally recommended so often for a first camino. It has the infrastructure that best enables you to adapt to what you learn as you start walking.

I would advise not allowing yourself to be put off by the stories you read about how crowded it is. For the most part people's expectations are set by their first camino and that is what they try and go back and recapture. As the Camino grows in popularity, there are more people and that becomes a difference from their first camino and people complain about it. People who walked the Camino Frances first in recent years have continued to have great, transformational experiences that bring them back.

If you do find that you want a less crowded camino than you are experiencing on the Frances there are a number of strategies to get one. You can start walking earlier or later in the day. You can stop "off stage", between the stage ends recommended in the most popular guides. The Primitivo merges with the Frances for the last 50 km after Melide, making this the busiest stretch on any camino. I walked it this year in late July, the busiest time of the year. I didn't experience a bed race and had plenty of solitude on the trail, just by stopping at Salceda and Lavacolla instead of Arzua.

If you had felt yourself really called to another route I would have tried not to stand in your way. Many have had wonderful and successful first caminos on the Norte, for example. But if you are betwixt and between, not really sure which route to take, for a first camino I would highly recommend the Frances, if you have the time.

 

[Maartje1]

The Madrid-Salvador-Primitivo combination is a nice one (I walked it myself this year) but I wouldn't recommend it for a first camino. For a first camino I would generally recommend one with plenty of infrastructure. More infrastructure = more flexibility = better able to adapt to what you discover works for  you while you are on the Camino. It isn't until you are actually on the Camino that you will learn how far your body is ready to walk each day, or you will discover how much you enjoy the company of other pilgrims vs solitude. Reading in advance is no substitute. That is why the Frances is generally recommended so often for a first camino. It has the infrastructure that best enables you to adapt to what you learn as you start walking.

I would advise not allowing yourself to be put off by the stories you read about how crowded it is. For the most part people's expectations are set by their first camino and that is what they try and go back and recapture. As the Camino grows in popularity, there are more people and that becomes a difference from their first camino and people complain about it. People who walked the Camino Frances first in recent years have continued to have great, transformational experiences that bring them back.

If you do find that you want a less crowded camino than you are experiencing on the Frances there are a number of strategies to get one. You can start walking earlier or later in the day. You can stop "off stage", between the stage ends recommended in the most popular guides. The Primitivo merges with the Frances for the last 50 km after Melide, making this the busiest stretch on any camino. I walked it this year in late July, the busiest time of the year. I didn't experience a bed race and had plenty of solitude on the trail, just by stopping at Salceda and Lavacolla instead of Arzua.

If you had felt yourself really called to another route I would have tried not to stand in your way. Many have had wonderful and successful first caminos on the Norte, for example. But if you are betwixt and between, not really sure which route to take, for a first camino I would highly recommend the Frances, if you have the time.

Thank you for your insight! Much appreciated.