Hello, My name is Frank Pearson.

[Frankyp]

I really want to do the Camino but I have arthritic knees. The most I can walk is approx 10K a day and probably not every day

Is this possible with accommodation spaced as it is or is it a pipe dream and I'm living in cloud cuckoo land?

 

[dougfitz]

Frank,

To answer your direct question, even on the CF, there will be one or two places where the next available accommodation is going to be more than 10 km from wherever you last stayed. You might want to consider using a taxi shuttle to cover these if the 10km is an absolute limit.

Having walked several pilgrimage routes with severe oesto-arthritis in both my hips and knees, my experience is that good pain management can help extend the distances you can walk, This year on the CP, I planned to limit myself to 20 km a day, but knew that there would be some days greater than that. There were three things that I did:

• used a combination of modified-release paracetamol and ibuprofen during the day. I regularly take modified-release paracetamol spaced across the day, even at home. When I am walking, I will take 400mg of ibuprofen shortly before I start my walk, and if required, take 200mg if pain begins to break through.
• kept my pack light. This is more difficult, as I carry a CPAP as well as a month's supply of medications that are difficult or impractical to obtain along the way.
• used trekking poles. Used properly, they are capable of taking pressure off your lower joints. If you are already using them, all the better. If not, there is plenty of information on this forum about them. Beware of the Pacer pole aficionados - they seem to come out at the mere mention of poles. Any reasonably priced pole offers more benefits than Pace poles if you are prepared to learn to use them properly.

 

[C clearly]

Sarria to Santiago on the Camino Frances, is about 115 km and still qualifies for the Compostela. You can likely find accommodation at no more than 10 km distance. Get a guide book and examine the locations of village with lodging.

Godesalco.com is a good planning tool. It lists 47 localities with accommodation between Sarria and Santiago. The longest distance between them is 8.6 km. In that section, there are plentiful taxis, and services in case you have difficulty with the distances.

You would want to consider what month to walk in, and your budget, to decide whether you want or need to make reservations in advance.

So, no, this could be more than a pipe dream.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Sarria to Santiago on the Camino Frances, is about 115 km and still qualifies for the Compostela. You can likely find accommodation at no more than 10 km distance. Get a guide book and examine the locations of village with lodging.

I was going to suggest this also. I will add that you should consider whether to plan each day how far you want to walk so you can reserve a place to stay. I say this because you may not want to walk further if lodging is full. You could taxi in that case but what's the fun in that?

 

[Frankyp]

Frank,

To answer your direct question, even on the CF, there will be one or two places where the next available accommodation is going to be more than 10 km from wherever you last stayed. You might want to consider using a taxi shuttle to cover these if the 10km is an absolute limit.

Having walked several pilgrimage routes with severe oesto-arthritis in both my hips and knees, my experience is that good pain management can help extend the distances you can walk, This year on the CP, I planned to limit myself to 20 km a day, but knew that there would be some days greater than that. There were three things that I did:

• used a combination of modified-release paracetamol and ibuprofen during the day. I regularly take modified-release paracetamol spaced across the day, even at home. When I am walking, I will take 400mg of ibuprofen shortly before I start my walk, and if required, take 200mg if pain begins to break through.
• kept my pack light. This is more difficult, as I carry a CPAP as well as a month's supply of medications that are difficult or impractical to obtain along the way.
• used trekking poles. Used properly, they are capable of taking pressure off your lower joints. If you are already using them, all the better. If not, there is plenty of information on this forum about them. Beware of the Pacer pole aficionados - they seem to come out at the mere mention of poles. Any reasonably priced pole offers more benefits than Pace poles if you are prepared to learn to use them properly.

Thank you. I can't use Ibuprofen (apart from the gel) due to stomach ulcer issues which they aggravate the situation but I can look at alternatives. I already use poles and gel.

 

[maryloufrommadison]

On the CF this spring, I met an Australian couple. The woman had broken her leg in January, and had just gotten out of the boot. She was advised not to walk more than 10 km per day. She would walk the 10 km with her husband, then taxi to the next place, or would leave later than he and taxi to an arranged meeting place. That way, she could decide which 10 km she wanted to walk and he could experience a full day walking. They were happy with the solution.

 

[Frankyp]

Frank,

To answer your direct question, even on the CF, there will be one or two places where the next available accommodation is going to be more than 10 km from wherever you last stayed. You might want to consider using a taxi shuttle to cover these if the 10km is an absolute limit.

Having walked several pilgrimage routes with severe oesto-arthritis in both my hips and knees, my experience is that good pain management can help extend the distances you can walk, This year on the CP, I planned to limit myself to 20 km a day, but knew that there would be some days greater than that. There were three things that I did:

• used a combination of modified-release paracetamol and ibuprofen during the day. I regularly take modified-release paracetamol spaced across the day, even at home. When I am walking, I will take 400mg of ibuprofen shortly before I start my walk, and if required, take 200mg if pain begins to break through.
• kept my pack light. This is more difficult, as I carry a CPAP as well as a month's supply of medications that are difficult or impractical to obtain along the way.
• used trekking poles. Used properly, they are capable of taking pressure off your lower joints. If you are already using them, all the better. If not, there is plenty of information on this forum about them. Beware of the Pacer pole aficionados - they seem to come out at the mere mention of poles. Any reasonably priced pole offers more benefits than Pace poles if you are prepared to learn to use them properly.

Thank you. I do have poles and use them regularly when walking. I will start to look into the "pain management" process for myself.

 

[Frankyp]

Sarria to Santiago on the Camino Frances, is about 115 km and still qualifies for the Compostela. You can likely find accommodation at no more than 10 km distance. Get a guide book and examine the locations of village with lodging.

Godesalco.com is a good planning tool. It lists 47 localities with accommodation between Sarria and Santiago. The longest distance between them is 8.6 km. In that section, there are plentiful taxis, and services in case you have difficulty with the distances.

You would want to consider what month to walk in, and your budget, to decide whether you want or need to make reservations in advance.

So, no, this could be more than a pipe dream.

Thank you.
You have provided me with the necessary encouragement to start planning.
My daughter is getting married next year and I may have to postpone till 2024 from a financial point of view. I will keep you posted.