Help with route

[Mso]

I’m looking at doing a guided Camino starting in Porto. Have you ever heard of an itinerary that has you spend 5 nights in Pontevedra and they bus you to the starting points each day. You only start the last day from Pontevedra. Called a hub and spoke itinerary. Seems you miss staying in other towns plus is there enough to see to spend 5 nights in Pontevedra? Also how is the weather in late September?

 

[Former member 92300]

I would look into other options. Is it an actual "guided" route - as on someone walks with a group and give history or something? There are other companies that will scheduled your accommodations and luggage transport for you and you can stay in the towns you walk to each day. I wouldn't want to be bused back and forth each day.

But - just so you know - it is pretty easy to do a Camino route without having a company book things for you. If you are not comfortable with not having advanced reservations - you can easily look at a guide book, and app, or the website gronze .com to see what the "normal" stages are and they usually have information on how to book the accommodations for places that allow reservations. And I know baggage transport is easy to set up on the Frances if you don't use a company. I think the same is true of the CP route from Porto.

 

[Camembert]

You can see Pontevedra in one day
Nothing especial there

 

[auburnfive]

This might be a good way to do a walking holiday but it sounds like a terrible way to do a Camino, you’d loose the whole sense of a journey.
If you really prefer guided the Follow the Camino offers some guided options that stay in a different town each night
Weather is usually great for walking in September.

 

[irishrock]

I’m looking at doing a guided Camino starting in Porto. Have you ever heard of an itinerary that has you spend 5 nights in Pontevedra and they bus you to the starting points each day. You only start the last day from Pontevedra. Called a hub and spoke itinerary. Seems you miss staying in other towns plus is there enough to see to spend 5 nights in Pontevedra? Also how is the weather in late September?

this might sound like I'm judging, but this doesn't seem like a Camino to me...Taking it day by day without really knowing what the day will bring is one of the great mysteries and joys on the Camino. I'll never do one of these tours...ever.

 

[J Willhaus]

I can't be of too much help, however, the "guided trips" that I have known people to take on the Portuguese arranged for their lodging each night along the way and not in one place. It did not involve a bus.

 

[dougfitz]

Friends have just completed their camino using a travel company to arrange accommodation. They stayed two nights in one place, and were collected and delivered by taxi. But otherwise, they stayed in different places each night. I know that for me, part of the Camino experience is being able to explore the different places along the route. Spending several nights in one town wouldn't achieve that.

 

[Blackcountry pilgrim]

I would look into other options. Is it an actual "guided" route - as on someone walks with a group and give history or something? There are other companies that will scheduled your accommodations and luggage transport for you and you can stay in the towns you walk to each day. I wouldn't want to be bused back and forth each day.

But - just so you know - it is pretty easy to do a Camino route without having a company book things for you. If you are not comfortable with not having advanced reservations - you can easily look at a guide book, and app, or the website gronze .com to see what the "normal" stages are and they usually have information on how to book the accommodations for places that allow reservations. And I know baggage transport is easy to set up on the Frances if you don't use a company. I think the same is true of the CP route from Porto.

And you could easily prebook all your accomodation through booking.com from any stage right through to Sdc in doable stages good luck

 

[lt56ny]

If you really feel you need to be on a guided tour than do it, but this one sounds awful for the reasons expressed above. Walking 5 days will give you a taste of what a pilgrimage may look like. Hopefully you will enjoy what you taste and gain the confidence to do another longer camino and guilde yourself.

 

[Former member 92300]

And you could easily prebook all your accomodation through booking.com from any stage right through to Sdc in doable stages good luck

Yes - this is very true. But the guidebook/app/gronze help a new pilgrim figure out what towns to reserve in. And gronze gives links to booking .com

I think some of the fear some prospective pilgrims have is not knowing where to start in the planning process. It really is easy if you use a guidebook/app/gronze and go from there! They lay out the daily distances and show you the towns in between in case you want to walk shorter distances every day.