Hi First time Camino-er here

[CaminoSteveG]

Hi, my wife and I are planning to walk the Camino for a week this summer, kids all off at Uni so time for some adventures of our own. I am thinking of the Camino Frances, the last 100k Sarria to Santiago.

A few early questions
Santiago doesn't seem like the easiest place to get to from London, do people mostly fly to Barcelona and make their way to Sarria/Santiago by train?

Secondly, is it fairly easy to do it yourself or do most people use one of the operators who cn book the hotels and give you the route?

Ill get reading ll this material but any tips more than welcome

Many Thanks
Steve

 

[ivar]

Hi, my wife and I are planning to walk the Camino for a week this summer, kids all off at Uni so time for some adventures of our own. I am thinking of the Camino Frances, the last 100k Sarria to Santiago.

A few early questions
Santiago doesn't seem like the easiest place to get to from London, do people mostly fly to Barcelona and make their way to Sarria/Santiago by train?

Secondly, is it fairly easy to do it yourself or do most people use one of the operators who cn book the hotels and give you the route?

Ill get reading ll this material but any tips more than welcome

Many Thanks
Steve

Welcome to the forum!

1) train from Madrid is much easier if you can not fly in to Santiago

2) You can use this forum to plan your walk and I don’t think you need to book anything with a tour company unless you want to.

Buen camino!

 

[CaminoSteveG]

Welcome to the forum!

1) train from Madrid is much easier if you can not fly in to Santiago

2) You can use this forum to plan your walk and I don’t think you need to book anything with a tour company unless you want to.

Buen camino!

many thanks Iva

 

[Bradypus]

Santiago doesn't seem like the easiest place to get to from London, do people mostly fly to Barcelona and make their way to Sarria/Santiago by train?

Why would you go to the opposite end of Spain when there are direct flights from Gatwick or Luton to Santiago? Outside of school holidays flights start at about £20 and take about 2 hours. You can also fly from Heathrow to A Coruña. I recommend searching using Kayak or another flight engine

 

[CarolamS]

Hi, my wife and I are planning to walk the Camino for a week this summer, kids all off at Uni so time for some adventures of our own. I am thinking of the Camino Frances, the last 100k Sarria to Santiago.

A few early questions
Santiago doesn't seem like the easiest place to get to from London, do people mostly fly to Barcelona and make their way to Sarria/Santiago by train?

Secondly, is it fairly easy to do it yourself or do most people use one of the operators who cn book the hotels and give you the route?

Ill get reading ll this material but any tips more than welcome

Many Thanks
Steve

Steve there are direct Easyjet flights between Gatwick and Santiago de Compostela airport.
I live in Devon and flew home this way, taking the train to Victoria and coach from there. Very convenient and the timings worked very well for me. If you are in London it will be even easier.

As Ivar says you can book accommodation yourself very easily and it will save a lot of money. In Ivar's shop you will find a variety of guide books. Personally I like planning with a physical book which I annotate as I research accommodation. You can also find this information on the Gronze website. If you Google this you will get the option to translate into English. There are also apps and I like Wise Pilgrim which I use a lot when on Camino.

A guide book such as Brierley's will give you information about what to take etc as well as the route and accommodation options. Very helpful if you are new. You can also get a lot of information here if you try the search engine.

Happy planning

 

[Vacajoe]

London has an excellent group of Pilgrims that regularly host meetups, preparation sessions, and hikes. Their office near Southbank is routinely open for advice and planning materials. Definitely contact them.

As for travel, fly into Santiago de Compostela if you are only walking the last 100kms. It’s inexpensive and the closest airport to your destination. LHR doesn’t offer the best flights to that small airport, but Gatwick and Stansted do, Alternately, you can fly into Biarritz cheaply from London, then take a bus/train/taxi/or van to St Jean Pied de Port if that’s where you are starting or fly to Bilbao, Madrid, Leon, SdC, or elsewhere if you are walking a shorter path. Only choose Barcelona if you are walking the Ignaciano or Catalan (or want to see Barcelona!) as it is quite the distance from the Camino Frances.

 

[woody66]

Like Bradypus says!!
Direct flights from Gatwick, Stanstead and A Coruna from Gatwick prices are good! (bus /train to Sarria between 15 to 25 Euros
Do it yourself use Gronze link below (Sarria to Portomarin is the first stage and you click the left arrow to move on )
https://www.gronze.com/etapa/sarria/portomarin

In Spanish but Google Chrome translates to English!
Gronze shows all types of accommodation along the way with links to all by email, website and telephone!
Also booking.com where there are reviews of each place and most have free cancellation up until a few days before your stay so if you fall sick for example you haven't lost any money!
Get an app WisePilgrim and Buen Camino are both very good!! they help guide you along the path.
You will get lots of info off others; don't panic and enjoy the walk.
You'll have a blast.
Buen Camino
Woody


.

 

[henrythedog]

Hi, my wife and I are planning to walk the Camino for a week this summer, kids all off at Uni so time for some adventures of our own. I am thinking of the Camino Frances, the last 100k Sarria to Santiago.

A few early questions
Santiago doesn't seem like the easiest place to get to from London, do people mostly fly to Barcelona and make their way to Sarria/Santiago by train?

Secondly, is it fairly easy to do it yourself or do most people use one of the operators who cn book the hotels and give you the route?

Ill get reading ll this material but any tips more than welcome

Many Thanks
Steve

Welcome Steve.

Don’t use an ‘operator’; it’s Spain FFS and everything’s on the internet. It’s like booking a B&B in the UK and the route from Sarria is nailed-on obvious.

Fly to Madrid and take the train.

Or - less crowded - fly to Porto, take the train to Valença (Tui) and walk the Portuguese from there.

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

Hi Steve. France's from Saria is a great intro to the Camino, because of the excellent infrastructure. And by that I mean all of the different types of accommodation, short distances between potential stopping points, loads of cafes etc along the way. If for some reason you cannot carry your pack ( or simply don't want to) bag transport services are also available. (Although do at least consider carrying it if possible, personally I feel you find it adds to your experience).
It's also the most travelled - I.e., the busiest. Easy to get to, as described above

The Portuguese is the next most popular. Again, good infrastructure, easy to get to.

Third would be the Inglès - literally, the English Way. My personal favourite. Still very good infrastructure, not quite as busy as the other two except during / close to public holidays. ( Do be aware of this when you plan your journey).

There are also several others, but if you chose one of the three above I don't think you would go wrong. Pick a camino and consider getting a guidebook as suggested above, they do make planning a lot easier, especially as they give you accommodation lists etc as well.

Easy to get to the starting point of all three from Santiago, but other options are available. Just do a quick Google search and you'll soon see the best flight options for you. Ditto accommodation wise. It's incredibly easy. Once you know where you want to stay, contact the place direct - emails easiest because then you can write and translate into Spanish for the recipient before sending.
Worst case you can always use booking.com.

There is a ton of information here on the forum. Click on the magnifying glass top right, choose the advanced search option, and I would encourage you to tick titles only. I hope you enjoy reading!
After a month or two of reading, come back to us with any more questions .

 

[Gianni3333]

Hi, my wife and I are planning to walk the Camino for a week this summer, kids all off at Uni so time for some adventures of our own. I am thinking of the Camino Frances, the last 100k Sarria to Santiago.

A few early questions
Santiago doesn't seem like the easiest place to get to from London, do people mostly fly to Barcelona and make their way to Sarria/Santiago by train?

Secondly, is it fairly easy to do it yourself or do most people use one of the operators who cn book the hotels and give you the route?

Ill get reading ll this material but any tips more than welcome

Many Thanks
Steve

Hi Steve,

there are trains everywhere. Possibly fly into Bilbao then train to Sarria.

I’ve completed 5 Caminos but they were all in early spring as the crowds are massive in the summer. The last 100k is nuts. Might want to prebook to make sure you get a bed and to be honest I would get a private room. There are literally hordes of ppl walking. I’ve heard that many people can’t even find a bed. Best of luck!

Buen Camino!

 

[Carol2024]

Hi Steve,

there are trains everywhere. Possibly fly into Bilbao then train to Sarria.

I’ve completed 5 Caminos but they were all in early spring as the crowds are massive in the summer. The last 100k is nuts. Might want to prebook to make sure you get a bed and to be honest I would get a private room. There are literally hordes of ppl walking. I’ve heard that many people can’t even find a bed. Best of luck!

Buen Camino!

Hi! Planning first walk, last 100k in Oct/Nov. Doing research & saw your comment. Curious if the “hordes” of pilgrims will be an issue that time of year. Thx!!!

 

[C clearly]

Hi! Planning first walk, last 100k in Oct/Nov. Doing research & saw your comment. Curious if the “hordes” of pilgrims will be an issue that time of year. Thx!!!

No, they won't.

 

[Carol2024]

No, they won't.

Thx! I appreciate your reply. ◡̈
Can I ask your opinion? Hubby & I going on this adventure in our 50s. Seems the Frances is suggested for us newbies. Is that also your opinion or would you recommend the Portuguese or Ingles? Thx, again!