Hi im Oli, planning to walk the Camino in 2010

[olih21]

Hi im Oli, im 20 and from England, when in Sevilla i met an American girl who had walked the Camino and i have been amazed by the idea ever since. I just need basic information on how to ''register'' for the walk and what different routes there are, basically how to organise the whole begining fo it! Any help appreciated, many thanks. Oli

 

[Deirdre]

Bienvenido, Oli,
You have come to the right place! If you simply browse around the site, you'll find all the information you need and probably more than you ever thought available! It is pretty much all covered here - and others will answer your specific questions as you go. Just plan on lots of compañeros during the Holy Year!
Buen Camino,

 

[ivar]

Hi and welcome to the forum Oli,

I would start by browsing these sites and then come back here to ask all the questions that you then will have come up with.

They say that once you have decided to walk, you have already started your camino.

http://www.csj.org.uk/faqs.htm
http://www.pilgrim-wiki.com/index.php?t ... o_Santiago

Buen camino!

Greetings from Santiago de Compostela,
Ivar

 

[brendan nolan]

Hi Oli,
Welcome to the Forum ,
I think a good place to start your prepations is the CSJ site; you may wish to pick a route and then use their guides which give info on accommodation, banks, etc. You have 2 years to prepare so you could be expert by then!
Enjoy the planning and Buen Camino,
Brendan

 

[spursfan]

The only thing to be careful around for 2010 is that since it's a Holy Year the numbers will be much greater than normal - so you might either avoid the Summer or be prepared to bring a tent

 

[sillydoll]

Hello Oli,
You don't have to register to do the camino. If you are from England I would recommend that you join the Confraternity of St James (London) where you will find all the info you need on routes, how to get there, what to take etc. Members are also able to purchase a 'credential' or pilgrim's passport which is necessary to stay in the refuges along the way. We are not sure yet of the new rules regarding the issue of credentials by other countries and this might change. There has been talk of only official, Spanish credentials being accepted from 2008 at refuges and at the pilgrim's office for the awarding of the certificate of completion, the Compostela. http://www.csj.org.uk
The DVD "Welcome" states that the authorities are expecting up to 5 million (!!!) pilgrims to walk the different routes in Spain in the next Holy Year - 2010. The movie shows the type of accommodation that might be used to house pilgrims, including an award winning metal container-cum-albergue.
I think it will be very exciting to walk the camino in the Holy Year. I walked it in 2004 and the vibe was amazing! The next Holy Year will be in 2021 - some of us here might be a bit long in the tooth by then but I am aiming to walk it again then!!
Good luck with your planning,