How do you choose the route for your first Camino?

[peregrina2000]

Now that the Camino Frances is gaining so much in popularity, two things have happened. First, there is a much larger number of "newbies" on the forum who are looking for information about "the Camino" and are planning to walk "the Camino." But then second, since so many of us have been back over and over again, there is a growing number of us who have walked many different caminos. Some of the newbies, understandably, didn't even know there was more than one when they started their planning.

In a post on the Camino de Invierno, a new pilgrim asked this question:

I'm a fledgling pilgrim and I am wondering where the best place is to learn about all these other routes. I'm a little concerned about what Im hearing about the CF route. I don't party or drink, and it sounds like that is what's going on on the CF route. I want a quieter but still safe route. Any help to point me in the right direction. This will be my first Camino planned for late September

There are lots of us with opinions on this topic, and this thread might help out some of those who are just now seeing that there are so many options they never knew existed. My own bottom line, though I now walk untraveled and sometimes remote caminos every year, is that there is no first Camino like the Camino Frances. Those of us who walked it years ago may turn up our noses at the increase in creature comforts, the mobs of people, the commercialization, but in my mind the Camino Frances is still the way to start. Walking with others who are walking for the first time and maybe not even knowing what they expect or what they are looking for gives you a shared experience that leads to community and sharing that will probably amaze you (I know I'm starting to sound like a misty romantic, and that is definitely not what I am). But in any event, I know there are others with different opinions and these opinions might help out people with the same questions as Joodle, who posted the excerpt I printed above.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[amancio]

Absolutely agree, there is no camino like the French one, truely. Then you get addicted and start looking for new routes...

 

[nidarosa]

I took advice from this Forum when I chose my first Camino, the Ingles, in 2009. I chose it because it wasn't the end of another Camino, but had its own beginning and end and I would arrive in Santiago. The Compostella thing wasn't really important, it was finishing a 'whole' walk in the week I had available. Some of the towns along the way were lovely and I did enjoy it, though it was (is?) a lot quieter than the CF. I was glad I chose it, though. Also I have to say I have walked the last bit of the CF four times now and I don't think it's that much of a party atmosphere - if you end up in the middle of one of those busloads of youngsters, maybe, they are definitely high spirited but I don't mind that so much. Avoid the summer months and main stops and you can still have some peace and quiet - I walked down from Acebo to Molinaseca without seeing another pilgrim this September!

 

[jpflavin1]

I would agree with Laurie's comment but add one caveat. If you are an experienced backpacker you might find the Frances a bit pedestrian. Therefore, looking at some of the other routes might provide a better alternative for you.

Ultreya,
Joe

 

[VNwalking]

I am considering 'branching out' after 2 journeys along the Camino Frances--and completely agree with Laurie that it's a really important experience to have had, giving me the confidence, courage, and tools to be able to imagine a more remote walk. There are ways around the final 100Km scrum...and many other options.
Here was my answer to Joodle's original post on the Invierno thread; maybe it will save someone else the time it took to figure this out!:

First get your bearings. There's a fun interactive map of all the different routes in Spain here:
http://www.mundicamino.com/loscaminos.cfm
Once you have the basic lay of the land and know what you're interested in, there is a wealth of information on the forum--just do a search for that particular route and often you will find threads form Camino Angels who post their stages and some sense of the way they took. I've bookmarked a bunch of these for present and future reference. A helpful search is "stages ______" (fill in the blank for the name of the route you want to know about). The 'old hands' around here--people like Peregrina2000, AlanSykes, Kanga, KinkyOne, and others--can write wonderful on the ground running accounts that have value years after their walks.
One warning--once you go down that rabbit hole there's no coming up for a while.
And there are Spanish websites like Gronze where you can plan your own walk.
Have fu-un!

 

[LauraK]

I agree Laurie. I still recommend the Camino France's to first time walkers (although I agree with Joe that experienced trekkers may prefer other options). I just returned from walking my final two days on the France's (from the Primitivo) and was pleasantly surprised that there weren't the crowds I anticipated upon joining the CF (it was late Oct.). I enjoyed walking a few hours with four different people over two days - all on their first caminos. I also met a few others at cafes. Their excitement and experiences did not sound any different than my first time over 10 years ago. I have acquired an attitude about the commercialism, crowds and changes on the CF however, I found myself thoroughly enjoying those two days on the CF. I was going to walk into Santiago alone but ended up walking in with a German girl that I "acquired" as I passed Monto de Gozo...I enjoyed hearing her thoughts as she entered Santiago and experiencing her emotions as she saw the cathedral for the first time. The history, lore and rituals of the Frances are special. The infrastructure and social aspect of the CF can also be of great comfort and support to new pilgrims.

 

[anna pugh]

I have been considering my Camino for a long time but once I'd heard that there was a Camino Ingles - it seemed natural that as an English person this was the one for me. Given that it should also only take a week , which is my usual holiday allocation, and not toooo difficult for a newbie, and end in Santiago, it all seems to be just right. I'm now just training.....

 

[Seabird]

Also I have to say I have walked the last bit of the CF four times now and I don't think it's that much of a party atmosphere - if you end up in the middle of one of those busloads of youngsters, maybe, they are definitely high spirited but I don't mind that so much.

I agree Laurie. I still recommend the Camino France's to first time walkers (although I agree with Joe that experienced trekkers may prefer other options). I just returned from walking my final two days on the France's (from the Primitivo) and was pleasantly surprised that there weren't the crowds I anticipated upon joining the CF (it was late Oct.). I enjoyed walking a few hours with four different people over two days - all on their first caminos. I also met a few others at cafes. Their excitement and experiences did not sound any different than my first time over 10 years ago. I have acquired an attitude about the commercialism, crowds and changes on the CF however, I found myself thoroughly enjoying those two days on the CF. I was going to walk into Santiago alone but ended up walking in with a German girl that I "acquired" as I passed Monto de Gozo...I enjoyed hearing her thoughts as she entered Santiago and experiencing her emotions as she saw the cathedral for the first time. The history, lore and rituals of the Frances are special. The infrastructure and social aspect of the CF can also be of great comfort and support to new pilgrims.

These responses remind me of a favorite quote:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot -- "Little Gidding" (the last of his Four Quartets)

After all, we newbies don't know how it used to be.

 

[Tia Valeria]

We were influenced by access to the ferry and therefore Santander and the Norte. This led Terry onto the Norte-Primitivo option. Then we walked the short Ingles for me. Then back to the Primitivo together. The Frances just was not for us (not even in 2009) and the stages from Palas de Rei were fairly quiet in 2012 so OK as an experience of the Francés, but Terry found it very crowded in 2009.
Maybe many are influenced by accessibility as much as by reports about crowds, bed races etc. We would spend more time and money getting to an airport than using the ferry, others because of location find flying a better choice.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

I only walked once--90 days over parts of several Caminos. I tried to avoid crowds (PTSD) but also extreme cold (past hypothermia) so walked early April to early July, mostly on the Norte and Primitivo but quite a bit on the CF, and a bit of several others. I especially tried to avoid popular areas after mid June.

I also chose Caminos based on churches or architecture I wanted to see (on CF, Norte, ingles, Madrid, Jaume, portugese, Primitivo among others) or walks I wanted to do (Pyrenees, shore). I read guides (Camino and travel) to find places I'd like to see, looked at forums to see when "off season" was, checked forums and booking sites to find accommodation availability , checked weather sites for average and low temps, and travel sites to avoid towns during local festivals or bull fights. Actual travel from one Camino to another I "winged" --some walking, some bus, some train--once enroute.

In defense of the CF (aka party Camino) ...some of my favorite memories, parochial albergue stays, and churches were on my legs there, AND it was the Camino where I (briefly) adopted 'Camino family' (also positive) so don't avoid the CF just bc you don't drink/party. Each Camino is what you make of it, and take from it.

 

[movinmaggie]

I smiled at Laurie's first sentence, but then it was followed by a worried frown and I thought "Oh my, what have I done". At the recent gathering of the Canadian Company of Pilgrims here in Victoria, BC this past Saturday, I had the good fortune to be asked to join in group discussions, bringing together newbies and those who have walked the Camino. I mentioned it in a recent post, saying that the first thing I suggested to the newcomers, was that they get themselves on to this forum!

Having just returned from the CF for the first time, I agree with Laurie and with every post made so far. We might be talking about two types; someone who is a total newbie with no long distance walking experience whatsoever, Then there are newbies, but with extended experience as serious hikers/walkers. The latter may definitely want something less busy that the CF and where the infrastructure is not important to them. It's been said so often - everyone walks their own path for their own reason. But I do feel that given all the facilities that are available on the CF, it might suit newcomers more. Yes it is busy (depending on time of year) and yes there is creeping commercialism and lots of high-spirited folks but it goes so far beyond all that and to stress Laurie's point about newcomers sharing their experiences and the rewards that brings, for me it was the nectar of the Camino. I walked for hours on end alone (by choice) but when I sought company, they just appeared. The sense of care and concern shown by all those I met was heartwarming to say the least.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Movinmaggie makes a good point about two types of 'newbies'...I definitely veered off the well-worn path my first time out, but I had many years of experience living/traveling/hiking/camping through most of the world: first-, third-, and war-torn; some language skill; some medical skill; and experience navigating interpersonal conflict/ personal crisis/ airline shutdowns and even regime change.

There is a lot to be said for first time Camino travelers to go with the CF, especially if this sort of thing is new to them, or if they are young and/or sheltered, and especially if the movie The Way is their inspiration.

 

[Donna Sch]

I've done one Camino and given that Australia is a long way away and that it could be my only camino, I decided that I would do a long one ie it had to be over 1000 km. And then I realised that the VDLP was the old Roman road and I did Latin at high school. And that the temperatures would be similar to what I am familiar with in the tropics. Easy choice!
I wasn't a hiker at all but I am fit from martial arts so the physical difficulties were not a concern. I knew that with enough research and training that I could do that. My main concern was that I might have to spend days on my own but as it eventuated, that never actually happened. I found SdC to Finisterre pretty busy and the demographic very different to that on the VDLP - lots of young students rather than young at heart 40+ somethings. Busy enough for me!
The idea of the hordes on the CF was quite offputting so I turned off onto the Sanabres to get to SdC rather than go via Astorga. For me the VDLP was perfect. But I am a person who hasn't travelled as much as some but I tend to pick places off the beaten track when I do go. And with my colouring I can blend into the general populations in some interesting places until I open my mouth and my weird Kiwi-Aussie accent comes out.
Mind you, you do end up getting asked as a single female from the opposite side of the world, why you are doing it and how do you walk so far, and being given the "you're so brave" comment. "Because it's there" and "one foot in front of the other" still are the best answers. And I don't think I'm brave because to me being brave is living according to your values despite the risk of negative consequences...and that risk is very low.

 

[Kanga]

I would definitely send people on the Camino Frances first. It does have a special kind of magic. I can say that quite categorically, have just re-walked it after many other caminos. I really can't put my finger on it; other routes are far more beautiful, other routes have churches and pilgrims, other routes have history, perhaps few have the comradeship of the Frances. Whatever, the Frances still has a pull that is inexplicable.

 

[Donna Sch]

When I was planning my camino I used Trello and set up a board. For each day I had a list, and each stop/attraction had a card and I added the distance to the next stop. Every time I read something interesting eg great meals, memorable albergues etc I added that to the appropriate card. The nice thing about Trello is that things are very easy to move around. You can upload pdf files, diagrams, photos so I could include mud maps of any confusing bits of the camino, elevation diagrams etc. I could then highlight the places where I planned to stop but if for some reason there was a change of plans I could easily adapt my lists. And I got to see most of the things I wanted to see, and ate at all the places I definitely wanted to try.
Next camino (but its probably 10 years away) I will definitely write more about stuff on the way and keep more records of what is around. I tell you, when the kids all have flown the coop, there will be no empty nest syndrome...Mum's going walking!

 

[rometimed]

I could not imagine not doing the Camino Frances first... then again it was my first really long multi-day walk... I heard many good things about both the Camino del Norte and the Camino Primitivo from others along the way though.

 

[jdpiguet]

Hi Laurie,

It's a question which is turning in my head since long ago.
I think I didn't choose a route: the Camino simply called me.
I never searched for a route, it was clear from the first second that I had to start from Vézelay...

I've read the sentence below in a book, which express my feeling very well:
"Nous avions choisi Vézelay sans débat: nous y ressentons confusément que nous avons dû y naître un peu, il y a bien longtemps. C'est une de nos intimes capitales." (Pierre Barret et Jean-Noël Gurgand, 1977)

Buen Camino,
Jacques-D.

 

[NicP]

Very interesting discussion.... I've not done a camino before, and have been considering / planning my first camino starting in April next year. I've thought (and have been thinking) very hard about what I want to do, I've read a few different books and accounts of the camino, and lurked on this forum to gain the benefit of some of the experience and expert opinions of those who have done lots of caminos. From the outset I was put off the Camino Frances by the large numbers. One of the reasons I'm going to do this camino is to find some solitude so I can have time to think about life, the universe and everything.... and I'm absolutely not going for a party atmosphere (although I accept what those who have gone before me say about the Frances not being like this for everybody, depending on what you go looking for). I have around 8-9 weeks to dedicate to the camino, including some time to catch up with a good friend in Spain, and I wasn't planning on doing massive days (although I'm pretty fit and have been training for a few months now). I had decided to do the Via de la Plata / Sanabres starting in Seville - I figure that in April and May there will be enough people around (peak time on the Via de la Plata seems like a quiet time compared to the Frances from what I've gleaned) for me too have company when I want it, and with fluent Spanish, I feel like I may also be able to connect with some locals too, perhaps. Suddenly, having read this thread, I feel myself doubting my decision to walk the Via de la Plata / Sanabres...

I guess I just wanted to put my thinking / decision making process out there and get some feedback from others who are more wise than I in the ways of the camino, and ask for any further advice you may be able to offer on this. I'm arriving in Spain on a flight into Madrid, and I guess I could head anywhere from there. Other options (aside from starting in Seville) might include starting from Madrid, Toledo or starting on either the Caminos Aragones or Catalan, and linking up with the Frances. There is also the option of linking up with the Frances from the Via de la Plata instead of the Frances... or starting in SJPP. Lots of options, and although I had decided on the Via de la Plata / Sanabres option, I'm always open to other advice .

Lastly, I guess its also important to say that I believe what people say when they say that the right camino is the one you gfo on, and what you get from the camino is what yo needed to get, rather than what you wanted.... Thanks in advance for the advice. I'll try and stop overthinking it all now!

 

[Kanga]

Yes, @NicP - there is so much information on this forum and it can be a problem. There is a lot of evidence that having too many choices causes unhappiness - we can be discontented if we don't make the "perfect" choice, and it is easier to choose between two things than a multitude.

Whatever you decide will be good.

 

[NicP]

Thanks Kanga - having read your reply to my question, it seems to me that what you say is so much common sense and good advice that it may have become obscured to me through my over-thinking of things... Thanks for your wise words! Once I've started, I'm sure I'll enjoy the camino and get what I need, which ever the route....

 

[Gadflyparexcellence]

These responses remind me of a favorite quote:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot -- "Little Gidding" (the last of his Four Quartets)

After all, we newbies don't know how it used to be.

These responses remind me of a favorite quote:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot -- "Little Gidding" (the last of his Four Quartets)

After all, we newbies don't know how it used to be.

These responses remind me of a favorite quote:

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

T.S. Eliot -- "Little Gidding" (the last of his Four Quartets)

After all, we newbies don't know how it used to be.

Thanks. My favorite poem that also reminds me of what the Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa said: "We don't see what we see; we see what we are." We need to go back to a state of child-like tabula rasa.

 

[Urban Trekker]

Now that the Camino Frances is gaining so much in popularity, two things have happened. First, there is a much larger number of "newbies" on the forum who are looking for information about "the Camino" and are planning to walk "the Camino." But then second, since so many of us have been back over and over again, there is a growing number of us who have walked many different caminos. Some of the newbies, understandably, didn't even know there was more than one when they started their planning.

In a post on the Camino de Invierno, a new pilgrim asked this question:

I'm a fledgling pilgrim and I am wondering where the best place is to learn about all these other routes. I'm a little concerned about what Im hearing about the CF route. I don't party or drink, and it sounds like that is what's going on on the CF route. I want a quieter but still safe route. Any help to point me in the right direction. This will be my first Camino planned for late September

There are lots of us with opinions on this topic, and this thread might help out some of those who are just now seeing that there are so many options they never knew existed. My own bottom line, though I now walk untraveled and sometimes remote caminos every year, is that there is no first Camino like the Camino Frances. Those of us who walked it years ago may turn up our noses at the increase in creature comforts, the mobs of people, the commercialization, but in my mind the Camino Frances is still the way to start. Walking with others who are walking for the first time and maybe not even knowing what they expect or what they are looking for gives you a shared experience that leads to community and sharing that will probably amaze you (I know I'm starting to sound like a misty romantic, and that is definitely not what I am). But in any event, I know there are others with different opinions and these opinions might help out people with the same questions as Joodle, who posted the excerpt I printed above.

Buen camino, Laurie

I had heard about the Csminos while researching a trip to Europe. Entered Camino de Santiago on Google. I found thid site liked whst a saw and never left. After reading about the numerous routes I chose the English route based on time and Johnny Walkers recommendations. Buen Camino

Happy Trails

 

[BlueBowers]

This is an interesting thread. I plan on staring my 1st camino in late Sept., and hope to first visit Lourdes. My tentative route is the Aragones then catching the Frances. If it turns out the Frances is not to my liking, there are the Invierno an Salvador/Primitivo options.

 

[trecile]

I first heard about the Camino several years ago in a Spanish class. One of the students did a presentation on the Camino, and that planted the seed in my mind. I really had no idea that there were so many routes. I'm just enchanted by the idea of being able to walk from village to village. Something that's nigh on impossible where I live.

Anyway, my original idea was to walk the last 100 miles or so, stay in hotels, maybe have my pack transferred from place to place, get a certificate and call it good. But something came over me a few months ago, and I knew that I must walk the entire Camino Frances. I have plenty of time to do it, so why not? It rapidly became an obsession. I'm sure that no one here can relate to that.

I like meeting people, so I'm excited to be on a route that is heavily traveled and has a good infrastructure.
I'm doing this one alone, but I can imagine going with my daughter or one of my sons in the future. In fact I'm already thinking of the Portuguese...

 

[Wokabaut_Meri]

I would agree with Laurie's comment but add one caveat. If you are an experienced backpacker you might find the Frances a bit pedestrian. Therefore, looking at some of the other routes might provide a better alternative for you.

Ultreya,
Joe

Fascinating thread - thanks, @peregrina2000 - also shows how diverse and varied our experiences and views are. I'm an experienced remote area backpacker and certainly heard the opinions that the Frances was a bit pedestrian. As our purpose for walking was to assist a companion, the Frances was the Camino of choice and I was prepared for this but was very pleasantly surprised. Certainly it's not the challenging terrain of some other world treks but its distance is to be respected and the weather dictates the going.

I also agree with @Kanga that the Frances does hold its own kind of magic. I consider the experience akin to any of the great walks I've done but for very different reasons. I would - and do - recommend it as a first walk for a Camino, even to my 'walking' friends so that they can discover this too.

That said, I'm busily looking at my options for a second Camino...

 

[JillGat]

As a "newbie" starting the Camino in a week, I am hoping to avoid conversations along the way with those "oldies" who may feel compelled to tell me what my experience should be/will be or even what is around the next bend. And I would hope that those who have experience walking the Camino multiple times will continue to try to experience it as a newbie every time. Not always easy, but it's my goal in life.
Sorry to go all Buddhist on y'all

 

[Rich1]

I guess the nest question is 'How do you choose the route for your second Camino?'

 

[mspath]

I guess the nest question is 'How do you choose the route for your second Camino?'

For various considerations both pro and con re second caminos check out this earlier Forum thread.

 

[november_moon]

As a "newbie" starting the Camino in a week, I am hoping to avoid conversations along the way with those "oldies" who may feel compelled to tell me what my experience should be/will be or even what is around the next bend. And I would hope that those who have experience walking the Camino multiple times will continue to try to experience it as a newbie every time. Not always easy, but it's my goal in life.
Sorry to go all Buddhist on y'all

I don't think you have to worry too much. I didn't run into anybody who was into "plot spoilers" I'm sure they exist, but they don't seem all that prevalent.

 

[Tincatinker]

This 'oldie' was sat one night in his favourite bar in Burgos (no I'm not going to say which one) discussing with another 'veteran' our favourite bars along the Camino. Reminiscing as camino addicts will on past excesses and joys. We were interrupted by a smilingly polite young peregrino who asked "Have you been in every bar along the Camino?". We said "no, no, not yet." He smiled and returned to his companions but I did hear him say "Oh good, there are discoveries left to be made."

 

[JillGat]

“The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

 

[Bradypus]

I simply followed the example of my splendid mother-in-law who had walked the Camino Frances several years earlier. Not sure if there were many established alternative routes then - I certainly was not aware of them at the time.